Samuel Spears (1761 - 1838)

Born 11 May 1761 in Halifax County, North Carolina

Descendants

Died 27 May 1838 at age 77 in Hawkins County, Tennessee, USA

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Biography

Samuel Spears was a North Carolina colonist.

Samuel Spears was an early settler of Tennessee.

Samuel Spears was born around 1761 in Halifax County, North Carolina and was married first to a woman whose maiden name is not known (many online family trees state that she was "Sallie Dudley," but that was apparently the name of the wife of a completely different Samuel Spears, see Disambiguation, below.) Three children are known: Lazarus, Jesse, and Pharaba, but there may have been others.

After the Revolutionary War, Samuel married a second time, to Rebecca Smith, daughter of Louther Smith and Barbara Louderback. Rebecca was much younger than Samuel, born in 1792. They had five children, including:

• daughter, Matilda Spears, who married George Sizemore Kite III and mothered Susan Kite. Susan married Samuel Grigsby and they were the parents of Francis Grigsby, mother of Lida Brown.^[1]
• son, John Spears, born around 1812 in Hawkins County, Tennessee and died in Grant, Indiana on 27 April 1864.^[2]
• daughter, Winney Caroline Spears, born around 1814 in Hawkins County, Tennessee and died around 1881 in Hawkins County.^[3]

Research Notes

Disambiguation

There were two Samuel Spears living in Tennessee in the 1830s, both of whom were Revolutionary War pensioners. The man who is the subject of this profile was from Halifax County, North Carolina and was living in Hawkins County, Tennessee by August of 1797. The other Samuel Spears was from Albemarle County, Virginia, and lived in Bedford County in West Tennessee. Please be very careful when reviewing all documents, to make sure you link information to the correct Samuel Spears.

• Samuel Spears (1761-1838) - this Samuel - of North Carolina (died in Tennessee)
• Samuel Spears (1760-1837) of Virginia (died in Tennessee)

Pensions

For the Samuel Spears who was born in Halifax County, North Carolina about 1761 (57 in 1818).^[4]

• "Personally appeared in Open Court the 25 day of August 1818 Samuel Spears aged about fifty Seven Years, a Citizen of said County & State [Hawkins County, Tennessee] & being sworn in due form of law deposeth & saith: that he Enlisted in the County of Hallifax [sic, Halifax], North Carolina..."^[4]
• "That my occupation is that of a farmer but owing to weakness & frailty am unable to work much. That my wife is about thirty eight Years old, a daughter 8 or 9 Years old, one other daughter about 7 Years, a son about 5 Years, one daughter about 3 Years old the Youngest about 9 or ten months old.
  S/ Samuel Spears, X-his mark"^[4]
  • wife born c1780
  • daughters born c1809/10, c1811, c1815
  • son born c1813
  • one child born about January 1818.

The pension application for the Samuel Spears who was born 1760 in Albemarle County, Virginia did not include any genealogical details beyond his birth year/place and a mention of his father. He was 72 when he applied for a pension on "this 12th day of November 1832" in Bedford County, Tennessee:^[5]

Question 1st Where and in what year were you born?
Ans. In Albemarle County State of Virginia in the year 1760^[5]

Q 2nd Have you any record of your age and if so where is it?
Ans. I have from my Father's family record^[5]

Q 3rd Where were you living when called into service: where have you lived since the Revolutionary War and where do you now live?
Ans. In Albemarle County State of Virginia I was called into service I have lived in the State of North Carolina since but am now living in Tennessee Bedford County^[5][6]

Sources

1. ↑ source: Rootsweb source with broken link, provided when profiles were merged. Must add acceptable sources.
2. ↑ https://www.geni.com/people/John-Spears/6000000008167539407
3. ↑ https://www.geni.com/people/Winney-Spears/6000000008167539421
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Samuel Spears (born NC c1761), pension application #S39085 (pdf), transcribed by Will Graves, posted by Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters, accessed 17 April 2024).
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Samuel Spears (born VA 1760), pension application #S1779 (pdf), transcribed by Will Graves, posted by Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters, accessed 17 April 2024).
6. ↑ See also the DAR records for these two Samuels (one with service in Virginia and one in North Carolina):
   • Samuel Spears, pension #S39085
     Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 17 April 2024), "Record of Private Samuel Spear of North Carolina", Ancestor # A210715.
     • wife not named
     • son Lazarus Spear, married (1) Nancy Haynes, (2) Mary Elizabeth Amis
   • Samuel Spears, pension #S1779
     Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 17 April 2024), "Record of Private Samuel Spear of Virginia", Ancestor # A026093.
     • wife Sally X
     • children John Thomas Spear, married Agnes White; Dickson Spear (spouse not named)

• A blogpost analyzed military pensions and tax records to determine whether Samuel Spears was from Halifax County or Pasquotank County, North Carolina as asserted in some online family trees. The conclusion was that he was from Halifax County. See: https://voicesfromadistantpast.blogspot.com/2014/12/samuel-spears-was-from-halifax-county-nc.html.

• Newspaper clipping with 'Samuel Spears' on a list of letters left at the Rogersville, TN, post office, 1 Apr 1810: https://www.newspapers.com/article/wilsons-knoxville-gazette/143238415/