Leonard in Hiram's lifetime

[jeffkn1]

(Through the generosity of author Jerry Girard)

The Early Years:

Hiram Leonard was one of America's most fascinating pioneers, although today, virtually unknown outside of the state of Maine and the angling world. According to legend, a great grandfather along with two brothers, came from England, reportedly on the “Mayflower” and settled in the Plymouth Colony. Research into the descendants of the Mayflower did not find this to be true. His father, Lewis, was born in Roxbury, near Boston and after receiving his education, moved to Maine to raise sheep. After the War of 1812, Lewis in Bangor, ME turned to the more profitable lumbering industry and manufacturing of oars. Their quality was recognized and oars were shipped throughout America, to England and other countries. Lewis married Hannah Blood from Knox, ME and Hiram Lewis Leonard was born in Sebec, Piscatquis County, ME on June 23, 1831. In 1835, the family moved to Ellenville, Nywhen was 4 years old. The reasons for this initial move out of Maine are unclear. In 1838 the family moved to the Honesdale, PA area (Cherry Ridge Township) which had great forests allowing Lewis to continue his lumbering and oar making businesses. The Leonard family was involved in the “taming of the wilderness” there, building roads for one example. Here Hiram began his education and according to legend ,at 15 years old began to study civil engineering and was somewhat self taught. He was employed at the Pennsylvania Coal Company in Honesdale(1) and said to have charge of the machine department, maintaining and designing new machinery while surveying the area for new mine shafts.(2) As a result, his health deteriorated, possibly with respiratory problems and by 1850 or 51 was back in Maine, to “fresh air” which was considered a treatment for health problems. Hiram was by estimation a genius. He demonstrated his talents, skills and innovations throughout his life. His education, whether formal or not, may have included classes and apprenticeships in wood and metal working, with his father making oars and with his uncle as a machinist and gunsmith, which could explain his supervisory position at age 16 in the coal company's machine shop.(3) Uncle Dwight H. Hawes, living in Honesdale with his family which included Hiram's cousins (the four Hawes brothers who later joined Hiram in his rod making businness.), was known as a machinist and registered gunsmith during the Civil War. Although his name doesn't appear in American Gunsmiths by Frank Sellers (4), machinists were often advertised as gunsmiths and repaired firearms although they may have not made any.

The legendary stories of Hiram as a “Great Hunter”, woodsman & hero(5), having saved the driver and his fellow passengers from drowning after a coach accident in 1857, are extensively documented as well as his involvement with the fish hatcheries in Maine.(6) He was quite the musician who could play the violin and flute. His lifelong friend and hunting companion, Manly Hardy wrote in his travel journals that Leonard brought his flute with him on hunting trips and often one could hear the “sound of music” in the wilderness darkness(7). The American Museum of Fly Fishing has in their Leonard files a drawing of a flute Hiram invented. Nothing further is known about it.

Manly Hardy was the first of Maine's naturalists. His father Jonathan T. owned and operated a fur and hide business in Brewer, Maine, across the Penobscot River from Bangor. When Manly was twelve years old, Jonathan Hardy guided Prussian Count Karl Luther, a descendant of Martin Luther, in Moose hunts around Brewer. The Count was in North America to hunt big game and fish for trout and salmon in 1844. He ran out of money and he borrowed about $200, a considerable sum in that time, from the Hardy family, who extended their hospitality to the Count knowing he “was good for the debt”. The count gave them his family jewels for collateral which were worth greater value. The debt was repaid and the jewels returned.

Count Karl was fond of young Manly and left him a rod, reel and its travel case. The rod was described by Manly's daughter, Fanny Eckstorm in her book about Maine woodsmen,(8) as a salmon rod. While there is nothing known about Hiram's early fishing days, it is likely that Count Karl's rod was the first quality fishing rod that he saw. Many years later Hiram Leonard gave his friend Manly a pistol with his two shot mechanism on it and this pistol and the rod, reel and case was later in the Littlefield family, close friends of the Hardys. The Littlefield family transferred ownership of Manly Hardy's Leonard pistol and Count Karl's fishing outfit to another Mainer where they reside today.(9) Although Manly's rod and reel were thought to have been used to catch salmon, it was not. A. J. Campbell and & I examined the rod and were surprised with not only the quality, but it's delicate nature, clearly a dainty valise rod, each section approximately 25 inches in length, not having been measured. It was made of hickory in the early 19th century British style with brass ferrules and flip ring guides with a brass escutcheon for a spike reel and the butt section fitted for a spike. The diminutive reel is the Irish spike reel style. The rod has five joints and the butt cap engraved “Craig, Dublin”. Examples of this type of rod are described in the 1839 John Cheek fishing tackle catalog. Hiram Leonard had written in a letter before his death that his first rods were of wood and perhaps based on Manly's gifted rod.

