Gregory: Part 2
Sears Family
Chapter 10
Sears Family
(Purdy Ancestry continued)
(The Sears, Lee, Merrick, Freeman, Bissell, and Hopkins families will be followed.)
Note: This section covers several early pioneer families: Sears, Lee, Merrick, Bissell,
Freeman, and Hopkins. For easy of following theses lines, refer to the Dorothea Vollmer
Pedigree Chart at the Gregory Part 2 divider page before p. 240.
Each family will be followed as they appear in the family lineage. The Sears family married into
at least one Mayflower passenger family: Stephen and Giles Hopkins (See Chapter 11, Stephen
Hopkins.)
(1) Richard Sares (Sears) and Dorothy > (2) Silas Sears and Anna Bursell > (3) Joseph
Sears and Hannah Hall > (4) Silas Sears and Deborah Buck > (5) Richard Sears and Mary
Lee (Leigh) > (6) Orange Sears and Annis Bissell > (7) Amanda Sears and Merritt Purdy >
Maria Bissell Purdy and Washington Freeman Peck > Jessie Allen Peck and Henry
Vollmer > Dorothea Vollmer
The Sears family was well-respected and considered honorable citizens in their communities for
many generations. They had large families and large estates.
1. Richard Sares (Sears), whose birth and origin are unknown, is believed to have arrived
in Plymouth Colony in 1632. His name first appeared in the Plymouth Colony records in 1633 on
a tax list. In 1637 he was found in Massachusetts Colony where he was taxed. In 1639 he moved
to Cape Cod to an area called Mattakeese by the Indians, later renamed Yarmouth. Yarmouth
was on Cape Cod very near Barnstable and Sandwich, other areas settled by the early family
lines. In Yarmouth Richard Sares built a home on the bluff overlooking the ocean. “The roof was
thatched with the long sedge-grass found in the meadows, and as a substitute for glass in the
windows, oiled paper was used. The chimney was built of sticks, laid up cob-house fashion, and
well daubed with clay, or mortar made from shells … Straw or Sedge-grass served for a floor or
carpet.”1 It is recorded that Richard Sares was a “husbandman” or farmer and he purchased a
tract of land from the widow of Governor William Bradford in 1664 for 20 pounds.
There are a variety of spellings of Richard Sares’' last name in the early public records. In 1652
Richard Seeres was on a list in Yarmouth able to bear arms. In 1653 Richard Sares “took oath of
Fidellyte at Plimouth.” Later he was chosen Grand Juryman, then Constable in Yarmouth. In
1662 he was Representative of the General Court in Plymouth. Richard Sares was a hardworking
farmer and citizen in Yarmouth. On the Sears Family Monument erected in the Yarmouth
Cemetery it reads, “Worth is better than Wealth, Goodness greater than Nobility, Excellence
brighter than Distinction.”2
Richard Sares’ Last Will and Testament of shows his deep faith. “In the name of God, Amen. I,
Richard Sares of Yarmouth in the Colony of New Plymouth, in New England, do this … day …
1667 … I give and surrender up my soul to God that gave it, and my body to the earth, from
whence it was, in comely and decent manner to be buried … all my lands and goods as God hath
given me.3 In his will he gave land to his son “Sylas Sares.”
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Richard Sares married Dorothy Thatcher and they were the parents of Silas Sears (2).
2. Silas (Sylas, Silace) Sears was born about 1638 in Yarmouth, Massachusetts to Richard
and Dorothy Sares. He was a Lieutenant in the Massachusetts Militia, Representative from
Yarmouth to the General Court at Plymouth, Selectman, and Juryman. In 1689 “Silace Sears and
others were fined 20 pounds for not appearing and attending at Court, or disorderly departing
therefrom.” “It being first offense of the kind,” he paid his fine.4
Lieutenant Silas Sears and his brother Captain Paul Sears were whalers. The coast was divided
into sections that were assigned to whaling squads and the men were to stay within their own
areas for whaling. The whalers sold whale oil, fish and tar to traders who came to the coast for
supplies.
Silas Sears married Anna Bursell and they were the parents of Joseph Sears (3).
3. Joseph Sears was born January 22, 1669 in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. He married Hannah
Hall, and they were the parents of 11 children, including Silas Sears (4).
