Descendants of WALTER GEER/GEERE
Generation No. 1
1. WALTER1
GEER/GEERE
was born abt 1450 in of Heavitree,
Children of WALTER
GEER/GEERE
and ALICE SOMASTER/SOMESTER are:
2. i. JOHN2 GEER/GEERE, b. abt
1480, Heavitree, near
ii. JULIANA GEERE, b. Aft. 1480; m. WILLIAM HURSTE.
Generation No. 2
2. JOHN2
GEER/GEERE
(WALTER1) was born abt 1480 in Heavitree, near
Children of JOHN GEER/GEERE and JANE STOWELL are:
i. ANDREW3 GEERE/GEER, b. Aft. 1510.
ii. MARY GEERE/GEER, b. Aft. 1510.
iii. ANNE GEERE/GEER, b. Aft. 1510.
Child of JOHN GEER/GEERE and ALICE
THROWBRIDGE/TROWBRIDGE is:
3. iv. JOHN3 GEER/GEERE, b. abt
1510, of Heavitree, near
Generation No. 3
3. JOHN3
GEER/GEERE
(JOHN2, WALTER1) was born abt 1510 in
of Heavitree, near
Children of JOHN GEER/GEERE and JULIANA/JULYANA BUTSIDE/BUTSIDES are:
4. i. JOHN4 GEER, b. abt 1540,
ii. MARY GEER, b. Aft. 1540,
Children of JOHN GEER/GEERE and
BEATRIX JERMYN are:
iii. NICHOLAS4 GEER, b. Aft.
November 1546,
5. iv. ANDREW GEER, b. Bef. 1547,
v.
6. vi. GEORGE GEER/GEERE, b. 1552 - 1555, Heavitree,
near
Generation No. 4
4. JOHN4 GEER (JOHN3 GEER/GEERE, JOHN2, WALTER1) was born abt 1540 in
Children of JOHN GEER and ELIZABETH BURINGTON are:
7. i. JOHN5 GEERE, b. abt 1570;
d. 1611 - 1645, of Hollwway, Kene,
ii. BARTHOLOMEW GEERE, b. Aft. 1570.
iii. GEORGE GEERE, b. Aft. 1570.
iv. HUMPHREY GEERE, b. Aft. 1570.
v. KATHERINE GEERE, m. RICHARD WALTON.
vi. BRIDGET GEERE, m. JOHN WALTON.
vii. JOAN GEERE, m. JOHN LANGE.
viii. MARY GEERE, m. CHRISTOPHER LAMACROFT.
5. ANDREW4 GEER (JOHN3 GEER/GEERE, JOHN2, WALTER1) was born Bef. 1547 in
Child of ANDREW GEER and UNKNOWN is:
i. ANNE5 GEER, b. Englannd;
d. husband of Sowton, England; m. RICHARD ASHE, January 1614 - 1616, England; b. Sowton.
6. GEORGE4
GEER/GEERE
(JOHN3, JOHN2, WALTER1)
was born 1552 - 1555 in Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England, and died
September 6, 1648 in Exeter, Devonshire, England. He married MARY A. 1580 - 1585 in
1585; Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England. She was born abt 1555 in England, and died
WFT Est. 1585-1649.
Child of GEORGE GEER/GEERE and MARY
is:
8. i. JONATHA/JONATHON5 GEER/GEARE/GEERE, b. 1580 -
1586, Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England; see notes; d. 1615 - 1635,
Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England; JONATHAN.
Generation No. 5
7. JOHN5 GEERE (JOHN4 GEER, JOHN3 GEER/GEERE,
JOHN2, WALTER1) was born
abt 1570, and died 1611 - 1645 in of Hollwway, Kene, Devon, England. He married MARY YARDE, daughter of
GILBERT
YARDE. She was born in of Nuton Bushell, England.