H. L. Leonard, Gunsmith:

When Hiram came back to Maine, sometime between 1851 and 1852, mostly likely Bangor, he already possessed the skills necessary to be a fine craftsman and wasted no time in establishing himself with the woodsmen of the area. Penobscot, aka David Libbey, who befriended Leonard, published an article in Forest & Stream with an illustration of an improved “Nessmuk” ax that Hiram invented in the 1850's.(11) Hiram worked for and trained under gunsmith Charles V. Ramsdell of Bangor starting shortly after arriving in Maine. Here he developed his unique two shot mechanism for a single barrel with superimposed loads, that is one charge on top of another in the same barrel, although we do not know the exact date. Gunsmiths invented various methods to fire multiple shots from a single barrel since the middle 1600's. In these mechanisms, the front charge is fired first, then the next charge fired, all be means of the hammer on a movable lever either flintlock or percussion positioned at the appropriate charge. A sliding bar mechanism was made in Pennsylvania in the mid 1800's, but not patented while Daniel Neal, born in Maine, but removed to Ohio patented a two shot system in 1855. It is possible that Leonard improved this design or that Neal had seen the Leonard design.(12) Francis Philbrook told his son that he learned the gunsmithing trade in the C. V. Ramsdell shop at the time that Leonard was working there on his multishot guns and that “Hiram Leonard was one of the greatest hunters that ever lived.”(13)

Manly Hardy recorded the popularity of the Leonard designed multishot rifles in his journals and also how dangerous they could be. On one of Manly's hunting trips with Leonard, he recorded that Hiram arrived at camp after dark and while beaching his canoe, his rifle discharged , the bullet narrowly missing Leonard. Accidental discharges occurred twice on that trip. On other trips, Manly recorded other incidences of “ 2 shooters” accidentally discharging one or both loads. Although there was the danger of both loads firing at the same time, Leonard's guns were popular. Rufus Philbrook, another hunting and trapping companion, bought one of Hiram’s “4 shooters”, that is a two barreled gun loaded with two charges in each barrel.(14) Many of those “2 shooters” were later converted to single load firearms with the removal of the front part of the mechanism and plugging the front percussion nipple. Twenty firearms with the Leonard two shot lock mechanism have been recorded.(15) At least four that were described in print are lost to history; Manly Hardy's pistol is in the Maine State Museum and the rest are in private collections with at least four converted to single shot for safety. Some of these guns had just the lock converted to the Leonard mechanism, while others were completely made by Hiram Leonard with those having two or three barrels unique to him. In addition, Leonard made a revolving rifle and a Bangor style underhammer boot pistol.(16)

On September 25, 1859, Hiram married Elizabeth S. Head of Bangor and in a letter to his son Manly, Jonathan T. Hardy wrote from Brewer: “Mr. Leonard was married about about two weeks ago and immediately started with his wife on a hunting excursion up Pleasant River, camping out. He has returned and boards at the 'exchange' (Bangor)”.(17) Leonard's activities during the years from 1860 to 1868 are unclear. Hiram's whereabouts during the Civil War are unknown, but a trip was reported as having occurred during those years to New Brunswick, Canada and remaining there for several years.(18) Since he was newly married, it is unlikely that Hiram left his bride home while he was out and about in Canada. They were at least in Bangor in 1863 when Elizabeth was on her own hunt in April, 1863 and reported in some news accounts: “They have spunky women in Bangor. One of them, Mrs. Hiram L. Leonard, ...on a hunting excursion, traveling fourteen miles on snow shoes, with the mercury nearly thirty degrees below zero.”(19) Charles Ramsdell made target rifles for that popular sport in the 1850's and was known to have produced sharpshooter's rifles for the Maine sharpshooter's units during the Civil War.(20) It is possible that Hiram worked at the Ramsdell shop producing them as well. One sharpshooter's rifle with a Leonard two shot mechanism was sold at auction in 2009.(21)

H. L. Leonard, Fishing Rod Maker and Early Employees:

Hiram Leonard was listed in the Bangor Business Directory in 1869-1870 as a gunsmith, no business address, then in 1871 -1872 as guns & fishing tackle, 2&1/2 Kenduskeag Bridge, and under Fishing Tackle: manufacturer and for years to 1880, only Fishing Tackle: manufacturer.(22) Thus began his rod making career. In the 1870 Industrial Census, Hiram L. Leonard is listed as a manufacturer of fishing tackle with a hand lathe using bamboo and wood as materials with one employee, male over 16 years of age. The business in operation for 12 months and the value of goods produced or repaired $700.

