A history of Pickford Area Pioneer Families Daniel Morrison

LEACH (JOHN)

William G. Leach (known as Will or Bill) and Thomas (Tom) Leach, nephews of George Leach who came in 1887, came to Pickford from Auburn, Ontario, in 1894. They rented an 80 acre farm from a Mr. Cantlin who had purchased it a few years earlier, but had left before the walls were up on the house. The Leach boys completed the house.

Bill bought an 80 acre farm from Mr. and Mrs. John T. Rutledge. Mrs. Rutledge was Harriet Leach, a second cousin. An apple orchard had been started and he planted more apple trees, plus some plum and cherry trees. A number of the apple trees are still producing. This farm is two miles south and three and one-half miles west of town.

Their parents, John Thomas and Mary Ann (Askwith) Leach left Auburn with the unmarried members of their family and joined the two sons on September 15, 1896. By traveling one mile south, two miles west and one-half mile south of town, they arrived with a team of horses and wagon loaded with their household possessions at the John T. Rutledge farm. In a westerly direction they rode through the fields to their new home on the "Cantlin Place," which is still known by that name.

John homesteaded 80 acres one-half mile further west (west of the Three Mile Road). They lived on the Cantlin farm for three or four years while they cleared their farm, using some of the trees to build a frame house and stable on the extreme west side of the farm. They also built a root house, which was a necessity in those days. He planted an apple orchard and a number of the trees are still there. Maple syrup was harvested each spring. Water for the stock and home use was hauled nearly one-half mile in barrels on a dray or wagon from a spring. Speckled trout were plentiful here. Wild strawberries were picked by neighbors from surrounding areas as well as their family members. Many long, hard hours were spent draying stones to the fence beds. They can still be seen there. There was a cemetery on this farm where several Leach families buried their children.

The Leach children attended the school in the Blair settlement and walked two and one-half miles from their homestead.

John and Mary had 14 children. Four died, three married children remained in Canada, and the others were as follows:

CHARLES, who lived here about three years, returned to Port Arthur, Ontario, as a railroad man and married Miss Idelle Bonesteele. He died in 1952 and was buried in Port Arthur.

ALFRED, who married Miss Margaret Anderson daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Anderson, West Town Line farmers and went to Rudyard, where he was employed in the brickyards. He had an appendectomy performed on their home kitchen table. Complications followed this operation, causing his death two years later at the age of 36 in 1917. He is buried in Cottle Cemetery.

While working in a lumber camp, TOM met Miss Bertha Flewelling, also an employee, whom he later married. They lived with his parents for four or five years, then moved to a farm he purchased in Millersburg, Michigan. He died May 23, 1955, and was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Millersburg.

JOHN JOSEPH (JOE) never married. He was a mill hand for a few years for I. D. McDonald, but farmed most of his life. After he sold his farm here (the John Leach homestead), he moved to his farm in Fibre, Michigan. He died there Jan. 31, 1953. He is buried in Cottle Cemetery.

After the necessary buildings were completed on the John Leach farm, they built a frame house on Bill's farm, just a few rods separating the dwellings.

BILL married Mable Beacom, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Beacom (Margaret Blair), who farmed in Blair settlement. They lived in their new home about a year; He was employed as sawyer at the Frank H. Taylor mill, which was on the Taylor Creek two miles south and one-half miles west of town. This creek flows through the Kronomeyer farm. Because of the distance he had to walk to work, they found it more convenient to move into a house near the mill. Mable was employed as a cook for eight men.

The John Leach home, including the contents, was completely destroyed by fire. They had lived in it about four or five years, so now they went to their son Bill's unoccupied house. The Thomas Leaches lost all their belongings too.

In the early spring of 1918, while Joe and his mother were eating dinner, they heard a rumbling noise that sounded like a wagon. Going to the door, as they thought to greet a visitor, they were surprised to see pieces of burning timber on the ground about them. Their house was on fire and the upper part was nearly gone. Joe rushed into the bedroom and carried his father, who was bedridden, on a mattress to safety. Again they were left with no home furnishings. Mary lost her dentures and spectacles, The fire killed a large cherry tree. A plum tree had been struck earlier with lightning.

Building bees were very common and in a few weeks the neighbors had helped build a comfortable home on the east side of the farm. (Minda and Elwin Leach moved this house to Cedarville and built a new home where this house stood). They were now close to the spring from which they got their water supply and a rural carrier left their mail practically at their door. John died here August, 1918. Mary died here on March 20, 1919, with influenza. They are both buried in Cottle Cemetery. Melvin and Lois Lordson now own this farm.

Bill was employed about 1911 as sawyer by I. D. MacDonald (the Harold Beacom mill is in the same location). In the spring of 1912 he purchased lots southeast of the sawmill and began building a home. He worked after mill hours until he had finished three or four rooms - enough to move the family into. Mrs. Frank Hewer lives in this house now.

If the mill was closed during the winter months, Bill did carpenter work or work in the woods. He framed several barns around this area and received injuries when he fell from one of the barns - the present Delbert Huyck barn. He was member of the Pickford Methodist Episcopal Church and the Loyal Orange Lodge. He was the caretaker of the skating rink for the Lodge for some time. He died April 5, 1919, one week after his mother died, when the influenza epidemic raged, claiming many others around Pickford.

Mable Leach (deceased) kept the farm. There was a cabin where the family spent considerable time during the summer months. She moved to Sault Ste. Marie in 1929. This farm was sold to Ephraim and Margaret Cottle. Mable died Nov. 6, 1963.

Mable and BILL had six children: Myrtle (Mrs. John Stirling, Jr.) who lives on the edge of town; Edna (Mrs. Kenneth Harrison) who lives in town; Hazel (Mrs. Herman Gough) who also lives in Pickford; Erma (Mrs. Ganet Leach) and Alma (Mrs. Jay Crawford) who both live in the Sault. Elwood, the only son, died shortly after birth.

The John Stirlings have one daughter, Josephine, Mrs. Mynor Seaman of DeTour. Her children are Brian and Pamela*. Edna and Kenneth Harrison had one daughter, Darlene (Mrs. Chuck Wiggins). Her children are Kenneth, Randy, and Peggy Waybrant. Hazel had three children, Phyllis, Norma, and Karen (deceased). Phyllis is married to Don Huey and their children are Steve, Cindy, Carla, and Kenda. Norma is married to Bill Raynard and has two boys, Alan, and Paul. Erma Leach had three children, Ronald, William, and Sharon. Alma Crawford has two children, Roger and Jocelyn Gough.