George Spear, Sr.

1. GEORGE1 SPEAR1 was born Abt. 1613 in Sheffield or Yarmouth England2,3,4,5, and died March 21, 1718/19 ?, Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts6.

He married

• (1) MARY HEATH7 Abt. 16438, daughter of WILLIAM HEATH and MARY PERRY.
• (2) MARY NEWCOMB8 April 27, 1675 in Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts - or 1676?8, daughter of FRANCIS NEWCOMB and RACHEL BRACKETT.
• (3) ELIZABETH GENT9 Abt. 1680 in Sheepscot, (New Dartmouth), Maine10.

He had over 200 descendants fighting in the Revolutionary War, over 100 bearing his name with 16 of them officers. An equal number of descendants from the Spear daughters enlisted from Massachusetts alone, and fought to free a nation. (The Spear Family)

May 21, 1688; petitioned for the lands at Sheepscot formerly belonging to the first husband of his current wife. George was living in New Dartmouth (now Pemaquid), Maine, as evidenced by a petition made by him "May ye 21th. 1688". Tradition that he was killed by the Indians is warranted by the Indian wars and raids in the locality at that date as there is no further record of him. His youngest son's home in an adjoining town was a wooden fortress. (The Spear Family)

A large amount of material was gathered on this family in the 1880s - 1890s by William Gardner Spear of Quincy. Records at the Quincy Historical Society and NEHGS. Mrs. Grace P. Bonsall of Quincy, a descendant, continued and enlarged the data.

His first wife, Mary Heath, was christened on 2 Sep 1627 in Nazeing, Essex, England. She emigrated before 1643 to Massachusetts. She died on 7 Dec 1674 in Braintree, Norfolk, MA.

The widow Mary Deering married George Spear of Braintree on April 27, 1675

Children with Mary Heath were:

1. Mary, christened on 21 Apr 1644.(1343) Baptised at the First Religious Society (Unitarian) (117). But George was a Baptist Deacon! The parson, Reverend John Eliot, was known as "the Apostle to the Indians" (118). According to reference 118, her mother went home to birth her first child, which was a common custom of the time. Died young. She was born in Braintree, Norfolk, MA.(1344)
2. Sarah, born on 11 May 1647 in Braintree, Norfolk, MA. (1345)
3. Samuel, born on 15 Oct 1652 in Braintree, Norfolk, MA. (1346) He died on 5 Jun 1654 in Braintree, Norfolk, MA. (1347)
4. Ebenezer
5. Hannah, born on 30 Mar 1656 in Braintree, Norfolk, MA. (1348) She died on 10 May 1668 in Braintree, Norfolk, MA. (1349)
6. Samuel, born on 16 Jan 1658/59 in Braintree, Norfolk, MA. (1350)
7. Nathaniel, born on 15 May 1665 in Braintree, Norfolk, MA. (1351)
8. Hannah, born on 6 Sep 1671 in Braintree, Norfolk, MA. (1352)

Sources below seem to indicate George died @ 1688 not 1719

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Moved to Dorchester, MA. in 1642. May 29, 1644 at Braintree, made freeman of the colony. Became a tenant farmer to William Coggington & purchased by Capt. Tyng.

Member of Braintree Church when daughter, Mary, was baptized at Roxbury 'by communion of Churches'.

Source: The book, 'New England Marriages, before 1700'.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~walkersj/GeorgeSp...

http://www.familyorigins.com/users/b/l/o/Peter-E-Blood/FAMO1-0001/d...