Who was this lone first employee? We may never know, but in interviews with Cora Hawes, Hiram's daughter and with Irma Littlefield, Fred's daughter, each placed Fred Thomas as Leonard's first hire about 1871. Early newspaper and sporting magazine articles also mention his employment with Leonard during the Bangor days. Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby described meeting Fred Thomas: “We had the pleasure of visiting the factory where the rods are manufactured where we met Mr. Fred Thomas who has charge and for eleven years has worked in the Leonard factory.” This places Fred to 1878 with Leonard in Bangor.(23) His years with the Leonard Rod Company have often been reported as starting in Central Valley, New York in 1884. Even Leon believed his father started with the company in either 1882, 1884 or 1886.(24) However, Hiram Leonard's obituary also stated that “Fred L.(sic) Thomas, the rod maker of this city, learned his trade with Mr. Leonard and was with him up to a short time before Mr. Leonard left Bangor.”( 24) In the 1870 Federal Census, Fred is listed as living in Newburgh, 15 years old and a farm laborer. His father James is 58 years old and a farmer in Newburgh, but also listed in the Bangor Business Directory from 1868 to 1870 as a carpenter on Broadway and Bridge Streets in Bangor. James died on May7, 1873. In 1871-1872, Mrs. James Thomas is in the directory living on Broadway and from 1873 to 1876 she is still listed, but as a widow. Fred and his siblings are in Bangor with her. The 1880 Federal Census reports that Fred, his mother, Mary and older brother Charles live in Brewer with his sister, Etta and her husband, James A. Snow and cousin Walter. In 1881, Fred, now 26 years old, follows Hiram Leonard to Central Valley, New York.

By the mid-1870's the United States was in a depression, but the savings and loan associations felt relatively safe with increasing total deposits. The trustees of the Bangor Savings Bank felt secure with their increasing deposits and continued to offer at high interest rate of 6 percent on savings, however its asset quality was eroding. A decrease in deposits began in 1875, coupled with the bank's investment railroad bonds defaulting. While in 1876, four Maine banks went into receivership, the Bangor Savings Bank remained afloat, but was hemorrhaging both money and customers. Unemployment was up to 25 percent. The banks began to recover in the 1880's. Not all merchants and business suffered bankruptcy, many weathered the storm.(25)

The H. L. Leonard Rod Company had just begun in 1870, was growing and needed capital to expand, buy the necessary tools and hire more help to meet the demand for their fishing rods. An article under Maine Manufacturing News in the Bangor Whig & Courier, February 22, 1875 stated “Mr. H. L. Leonard has a fish rod factory in Bangor. The machinery employed is worth about $2000, while he has expended some $4000 for the necessary tools.” The article stated that he employed nine men and two women with one man making “flies”.(26) On February 2, 1876, H. L. Leonard signed a mortgage agreement with his business neighbor, David Bugbee, “the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, do hereby grant, sell, transfer and deliver unto the said Bugbee the following goods and chattels, namely: all and singular the goods, wares and merchandise tools stock and fixtures now belonging to me and now in my Fishing Rod Manufactory in Dorris Block, corner of Hammond St”.(27) This is a chattel mortgage with David Bugbee for the sum of $500. Although this agreement is recorded in the Records of Mortgages for the City of Bangor, it is a bill of sale to David Bugbee of all of the equipment and personal property belonging to Leonard which is held as security and would have had a repayment note with the terms attached to it.

On May 1, 1877, Hiram again sold all of his machinery, tools and personal property to Adrianna W. Kidder for $2000 with the bill of sale subject to “a mortgage heretofore made by me for the sum of Five Hundred Dollars to have and to hold her, her heirs and assigned subject to said mortgage.” signed by H. L. Leonard and notarized. There were no terms of repayment, nor mention of a partnership agreement. In addition, a “Memoranda of agreements made and concluded this May 1, 1877 between Hiram L. Leonard of Bangor, Maine and James H. Kidder of the City of Boston, Massachusetts.” which hired James Kidder to travel advertise and sell Leonard products for a period of three years and “ the said Kidder shall receive for his said service in lieu of a stated salary one half of all the net profits of the said business and no more or less: but this shall not constitute him a partner, as he is to be no sharer in losses and is to be under no liability or obligation....”(28) James Kidder introduced the Leonard rods and reels (made by Philbrook & Paine) to Thomas Bate Mills and William Mills. He established a New York office at 19 Beaver Street (up stairs) to which advertisements advised orders for Leonard products to be sent to that office after October 15, 1877(28).

