John Cears Kear Family
A History of the John Cears/Kear family
Wiley McDonald Kear
Wiley
McDonald KEAR, son of Thomas Reed KEAR and Catherine
FRYSINGER, was
born 22 April 1851 in Van Wert, Van Wert Co., Ohio [note 1],
and died 17 November 1932 at his home in Washington, Beaufort
Co.,
North Carolina, at the age of 81 years, seven months and 26
days. He
married Malinda ROMIG on 17 June 1879 in Brandon, Iowa.
Malinda was
born in Richfield, Jefferson County, Wisconsin [note
2],
on 14 October 1853 to Isaac ROMIG and Elizabeth YOUNG, and
died 1
October 1934 at her home in Washington, Beaufort County,
North Carolina
, age 80 years, 10 months and 18 days [note 3].
Wiley
and Malinda are buried in the Woodland Cemetery, Van Wert
County, Ohio.
Wiley was born
at
home on a site that was known as "McKim's Block." Nothing is
known about his early education, but it is assumed that he
attended the
school in the east of the Town of Van Wert that was erected
in 1855.
In
1866 he began working at the
Warren & Wells stave factory in Van Wert.
About two
years
later, he moved to a farm near Plymouth, Indiana, where he
worked for
his board during the summer and attended school during the
winter [note 4].
Returning
to Van
Wert, Wiley spent three years working and attending school.
He
would work for eight months and attend school for four
months.
About 1873, he began working on farms near Brandon, Iowa.
Again after returning to Van Wert in 1873, he cut
bolts for
staves, did general teaming, worked in a saw mill, and taught
school [note
5].
While visiting a sister,
Sarah Ellen (Kear) ASHER in Brandon, Iowa, Wiley met Malinda Romig, and
married her six years later.
In 1873, Wiley's career in
real estate
began to take shape when he platted, laid out, and began selling lots
in what was known as "Catherine Kear's Addition" to the town of Van
Wert [note 6].
With this experience, he decided to make a career in selling
real estate
Wiley wrote a number of
investigative papers about the Kear family. Click HERE
to view the papers.
Wiley and Malinda had seven
children (See
family photo):
- Carleton Romig KEAR
- Helen Lucretia KEAR
- Georgiana Maude KEAR
- Roy Donald Kear KEAR
- Paul Winfred KEAR
- Harry Alexander KEAR
- Thomas W. KEAR
was born and died on 28 January 1894 in Van Wert, Van Wert County,
Ohio.
Notes: Except for the following numbered references, the information are from Wiley's unpublished papers. The top photo is from the Kear book; the lower photo is from Lydia Kear's scrapbook and furnished by John Feagans.
- Certificate of Death, Register of Deeds of Beaufort County, Vital Statistics, North Carolina, Vol. 17, p. 401, No. 143. [Return to text]
- Census, 1930, Washington, Beaufort County, North Carolina, Sheet 71, No. 49. [Return to text]
- Certificate of Death, Register of Deeds of Beaufort County, Vital Statistics, North Carolina, Vol. 19, p. 443, No. 162. [Return to text]
- Gilliland, Thaddeus S., editor and compiler, History of Van Wert County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, (Richmond & Arnold, Illinois, 1906), p. 546. [Return to text]
- Gilliland, p. 548. [Return to text]
- Ibid. [Return to text]
Copyright
Information on this site related to the Kear family is from The John Cears Kear Family compiled, written and edited by Donald L. Kear, copyright © 1984. Copyright © 2000 - 2006 by Donald L. Kear. All rights reserved. Portions of the pages on this site may be reproduced for nonprofit use only. Credit shall be given to the source.