Family:Lawrence Leach and Elizabeth Mileham (1)

Accounts credit Lawrence and Elizabeth with up to 10 children:

Lawrence' and Elizabeth, probably had the following children: 1. Robert,' b. 1605. 2. Clement, b. in England; was m. and lived in England when his parents came to America. 3. John. 4. Margaret, b. 1613; came on the "Susan & Ellen", 1635. 5. Ambrose, b. 1616; mentioned in Pope's Pioneers of Mass., as "a carpenter Sudbury proprietor; contracted in 1611, to build a bridge over the river was one of the securities for Charles Dobson at Boston, 6 (9) 1619. Resided at Narragansett, 9 Nov. 1663, when he sold land at Boston". Ambrose, Boston, 1648, is spoken of in Hutch. Coll., 298, and in 1663 was concerned in Narragansett, or the king's province." (Wyman's "Charlestown, Mass., Gen.", says: "Ambrose, carpenter age 11, 1653; money was paid him." (constable's account.))

6. Richard, b. 1618. 7. Edmund, was in New Haven. Ct., 1617-9. 8. Rachel, 9. James, b. 10. Giles, b. 1632, at Salem, Mass

The baptisms of Agnes, Robert, Henry, John, Richard, Margaret, and Rachel can be found in Hurst and in Sonning, Berkshire between 1608 and 1621, as well as a baptism for a daughter of Clement Leach. Before they were found, Great Migration listed their children as only Robert, John, Richard and Rachel, and noted:

In 1924 F. Phelps Leach published a genealogy of this family which claimed ten children for the immigrant [Lawrence Leach of Salem, Massachusetts and some of his Descendants (East Highgate, Vermont, 1924)]. This author inserted into the family of Lawrence Leach many persons of the same surname from all parts of New England (and even from old England) who could not have been his children. The Robert Leach presented in this volume as son of Lawrence is a chimaera, created by mixing records for Robert Leach of Charlestown and Robert Leach of Manchester, the latter of whom was the son of the immigrant.

Disputed children:

• Edmund
• Ambrose
• James
• Giles

1. ↑ Henderson, Robert F., and James R. Henderson. English Origins of Lawrence¹ Leach of Salem, Massachusetts. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Apr 2008)
   162:99.

   "Lawrence¹ Leach … married at Hurst, Berkshire, on 2 February 1605/6, Elizabeth Mileham."