On February 4, 1879, Hiram gave Adrianna Kidder a notarized “second bill of sale” and an “improvement of B” which was the total list of machinery, tools and stock including everything added since May 1, 1877. This “second bill of sale” was still subject to the $500 mortgage.(29) David Bugbee personally delivered a foreclosure notice to Hiram Leonard on February 10, 1879 for failing to make any payment on his February 1876 repayment note of “payment of $500 in six months at the rate of eight percent interest”. This note was recorded as “satisfied, December 18, 1880”.(27)

William Mills & Son purchased all of the property used by H. L. Leonard from Adrianna Kidder. In a notarized document she stated that all of her interests were free and clear from any claims upon it. The sale agreement was for $2000 and included “Schedule A”, all of the previous agreements and bills of sale with Hiram Leonard including James Kidder's contract and “Schedule B”, the complete inventory list of tools, machines and property. These agreements were executed in the city and county of New York. Hiram Leonard is then hired by William Mills and Son, the owners of all of the equipment and materials, on December 12, 1879 to “superintend and manage the manufacture of said Leonard Bamboo Rods at the town of Bangor, or at any other place agreed upon by the parties”. The employment agreement was for two years ending in December, 1881 and Hiram's salary was one half the net profits.(30) Notices of Leonard's move to Central Valley, Orange County, New York were published in November of 1880 (31). The journey was sometime in 1881.

During those Bangor years of 1870 to 1880 with the Leonard manufactory, Fred Thomas learned rod making skills, one of them as a wood turner making the wood rod sections needed.(32) In the Hawes family scrapbook is an unidentified article describing a “dramatic entertainment in the Institute Hall in Bangor with music, the orchestra composed of H. W. Hawes, E. W. Edwards, H. L. Leonard, F. E. Thomas and Miss Bertie Noxen.” Fred's daughter Irma reported that he played clarinet.(33) By 1880, Fred Thomas bought property in Brewer from his brother-in -law Walter Snow and was taking the legal responsibility for his mother Mary. Fred acquired interests in other properties as well and in 1881, sold or transferred some properties indicating that he would be leaving Maine.(34)

Little is known about Fred's New York years before he left the Leonard Rod Company to produce the Kosmic rod for A. G. Spalding. Fred's daughter related this story: ”F E ( Fred's nickname) met Mrs. T. (Sara (Sadie) Earl) of Central valley while attending the local church. She had very heavy hair and wore a wreath of Black Eyed Susans. When standing, she loosened her hat and it fell into the seat in front of her. F E heard something behind him, turned to see Mrs. T. and thought “Prettiest Girl Ever Saw “. The hat was where he was to sit down.” They went to the county fair together and one day on a ride with Sara's cousin Lizzy and two friends Fred said “Let's get married.” and then, true to his thrifty Maine Welsh background, asked “Do you want a new house or an engagement ring?” They were married in the Presbyterian Church in Monroe, NY by Reverend F. B. Thomas on July 18, 1886. Sara, born in Turners, NY in 1869, was about
18 years old. They moved into an unfinished house without stairs and completed it working at night.(35) Fred continued to work at the Leonard Rod Company until he, Loman Hawes, Eustis Edwards and Edward Payne in 1888 or 1889 formed their “dream team” partnerships that launched them into fame.

