Lemuel Spear & His Lineage
Lemuel Spear's Early Life
Lemuel Spear, was born October 10th, 1773 in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts.
Pictured above is Lemuel Spear's military headstone
Lemuel in the Revolutionary War
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 with two yoke of oxen, sheep, and cows. According to the P A L M Y R A — 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, and on the right when traveling east.
43° 3.758′ N, 77° 15.828′ W
The land on which Lemuel Spear settled was purchased from Isaac Hathaway. He bought around six hundred acres and paid about 20 cents (in 2024 currency) an acre.
The Spear family lived in a covered sleigh, later a hut, until their log cabin was finished. They spent months clearing the land and planting while they built their new home.
The Spears survived decently well in the still wildness land of Palmyra. The family is recorded to have traded with the local Native Americans in the area. They traded a supply of venison, when they needed meat, and when the land had been harvested, the Spears had a sufficient food supply.
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.
The road with historic sign of Lemuel Spear's home.
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."
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.
Ruth, Lemuel's wife, is buried with him at the Old Baptist Cemetery.
Lemuel's Headstones
Lemuel Spear has three headstones in the Old Baptist Cemetery.
His personal headstone was placed in the cemetery at the time of Lemuel's death. On the headstone is the inscription of,
"Sacred to the memory of Lemuel Spear who died August 3, 1809, in the 63rd year of his age. 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 military headstone was placed in the old Baptist Cemetery decades later after Lemuel's death and is the military headstone placed near his follow Spear family members in the cemetery. 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 Lemuel Spear is on is the Cemetery's Mass Headstone. He is one of 20 individuals listed.
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, Isacc, Jacob, Relief, Stephen, and Abraham.
The following Spear children have findagrave.com accounts (Updated as of 11/29/24)
Listed below are the following Spear children (and some of their spouses and children) who are buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery.
Children of Lemuel Spear
The Spear Children's Spouses
There are other Spear family members buried at the Old Baptist Cemetery as well. Check findagrave.
Isaac Spear, buried at The Old Baptist Cemetery. Photo taken by Erika Newcombe. The picture was taken when Isaac's headstone was being reset and repaired.
Ruth is buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery with her father, mother (Ruth Hayward Spear), and siblings. Photo taken by Erika Newcombe.
Abraham Spear, buried at Colgate University Cemetery. Photo added to findagrave.com by Dale M.
Relief Spear Mallory is buried at Waldo Cemetery. Photo added by Jerry H
Stephen Spear is buried at Palmyra Cemetery. Photo taken by Cheri Branca.