William Vance Leonard was born to Albert Darius Leonard and Rebecca Brady Leonard in Browers Township, Randolph County, North Carolina on October 10, 1862. When William Vance was born, he lived in the Confederate States of American and Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy. The Confederate States had just passed a strict exemption act that only allowed a few exemptions for not serving in the service. Deserters were being hunted, flogged, and sometimes even executed. The newspapers were full of war casualties and sometimes victories.
William Vance’s father Albert Darris served in the Confederate Army in Company E North Carolina 44th Infantry Regiment. He mustered Out on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. In the 1870 census, William Vance Leonard is living with his family in Brower’s Township, Randolph County North Carolina. He is the oldest child at age seven. His brother Albert Wesley is age five, and sister Mahala Jane is aged three. Father Albert Darris is forty-two and mother Rebecca is forty. Albert Darris owns real estate valued at $150 and personal property valued at $130. Also living with the family is sixty-four year old grandmother Nancy Leonard who has real estate valued at $650. Nancy and her sister, Mahala had inherited 400 acres from their father Jacob. Also living with the family is sixty-four year old Allen Scott who is listed as a farm laborer.
The baby of the family, Ada Frances Leonard was born on May 1, 1871 when William Vance was eight years old. His mother Rebecca died sometime after the birth of Ada Frances and before the 1880 census. In the 1880 census, seventeen year old William Vance is living with is widowed father Albert Darris and widowed grandmother Nancy Leonard. This is scant evidence that Nancy was ever married. Her father was Jacob Leonard and she went by Leonard all of her life. Also living in the household is Allen Scott who is not related to anyone in the household. He and Nancy are about the same age and were living together in the same household in 1860, 1870, and 1880 census. He is listed as being single. Other children in the household are Albert Wesley, age 16, Mahala Jane, age 14, and Ada Frances, age 8.
William Vance Leonard married Zenri Golda Oates in 1882 when he was twenty. She was from Moore County. On October 16, 1883, his first son Lonnie Lee was born in Moore County. In 1888, Vance and Zenri had a second son, Carl. In May of 1890, a third son William Claude was born. Records show he was born in Chatham County. Vance and Zenri moved around quite a bit. In 1891, the family was back in Moore County where Vance leased one acre of land from J A Dickens and his wife for the purpose of distilling spirits subject to the Internal Revenue laws of the United States. The next year Zenri and Vance had their first daughter, Flossie Alice who was born on April 27, 1892. That year the couple purchased 55 acres along Herds Creek in Moore County from Zinger’s mother Sarah E Oates.
Sarah’s grandfather had received land through land grants from the State of North Carolina. In 1893, Vance mortgaged the Herds Creek land to KM Furguson for a debt of $50 which was soon discharged via a contract with DB Johnson. In 1894, Vance and Zenri had their final son, Albert Carson, and the last daughter, Manley Mossie was born in 1895.
On April 16, 1896, Vance Leonard was charged with violation of Internal Revenue Laws and running an illicit distillery. Vance made bond on the charges of running an illicit distillery with KM Furguson as surety on the bond. Vance mortgaged the Herds Creek land multiple times that year as his legal troubles affected the family’s finances. Vance’s trial for running the illicit distillery was held on May 26, 1896. Several of Vance’s friends and neighbors testified against him. Wiley Hall said he saw Vance selling whisky in Pinehurst in a one horse wagon. Sam Trogden testified he saw beer and a still in the woods near Vance’s house. A C Hales testified that he bought brandy from Vance and paid for it with meal and meat. Vance plead guilty to the charges against him and was sentenced to one month in the Carthage jail for working at a still.
Vance’s father, Albert Darris passed away in 1905 in Randolph County, North Carolina. He was 77. Albert Darris Leonard owned land which the Leonard family had gotten through land grants from the state of North Carolina. This land was passed on to his second son Albert Wesley and his daughter Mahala Leonard Brown. Vance does not appear to have received any land. It may have been because his father disapproved of his lifestyle of moonshiner. In 1900, Vance and Zenri were living with their family in the Seventyfirst Township, Newton’s Precinct in Cumberland County. The children in the home were Lonnie 15, Carl, 13, William Claude, 8, Flossie Alice, 6, Manley Mossie, age 5, and Albert Carson, age 2. William Vance and Zenri Golda Oates Leonard were both reported as being thirty-four years old and had been married eighteen years. There were seven children born of this marriage and six who were surviving. In 1902, Zenri Golda Oates Leonard passed away at the age of thirty-seven. Zenry and Vance had been married only 19 years. In 1902, the Herds Creek land in Moore County was foreclosed on and sold at public auction.
Zenri passed away after the 1900 census was taken when the county was living in Guilford County and according to family history is buried there. The older boys and Vance worked at Proximity Mills there in the early 1900’s. Soon after that, Vance moved back to Randolph County, where he married Molsy Jane Garner Cox. Molsy was the widow of Henry Martin Cox. She had three almost grown children, Authur, Hester Ella and Bert Lee Cox. Vance and Molsy had one daughter together, Myrtle who was born in 1908.
