Lemuel Spear & His Lineage

Lemuel Spear's Early Life

Lemuel in the Revolutionary War

Moving to Macedon

Home of Lemuel Spear

Lemuel Spear Regarding the Church

Lemuel's Headstones

Macedon Banner Project

Ruth (Hayward) Spear

Children of Lemuel & Ruth Spear

Lemuel Spear's Early Life

Lemuel Spear, was born October 10th, 1747 in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. At the age of twenty-two he married Ruth Hayward on May 20th, 1769, in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Lemuel's first recorded child was Ebenezer Spear, born July 18th, 1772 in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts.

Lemuel in the Revolutionary War

Lemuel Spear was about twenty-eight at the beginning of his service. He started as a drummer and was led by Captain Eliphalet Sawen which assembled April 19, 1775. This was the day of the Battle of Lexington and Concord which was the first major military altercation between the Patriots and the British. He served for eight days during this time of urgence and chaos.

Lemuel moved up to Private under the company of Captain Frederick Pope. He enlisted on June 27, 1775 and served for about 1 month and 7 days. There are records showing he received supplies, including a bounty coat (a military clothing payment/benefit).

In March of 1776 he served again under Captain Eliphalet Sawen in Colonel Joseph Palmer’s regiment. This service lasted 15 days. In this company he served as a sergeant. His last service recorded was 4 days in June of 1776.

'Battle of Lexington' by William Barnes Wollen (1910) Public Domain

Moving to Macedon

It was February of 1790/91 when Lemuel Spear, his wife, Ruth (Hayward) Spear, and some of their children, traveled from Cummington, Massachusetts, to settle north of the village of Palmyra (area now Macedon). Lemuel Spear is considered as the third settler of the area.

The Spears traveled by sled/"runners" with two yoke of oxen, sheep, and cows. The Spear family had little to guide them from Phelps to their destination, one mile above the Palmyra village besides marking on trees from past travelers, and a bare track. According to the PALMYRA — WAYNE COUNTY, NEW YORK: Copyright 1907 from the OFFICIAL JOSEPH SMITH HOME PAGE, "He [Lemuel] found his way by blazed trees from Vienna to his purchase and his sled ran roughly upon little less than a track. The weather was mild and the stock fared well upon the growth of the fiats, a portion of which had been known as Indian Village."

The Historical Marker alongside the location of where Lemuel Spear's home was, and where the First Baptist Church was located and hosted.

The Historical marker is on Quaker Road, in Macedon, New York, 0.6 miles west of Walworth Road

43° 3.758′ N, 77° 15.828′ W

The land on which Lemuel Spear settled was purchased from Isaac Hathaway. He bought around five hundred to six hundred acres depending on the source and paid about 20 to 25 cents an acre.

The Spear family lived in a covered sleigh, later a hut, mimicking that of a Native American home until their log cabin was finished. The family spent months clearing the land and planting while they built their new home. Their land in records is reffered to as the Lemuel Spear tract, Lemuel Spear home or Lemuel Spear Homestead.

Home of Lemuel Spear

In a newspaper article from the Courier Gazette in 1981, it described how the Spear home will be taken apart, but also recorded how the structure of the house was recorded in order to reconstruct the home at a later date. The aspects of the house are reported to be stored in the basement of the Palmyra historic Museum, "We will assemble it the way it was in. 1800." to quote from George Larsson.

"The two-story house will be reconstructed later, when land is available to put it on. Portions of the floors and walls will be left open, so people can see the beams braces, and lath-and-plaster walls. On the second floor, a wall will be left open to show the roof construction."

A model of the Spear home had been created by Evan Goetzman, a sophomore at Palmyra-Macedon High School. He started with drawings of the home and later created the model which took about fifty hours to make.

Whether or not the home will be restored is unknown. To quote from the article, "Larsson says, “Eventually we’ll think about starting a fund drive, and finding somebody to donate a site for rebuilding the house." This was in 1981.

The Spears survived decently well in the wild woods of Palmyra, which at the time contained wolves, some records of bears (most likely black bears) and Native Americans. The Spear family is recorded to have traded with the local Native Americans in the area for a supply of venison, when the Spears needed meat; but when the Spear farm was later harvested, the Spears had a sufficient food supply.

Lemuel led an active life in Palmyra and is recorded on dozens of records across the years. Before Palmyra was named Palmyra, the town was dubbed "The District of Tolland." Lemuel Spear is on a document from 1796 where he is listed as head of the family for "....those who had 'earmarks' for stock..."

Lemuel Spear's home became a hub for surrounding congregations. In a newspaper article by the Courier-Journal, on November 9th, 1979 titled, 'Synopsis of the Church History,' it is recorded that delegates from churches of Farmington, Phelps, Augusta, Bloomfield and Canandaigua traveled to Lemuel Spear's home on July 3rd, 1800. It was this day that fellowship was recognized as the "First Baptist Church of Palmyra." The first baptism of the church happened in November of that year.

