Richard
Sears
aka Sares
Born about in England
[uncertain]
[uncertain]Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of
Dorothy (Jones) Sears
— married
about 1635 in Massachusetts Bay Colony
Descendants 
Died about
at about age 81
in Yarmouth, Plymouth Colony [uncertain]
[uncertain]
Profile managers:
Rhonda Scoullar 
[send private message], Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message], Heather Brown [send private message], John Putnam [send private message], and Virginia Wilber [send private message]
[send private message], Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message], Heather Brown [send private message], John Putnam [send private message], and Virginia Wilber [send private message]Profile last modified
| Created 8 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 11,332 times.
There are disproven, disputed, or competing theories about this person's parents. See the text for details.
This person may not belong in the family group. See the text for details.
| Richard Sears migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 3, p. 1642) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm |
Contents |
Biography
This profile is part of the Sears Name Study.
Richard Sears was born about 1595, based on his age at death.[1] There is no evidence he came from Amsterdam.[2]
Early in the 19th century the name Sears was pronounced by the family as Say-ers, thus leading to confusion about how it was spelled.[3] He appeared in the records sometimes as Seeres, Seer, Saeres, Sares.
There is no evidence he came to Plymouth in 1630 nor had any connection to the migrants from Leyden. "Richard Seer" is first seen in Plymouth Colony records in the tax list of 25 Mar 1633, when he was 44, in a list of 86 persons assessed 9 shillings in corn, at 6 shillings per bushel, upon one poll. He does not appear in the 1634 tax list or the 1633 list of freemen.[1]
He was in Marblehead (then part of Salem) in 1637, and in 1639 is in Yarmouth as one of its' founders. In 1643 he is shown in the list of Yarmouth citizens "liable to bear arms".
26 Oct 1647 commissioners on Indian Affairs were appointed to meet at the house of Richard Sares of Yarmouth when he entered a complaint against Nepoytam Sachumus, and Felix, Indians.
2 Oct 1650 with 16 others he reported William Nickerson for slander, with damages set at 100 pounds; and with 17 others John Crow, William Nickerson and Lt William Palmer for trespass, with damages set at 60 pounds. He was made freeman in 1652 and on 7 Jun 1652 was chosen Grand Juryman. On 6 Jun 1660 he was chosen constable, and on 2 Jun 1662 was chosen Representative to the General Court in Plymouth.
23 Nov 1664 Richard Sares, husbandman, bought from Allis Bradford (who signed the deed with her mark) a tract of land at "Sasuet" for 20 pounds.[4][1]
Consistent with his modest origins, he was referred to as "goodman Seares", never the title "Mr."[2]
Richard died 5 Sep 1676 in Yarmouth, "age 81y 4m,"[5][1] (May gives a burial 26 Apr 1676.)[2] He is not buried at Yarmouth Ancient Cemetery; a monument to him there contains a mixture of true and false information:
| East | North | West | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF RICHARD SEARS SON OF JOHN BOURCHIER SEARS AND MARIA L VAN ECMONS IN LINEAL DESCENT FROM RICHARD SEARS OF COLCHESTER AND AN BOURCHIER KNYVET HE LANDED AT PLYMOUTH IN 1630 MARRIED DOROTHY THACHER AND DIED IN YARMOUTH IN 1676 | SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF KNYVET SEARS ELDEST SON OF RICHARD SEARS BORN IN 1635 MARRIED ELIZABETH DYMOKE AND DIED IN ENGLAND IN 1696 | SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF PAUL SEARS SECOND SON OF RICHARD SEARS BORN IN 1637 MARRIED DEBORAH WILLARD AND DIED IN YARMOUTH IN 1707 | SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF SYLAS SEARS THIRD SON OF RICHARD SEARS BORN IN 1639 MARRIED AND DIED IN YARMOUTH IN 1697 |
Family
Richard Sears married Dorothy Jones, daughter of George and Agnes (__) Jones of Dinder, Somerset, England by 1635-1637.[6][1] "Cady [Goody] Seares" was buried 19 Mar 1678/9 at Yarmouth.[5][1]
Children:[1]
- Paul, b. abt 1637; d. Yarmouth 20 Feb 1707/8 (per gravestone); m by 1659 Deborah, said to be dau of George Willard.