Children of JOHN GEERE and MARY YARDE are:
9. i. JOHN6 GEERE, b. 1600,
baptised: Kenn, England April 21, 1603; d. March 17, 1663 - 1664.
ii. ELIZABETH GEERE, b. Bef. 1604.
iii. ANNE GEERE, b. 1604; d. Bef. 1609.
iv. JOANE GEERE, b. 1605.
v. JUDITH GEERE, b. 1606; d. 1638.
vi. ANNE GEERE, b. Bef. 1609.
vii. ROSE GEERE, b. 1609; d. 1614.
viii. GEORGE GEERE, b. 1610.
ix. GILBERT GEERE, b. 1611; d. 1611.
8. JONATHA/JONATHON5
GEER/GEARE/GEERE (GEORGE4
GEER/GEERE, JOHN3, JOHN2,
WALTER1) was born
1580 - 1586 in Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England; see notes, and died
1615 - 1635 in Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England; JONATHAN. He married ELEANOR 1615 - 1621 in
England.
Notes for JONATHA/JONATHON GEER/GEARE/GEERE:
Little is known about
Jonathan Geer, the immediate ancestor of that family in England. No record has been found of his baptism, or
that of his sons, as the Parish Register of Heavitree does not begin early
enough to contain these records, the earliest entry being 1653.
Nor has any record
been found of his will, after a careful search for will of testators of that
name proved in the Perogative Court of Canterbury.
He seems to have been
a man of considerable property, and it is possible that he did not live in
Devonshire the later years of his life.
He left two young sons, George and Thomas, under the guardianship of an
uncle.
Children of JONATHA/JONATHON GEER/GEARE/GEERE and
ELEANOR are:
10. i. GEORGE6 GEER/GEERE, b. 1620 -
1621, Heavitree (Heae Tree), near Exeter, Devonshire, England; notes; d. 1722 -
1726, Ledyard/Preston, New London, Connecticut; age 105 years; buried in
Griswold, CT; age 105.
11. ii. THOMAS GEER/GEAR, b. 1623, Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England;
d. January 14, 1721 - 1722, of Enfield, Connecticut; notes.
Generation No. 6
9. JOHN6 GEERE (JOHN5, JOHN4 GEER, JOHN3 GEER/GEERE, JOHN2, WALTER1) was born 1600 in baptised: Kenn, England April 21,
1603, and died March 17, 1663 - 1664. He
married ELLINOR.
Children of JOHN GEERE and ELLINOR are:
12. i. GEORGE7 GEERE, b. abt 1648.
13. ii. GILBERT GEERE, b. abt 1650, baptised Sept. 12, 1650.
10. GEORGE6
GEER/GEERE
(JONATHA/JONATHON5 GEER/GEARE/GEERE, GEORGE4 GEER/GEERE,
JOHN3, JOHN2, WALTER1) was born
1620 - 1621 in Heavitree (Heae Tree), near Exeter, Devonshire, England; notes,
and died 1722 - 1726 in Ledyard/Preston, New London, Connecticut; age 105
years; buried in Griswold, CT; age 105.
He married SARAH/SARA ALLYN February 17, 1656 - 1659 in New London
County, Connecticut, daughter of ROBERT ALLYN/ALLEN and SARAH. She was born May 22, 1640 - 1643 in New
London, CT or Salem, Essex, MA; Baptised: Salem, Massachusetts abt 1640, and
died 1723 - 1726 in Preston, New London, Connecticut.
Notes for GEORGE GEER/GEERE:
The ancestors and
immediate family of George Geer were wealthy landholders in the area of
Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England.
It is now a small town about a mile and half southeast from Exeter,
having in 1900 a population of about 7,000.
Their father had
considerable property and somehow a mischief (murder?) occurred. Their uncle acquired the property by
initially raising the boys. He apparently gave George and his brother, Thomas,
little or no privilege of school instruction.
