The surname Leah

[Cornish Terrier]

Here is the entry for the St Buryan marriage of Andrew LEAH:-

7 Nov 1886 by Banns
Andrew Leah 25 batchelor Labourer of Church Town (Father: Henry Leah, Labourer)
Peninnah Mann 25 spinster of Boscarne (Father: Charles Mann, Farmer)
Witnesses: Albert Mann, Thomas Leah


So Andrew was the son of Henry LEAH.

According to the 1881 Census Andrew was born at Sancreed s.o Henry and Susannah and I will check that in a moment.

His father, Henry, was born at Paul about 1825 - will also check on that.

Well - Andrew's baptism does not appear at Sancreed.

Henry LEAH appears probably to have been your Henry Madron LEAH bp. 1825 s/o Andrew and Philadelphia.

I am not sure that I was aware of an earlier Henry Maddern LEAH baptised to Andrew and Philadelphia at St Buryan in 1809.

Sennen Marriages

18 Oct 1851 by Banns
Henry Leah full age Labourer of Sennen (Father: Andrew Leah, Labourer)
Susannah Matthews full age of Sennen (Father: Joseph Matthews, Labourer)
Witnesses: Joseph Matthews, George Vingoe


Does not give us a baptism for the elder Andrew but a little more all the same. (Even if you did already have it!)

[newlyn]

Thankyou CT for the latest on the Leahs.

I haven't got any farther with the ancestors but Captain Boyns has come with some names
which I am still looking at. So there may be a breakthrough!!!!

[Mal]

Newlyn, a tip.
On IGI try using Leah/Leha/Leaha. I have found that IGI does not pick up the variants necessarily so they don't all come up in one go. You might also try Leya/Ley/Laye/Lea and at a longer shot Lee/Leigh.

[lostrelative]

Jan 26, 2009 7:25:33 GMT -5 Cornish Terrier said:

Re the marriage of Jmes LEAH and Elizabeth DAVY at St Hilary in 1754.

I believe Elizabeth to have been the daughter of Pentecost DAVY who married Catherine STEPHENS at St Just in Penwith in 1730.

Pentecost is supposed to have then married Elizabeth TONKIN at Sancreed in 1735.

Now, if the 1784 date for Andrew LEAH is correct (i.e. actually born that year) then James and Elizabeth are highly unlikely to be his parents.

Elizabeth DAVY was baptised at Sancreed 12th August 1733 and so would have been 51 in 1784.

I must point out that some of this is information sent to me many years ago and I have not yet thoroughly checked it myself.

And I currently have no children listed for James and Elizabeth - but that is purely because I have not yet searched for them.

[lostrelative]

I appear to be four years too late for this discussion. Is anyone still here? Elizabeth Davy and James Leah, m. 1754 at St. Hilary, are my 5G grandparents. James Leah is fast becoming a brick wall. Four Lea (no h) sibs -- Joseph, Elizabeth, Benjamin and George -- were born between 1710 and 1716 to Joseph Leah in St. Hilary but I can't find a James. Casting my ancestral net further afield results in absolutely nothing. Has anyone else researched his antecedents?

Meanwhile I show that Elizabeth Davy, b. 14 Sept 1723 St. Just, was the daughter Benjamin Davy b. 17 Aug 1689 St. and Mary Edwards b. ? rather than the daughter of Pentecost Davy and Catherine Stephens. The plot thickens!

I've found four children for James and Elizabeth. Their son Andrew, discussed earlier on this board, was baptised 02 Nov 1767 St. Just in Penwith and buried 12 Feb 1775 in St. Just. Other children include:
Elizabeth b. 19 Feb 1758
Ann b. 14 Jun 1761, m. Ralph Richards 16 May, 1795 St. Just, d.13 Feb 1814 St. Just
James Jr b. 08 Jul 1764, d. 03 Jul 1795 St. Just

I would really love to hear from anyone else researching this frustrating family!

[Cornish Terrier]

I appear to be four years too late for this discussion.

Hi 'lostrelative' and Welcome to the site.

It is never too late to join in or reopen a conversation here and as it happens I may just now be able to help you!

Although I have no known connections to these families I had been involved in the early conversation purely because that is what I do - I try to help find answers for any query people post here.

So, let's see if we can prod a hole through that brickwall of yours.