- Deborah, b. abt 1639; d. Yarmouth 17 Aug 1732[5]; m by 1661 Zachariah Paddock
- Silas, b. abt 1641; m. by about 1665 Anna, probably daughter of James Bursell of Yarmouth.[7]
Will
Richard Sears left a will on 10 Mar 1667, adding a codicil on 3 Feb 1676, proved 5 Mar 1675/6. Both documents are signed with his "RS" mark, and the inventory was taken 8 Oct 1676, presented to court 15 Nov 1676.[8][9]Transcript can be seen at Richard's Will[2][10] Bequests included:
- "Sylas Sares my younger son"
- "my son-in-law Zachery Paddock" and "Deborah his now wife"
- "my elder son Paule Sares"
- "Dorothy my wife"
- "my brother Thacher" (Anthony, husband of Dorothy's sister Elizabeth)[6]
- "Ichabod Paddock, son of Zachary"
His inventory was taken on 8 October 1676. Dorothy his widow gave oath to the truth of the inventory on 15 November 1676.[11]
Research Notes
Somerby Fraud
A false biography and genealogy published in 1857 claimed (floridly) that Richard Sears was the son of John Sears of Colchester and Marie Van Egmond.[12][13] Evidence presented in 1886[14][15] and expanded in 1890[2] proved it a near-total fabrication with too many errors to list, including:
- "Anne Bourchier Knyvet", "John Bourchier Sayer" senior and junior, "Elizabeth Hawkins", and "Marie L. van Egmond" never existed
- Richard's wife Dorothy was not a Thacher
- "Knyvet Sears" and "Elizabeth Dymoke" never existed
- Paul Sears was Richard's eldest, not second son
- All five sons named in Paul's will were his own, not adopted sons of "Knyvet"
Researcher Samuel P. May traced the bogus accounts back to Horatio Gates Somerby, a legendary perpetrator of genealogical frauds,[16] who cited now-"lost" documents provided by the Hon. David Sears of Boston.[14][2] It is worthy of note that by inventing "Knyvet" and transforming Paul's youngest son Daniel into "Knyvet's eldest", the entire "Chatham branch" of the American Sears family (from which David descended) became elevated to first place in the line of primogeniture—heirs to significant imaginary fortunes and invented noble titles.
"The result of my researches proves beyond question that not one step of the pedigree can be substantiated by records, and on the contrary some portions are impossible, and others in conflict with known authorities. "I have been desired to give the facts publicity, in order that the pedigree may no longer be copied, and quoted as authority, as has been done in numerous local histories and family genealogies, and in the hope that, attention being drawn to the subject, renewed searches may discover the true origin of Richard Sares of Yarmouth. Want of space forbids my alluding to many errors, and I will therefore only refer to those most vital to the pedigree, as printed in 'Pictures of the Olden Time,' etc., ed. 1857, Crosby, Nichols & Co., Boston."[14][2] (emphasis in original)
See also the [letter from Sir Bernard Burke, Dublin Castle 28 Mar 1884 to S P May, Esq where Burke apologizes for the incorrect info in Edmund Sears's Genealogy and says "the details were not only not proven but incapable of proof.")
No Worden Daughter
Peter Worden's wife Mary is sometimes called Sears, without evidence. Peter's name appears in Richard's will solely as a neighbor, to describe the boundary of lands Richard bequeathed to his son Silas.[2]
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Volume 3, P-W. Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1995, pp. 1642-4. Digital image at americanancestors.org (subscription required).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 May, Samuel Pearce. The Descendants of Richard Sares (Sears) of Yarmouth, Mass., 1638-1888. Albany, N.Y.: Joel Munsell's Sons, 1890. Digital image at archive.org (free).