Lemuel is recorded to have erected the second frame barn of Palmyra, the first being Mr. Porter. In the same document, Landmarks of Wayne County, New York, Lemuel Spear is also listed as one of the first grand jurors empaneled in the county. In the document, Town of Palmyra 1817 Minutes, Lemuel is recorded to have been voted to serve as Collector the year ensuing as well as being voted a Constable for the year ensuing.

Lemuel Spear is recorded in a 1817 Town Highway Tax Record, to have worked on the highway. As the document explains, "New York law established a system for maintaining roads which required that each township be divided into road districts and that all men in each district were required to work on the roads." Further down the paper explains, " ....every male living in his district who was twenty-one years or older (a free man) or property owner (a freeholder). Each man devoted at least one day a year to keeping the roads in repair in the district in which he lived. This included clearing brush, stones, and fallen trees; repairing bridges; filling holes; and in the winter clearing paths through the snow."

The land had been in the Spear family for over one hundred years before being sold to out of the family. A historical marker sign stands to mark the land on which the Spear's log cabin once stood.

Lemuel Spear Regarding the Church

Lemuel Spear is said to be the founder of the First Macedon Baptist Church. It is recorded by multiple sources that Lemuel and Webb Harwood would host Church sermons and town meeting in their homes before the church was built. Lemuel was one of the founding nineteen members of the church alongside his wife, Ruth (Hayward).

Lemuel's Headstones

Lemuel Spear has three headstones in the Old Baptist Cemetery. His (1.) original headstone from 1809, his (2.) military headstone ordered to the cemetery in the 1970s and his name, age and death listed on the (3.) "mass headstone" in the west corner of the cemetery by the entrance.

Lemuel's original headstone was placed in the cemetery at the time of Lemuel's death. On the original headstone his inscription reads,

"Sacred to the memory of Lemuel Spear who died August 3, 1809, in the 63rd year of his age." The epitaph on his personal headstone is, "They die in Jesus and are ble'sd. How sweet their slumbers are from suffering and from sins releas'd and free from every snare."

His original headstone is the oldest headstone in the cemetery (from 1809) which makes sense since Lemuel Spear is the second recorded burial in The Old Baptist Cemetery. The marble headstone was repaired in Summer of 2024 and was placed on the opposite side of his military headstone which had been placed in Lemuel's recorded burial spot; later confirmed by Ground Penetrating Radar done in the cemetery July/August of 2025.

2/3 of Lemuel's headstones (Photo Taken: 2025)

His military headstone was placed in the Old Baptist Cemetery over a hundred years later after Lemuel's death. On Lemuel Spear's military headstone is the inscription,

"LEMUEL SPEAR / NEW YORK / SGT / COL PALMER'S REGT / REV WAR / AUGUST 3 1746 / AUGUST 3 1809"

The third headstone with Lemuel Spear's name is on the Cemetery's Mass Headstone. He is the first of 20 individuals listed.

Lemuel Spear's original headstone

Lemuel Spear's military headstone

The mass headstone

Lemuel Spear's Revolutionary War Burial Index Card

Macedon Banner Project

On Saturday, April 25th, Macedon held a Hometown Heroes banquet to honor veterans from Macedon, from the Revolutionary War to the present day. The banquent was held at Crooked Pines Golf Club for the Macedon Banner Project. Senator Pamela Helming, along with Brian Manktelow was there in support.

The veterans being honored were granted banners with their names and service listed, along with their photos when available. Since most of the soldiers were not around to be photographed art of what the soldiers of the time would have looked like were used instead. Of the over twenty banners created, five were from the Old Baptist Cemetery. The following men were given banners that are scheduled to be displayed on Macedon's Main Street along Route 31: Private Ephraim Green, Corporal Jacob Spear, Sergeant Lemuel Spear, Private Aaron Brister, and Private Levi Wood.

Ruth (Hayward) Spear

Ruth Hayward was born October 2nd in 1752 to her parents Aaron and Mary (Bass) Hayward. At age seventeen, on May 20th, 1769, Ruth married Lemuel Spear in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts.

Ruth is recorded as one of the original nineteen members of the Baptist Church of Palmyra which would later be Macedon. In some records such as 'The descendants of George Spear who settled at Braintree, Massachusetts, 1642-1988,' she went on to have eleven recorded children with Lemuel other records say Ruth and Lemuel had around eight. [Names and information of the children listed below].

On the, 'Ontario County Tax Assessment Rolls' for 1813 and years, 1816-1821 she is listed as a widow.

Ruth Hayward Spear died on September 7th, 1832 at the age of eighty-three. Ruth is buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery with her husband, children and some of her son and daughter in-laws. Ruth has no headstone standing in the cemetery, nor any known records or photos of her having a headstone.

Children of Lemuel & Ruth Spear

Lemuel and Ruth (Hayward) Spear have a recorded eight children but some records state they may of had eleven. Confirmed children are listed in order of birth: Ebenezer, Ruth, Lemuel Samuel, Isaac, Jacob, Relief, Stephen, and Abraham.