Meanwhile I show that Elizabeth Davy, b. 14 Sept 1723 St. Just, was the daughter Benjamin Davy b. 17 Aug 1689 St. and Mary Edwards b. ? rather than the daughter of Pentecost Davy and Catherine Stephens. The plot thickens!

Pentecost Davy left a Will in 1757 in which he named his wife Elizabeth, unmarried daughter Phillis and daughter Elizabeth Leah.

I have only a little information about Pentecost but I updated that information to my database back in 2000 along with the marriage of Elizabeth Davy to James Leah. I had not previously added any children or done any work on the Leah family. I also do not have a copy of that particular Will but the transcribed details will be among my paper collection of abstracted and transcribed Wills in the cupboard.

After doing a bit of work on the Leah family this afternoon I have found one more item of particular interest. That item has, I believe, led me to the parents of James Leah.

When James Leah and Elizabeth Davy were married at St Hilary in 1754 one of the witnesses was a Robert Leah. I consider that to be quite significant given Leah is a surname more associated with Paul and nearby Parishes.

I also found that a Robert Leah of St Hilary married Elizabeth Cornish at Madron on February 19th 1757. In both cases Robert Leah signed with his mark.

As has been previously mentioned this surname can be found in a number of variations. It is important that these variations be kept in mind particularly when searching older records. So, although there was another Robert at nearby St Buryan with wife Martha I think you will find that the following is the family you are after.

Robert LEHA married Ann CARVETH at Paul 30th November 1725

Andrew son of Robert Leha bp. 3rd December 1726 at Paul
Robert son of Robert Leha bp. 14th March 1728 at Paul
James son of Robert Leha bp. 2nd April 1731 at Paul
Ann daughter of Robert Leha bp. 1st January 1733 at Paul
Elizabeth daughter of Robert Leha bp. 31st March 1736 at Paul

(All dates used are Old Style)

Notice that the first son was named Andrew which may be significant in two ways. Firstly James Leah named a son Andrew and secondly it may lead to the identity of Robert Leha's father!

CT

[londoner]

Andrew is a name used in the Ley family and originated at Mylor I believe.
But Leah goes back to 1600s at Paul

[lostrelative]

Mar 17, 2013 1:23:33 GMT -5 Cornish Terrier said:

I appear to be four years too late for this discussion.

Hi 'lostrelative' and Welcome to the site.

It is never too late to join in or reopen a conversation here and as it happens I may just now be able to help you!

Although I have no known connections to these families I had been involved in the early conversation purely because that is what I do - I try to help find answers for any query people post here.

So, let's see if we can prod a hole through that brickwall of yours.

Meanwhile I show that Elizabeth Davy, b. 14 Sept 1723 St. Just, was the daughter Benjamin Davy b. 17 Aug 1689 St. and Mary Edwards b. ? rather than the daughter of Pentecost Davy and Catherine Stephens. The plot thickens!

Pentecost Davy left a Will in 1757 in which he named his wife Elizabeth, unmarried daughter Phillis and daughter Elizabeth Leah.

I have only a little information about Pentecost but I updated that information to my database back in 2000 along with the marriage of Elizabeth Davy to James Leah. I had not previously added any children or done any work on the Leah family. I also do not have a copy of that particular Will but the transcribed details will be among my paper collection of abstracted and transcribed Wills in the cupboard.

After doing a bit of work on the Leah family this afternoon I have found one more item of particular interest. That item has, I believe, led me to the parents of James Leah.

When James Leah and Elizabeth Davy were married at St Hilary in 1754 one of the witnesses was a Robert Leah. I consider that to be quite significant given Leah is a surname more associated with Paul and nearby Parishes.

I also found that a Robert Leah of St Hilary married Elizabeth Cornish at Madron on February 19th 1757. In both cases Robert Leah signed with his mark.

As has been previously mentioned this surname can be found in a number of variations. It is important that these variations be kept in mind particularly when searching older records. So, although there was another Robert at nearby St Buryan with wife Martha I think you will find that the following is the family you are after.