Hence, in later life, although both brothers held responsible positions,
they never wrote their names in deeds or wills, but simply made their
mark. The consequence was that their
names have been spelled in a variety of ways: Gear, Gere, Geer, etc. Their descendants, with but a few exceptions
such as Geres, write the name Geer, and the correctness of this spelling is
verified by the fact that the name thus written is attached to the original
coat of arms.
In order to obtain
possession of their property, their uncle arranged to ship the two boys to
America at an early age. The event is
thus described by a descendant:
"George and Thomas were orphaned when quite young and were brought up by
their uncle, and as they were heirs to a considerable estate it was the desire
of their uncle to remove them out of the way that the inheritance might by
his. To enable him to realize his wishes
without hindrance, he wrote to a captain of a ship about to sail for America, requesting
him to take the lads with him. George
and and his brother were sent with the letter, with orders to remain on board
until they received an answer. They
remained as directed, but to their surprise, while waiting, found themselves
victims of deception and already on their passage without the possibility of
returning".
The ship arrived in
Boston in 1635 and the boys were put on shore in a new country without money
and without friends, at the ages of 14 and 12..
For quite a number of years after their arrival in Boston, no history is
found of their lives, and how long they remained in Boston and vicinity cannot
be determined with absolute certainty.
The first reliable record found is that George was one of the early
settlers of New London, Connecticut about 1651, and Thomas of Enfield in
1682. It is probable, however, that
George came to New London with Robert Allyn and others as early as 1651, and
that Thomas remained in Salem, Massachusetts, until after the death of King
Philip in 1676.
George married Sarah
Allyn, daughter of Robert Allyn, one of the earliest settlers of New London,
Connecticut. Soon after his marriage,
George settled on a tract of land near his father-in-law. He had first a grant of 50 acres at New
London where he settled in 1651, and in 1665 a hundred acres more. His farm was in part of New London, now the
town of Ledyard. Later he owned a tract
of land in Preston, now Griswold, Connecticut.
He received land by deed from an Indian chief, Owaneco, son of Uncas, on
December 11, 1691. Uncas was the chief
of the Mohegan Indians, and lived ca. 1588-1643. The tribe lived in southwest Connecticut in
the 17th century when they joined with the Pequot Indians. Uncas later rebelled against the Pequot rule: he sought British support, became very
powerful and expanded his tribe.
Constantly at war with Miantonomo, the Narrangansett chief, he was
captured in 1643 and murdered.
George's first house
was built on a side hill near a never-failing spring of water near the present
town of Ledyard.. He built a second
house, which was occupied later by his youngest son, Jeremiah.
George Geer was a
selectman (one of a board of town officers, elected annually in New England to
manage local affairs), and held other offices of trust and honor. During his last years he was totally blind. He resided in Groton, Connecticut, until 5 or
6 years before his death. He then moved
to Preston, and lived with his daughter, Margaret Gates. His will, dated June 5, 1723, bequeathed to
his wife and his children.
George was buried in
an old Indian burial ground in what is now Griswold, CT, about two miles from
the farm where he died. The early graves
were marked only by small flat stones, and the only legible marks were simple
initials, if anything, and cannot now be distinguished, but the grave of George
was known, as a white oak tree grew out of his grave to mark the spot. Many years ago the tree was cut to the ground
and used for ship timber, but the grave was still known by the stump. A descendant of George thought the place
ought to have a permanent marker, so he had made a marker of westley granite
placed there, cut with this inscription: "Our first Ancestor, George Geer,
died 1726, aged 105, to mark his grave".
This was placed on a solid foundation of stones and cement.
A book titled
"Swamp Yankee from Mystic" by James H. Allyn (@1980) has a paragraph
on George Geer: "George Geer was born in Devonshire in 1621, and came to
New London with Robert Allyn thirty years later. In 1656 he took up land east of Allyn in the
area of Geer Hill. Two years later he
married Allyn's daughter Sarah and they had eleven children. Geer lived to be 105."
