John Leas IV ¹

  General Notes:

Biography of John Leas, pages 390/391/392. History of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914.



It is a well attested maxim that the greatness of a community or a county or a state lies not in the machinery of government nor even in its institutions, but rather in the sterling qualities of the individual citizen, in his capacity for high and unselfish effort and his devotion to the public welfare. In these particulars, he whose name appears at the head of this memoir conferred honor and dignity upon the locality of his residence, and as an elemental part of history it is consonant that there should be recorded a resume of his career, with the object in view of noting his connection with the advancement of one of the most flourishing and progressive sections of the commonwealth, as well as his relation with the commercial and financial affairs of the community honored by his citizenship. John Leas was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, near the historic city of Gettysburg, on July 12, 1815, and was a son of Col. John, Jr., and Sophia (Spangler) Leas, both of whom also were native of the old Keystone state. He came of good old American stock, his paternal grandfather having been a soldier in the war of the Revolution. Colonel Leas was a farmer and in 1818 he emigrated to Stark county, Ohio, where he began operations on a tract of virgin soil. In 1838 he went to Guernsey county, that state, and there again created a good farm out of what was formerly a wilderness. In the fall of 1852 the Colonel came to DeKalb county, Indiana, and located on section 5, Smithfield township, where he again made a farm, and there he remained until 1866, when he moved to Waterloo, where his death occurred in 1875. While a resident of Stark county, Ohio, he was commissioned colonel of a regiment of militia. In politics he was a Jacksonian Democrat and he acceptably filled a number of local offices. His wife died in 1882. They were members of the Reformed church, Colonel Leas, who was a man of more than ordinary ability, became a prominent figure and an important factor in the affairs of the various communities where he lived and enjoyed universal respect. John Leas was reared upon the paternal farmstead in Stark county, Ohio, whither the family had moved when he was but three years old. Owing to the modest circumstances of the family, he was not given large opportunities for an education, the log-cabin school of that locality being his only chance. While still a resident of that county, he was married to Susan Schimpff, a native of Germany, who had emigrated to this country when thirteen years of age. To that union were born twelve children, namely: Peter, Susan and a daughter unnamed died in infancy; Martin Van Buren, who was born at Osnaburg, Stark county, Ohio, on August 25, 1840, died at his home in Salem township, Steuben county, Indiana, on March 31, 1899; Jacob H., who lives north of Hudson, is the oldest of the family now living; John S., who lived in Salem township, Steuben county, died, leaving six children by his first marriage and two by the second; his widow now lives at Ashley; Elizabeth L., is the wife of Oscar Taylor, a banker at Hamilton; Adeline is the wife of Miles Jefferson Waterman, of Franklin township, this county; the other four children, Hezekiah H., Obediah, William Henry and Daniel Louis, all live at Waterloo, this county, and are represent in individual sketches elsewhere in this work. In 1842 John Leas came to Indiana, purchasing one hundred and forty-three acres of land, and the following year he moved his family to this state. In 1867 he came to DeKalb county and bought a fine farm in Smithfield township and one year later moved on it, and made it his permanent home, owing two hundred and fifty acres of land at the time of his death and being numbered among the successful and enterprising farmers of the county. In 1871 Mr. Leas was one of the leaders in the organization of the Citizens Bank of Waterloo, which had a most successful career. In the course of time he bought out the other partners and in 1881 became the sole owner of the bank, which he retained until 1896, when he sold it to his son, Hezekiah, and retired from active business life, his death occurring on June 25, 1897. The record of Mr. Leas was a remarkable one in several respects and the example of his life is one worthy of emulation. When he first came to Indiana his material possessions consisted of eighty-five dollars in money and a yoke of oxen, but he was endowed with a large ambition and a great capacity for work, elements which will insure success in almost any under taking. Indefatigable in his efforts, keeping ever before him the highest of ideals, he gradually forged ahead and eventually gained not only a competency, but also the universal confidence and good will of his fellow citizens. Mrs. Susan Leas died on June 15, 1881, and subsequently Mr. Leas married Mrs. Amanda Mallory Patterson, widow of Robert Patterson, to which union were born five children. Politically, Mr. Leas always supported the Democratic party and in several offices of local importance he rendered valuable services to this community. Religiously, he was a member of the Reformed church, while fraternally, he was a member of the Free and Accepted Mason, belonging to Waterloo Lodge No. 307. In Mr. Leas' business career, as well as his private life, he was actuated by the highest motives, his actions being always the result of careful and conscientious thought. His death removed from DeKalb county one of there most substantial and highly esteemed citizens and the many beautiful tributes to this high standing in the world of affairs and as a man and citizen attested to the abiding place he had in the hearts and affections of his friends.

Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com


Notes from Kathryn (Leas) Stuart:

CHILD NOTES: John LEAS
Birth(12,13):
Chr(14): The Church records at Upper Bermudian where he was christened give his name as
Johannes Lest and his parents as Johannes and Sophia Lest.
Death(15):
Burial(16):
Migration: He became one of the leading businessmen of Waterloo, Indiana.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Residence: US Census, 25 Oct 1850, Salem Township, Steuben County, Indiana, USA.

• Residence: US Census, 1870, Smithfield Township, DeKalb County, Indiana, USA.

John married Susanna Shimpff, daughter of Martin Schimpff and Elizabeth Unknown, on 22 Sep 1839 in Stark County, Ohio, USA. (Susanna Shimpff was born on 17 Aug 1820 in Neustat, Germany, died on 15 Jun 1881 in Waterloo, Dekalb County, Indiana, USA and was buried in Waterloo Cemetery, Waterloo, Dekalb County, Indiana, USA.)

John next married Amanda Mallory, daughter of David Mallory and Cynthia Collins, on 1 Dec 1881. (Amanda Mallory was born on 15 Mar 1828 in Ira, Rutland, VT, died on 2 Jun 1926 in Jamestown Township, Steuben, Indiana and was buried in Circle Hill Cemetery, Angola, Steuben County, Indiana, USA.)