Robert LEHA married Ann CARVETH at Paul 30th November 1725

Andrew son of Robert Leha bp. 3rd December 1726 at Paul
Robert son of Robert Leha bp. 14th March 1728 at Paul
James son of Robert Leha bp. 2nd April 1731 at Paul
Ann daughter of Robert Leha bp. 1st January 1733 at Paul
Elizabeth daughter of Robert Leha bp. 31st March 1736 at Paul

(All dates used are Old Style)

Notice that the first son was named Andrew which may be significant in two ways. Firstly James Leah named a son Andrew and secondly it may lead to the identity of Robert Leha's father!

CT

[lostrelative]

Being a newcomer, I'm not sure how to insert a quote in here.

Cornish Terrier said: "Pentecost Davy left a Will in 1757 in which he named his wife Elizabeth, unmarried daughter Phillis and daughter Elizabeth Leah."

I just found a transcription. "The will made 22 Nov 1757 by Pentecost DAVIE named his wife Elizabeth; daughter Phillis DAVEYS; daughter Elizabeth LEAH; daughter-in-law Allis DAVIES and grandson William DAVIES. Witnesses were Peter ELLIS and John HOSKEN.
The will was proved 5 Dec 1757." Thank you so much for the lead!

Now I REALLY need to leave the house. Genealogy is forever making me late. More later.

[Cornish Terrier]

The Message Notification at the top of the page is for Personal Messages only. These messages are addressed directly at the recipient which is why notification is available.
Unfortunately there is no apparently no way that notifications can be made when particular threads are updated so you need to keep checking in regularly for anything new.

Once you have worked your way through the latest information you can get your thoughts in order and decide how you want to proceed. Just let us know if you need some help and we will do our best to help you out.

CT

[lostrelative]

Finally I have James Leah married to the right Elizabeth Davie, the one bp. 12 Aug 1733 Sancreed. Thankfully my mistake had little impact on my draft tree as the wrong Elizabeth Davie (bp 14 Sept 1723 St Just) turned out to be her 1st cousin. Both are descended from Pentecost Davie 1688 and his spouse Tryphena Penberthy. Elizabeth 1723 was the daughter of their son Benjamin Davie and his wife Mary Edwards. Elizabeth 1733 was born to Benjamin's youngest sib, Pentecost 1701, and his first wife Katherin/Kath Stephens.

James Leah was bp in 1731; I always thought his wife was too old for him so am grateful you recognized my error. His parents were, as you thought, Robert/Roabart Leah (02 Nov 1696 Paul, tinner) and Ann Carveth, who is currently the bane of my existence. I'll get back to her shortly. Roabart's father appears to have been Ralph Leaha rather than the Andrew who witnessed her marriage. He may have been her elder brother. Going back through the generations I've so far found:

>Leaha, Ralph bp 27 Mar 1665 Paul, m. Rebecka Unknown 22 Dec 1688 Paul, d. 07 Nov 1711 Paul
>Leaha, Roabart bp. 15 Oct 1637 Paul, wife unknown
>Leaha, Ralph/Rafe, bp. unknown m. Elezabeth Unknown 2 Oct 1636 Paul

Although the name Andrew repeats through my tree, so far it hasn't shown up in the fatherhood category. The name Rebecca also repeats -- speaking of which, I've found one more possible child for Robert Leha and Ann Carveth to add to the list that you kindly posted:

Leah, Rebecca bp. 06 Sep 1739 St. Hilary, daughter of Robert and Ann Leah, m. Major, William 08 Apr 1765 St. Hilary

Her birthdate and name certainly fit; I'm not so sure about the location. Perhaps the family moved to St. Hilary prior to the birth of their youngest child? That would fit with the marriage that you found for her possible brother Robert and his wife Elizabeth Cornish.

Getting back to Ann Carveth, she is threatening to become an enormous brick wall. Several records show that she married Robert Leha at Paul 30 Nov 1725 but she seems to have sprung from nowhere. The only Ann Carveth I can find of an appropriate age was the daughter of Eusebius Carveth and Tabitha Condey (love those names) bp 2 Mar 1702 in St. Enoder. Alas, she married Alexander Skewes in St. Enoder on 19 May 1723 and proceeded to have at least three children.

Despite the numerous Carveth families in Cornwall, I can find no other Anns who would qualify as James Leah's wife. Every site I've searched throws out the same names and marriage date except for FamilySearch. It shows two records, one for James Leah and Ann Canvills m 30 Nov 1725 and another for James Leah and Ann Canberth m 7 Nov 1725. Having now squinted my way through the films of the original baptismal records, I'm certain that both names are transcription errors as is the 7 Nov marriage date. There was only one marriage recorded for a Robert Leha in 1725 � and he married Ann Carveth who did not exist!