Note from Lorna
Waltz 6/2000:
It was through the GFA (Geer Family
Association) that we were able to find information for our visit to Ledyard CT
in 1998 and Bob Geer one of the descendants living in that area took us to the
Geer cemetary, out in the woods, where Geo. Geer is buried. Went to the property that has the spring
where George first lived and saw lots of Geer related sites. Also saw the old house on Geer Hill that had
been purchased by the
local Indian tribe and now through $$$ and trades has come back to the Geer
family and is being restored by Bob's son Ken a contractor.
I am familiar with the Geer Family
Assn. I belong and receive the
Newsletters three times a year. It is
very interesting and the individuals I
have had contact with have been special people. There is a national meeting
every 3 years and the 2001meeting will be in Ledyard again. If all works out I believe CJ and I will
attempt to attend just for the fun of it and then do some other traveling in
New England and possibly Nova Scotia.
Children of GEORGE
GEER/GEERE
and SARAH/SARA ALLYN are:
14. i. SARAH7 GEER/GREER, b. February
2, 1657 - February 27, 1669, New London, New London, Connecticut; d. 1718,
resided: Preston, Connecticut.
15. ii. JONATHAN/JONATHON/JONATHAN GEER, b. May 26, 1662, New London County,
Connecticut; notes; d. April 24 - 30, 1742, Preston, New London, Connecticut.
16. iii. JOSEPH GEER/GEERE, b. October 14, 1662 - October 17, 1664, Niantic, New
London County, Connecticut; d. August 10, 1742 - 1743, Preston, New London,
Connecticut; notes.
17. iv. HANNAH GEER, b. February 27, 1664 - 1667, New London County,
Connecticut; d. WFT Est. 1709-1760.
18. v. MARY GEER, b. March 26, 1666 - 1671, Norwich, New London County,
Connecticut; d. WFT Est. 1702-1765, resided: Groton, Connecticut.
19. vi. MARGARET GEER/GREER, b. February 1668 - 1670, Groton, Middlesex or
Preston, New London, Connecticut; d. 1700 - 1752.
20. vii. DANIEL I GEER, b. September 2, 1673 - 1675,
Ledyard/New London, New London, Connecticut; d. October 2, 1749, Preson, New
London, Connecticut; see notes.
21. viii. ROBERT GEER, b. January 2, 1673 - 1676, Groton, New London,
Connecticut; d. November 20, 1742, Groton, New London, Connecticut.
ix. ANNE/ANNA GEER, b. January 6, 1677 - 1679, New London County,
Connecticut; d. WFT Est. 1706-1772; m. DANIEL TYLER, May 28, 1700.
x. JACOB GEER, b. 1679 - 1681.
22. xi. ISAAC GEER, b. March 26, 1681, New Groton, New London, Connecticut;
d. January 1745 - 1746.
23. xii. JEREMIAH GEER, b. September 1683 - 1687, New London County,
Connecticut; d. July 18, 1721.
11. THOMAS6 GEER/GEAR (JONATHA/JONATHON5 GEER/GEARE/GEERE, GEORGE4 GEER/GEERE,
JOHN3, JOHN2, WALTER1) was born
1623 in Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England, and died January 14, 1721
- 1722 in of Enfield, Connecticut; notes.
He married DEBORAH DAVIS abt 1668, daughter of ROBERT DAVIS and ANN. She was born January 1645 - 1646 in of
Yarmouth, and died January 1735 - 1736.
Notes for THOMAS GEER/GEAR:
The ancestors and
immediate family of Thomas Geer were wealthy landholders in the area of
Heavitree, near Exeter, Devonshire, England.
It is now a small town about a mile and half southeast from Exeter,
having in 1900 a population of about 7,000.
Raised initially by
his uncle, he apparently gave Thomas and his older brother, George, little or
no privilege of school instruction.