Deacon (Baptist) George SPEAR was born about 1613 in Warwickshire, England.(1335) He was born in either Sheffield or Yarmouth, England (117). He emigrated about 1642 to Boston, Suffolk, MA.(1336) George was the first SPEAR to Emigrate to New England (118). He moved before 1647 to Braintree, Norfolk, MA.(250) This part of Braintree is now Quincy. He moved in 1662 to "Bogstow by the Indians" later Sherborne, Middlesex, MA. He signed a petition of the inhabitants "for liberty to be a town." It appears that he owned land in the area. Middlesex County, at the time, was the frontier and scene of many hostile encounters with Indians (see Appendix G: The King Phillip's War). There are no records of deeds granting SPEAR land, but it appears that he did own some property described as "George Speeres meadow neare rock Island bridge." In 1672, he sold over 100 acres in four lots to Robert Badcock of Mill Town for £50. Two lots were in the great meadow, one was on the west side of the Charles River beyond Medfield (Medfield was 5 miles from Sherborn in Norfolk County) at a place called Bogistow, and the fourth "in Natick's bounds." (118). He died on 5 Sep 1688 in New Dartmouth, ME. (1337) According to 118, New Dartmouth was attacked by Indians on 5 and 6 Sep 1688. Only a few inhabitants were able to reach the safety of the garrison and escaped. All of the homes and buildings were destroyed and New Dartmouth remained deserted for 30 years. There is no further record of George SPEAR suggesting that he was killed by Indians He was a Cattle Rancher in Braintree, Norfolk, MA.(1338) He owned slaves. He was married to Mary HEALTH about 1643 in MA.(1339) Around 1642, when George was about 29, he came to Boston as an indentured servant, but had become a freeman 29 May 1644 at either Boston or Dorchester, Suffolk, MA (117, 228).

George settled in Braintree and "built a home of great solidity, helped in scores of ways in making town life strong and progressive, and reared a family in such a careful manner that its influence has been felt very widely in our country." His wife, Mary Health, was "a woman of noble and helpful character" (228).

George Spear was a cattle rancher on a farm own by Captain William Tyng, a merchant from Boston, as his tenant (118).

In April or May of 1652, George SPEAR provided testimony on 24 January 1653, that "George Speere Aged forty yeares or theare aboutes" paid John Hardman two cows valued at £10:10 "which was for cleareinge of a debte I owed to Capt. William Tinge." It would seem that the debt was to obtain a "driftway" to allow George to drive his cattle across Tyng's land (118).

In 1651, George Spear had a servant named Henry McKenney from Scotland, who was 21 years old at this time (118).

George's landlord, Captain William Tyng died in 1661. Tyng's estate was divided on 28 Mar 1661. The will provided George with a continued driftway across which to drive his cattle (118).

• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via daughter Mary Mills (born Spear) by SmartCopy: Dec 23 2015, 21:22:01 UTC

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George SPEAR Torrey's New England Marriages to 1700 Vital Records (incl. Bible, Cemetery, Church and SSDI) Marriage 1647. Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States

Volume: Volume 2, Page(s): 1419 SPEAR, George (ca 1612-1688?) & 1/wf Mary [HEATH] (-1674), dau William; by 1644, by 1647; Braintree {Spear Anc. 3, 34; TAG 30:10; Framingham Hist. 281; will of William Heath; Reg. 4:286, 37:169; 45:314}

Spouse: Mary HEATH

George SPEAR Torrey's New England Marriages to 1700 Vital Records (incl. Bible, Cemetery, Church and SSDI) Marriage 1675. Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States

Volume: Volume 2, Page(s): 1419 SPEAR, George & 2/wf Mary (NEWCOMB) DEERING (-1678), w Samuel; 27 Apr 1675; Braintree {Braintree 718; Spear (ms) 1; Spear Anc. 4, 37; Reg. 37:347}

Spouse: Mary [Newcomb] DEERING

George SPEAR Torrey's New England Marriages to 1700 Vital Records (incl. Bible, Cemetery, Church and SSDI) Marriage 1688. Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States

Volume: Volume 2, Page(s): 1419 SPEAR, George & 3/wf Elizabeth (____) GENT/JENT, w John; by 1688; Braintree {Small 1164; Reg. 59:325; GDMNH 256; Spear Anc. 4}

Spouse: Elizabeth

References

• “West Virginia and Its People, Volume 3“ By Thomas Condit Miller. Page 679. GoogleBooks
• https://sites.rootsweb.com/~walkersj/GeorgeSpear.htm

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https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Spear-168

George Spear is believed to have been born in Sheffield, District of South Yorkshire (County) or Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, Hampshire County. These two geographical ares are widely separated and some of the research facts as reported by Vern Raymond Spear in the book "The descendants of George Spear who settled at Braintree Massachusetts 1642-1988" are from a historian in Hampshire county as such it can be safely assumed George Spear did live in Yarmouth prior to emigrating to CT.

