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Leaneagh Family History
 
www.leaneagh.com

Every genealogist comes across a family that becomes more captivating and intriguing than the others. The Janis family is that one for me, mostly because of the time period they lived in and the records they left behind. I have been trying to put the story together by collecting these documents, church records, census, book articles, and other sources. Here is what I have so far.

  • 1st generation: David, Alan, Joan, John, Elizabeth, Kathy, Sharon, Annie, Bobbie, Randy
  • 2nd generation: Jerry, Jan, Bob
  • 3rd generation: Del, Cherry
  • 4th generation: Marie, George, Jesse, Susan, Benard, Francis
  • 5th generation: Peter Lenagh and his wife Emilie Iott
  • 6th generation: Sefroy Iott and his wife Eleonide Janis
  • 7th generation: Antoine Janis, Jr. and his wife Marguerite Thibault
  • 8th generation: Antoine Janis, Sr. and Marie Louise Dany
  • 9th generation: Nicolas Janis and his wife Marie Louise Thamur dit LaSource
  • 10th generation: Francois Janis and his wife Simone Brusseau
  • 11th generation: Jean Janis and his wife Marie Paquet

I will start with the 3rd generation of this family.

Del Leaneagh was born 1897 in Valentine, NE, the son of George Foster Lenagh and Kittie (Elwell) Brandon. He married Arlouine Palmer on May 2 1931 in Bethany, MO. They had two children: Jerry Del Leaneagh and Arlouine Jan Leaneagh. Arlouine also had another child from an earlier marriage, Larry.

Cherry Leaneagh was born in 1898 and married Arthur Hooper in 1920. They had a son, Robert.

George Foster Lenagh was born somewhere in Iowa 1872, the son of Peter Lenagh and Emilie Iott. He lived in St. Charles, MO until the death of both of his parents, between 1880 and 1883. His grandmother Eleonide Iott brought the seven children to Northern Nebraska/Dakota Territory. He married Kittie (Elwell) Brandon about 1890 in Pittsburgh, PA. They lived in Valentine, NE and had two children: Adelbert (Del) Justin Leaneagh and Cherry Leaneagh. More about George

Peter Lenagh and his wife Emilie Sophie Iott are married in St. Louis, MO Nov 16, 1869. Emilie is the daughter of Sefroy Iott and Eleonide Janis. They had 6 children:

This is the generation where the last name Leaneagh changed. Peter was from Ireland and he used at least these three spellings: Lenagh, Lenaugh, Leonard. My mother remembers Del telling a story that George was using Leonard when he was first married. Kittie learned that it wasn't the original spelling and asked that they go back to the original name. The first time I see the spelling is on the 1900 Federal Census for George and Kittie in Valentine, Cherry County, Nebraska. The spelling Leneaugh is used by his brother Jesse's family in the next county north of Valentine, in Mission, SD. Susan used both, while younger brothers Ben and Frank used Leonard.

Sefroy Iott and Eleonide Janis were married in St. Charles, MO on Feb 21 1838. They had three children: Marguerite Philomena Iott, Emilie Sophie Iott, and Marie Felicia Iott.

  • Marguerite Philomena Iott was born Dec of 1838 and died at 3 months.
  • Emilie Sophie Iott was born April 2 1840. More about Emilie here
  • Marie Felicia Iott was born April 8 1845.

Sefroy Iott was born Nov 29 1815 in St. Louis, MO. He left the family sometime between 1850 and 1860 by the census, and went to live near the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. More about Sefroy here.

Eleonide was born 1818, her parents are Antoine Janis, Jr. and Marguerite Thibault. More about Eleonide here.

Antoine Janis, Jr. married Marguerite Thibault in 1818. Antoine Janis Jr., born Dec 27 1798, is the son of Antoine Janis Sr. and Marie Louise Dany.

