My Genealogy Hound

L. LEONARD, grain buyer, Piqua, of the firms of Orr & Leonard and Orr, Leonard & Daniels. Mr. Leonard, a native of Pennsylvania, was born in Perry Co. in 1825; his parents removed to Miami Co. in 1833, and settled in the vicinity of Covington. When about 16 years of age, he was apprenticed to learn the saddler’s trade; after learning which, he was employed in various ways; he was appointed Postmaster at Covington, by Zachary Taylor, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of his brother Joseph Leonard; in 1850, he engaged in a general merchandise store at Covington, with Jacob Lehman, afterward was a partner with A. Routson, and continued merchandising until 1868, when he changed and engaged in the grain trade there. In 1869, the firm of Orr, Kendall & Co., of which he was a member, was formed, and in the following year he removed his family to Piqua. The history of this firm, and that of Orr & Leonard and Orr, Leonard & Daniels, is the history of Mr. Leonard’s business career in Piqua, which has been a very successful one; their business is vast, and their shipments of oil and oil-cake are not confined even to this side of the Atlantic; Mr. Leonard has not only been one of the principal partners in those important enterprises, but has also been identified with the friends of Piqua in all matters of general interest and benefit; he is a quiet, but active and thorough business man, a genial, social gentleman, and a useful, respected citizen. His residence, located at the southwest corner of Downing street and Park avenue, is a handsome property, elegantly furnished, where his wife presides with womanly grace and dignity. She was Miss Charity Ellen, daughter of William Kendall, of Warren Co. They were married in 1857, and have six children, Milla, now Mrs. J. F. Daniels; Forest and Lee, now students at the university at Wooster; Willie, Grace and Lewis, children at home. He also has one son, John H., a resident of Piqua, by a former marriage with Miss Hannah J., daughter of Robert Hamilton, which occurred in 1852, and her decease in 1855. Mr. Leonard is a Director of the Piqua National Bank, Treasurer of the Piqua Straw Board and Paper Co., also a stockholder and Director of the Spiker Wagon Works Co.; he raised a company of O. N. Guards, in 1864, and was active in support of the war for the suppression of the rebellion.