Silas Sears

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Silas Sears, Yeoman, resided in the East precinct of Yarmouth, now Dennis, and was a prominent man there. His will, dated July 28, 1727, "in ill health", was proved Nov 29, 1732, by Judah Paddock and Eleazar Sears, Exec and was witnessed by Peter Thacher, Joseph Hall, and Edward Sturges. He left real estate valued at

(Research): On 13 Jan 1630 (NS) The Council for New England (chartered to establish colonies between 40 degrees and 48 degrees north latitude) issued a new land patent (the "Old Charter") that granted land title and trading rights, but no powers of government, to New Plymouth Colony for the area east of Narragansett Bay and south of a line from the Pawtucket (now Blackstone) River to the mouth of the Cohasset River. New Plymouth Colony included part of present Rhode Island. On 8 Jul 1663 New Plymouth Colony lost territory when King Charles II granted Rhode Island a charter as a self-governing corporate colony. New Plymouth Colony still included part of present Rhode Island. On 02 Jun 1685 New Plymouth Colony created three original counties: Barnstable, Bristol, and Plymouth to cover all non-county area in New Plymouth. On 07 Oct 1691 Barnstable continued under the new Massachusetts Bay provincial charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II; Massachusetts Bay absorbed New Plymouth Colony.

Silas married Sarah Crosby about 1692 in Yarmouth, Barnstable Co, Massachusetts. Sarah (daughter of Thomas Crosby and Sarah (wife of Thomas Crosby) [?]) was born on 24 Mar 1666/67 in Eastham, New Plymouth Colony; died on 20 Mar 1705/06 in Probably Yarmouth, Barnstable Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Married:
On 02 Jun 1685 Barnstable County was created as one of three original counties in New Plymouth Colony (also Bristol and Plymouth).

1. James Sears was born on 30 Mar 1704 in Yarmouth, Barnstable Co, Massachusetts; was christened on 17 Sep 1704 in Yarmouth, Barnstable Co, Massachusetts; died on 17 Mar 1791 in Ridgefield, Fairfield Co, Connecticut.

Silas married Elizabeth O'Killy on 1 May 1707 in Yarmouth, Barnstable Co, Massachusetts. Elizabeth was born about 1672; died about 1732. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• _TODO: Open

Notes:

Lt Silas Sears' birthdate is not given in Sares (May) but elder brother Paul's birth year is 1637-8 (p32) and sister Deborah was b. Sep 1639 in Yarmouth. Lient. Silas Sears lived in that part of Yarmouth known as the East precinct, now East Dennis; he was "propounded to take up Freedom" June 6, 1682; com(missioned) Ensign, Oct. 28, 1681; Lieut. July 7, 1682; chosen Representative to the General Court at Plymouth, 1685-91; Selectman, 1680-94; and Juryman, 1680-82. 25 Dec 1689 "Silace Sears and others fined 20(s) for not appearing and attending at Court or disorderly departing therefrom; ' \emdash fines remitted later' it being first offense of the kind." 1694, "Lt Silas Sears was on a Com(mittee) to seat men, women, and others in the meetinghouse" (an onerous duty in those day). 1 Nov 1676, Emott Bursell and Silas Sears appointed administrators of the Estate of James Bursell of Yarmouth. [Strong circumstantial evidence that his wife's surname was Bursell]. He left no will so letters of administration were granted to his widow Anna, May 1, 1698. The settlement of his estate was made May 5, 1698...mentions sons Silas, Richard, Joseph and Josiah; and daughters, Hannah, Elizabeth, and Dorrity.

(Research): On 13 Jan 1630 (NS) The Council for New England (chartered to establish colonies between 40 degrees and 48 degrees north latitude) issued a new land patent (the "Old Charter") that granted land title and trading rights, but no powers of government, to New Plymouth Colony for the area east of Narragansett Bay and south of a line from the Pawtucket (now Blackstone) River to the mouth of the Cohasset River. New Plymouth Colony included part of present Rhode Island. On 8 Jul 1663 New Plymouth Colony lost territory when King Charles II granted Rhode Island a charter as a self-governing corporate colony. New Plymouth Colony still included part of present Rhode Island. On 02 Jun 1685 New Plymouth Colony created three original counties: Barnstable, Bristol, and Plymouth to cover all non-county area in New Plymouth. On 07 Oct 1691 Barnstable continued under the new Massachusetts Bay provincial charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II; Massachusetts Bay absorbed New Plymouth Colony.

_TODO:
SE 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 32, 37, 38, 40, 43, 44 (evidence for Mehitable, dau of Jehiel?), census data, 54 (Savage), 61, 67 (back, DAR)

Silas married Anna Bursell about 1659 in Yarmouth, New Plymouth Colony. Anna was born about 1642 in Yarmouth, New Plymouth Colony; died on 4 Mar 1725/26 in Yarmouth, Barnstable Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Surname of Lt Silas Sears wife Anna In Descendants of Richard Sares, May says "perhaps Bursell" indicating that only the first letter of the last name ("B") is known for sure. Great Migration Begins states "...Anna, probably daughter of James Bursell of Yarmouth". The source for this was Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England by Shurtleff and Pulsiver, 1855. Since there appears to be no solid source for Anna's surname, one must rely on secondary sources. With regard to Mr James Bursell's will: On 1 Nov 1676 Emott Bursell and Silas Sears were appointed administrators of the Estate of James Bursell of Yarmouth. This is clearcut circumstantial evidence that Silas Sears Sr's wife's surname was Bursell.

