Spear Family History, Genealogy & Ancestry

The Spear Family

1,531 Spear records from public death, burial and census records and the old county histories, in all 12 Midwestern states we cover. Every name is a real person in the public record, and we follow set rules to leave living people out (how).

1,531Records in our database

1871Earliest birth

3Documented families

See the Spear family trees →111 Spear families pieced together from public birth and death records, county histories and old newspapers

At a glance

1,531 Spear records in our database

From public death, burial and census records across 12 Midwestern states. We follow set rules to leave living people out (how). Tap a state or a decade to narrow the list of ancestors below.

Where

fewer more

When they were born

Most records: Ohio (270 of 1,531)
Most common birth decade: the 1900s
Earliest birth in the database: Mary Spear, born 1871, Ohio

Most common first names

Robert36 William36 John31 James30 George24 Mary24 Charles22 Helen21 Margaret20 Gladys15 Joseph15 Edward14

Documented families

Spear families we have traced

Written from county histories and public records, every fact cited. We follow set rules to leave living people out (how).

Family records from county histories (3)

Wolf Spear d. 1889Richland County, OhioStarts: Nathaniel Spear, from Schrecksbach, Kreis Ziegenhain, Hesse, GermanyMost recent: Nathaniel Spear, Solomon Spear, Betty Spear Benjamin W. Spear b. 1822Mahoning County, OhioStarts: Alexander Spear, from PennsylvaniaMost recent: Horace W. Spear Solomon Spear b. 1848Richland County, OhioStarts: Wolf Spear & Yetta Schoenberg, from Schrecksbach, Kreis Ziegenhain, Hesse, GermanyMost recent: Nathaniel Spear, Alexander Spear, Joel Spear

The earliest Spears in the county histories

John SpearBorn 1823Child of William Spear and Catherine SpearMorrow County, Ohio C. W. SpearBorn 1834, Lenawee CountyNodaway County, Missouri Charles L. SpearBorn 1852, Bureau CountyChild of Charles W. Spear and Louisa (Foot) SpearNodaway County, Missouri Horace W. SpearBorn 1857Child of Dr. Benjamin W. Spear and Elizabeth (Ware) SpearMahoning County, Ohio

Family trees from the public record

111 Spear families: parents, brothers and sistersFrom state birth and death indexes, county histories and old newspapers, most recent deaths first

In old newspapers

9 Spear death notices, 1837 to 1925Obituaries and funeral notices from Midwest papers scanned by the Library of Congress, with the original pages

In the county history family index

5 Spear people in 4 countiesBirth years, birthplaces, parents and spouses, from the old county histories

Done-for-you research

Trace your documented Spear family

Found your Spear? We trace your family back as far as the records go and write it up as a family history book, every source cited. No DNA test and no sales call: we take a free first look, then email you a plan and a flat price before you spend a dollar.

Common questions

Spear genealogy: FAQ

Where were Spear ancestors recorded?

Our database holds 1,531 Spear records from all 12 Midwestern states. The most are in Ohio (270), then Indiana (203) and Missouri (167).

How far back does the Spear family tree go?

The earliest Spear birth in our database is 1871: Mary Spear, Ohio. We have pieced together 111 Spear family trees from public birth and death records.

Are living Spear family members listed here?

Not knowingly. We follow set rules to leave living people out of our public pages. If you find a living relative listed here, email us and we will take the record down.

Is this my Spear family?

Maybe. Many people share a name, so treat any match as a possible match until the dates and places line up with what you know about your family. Every person here links to their own page with the details, and we can trace your line for you.