Two Hundred and Fifty Years
of TeersThe "family name of Teer, and its variations of Tyr, Tir, Tyre, Tier,.etc., originated in Northern France in the District of Normandy. Some of this family moved to the British Isles about 1066. There are records of Teer family members migrating to Virginia as early as 1608. Among those who moved to Virginia was John Teer, age 20, came on the ship Abigail in 1620 and settled in what became Kent County, Virginia. There was a Daniel Teer in Charles City County, Virginia in 1653. A Samuel Teer came on the British ship Speedwell to Virginia in 1625. Alexander Tyre was granted land in New Kent County in 1662. James Teer who lived on the southside of the York River in New Kent County married Mrs. Rebecca Sargent before 1700. They were still living there in 1708 when their daughter Elizabeth was born. While it is probable these early Teers are the ancestors to our family, the records have not been found yet to provide the proof. There are several references to Teers that served in the militia in the South between 1732 and 1774. John Tyre served in Captain Beverly Robinson's Company of Virginia militia almost continuously from August 25, 1746 until November 24, 1747. A John Tyres also served in the Maryland militia in 1757 in Captain Joshua Beall's Company. Later, he was transferred to Captain Pearis' Company and was recorded as killed. Thomas Tyre, Senior served in Captain Peter Rutgers' Troop of Horse, from New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, in April 1758. A Thomas Tyne, Junior is also listed as a member of the same unit. Ephraim Lane was the Quarter Master for the company. Evidence now strongly indicates that John Teer of New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, may be our earliest Teer link. He enlisted as a private in Captain Solomon Rew's Company on October 10, 1754. This military service may have been in connection with the French and Indian War that began in the English colonies about that time. There is also a record of a John Teer from New Bern, Craven County who served as Mace Bearer for the Colonial Assembly that met in New Bern. John Teer died in 1761. His wife, Jane, died the following year. Jane Teer named two sons in her will, Richard Teer and William Teer. William Teer was still a minor according to his mother's will. From this information, it is possible to estimate approximate dates of birth for these two sons. Richard was born before 1741, assuming he was at least twenty-one when his mother died. William was born after 1742, assuming he was under twenty-one at the time of his mother's death in 1762. Richard Teer witnessed the will of Ephraim Lane on July 21, 1773, in Craven County. Was this the same Ephraim Lane referred to above? Was he a family friend or a relative? These questions remain unanswered. Some evidence indicates that Richard's brother, William, married and moved his family to South Carolina. A Lieutenant William Teer signed for rations for his men and forage for his horses in September and October 1781, in Liberty Precinct, South Carolina. A William Tear enlisted as a "gunner" in Kingsbury's North Carolina Artillery Company and served eighty four months during the Revolutionary War. Was this the same William Teer who married Penelope Hill on December 5, 1780, in Craven County, North Carolina? A reasonable estimate for this William Teer's date of birth would be about 1760, which which means that Richard Teer above could be his father. Is it the same William Teer listed on the 1790 census for Newbern District, Craven County, North Carolina? I believe the William Teer that married in 1780 and listed on the 1790 North Carolina census record is in fact the son of Richard Teer. The 1790 census for South Carolina shows William Teer, the son of John and Jane Teer, living in Cheraw District. His three sons, James, Daniel, and Solomon, and three females were living with him. (His wife and two daughters?) The William Teer living in North Carolina shows one male under sixteen and three females. The South Carolina branch of the family, or at least the three sons, migrated to the Mississippi Territory in the early 1800s and then on to Alabama. The history of that branch is documented in the book by Velvo Christian Chaney and Margaret Chaney, Ancestors and Descendants of the Dearman-Deerman and Related Families. I believe the North Carolina William Teer is our most likely ancestor for three reasons outlined below. First, the William Teer that served in the Revolution from North Carolina received a land warrant for 640 acres