Elkanah Sears (1758 - 1836)

Born 21 Oct 1758 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Son of Edmund Sears and Hannah (Crowell) Sears

Husband of Mercy (Bray) Sears — married 10 Jan 1788 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 1 Jun 1836 at age 77 in Dennis, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: L. Ray Sears [send private message]

Elkanah Sears is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 286561
Rank: Soldier

Elkanah Sears is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Massachusetts Militia 1778-1778
Soldier, Capt Micah Chapman's (2nd Yarmouth) Co., Col Nathaniel Freeman's 1st Barnstable Regiment on alarm at Dartmouth and Falmouth, 6 Sep 1778; was on duty 3 days

Elkanah Sears is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A213673.

Biography

Elkanah Sears, son of Edmond Sears, was born on 22 Oct. 1758 at Yarmouth, Massachusetts.^[1]

He married Mercy Bray, daughter of William Bray, on 10 Jan. 1788 at Yarmouth, Massachusetts.^[1]

Elkanah Sears lived in the east precinct of Yarmouth, now East Dennis. Was a soldier in Lt Micajah Sears' Co., and marched on alarm at Dartmouth and Falmouth, 6 Sep 1778; was on duty 3 days.

In the fall of 1819, Elkanah Sears with his son William, set out some cranberry vines at Flax pond (now called Scargo lake), in Dennis, and was the pioneer in the large and profitable business of cranberry raising.

Some years later Henry Hall of Dennis, having a marshy lot which produced some very fine berries, was led to follow the experiment of transplanting some of the vines to another portion of the same swamp, and the experiment proving a success, he and others continued their efforts in the same direction. But it took years of careful study, and laborious and costly experiment to ascertain the processes, soil and conditions necessary to success.^[1]

In 1888, the shipments of cranberries from Cape Cod were 80,128 barrels and 13,463 boxes.

In 1677, to appease the wrath of Charles II, who was angry with Massachusetts Colony for coining "pine-tree shillings," the General Court ordered a present to be sent him of "ten barrels of cranberries, two hogsheads of samp, and three thousand codfish," luxuries which it was thought would soften the ire of an angry monarch.

Elkanah died on 1 June 1836 at Dennis, Massachusetts^[1] and was buried at Plot: #117. Sears Cemetery, West Brewster, Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Ancient Sears Cemetery Freespace link His memorial has a photo and links to those of family members.^[2]

Children of Elkanah and Mercy

1. Sarah b. 1788 married Peter Baker.
2. Temperance b. 1790 married Ezekiel Hallet.
3. Susan b. 1794 unmarried.
4. Lucy b. 1797 married Ezekiel Thacher.
5. Elkanah b. 1800 twin.
6. Thomas b. 1800. twin.
7. William b. 1808^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Samuel P. May. The descendants of Richard Sares (Sears) of Yarmouth, Mass., 1638-1888 : With an appendix, containing some notices of other families by name of Sears 1890. Albany, NY. An Archive.org book. Richard Sares (Sears)
2. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 45660711 Elkanah Sears
3. ↑ Children page 151 Mays.

• Ancestry Profile Girardi Family Tree
• Yarmouth VR Book 4, p. 141 both of Yar., ent int Oct 27 1787; p. 141 m.
• May, Samuel. The Descendants of Richard Sares (Sears) of Yarmouth, Mass., 1638-1888Page 151 (Joel Munsell's Sons, 1890) No 222

• Dennis, Cape Codby Nancy Thacher Reid, p 298, Over the next few years the family of Elkanah Sears on Quivet Neck experimented in cranberry cultivation.

• Dennis VR, p 35-6 a record of the births and names of their children; p.123, b., d.; p 152 [another] record of their children

• Yarmouth VR Vol IV p. 88 A record of the children: Sarah, Temperance

• Lelia Brownscombe's research:24 Jan 94 - Notes by Lelia Brownscombe, grandaughter of Elkanah H Sears, copied by Ray Sears from a box of letters, notes and Isaac Sears's autograph book owned by M. Sabra Martin, Sep 1990.

Elkanah had a house on the corner of South and School streets (supposedly the SW corner) in East Dennis. [That one burned and so]He built 51 School St in 1805. Katherine and Edmund lived next door (north) at 55 School St. In 1913 Elkanah H. added a bathroom and dormer window upstairs and the screen porch. The kitchen or room across the back of the house had a beautiful brick wall with fireplace, built in oven. One time Edmund and Katherine found several barrels of very old dishes stored in the barn. Cranberry barrels were still being made when I (LJB) was a little girl. Later cranberry boxes. Elkanah H used to travel to Wisconsin to buy wood for barrels.