My first brick wall has been replaced with an even bigger one. I�d love any assistance that anyone could render. Many thanks!

[Cornish Terrier]

I have looked at this problem some more today and I tend to agree mostly with the line you have suggested including the baptism of Rebecca Leah at St Hilary belonging to Robert and Ann from Paul.
Robert becomes son of Ralph and Rebecca with Ralph baptised 1665 at Paul son of yet another Robert. Most notable here is that the next child to Robert is named Andrew!
This last Robert appears to be baptised 1637 at Paul son of Ralph but so far you have not mentioned a possible marriage for Robert.

I believe it very likely that this is what you might be looking for :-

Robert Lehar married Cicily Jobe 23rd September 1664 at St Ives


I have checked for possible children and there are none possible anywhere but at Paul. And I also checked for possible burials at St Ives but found none.
The name Cicily (var.) does not appear anywhere in the family but the children of Robert baptised at Paul are 1665, 1666, 1672, 1677 and 1684 suggesting the possibility there may be others. Quite a number of entries for this period are almost impossible to read in the Paul registers so it is possible others have not been found.

A question that needs to be answered I think is just why the name Andrew had such prominence in the family.
Robert and Cicily named their first son Ralph but then used Andrew for the second child.
Ralph named his first son Andrew and second son Robert.
Robert then named his first son Andrew.

Ann Carveth - this is a surname that I associate more with Illogan/Redruth and areas further East so it is possible that Ann was not from the Paul area. However it always pays to have a good look around.

And I have found that a John Carveth was baptising children at Madron/Penzance between about 1700 and 1705. I should think that may be where Ann belongs although I have not yet found her baptism.

CT

[lostrelative]

BRILLIANT!

The reference to Robert Lehar and Cicily Jobe popped up several times during my searches and I, ahem, discounted it. Oh, the shame! I must remember to think outside the ancestral box.

I’m certain you’re right because I’ve found another Cecily/Cecilia, daughter of Robert and Cicily’s son Thomas and his wife Elizabeth Teague. Right now, Robert and Cicily’s line looks look this:

Robert Leaha bp 15 Oct 1637 Paul, m. Cicily Jobe 23 Sep 1664 St. Ives
• Ralph Leaha bp 27 Mar 1665 Paul, m. Rebecka Unknown 22 Dec 1688 Paul, buried 07 Nov 1711 Paul
Children: Edward 1689, twin of Andrew 1689, Rebecka 1693, Robert 1696, Margaret 1698, Ralph 1701, Nicholas 1705
• Andrew Leaha bp 09 Mar 1666 Paul, m. Joan Tonkin 01 Dec 1712 Paul, bd 27 Dec 1699 Paul
• Thomas Leaha bp 10 Apr 1670 Paul m. Elizabeth Teage 29 Apr 1695 Paul
Chn: Elizabeth 1698, Thomas 1701-1702, Thomas, 1703, Cecily bp 29 Jun 1707 Paul, m. John Bremble 20 Feb 1741 Paul
• Eleizabeth Leaha bp 19 Jan 1672 Paul, d. BEF 1677 Paul
• Eleizabeth Leaha bp 01 Jul 1677 Paul
• Ann Leaha bp 19 May 1684 Paul m. John Cotton 23 Oct 1714 Paul
Chn: Catherine 1715, Ann 1716, Richard 1718-1720, John 1720, Margaret 1723, Rebecka 1725, Elizabeth 1730

I haven’t yet found a marriage for Elizabeth Leaha 1677, children for Andrew Leaha 1666 or parents for their mother Cicily Jobe.