4. Silas Sears was born in February 11, 1719 in Yarmouth,
Massachusetts. He served as a private in the American Revolution from
Greenwich, Massachusetts. Silas and his wife Deborah Buck were the
parents of Richard Sears (5).
Sons of the
Revolutionary War
Emblem
An application for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution
5. Richard Sears was born in 1748 in Harwich, Massachusetts to Silas
and Deborah Sears. Richard Sears fought in the Revolutionary War in 1775
under Jon Brewer in the battle at Bunker Hill during the Siege of Boston. In
this battle the relatively inexperienced colonial forces fought strongly against
the trained British Army. The British suffered great loses in the battle, while
the colonial forces lost few soldiers. The British won Bunker Hill, but the
great loss of military leaders and men was far more significant. Sergeant
Sears was in Captain Abner Pomroy’s Company in Col. Ezra Wood’s
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Sons of the
Revolutionary War
Emblem
Gregory: Part 2
Sears Family
Chapter 10
Regiment. They marched into New York State 160 miles in 7 months and 27 days. His family
suffered greatly during his absence. It is through Richard Sears that the family claims
membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. (Maria Purdy Peck, granddaughter of
Richard Sears was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.)
When Richard Sears returned from the war he moved his family moved to upstate New York.
During this time period many people were moving westward. He was in the 1790 Hoosick (near
Albany), New York Census. Richard died in Hoosick, New York in 1814.
Richard Sears was married to *Mary Lee (Leigh) who descended from an early Massachusetts
family. They married in 1771 in Massachusetts. Mary suffered through life from hardships
endured during the war. Richard Sears and Mary Lee were the parents of seven children,
including Orange Sears (6).
Lee (Leigh)
John Leigh and Anne (Joanne) Hungerford > Joseph Leigh and Mary Woodis or
Woods> Henry Lee and Rebecca Heywood > Amber Leigh and Sarah Merrick >
Mary Leigh and Richard Sears
John Lee (Leigh) was born about 1600 in England and immigrated with his wife and children to
America and lived in Ipswich, Massachusetts where he died. The line goes through Joseph
Leigh (b. 1643 in Ipswich, England) and Henry Lee (b. 1886 in Ipswich, Massachusetts) to
Amber Leigh, all who lived in Massachusetts.
Amber Leigh was born September 4, 1713 in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1744 he married
*Sarah Merrick. Sarah Merrick’s (Myrick) family descends from the Mayflower passenger
*Stephen Hopkins. (See Chapter 11, Stephen Hopkins).
Amber Leigh was called a “husbandman.” He owned land in Rutland. He was a farmer, land
surveyor and Clerk of the Proprietors in 1749. Amber was one of the early settlers in Barre
where he helped his father lay out the town. For his work he was given farmland. Later he moved
to Amherst and appears on the town tax list in 1760. His children were baptized in the Amherst
Church on November 4, 1764. Amber and Sarah Merrick were the parents of several children,
including Mary Leigh (b. 1748) who married *Richard Sears (5).
Merrick (Myrick)
John Merrick (Myrick) and Dorothy Bishop > William Merrick Sr. and Rebecca
Tracy > William Merrick Jr. and Abigail Hopkins > Nathaniel Merrick and Alice
Freeman > Sarah Merrick and Amber Lee
John Merrick was born in Wales in 1579 and immigrated to America with his wife Dorothy and
their children in 1636 on the ship James. They settled in Massachusetts. William Merrick was
born in Wales in 1602. He was a farmer. William served six years under Captain Miles Standish,
first as an Ensign and then as a Lieutenant. He married Rebecca Tracy and they were the parents
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of 10 children, including William Merrick who married into the Hopkins
family when he married *Abigail Hopkins. bigail was the daughter of *Giles
Hopkins and granddaughter of *Stephen Hopkins, both Mayflower
passengers. (See Chapter 11, Stephen Hopkins.)
Freeman
Society of Mayflower
Descendants Emblem
Samuel Sr. Freeman and Apphia Quicke > Deacon Samuel Freeman
Jr. and Mercy Southworth > Alice Freeman and Nathaniel Merrick
Samuel Freeman was born about 1595 in Devonshire, England. He married Apphia Quicke in
London in 1624. When Samuel heard that John Winthrop was preparing an expedition to form a
new settlement in New England, he wrote a letter applying for the journey. He was accepted to
join Winthrop’s fleet of seven ships going to New England in 1630. Samuel, Apphia and their
son were among those who settled Watertown, Massachusetts.
