Bernhard first shows up on the 1880 Federal Census for the City of St. Charles, in the County of St. Charles. He is 8 months old and the 5th child of Peter and Emily.

Sometime between 1880 and 1883 both his parents died. I can not find anything about either death or burial for both Peter and Emily. I have stories of Emily's mother Eleonide bringing the children to northern Nebraska and southern South Dakota area, and the census puts them there by 1900.

The 1930 Federal Census for Bennett County, SD for Township 38 in District 29 lists Ben Leonard, age 50, married at 30 years old (about 1910) and he is a farmer. His wife is Alice, age 40, full blood Sioux. View here

This family group in dwelling 18, family group #27 are listed as:

Charles Little Hoop - Head, age 62, married at age of 24

Samuel Little Hoop - son, age 24, single

Joseph Little Hoop - son, age 21, single

dwelling 18, family group #28

Benjamin Leonard - head, in law, age 50, married, farmer, born in South Dakota, both parents are born in Missouri.

Alice Leonard - wife, age 40, married, Full blood Sioux

Herman Stoldt - grandson, age 22, single, mixed blood

Frank Stoldt - grandson, age 20, single, mixed blood

Alice Langdown? - grand daughter, age 8, mixed blood

dwelling 18, family group #29

Patrick Nelson, Head, age 32

Sallie Nelson, wife, age 30

Cecelia M. Nelson, grand daughter, age 4

Delbert Nelson, grand son, age 2

Sophie Nelson, age 2 months

In looking at the 1900 Census for Shannon County, SD for the Pine Ridge Reservation, District 46 we find:

Chas. Little Hoop, born April 1867, age 33, married 9 years, born Nebraska

Elk Little Hoop, wife, born Sept 1871, age 28, married 9 years, she has had 4 kids and 2 are still alive.

Alice Little Hoop, born May 1893

Sallie, born March 1900

It is split on two pages: view page one (parents) - view page two (kids)

From comparing the 1900 and 1930 census, I believe that Charles is the father, Elk is the mother, and the children are Alice, Sallie, Samuel and Joseph.

Alice has married Ben Leonard, Sallie has married Patrick Nelson, and Samuel and Joseph are still single. Elk has past away by 1930. Those three kids in 1930 under Ben and Alice listed as grandkids must be there own grandkids. I will have to keep looking for children of Ben and Alice or parents of Herman, Frank and Alice.

I have a copy of a document that was written by Frank Aplan, that is a statement taken form Henry Cottier and signed at Rushville, NE on Nov 20, 1963, "Statement of Henry Cottier concerning Elionette Iott". She was the grandmother of Ben and his siblings that brought them from Missouri to northern Nebraska after the death of their parents. He talks about his memories of each of the children of Peter and Emily Leaneagh.

"Ben: Like Jesse, I knew Ben intimately. He was also a good cowboy and I worked with him handling cattle many, many times. He lived about three miles north of Allen, South Dakota and there in the year 1960. Ben had two Indian wives, divorcing the first, then marrying the second who still lives on the place where she and Ben resided for a very long time. Ben never had children of his own but he and his second wife did adopt several orphaned children, providing them with a good home and education. He treated these children equally as well as though they were his own. Ben, to the best of my knowledge, was the last survivor of the seven children."

Of course, we see a few wrong dates and information, but I wanted to put this here. The .pdfs of the Cottier documents can be found here. Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4

I found his obituary in the Bennett County Booster II at the South Dakota State Archives in the Nov 20, 1958 issue, Vol IX, Number 19:

Ben Leonard Rites are Held On Saturday. Funeral services were conducted Saturday morning, November 15 at the Church of the Inestimable Gift in Allen for Ben Leonard, 84, who died Wednesday evening, November 12, at his home near Allen following a stroke. Services were conducted by the Rev. Sidney U. Martin and burial was made in the church cemetery at Allen. Pall Bearers were Wm. Fire Thunder, Gilbert Valandry, Wm. Whirlwind Horse, Vincent Thunder Bull, Ben Joe Rouilard, Allen and Felix Knife, Rosebud. Ben Leonard, son of Pete and Mary Leonard, was born October 7, 1873 at St Charles, MO. He spent much of his life working as a ranch hand. In September 1919 he was united in marriage to Alice Little Hoop at Gordon, Nebr. He made his home in Gordon until 1920 and since that time has lived on a ranch near Allen. He was a member of the Episcopal church and the Brotherhood of Christian Unity. Survivors include his wife, Alice; children, Frank Stoldt, Herman Bearsheart, Lucille Leonard and Cherry Leonard, and a sister, Mollie Aplan of Rushville, Nebr.

From the documents I have collected, he was born Oct 9, 1879 and died Nov 12, 1958, that makes him 79 years, 1 month and 3 days.