Letter written by John Kear to Isaac Kear, copied by Nora Kear for Sarah Oakley, Sept 11, 1939.299

"Well James my Grand father came to this country just before the beginning of the Revolutionary War then a young man he was. He came from Scotland a highlander. His brother he never heard from his brother after he came to this Country. I supposed he was about 20 years old. Lord Corn Wales put out his Proclimation it said all the good Loyal people should stay at home in piece then he sends out another Proclimation that all who had sined the first should fite on land ore sea so my grand father went on a ship and was out of site of land for some time then they came back to land and him and three others left the ship in the night and one of them was the name of steel he was their leader and talker till they got out of the English lines then my Grand father went to North Carolina and he settled in Retherford County. There he found his Wife Misses Shelton. There my father was borned he was the oldest one of the family. He was borned 1796. January th. 5. Tare was four boys. Joel. John. James. William and 4 ore 5 girls. Well My Grand Father was a Protestant and I think he was a baptist and Christian. Well they came to this country. 1808 or 9. they Come down the french broad river and by the warm springs and settled on the North side of Sevier County. they lived on lones branch and Richersons Come and at fair garden My father bought a farm in the 10th district on guesses Creek and lived there 6 years. Then he Moved to Mill Creek near Pigeon forge lived there 3 years on rented land. Then came to the 11th district and lived there till he died. He was 75 yr. 5 mo. 27 days. He was a member of the Missionary babtist Church for a number of years and all who knew him put good Confidence in him. James Kear went to S. T. louis Mo. and become to be a noted Lawyer. William went to Alabama and Was a babtis Preacher. John My Uncle Was a member of the Babtis Church as Sevierville. Well my Brother Henry is a babtist Preacher he lives in N. Mex in Claton County Clinton is the county seat. Brother Joel is a deacon of Ivens Chapel. Well I think my grand Father must have lived to the age of 80 or 85. he died at his son Johns. And wa bueried some where Clost to Sievierville. Well now I come to my self. I was borned in the 10th. district of Sevier County in 1844. Oct. 20. Then we moved to the 11th in the year of 1856 and have lived here ever sence. Well I professed faith in Christ in the year 1866 at the Aug. Meeting I joined the Missionary babtis Church and was babtised in the River like my Savior. In the year 1867 I married my wife her name was Marth Ownby. her ancestors come from Bumcome County N. C. she died the 8th day of Sep. she was so peacable easy and loving you dont know how bad I miss her she was 71 yr. 8 mo. 14 days. She had ben a member of the Church for about 53 yr. Well I was 80 yrs. old the 20th of last October. My children all belong to the Church and most of my grand Children and two of my great grand children. I am a deacon of the Church at gatlinburg have ben for about 50 yr. Well I havent wrote much for a long time and has almost forgotten how to make some of the letters. so I must so soon Close. Wrote by John Kear to Isaac Kear my Grand Son. And Copied by Nora Kear for Sarah Oakley My Sister. This Sept. 11 1939

Eileen Bone wrote that Martha Jane “died Sept. 8, 1939, at age 71 years, 8 months, 14 days.”299 That would put her birth year as 1868, which is later than the date Mrs. Bone gives for her marriage to John Kear.