Endnotes

1. Portrait and Biographical Record of Orange County, New York, Part 2, pp. 1501 – 1502 (Chapman Publishing Co., New York and Chicago, 1895)
2. Marty Keane, Classic Rods and Rodmakers, (Winchester Press, 1976), p. 30. Leonard's early life in Pennsylvania has been repeated in much of the discussions about him. There is no documentation and further research should be done.
3. Alfred Miller (Sparse Grey Hackle), Pennsylvania Angler, “The Father of the Fly Rod”, p. 3 (November, 1942): Reprinted from The Angler's Club Bulletin, Angler's Club of New York.
4. Frank Sellers, American Gunsmiths (Blue Book Publications, Minneapolis, MN, 2008): Over 20,000 17th, 18th and 19th Century gun makers, patentees, gunsmiths and entrepreneurs listed.
5. Bangor Whig & Courier, 1857.
6. Henry David Thoreau, In The Maine Woods; Authors Martin Keane, A. J. Campbell, and the numerous publications on Hriam Leonard's life.
7. William B. Krohn, Northestern Naturalis, Volume 12(4), pp. 509 – 540, 2005: A Fall Fur-Hunt From Maine To New Brunswick, Canada: The 1858 Journal of Manly Hardy,
8. Fannie Hardy Eckstorm letter, Fannie Hardy Eckstorm Collection, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine.
9.Fannie Hardy Eckstorm gave Manly's guns and fishing tackle to Elmer Littlefield and Elmer's son passed them to a Bangor collector. A John Littlefield married Irma Thomas, Fred's daughter and Leon's sister but the connection is unknown. Manly Hardy pistol, rod and reel, Private Collection, Private Communication.
10. Dwight Demeritt, Maine Made Guns & Their Makers, p. 148 (Friends of the Maine State Museum, Augusta, Maine, 1997, Revised Edition).
11. Forest & Stream, Volume 20,issue 16,p. 207, April12, 1883. Dave Libbey was a market hunter and a friend of both Leonard and the Hardy family.
12. The first records of a multishot mechanism on a single barrel was by Italian gunsmiths in 1643. The one found in Pennsylvania was reported in Gun Report, September, 1957, p. 24. The Daniel Neal system was patented on February 27, 1855 and has on the lock two nipples for percussion caps to fire first the front charge, the other for the back charge. A single hammer strikes a curved bar for the first shot. The bar is moved upward so that the hammer can strike the second cap. Leonard's system has the nipples placed in the same position, with a single hammer, but the striking front bar and release is different.
13. Dwight Demeritt, Maine Made Guns & Their Makers, p. 159 (Friends of the Maine State Museum, Augusta, Maine, 1997, Revised Edition); Rev. E. S. Philbrook of Randolph, Mass., to W. F. Holden of Bangor, Maine.
14. Dwight Demeritt, Maine Made Guns & Their Makers, p. 156 (Friends of the Maine State Museum, Augusta, Maine, 1997, Revised Edition); Ralph S. Palmer, “Rufus Philbrook, Trapper”, The New England Quarterly 22 (December, 1949), no. 4, pp.452 et seq.
15. One rifle was discussed in the Cora Hawes scrapbook containing an undated copy of an article in a Bangor, Maine newspaper regarding a letter the postmaster received for information on a “4 shooter” rifle made and stamped on a barrel by H. L. Leonard, Bangor, ME. The rifle was the property of a Mr. E. J. Noon of Piedmont, West Virginia. His father purchased the rifle from a gunsmith near Lockhaven, PA. In 1876, Wm Stayer of Maryland owned the rifle. In December of 1878, George Lish borrowed the gun to hunt. His body was found in the spring of 1879 when the snow melted lying face down on top of the rifle. It was presumed that he died as a result of the discharge. On the bottom of the newspaper clipping was a hand written note from Fred Thomas to Cora:”Thought you would like to know what became of that gun, FE.T”. Also in the scrapbook was a typed letter (Sic) from Mr. Noon to Cora Hawes dated “JANY 11, 1928” stating “ I ALSO GOT A LOT OF INFORMATION FROM MR F E THOMAS OF BANGOR WHO WORKED FOR YOUR FATHER FOR SIX YEARS. (for whatever reason, Fred never corrected the years he spent with Leonard.) HE NEVER SAW THE GUN BUT OFTEN HEARD OF IT. HE WAS VERY ANXIOUS TO SEE THE GUN SO I EXPRESSED IT TO HIM TODAY TO PUT ON DISPLAY IN HIS PLACE OF BUSINESS. IF HE SENDS ME ANY NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS I WILL BE GLAD TO FOWARD ONE TO YOU. VISITING ITS HOME TOWN AFTER OVER 75 YEARS OF WANDERING SHOULD INTEREST PEOPLE THERE.”
16. Ibid.: pp. 148 – 186. Read for more information on the Leonard and Bangor made guns.
17. A Letter from Jonathan T. Hardy to Manly Hardy, Oct. 19, 1859 Manly Hardy Collection.
18. Alfred Miller (Sparse Grey Hackle), Father of the Fly Rod, first published in The Angler's Club Bulletin, The Angler's Club of New York( Vol XXI, No. 2, June, 1942. This article was republished in Pennsylvania Angler (Vol. XI, No. 11, November, 1942) and again in Sport's Illustrated (June 04, 1956).
19. Lowell Mass. Courier, April 14, 1863: “They have spunky women in Bangor. One of them, Mrs. Hiram L. Leonard, has lately been on a hunting excursion, traveling fourteen miles on snow shoes, with the mercury nearly thirty degrees below zero. She succeeded in shooting a large bull moose, weighing nearly 900 lbs. Some time previous to this exploit, with her girl, a little boy, and four dogs, she chased a caribou on the ice six miles, when the dogs ran him into an open place and he was drowned, nothing of him being obtained but a little hair as a trophy. The twelve miles down the river and back were made in about four hours.” Also reported in the Hartford Courant.
20. Dwight Demeritt, Maine Made Guns & Their Makers, p. 165 (Friends of the Maine State Museum, Augusta, Maine, 1997, Revised Edition).
21. James D. Julia Auctions, Lot 2587, March 15, 16, 2010.
22. The Bangor/Brewer Business Directories (Bangor Public Library) has a section listing names and occupations, then a separate section for the type of business and business owners. The years before 1867 were not available and not searched. The following listings are directly as published in the directories and should shed some light on our angling personalities' Bangor days:
1869-1870: Leonard, Hiram L., gunsmith, boards (bds) 14 Thomas.
1871-1872: Leonard, Hiram L., gunsmith, guns & fishing tackle tackle, 2&1/2 Kenduskeag Bridge, bds 14 Thomas; Philbrook, Francis J., gunsmith, J. W. Ramsdell, h (house) at Bradford.
Fishing Tackle: Leonard, H. L.(manufacturer), 2&1/2 Kenduskeag Bridge, west end.
1873-1874: Leonard, Hiram L., fishing tackle tackle, 2&1/2 Strickland Blk, Kenduskeag Bridge, bds 14 Thomas; Philbrook, Francis J., machinist, Tucker & White, h at Philbrook, Marie Mrs., widow, house, Webster Rd.. Fishing Tackle: Leonard, H. L.(manufacturer), 2&1/2 Strickland Blk, Kenduskeag Bridge.
1875-1876 : Leonard, Hiram L., fishing tackle tackle, 7 Hammond, h. 14 Thomas; Paine, Edward F., rodmaker, house (bds.) at Brewer. Brewer Directory: Payne, Edward F., machinist.
Fishing Tackle: Leonard, H. L.(manufacturer), Hammond, cor. Central.( From 1877-1878 Directory, Leonard's house number changes from 7 to 3 Thomas Street and in the 1879-1880 Directory, Leonard's business number changes from 7 to 3 Hammond.
1869-1870: Leonard, Hiram L., gunsmith, boards (bds) 14 Thomas.
1871-1872: Leonard, Hiram L., gunsmith, guns & fishing tackle tackle, 2&1/2 Kenduskeag Bridge, bds 14 Thomas; Philbrook, Francis J., gunsmith, J. W. Ramsdell, h (house) at Bradford.
Fishing Tackle: Leonard, H. L.(manufacturer), 2&1/2 Kenduskeag Bridge, west end.
1873-1874: Leonard, Hiram L., fishing tackle tackle, 2&1/2 Strickland Blk, Kenduskeag Bridge, bds 14 Thomas; Philbrook, Francis J., machinist, Tucker & White, h at Philbrook, Marie Mrs., widow, house, Webster Rd..
Fishing Tackle: Leonard, H. L.(manufacturer), 2&1/2 Strickland Blk
Kenduskeag Bridge.
1875-1876 : Leonard, Hiram L., fishing tackle tackle, 7 Hammond, h. 14
Thomas; Paine, Edward F., rodmaker, house (bds.) at Brewer. Brewer Directory:
Payne, Edward F., machinist.
Fishing Tackle: Leonard, H. L.(manufacturer), Hammond, cor. Central.
( From 1877-1878 Directory, Leonard's house number changes from 7 to 3
Thomas Street and in the 1879-1880 Directory, Leonard's business number
changes from 7 to 3 Hammond.