- ↑ When visiting the governor's mansion in the Bahamas in the 1990s, a local resident, upon seeing my name-tag, asked me "Where did you get a good old Bahama name like Say'-ars - he pronounced my name, Sears, with two syllables, accent on the first syllable and a long-a. Personal Experience of Ray Sears
- ↑ Plymouth Colony Records of Deeds, Vol 3, Part 1, p. 18.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Yarmouth Vital Records
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hyde, Myrtle Stevens. "Jones - Thacher - Sears: England and Massachusetts." The American Genealogist 58 (1982): pp. 244-6. Digital image at americanancestors.org (subscription required).
- ↑ Anderson citing Plymouth Colony Records 5:212
- ↑ Plymouth Colony Records, Book 3, Part 2, pp. 53-5.
- ↑ Original copy of his will image 215 of 291, Plymouth Wills, Inventories, Etc, 1637-1685 Ancestry(subscription needed or visit your public library that may be subscribing or your FHL)
- ↑ "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L97D-V355 : 11 March 2023), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 422 of 616; State Archives, Boston.
- ↑ "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-997D-V3F4 : 11 March 2023), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 423 of 616; State Archives, Boston.
- ↑ Sears, Edmund Hamilton. Pictures of the olden time: as shown in the fortunes of a family of the Pilgrims. Boston: Crosby, Nichols, and Company, 1857. Digital image at archive.org (free).Do Not Use This as a source- proven incorrect by refs 3,4,5,6,7 following
- ↑ Sears, Edmund Hamilton. "Genealogies and Biographical Sketches of the Ancestry and descendants of Richard Sears, The Pilgrim," Appendix in Pictures of the olden time: as shown in the fortunes of a family of the Pilgrims: With a Genealogy - Private Edition. Boston: Crosby, Nichols, and Company, 1857. Digital image at archive.org Google Books and Google Books (free).Do Not Use This as a source- proven incorrect by refs 3,4,5,6,7 following
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 May, Samuel Pearce. "Some Doubts Concerning the Sears Pedigree." The New England Historical & Genealogical Register 40 (1886): pp. 261-7. Digital image at americanancestors.org (subscription required).
- ↑ See also S P May's Archive.org link (free) Some Doubts Concerning the Sears Pedigree"
- ↑ Reed, Paul C. "Two Somerby Frauds: or 'Placing the Wrong Flesh on the Wrong Bones.'" The American Genealogist 74 (Jan 1999): pp. 15-30 Digital image at americanancestors.org (subscription required). "The distinguishing aspect of Somerby's career must now be his fraud."
See also:
- Brainerd, Dwight, and Donald Lines Jacobus. Ancestry of Thomas Chalmers Brainerd. Montreal: [s.n.], 1948, pp. 257-8.
- Richard Sears, Pilgrim (Wikipedia)
- Cutter, William Richard. Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911) Vol. 1, Page 244
- Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 January 2019), memorial page for Richard Sears (1590–26 Aug 1676), Find A Grave: Memorial #48961743, citing Ancient Cemetery, Yarmouth Port, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by ditdit (contributor 47012745).
- Swift, Charles F. '""History of Old Yarmouth" Published by the Author, Yarmouth Port. 1884. p. 59.see at archive.org
- May, Samuel P. "The Descendants of Richard Sares (Sears) of Yarmouth, Mass. 1638 - 1888" Joel Munsell's Sons, publishers, Albany, N. Y. 1890.see at archive.org Here is a better copy with Samuel P May's handwritten notes interleaved- the author's own copy Descendants of Richard Sares (Sears) ANS here is the Wikitree Space about this book Space:The_Descendants_of_Richard_Sares_(Sears)_of_Yarmouth,_Mass.,_1638-1888
- Link to the latest version of the tree showing 7,000 descendants of Richard Sears Sears Tree version 9d and a list of all the people in the tree American Ancestors Archives link
- WikiTree profile Sears-600 created through the import of heinakuu2011-6.ged on Jul 5, 2011 by Johanna Amnelin.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com
DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Richard by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Richard by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree:
- L. Ray Sears
:
Family Tree DNA Y-DNA Test 67 markers, haplogroup R-M269, FTDNA kit #71407
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Images: 13
- Should I add living descendants of Richard Sares (Sears) to Wikitree? Jan 23, 2024.
