"Grandpa Leach {James Harvey Leach} was born in
Louisiana I think. Do not know what year. He died in Erath County,
Texas when mama {Ida Louise Leach McDermett} was a little girl. He
taught school there. Made his own books and books for the pupils.
Wrote with a quill made ink of Polk berries and such things. Sewed
{them} by hand. Mama went to school to him and he was the only teacher
she ever had. Was about 9 years old when he died. {She was born
2/9/1855 and died 9/11/1916}. Grandma Leach was
Augusta Penn........Mama was their first child and she
was born in Illinois .......They had three children Ida Louise, James
H. and another boy {John Leach}. He died while a young man.
Before mama was married, Grandma Leach died at our house at the Peak in
about 1885 or 1886 was buried at Cottonwood. When I (Dorothy McDermett)
was a girl about 12 or 13 papa and I were in Erath Co and Uncle Alf Davis
took us to grand pa's grave. It was out in a pasture under a tree.
There were two graves there and one was
his. No marker except a big rock at the head and
foot of each grave. Uncle Alf didn't know which one was Grandpa Leach's."
{Notes in brackets were added by Marian Sue Byrd}