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Migration: 1633
Born: England
First Residence: Plymouth.
Removes: Marblehead by 1637, Yarmouth by 1639.
He is found at Plymouth in 1633 but soon removed to Marblehead being taxed there 1637 and was granted four acres of land in 1638. Many of the settlers at Marblehead were from Guernsey and Jersey in England. He appears in Yarmouth 1643 where he served on the Grand Jury and as constable also was a deputy to the General Court at Plymouth in 1662. His occupation was farming.
Took the oath of fidelity at Yarmouth in 1639; propounded for freemanship 3 Jun 1652; admitted a freeman 7 Jun 1653; Appears on Yarmouth lists of freemen, 1658 and 1670.
Offices: Deputy from Yarmouth, 3 Jun 1662; Grand Jury, 7 Jun 1652; Tax Collector, 1 Mar 1658/9; Yarmouth constable 6 Jun 1660.

Assessed 9s in Plymouth tax list of 25 Mar 1633.
On 1 Jan 1637/8 Richard Seeres was included in a Salem rate list for the "inhabitants of Marblehead". On 14 Nov1638 Richard Sears was granted four acres at Marblehead "where he as planted formerly".
On 23 Nov 1664 Allis Bradford, w. of Wm Bradford sold to Richard Sares of Yarmouth two tracts of 20 acres each "at a place commonly called Sasuet" (now Dennis, Barnstable County, Massachusetts).

Richard Sares Will
Dated 10 May 1667
Codicil 3 Feb 1675/6
Proved 5 Mar 1675/6
Inventory taken 8 Oct 1676Presented to court 15 Nov 1676 by Dorethy Sares the relict of Richard Sares and Paul Sares his eldest son. Value:

(Research):The H.G. Somerby Controversy Looking at the genesis of the genealogies of this individual points up some interesting facts. The first genealogy work appears to be "Memoranda of the Sears, from Minutes collected by J. Hawes and William Colman to 1800,-- and continued by Richard Sears of Chatham to 1840." There are evidently some errors in this work. "About the year 1845, the late Mr. H. G. Somerby was employed to collect data regarding the Sears family in England, and a pamphlet was issued, entitled 'Notices of the Sears Family, from Sir Bernard Burke's Works, and Somersby's Collections in England, etc.' The manuscript of his collection is in the library of the Mass. Hist. So., Boston." "In 1852, Sir Bernard Burke published the first volume of 'Visitations of Seats and Arms,' which contains at p. 52 of Part II. an account of the family, claiming that by right of primogeniture the Chatham branch is the 'Head of the American Sears Family.' This was followed in 1863, in the 3rd series of 'Vicissitudes of Families,' by a sketch entitled 'A Pilgrim Father.' "Sir Bernard Burke now repudiates the articles, and [informed me (S P May) that they would be] left out of later editions. In 1884, he wrote me [S.P. May] that he received the material from Mr. Somerby, but had since made investigation, and found 'that the details were not only not proven, but also incapable of proof, if not altogether wrong, and opposed to fact.' "In 1857, Rev. E. H. Sears published 'Pictures of the Olden Time,' to which was added in a later edition for private distribution, a Genealogy of the family. [p. 20] In his preface he states that he derived his facts mainly from Burke's 'Visitation of Seats and Arms,' and from 'family papers,' etc. Jul 1886, Samuel P. May published "Some Doubts Concerning the Sears Pedigree" in the N.E. Hist. Gen. Soc Register. About 1889, Samuel P. May was commissioned by the family to update the genealogy of the Sears family. In 1890, Samuel P. May, published his book "The Descendants of Richard Sares (Sears) of Yarmouth, Mass 1638-1888 with an appendix containing some notices of other families by the name of Sears" which included an updated and expanded view of the mistakes made by H.G. Somerby. About 1913, Samuel P. May created a typescript of what I believe to be the precursor to a second edition of "The Descendants of Richard Sares

Richard married Dorothy Jones before 1637 in Yarmouth, New Plymouth Colony. Dorothy (daughter of Living and Living) was born about 1603 in Dinder, Somersetshire, England; was buried on 19 Mar 1678/79 in Yarmouth, New Plymouth Colony. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mention of "my brother Thacher" in the will of Richard Sares has led to the erroneous conclusion that Richard Sears' wife was Dorothy Thacher, sister of Rev. Anthony Thacher
Richard Sears and Anthony Thacher married sisters, Dorothy and Elizabeth Jones, who were of Dinder, Somersetshire, England, Dorothy marrying Richard in 1632, Elizabeth marying Anthony, early in 1635. Their brother was Richard Jones who came to New England in 1635 and settled in Dorchester, Mass.
The Ancestry of Thomas C. Brainerd by Dwight Brainerd, 1948 (p. 219) says Dorothy was a sister of Richard Jones who came from Dinder, Somerset with Rev. Joseph Hull's group in 1635. She m. Richard Sears in England in 1632 and he was taxed in New Plymouth Colony the same year.

(Research):Somerset (archaically, Somersetshire) is a county in southwest England that borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the southeast, and Devon to the southwest. It is bounded to the northwest by the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel, its coastline facing southeastern Wales. Its traditional border with Gloucestershire is the River Avon. Somerset's county town is Taunton. Dinder ("the house in the valley") is a small village 2

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Living married Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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