Hence, in later life, although both brothers held responsible positions,
they never wrote their names in deeds or wills, but simply made their
mark. The consequence was that their
names have been spelled in a variety of ways: Gear, Gere, Geer, etc. Their descendants, with but a few exceptions
such as Geres, write the name Geer, and the correctness of this spelling is
verified bythe fact that the name thus written is attached to the original coat
of arms.
In order to obtain
possession of their property, their uncle arranged to ship the two boys to
America at an early age. The event is
thus described bya desdendant: "George and Thomas were orphaned when quite
young and were brought up by their uncle, and as they were heirs to a
considerable estate it was the desire of their uncle to remove them out of the
way that the inheritance might by his.
To enable him to realize his wishes without hindrance, he wrote to a
captain of a ship about to sail for America, requesting him to take the lads
with him. George and and his brother
were sent with the letter, with orders to remain on board until they received
an answer. They remained as directed,
but to their surprise, while waiting, found themselves victims of deception and
already on their passage without the possiblity of returning".
The ship arrived in
Boston in 1635 and the boys were put on shore in a new country without money
and without friends, at the ages of 14 and 12.
For quite a number of years after their arrival in Boston, no history is
found of their lives, and how long they remained in Boston and vicinity cannot
be determined with absolute certainty.
The first reliable record found is that George was one of the early
settlers of New London, Connecticut about 1651, and Thomas of Enfield in
1682. It is probable, however, that
George came to New London with Robert Allyn and others as early as 1651, and
that Thomas remained in Salem, Massachusetts, until after the death of King
Philip in 1676.
Children of THOMAS GEER/GEAR and DEBORAH DAVIS are:
i. MARY7 GEER, b. abt 1670;
d. July 10, 1723; m. JOHN PRIOR, April 15, 1686.
ii. SHUBAEL GEER, b. abt 1683, Enfield, Connecticut; d. WFT Est.
1727-1775; m. SARAH ABBE, WFT Est. 1714-1750.
Generation No. 7
12. GEORGE7 GEERE (JOHN6, JOHN5, JOHN4 GEER, JOHN3 GEER/GEERE,
JOHN2, WALTER1) was born
abt 1648. He married ELIZABETH.
Child of GEORGE GEERE and ELIZABETH is:
24. i. GEORGE8 GEERE, b. abt 1677;
d. 1719.
13. GILBERT7 GEERE (JOHN6, JOHN5, JOHN4 GEER, JOHN3 GEER/GEERE,
JOHN2, WALTER1) was born
abt 1650 in baptised Sept. 12, 1650. He
married KATHERINE.
Children of GILBERT GEERE and KATHERINE are:
i. KATHERINE8 GEERE.
ii. ELLEN GEERE.
iii. GILBERT GEERE, b. abt 1690; d. 1727.
14. SARAH7 GEER/GREER (GEORGE6 GEER/GEERE, JONATHA/JONATHON5 GEER/GEARE/GEERE,
GEORGE4 GEER/GEERE, JOHN3, JOHN2,
WALTER1) was born
February 2, 1657 - February 27, 1669 in New London, New London, Connecticut,
and died 1718 in resided: Preston, Connecticut.
She married NATHANIEL PARK/PARKE/PARKS February 28, 1675 - 1677 in New London, New London,
Connecticut, son of THOMAS PARK/PARKE and DOROTHY/DORITY/DORATHY THOMPSON/TOMPSON. He was born
1650 - 1665 in New London/Groton/Stonington, New London, Connecticut, and died
January 1717 - April 7, 1718 in Preston, New London, Connecticut.
Children of SARAH GEER/GREER and NATHANIEL PARK/PARKE/PARKS are:
i. DANIEL8 PARK/PARKE, b. abt 1679;
d. WFT Est. 1680-1769.
ii. NATHANIEL PARK/PARKE, b. August 14, 1681, Groton, New London, Connecticut;
d. abt 1724, Groton, New London, Connecticut.
iii. JOSEPH PARK/PARKE, b. 1682 - 1686, Groton, New London, Connecticut; d.
September 8, 1760, Salisbury, Litchfield, Connecticut; m. MARY SMITH/SMITH PAINE, October 25,
1709, Groton, New London, Connecticut.
iv. EZEKIAL/EZEKEIL PARK/PARKE, b. 1683 - 1687; d. abt 1726, Preston, New London,
Connecticut; m. (1) ALICE LARABEE, 1687; m. (2) MARY SAFFORD, WFT Est. 1689-1724, vol 1, 2 & 3.
v. ISAAC PARK/PARKE, b. 1687 - 1700, Groton, New London, Connecticut; d.
WFT Est. 1698-1781; m. DEBORAH PARK/PARKE, WFT Est. 1698-1740.
vi. JACOB PARK/PARKE, b. 1687 - 1700, Groton, New London, Connecticut; d.
October 15, 1752; m. (1) MARTHA GEER, WFT Est. 1698-1740; m. (2) PRUDENCE, WFT Est.
1698-1740, vol 1, 2 & 3.
vii. JOHN PARK/PARKE, b. 1687 - 1700, Groton, New London, Connecticut; d.
WFT Est. 1698-1781, Voluntown, New London, Connecticut; m. SARAH SPAULDING, WFT Est.
1698-1740.
viii. PHOEBE PARK/PARKE, b. 1692, Preston/Groton, New London, Connecticut; d.
October 3, 1777, Kent, Litchfield, Connecticut; m. THOMAS BEMAN, 1712.
ix. MARGARET PARK/PARKE, b. abt 1697, Groton, New London, Connecticut; d.
1772, Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut; m. JABEZ/JOBEZ SPICER, August 2,
1715.
15. JONATHAN/JONATHON/JONATHAN7
GEER (GEORGE6 GEER/GEERE, JONATHA/JONATHON5 GEER/GEARE/GEERE,
GEORGE4 GEER/GEERE, JOHN3, JOHN2,
WALTER1) was born
May 26, 1662 in New London County, Connecticut; notes, and died April 24 - 30,
1742 in Preston, New London, Connecticut.
He married (1) MARY ALLYN Bef. 1688, daughter of HENRY ALLYN and
SARAH. She was born October 21, 1663 in
Milford, Connecticut, and died April 24, 1718 in Preston, New London,
Connecticut. He married (2) EXPERIENCE PARKER 1718 -
1726. She was born abt 1662 in known
before marriage as Mrs. Experience Geer, and died 1748 - 1750 in will dated
April 7, 1748, proved 1749-50.
Notes for JONATHAN/JONATHON/JONATHAN GEER:
Jonathan Geer was born
in New London, Connecticut.
He settled 10 miles
north of father's farm, on land given to him by his father on January 11,
1686. He and twenty others in 1868
petitioned the General Court at Hartford, Connecticut, to be set off from
Norwich, New London and Stonington. This
was granted, and they were incorporated as the town of Preston.
Children of JONATHAN/JONATHON/JONATHAN GEER
and MARY ALLYN are:
25. i. JONATHAN8 GEER, b. abt 1688,
Preston, New London, Connecticut.
ii. DEBORAH GEER, b. abt 1690, Preston, New London, Connecticut; d.
December 10, 1736, seven children; m. JAMES PARK, March 27, 1709 - 1710, Preston, New London, Connecticut.
iii. SARAH GEER, b. abt 1692, Preston, New London, Connecticut; m. MALE GENNINGS.
iv. MARY GEER, b. 1693 - 1695, Preston, New London, Connecticut; m.
JONATHAN POTTS, November 10, 1713.
26. v. ZERVIA/ZERRIAH GEER, b. 1696 - 1704, Preston, New London,
Connecticut; d. November 9, 1740 - 1799; Stepchild.
27. vi. DOROTHY GEER, b. July 8, 1705, Preston, New London, Connecticut;
Baptised: Preston, Connecticut July 8, 1705; d. 1746 - 1747.