George JONES

Cornelius married Bessie LEITNER. Bessie (daughter of George Wesley LEITNER and Caroline Levina GEIGER) was born on 12 Oct 1876; died on 23 Nov 1946. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

George was 20 years old when he moved with his parents to Marion County, FL.

LEITNER, GEORGE WESLEY (2nd Lt.) enlisted 21 Apr.1862-Perry'a (formerly Marion) Light Artillery under Capt: John M. Martin at Camp Langford, Fla. On-last roll 11 May 186 5 Meridian, Miss. (surrendered 4 May 1865, Citronella, Ala.) (same as brother, John Daniel Leitner FPK) Leitner Legend has it that at one time George Wesley Leitner was with Lee's army and participated in the Battle of Gettysburg. He was selected by Lee as a top-soldier. (Told by great-grandson, David Ernest Leitner.) (Researched by Fannie Belle Priest Kipp from papers obtained from the Florida and South Carolina Archives and from stories told by relatives.)

George married Caroline Levina GEIGER on 31 May 1866. Caroline was born on 17 Oct 1846; died on 4 Feb 1926. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Carrie was left a widow with several small children to raise. One child died the same year that their father, George died. Carrie called upon trusted Negroes to help her. (Ben Leitner, son)

Notes:

Jacob Leitner, Jr. and Charlotte Souter were United in Holy bonds of matrimony by Rev. John P. Cook. They settled near the lines of Fairfield and Richland Counties in Richland on land given him by his Father where they lived until in the year Dec. 1855. They started to Florida on 13th of Dec. by private conveyance and landed In Florida Jan. 8 1856. They settled in Marion County, East Florida later known as Anthony, Florida. Jacob Leitner died Sunday morning, July 20,1884 at the age of 76 years, 8 months and 15 days. He had been for many years a member of the Methodist church and died in full triumph of Christian hope. He has a very prominent place in the early establishing of the Methodist Church in Florida and was the founder of the Spring Hill church and in the history of the M.E. churches in Florida says "For all of our knowledge of it's predecessors Hickory Grove and Andrew's Chapel" Quoting also, "People from the north began to come into this section after 1874, and in 1876, Mr. Leitner sold his home place to Col. Anthony from Muncie, Indiana. The railroad had been surveyed and would be built within a few years through the Leitner property." Jacob Leitner reserved land at this time for the Anthony Cemetery, where he and his wife and many, many of his descendants are buried. (Fannie P. Kipp note: Their granddaughter, Lizzie Fife was the first person to be buried there. In 1876 definite boundaries were put on the land.) Again quoting "Mr. Leitner was the class leader, the song leader and one of the most earnest and forceful of its new members. His house was always the preacher's home. All members of his family were staunch members. They could always be depended upon to hold up his hands. TRULY, METHODISM AND LOVE FOR THE CHURCH WERE THE FRUITFUL HERITAGE OF HIS MANY DESCENDANTS. (Fannie P. Kipp note: ((1971)) 94 year old Papa, Clarence C.Priest, was 8 years old when his Grandpa Leitner died. He remembers that Grandpa could be heard a quarter mile away saying family prayers.) Mrs. Charlotte Leitner of Griner Farms, Marion County passed her 82 birthday Feb. 20, 1902 [This date is disagrees with other records]. She was married at the age of 14 years. She gave birth to 10 children and reared 9 to manhood and womanhood, who like their Mother married early in life. She had 58 living grand children and fifty living great grand children. It would require time to count the number of deaths of grand and great-grand children not included in the above, which is approximately thirty. She is still physically active and mentally vigorous, reads without her glasses and does not feel too old or too learned to attend Sunday School regularly as a scholar. Her mother died at age 93 and her great grandmother at age 115. There was a family reunion Sunday, Feb. 10, 1907 at the hospitable home of Buford H. Leitner to celebrate the 87th birthday of his Mother. Many of her descendants and children were there to extend congratulations and wish Mrs. Leitner many more happy birthdays. Mrs. Charlotte Leitner not withstanding her advanced years had the use of all her faculties and is not only active but true to her ideas of thrift and industry and does not permit idle moments to wear out her mind. She died at her daughter's, Mrs. Alfred Proctors home at 11 o'clock on the night of Oct. 18, 1909 in her 89th (should this be 90th) year. She was buried at the Anthony Cemetery.

His epitaph reads, "Sleep father dear and take thy rest; God called thee home, he thought it best."

In addition to several of his sons and sons-in law, At least two of Jacob's nephews, Wesley Smith and John Weiley Leitner (both of S.C.) were killed in this war. (Researched by Fannie Belle Priest Kipp from papers obtained from the Florida and South Carolina Archives and from stories told by relatives.)

Written by Dorothy Spencer Wright (told to her by her Grandmother,Maria Proctor Leitner) "When Jacob Leitner, Jr. as a boy of 14, first saw his future wife she was a baby in a crib. He said 'I'll wait for her to be my wife' and he did!" (She was 14 and he 28 when they married-. FPK)

Jacob married Charlotte SOUTER on 1 Nov 1834 in South Carolina. Charlotte (daughter of George SOUTER and Catherine Barbary SMITH) was born on 10 Feb 1820; died on 18 Oct 1909; was buried in Anthony Cemetary, Anthony, FL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Her epitaph reads, "None knew thee but to love thee."

The following is from a Marion Co. (Fla.) newspaper Story:
Jacob and Charlotte Souter Leitner were pioneer residents of Marion Co.,Fla. They left their home in Columbia,S.C. on Dec-13,1855 for Florida with their nine children for what is now known as Anthony.

Mr. and Mrs.Leitner and the smaller children rode In a carriage, the older children in buggies, and wagons (covered) carried personal and household goods and the Leitner slaves. On the first day the caravan traveled only 15 miles and the entire trip took over four weeks.

Eight of the Leitner's nine children settled in and around Marion Co. One daughter,Susan Anne C.Leitner married Jefferson Lever of Columbia,S.C. and she returned there to live. . . .