S. Alex Leckey
[Copied from the Sidney Journal of September 10, 1880.]
The subject of this brief biographical sketch was born in Newville, Cumberland County, Pa., October 30, 1814, and died in Sidney, September 4, 1880. His funeral was largely attended on Monday at his residence on Miami Street. An immense procession followed his remains to the beautiful Graceland Cemetery that owes so much of its taste and beauty to his directing hand. His father with a family came to Sidney in 1829. He worked on his father’s farm for a few years, and helped to make the brick of the old court-house in the square, whose existence terminates this year also. His work in town was as dry-goods clerk in the store of Thomas Ruekman. He then returned to Pennsylvania, and superintended the work on the Cumberland Valley Railway for Longwell & Co. From that he went into the butchering and saddlery business in Nashville. Afterwards he taught school, and then went to Maryland, having taken a contract to build a part of the Ohio and Chesapeake Canal. This enterprise proved disastrous, and he lost heavily. He then took up teaching in Frostburg, was elected justice of the peace, and finally engaged with another gentleman in keeping hotel in Frostburg. This partnership was not continued long, and he returned to Ohio in 1847. In 1851 he took charge of the Shelby County Democrat, and continued to edit it until October 13, 1854. In 1857 he was elected auditor of this county, which position he held for three terms of two years each. From 1863 to 1868 he engaged in wool buying and taking pike contracts. In 1870 he was a member of the State Board of Equalization. In 1868 he formed a partnership with R. Given in the tannery and leather business, which continued until his death. He was an active man, prominent in all public enterprises. The Shelby County Agricultural Society owes much of its success to him, who took great interest in it from its beginning until the time of his death. For many years he was its secretary, at the time of his death its president. He was an honored and enthusiastic member of the order of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. A life-long Democrat, an earnest Presbyterian in faith, a generous supporter of the church from which he was seldom absent, a member of the city council. He will be sadly missed by the whole community. Warm-blooded, quick to resent an insult, true to his friends, and implacable to his foes, he will be remembered as one of our most useful residents. In 1862 he married Mrs. Margaret Blake, the widow of William Blake, deceased (whose maiden name was Longstreth), of Montgomery County, Ohio, whom he leaves together with an adopted daughter.
From History of Shelby County, Ohio; R. Sutton & Co, Philadelphia PA, 1883