So far, I have been unable to go back further than my 4th-great-grandfather James SPEAR, who died sometime abt 1825 in Craven County (Swift Creek area). He may have had an early wife whose name is unknown. I know he married one wife, Rachel BUTLER, daughter of Arthur BUTLER and Sarah JOHNSON.
Here is what I know:
- Abt 1776 - James SPEAR is born.
- 1809 - Marries Rachel BUTLER, daughter of Arthur BUTLER and Sarah JOHNSON. He covered his own bond so there was no additional bondsman. (21 Mar 1809)
- 1814 - Richard HOLMES, aged 9 years, is bound to James as a cooper. (14 Sep 1814)
- 1820 - Appears in Craven County in 1820 United States Federal Census ,head of a household of 6 Free White Persons: 1 white male under 10, 1 white male 16-25, 1 white male 26-44, 2 white females 10-15, 1 white female 26-44.
- 1825 - James SPEAR is dead. The sale of his estate takes place 10 Dec 1825, Scott SPEAR is administrator.
- The two children that James SPEAR had with Rachel BUTLER were:
- Lewis SPEAR (1818–1880) m. Lovie GASKINS (Their oldest daughter, Mary Elizabeth "Betty" SPEAR, was my 2nd-great-grandmother. She married Dorsey Samuel MORRIS.)
- Jessie Ann SPEAR (1825–?) m. Irving Jenkins ATKINSON
There are some candidates for families to which he might belong. I'd love getting some input from any other SPEARS/SPIERS/SPIRES researchers to hopefully start solving this mystery.
Hi Sara,
I think that we might be researching the same family. My family came to North Florida around 200 years ago from N.C. My direct ancestor is Churchill C Spier. He was a Tallahasse tailor. His brother was Seth Osley Spier, a printer. Their mother was Elizabeth P. from N.C. Siblings may have been Margaret Bridger Spier, Arabella S Spier, and Robert Perry Spier. Those 3 siblings' father was Robert.
