Genealogy for
William Jesse Spears II
| About William Jesse Spears II |
|---|
William Jesse Spears II
12/12/1862 - 3/18/1922
|
William Jesse Spears, II, was born on December 12, 1862 somewhere in Florida and died on March 18, 1922 in Calhoun, Florida. He lived to be 59 years old.
He was born a month after his father died in the Civil War.
When he was about five years old, his mother remarried to Thomas M. Parish Jr.
He married Mary in 1889 and they had seven
children:
Dora B. (10/1892)
Laura E. Spears (5/1895)
Leola Spears (7/1897)
Chelly Spears (1904)
John Spears (4/29/1906 - 12/14/1984)
Joseph Spears (1908)
Charlie Spears (1911) | 
 | Census | 7/1/1870 | FL (Calhoun County) | 7 yrs old | Dweling #3, household #2 - Thomas M. Parish (age 22), Elizabeth ( age 29)
Edward F. Parish (1),
William Spears (8),
Rachel C. Spears (16). All born in FL. Thomas is a farmer and Elizabeth keeps house.
| Additional information about Calhoun County, FL around 1870: Click here to see a map from this timeperiod. | |
|
| Census | 6/1/1880 | FL (Calhoun County) | 17 yrs old | Family #3: Thomas Parrish Jr. (age 36), Elizabeth (age 37),
William (18),
Thomas (10). Thomas is a farmer. Elizabeth is Keeping House. William & Thomas are farmer laborers. All were born in FL. Thomas' parents were born in NC and Elizabeth's in AL.
| Additional information about Calhoun County, FL around 1880: Blountstown was declared the seat of Calhoun County in 1880. Prior to that, Abe Springs had been the county seat. Click here to see a map from this timeperiod. | |
|
| Census | 6/2/1885 | FL (Calhoun County) | 22 yrs old | Dweling #288, household #315: Thomas Parish (age 35), Bittie Parish (age 40), William Spears (age 22, stepson), W. E. Parish (14), and Mary Parish (12).
Thomas is a farmer, he was born in FL, his parents in NC & GA. Bittie keeps house, she was born in FL, her parents unknown. All others born in FL. William is a laborer.
| Additional information about Calhoun County, FL around 1885: The principle towns in Calhoun County were Blountstown, Marysville, Chipola, Selman, Ocheesee, and Abe Springs. In 1884 railroads in Florida were bought out by one company and placed under central management. River Junction, located at the junction of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers, is the closest railroad and the primary hub of land transports. The photo on the right shows the iron bridge than spans the Chattahoochee River about a mile from the Depot at River Junction where wharves, storage, steamboats and hotels bussel with activity. Click the photo for a larger view. Click here to see a map from this timeperiod. | 
|
|
| Land Deed | 8/15/1898 | FL (Calhoun County) | 35 yrs old | | WILLIAM J. SPEARS - Document Nr.: 13536 - Acres: 160.48 - SWNW 4/ 1-N 8-W;
W½SW 4/ 1-N 8-W;
SESW 4/ 1-N 8-W
|
| Census | 6/1/1900 | Hansford Mill FL (Calhoun County) | 37 yrs old | Dweling# 519 household#619- William Spears (36-Dec.1863),
Mary N. Spears (26-Jan. 1874),
Dora B. Spears (7- Oct. 1892),
Laura E. Spears (5 -May 1895),
Leola Spears (2-July 1897)&
Mary M. Spears (5mo. born Dec.1899).William & Mary have been married 10 years. Mary has had four children all living. All born in FL.
| Additional information about Calhoun County, FL around 1900: The first automobile, nick-named Chicken Killer, arrives in Blountstown in 1905. The photo on the right shows The Chicken Killer. Click the photo for a larger view. Click here to see a map from this timeperiod. | 
|
|
| Census | 1/16/1920 | Hansford Mill, Blountstown FL (Calhoun County) | 57 yrs old | | Line #70 - William Spears (age 57),
Mary Spears (47),
Laura Spears (24),
Lee Spears (22),
Chelly Spears (16),
John Spears (13),
Joseph Spears (11),
Charlie Spears (8),
Leonard Lewis (7)(grandson)&
Decar Lewis (6)(grandson)Dan Lewis (24),Artow Lewis (19),. All were born in FL, as were their parents. William states he is a farmer on the family farm. All can read & write, except Leonard & Decar.
|
| Graveyard/Tombstone | 3/18/1922 | Blountstown FL (Calhoun County) | 59 yrs old | Nettle Ridge Cemetery. W. J. Spears - 12/12/1862 to 3/18/1922. Sec. 1, lot 16.  |
|
- About
- Florida News
- Discoveries
- News Headlines
- U.S. Events
- World Events
Click on any of the News, Events, or Discoveries buttons above to see historical things that happened during
William Spears's life. These are only some of the major events that affected the life and times of
William, his family, and friends. For example, William is 1 years old when Abraham Lincoln issues the "Emancipation Proclamation" freeing slaves.
