John Henry Leonhard was the son of
Theodor Leonhard and Verena Setz. The census of Manchester Township for
1870 lists Theodore Leonhard, aged 52, a native of Prussia, a candlemaker
with $10,000 in real estate and a $12,000 value to his personal estate.
The census also lists Fanny, a 33 year old native of Switzerland "keeping
house" (the traditional designation for wives and homemakers.) The census
also lists Theodore 15, Henry 12, William 10, Albert 8, Rudolf 6, Fanny 3,
and George 1. The "Henry" is obviously John Henry, often known in life as
Henry, and the others are his brothers and sisters.
The census of 1880 for Manchester has the following
listings:
Theodore Leonhard, 62, Wax
Bleaching
Fannie, 44, Wife
Henry, 22, At
home
William G., 20, Works in silk
mill
Albert F., 18, Studying law
Randolph
E., 16, At School
Fanny A., 13, At
home
George W., 10, At home
In addition, the census entries make it
clear that these are the children of Theodor Leonhard and Verena Setz,
although the 15 year old Theodore of the 1870 census is no longer listed.
John Henry Leonhard married Juliette van
Hovenberg October 26, 1880 in Haledon, in Passaic County, New Jersey.
Together, they had the following seven children, all boys:
Henry Alfred Leonhard, born 1881, date
unknown. he was interred in Laurel Grove Cemetery October 16, 1888, and so
in all likelihood died two or three days earlier.
Julian Albert Leonhard, born August 13,
1884. Julian died October 20, 1903 in Haledon, and was buried in Laurel
Grove two days later. Family legend has it that as part of a college
hazing ritual, Julian was dared to drink sewer water -- this was not an
unusual custom in those days, unfortunately, as a way of demonstrating
defiance to disease -- contracted some water borne disease (probably
typhoid) and died as a result.
Frederick William Leonhard, born October
4, 1887.
Edwin Augustus Leonhard, born September
17, 1891.
Charles Heermance Leonhard, born
February 26, 1895.
Hermann Robert Leonhard born January 19,
1898. Herman (as he was usually known) was the genealogist for the van
Hovenberg and Leonhard families for many years.
Theodor Leonhard, born April 9, 1901.
The census of 1900 finds all of these,
less Theodor and less Henry Alfred living on Old Mountain Road in
Manchester Township, probably at the estate known as "Oakwood", the site
of a number of group photographs in the 1890's. It is also interesting to
note that his father, aged 82, is listed just below, apparently as
neighbor, and the census further indicates his date of immigration in
1850. By interpolation, this means that his father immigrated at the age
of 32 from Germany.
Henry Leonhard appears to have taken
over his father's business and to have expanded it somewhat. At the time
of his death, June 14, 1927, he was president of the Parchment Paper
Company, in Passaic, and head of the (Theodor) Leonhard Wax Company, in
Paterson. On the whole, he is remembered as a successful businessman, and
as loving husband and father to his boys.
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