George first appeared in New England Records when his daughter Mary was baptized in Roxbury by Rev John Eliot, it is noted that George is from the Braintree church[1]. His wife, Mary Heath, probubly returned to her parent's home in Roxbury for the birth of her first child. She is mentioned in her father, William Heath's, 1852 will[2]. George took the Freemans oath in 1844.[3] Between 1647 and 1671 George and Mary had seven more children, recorded in the Braintree records. In 1653 George testified in a legal case that he was “forty years of age or there abouts” from which his approximate birth date can be calculated as 1613[4].

In 1662 George appears to have planned a move to a place called Bogstow and signed a petition with the rest of the inhabitants for the “liberty of the town”[5]. It seems that this move did not last long, however, since he continues to appear in Braintree records soon thereafter [Bates p. 648]. Around the time of their last child’s birth, he and Mary sold land, including a tract at Bogstow, to Robert Badcock[6]. Mary Spear died on December 7th 1674 at Braintree[Bates p 640]. A few months later he marred Mary Newcomb Deering, widow of Samuel Deering on Feb 27th 1675 [Bates p718]. They had two children together before she and her younger child died soon after his birth in 1678 [Bates p656]. 1678 was also the year that King Charles II decalred that every citizen of the American colonies had to take the “Oath of Allegiance” to promise their loyalty to him. George and his two oldest sons are on a list of Braintree men who had taken the Oath, presented at the October 29th session of the Suffolk county court[7].

Soon after his second wife’s death George submitted to the courts a petition requesting the return of a Native American boy he had owned as a slave during King Phillips War. The government had reversed it's policy allowing for the enslavement of Native Americans and George's slave had been subsequently freed. George claimed that the boy was very attach to him and very valuable to him and should not have been taken[8].

George Spear had land laid out in Sheepscot, Maine.[9] He also submitted a petition in 1688 to Sir Edmund Andros asking that land in Maine owned by the first husband of his third wife be returned to them[10].

Legend says while at Sheepscot, New Dartmouth, Province of Main he was killed during an indian raid. It is known that he was in Sheepscot at the time of the Second Indian Uprising. The area was abandoned by the settlers for 30 years. His remains are probably, if buried, in a common unmarked grave in the area. In 1689 after Andros was deposed, his wife Elizabeth Ghent is on a list of witnesses against Andros accusing him a causing trouble with the native Americans[11]. George was not mentioned in further records except in 1697, when his daughter is called "Hannah Bryant, daughter of George Spear dec"[12].

George married first in about 1643, Mary Heath, bap 2 September 1627 at Nazing, daughter of William & Mary (Cramphore) Heath of Roxbury. She died 7 December 1674. In his will May 28, 1652, her father left £10 to daughter Mary Spear.[13]

Children of George & Mary (Heath) Spear born at Braintree (except the first child):

   1. Mary, baptized 21 April 1644, Roxbury, died young.[13] 

   2. Sarah, 11 May 1647, m. June 19, 1672 (not 17th) George Witty.[13] 

   3. Samuel, 15 October 1652, died 5 June 1654.[13] 

   4. Ebenezer, 3 August 1654[13] 

   5. Hannah, b. 30 Jan 1656, died 10 May 1668[13] 

   6. Samuel, b. 16 January 1658[13] 

   7. Nathaniel, b. 15 May 1665[13] 

   8. Hannah Spear, 6 November (not Sept) 1671, bap 29 September 1672, m. 28 December 1694, Simon Bryant or Byant, removed to Killingly, Connecticut.[13] 

27 April 1675, George Spear married second, Mary (Newcomb) Dearing.[

Children of George and Mary (Newcomb/Dearing) Spear:

   6. Mary, b. 3 April 1676, Braintree[14] m. 8 January 1702/3 Nathaniel Mills[13] 

   7. Eleazer, b. 24 July 1678, Braintree[15] Eleazer died the same day.[16] 

Mary died 1 August 1678 in Braintree, Massachusetts.[17]

George married for a third time, Elizabeth Gent (or Jent) widow of John Jent who had been of Salem, Mass.and was cast away abt. 1663.