| Age | Date | Event |
|---|
| 2 |
1864 |
Battle of Olustee is a Confederate victory. Union troops pull back |
| 3 |
1865 |
May 10th -- Union troops occupy Tallahassee. While Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi River that had not been captured, Union troops occupy the capitol following the surrender of the major Confederate armies in the east. |
| 3 |
1865 |
Battle at Natural Bridge (Wakulla County) is a Confederate victory. |
| 8 |
1870 |
During the 1870s, the remaining Seminole Indians begin establishing trading posts and other economy with local settlers. |
| 20 |
1882 |
The Florida Central and Western Railroad Company was created. It combines the Florida Central, Jacksonville, Pensacola, and Mobile railroads. |
| 21 |
1883 |
Three railroad companies are merged to form the Florida Transit and Penisular Railroad Company. Thee are: Florida Transit Railroad Co., Peninsular Railroad Co, and the Tropical Florida Railroad Co. |
| 22 |
1884 |
Most railroads in Florida are passed into the hands of a single company owned and operated by a single management, under the name of The Florida Railway and Navigation Company. It has more that 500 miles of main track in operation and about 300 miles of track under construction. The longest route was the "Western Division" which ran from Tallahassee to Jacksonville - 209 miles. |
| 44 |
1906 |
An attempt to drain the Everglades and convert it to farmland begins. |
| 55 |
1917 |
Seminole Indians become a Florida tourist attraction. |
| Age | Date | Event |
|---|
| 3 |
1865 |
Mendel publishes his papers on genetics and introduces the concept to the public. |
| 7 |
1869 |
Cro-magnon Man fossils are found in France |
| 15 |
1877 |
Edison invents the phonograph permitting music and voices to be recorded and replayed. |
| 17 |
1879 |
Edison invents the electric light bulb. |
| 27 |
1889 |
The first calculating machine is invented and uses punch cards |
| 33 |
1895 |
Wireless telegraph and the "antenna" are invented but it covers a very short distance. |
| 35 |
1897 |
First ship to shore message is sent using an improved form of wireless telegraph |
| 38 |
1900 |
Freud publishes his book "The Interpretation of Dreams" |
| 38 |
1900 |
The cause of yellow fever is discovered. It is proven that the fever is spread by mosquitoes. This rallies an effort to provide better mosquito control. |
| 39 |
1901 |
First transatlantic wireless telegraph is sent. |
| 40 |
1902 |
The first Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil is discovered. |
| 41 |
1903 |
Wright Brothers complete the first successful flight with an airplane at Kitty Hawk |
| 42 |
1904 |
The first vacuum tube diode is invented by Fleming |
| 44 |
1906 |
The triode vacuum tube is invented |
| 44 |
1906 |
Electrons are discovered by Thomson |
| 44 |
1906 |
Kellogg sells the first box of Corn Flakes |
| 50 |
1912 |
The unsinkable Titanic sinks on its first trip to New York drowning 1,513 people. |
| 51 |
1913 |
Ford builds the first assembly line into his automobile production plant |
| 52 |
1914 |
The first traffic lights (which is only red or green) are put up in America; Construction of the Panama Canal is completed |
| Age | Date | Event |
|---|
| 20 |
1882 |
NEWS HEADLINES: Edison creates the first large power station in New York City, making it the first place in America to have electricity. |
| 23 |
1885 |
NEWS HEADLINES: Eastman invents the box camera. For the first time photography becomes affordable for the average citizen. |
| 46 |
1908 |
NEWS HEADLINES: Henry Ford produces the first Model T automobile |
| 50 |
1912 |
White residents of Forsyth County, GA, drive the black population out. |
| 51 |
1913 |
NEWS HEADLINES: Edison invents motion pictures |
| 55 |
1917 |
NEWS HEADLINES: In June, the United States enters World War I on the side of the allies. The Russian Revolution ends the reign of the czars and thrusts Russia into communism. |
| 57 |
1919 |
NEWS HEADLINES: World War I ends with the signing of The Versailles Treaty. |
| Age | Date | Event |
|---|
| 1 |
1863 |
Abraham Lincoln issues the "Emancipation Proclamation" freeing slaves. |
| 3 |
1865 |
American Civil war ends with General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, VA. Reconstruction begins in the "old South" |
| 6 |
1868 |
An eight-hour work day is established for federal employees. |
| 13 |
1875 |
Tennessee enacts Jim Crow law. |
| 14 |
1876 |
The National League of Baseball is founded |
| 47 |
1909 |
The National Association for Advancement of Colored People is formed (NAACP) |
| 48 |
1910 |
Boy Scout and Girl Scout Organizations are introduced in America and the concept of a "week end" meaning time off from regular work begins to take root. The British Empire covers 1/5th of the world land area. |
| Age | Date | Event |
|---|
| 47 |
1909 |
The "Piltdown Man" hoax -- a fake archeological discovery announced by dishonest scientists who wanted to "prove" that human beings had evolved in Europe |
| 52 |
1914 |
World War I - Following the crisis touched off by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, Germany declared war on Russia and additional countries joined the war within several days. |
| 55 |
1917 |
Germany uses airplanes to drop bombs in the early stages of World War I -- the first major military use of airplanes. |
| 57 |
1919 |
The Versailles Treaty marks the official end of World War I. |
| 58 |
1920 |
Adolph Hitler begins to organize the Nazi party in Germany; The Ku Klux Klan launches a recruitment campaign using mass marketing techniques to gain 85,000 new recruits; the first commercial broadcast is made. |
| |
Marriages
|
|---|
 | Mary 'Polly' Halley
Born on January 4, 1872 and died on January 27, 1960.
They were married 9/19/1889.
|
|  |
The Children of William Jesse Spears II
|
|---|
|
Joseph Edward Spears
Born in Calhoun County, on November 17, 1908 and died in Tallahassee, Leon County, on June 16, 1989. He was 80 years old.
...
|
|
 |
 
|
|
Charlie Dozier Spears
Born in Blountstown, Florida on August 8, 1911 and died in Tallahassee, Florida on April 16, 1988. He was 76 years old.
|
|
|
|
|
