The LEES branch of the Robin Paul Corley family tree

The earliest documentation I have on this branch is actually on the wife, Mary MARTIN, of Richard LEES. Mary and Richard were married in Hints, Staffordshire, England, on November 3, 1770.  Mary was the daughter of Edward MARTIN.  

A short descendant outline of Edward MARTIN in .pdf form: Edward MARTIN_descendant tree.pdf

Mary and Richard LEES had 16 children.  Through Susanna LEES RANCK, Robert Townsend CORLEY obtained a photo of a family bible which lists the children.  I used Adobe Photoshop to produce a clean copy: Lees Family Bible

Their son James LEES was born in January 14, 1789 in Tipton, Staffordshire, England, and was christened at Aston Juxta, Birmingham, Warwick, England on March 8, 1789.  He was apprenticed at the Old Park Iron Works on July 9, 1803, and released from his apprenticeship on July 10, 1808.  He was married to Mary Anne Mansfield MERRICK (MEYRICK) on October 16, 1814, at St. Thomas Church, Dudley, Worcester, England.  Marriage Certificate for James LEES and Mary Anne MEYRICK

James and Mary Ann LEES had five children, all baptized at Tipton, Staffordshire, England (Tipton):
    Emma LEES, born October 6, 1816: Baptism for Emma LEES, October 27, 1816 
    Thomas LEES, born January 17, 1819: Baptism for Thomas LEES, February 7, 1819
    James LEES, born August 8, 1821: Baptism for James LEES, September 2, 1821
    Mary Ann Mansfield LEES, born February 16, 1824: Baptism for Mary Ann LEES, March 14, 1824
    John LEES, born June 9, 1826: Baptism for John LEES, July 30, 1826
I received these marriage and baptism certificates from Kevin E. Kroesen, mailed Sept. 27, 2002

The family members moved to Sunderland, Durham Co, England, sometime before 1844.  Extracts from a notebook in the possession of Susanna Lees RANCK trace the family's movements between 1814 and 1840 in Staffordshire.  A letter from Thomas, written on February 4, 1844, from Glasgow, Scotland, is addressed to his father, James Lees, at Clipper Street, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, Durham.  In 1845, the males in the family emigrated to Danville, Montour Co, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.  According to a family history compiled by Robert Hare Powell CORLEY, their way was paid by the owners of steel mills, who valued their experience.  Passenger lists list their arrival in Philadelphia aboard the "Caladonia - Brander" on August 25, 1845.  Intentions to naturalize were filed at the Columbia Co, PA courthouse on Nov. 23, 1847 for James, Sr., and April 16, 1849 for Thomas.  In August of 1852, both James, Sr., and Thomas were naturalized.