Leeson, Elizabeth Margaret - nee Murison - & Descendants

When Arthur Frank Vanek and Mona Inez Leeson wed on August 31, 1949 they linked the following family trees, [Maternal ~ Muench and Leeson] [Paternal ~ Vanek and Gremaux].

Muench Ancestry ~ Leeson Ancestry ~ Vanek Ancestry ~ Gremaux Ancestry

LEESON FAMILY SCOTTISH HISTORY

Elizabeth Murison Leeson, cousin to James, George and Alexander Murison families.

ELIZABETH MACKIE MARGARET MURISON

ELIZABETH MACKIE (MARGARET) MURISON, fifth child and only daughter of ROBERT and ELIZABETH MURISON was born July 14, 1867 in the village of New Leeds, North Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She came, about 1887, to her brother, James Murrison who had emmigrated to Mount Vernon New York. She worked as a dressmaker there. She met ALFRED LEESON, born in Coventry, England, son of JOHN THOMAS LEESON and REBECCA EBORALL LEESON of Sheffield, England. (These grandparents never came to the United States. Possibly was a small farmer or dairymen.)

On August 29, 1889 ELIZABETH and ALFRED were married in St. Peters Lutheran Church of Manhattan, Lexington Ave. at 54th Street, New York in the presence of F. Wm. Schroeder and Maggie Lynch.

Elizabeth Margaret Murison - ca. 1892

ELIZABETH and ALFRED had three children:

ALICE

ETHEL

ALBERT EDWARD, the youngest, was born October 3, 1897 at W. 458 Williams Street, Porchester, New York.which at that time was a suburb of New York (This information was furnished by Alice Leeson Dworak, who received it from Mildred Westerman, clerk.) (See, Murison Homesteads )

The LEESON children were baptized in St. Peters Lutheran Church of Manhattan.

(June 1, 1900 census, Alfred Leeson, father: 458 West William St., Port Chester, N.Y., county of Westchester, New York.)

ALFRED, by trade was a wood turner and a very good mechanic. He had immigrated from London, England to America some years before ELIZABETH arrived from Scottland. He received his U.S. Citizenship Papers on July 15, 1899 in the Supreme Court in Westchester, New York. Filed with his homestead entry is a certified typewritten copy of the certificate of naturalization issued to Alfred Leeson showing that on July 15, 1899, he was admitted to United States citizenship in the Superior Court, Westchester County, New York. The case record is in the National Archives, Washington, D.C.   Records of his Homestead entry are in the General Land Office in Washington, D.C. Vol. 751, page 225. They show that on March 23, 1908, a patent was issued to Alfred Leeson for his homestead entry Waterville final certificate No. 2900, covering the S1/2 NE1/4, lots 1 and 2, Sec..6, T.22N. R.28E., Willamet meridian, Washington.

ALFRED AND ELIZABETH LEESON moved with their young family to their homestead near Strattford, Washington. ELIZABETH'S parents, ROBERT and ELIZABETH MURISON and two brothers had homesteaded already in Washington state.

Boarders in Elizabeth Leeson's Rooming House. Albert Leeson on right

ALFRED died of a heart attack in 1908 (?) before ALBERT EWARD became 11 years old. ALFRED, was quite a bit older than Elizabeth, and was said to have alcohol addiction. His son, ALBERT, claimed that it was when his father abruptly stopped drinking that he suffered a heart attack and died. ELIZABETH then moved her son and two daughters from the homestead in Douglas County to Spokane, Washington where she struggled to make a livelihood for her growing family by doing dressmaking, running a boardinghouse and doing catering. (*see ALBERT EDWARD LEESON.)

At age 40, ELIZABETH LEESON taught herself to play the piano by taking correspondence lessons. She played accordian also, and was a member of St. John's Cathedral in Spokane, Washington. She married JACK ROBERTS in Spokane, Washington some time in the late 1920's or early 1930's.

She was killed when she was crossing a street in Spokane, Washington and was struck down by a motorist in December 1931. She had her eight-year-old grandson, FRANK LEESON, with her at the time.

ELIZABETH MURISON LEESON ROBERTS died at age 63 years and 5 months, December 22, 1931 and is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery, Spokane, Washington. Grave W 3 of N1/2 lot 69 Block 21. (Her husband, Jack Roberts penned these lines after her funeral: She was a faithful wife and a loving mother we miss her more as the days go by but we are comforted that she is with the Savior she loved so well. May God help us to be true to her memory and to follow her example in life. Jack.) Both of her daughters, Alice and Ethel and her son, Albert, and brothers Jim, George and Alex attended her funeral.

ALBERT EDWARD: Albert Edward Leeson

Paternal grandparents, John Thomas Leeson and wife Rebecca (Eborall) Leeson of Sheffield, England. These grandparents never came to the United States. Possibly small farmer or dairymen. Rebecca Eberall, born June 11, 1854,  married John Thomas Leeson at Walsgrave On Sowe, Warawick, England.

