History

We have been collecting data about the SEARS family since 1976 and currently have a PAF database with over 50,000 relatives of one SEARS or another. The primary source of information is Samuel P May's, The Descendants of RICHARD SARES (SEARS) of Yarmouth, Mass. 1638-1888 with an APPENDIX containing some notices of other families by the name of SEARS, 1890, Joel Munsell's Sons, Albany, NY.

May was a member of the New England Historical and Genealogical Society and married two SEARS sisters(not simultaneously). As a result our SEARS information comes primarily from the New England branch of the family (WARNING- The Following Tree is a nice conversation piece but it has many Genealogical Errors - PLEASE DO NOT BASE ANY GENEALOGY WORK ON THIS TREE -Click here to see a drawing of Sears Trees).

Please note: No one has yet proven who the Ancestors of Richard Sares (Sears) the Pilgrim, of Plymouth Colony were. Please don't fall into the trap promulgated by Mr H G Somerby that John Bourchier Sears(Sayer) is Richard's father. It has not been proven that Richard had a daughter Mary who married a Worden (Werden) and neither has it been proven that a Knyvet Sears was a son of Richard. In fact much work has been done to disprove the existence of Knyvet!

Samuel Pierce May's work to disprove the errant genealogical work of H G Somerby can be seen in the following four pages scanned from May's personal copy of his book. You can even see May's handwritten notes on pp19 and 22.

CYR of France

The French name CYR has been Anglicized to SEARS in some cases. Yvon Cyr has a wonderful Acadian Genealogy Home Page which you can search this name and hundreds of others!