William J. Leach is a leading and substantial agriculturist of Fairmount township, Grant county, Indiana, and the village near which he lives takes its name in honor of the family. The name is of English and Scotch origin and has been an honored one in this state for more than a century, having been closely identified with the development of this territory long before it was admitted into the galaxy of the Union.

        The immediate subject of these memoirs is a native of Fairmount township and was born February 2, 1840. His parents, Esom and Lucinda (Corn) Leach, were well and favorably known throughout this locality, where the mother still makes her home.

        William Leach, the grandfather, blazed his way into this county and entered about six hundred and forty acres of land from the government in this township, locating in section 1, although at that time the land was all included in Union township. Two of the deeds, bearing the signature of Martin Van Buren, are in the possession of Mr. Leach. There was neither school-house nor church in the entire township and William Leach and his wife were conspicuous workers in establishing the Harmony Baptist Society, one of the first religious organizations stated here. A church was not built until about 1849 and many times were the meetings held in the home of grandfather Leach. He was a Jacksonian Democrat and held very decided views on the political outlook.

        Esom Leach, the father, was born December 8, 1816, in Franklin county, Indiana, where he lived until he was twenty-one years of age, when he came with his parents to Grant county, in 1837. Their first habitation was a rude log cabin built in the forest wilds, with wolves, bear and deer for neighbors. The country offered alluring inducements to the man who was willing to take advantage of the situation, and not only did she pay him in lands and crops, but by ennobling his character, increasing his strength and enlarging his resources she eliminated the weak points and brought him to the full perfection of a perfectly developed manhood. As gold is tried by the test of fire so was man tried by the many difficulties which beset his path, and amid trials and sufferings such as few of us would care to undergo was laid the foundation and corner-stone of our state.

        Esom Leach was married to Miss Lucinda Corn, who was born in the state of Kentucky on December 15, 1823. He began his wedded life on eighty acres of land in this vicinity, was a prosperous man and accumulated about six hundred acres before his death in January, 1888. He was a Jackson Democrat and a man of strict integrity whose decision of character made him respected and looked up to by his co-laborers in the township. Both he and his wife were zealous workers in the Primitive Baptist church. The land on which he started out was partially improved, but consisted in great part of swamp land and forests and the development meant hard and continued toil to bring it to anything like perfect shape for cultivation, but this was accomplished and the owner had the satisfaction of seeing fields of waving grain replace the tree and shrub, while swamp and low land became luxurious meadows in which the grazing herds became sleek and fat. The respect and prominence in which he was held continued throughout his life and made his death keenly felt in Fairmount township, the scene of so many years of his activity. Besides the widow, who is in her seventy-seventh year, he left a large family of children, three having entered into the great unknown. The mother has devoted her life to family and church and the precepts and example which have eminated from her will bear fruit and redound to her credit long after she has passed beyond the sunset hills of eternity. William J. Leach is the eldest child of the family. Nancy J. is the widow of William P. Osborne and resides in this township, Joseph J. occupies the old Leach homestead. Edward C. is a farmer in the near vicinity, as is his brother, John G.    Mary E. married George Roberts and lives in Jefferson township. Wilson T. is a prominent agriculturist of Madison county, this state. Benjamin F. is a manufacturer of Fowlerton, Indiana, and near there Reuben J. is engaged in farming. Simon B. is a farmer of this township and the youngest of the family.

        William J. Leach remained with his parents, overseeing the farm until his twenty-second year and in the meantime had acquired a common-school education. The schoolhouse had formerly done service as a residence and was made of logs. It was made with clapboard roof and puncheon floor, and in order to make it available for school purposes seats of split sapling with wooden legs were placed in it, and a broad poplar board was fixed to the side of the wall for a writing desk. This board rested on wooden pins driven in the wall and furnished a rest for the copybook, wherein the pupil followed the master's copy with the goose-quill pen. The room was heated by the fireplace which was constructed of mud and sticks, the sticks sometimes catching on fire and threatening destruction to the entire building until the blaze was happily extinquished. Mrs. Leach was also an attendant of this school, which was kept by subscription. Mr. Leach improved his time by reading and study, appreciating the wisdom of adding a little every day to his store of knowledge, and realizing that it is not what is read but what is retained that makes the wise man. Knowledge is not gained in a minute, but little by little, an item at a time, and it was not long before his self-imposed tasks began to have an appreciable effect upon him, and he was called upon to take charge of a school, which he taught one term.

        When he turned to agriculture as his occupation it was as a renter on the homestead and later he purchased ninety-seven acres of swamp land, which was almost worthless and which was afterward sold. He then purchased a tract of one hundred and five acres, selling his last horse to make the first payment on it. The outlook was not encouraging and to a great many it would have meant complete failure, but not so with Mr. Leach. Instead of waiting, Micawber like, for something to turn up, he set about making his opportunities and how well he succeeded is shown by the fact that he accumulated almost six hundred acres of land. He is an honored citizen of Grant county, where his entire life has been spent and where his word is considered as good as gold.

        He was married October 26, 1862, to Miss Sarah E. Haven, a lady whose natural endowment of head and heart made her universally loved and respected. Her death, on April 17, 1888, occasioned acute sorrow in the entire neighborhood as well as in the home circle. She was the mother of two sons and four daughters, two of whom preceded her to the spirit land. Those surviving her as follows: Lucinda, who married John Scott, a farmer of Jefferson township, by whom she had four children; Anna, wife of Chalmer Kerr, an agriculturist of Delaware county, and the mother of one child; Charles E., who is an agriculturist and grain dealer of Fowlerton, is married to Miss Minnie Payne and has two children; and Martha C., who was educated in the common schools and received a musical education. She lives at home. On March 16, 1890, Mr. Leach led to the alter Miss Jennie Wood, whose kindly nature and womanly qualities have made her an ideal wife and mother. She is a daughter of John and Mary (Smith) Wood and was born in Ripley county, this state, January 12, 1851, but during her infancy her parents moved to Allen county, thence to Bluffton, where she was educated and lived for twenty-two years. She is a devout member of the Harmony Baptist church, as are her husband and daughter Martha. Mr. Leach worked zealously for the erection of the pretty structure in which they now worship, and has been foremost in all movements which are conducive to public good. He stands high in the community and will leave to his children a heritage far preferable to lands and gold-- a good name. He is a Democrat and cast his first vote for George B. McClellan.