GENERATION 11.8 – Eight child of Wayne Van Leer

Maurice Langhorne Van Leer was born 8/7/1865 in Fannin County, Texas. He died 5/12/1897 in Galveston, Texas. Married 10/17/1888, Bonham, Texas to Mary Tarleton (born 7/30/1868). She was grand-daughter of Col. James Tarleton and Nancy Price Tarleton, who was on Sam Houston’s staff and was at the battle of San Jacinto. Houston was known for being pro union. The wild Texas frontier continued to not fair well for the Van Leers as Maurice died at 32 without money.

Descendants taken from the “Vanleer Papers” at Chester County Historical Society are listed below, starting with Generation 12. It was most likely here which lead Ella down a path to trace all Ragsdale history. Mary’s family were Ragsdales who go back to Godfrey I who all US Ragsdales are descendants from. Ragsdales were also prominent religious leaders prior to immigrating to America. One would be thanked and recognized by the Queen of England. See their coat of arms below.

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Sudie Ella Van Leer. (2) Born 7/16/1896. Married W. Claude Cox. No children.

12. Blake Ragsdale Van Leer. (1) Born Mangum, Texas, now Oklahoma 8/16/1893. Blake grew up in an all girls Masonic Orphanage in Galveston without family.  According to his children, a well to do lady visiting the orphanage asked Blake what he wanted to do, he said become an engineer and she paid for him to go to Purdue where he graduated in 1915 with honors. He would go on to obtain multiple degrees and obtain the Army rank of Colonel. He later married 9/6/1924 Ella Lillian Wall in Berkeley, California and became the President of Georgia Tech in 1955.  After a stressful civil rights battle with the racist Georgia Governor, Van Leer died of a heart attack in 1956.  His wife Mrs. Ella Wall Van Leer was the author of the “Vanleer Papers” on file at Chester County Historical Society.

Blake Wayne Van Leer. (1) Born 1/13/1926, Berkeley, Calif. He was a prominent Commander and Captain in the US Navy, he died in 1997. He was also a an engineer who received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University and an masters degree in Civil Engineering from Princeton University.

• Wayne Tarleton Van Leer.  Married Joy Ann Halyburton on Feb. 23, 1979. Both were Georgia Tech graduates as well.
  • Laura Catherine Van Leer. 
  • Christopher Wayne Van Leer. 

• Maryanne Van Leer is a Georgia Tech grad who married Dr. Carl Anderson
  • Anne Anderson
  • Ashley Anderson
  • John Anderson
  • Emily Anderson
• Blake Ragsdale Van Leer II. Married Rhoda Landis in 1980, engineer and land developer
  • Blake Ragsdale Van Leer III, entrepreneur and runs an artificial intelligence company. He married Lindsay Brewer in 2010
    • Vivienne Arden Van Leer
    • Stellan Ragsdale Van Leer
    • Valen Ragsdale Van Leer
  • Phillip Landis Van Leer

Maryly Van Leer Peck (1)  Born 6/29/1930-11/3/2011 Washington, D. C.

Maryly was an American academic, trailblazer, founder of Guam Community College, first female president of Polk Community College aka Polk State College, first woman to graduate with a degree in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University, first woman to receive an M.S. and a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Florida, first female president of a Florida community college.

• Jordan Peck
• Blake Van Leer Peck
• James Peck
• Ellaine Sienna Peck

Samuel Wall Van Leer (1) Born 9/24/1934-2/29/20 Gainesville, Florida.

Samuel received a bachelors in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech and later a masters in Education Administration from Georgia State. He went on to become the Headmaster at several private schools. 

• Sam Van Leer is Archdeacon of NW Europe at Diocese in Europe
• Kirk Van Leer

If anyone info or persons are missing here, please contact the website.