of land in Tennessee. Most states used land warrants during the Revolution to pay soldiers for their service. The lands granted were normally in the western frontier areas of the state. Some soldiers never redeemed their warrants while others sold their warrants to third parties. William Teer assigned his warrant to William Buxton. William Buxton then redeemed it for 640 acres in Davidson County, Tennessee, on "the east fork of Yellow Creek." The Davidson County of 1790 included present day of Maury, Marshall, Bedford, Rutherford, Williamson, Cheatham, and Davidson counties and part of Robertson county. Second, the 1790 North Carolina census shows William Buxton living in Newbern District, Pitt County, which is adjacent to Craven County. Third, our proven ancestor, Robert Teer, reported on the 1880 census in Freestone County, Texas, that both of his parents were born in Tennessee. Whatever reason William Teer had for selling his land warrant to William Buxton is unknown. However, I believe that William Teer did eventually move his family to Tennessee sometime after 1790. Part of the Teer family moved to Kentucky in the early 1800s. The son of William Teer, also named William, married Letticia Rogers in Christian County, Kentucky, on December 17, 1804. Exactly when this William Teer moved to Kentucky is uncertain. Parts of the 1790 and 1800 census records were destroyed during the War of 1812 when the British captured and burned Washington, D.C. However, a "reconstructed census" of taxpayers from Kentucky does not list any Teers in 1800, so the family was probably still in Tennessee. Letticia Rogers was the daughter of Robert and Ann (Beech/Beach) Rogers. Letticia Rogers' brother, John, was the witness to the marriage bonds. The 1810 census for Christian County, Kentucky shows William Tears, his wife, and three sons, all under ten years of age. Letticia Teer's parents, Robert and Ann (Beach) Rogers, and brother, John, lived close by. John Rogers had married Jane McFarland on October 18, 1808. There is a John Teer listed on the tax rolls for 1809 and 1810 in neighboring Caldwell County. However, he is not shown on the census records or on the 1811 tax roll. William Teer may have moved his family to Caldwell County, Kentucky, before the 1820 census. This may have been an actual move or it may just reflect changing county lines. His family had grown from three boys to nine children, six boys and three girls. The known children of William and Letticia (Rogers) Teer include the following: 1 Larkin H. Teer b. abt. 1805 2 John B. Teer b. abt. 1806 3 Peter B. Teer b. abt 1808 4 Nancy Teer b. 1811 5 Robert Teer b. 1814 6 Felix Teer b. abt. 1817 7 Seaborn "Seb" Teer b. abt. 1820 8 unknown daughter b. bef. 1820 9 unknown daughter b. bef. 1820 William and Letticia Teer's eldest son, Larkin Teer, married Elizabeth Weatherspoon on January 29, 1829, in Caldwell County. He is listed on the 1830 census records on page 139. William Teer is listed on page 146. William's son, John, is also listed near by. William Tear owned 185 acres of land on Muddy Fork. In 1826, this land was "entered in the name of L. Rogers, surveyed by W. Tear, and patented to Robt. Rogers." Perhaps this was land Letticia Teer received from her father or maybe a wedding present. Letticia Teer died on September 19, 1832, in Caldwell County. Her father, Robert Rogers, died in 1837, leaving a will in Trigg County, Kentucky, in which he named all nine of his children. He was buried in the Old Rogers Cemetery in Trigg County. William Teer remarried on February 14, 1836, in Trigg County to Mary "Polly" Haden. He and his new wife raised a family of seven children. In 1850, they were living in Union County. By 1860, William Teer, now eighty years old, was back in Caldwell County. The children from William Teer's marriage to Mary Haden are: 1 Caroline Teer b. 1834 2 Sarah Missouri Teer b. 1837 3 George W. Teer b. 1840 4 Martha Teer b. 1842 5 Nathan O. Teer b. 1844 6 Mary America Teer b. 1846 7 Laurin Isabella Teer b. 1848 Some time between 1836 and 1839, Larkin Teer moved his family to Illinois. He is listed on the 1850 Hardin County, Illinois, census records with his wife, Elizabeth, five sons, and one daughter. Larkin and Elizabeth (Weatherspoon) Teer had at least six children: 1 Latimer Percell Teer b. abt. 1834, in Kentucky 2 John Teer b. abt 1836, in Kentucky 3 James Teer b. abt 1839, in Illinois 4 Peter B. Teer b. abt 1840, in Illinois 5 Richard Teer b. abt 1846, in Illinois 6 Larkin Teer b. 1850, in Illinois After the 1850 census, I have not been able to