The house is built on huge granite stones which has kept it in such good condition. William Sears [Elkanah's son] owned a salt works located nearby [probably down on Quivet Creek based on the following deed]

The name Elkanah- 1 Chronicles 5-6:25 The sons of Elka'nah: Ama'sai and Ahi'moth, 26 Elka'nah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 27 Eli'ab his son, Jero'ham his son, Elka'nah his son

• Description: History of Barnstable County-p.41 "The first record of a deed in the county was made October 5, 1686, by Joseph Lothrop, Register. Previous to that the records of deeds were made at Plymouth in the old Colony Records. Since then 94 volumes had been filled. On the night of October 22, 1827, the brick building erected some years before by the county, and which was occupied by the clerk of the Judicial and Probate Courts, and the Register of deeds for the county, was burned. One volume, No. 61, of the record was saved; ninety-three were burned with a large number of deeds in the office." It then became "the duty of the selectmen of each town to cause to be fairly recorded all deeds for conveyance of any real estate or any interest therein, lying in their respective towns, which shall be brought to them for the purpose, and which shall bear date not more than forty years back and have been recorded in the registry of deeds of the county before the 23d of October last; the said books of record then to be deposited in the office of the registry of deeds for the county, and to be as effectual in law as the first records destroyed by fire."This deed is an example of the calamity. You can see it was recorded twice, once in 1791 (before the Town of Dennis existed) and then by the Dennis Selectmen in 1828.Recd. Sepr 5th 1791 and is Recorded in the 44th Book of Records for the County of Barnstable Folio 127 and Compared Attest Ebenr Baron RegsBarnstable ss Dennis August 30 1828Recorded in the County Records Book for the Town of Dennis No 1 Page 50 and is Compared Attest Jona Nickerson Register

• Description: Know all men by these presents that I Thomas Howes Jr of Yarmouth in the County of Barnstable yermon in considerration of the just sum of nine pounds paid to me in hand By the sd Elkanah Sears of the Same Yarmouth the recept where of I Do hereby acknowledge do heare by give grant Sell and convey unto the sd Elkanah Sears and his heirs a certain peace of wood land lying to the North of Quaker Road containing about four acars or be the peace more or Less and bounded as follows viz) the South Side lying by the S Quaker Road and then westerly by land belonging to Isaac Hows Northly by land blinging to the widow Rebacah Crosby Easterly by land belonging to georg Hows So to the sd Road with all the privalege belonging to the same.To have and to hold the same to the sd Elkanah Sears and his heirs and assigns to his and thears free use and behoof forever and I do covenant with the sd Elkanah Sears his heirs and assigns that I am the lawfully and the premises that they are free from all Incombrances that I have full power good Right and lawful authority to sell and convey the same to the sd Elkanah Sears his heairs and assigns to hold as afore sd and that I will warrant and defend the same to the sd Elkanah Sears his heairs and assigns against the lawful claims and demand of all persons in witness where of I the sd Thomas Howes Jr have hearunto set my hand and seal this twenty fourth day of march one thousand seven hundred & ninety onein presents ofGeorge Howes Thomas Howes JrJonathan Howes Jr batheba hows Barnstable Ss: on the Day & Date above then the above named Thomas Howes acknowledged this instrument executed by him to be his act & deed Before me Atherton Hall Justice peace

• Paternal relationship is confirmed through Y-chromosome DNA testing. Leslie Ray Sears, FTDNA kit #71xxx, and his 8th cousin once removed, S. S., FTDNA kit #288xxx, match at a Genetic Distance of 3 on 37 markers thereby confirming their direct paternal lines back to their MRCA Richard Sears. FTDNA indicates that the probability the two share a common ancestor within the last 10 generations is 98.89% and within the last 8 generations is 97.28%. S¹¹ Sears - Almond Keith¹⁰ Sears - Robert Percy ⁹ Sears - Orange Almoin⁸ Sears - Lysander⁷ Sears - Zachariah⁶ Sears - Rowland⁵ Sears - Zachariah⁴ Sears - Joseph³ Sears - Silas² Sears - Richard¹ Sears

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of Girardi Family Tree(2).ged on 05 February 2011.
• WikiTree profile Sears-567 created through the import of Girardi Family Tree(4).ged on Jun 16, 2011 by John Girardi.