Huge Bible/1820/Confederates/Mears Fam. /Virginia/Slave Start Price USD 7,999.99 Current Price USD 7,999.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, August 18, 2008 End Time Thursday, August 28, 2008 Location Bakersfield, California See more about 'Huge Bible/1820/Confederates/Mears Fam. /Virginia/Slave' Description Accomac shire was established in 1634 as one of the original eight shires of Virginia. The shire's name comes from the Native American word Accawmack, meaning "on the other side".[2] In 1642 the name was changed to Northampton by the British, to eliminate "heathen" names in the New World. Northampton was split into two counties in 1663. The northern section assumed the original Accomac name, the southern, Northampton. In 1670, the Virginia Colony's Royal Governor William Berkeley abolished Accomac County, but the Virginia General Assembly re-created it in 1671. Unlike most of Virginia, during the Civil War, the county was not under Confederate control, but held by the forces of the United States government. In 1940, the General Assembly officially added a "k" to the end of the county's name to arrive at its current spelling. The very first Sheriff in the United States, William Stone, was appointed to serve Accomack County in 1634. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-2RTlTR7qk                                                                                                                             John Mears RESIDENCE: Accomack, Virginia Occupation: Farmer Enlistment Date: 4 Jul 1863 Enlistment Place: Richmond Side Served: Confederacy State Served: Virginia Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 4 July 1863.Enlisted in Company F, 46th Infantry Regiment Virginia on 4 Jul 1863. Sources: 21 Height: 6'1 " Eye Color: blue Hair Color: brown Complexion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LU9I0KxWi4&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj1SgkhKwEE&feature=related dark I believe that the widow of John Mears whose name was virginia a in the census was recorded in the virginia civil war pensions for widows as Jane Mears.  this is because I think people called her jennie mears (that is how this bible spells her name)(this is how her mother nancy shay spells her daughters name.....jennie A. Fox Mears)  and this became jenn and hence jane. or perhaps the people who cut the pensions did not like the name virginia because virginia posed such a problem during the civil war.  ....I think this sort of thing happend alot when people came from europe to the united states and the long names were shortened. Jennie was married to John on december 5, 1850This is a large bible. 9 by 11 inches. by the renouned early 1800s publishers kimber and sharpless of philadelphia. In about a D plus condition. quality high ph anti alum paper.  but this bible was exposed somewhat to the elements I am sure because it was located in accomack county virginia...a peninsula area of virginia called the eastern shore which is almost entirely surrounded by ocean. 80 miles due east of accomack, virginia is Richmond, Virginia. 50 miles southwest of this bible in the civil war thousands of union and confederate soldiers and generals faced off in the peninsula campaign of 1862....Lincoln sailed within 5 miles of this bible while casing the area of the peninsula campaign in 1862.    The union controlled the accomac area during the civil war...and stationed a garrison at the local church in accomac.   One of the sons named John fought for the confederacy and died one month after the war ended.John was an eyewitness to the petersburg campaign while a member of Lees northern army of virginia.   Lees soldiers were really beat by april, 1865.  I believe that there is a very very good chance that thomas meares, an original Jamestown settler who settled there sometime in the 1600's was an ancestor of this Mears family. This is the bible of George Mears senior and Nancy Shay.  George was born in 1790 and nancy in 1799.  George owned a plantation in accomack county. The names of their slaves are recorded in this bible. There are about 7 pages of genealogical info in this bible including slaves names.  There are two insciptions on the inner covers.  Nancy writes a special message to anyone reading what she wrote in her insciption.  Nancy also states in this bible that she has a secret at Telaire which I believe is the name of the plantation.  (bosom is the name for secret in the 1850s I believe) but she spells out secret anyway.  Also included in this bible are writings/poems..mostly poems by ellis mears, one of the sons...may I would say 5 or more pages of these.  another of the sons, julius died during the civil war, but not by the war itself.  he had a large family.  this mears family is well recorded in census records of the time.  A poem by elder r.c. leachman , a confederate prisoner in the civil war is included. he was confined in richmond, virginia.    Slaves mentioned in the genealogy of this bible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2nzvsBaok   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiibNASXph8&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EDjBt68RXQ&feature=related     Lily....born 1816 Lydia...born 1817....died 1884 Sary...born 1837 Stephen ..born 1842..died 1854 Many..born 1849..died 1864 grace ..born 1853 hougon..born 1856 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRB2dGI1vRM&feature=related   accomac hotel   church in accomac rectory in accomac   accomac cannon   high school   license plate   accomac   accomac graveyard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZV0zewXr2c           wise's brigade impressed general Lee in the defense of richmond.    general lee   general lee surveying the land   Commander: James Lucius Davis (Colonel) Colonel: Richard T.W. Duke, Randolph Harrison (Lt. Col., Col.), and John H. Richardson (Lt. Col., Col.) Lieutenant Colonel:Peyton Wise (Major, Lt. Col.) Major: James C. Hill and Hugh W. Fry, Jr. Back to top Assignments June-August 1861: Troops in Kanawha August-December 1861: Wise's Brigade December 1861-February 1862: District of the Albemarle (Wise's Brigade), Department of Norfolk April-May 1862: Gloucester Point (Crump's Command), Rains' Division, D.H. Hill's Command, Department of Northern Virginia May 1862: Crump's Brigade, D.H. Hill's Command, Department of Northern Virginia June-July 1862: Wise's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia July 1862: Wise's Brigade, D.H. Hill's Division, Army of Northern Virginia August-December 1862: Wise's Brigade, Unattached, Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia December 1862-April 1863: Wise's Brigade, Elzey's Command, Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia April-September 1863: Wise's Brigade, Department of Richmond September-October 1863: Wise's Brigade, 1st Military District of South Carolina, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida October-November 1863: 6th Military District of South Carolina, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida December 1863-February 1864: Wise's Brigade, 6th Military District of South Carolina, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida February-April 1864: District of Florida, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida May-October 1864: Wise's Brigade, Johnson's Division, Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia October 1864-April 1865: Wise's Brigade, Johnson's Division, 4th Corps, Army of Northern Virginia Back to top Companies & Counties of Origin Back to top Battles, Skirmishes and Engagements Roanoke Island (February 8, 1862) Yorktown Siege (April-May 1862) Williamsburg (May 5, 1862) Seven Days Battles (June 25-July 1, 1862) Williamsburg [skirmish] (March 29, 1863) Pamunkey River, near West Point, Virginia (April 16, 1863) Charleston Harbor (August-September 1863)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZWAmsdGBiE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GupEJXlNKCE&feature=related   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUPONW7gdw8&feature=related John Mears joined the confederate army on july 4, 1863. he must have been acutely aware of the struggles both at vicksburg where there was a defeat and at gettysburg where there was a defeat. he left two kids, william and mary who were born in 1849 and 1851.  Ginnie A Fox Mears his wife must have been devastated when he died in mid 1865 just after the surrender at appomatox. her becoming Jane A Fox Mears could have been because people actually called her that (jinnie/janee)  , or perhaps somebody else did not like the name virginia for whatever reason....or perhaps the name ginnie reminded her of the defeat of the confederacy and she wanted to start anew...with her husband dying etc .  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhGETcjw768&feature=related Drewry's Bluff (May 16, 1864) Bermuda Hundred (May 17-June 14, 1864) Petersburg (June 9, 1864) Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865) Sayler's Creek (April 6, 1865) Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN0Ugv5_BSo&feature=related   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aur6fmpnTJ8&feature=related     Place a Bid!