William Leist Family

William Leist was born in 1795. He married Sarah Nye who was born in 1801. They owned land in Section 21, Liberty Township, Henry County, Ohio and as pioneers lived in a log cabin south of what became Bonnell School.

William and Sarah Leist had six children. They were William, Samuel, Ellen (Eleanor), Martha, Sarah and Julius.

William, Jr., born in 1832, married Mary Hartman of Fulton County, Ohio. William led singing "by rote" prior to the time that Liberty Chapel Church purchased their pedal organ. The hymnal did not contain musical scores so the "leader" led singing by repetition of the tune, the leader singing it, then the congregation. William was a precise person and introduced his four daughters as his "little ladies". His wife, Aunt Mary, lived in Liberty Center during her later years. William and Mary had five children, Electa, Martha, Melissa, Mary Etta, and Hubert V.

Electa Leist married Cyrus Bricker Jennings, son of George Newton Jennings. Their children were Arthur, married Eva Metzger, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Metzger of Seneca County, Ohio; and Pearl who married Fred W. Whiteman. Arthur and Eva had Thelma, Kenneth, Pauline and Doyle. Pearl and Fred had a son, Weldon, who married Helen Kroninger.

Martha Leist married Jasper Shaw.

Melissa Leist married Alfred B. Jennings, son of George Newton Jennings, and lived on the Old Jennings homestead south of Bonnell School house. Their first child died in infancy. Their daughter, Nellie Opal, married Lewis Shumaker. Daughter, Florence, married John Gramling. The entire Jennings family were very musical.

Mary Etta Leist married Mr. Davidson and lived in Tiffen, Ohio, and had children, Earl Davidson and Inez Davidson Reisz.

Hubert V. Leist married Bertha Whiteman and their one child, Bernice, married Howard Roberts, William Abby, and Oliver Blue.

Samuel Leist, son of William and Sarah Nye Leist, married and had children, William, Addie married Emlus Williams, Minerva married Nelson Gould, and Clara married Charles Gould. All lived in Fulton County, Ohio.

Ellen, or Eleanor, married Joseph Fink. Their children were Sam who had children Alta and Ellie; Will; and Maria Fink Gould.

Martha Leist married Reuben Hall and lived in Riverside, California.

Sarah Leist married Larkin Linthicum. Lark taught singing by note in the area, and during the Civil War, played fife in fife and drum corps and also was assigned to carry the wounded from the front lines. Their children were Giles, Judson, Ida Whitmer, Carrie Woodward, and Lewis who married Evalina Redfield, who were the father and mother of Albert who married Eveland Tanner and Mary Linthicum Silveus.

Julius Leist married Emaline Miller, sister of George Miller. who married Ellen Leist. Julius died during service in the Civil War. Emaline took their children home to her parents, John and Rebecca Wright Miller, with whom they made their home. The children were as follows.

Emma Leist, the oldest child, married John Elarton. Their son, Rollie, married Lena Kerr, whose mother was a sister of Pet Edgar, wife of Charles Leist.

Warren Leist married Luella Leist, daughter of Elias Leist. Their children were Nora, Homer, Herb, Dorothy, and Wilmer.

Charles married "Pet" Edgar who died in 1904. Their foster child was Anna Andrews. Their own children were Bessie, married Linley Hahn and had Charles who died in infancy; Evalyn, married Forest Carr, of Grand Rapids, lived in Toledo; and Ford, married Bernadine Crossman and had Marelyn Twiss, Marlene Swick, Charles who married Linda Dixon. Ford's mother died shortly after his birth of erysipelas and he was raised by Charles and Lucy Whiteman. Charles and Pet Leist had a daughter, Edna, who married William Ripley and lived in California, and died in Toledo, Ohio. Charles Leist's second wife was Bessie Savage.

Julius Leist's widow, Emaline Miller Leist, later married again. Her second husband, Ezra Sayers, had a son, James, or "Rule" Sayers. Rule married Mary Jane Leist, Isaiah Leist's half- sister.

The Dan Leist cabin stood near the southwest corner of Section 14, Liberty Township. His widow, Mahaliah, his fourth wife, lived in the log cabin for many years.

James, or Rule, Sayers and his wife, Mary Jane, or Jennie, Leist Sayers had the following children: Bell, Bertha, Martha, Sarah, Stella, Rachael, Frances and a son, Mahlen.

Isaiah Leist was a pharmacist in Napoleon, Ohio, for a period of years. He married Kathryn Fawley. Their children were Fred and Ruth Leist. Ruth married William Snyder. Their children were Esther Buchhop, Mary Kathryn Phillips, Fred, who was killed in an accident, and Helen. Helen married Sumner Palmer and they are the present owners of the old Dan Leist farm.