trace Larkin Teer any further. The only known daughter of William and Letticia Teer, Nancy Teer, married a first cousin, Austin Teer, son of Samuel and Sarah Teer. They had four children: 1 S.C. Teer 2 Samuel Teer 3 William W. Teer b. abt 1842 4) N.C.C. Teer William and Letticia Teer's other children each in turn married. Wilson Teer married Phoebe F. Ford on October 15, 1849. Wilson Teer was a blacksmith by trade. He is listed on both the 1850 and 1860 Caldwell County census records. In 1860, he listed three children: 1 William Teer b. 1850 2 Sarah Teer b. 1851 3 Amanda Teer b. 1854 The only other record I have of Wilson and Phoebe Teer is the dates of their deaths. Wilson Teer died in 1903 and Phoebe Teer died in 1914. Both are buried in Leabonen Baptist Church Cemetery in Caldwell County. There is also a W.O Teer (1850-1920) and his wife, Minnie Teer (1858-1922) buried near Wilson and Phoebe Teer. Peter B. Teer married in Union County, Kentucky on July 19, 1840, to Margaret Norris. Seaborn "Seb" Teer married Elizabeth Greer on June 19, 1854, in Caldwell County and left a host of descendants. Felix Teer married Sarah E. Ralston in Trigg County on October 18, 1842, and also left a great number of descendants. Robert Teer married his first cousin, Lurana Rogers, on December 28, 1835, in Caldwell County, Kentucky. She had married a Mr. Thompson and had one daughter from that marriage, Mary Jane. Lurana's parents were John and Jane (McFarland) Rogers. Robert Teer farmed 100 acres in Caldwell County, also on Muddy Fork, probably close to his father's land. Robert Teer is listed on the Caldwell County tax lists from 1835 through 1848. Robert Teer is listed on the 1850 Caldwell County, Kentucky census. He and Lurana had a rapidly growing family. Their union produced ten children: 1 Arnold Teer b. October 8, 1836 2 Peter B. Teer b. January 22, 1838 d. July 18, 1838 3 Louisa M. Teer b. April 8, 1840 4 Lee Ann Teer b. June 23, 1842 5 John William Teer b. December 19, 1844 6 Susan Teer b. March 8, 1846 7 Lurana J. Teer b. March 1, 1848 8 James Birch Teer b. November 27, 1851 9 Robert Russ Teer b. May 26, 1853 d. October 8, 1867 10 Charles Riley Teer b. July 28, 1857 Some time after the birth of Robert R. Teer in May 1853, Robert and Lurana Teer and probably some of the Rogers clan moved to Missouri. Robert Teer's family settled first in Lawrence County, where Charles Riley Teer was born. The family is shown there on the 1860 census records. However, for some reason, unknown at this time, Arnold Teer, age twenty-four was living in Cameron, Milam County, Texas, with the family of Joseph J. and Priscilla Blankenship. Joseph Blankenship was about three years older than Arnold and was born in Missouri. Exactly what the relationship was between these two is a mystery. Perhaps they were relatives or neighbors from Missouri. Joseph Blankenship and his wife are listed in the 1850 and 1870 Milam County census records. It appears that they were the first of the family to arrive in Texas with other family members coming from Missouri in 1860 and 1870. The wife of William Blankenship, listed as Manerva, in 1870 shows her place of birth as Kentucky. She was born about 1820. Could this be another of William and Letticia Teer's daughters or a Rogers' relative? I have found no evidence to indicate that any of the Teers from our branch of the family served on either side during the Civil War. However, since the Teer roots went back through southern Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, they may have at least been sympathetic to the Southern cause. There were also branches of the family back in Kentucky, Tennessee, and perhaps in Illinois. Their loyalties are likewise undetermined. There is a W.M. Teer buried in Cotton Gin Cemetery, Freestone County, Texas, who was a Confederate veteran. His relationship to our family is unknown. The Teer family remained in Missouri from about 1854 until the early 1870s. Each of Robert and Lurana Teer's daughters married, presumably in Missouri. Louisa Teer married Henry Burleson about 1859 and was living in the vicinity of Georgetown, Texas, when her daughter, Amanda Francis Burleson, was born in 1860. Lee Ann Teer married James O'Neal and had at least seven children: 1 John O'Neal m. Myrtle Mae Foster 2 Louise O'Neal m. Edd Anderson 3 Ross O'Neal m. Annie Gilbert 4 Bee O'Neal m. Lee Hayes 5 Lurana O'Neal m. Jim Cates 6 Tom O'Neal m. Annie Jenkins 7 Henrietta O'Neal Susan Teer married David Wilcox about 1864 and had six children: 1 Ella Wilcox b. ca. 1865 2 Laura A. Wilcox b. ca. 1867 3 