Samuel Spears Genealogy

Record modified: 2017-09-02
This is my ancestor 6 generations back.

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Samuel Spears |
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Born: about 1769-00-00 Ireland
Died: 1856-10-23 Valatie, Columbia Co, New York USA
Marriages:
1. Nancy (unknown)
Children of Samuel Spears and Nancy (unknown):
*Lamira Ann Spears b. 1812-07-06
Elizabeth Spears b. about 1813-00-00 d. 1838-12-25
Samuel II Spears b. about 1814-00-00
William Spears b. about 1815-00-00
Mary Spears b. about 1820-00-00

Notes:

WARNING

I don't have hard proof that Samuel was Lamira's father, and such
proof may not even exist. I think there is enough circumstantial
evidence to assume the connection, though.

Lamira is known to have been born in NY in 1812. Looking at the
1820 and 1830 censuses for NY, there are only three possible
families for her:
Joseph Spires in Saratoga Co;
John Spears in Madison Co;
and Samuel Spears in Albany and Columbia Co.

Joseph Spires can be eliminated. Various Saratoga records show
that his family really was Spires or Spiers.

John Spears vanishes after the 1830 census. I can't find any
records about his family, and there are no trees on Ancestry or
RootsWeb that show him. I can't really eliminate him as Lamira's
father, but he lived on the western edge of Madison Co, about 100
miles from the Roberts family, so he's pretty unlikely.

Albany Co adjoins Schoharie Co, and Columbia is on its other side.
The Robertses lived in Broome twp (southeast corner of Schoharie),
and Sam Spears lived in Berne (center of western edge of Albany)
in 1820.

The Roberts family is known to have had friends and business in
Albany Co while they lived in Schoharie. John Roberts, Ambrose's
older brother, married Mary Burhans, who lived in Rensselaerville,
Albany Co. Rensselaerville is about 10 miles south of Berne.

The Roberts family moved to Tazewell Co IL in 1831, right after
John married. In 1833 Ambrose and John made a trip back to NY to
clear up some business. Ambrose married Lamira very soon after
they returned. I think she eloped with him during the trip to NY.

Samuel Spears died in Columbia Co NY in 1856, but there is no
extant will for him or his wife, and no record of his estate
being probated. [If Ambrose and Lamira eloped, I imagine she
wouldn't be mentioned in the will, anyway.]

Samuel's 1820 census entry shows two daughters Lamira's age, and
his 1830 entry shows 3. One of those is known to have been born
in 1813 and never married.

Official birth records were not kept that early in NY. There are
some church records for Albany Co. I wrote to the Hall of Records
to see if any Spears births around 1812 are documented. Samuel
Spears is not mentioned in the church records, nor are there any
deeds or wills for him.

Samuel had two sons, who both died in Columbia Co. They had
obituaries published, but the local paper archives do not contain
the relevant years, so it is unknown if the obituaries mentioned
a sister in IL.

Since there are no other Spears families near the Robertses, and
Samuel is in almost exactly the right place with a daughter the
right age, I think he has to be Lamira's father.

--
buried in Prospect Hill cemetery, Columbia Co NY

--
New York, Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804

1802 Coeymans, Albany Co
Samuel Spear: real property value 123; personal property value 50; tax 0.23

[The 1799 and 1800 lists show a Henry Speers in Watervliet, Albany Co, about 25 miles north of Coeymans. Could that be Samuel's father or brother?]

--
History of the Old Stone Church
Coeymans, Albany County

1791-1885

The following article of incorporation is recorded in the Trustee's Book
of the "Old Stone Church":

"Be it remembered that on the fifth day of April one thousand eight
hundred and two, appeared before me, John Taylor, first judge of the
book of Common Pleas, in and for the County of Albany Jacob Springsted,
Samuel Jolley, SAMUEL SPEARS, Peter Spawn, and Lewis Civill, being a
majority of the Board of Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church in
the town of Coeymans, county aforesaid, were sworn in pursuance of the
act of Legislature of the State of New York, passed on the 5th day of
April, one thousand seven hundred and eighty four, for incorporating
religious denominations, depose and say that all the annual revenue and
income of the said church accruing from real and personal estate does
not exceed twelve hundred pounds, and that the following is a true
inventory of the estate, real and personal of said church, viz:
...

--
Apparently he also married 1827-12-15 Margaret Allen or Haight. That marriage occurred in Valatie, and this was the only Spears family there at the time. Sam Jr would have been about 13 at the time, so he is unlikely to be the one who married Margaret.

--
It looks like he had a daughter Catherine c1810 who married Peter Knapp and moved to WI. Catherine's death record says she was born in Cooeymans NY to Samuel Spears and Mary Brown. There wasn't another Samuel Spears in the area. Peter's family lived in Chatham NY, which is about 6 miles from Kinderhook.
The problem is the name of Samuel's wife. The gravestone of his daughter says his wife was Nancy. Is the gravestone wrong? Is Catherine's death record wrong? Did Samuel have a wife Mary before he married Nancy?

--
He also appears to have had a daughter Ann 1828, and a daughter Martha 1822-11-xx d 1902-07-28 Lyons, Wayne Co NY who married Francis Bowman Lane 1818 d 1901-01-25 Lyons. Francis' wife is described as "Martha, daughter of Samuel Spear of Valatie, Columbia County". Ann appears in the household of Francis and Martha on the 1850 census. On the 1880 census, Francis and Martha have in their household a Mary Spears age 68.
The problem here is that Samuel's 1830 census record doesn't show any daughters under age 10. But his 1840 entry does have a daughter 15-20 who could be Ann, and an unidentified daughter 20-30. If Martha was born in 1820 the only problem would be Ann missing from the 1830 census. And again, this Samuel was the only Spears family in the area so he kind of has to be Martha's father.

--
1855 NY state census, Columbia Co p8 (Kinderhook 2nd Election District)
Samuel Spears household
father Samuel Spears 86 IRE
sister Mary 40 Albany

He has lived in the town 20 years. He is marked deaf, dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic. He is not marked widowed.

1850 census Columbia Co NY p360b (Kinderhook)
William Spears household
Samuel 81 IRE
Mary 30 NY

1840 census Columbia Co NY p79 (Kinderhook)
Samuel Spears 2 M 20-30, 1 M 60-70, 1 F 15-20, 2 F 20-30
[Samuel 23, William 25, Samuel 70, x, Mary 20, x]

1830 census Columbia Co NY p148 (Kinderhook)
Samuel C Spears 1 M 10-15, 1 M 15-20, 1 M 50-60, 2 F 10-15, 3 F 15-20, 4 F 20-30, 1 F 40-50
[Samuel 13, William 15, Samuel 60, Mary 10, x, x, Elizabeth 16, Lamira 17, x, x, x, x, Nancy or Margaret]

1820 census Albany Co NY p138 (Coeymans)
Samuel Speers 2 M <10, 1 M 45+, 2 F <10, 3 F 10-16, 1 F 26-45
[Samuel 3, William 5, Samuel 50, Elizabeth 6, Lamira 8, x, x, x, Nancy]

1810 census Albany Co NY p122 (Coeymans)
Samuel Spears 1 M 10-16, 1 M 16-26, 1 M 26-45, 3 F <10, 1 F 10-16, 1 F 26-45
Hinds Site: Genealogy of Ken Hinds -- page 67593
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