  • The St. Charles Genealogical Society has published Catholic Marriages 1792-1863. It lists Ante. St. Charles Janis, son of Ante. Janis and Marie Lse. Dany marriage to Margt. Thibaut, daughter of Joseph Thibaut and Therese Barada, May 31 1818.
  • The St. Charles Borromeo Church Parish records lists this: "The 31st of the month of May, 1818, we, the undersigned, (Eveque) Bishop of Louisiana have renewed the mutual consent of marriage and given the nuptial Benediction according to the rites of Our Mother of the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church to the following five couples already legally united in front of a civil judge." View

They had eight children:

  • Marie Benard, born Nov 30, 1815 (two years before they were married)
  • Eleonide, born Oct 5, 1818
  • Marguerite, born Nov 8, 1819
  • Francis Regis, born Sept 27, 1822
  • Joseph Antoine, born Mar 27, 1824
  • Nicolas, born Oct 12, 1827
  • Guillaume(William) Edmond, born June 26, 1830
  • Euphenice, born Oct 24, 1832

Listing of Janis baptisms - Index to the Saint Charles County Missouri Baptisms 1792 - 1852

View St Charles Borromeo Baptism records:

Marguerite Thibault, born 1798, is the daughter of Joseph Thibault and Marie Theresa Barada. Joseph Thibault was born 1775, son of Joseph Thibault and Marie (Pawnee Indian). Marie Theresa Barada, born 1778, is the daughter of Antoine Barada and Marguerite Desrosiers. More about Marguerite Thibault here.

More on each child:

Marie Benard Thibault

Eleonide (Janis) Iott

Marguerite (Janis)

Francis Regis

Joseph Antoine Janis, born Mar 26, 1824, he married Mary Featherman First Elk Woman in 1846. He died April 10 1890 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. They had 17 children per Mike Stevens at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mikestevens/JANIS/i0000165.htm#i165. This is an excellent site and he has done alot of work.

Nicolas Janis was born Oct 12, 1827, he married Martha He Bear on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He died Sept 13 1902 in Porcupine, SD. They had 9 children. His story is again well put together by Mike Stevens at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mikestevens/JANIS/i0000066.htm#i66

William Edmond Janis, married Margaret Ann Osgood on Aug 17, 1857. In 1860 they are living in St. Charles as a Farmer with two children; William, age 2 and Presley, age 3/12.

Euphenice, born Oct 24, 1832 and died the next year on Nov 19, 1833.

Antoine Janis Sr. married Marie Louise Dany. They had 8 children baptized at the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. Six of those eight lived long enough to marry.

  • Antoine, Jr.
  • Nicolas
  • Amarante
  • Felicite
  • Cliffroy
  • Marie Susanne
  • Odille
  • Marie Devien

Here is where it gets really interesting. Mary Louise Dany was a mulatto slave. I have three sources that talk about how much of a scandal this was for the time by violating accepted social behavior and publicly proclaiming his love and affection for her.

  • Carl Ekberg's History of Ste. Genevieve, MO - View
  • McElhiney's Guidebook to Historic St. Charles Missouri, page 202 - View
  • St. Charles Borromeo, 200 Years of Faith, 1991, by Jo Ann Brown (ISBN 0-935284-95-8) - View Antoine Janis - View Marie Louise Dany

I have not found an actual marriage record of Antoine Janis, Sr. and Marie Louise Dany, but the baptism of their children at Borromeo claims it is of a legitimate marriage after 1809. I find it interesting that he married a Mulatto slave, had children with her and was also a slave owner.

I have scanned in all the transcriptions I have found from the St. Charles Borromeo Church Parish records for each of the children. As you can see, some have no father listed, but the mother is Marie Louise, free woman of color. After 1809 they are children of a legitimized marriage. She is listed as Partronne Libre (Liberated Patron). These children were probably 3/4 French and 1/4 Black.

1830: I was able to find a handwritten document at the St. Charles Genealogical Society of a gift of a slave from Antoine Janis, Sr. to each of his children just before his death. I had to put on white gloves and it was very exciting to see his 175 year old signature. This lists all his children alive in 1830: Antoine, Nicholas, Andil (Odille) Laurin, Marie Susane Cote, Mari Devien Tibaut, Felicite LeBeau. No matter how you feel about slavery, this is an important document for proving relationship. I have scanned it in and will transcribe it also. Scan of outside - page1 - page 2 - page 3 - Transcription

1832: In the St. Charles, MO Probate Court records is the Administrators Bonds 1827-1879 record for Antoine Janis, Sr., who died without a will. Antoine Janis and Nicolas Janis are the administrators along with William Pettus and Louis Lorain as securities. The lower half reads "This day personally appeared before me, the Clerk of the County, for the county of St. Charles, the undersigned Antoine Janis & Nicolas Janis, who being by me duly sworn, upon their oaths say that to the best of their knowledge, there are eight heirs of Antoine Janis, dec'd, now in being Marie Louise Janis, widow; Luceille Blain, Susan Cote, Antoine Janis, Nicholas Janis, Marie D. Thebeau, Andil Lorain, & Felecitie Lebeau, all residing in St. Charles County, and that to the best of their knowledge that the said deceased died without a will, as far as they know and believe, and that they will well and truly administer all and singular the goods and chattels, land and tenements, rights and credits, of the said deceased, and pay his debts, as far as the assets which may come to their hands will extend, and the law direct; and that they will make a true and perfect inventory of all the goods and chattels, rights and credits, of the said deceased, and account for and pay over, according to law, all assets which shall come to their hands, possession or knowledge.

Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 24th day of March, 1832" - view the document here

This is the time that it gets a little fuzzy. There are many Antoine Janis listed in the records, so it is hard to follow. I may not have it accurate, but the years work out and it is the most possible to me.

I have two trouble areas:

1. I have found the records for 3 children of Marie Barada and Antoine Janis, Sr. being born at the same time the children of Mary Louise are being born.

  • Maximillien Janis was born 1812, the natural child of Antoine Janis, Sr. and Marie Baradas. View
  • Marie Francoise Janis, born Aug 1814, parents: Antoine Janis and Marie Barada, widow Liban recorded at the St. Ferdinand de Florissant Church in Florissant, MO (close to St. Charles, MO) View
  • the marriage of Jean Baptiste Janis, son of Marie Barada and Antoine Janis to Louise LaCroix in 1832. View

I have not found any evidence of a marraige between Antoine Janis, Sr. and Marie Barada, but I have added this as a second family group for Antoine Janis, Sr. These children are not listed on the above Gift Document of 1830 or the 1832 Administrator Bond as in the listing of the heirs of Antoine Janis, Sr., so this could a different Antoine Janis, Sr., maybe the one below.

2. The Kaskaskia, IL records list an Antoine Janis being born Feb 20 1781, his parents are Antoine Janis and Angelique LaPlume, Indian woman. View baptism record

The registers of the Church of the Conception of Our Lady, Kaskaskia, IL 1724-1834 has this marriage listing:

  • JANIS, Antoine son of Antoine & Marie Anne (? illegible) age 40 years, native of New Orleans, to Angelique LAPLUME, an indian woman. Their children, Marie Victoire and Antoine are legitimized by this marriage. April 30 1781. . . . Who is this family, where do they fit in and what is the connection to New Orleans? View marriage

Antoine Janis, Sr. is the son of Nicolas Janis and Marie Louise Thamure dit LaSource. They were married in Kaskaskia, IL in 1751. They had eight children according to the early records: Remember that Lewis and Clark explored the West, leaving from St. Charles, MO, in 1804 to explore the Louisiana Purchase. View baptisms

  • Felicite, born 1752, married Vital Beauvais
  • Jean Baptist, born 1759, married Renie Barbeau
  • Francois, born 1761, married Pelagie Bienvenue
  • Marie Francoise, born 1763, married Laurant Durocher
  • Antoine (Sr.), born 1765, married Marie Louise Dany, also had children with Marie Barada
  • Jean, born 1767, no other info yet.
  • Nicolas, born 1772, no other info yet
  • Marie Catherine, born 1774, married Etienne Bolduc

Nicolas Janis, the father of the above children, is the one that built the house in Ste. Genevieve, MO that still stands. It is also known by "the Green Tree Tavern" or "the Ziegler House"

The transcription of the marriage record in Kaskaskia, IL for Nicolas and Marie Louise reads:

JANIS, Nicolas, son/ Francois & Simon Brussart to Marie Louise Thamure dau/ Jean Baptist & Marie Rivard. 27 Apr 1751. View

Francois Nicolas Janis married Simone Brussart in Trois-Rivieres (Three Rivers), Quebec, Canada Nov 14, 1704. They had eleven children, with Nicolas being the last one born Jan 7, 1720. There is also some discrepency about this person also. There are records in Quebec that show that this Nicolas was born in Quebec, married Therese Meloche, had 11 children, and died in Quebec. I am still looking for the answer to this question. The Nicolas that was married in Kaskaskia, IL knows that his parents are Francois and Simone (Brussart) Janis.

Most of the online and book sources have the above Francis Nicolas Janis have him born in France of the parents Jean Janis & Marie Paquet, d'Argenteuil, Champagne, France. I have not seen any documentation or proof of this, but I will list this as it is the most commonly listed parents.