- Eight Generations of Richard Sares (Sears) descendants now in Wikitree Oct 27, 2022.
- Sears Name Study- six generations now in Wikitree Oct 7, 2020.
- New Chart of Sears Haplogroups Dec 29, 2019.
- Shared Photo: Descendants of Richard Sears of Yarmouth, Plymouth Colony Mar 16, 2019.
- Need DNA expert to answer question on this profile Dec 4, 2018.
Featured Foodie Connections: Richard is 18 degrees from Emeril Lagasse, 19 degrees from Nigella Lawson, 20 degrees from Maggie Beer, 41 degrees from Mary Hunnings, 27 degrees from Joop Braakhekke, 22 degrees from Michael Chow, 16 degrees from Ree Drummond, 21 degrees from Paul Hollywood, 17 degrees from Matty Matheson, 19 degrees from Martha Stewart, 28 degrees from Danny Trejo and 23 degrees from Molly Yeh on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
Now on to Generation 9! (My Dad's generation).
edited by L. Ray Sears III, P.E.
S Willson
edited by L. Ray Sears III, P.E.
edited by L. Ray Sears III, P.E.
that date seems way to early (ae 15?) , there is no source, i suggest we remove 1610 and probably even England or Netherlands. Nothing to indicate a marriage location? Maybe he was married in the colonies?
edited by Richard Sears
Have you reached out to the two profile managers of Sears-33 or posted a message there? One of the PMs is still pretty active here. It might also help if you quote the pertinent part of Hyde's essay that leads to the conclusive identification of the mother of Sears-33.
and again on p. 362 https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/connecticut-nutmegger/image/?volumeId=11785&pageName=362&rId=134677807 all of which 'may' come from Somerby
and the fraud discussed further in the Essex Genealogist here: https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/essex-genealogist-the/image?volumeId=12591&pageName=171&rId=143248845
edited by Chris Hoyt
edited by L. Ray Sears III, P.E.
If evidence cannot be found for his birth in Amsterdam, then that should be removed.
I'm a novice here--a lifelong genealogist, but new to WikiTree. How can the spurious entry for Richard Sears (Sears-600)--which is inaccurate about parents, wife, and and one child (Knyvet) who didn't exist, probably other less crucial details--be removed or altered so it doesn't mislead another whole generation of Sears descendants into the same errors? I am very tired of reading this material--the falsehoods are more than a century old and still being repeated as if they have some authority. How does one proceed in such a case on WikiTree? An accurate version of Richard's profile is also posted, but it doesn't include his three children, who are decisively named in his will. Can't the Richards be merged and corrected? Richard Sears
Paul https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sears-63
Deborah https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sears-33
Silas https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sears-651
So the other Richard https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sears-600 and his wife https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Thacher-304 need clean up and probably merging.
There is also another child who probably didn't exist. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sears-601
1234556677889900-
https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Sears-4172 and the portrait of Squire Richard's mother- https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Freeman-13568 for complete email in French and translated by my niece into English. They don't know the artist. There is some reference to the Van Egmont family but this has been noted as false under the Somerby Fraud on this page.
The color portrait was recently sold in Paris at auction with a companion portrait - David and Richard's mother Fear (Freeman-13568) Sears for about 8 000 / 12 000 They are quite small - H_28 cm L_22,5 cm (about 10 " x 8 "). They are also quite similar making me think they were painted at the same time
edited by L. Ray Sears III, P.E.
My line is Richard->Paul->Paul->Edmund->Elkanah->William->Elkanah->Leslie and our family still lives in the same East Dennis village (Quivet Neck) where Richard first settled on Cape Cod.
Thanks and Merry Christmas L. Ray Sears, III
Plymouth Wills, Inventories, Etc, 1637-1685 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/9069/007705397_00001#?imageId=007705397_00215 (subscription needed or visit your public library that may be subscribing or your FHL)
North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 Author: Ancestry.com Publisher: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date: 2016 Publisher Location: Provo, UT, USA Name: Ancestry.com
reason? see here - answer by Jillaine Smith: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/247811/north-america-family-histories-1500-2000-ancestry-good-source