Samuel Freeman was a proprietor in Watertown. He received six acres of land at the Division of
Land in 1638. Over time he acquired more land. He became a freeman in 1639 which allowed
him the right to bear arms and hold positions in the settlement.
Samuel and Apphia Freeman were the parents of three children, including Samuel Freeman Jr.
Samuel Freeman Jr. was born in Watertown May 11, 1638. He became a deacon of the church in
Eastham in 1676. He also became a Representative to the General Court of Plymouth in 1697.
Deacon Samuel Freeman was a wealthy man and provided much service to the town of Eastham
and Plymouth Colony. He married Mercy Southworth in 1658 in Eastham and they were the
parents of nine children, including *Alice Freeman who married Nathaniel Merrick.
6. Orange Sears was born December 4, 1776 in Amherst, Massachusetts. At this time it is
unclear where the name Orange originated. Orange Sears was a wagon maker and farmer. He
was found in the town of Butler, Wayne County, New York in the town censuses of 1840 and
1850. Orange married the widow Annis Bissell (b. July 29, 1782 in Connecticut).
Annis Bissell Sears died September 17, 1841 and was buried in the Hubbard Cemetery in Butler,
New York. Her headstone reads,
“SEARS Annis, wife of Orange d. 17 Sep. 1841, 59 y.
I shared my part in Worldly cares,
When living as you are, But now I’m dead.
Behold you see, And hasten to eternity.
Go home, dear children, dry up your tears,
Here I must lie until Christ appears.”
Orange Sears died in 1854 in Lyons, Wayne County, New York. It is believed he is also buried
in the Hubbard Cemetery.
Orange Sears and *Annis Bissell were married in 1808. They had four children, including
Amanda Sears (7) who married *Merritt Purdy (See Chapter 9, Purdy Ancestry).
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Bissell
John Bissell and Mary > Thomas Bissell and Abigail Moore > Isaac Bissell and
Elizabeth Osborn > Benjamin Bissell and Leah Peck > Benjamin Bissell Jr. and
Mabel Hannah Griswald > Annis Bissell and Orange Sears
The Bissell family began in American with John Bissell (b. 1591 in England). John was in
Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1628 and then settled in Connecticut where the family stayed for
several generations. The line descends from John Bissell to Thomas, to Benjamin Sr. and to
Benjamin Bissell Jr.
Benjamin Bissell Jr. was born December 12, 1743 in Litchfield, Connecticut.
He served in the Revolutionary War. In May 1779 a regiment of soldiers was
formed “to be subject to join the continental army, if so ordered by the
Governor.”5 Benjamin Bissell Jr. and other relatives were named on the
military company list. He re-enlisted in 1779 and served under Captain William
Richards until his company was disbanded in 1783. Benjamin Bissell Jr. was
given a pension for his military service.
In the 1800’s the Bissell family, including their daughter Annis Bissell, moved to
upstate New York where the Peck, Purdy and Sears families lived.
Sons of the
Revolutionary War
Emblem
The family name Bissell was given to Maria Bissell Purdy, daughter of Merritt Purdy and
Amanda Sears Purdy and grandmother of Dorothea Vollmer.
Sons of the American Revolution membership application giving military service of Benjamin Bissell.
Application for admission into the Daughter of the American Revolution through Benjamin Bissell Jr.
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7. Amanda Sears was born March 1, 1815 in Valley Falls, New York to Orange and Annis
Bissell Sears. She married Merritt Purdy on Christmas 1836 in Pittstown, New York. Amanda
Sears and Merritt Purdy were the parents of four children, including *Maria Bissell Purdy.
Maria Bissell Purdy Married Washington Freeman Peck.
See Chapter 8, Maria Bissell Purdy and Washington Freeman Peck family.
1
Samuel Pearce May, The Descendants of Richard Sares (Sears) of Yarmouth, Massachusetts 1638-1688, 1890, 425. http://books.google.com/books?id=g4UAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA2&dq=richard+sears,+1596+massachusetts&hl=en&ei=WI7aTb7rEIeksQOroSNDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false
2
Ibid, 32.
Ibid, 37.
4
Ibid , 49.
5
Sketches and Chronicles of the Town Litchfield, Connecticut 1859,
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12152602/person/-317427294/story/30fe7f7a-3efa-4405-956eb617cf06a1c6?src=search
3
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