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Brick
Making, A History
by Florence L. Kroes (1966)
Edward Leonard
his story
William Leonard
his story
C. Leon Leonard
his story
Delton Brickyard Photos
circa 1914
Maps of Leonard Brickyards
a recreation
Leonard Family Photos
circa 1920
LFBH Home
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History
of Charles (Leon) Leonard (b. 1889, d. 1956)

Charles (Leon) Leonard |
Charles
Leon Leonard was born December 27, 1889 in Oshtemo Township, Kalamazoo
County, Michigan on the Harris Farm on the Kalamazoo-South Haven Railway,
five miles NW of Kalamazoo. The family moved to a new house, forty
rods east of the old brick house, when Leon was about four.
Leon
and older sister Florence, went to Grand Prairie School from September,
1895 to November, 1900. Then the family moved to the Dewaters Farm
on the south townline of Alamo Township. They attended the Liberty
Street School from fifth grade through ninth grade, June 1904. Leon
and Florence drove a buggy to Alamo High School, graduating from twelfth
grade in 1906.
Leon
stayed home one year and then went to Celery City Commercial College,
finishing Commercial (bookkeeping) Course in 1908. In April, 1908 the
family moved to Delton, Michigan when William bought the brickyard
there. Leon worked in the brickyard until the summer of 1917, spending
fall and winter terms of 1912-1913, 1913-1914, and 1915-1916 at Western
State Normal School. |
Leon
entered the Reserve Officer's Training Camp at Fort Sheridan on August 27,
1917, getting a discharge on November 27, 1917. He remained home until January
when he went to Battle Creek, working for W.K. Kellogg Company in the factory
until a fuel shortage forced a shutdown. Then he spent about five months
as a bookkeeper in the accounting department of Postum Cereal Company, remaining
until a draft call, May 13, 1918. He passed through Columbia Barracks, Ohio;
Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas to Camp Merritt, New Jersey, then aboard the
George Washington, August 18,1918, reaching Brest Harbor, France, August
27, 1918. He trained for about four weeks at Sommerville La Bas, north of
Dijon-up to five km. north of Toul, about October 10th into the Paveuelle
Forest and at Theacourt on November 11, 1918. Back to Brest in June, landing
at Newportnews, VA, on June 21, 1919. He was discharged at Camp Custer on
June 28, 1919.
Leon
helped organize Leonard Brothers and Company, buying the brickyard with his
brother George from their father, and helping to run the brickyard more or
less until the spring of 1924, spending the winter of 1921-1922 in Texas.
He married Eloyse
Amanda Rogers, August 29, 1923. Barbara was born December 15, 1925, Betty
July 18,1929, Aleathe September 20, 1932 and William December 8, 1933.
He
bought the grocery stock in 1924 and bought the grocery
building in 1930. In the fall of 1932 he built a brick home on Orchard
Street in Delton, moving in in 1933. Leon died in 1956 at Borgess Hospital
in Kalamazoo, Michigan at age sixty-six. Eloyse died in 1997 at age 98.
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