Sears, Peter, 1743-1802

and

Sears, Thankful Howes, 1743-1816

Papers, 1771-1842
300 items

Biographical information:

Captain Peter Sears and his wife, Thankful Howes Sears, kept a store in Yarmouth, Mass., after his retirement from the sea, and supplemented their income by manufacturing and selling salt. Because they were childless, they adopted a nephew, Peter, son of Roland Sears of Ashfield, Mass. Around 1800 they moved from Yarmouth to live with him. Young Peter Sears left Ashfield in the early 1820's, moving first to Boston and, by 1832, to Dexter, Michigan.

Scope and Contents:

Papers of the Sears family of Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

This collection contains 46 letters of Captain Sears and his wife, 1770-1789; 12 items relate to the younger Peter Sears, including a printed broadside from the Massachusetts Militia, March 30, 1799, sent to him when he was first lieutenant of the Ashfield Militia. There are three wills, dated 1786, 1802, and 1810. The collection also contains 200 receipts and accounts.

Provenance:

Purchased, 1973

Sears family Papers

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