As for the importance of the forename Andrew, it eludes me. My tree currently shows four of them but none as a patriarch. Instead I have an ever-growing number of Rebeckas. And Ralphs.
• Leaha, Andrew 1 1666-1699 son of Robert and Cicely
• Leah, Andrew 2 1689 son of Ralph and Rebecka
• Leah, Andrew 3 1726-1780 son of Robert and the elusive Ann Carveth
• Leah, Andrew 4 1767-1775 son of James and Elizabeth Davie

Earlier today, I revisited the Paul PR films and located the original 1688 marriage record for Ralph/Rafe Leaha and Rebecka Unknown, which was blessedly clear. He was recorded as Ralph Leha; her maiden name was left out. Since then I’ve traveled down some strange paths that are definitely outside the ancestral box. Using the Cornwall OPC site only, I tried running some searches for Rebecka without a surname, using the names of her kids as potential parents. I didn’t get a single hit from Paul but up popped an Andrew:
• Voysey, Rebecka bp 7 Sept 1665 St. Mellion daughter of Mr. Andrew and Rebecka
That “Mr. Andrew” is interesting. He may have been a gent, in which case I doubt he belongs on my family tree. I found two other contenders:
• Gummow, Rebeckah bp 23 Jan 1664 Newlyn E daughter of William and Margarett
• Rule, Rebecka bp 3 Feb 1666 Cambourne daughter of Robarte

Changing the spelling to “Rebecca” resulted in a confusing number of possibilities. The most interesting record contains two hits, one of which is Andrew as a surname. Hadn’t thought of that possibility before! It’s worth some research.
• Andrew, Rebecca bp 10 Mar 1667 St. Germans daughter of Wm and Margaret
Alas, she may have married a Thomas Gill in Liskeard in 1688. Short of running down each and every one of these Rebecka/Rebeccas to see if they have marriages on record that actually include their surnames, I have no idea where to go with this. Methinks it might be an exercise in frustration. Perhaps I’ll stick it back in the box!

Backing up two generations, I took a better look at Rafe Leaha and Elezabeth Unknown today. The film of their marriage record shows their names clearly but with no bridal surname included. They married 2 Oct 1636 in Paul and produced at least three children:
• Roabart Leaha bp 15 Oct 1637 Paul m. Cicily Jobe 23 Sep 1664 St. Ives
• Ane Leaha bp 14 Aug 1641 Paul (haven’t found a marriage yet)
• Ralph Leaha bp 11 Aug 1645 Paul, bd 14 Dec 1645 Paul
I tried to find a baptismal record for Rafe and, interestingly enough, found I could go in two directions -- with both leading to the same John Leye in Bodmin. First I found:
• Lea, Rafe bp 18 Apr 1579 Bodmin son of John
• Leye, John bp 10 Apr 1561 Bodmin son of John
I doubt Rafe was 57 when married in 1636. It appears I have a generation gap. Alternatively I found:
• Ley, Ralph bp 18 Jun 1617 St. Minver, son of Ralph
• Lay, Ralfe bp 12 Apr 1587 St. Minver, son of John
• Leye, John bp 10 Apr 1561 Bodmin, son of John
Good grief, I’ve seen that last guy before! These were cursory searches; evidently I have some digging to do.

I appear to have written a treatise on Leahs. Tomorrow I shall return to the Ann Carveth fray and investigate your Madron/Penzance lead. Many thanks for your interest and help!

[white]

Hi, have been following your names.
I can add to Pentecost Davie's line if you wish.Also the Penberthy and Oates line if you wish.

[Cornish Terrier]

With regards to how the name Andrew came into the family I think you need to step back again and take another look at your thinking.
At the moment you appear to be concentrating your efforts around Rebecca which is all well and good ....................... except for one crucial point! There was an Andrew in the Leah/Leha/Leaha family a generation before Rebecca came on the scene!

By my current reckoning the first Andrew Leah we know of was a son of Robert and Cicily Leah and I am now thinking that the link might be over at St Ives.

Andrew JOBE married Christian NICHOLLS at St Ives 10th October 1667

As Cicily Jobe and Robert Leha were married just three years earlier at St Ives I would suspect that Andrew and Cicily were siblings. There are two Andrew Job(e) burials at St Ives (1705 and 1706) suggesting father and son although it must be remembered that one may have been a son of Andrew and Christian.

The Job(e) line might be worth investigating further but unfortunately St Ives records prior to the early 1650s are all but non-existent.

For the identity of Rebecca I would initially concentrate on the area surrounding Paul and look for Wills that may contain some reference to the Leah family. There are many that have been transcribed or summarised so start with those.

And a tip for the OPC site - you can search in any field using only part of a name. (e.g. if you want to look for all persons named Rebecca (var.) within a certain time period then simply enter 'REB' and the years you want to search.

CT