Maternal grandparents, Robert Murison and Elizabeth (Mackie) Murison of Edinburgh, Scotland. Emmigrated to United States. Mostly sea-faring people, until they emmigrated and took up homesteads in the Palouse country near Mansfield, Washington.

Parents: Alfred Leeson and Elizabeth (Murison) Leeson. (sisters: Alice Leeson and Ethel Leeson)

Albert Edward Leeson married GERTRUDE LAW of St. Maries, Idaho and they had one son, FRANK EDWARD, born in 1922. ALBERT and GERTRUDE separated and divorced, when FRANK was about 2-3 years old, with custody of their son going to ALBERT. FRANK was left with his grandmother, ELIZABETH, to raise.

In 1929, ALBERT married OTTILIE (TILLIE) MUENCH November 23, 1929 at Chester, Washington. They had three children, all born at home in Spokane, Washington: CHESTER FLOYD, born October 19, 1931, MONA INEZ, born November 26, 1932, and CAROL ELIZABETH, born February 11, 1936.
 

FRANK EDWARD LEESON, born June 14, 1922.
His children: FRANK EDWARD LEESON,  born December 22. 1944,  in Smith or Tyler, Texas. Married Lois Easley.
Frank Edward Leeson, born ca., 1948. In 2013.lives in Reno, Nevada.
Son, unknown name, born ca., 1954 perhaps in Moses Lake, Washington.
Daughter, no birth information or name, believed to live in California.
 

CHESTER FLOYD, in 1958, married SHARON in the Community Church at Noxon, Montana. She had a baby boy, RORY, whom CHET adopted. SHARON and CHESTER had two girls, JEANNIE MARIE and RENA'. They divorced in 1973. CHESTER married SANDY ROBERTS on July 6, 1974 (SANDY had two boys by a previous marriage.) They soon divorced. CHESTER married MARGERY GREEN in 1976. MARGIE had three children from a previous marriage: Kevin Green (graduated high school 1982); Matthew Green, born 1969 ?; Christin Green, born 1972. Chet and Margie divorced, ca. 1987 or 1988. In 2000, he married ANYA PARTOLINA, of Kiev, Ukraine, Russia.

JEANNIE MARIE married TOM FOUNTAIN and they had one daughter, PARIS FOUNTAIN  before they divorced. PARIS lived with her dad in Corning, California. PARIS married, and has a son, TYSON.

RORY married 3 times, in Spokane, Washington. Children: CHRISTINA, RYAN, DAVID and JENIIFER. CHRISTINA married  a career serviceman, and had two sons and a daugher, born in Septermber 2002 (unsure if Chrisina had more children. She and her husband subsequently divorced.)
 

RENA' had one daughter, CRYSTAL LEESON, born in April 1987. RENA and CRYSTAL immigrated to Australia in 1998, where RENA' married LEIGH that year; they susequently divorced. CRYSTAL grew up in Australia.

MONA INEZ, on August 31, 1949 married ARTHUR FRANK VANEK. They built their home at 1158 Highway 200, Noxon, Montana. Their children are GARY ARTHUR, born August 26, 1950, ANNETTE MARIE, born March 5, 1952 and STEPHEN ALBERT, born Decemer 26, 1953. All three children were born in Bonner General Hospital, Sandpoint, Idaho, which was the nearest hospital

GARY ARTHUR, on July 10, 1971 married SHERRIE GUNN in the Mormon Temple in Cardsten, Canada, They reside at Thompson Falls, Montana. Their four children are AMIE HEATHER, born February 1, 1975, PEPPER MICHELLE, born February 5, 1977, ARIC GOLDEN, born July 7, 1979 and TYLER GARY, born October 10, 1984.

AMIE married JESSIE NEWMAN, in Thompson Falls, Montana. They have two children, KENDRA and BLAINE.

PEPPER married DEVIN DAHLKE, in Thompson Falls, Montana. After their four children, SIERRA, ASPEN (twins), MADISON and AERON, were born, Pepper and Devin divorced.

ARIC married BROOKE TAYLOR, in Thompson Falls, MT. They have a son, CARTER, and daughter, REESE.

TYLER married and subsequently the couple divorced. The parents share in raising the two sons, KALEB and JACOB.

ANNETTE MARIE, on June 5, 1970 married WAYNE EVERETT HILL at Tonasket, Washington. Their four children are RAY EVERETT, born June 17, 1971, ROSALIE, born June 14, 1972 [deceased. Buried in Noxon Cemetery near her uncle, STEPHEN VANEK], JASON, born May 13, 1974, and TRAVIS, born July 30, 1977.

