Lawrence Leach
| Lists | Great Migration Directory |
| Charts | Ancestors of William Jerome Pierce |
Lawrence Leach, whose ancestry is unknown (or not traced here), was born at England, about 1580.1,2,3 He died at Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts, before 25 June 1662, when his will was proved.1,2,4
Lawrence married Elizabeth Mileham, daughter of John Mylam and Elizabeth (…), at Hurst, Berkshire, England, 2 February 1605.2,1,5,4
Lawrence Leach was mentioned in a long letter to Gov John Endicott from Gov. Craddock, dated 17 Apr 1629: "We desire you to take notice of one Lawrence Leach, shom we have found a careful and painful man, and we doubt not, he will continue his diligence. Let him have deserving respect."
He came to Salem in the fleet with Rev. Francis Higginson; the first ship, the Talbot, dropped anchor in Manchester Harbor 27 Jun 1629.
Lawrence was proposed for a freeman at Salem in 1630 and was sworn 18 May 1630. He was one of the twelve jurymen to hear the first capital case in Massachusetts.
On 31 Dec 1638 he was chosen as one of seven men to manage the public affairs of Salem, and held that office for many years. Among his colleagues were Gov. John Endicott, William Hawthorne, Roger Conant, John Woodbury, and John Balch.
He was a prominent member and founder of the church at Salem. He engaged in farming and milling, and his mills were so important that a way was laid out to them from the meeting house, and other towns also opened roads to connect to it. He also had an iron foundry which was the first in the colonies.1
Lawrence married Elizabeth Mileham, daughter of John Mylam and Elizabeth (…), at Hurst, Berkshire, England, 2 February 1605.2,1,5,4
Lawrence Leach was mentioned in a long letter to Gov John Endicott from Gov. Craddock, dated 17 Apr 1629: "We desire you to take notice of one Lawrence Leach, shom we have found a careful and painful man, and we doubt not, he will continue his diligence. Let him have deserving respect."
He came to Salem in the fleet with Rev. Francis Higginson; the first ship, the Talbot, dropped anchor in Manchester Harbor 27 Jun 1629.
Lawrence was proposed for a freeman at Salem in 1630 and was sworn 18 May 1630. He was one of the twelve jurymen to hear the first capital case in Massachusetts.
On 31 Dec 1638 he was chosen as one of seven men to manage the public affairs of Salem, and held that office for many years. Among his colleagues were Gov. John Endicott, William Hawthorne, Roger Conant, John Woodbury, and John Balch.
He was a prominent member and founder of the church at Salem. He engaged in farming and milling, and his mills were so important that a way was laid out to them from the meeting house, and other towns also opened roads to connect to it. He also had an iron foundry which was the first in the colonies.1
Family | Elizabeth Mileham d. aft. 1671 |
| Children |
| This person was last edited on | 27 Nov 2017 |
Citations
- [S2281] Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I–III, 3 vols. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995), 2:1161-64 (Lawrence Leach), further cited as Anderson, GMB.
- [S1173] Robert F. Henderson and James R. Henderson, "English Origins of Lawrence1 Leach of Salem, Massachusetts," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 162 (April 2008): 98-100, further cited as Henderson and Henderson, "Lawrence Leach."
- [S2052] Robert Charles Anderson, The Winthrop Fleet: Massachusetts Bay Company Immigrants to New England 1629-1630 (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012), 444, further cited as Anderson, The Winthrop Fleet.
- [S2052] Anderson, The Winthrop Fleet, 445.
- [S1872] Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700, 3 vols. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011), 932, further cited as Torrey, New England Marriages (2011).