Little is known about John Cary (Carey?) Leith and his family. The ancestors of his family moved to Ohio before 1800 and settled in Wyandot County. Leith was born on 24 August 1843, and enrolled in the Oberlin preparatory department, 1861-63. The entry in the Oberlin College Alumni Catalogue (1908) indicates that Leith hailed from Seal, Ohio and later from Nevada, Ohio. Leith pursued English Studies according to the 1863-64 College Catalogue. John Leith died on 11 March 1863 in Seal, Ohio. Leith’s sister, Martha “Mattie” Leith (1855-1904) from Nevada, Ohio, enrolled in the Oberlin Conservatory for the 1876-77 academic year, and later married J. Q. Williams.

1863-64 Oberlin College Catalogue (RG 0)
1908 Oberlin College Alumni Catalogue
Student File of John C. Leith (RG 28/1)