RAY married MELISSA WILLIAMS and divorced without children, then married ANGELA TROCKMAN, August 1998. Their children are HUNTER (1999), ALIVIA (ALI), and BRODY. Angie and Ray divorced. RAY married CAS. They have a daughter, DANI, born 2012, and a son, RYKER, born 2015.

TRAVIS made his home in Missoula, Montana, and married TONYA [2012.] Their children VICTORIA 'TORY' and ANTHONY were born and are growing up with TONYA's daugher, ALYSSA.

JASON married APRIL in Roswell, New Mexico. In 2013, the family, including April's sons, CAMERON, JEFFREY and ORION, moved to Plains, Montana.

STEPHEN ALBERT, on January 3, 1973 married VICKIE CHARLENE HICKS in Tijuana, Mexico. Their three children are MICHAEL ALAN, born December 30, 1973, ROY, born August 1, 1976, and VALERIE LYNN, born May 22, 1979. STEPHEN suffered a massive cereberal hemmorage December 28, 2015 and died December 31, 2015. He is buried in the Noxon, Montana cemetery. Section B, Lot 91, Space 3.  


MICHAEL married REJEANNA, in Cour d'Alene, Idaho. Later they made their home in Portland, Oregon.

VALERIE VANEK has one daughter, MYKEL RAJE VANEK, born June 10, 1997, and DEZMOND KINKADE VANEK, born April  2008.

ROY married CHUBASA 'BAS', from Guam, A naval officer in EOD, Roy is constantly moving around the world wherever his EOD Unit is required.

CAROL ELIZABETH in 1957, married DAVID WAYNE KIBBEY in Spokane, Washington. Their children are LINDA IRENE, born March 25, 1958, and GLEN, born in October 1960. Carol and Wayne made their home at 1814 Courtland, Spokane, Washington. DAVID WAYNE died of cancer in 1997 at the age of 70., and Carol subsequently moved to 6100 block on Whitehouse, Spokane, WA. GLEN married KAREN.... They built a home in Deer Park, Washington. When GLEN retired they moved to Maple Valley, OR.

ALBERT EDWARD LEESON died of a heart attack April 4, 1964. OTTILLIE died from a stroke following gall bladder surgery in October, 1987. Both are buried in the Greenwood Cemetery, Spokane, Washington.

FRANK, who was raised by his grandmother, Elizabeth Leeson Roberts . After her death in December1931, Frank, then 8 years old, went to live with his father, Al, and step-mother, Tillie. After leaving home, he spent the better part of his lifetime in and out of one institution or prison after the other. He was a compulsive liar and petty thief. He married at least twice, and fathered two known sons plus possibly others. Frank lived with a number of women, and held a variety of jobs in between his prison sentences. He never got along with his father and lived at home only for short, widely-spaced periods . Frank died in Spokane, WA of cancer in 1988, and is buried beside near his Al and Tillie in Greenwood Cemetery, Spokane, WA. Two of his known sons were named Frank Edward Leeson, after him. Reportedly he also had a daughter.

ALICE LEESON, oldest child of ELIZABETH and ALFRED married DeHAVEN and later, JOHN DWORAK. They lived in Medford, Oregon and had a daughter, FRANCES and a son. Later, ALICE married a man named BAILEY. ALICE died in 1970. FRANCES married PETER McCURDY February 3, 1938. They had a son, PAUL, and daughter, PAMELA.

Ÿ    ALICE's daughter married and had two children, PAMELA and PAUL (I believe that's their names). Tragedy befell the children of ALICE's daughter. Both died at a young age, murdered ca. 1947-'48, by their mother in Gold Hill, Oregon. The mother was divorced and raising her children alone, and therefore dependent on the State of Oregon for support. In the fall of 1947 or 1948 Oregon was in a political turmoil over whether to continue such support. The checks were delayed. The destitute mother became despondent, and feared her two small youngsters would starve to death. So one day she rented a motel in Gold Hill, Oregon, fed them and put them to bed, then took a butcher knife and stabbed them to death. The mother spent the rest of her years imprisoned. TILLIE LEESON corresponded with her for many years. (Shortly before America became involved in World War II, TILLIE often made clothing and bedding and mailed it to this young mother at a time when TILLIE and AL were finding it extremely difficult to provide for their own family.)

ETHEL LEESON, second child of ELIZABETH and ALFRED LEESON married RAY GARLAND and had one son. ETHEL died in 1970 in Stockton, California.

Ÿ     RAY AND ETHEL lived at Spirit Lake, Idaho in the early 1930's making wood for a living. The large timber companies in the area allowed men to cut wood and sell it in Spokane, Washington. That work saved them during the depression, Tillie Leeson said. RAY and ETHEL moved to Oregon, and then to California. ETHEL was always quite clever with her hands, making all sorts of crafts and selling them. As a young girl she made and sold rattlesnake-skin belts and purses. She and her husband had a small gift shop and for some years made a living with handmade items.

Albert Leeson Connection.

Behind These Mountains Trilogy