Richard Sears, Holland to Plymouth

December 20, 2012

Richard Sears

Richard Sears was born in Holland because his father was exiled from England.  We know a lot about the life of Richard Sears because of the fine record keeping of  Plymouth Colony and the Massechusetts Bay Company.  There are many facts recorded:

MIGRATION: 1633FIRST RESIDENCE: PlymouthREMOVES: Marblehead by 1637, Yarmouth by 1639OCCUPATION: Husbandman.FREEMAN: Oath of fidelity at Yarmouth, 1639 [PCR 8:185]. Propounded for freemanship, 3 June 1652 [PCR 3:7]. Admitted a freeman, 7 June 1653 [PCR 3:31]. On the 1658 and 29 May 1670 lists of freemen from Yarmouth [PCR 5:274, 8:200].EDUCATION: His inventory included “1 Great Bible and other books” valued at £1 3s.OFFICES: Deputy (from Yarmouth), 3 June 1662 [PCR 4:14]. Grand jury, 7 June 1652 [PCR 3:9]. Tax collector, 1 March 1658/9 [PCR3:155]. Yarmouth constable, 6 June 1660 [PCR 3:188].   In Yarmouth section of 1643 Plymouth Colony list of men able to bear arms [8:194].ESTATE: Assessed 9s. in Plymouth tax list of 25 March 1633 [PCR 1:11]; omitted from list of 27 March 1634.   On 1 January 1637/8 “Richard Seeres” was included in a Salem rate list for the “inhabitants of Marblehead” [STR 1:63]. On 14 November 1638 “Rich[ard] Sears” was granted four acres at Marblehead “where he had planted formerly” [STR 1:74].   On 23 November 1664 “Allis Bradford the widow of William Bradford” sold to “Richard Sares” of Yarmouth, husbandman, two tracts of twenty acres each “at a place commonly called … Sasuet,” one of which had been the lot of William Bradford deceased and the other of which had been the lot of Experience Mitchell [MD 34: 23, citing PCLR 3:18].   In his will, dated 10 May 1667, with a codicil dated 3 February 1675/6, and proved 5 March 1675/6, “Richard Sares of Yarmouth” bequeathed to “Sylas Sares my younger son … all my land, that is all the upland upon the Neck where his house stands in which he now dwells … after mine and my wife’s decease,” provided that “my son-in-law Zachery Paddock” shall have the house where he dwells and two acres within the above tract “during the life of Deborah his now wife”; also to “the said Sylas Sares” a tract of meadow and half of “my land called Robins as is undivided”; to “my elder son Paule Sares all the rest and remains of my lands whatsoever”; to “Dorothy my wife” all lands and goods during her natural life, she to be sole executrix, and “do entreat my brother Thacher with his two sons as friends in trust” as overseers; to “my son-in-law Zachery Paddock” two acres from land called Robins before it is divided between Silas and Paul Sears, and this two acres, along with the two acres mentioned above, to go to Ichabod Paddock, son of Zachary, at the death of Zachary’s wife; witnessed by Anthony Thacher and Anthony Frey; in the codicil, dated 3 February 1675/6, Richard Sears bequeathed to “my eldest son Paul Sares … the house which I now live in” and various moveables; witnessed by John Thacher and Judah Thacher; on 5 March 1675/6 deposed that he and his brother witnessed the codicil, and that when “my uncle signed this appendix,” he asked him [John Thacher] to redraw the will and “to leave out of the new draft the legacy of land that is given to Ichabod Paddock, for saith he I have answered it in another way,” but Thacher never did produce this new draft [PCPR 3:2:53-54].   The inventory of the estate of “Richard Sares,” taken 8 October 1676 and presented at court on 15 November 1676 by “Dorethy Sares the relict of Richard Sares and Paul Sares his eldest son,” was untotalled and included “his house and lands,” valued at £220 [PCPR 3:2:55; PCR 5:213].BIRTH: About 1595 based on age at death.DEATH: Yarmouth 5 September [1676] “age 81y 4m” [YarVR 126].MARRIAGE: By 1637 Dorothy Jones. She was born about 1603, daughter of George and Agnes (_____) Jones of Dinder, Somerset [TAG 58:244-46]. “Cady [i.e., Goody] Seares was buried the 19th of March [16]78[/9]” at Yarmouth [YarVR 125].CHILDREN:

ASSOCIATIONS: Dorothy (Jones) Sears, wife of Richard, was sister of Richard Jones of Dorchester and of Elizabeth (Jones) Thacher, wife of Anthony Thacher of Yarmouth [TAG 58:244-46].COMMENTS: Although the earliest record of Richard Sears in Marblehead is in 1637, he may have moved there as early as 1634, since he is in the 1633 Plymouth tax list, but not in the list of 1634.   On 2 October 1650, with a large number of other men, “Richard Seares” brought an action against William Nickerson for slander [PCR 7:50].BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: Various publications of the middle of the nineteenth century set forth an English pedigree for Richard Sears, and partly on the basis of this pedigree assigned to Richard Sears a son Knyvett Sears. In 1886 Samuel Pearce May carefully examined and analyzed this pedigree, and found it to have no merit; he further demonstrated that the proposed son Knyvett did not exist [NEHGR 40:261-68]. Four years later May published a genealogy of the family [The Descendants of Richard Sares (Sears) of Yarmouth, Mass., 1638-1888 (Albany 1890)].   In 1948 Donald Lines Jacobus prepared a brief account of the family of Richard Sears [Brainerd Anc 257-58].

It is possible to see in the above bibliographic note how shaky recorded information can be.  We are relying on both the accuracy of the recording agency/person and the lack of any evidence to the contrary.  I am always happy that the founding of our nation was a business venture, ad therefore created factual records of various kinds.  This is why the ancestry detective has a fun and  never ending game of  fact finding.  The entire study highlights human inaccuracy, and a constant desire to edit/spin  history hiding the dark side and featuring the best of the family history.  The detective notices bogus sources as well as plain old human ignorance and error. Some of my other ancestors are in the above story as well, so I can double check what I know about them.  The jigsaw puzzle of history is so fascinating when it is personal.

Richard Sears (1590 – 1676)  We can find his grave:

Richard Sears, 10th Great Grandfather

is my 10th great grandfather

Silas Sears (1638 – 1697)
Son of Richard
Silas Sears (1661 – 1732)
Son of Silas
Sarah Sears (1697 – 1785)
Daughter of Silas
Sarah Hamblin (1721 – 1814)
Daughter of Sarah
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
Daughter of Sarah
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
Daughter of Mercy
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
Son of Martha
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
Son of Abner
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
Son of Daniel Rowland
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
Son of Jason A
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
Son of Ernest Abner
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden