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Saturday, September 23, 2017

Surname Saturday ~ BEARSE of Cape Cod


BEARSE /  BEARCE /  BIERCE /  BEARS / etc.

My 9th great grandfather, Augustin (AKA Austin) Bearse (1618 – 1686) arrived on the ship Confidence from Southampton, England on 24 April 1638.  He came to Barnstable on Capt Cod with the first settlers in 1639, and had a twelve acre house lot bounded by John Crocker and Isaac Robinson (another one of my 9th great grandfathers).  He joined Rev. Lothrop’s church in Barnstable in 1643.  The road from the town of Hyannis to his land was known as “Bearse’s Way”, and is now Bearse Road, near Iannough Road at the Airport Rotary.  He was made a freeman in 1652.

Augustine Bearse’s name is at the head of the list of members of Rev. Lothrop’s church.  His wife was Mary, and they had eleven children, with baptisms all recorded at the Barnstable church on the first Sunday after their birth.  These babies include who was carried 2 miles to church at 2 day old in the cold of January for his baptism.  Apparently he was a very devout Puritan to want to save the souls of his children so promptly.  These are the facts we know about him from primary source material.  He was living in 1686, but dead sometime before 1697. There is no death record for Augustine Bearse.

Most of the compiled genealogy books and local histories of Barnstable written up until the 20th century repeat these simple facts about Augustine Bearse.  Then another story began to emerge that described Augustine Bearse as a Gypsy, who had to leave England because of his Romany origins, so he came to Massachusetts.  No Puritan woman would marry him, so he married “Mary Hyanno”, the daughter of the sachem Iannough (Hyannis), who was a red headed princess with Viking blood.  Yes, these fantastic details were told and repeated about the Bearse family in several books, journals and online. 

These stories originated with a paper written in the 1930s by Frankin Bearse, also known as Ele-watum, “From Out of the Past – Who Our Forefathers Really Were, A True Narrative of our White and Indian Ancestors” who filed this with the State of Connecticut to obtain benefits as an American Indian.   These claims were based on a diary written by a Zerviah Newcombe, a descendant of Augustine Bearse.

“Austin Bearse and His Alleged Indian Connections”, by Donald Lines Jacobus, The American Genealogist, 1938,  Volume 15, pages 111 - 118  rejects these claims of an Indian marriage, based on the fact that the supposed diary of Zerviah Newcomb has never been examined, and is perhaps false. No record of this diary has ever been found.  Jacobus wrote 8 pages in TAG refuting each detail of the Indian and Gypsy story written by Franklin Bearse.

Even so, the Indian princess story continued to flourish.  You can read about it in books like Bearse-Bears-Barss Family: Genealogy of Augustine Bearse (1618 – 1697) and Princess Mary Hyanno (1625 – 1702) of Barnstable, Massachusetts, by Dale L. Burley, 1979.  This myth of Mary Hyanno, “the flame haired princess of the Wampanoags”, is even repeated in a 2005 book Kindred Spirits: A New World History of the Families of Henry Wickoff Rogers & Grace Dean McLeod, by Geordon Hartt Rogers.   The genealogy of the descendants of Augustine and Mary Bearse is accurate in these books, but the origins of the original immigrant husband and his native wife are lacking in evidence.

However, there is an interesting essay in the NEHGS journal NEXUS, 1985, Volume 2, pages 95 -96, “Keeping an Open Mind” by Rev. Robert J. Good, Jr.  This essay about Austin Bearse and his supposed Wampanoag wife refutes some of the claims made by Jacobus.  “We tend to take the word of those who have rightly earned a position as unassailable as Jacobus’s.  Yet there are mysteries like this one which continue to haunt us and remain unresolved.  They require that we make our own decisions.”  Rev. Good makes several good points about mixed marriages during the 1600s in Massachusetts between the Puritans and the native people.  It was not as improbable as Jacobus imagined. 

I encourage you to read ALL these journal articles, and the primary source material, before making up your own mind.

For more information:

See the books and journal articles mentioned above

“Bearce/Bearse/Bierce Descendants” group on Facebook (where the argument continues!): https://www.facebook.com/groups/303262653109082/

My BEARSE genealogy:

Generation 1:  Augustine Bearse, born about 1618 in England, died about 1686 in Barnstable, Massachusetts; married to Mary Unknown.  Eleven children.

Generation 2:  Sarah Bearse, born 28 March 1646 in Barnstable, died 30 March 1712 in Barnstable; married in August 1667 in Barnstable to John Hamblin, son of James Hamblin and Anne Unknown. He was born 26 June 1644 in Barnstable, and died in 1718 in Barnstable.  Twelve children.

Generation 3:  Benjamin Hamblin m. Hope Huckins
Generation 4:  Hannah Hamblin m. Jonathan Crosby (removed from Cape Cod  to Nova Scotia)
Generation 5:  Ebenezer Crosby m. Elizabeth Robinson (descendant of Isaac Robinson above)
Generation 6:  Rebecca Crosby m. Comfort Haley
Generation 7:  Joseph Edwin Healey m. Matilda Weston (removed from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts)
Generation 8:  Mary Etta Healey m Peter Hoogerzeil
Generation 9:  Florence Etta Hoogerzeil m. Arthur Treadwell Hitchings
Generation 10:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ BEARSE of Cape Cod”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted  September 23, 2017, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/09/surname-saturday-bearse-of-cape-cod.html: accessed [access date]). 


9 comments:

  1. Hmm. Another cousin connection? In the line beyond my old John Cutter West brickwall is my 6x ggf Elisha West, who married a Mary Bearse in Plmpton, Ma in 1718. One online message board says she was the daughter of James Bearce & Experience Howland and thus granddaughter to Augustine & Mary Bearse.

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    1. My name is Brian Bears Mr grandfather was Harry. Is great grandfather dropped the e. My grandfather went to a library I believe in Hyannis. Before all the genealogy sites. He also had a native american appearance and found he was part wampanag. Later My family proving this through genealogy we got certified cards from the state proving a certain percentage. No I can't collect from the casinos. Lol but I also got a book with a map from my grandfather showing over 20 sea captains named bearse throughout the cape. As far as I know and believe in my heart of the Augustin marriage to a red headed princes with viking blood has merit. As I've grown to my surprise I have a thick ginger beard. My gramps did tons of research and I want to continue his journey. I have all is native american relics and he joined the wampanags about 10 years before his death. He was named quit bear by the chief " have his name somewhere and became a shaman. From my research there are still bearse in and around Hyannis. I would love to head down and do some groundwork. I believe I am missing a hudge part of my family. I just responded to every comment hoping you may live down there or know more. Anything would help. The Hyannis captains book is only 90 years old. it has a map with all there homes. With other families captains names. I don't understand the generation breakdown they have if there where many bearse well into 1800's. Reply to brianbears@comcast.net thank you

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  2. Austin's son James married Experience Howland granddaughter of John Howland but GSMD will not accept the line - no documentation to prove the marriage! You would think the last names of Experience's children as Bearse would work??! my forever thorn...

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    1. Hi Nancy. Recently, I submitted a Mayflower application and the line included Experience Howland and James. I uncovered enough evidence for the application to be approved.

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  3. I found somethings you would be intrested to read i think. The evidence as to the identity of the wife of my 10th great grandfather, is found in an unoublished manuscript entitled: "Who Our Forefathers Really Were. A true Narrative of our White and Indian Ancestor," by Franklin Ele-wa-tum Bearse (a Scaticoke and Eastern Indian). This manuscript is a certified cooy of an original sworn statement now on file in the office of the Litchfield County District Court, in Connecticut, and accepted by the state Commissioner in charge of Indian Rights and Claims as an authentic and kegal declaration of lineage. I think this is the gypsy story you are talking about, right? If this is accepted by the Indian Rights Council, wouldnt you say its true? Feom what i know about the counsil, they make sure before they accept anyone, and if there is no real proof, you get denied. They are pretty strict with people claiming to be indian blood. I myself am just learning about 'our' family ancestors, and am looking for answers, and this that i have found has me believing that it is a true story. Please, id love to hear ur thoughts after you have looked into this.

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    1. Are you related to Isaac Young, Sr. and Jr.? I am related to Augustine Bearce through the Isaac Young connection and I have a 1% American aboriginal DNA connection. This seems valid because Augustine and Mary Hyanno are my 9th great-grandparents. I am hoping that their story is valid. I have had red hair all my life and am now in my 80s. Brenda

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  4. My grandfather harry Bears told me stories as a child that my ancestors arrived in the cape named bearse and that they dropped the e. He also told me about a native american princess.(wompanog) I just read for the first time of her fiery red hair. I was always blond but in my early 30's i grew a beard which is deep red or auburn. I have always been fascinated with all of this. I came across my grandfathers books he got from his father entitled Hyannis sea captains which the bearse name has many. I often wonder if i have family in Hyannis. I grew up in boston and now reside in winthrop. But my red beard makes me believe there is some truth to these stories. If anyone reads this and has more info or may be a relative i would love to finish my grapa's work. You can email me at gary54@comcast.net my father gary Bears. I'm having trouble with my email. Plus he checks his everyday lol. Please don't hesitate to reach out. Sincerely Brian Bears

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  5. So an interesting story… I am also from Mary and Augustin Bearse. I met my husband and his family is related to Zerviah Newcomb! They state there was a diary of who our godfathers were. We also did DNA testing and we are .07% related with .1 % Native and western Asian. He is also Peters, which was a strong Wampanoag connection.

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    1. Are your DNA test results on Ancestry? I descend from Experience Howland and James Bearse. I have quite a few DNA matches up to Molly Egerton, great grandaughter of Experience and James.

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