23. Alfred Miller (Sparse Grey Hackle) Interview,(1956); Stephen Brooke, Maine State Museum, Interview of Irma Littlefield (1984); Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby, Bangor Industrial Journal, April 21, 1893 page 6.
24. Hiram Leonard Obituary, Bangor Daily Commercial, February 11, 1907.
25. Dean Lawrence Lunt, Here For Generations, The Story of a Maine Bank and It's City. pp. 130 – 139 (Islandport Press, 2002).
26. Maine Manufacturing News, Bangor Whig & Courier, February 22, 1875.
27. Records of Mortgages for the City of Bangor, Vol. 12, p. 551. In a chattel mortgage the lender secures the loan with a mortgage over the chattel (movable property). Legal ownership of the chattel is transferred to the purchaser at the time of purchase, and the mortgage is removed once the loan has been repaid. This bill of sale which did not indicate any repurchase agreement or conditions would have had a note attached with the repayment conditions. Colonel David Bugbee was an active citizen in Bangor, a veteran of the Civil War, the Maine State Guards and owner of David Bugbee & Co., Booksellers, Stationers and Blank Book Manufacturers, 5 Strickland Block, Bangor.
28. Bill of sale from Hiram L. Leonard to Adreanne W. (Wellington) Kidder, May 1, 1877 with B. E. Perry, a Wellington family lawyer as witness, signed and sealed. This was listed as “Schedule A” among the 1879 sales agreements to William Mills: (The Mills Family Papers, Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum). The $500 mortgage in this bill of sale the chattel mortgage to David Bugbee. In this case, Adrianna Kidder owned all of the equipment. The James H. Kidder employment agreement was signed by H. L. Leonard, James H. Kidder and with B. E. Perry as a witness, May 1, 1877 and sealed:( “Schedule A”, The Mills Family Papers, Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum). James Kidder's New York office was established at 19 Beaver St., New York City, Forest & Stream Ads, 1877, 1878.
29. This second statement/bill of sale and inventory list of property was identified as “Schedule B” among the 1879 sales agreements with William Mills: (The Mills Family Papers, Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum).
30. Employment Agreement, 12 December, 1879: (The Mills Family Papers, Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum).
31. Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, November 9, 1880. Daily Kennebec Journal, November, 1880
32. City of Bangor Souvenir 1906, “Fred E. Thomas, Dirigo Fishing Rods, 117 Exchange St.” (R. J. Lawton, Publisher, p. 42.)
33. Cora Hawes Scrapbook (Hawes Family), Sparse Grey Hackle (Alfred Miller)'s Cora Hawes Interview Notes place the word clarinet between the names of Payne and Thomas. Irma Littlefield Interview (Maine State Museum) states Fred played clarinet. There are no other references to Fred Thomas playing a musical instrument.
34. Penobscot County, Maine Clerk's Office, Deed Index (Grantor/Grantee)1875-1889.
35. Irma Littlefield Interview (Maine State Museum): descriptions of the Thomas family's Central Valley days; Sara's father was James G. Earl, the postmaster at Highland Mills and the owner of a prosperous farm. He held a number of important positions in the town of Woodbury and was closely identified with its progress and welfare. He he had been a Justice of the Peace, Town Assessor and Supervisor and served as Trustee of schools at both Highland Mills and Turners. His ancestors were among the early settlers of the country and his great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary War. He married Catherine Daily of Otisville, NY on June 26, 1867. They had six children with Sara, born in 1869. Portrait and Biographical Record of Orange County, New York, Part 1, pp. 817 – 818 (Chapman Publishing Co., New York and Chicago, 1895)