In the 1910 census, the William Vance Leonard family was living in East Franklinville. Vance is 49 years old and his wife Molsy is 48 years old. They report having been married nine years. Children in the home are eighteen year old Alice Leonard who is a spinner in the cotton mill, fifteen year old Mossie who is also a spinner in the cotton mill. Bert Lee Cox, Molsy’s eighteen year old son also lives in the home and is a dresser hand in the cotton mill. Twelve year old Carson and two year old Myrtle round out the family members.
In 1910, Vance and Zenri’s baby daughter, Manley Mossie died on May 7, 1910. Manley Mossie was 15. This was heartbreaking for Alice Leonard who had been caring for her sister since the death of her mother. She often talked of Manley Mossie’s beautiful blue eyes and said this was where her grandson Darrell got his blue eyes. Manley Mossie is buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery Church in Cedar Falls but there is no marker.
When William Vance Leonard was living in Franklinville in 1910, The Courier Tribune reported that even in midlife, Vance had skills to compete and win at a footrace. These skills were probably honed during his career as a moonshiner.
Vance’s wife Molsy Jane died in 1913 and he soon remarried. He married Ina Mae Stout in Randolph County on December 24, 1916 when he was 54 years old. She was the thirty year old widow of Elsevan Bean. Her children were Everett Chester Stout, and Fred Douglas, Elsie Dorothy, Minnie Nellie, Joe and Nancy Ellen Bean. Vance had his young daughter Myrtle who he was caring for. All of the older children from his wife, Zenri Golda Oates Leonard had left the nest and were on their own.
In 1917, the United States entered World War I. Vance had grown children but he also began to have a new family with his new wife. Vance and Ina Mae’s first daughter, Margie Marie was born on September 2, 1917. Vance and Zenri’s third-born son, William Claude had enlisted in the Army and tragically he lost his life in Europe on October 6, 1918. The couple’s second born son, Carl also died young of a heart condition. He died on February 26, 1919 in High Point, North Carolina.
In the 1920 census, William Vance is living in Columbia Township in Randolph County. He is 56 years old and is living with his 34 year old wife Ina. Also in the home is Myrtle Leonard, age 12, Margie Leonard age 2, and Fred, Elsie, Minnie, Joe, and Nancy Ellen Bean. The Bean children are ages 14, 12, 10, 7 and 4 respectively. Also living in the home is Ina’s father, Josiah Stout who is 67 years old and is reported to be a carpenter.
Vance and Ina had a second child, Clyde Walter who was born on January 11, 1920 in Columbia Township, Randolph County, North Carolina. The couple had a another daughter Viola Mae on July 12, 1924, and a son Wade Hampton on June 26, 1925.
The Leonard family continued to live in Ramseur, North Carolina. They were living there when William Vance Leonard died on January 22, 1930. Vance’s probate records reveal an estate that was worth around $200. His son, Albert Carson Leonard was the executor. He left behind his young wife Ina and four minor children, Margie, Clyde, Viola and Wade Leonard. His wife, Ina also had another two minor children from her first marriage who were still at home, Joe and Nancy Ellen Bean.
Vance was buried at Pleasant Grove Christian Church Cemetery at Coleridge, North Carolina on January 23, 1930. Vance’s great aunt, Mahala Jane Leonard Wilson and Vance’s grandmother, Nancy Leonard had deeded the land for the establishment of this church because of the family’s “love and respect they have for a preached gospel” on December 6, 1868. It was originally given to the church by Nancy and Mahala Jane’s father, Jacob Leonard but the original deed was burned during the Civil War.
The photo is courtesy of Clarence Bailey from Find A Grave.com.
William Vance Leonard had twelve children with three different wives.
Wiliam Vance Leonard and Zenri Oates Leonard had one unknown child who died as an infant. They also had six surviving children.
1. Lonnie Lee Leonard 1883-1947 married Minnie Jane Brower 1886-1965
2. Carl C Leonard 1888-1919 married Dora Ometa Kimes 1894-1955
3. William Claude Leonard 1890-1918 married Nancy Emeline Graves 1892-1912
4. Flossie Alice Leonard 1892-1960 married John Wesley Allred 1891-1985
5. Albert Carson Leonard 1894-1961 married Ruth Ida Hartman 1899-1972
6. Manley Mossie Leonard 1895-1910
William Vance Leonard and Molsy Jane Garner Cox Leonard had one child
1. Myrtle Leonard 1908-1960 married Henry Wellons Brady 1857-1945 and Albert Julius Bryan 1880-1956.
William Vance Leonard and Ina Mae Stout Bean Leonard had four children.
1. Margie Marie Leonard 1917-1992 married William Marvin Kimrey 1917-1992
2. Clyde Walter Leonard 1920-2006 married Alice Lea Owen 1913-1970
3. Viola Mae Leonard 1924-1996 married Hillard Starling Turner 1915-2000
4. Wade Monroe Leonard 1925-1989 married Beatrice Burris 1925-2000
References available at Rogers Family Tree on Ancestry
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/34712803/family
and at Family Search at https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/9H61-L1N
Martha's Family Connections 