William Mears

William Mears was born in England in 1710. He came to America with Mr. Olethorp in 1735. He was lost at sea and left his widow, Elizabeth Gilbert and their son, John. The widow married Benjamin Tyudall about 1754 and moved from Georgia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. John was then 17 years old.

Following provided by William DeCoursey #46613311:

William MEARS emigrated from Everton, England to America, with General James OGLETHORPE's expedition, and settled in Georgia on 300 acres of land granted to him by Oglethorp, in December 1733, Lot 23E, Decker's Ward, Dingby Tything, Savannah, GA. (See: Charles Jones, HISTORY OF GEORGIA (1883), pp. 161, passim.

(Historical background: James Edward OGLETHORPE (1696-1785), as a member of Parliament, became acquainted with the abuses of the debtor's prison in London. His work in behalf of insolvent debtors led him to conceive the project of sending them as colonists to North America. He aimed to establish in the New World an asylum for the oppressed Protestants of Europe. With 19 others, in 1732, Oglethorpe obtained a charter for a tract of land between the Altamaha and Savannah rivers, and in January 1733 arrived at Charleston with a party of 120 colonists [including William MEARS]. In the same year, he founded Savannah and became governor of the colony of Georgia. In 1738 he brought a regiment of volunteers from England and in 1740, in the "War of Jenkins' Ear," against Spain he vigorously laid siege to St. Augustine, but his force of 2,000 men proved inadequate to capture the heavily fortified settlement. He was successful in 1742 in defeating a powerful army of Spanish invaders in the Battle of Bloody Marsh, near Fort Frederica on Saint Simons Island. ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA (International Edition 1965), v.20, p.663.)

William MEARS, a Moravian, became acquainted with John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism when the Wesleys arrived on 14 Oct 1735 at Savanna, GA at the invitation of Oglethorpe. It has been said that, "The deeply personal religion that the Moravian pietists practised had a great influence on Wesley's theology of Methodism."

William MEARS was lost at sea in 1739 during the War of Jenkins' Ear against the Spanish. He left a young widow, Elizabeth (GILBERT) MEARS and one infant child, John MEARS, born 4 June 1738. The widow, Elizabeth (GILBERT) MEARS, married Benjamin TYNDALL, a Moravian. Her son, John MEARS, joined the Society of Friends (Quakers) after marrying 8 May 1760 to a Quaker girl, Susanna TOWNSEND, dau. of Charles and Abigail (EMBREE) TOWNSEND of the Philadelphia MM.

For more on the history and genealogy of the descendants of William MEARS through his only child, John MEARS see: Mears, Prof. John W., D.D., BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE of HENRY HALLER MEARS, Sr., to which is appended a GENEALOGY of the MEARS FAMILY (James B. Rodgers Co., Philadelphia 1873).

• Updated from Find A Grave Memorial by SmartCopy: Nov 23 2015, 1:12:42 UTC
• Updated from Ancestry Genealogy via Elizabeth 'Betty' Gilbert by SmartCopy: Nov 23 2015, 1:08:35 UTC