[steeliefool]

Mods, pin this please.
And thank you.

[Woodlakejag]

Jeff, thank you very much for posting this and please thank Mr. Girard as well. Was this published in his FE Thomas book? Or somewhere else?

[jeffkn1]

A couple people are looking into the legend surrounding the Leonard beveler. I ran the idea past Jerry and he offered this, which is entirely his. It was a free handout at the Leonard gathering two years ago at Catskill. Jerry saw no reason not to have me put it up here. He isn't a member but rest assured he's watching all the time, so he will see the positive reactions.
He has traveled to Maine annually for years, twice in some years. What you see in the endnotes represents many thousands of travel dollars, thousands of hours spent on the roads, in the motels, on the phone, and butt-breaking hours sitting on hard library chairs penciling out his notes in longhand. Cathie and I marvel at his stamina. All the credit goes to him. I'm just the messenger.

[jhuskey]

Priceless research - thank you Sir(s)!

[steeliefool]

and butt-breaking hours sitting on hard library chairs penciling out his notes in longhand.

I can relate having spent many hours in county court houses running down a chain of title 'cause the current deed's land description makes no mathematical sense. It is tedious but makes all the difference.
At least, I mostly got paid to do it.

[roycestearns]

The Historian - At times we look past the time, resources and energy used in capturing a systematic, scientific and accurate description of events. We are in debt to those who seek out the primary sources rather than rely on second, third, or even fourth repetition as so often happens. This type of research and documentation stands up to and welcomes peer scrutiny and challenge. We are in debt to the historians that have passed on, and those still digging for the next nugget.

Thank you Mary K, John B, AJ C, Joe B, Jeff H., Jeff K, Tom K, Charlie F, and Jerry G. to name a few.

[ARTHURK]

Brilliantly done Jerry & Jeff! And deeply appreciated. Thank you Sirs!

Arthur

[bamboocollector11]

Thanks Jeff and Jerry!!!

[canerodscom]

As others have said, thank you for sharing this fascinating information.


