David Leist Family

David Leist lived in a log cabin north of Wyse Run and Hebron Church on what later became Township Road 10. David married Elizabeth Neff. The Neffs lived in the same section of Liberty Township.

David and Elizabeth Leist had six children, Levi, Elias, Christina, Elmira, Susan, and Ellen.

Levi Leist married Harriet Monroe Keller of Fulton County. As a boy, or young man, Levi was treed by a bear and forced to remain in the tree overnight. He lived in the old Leist home north of the Bonnell School in Liberty Township.

Levi and Harriet had five children. David married Silva Jennings, daughter of George Newton Jennings and they had Beryl who married Guy Gilson; Hazel who married Ed Segrist; Aletha who married Howard Segrist; and Frank who married Virgie Whitmer. Monroe Leist died at the age of seventeen and is buried at the Liberty Chapel Cemetery. Raleigh married Nell Wright, daughter of John A. and Cathryn Leist Wright (whose father was Henry Leist). Raleigh became president of the Toledo Trust Company. He is buried in Young's Cemetery, Liberty Center, Ohio. Cordelia Leist married Mr. Russell. Kate Leist married Charley Foutz and lived in West Virginia. Their daughter, Winifred Foutz, stayed at Millard Russell's home and attended Bonnell School.

Elias Leist married Suzanne Growel of Seneca County, Ohio. Their children were Edwin, or Ed, who married Minerva Cross. Ed and Minerva had Clinton who married Bertha Silveus and Alfred who married Florence Rhoades. Luella Leist married Warren Leist, son of Julius Leist and had children, Nora who married Harl Whit mer; Herb who married Agnes Silveus; Homer who married Zola Biddle; Dorothy who married Floyd Skeels; and Wilmer who married Flossie Silveus. Celestie Leist married George Snyder and their children were George, or Grover or Curley, who married Luella Rhoades and lived in or near Fayette; Charles, or Charley, who married Ella Fought, daughter of Mrs. Abe Hoover and her first husband; Charles, Etta, and their son, Lewis, lived in Michigan; Artice, or Art, married Mable Biddle and lived in Toledo; and Emma married George Ellenwood and had Fern, Royal, Lee and Isabelle. Martin, or Mart, Leist married Lydia Gintzel, their daughter, Nettie Leist, married Henry Chroninger, and later Will Edgar. Nettie and Mart had a daughter, Irma. Eliphus Leist married Sarah Estep and adopted May Lake. They lived on Township Road 9. Jonas Leist married Mary Grinder and adopted Dottie Lake, sister of May. Dottie married John Hahn. Sarah was a sister of Emma, Jake, Rachel and George Grinder. Flora Leist did not marry and was the last person buried in Liberty Chapel Cemetery.

Christina Leist married William Pontious, his first wife. See Volume I of the Henry County history book. William Pontious married Catherine, Katy, Foster as his second wife. Their children were Israel who married Ella Frankfather, and Clara who married George Shoemaker. The children of Christina and William Pontious were Charity, Edson, Cornelius, Lovica and Orpha. Charity married Andrew Hoffman and had Stanton who married Eva Frederick; Reuben who married Margaret Leitner and had Ethel, Clarence, Harry, Jay, Pearl, Vernon, Arnold and Ben; Addie who married George Graner; Maud who married Ivan Taber; Pearl who married Roy Hardy; and Florence who married William Bernicke. Andy Hoffman was a brother of Noah Hoffman who married Louisa Leist, daughter of Henry Leist. Andy married a sister of Dan Leist Who died in Pickaway County, Ohio. Andy's second wife was Charity Pontious. His third wife was Elizabeth Imes who survived him. Edson Pontious married Emily Stevens. Cornelius Pontious married Mary Elizabeth Fink and their children were Asa who married Cora Williams, and Mervin who married Katy Hoffman. Lovica

Pontious married Charles Lorette. Orpha Pontious married Clarence Cunningham.

Elmira Leist married John Kurtz, a minister, and first lived in Fulton County, Ohio, then in the state of Kansas. Susan Leist married Tom Graffice and had six children. They were Carl Graffice who was a barber by trade. His first wife was Jessie, his second, Bessie. In later life he dealt in anitques. Carl died in Florida in 1957. Cora married Wilbur Weakly, a son of Marion Weakly who owned a hardware store in Liberty Center, Ohio. Cora Graffice and Wilbur Weakly had Vera who married Ivan Burgoon, a barber and poolroom operator; Josephine who married Lawrence Bowers; twins, Carl, who was born dead, and Kenneth C.; and Eleanor who married Carl Stickels and lived in Toledo. McClellan, or Clell, Craffice married Stella Whiteman, her first husband, and was a barber and died in Pontiac, Illinois when daughter, Herma, was a pre-school child. Herma Graffice married Burton Murray and had Grace Murray Minnich and Ford M. Murray. Scott Graffice married Minnie Hales, sister of Will Hales, and a daughter of Joseph Hales. Their children were Ethel, wife of Roy Hoffman, son of Lydia Gintzel and Dan Hoffman; and Vivian, wife of Herb Hoffman, brother of Roy; and Wilmer Graffice married Flossie Fetterman. Minnie Hales Graffice later married David Clifton. Iva Graffice married a Widener and lived at one time in Clyde, Ohio, where her husband and his father operated a home-made candy shop. Iva died in California. She had two children, Enid and Stanley. Caroline, Callie, Graffice married Isaiah Wisman and had Bonnie who married Walter Paths and lived on a farm near Delta, Ohio; and Fay who married Arthur, Art, Desboenss and lived in Archbold, Ohio.

Ellen Leist married George Miller, son of John and Rebecca Wright Miller. Their children were Lucy, Mary, Charles, Homer, Harley, Blanche and Stanton.

Lucy Miller married Charles Whiteman, son of John F. and Martha Petticord Whiteman. They had Doris and twin sons. The sons died in infancy. Doris Whiteman was born in Liberty Township, graduated from Napoleon High School, and received a diploma in Home Economics in 1916 from Ohio University at Athens, Ohio. She entered the School of Nursing, Toledo Hospital in 1918 and graduated in 1921. She became a registered nurse in 1921. She held teaching positions in Ohio Schools of Nursing; Toledo Hospital, Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati; Mt. Carmel Hospital, Columbus, and City Hospital, Springfield, Ohio. She spent several summers, and a semester, at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing Education in 1935. In 1958, she joined the teaching staff at Holy Cross Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah and retired in 1961.

Mary Miller married Harvey Miley and lived in Findlay, Ohio. Her children were Earl, a dentist; Vera who married Merlin Miller who also was a dentist. Vera and Merlin adopted Mary Jean, and later had a son, Robert.

Charles Miller married Julia Steward, daughter of Fred and Emaline Hoover Steward, and a sister of George Steward. Their children were Wilmer, Stanley, and Forest. They also raised Lela Harris, Marcella Floagus (Berkabile) and Grace Carter who married Elmer Steward, son of George Steward. Charles Miller taught rural school and lived on a farm in Liberty Township.

Homer Harrison Miller married Maud Miller and became a minister in California. Their children were Verna, Mark and Caro.

Harley Jay Miller married Frona Biery of Fulton County and had no children. Blanche Miller married Lewis Spiess, son of John H. and Seville Sergen Spiess. See Volume I of Henry County history book. Stanton Miller married Alma Babcock of Liberty Township, his first wife, and later married Effie Kemmer, of Florida, Ohio. Two children died in infancy. Dr. Stanton Miller practiced medicine in the area, having graduated from Rush Medical School in Chicago, Illinois.

Submitted by: Marjorie M. Whiteman