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[Fred Kretchman]

Thank you Jeff and Jerry! At your request, Jeff, I am including photos and information about a special Bangor era Leonard rod that I acquired at a Maine auction a couple of years ago. This 3/2 rod has some unique features: Most notably, the ferrules and reel seat fittings have a 'gold wash' applied. When I bought it, I thought perhaps it was just aged/yellowed varnish, but I tried using thinner to remove a small area and it wouldn't even touch the coloring. When A.J. Campbell saw it, he immediately remarked that it was a gold wash. The tips are incredibly fine, measuring .056" at the top end (over varnish)! This is 1870's technology at work... This rod has Calcutta cane and originally had flip ring guides, but they have been replaced with English twist snake guides. Instead of the usual single intermediate wraps every 1-2", this one has groups of 3 wraps: one red with a black wrap on each side. There is no ghosting to indicate this was not original. As was typical of Leonards made in Bangor, this one has wedges of wood spliced into the butt section to produce a swelled butt and handle/reel seat. Knurling of the reel seat metal parts is outstanding. In addition, the rod is stored in a round wooden tube which has been covered with hand-stitched leather and has nickel silver caps on both ends. Soldered seams are visible on the caps & collars too. Finally, what makes this rod special to me is that there are old Cunard Line decals on the leather case. The owner was traveling on the Queen Elizabeth from New York to Southhampton. The QE was launched in 1939 and after the War it was converted back to a passenger liner. So, this person traveled sometime after the War, taking a Leonard that was at least 70 years old along. He must have really cherrished this Leonard. Below are some photos...









Speaking of early & unique Leonards, there is one coming up in this Spring's antique tackle auction that I've never seen anything like it- it is made of rounded wood sections and each section has 6 narrow strips of bamboo inlayed on the outside... presumably for strength (?). Perhaps it represents an experimental rod by Leonard himself, and/or a "transition" rod from the wood rod era to bamboo. Incredible workmanship and perhaps even a one-of-a-kind rod....
Fred Kretchman

[cdmoore]

Fred,

What a find! One of the coolest rods I've seen on this forum in 20 years.

Chris

[jeffkn1]

Many thanks, Fred! I could be mistaken but the sliding band appears to be upside down on this example. Yes?

Keane pictured the Lizzie Leonard rod in his book and that rod had the gold wash as well. Since Marty's passing the Lizzie rod has yet to make an appearance. And there's the 8' Gold Kosmic in Jerry's collection, which can be seen in the Kosmic chapter of the Thomas book. Jerry's Kosmic has a gold wash and is wrapped in gold thread with black tipping.

[headwaters]

Thanks -- to Fred and Jeff -- for sharing!

Rupert

[jeffkn1]

Speaking of early & unique Leonards, there is one coming up in this Spring's antique tackle auction that I've never seen anything like it.

Fred

Can you recall which stamp is on the butt cap?

[jhuskey]

More priceless info and photos. I sure hope words and photo links remain for all of us, and those who come after us, to enjoy and learn from.

[jeffkn1]

The 1870's was an amazing period for rod making everywhere. Leonard made an unbelievable variety of rods from bamboo and an assortment of woods before William Mills came into the picture. Someone here at the board once referred to a Leonard from that decade as being a transitional rod. The late Jay Vargas felt that all rods produced before the move to Central Valley should be considered transitional. We've begun to realize just how true that is, as heretofore unseen variants, including Jay's collection, have hit the market. Fred's gold rod is just one example. A friend of mine owns a combination Leonard with multiple mids and tips for bait and fly casting, packed in a custom wooden box, and when my friend gets back to town in April I'll post photos. Dr. Baits (John Elder) turned up a very scarce 10' 2-piece Leonard from the 1877-79 period that is undergoing a restoration at my house. Jerry has a wood Leonard with bamboo tips and we'll get photos of that added here sometime.
The followup to all that variation is the Catskill, one of the earliest serious efforts to market a rod of exceptional lightness. The independent handle variants, Parmachene and Adirondack, helped popularize shorter put-ups for the traveler. And Hiram lived long enough to see his nephews become almost wildly successful in casting tournaments. In just over three decades his company played big rolls, first in transitioning from wood to split bamboo and then pushing the envelope in taper design as dry flies came to stay.
To some of us, everything that occurred in split bamboo after Leonard's death was just refinement.

[headwaters]

jeffkn1 wrote: "To some of us, everything that occurred in split bamboo after Leonard's death was just refinement."

Love it, Jeff. It's great to have you back!

Rupert

[jeffkn1]

Jerry sent me photos of his wood Leonard with 6 strip bamboo tips. It's got a greenheart butt and two greenheart mids, with three split bamboo tips. Butt, mids, and one tip are 46+ for an 11'+ length, the other two tips shorter. Butt ferrule has both patent dates, raising the question of whether it is a replacement, since the butt cap has the early stamp. Condition is original, surprisingly. Great find, only one I have seen.

[headwaters]

With the first makers mark!