Porter Wilcox 4 Sherman Wilcox 5 Charley Wilcox 6 Oscar Wilcox Lurana I. Teer married John Willis Rogers about 1867 and had six children: 1 George Ann Rogers b. 1870 in Missouri m. 1886 to Jesse Chapman 2 John Rogers b. 1873 in Kirvin, Texas m. 1891 to Elexzene Chapman 3 Charlie Franklin Rogers b. March 3, 1875 in Freestone County, Texas m. 1903 to Mary Jane Grice d. January 22, 1912 4 Annie Mae Rogers b. August 11, 1877 m. Robert Lee Shanks 5 Willis Rogers b. December 29, 1880 m. Etta Oliver d. February 25, 1907 in Kirvin, Texas 6 Ida Rogers b. Oct 1878 in Freestone County, Texas m. Singleton Hayes d. 1918 Lee Ann O'Neal, Susan Wilcox, and Lurana Rogers all lived near their mother and father, Robert and Lurana Teer, in Camden County, Missouri, in 1870. Arnold Teer had rejoined the family in Missouri about 1867. On September 1, 1867, he married Mary Elizabeth Young in Dallas County, Missouri. This young couple was also living in Camden County, Missouri, in 1870 along with their two young children, Louisa M., age 1 and Charles R. Teer, age eight months, and Mary Teer's brother, John Young, and her sister, Nancy Young. Another son, John William Teer, married Sarah Caroline Teer on July 3, 1870. Sarah was the sister of Mary E. (Young) Teer and they were daughters of Charles and Margaret Young. Arnold and Mary Teer had several more children born between 1870 and 1880. The known children of Arnold and Mary Teer include: 1 Louisa M. Teer b. September 30, 1868 d. April 15, 1887, at Kirvin, Texas 2 Charles Robert Teer b. June 26, 1870 m. Eva Rogers d. October 10, 1946, at Decaturville, Missouri 3 William Beech Teer b. September 1873 m. Annie Rouse d. 1944 4 Andrew Jack Teer b. October 6, 1874 d. December 14, 1898, at Kirvin, Texas 5 James (Jim) Preston Teer b. September 19, 1875 m. October 6, 1901, to Valera Dora Scott Winders d. June 20, 1918, at Kirvin, Texas 6 Willis Teer b. October 12, 1877 d. December 30, 1878, at Kirvin, Texas 7 Arnold Teer, Jr. b. November 14, 1879 m. November 15, 1904, to Sallie Estelle Pounds d. February 25, 1954, at Kirvin, Texas Most of the Teer and some of the Rogers clan moved to Texas in the early to mid 1870s and settled in Freestone County. Arnold and Mary Teer came to Texas, either for a visit or to live, in 1877 or 1878. Near Arnold Teer's tombstone at Woodland Cemetery at Kirvin, Texas, is a badly weathered stone that reads "Willis, son of A.&M.E. Teer October 12, 1877-December 30, 1878." Shortly after the death of Willis Teer, Arnold and Mary moved their family back to Missouri where son, Arnold Jr. was born in November 1879. Mary Teer died in 1881 and was buried at Decaturville, Missouri. Arnold Teer remained in Missouri until sometime between 1882 and 1884, when he moved to Texas and rejoined the rest of the Teer family in Freestone County. He purchased 320 acres of land from W.E. Bonner for $482.89 on March 9, 1895. The 1880s and 1890s saw a tremendous increase in the Teer families as the younger generations of Teers grew up in Texas. John and Sarah Teer had eight children. Charles R. Teer had married Ella Gilbert on September 3, 1884, and had two children. Ella Teer died shortly after the birth of their second child. Charlie Teer married again on February 3, 1888, to Sarah Dee "Sallie" Burleson and had fifteen children. This time also saw the passing of the older generations. Robert Teer died on February 6, 1891 and Lurana Teer died just over seven years later in 1898. Both are buried at Woodland Cemetery at Kirvin, Texas. Arnold Teer had also died on February 14, 1900. Arnold Teer was preceded in death by two of his children, Louisa Teer died on April 15, 1887, and Andrew Jack Teer, died on December 14, 1898. All are buried at Woodland Cemetery. By the time of the 1900 census, all three of Arnold Teer's surviving sons, William Beech, James P., and Arnold Teer, Jr. were living together in Freestone County. James Teer married Valera Dora Scott Winders on October 1, 1901, in Freestone County. She was the daughter of John Franklin and Margaret (Mosley) Winders. Valera Teer was born in Nevada County, Arkansas on December 13, 1879. Her maternal grandparents were Elijah and Martha Mosley. According to a family story, Valera Winders was in Texas visiting her cousin, Daisy (Winders) Teer. Daisy had married Charles Monroe Teer, son of John W. and Sarah C. Teer, on January 20, 1900. He was a first cousin of James P. Teer. The union of James P. and Valera Teer produced a large family of ten children, including one set of twins and a set of triplets. Their children are as follows: 1 Howard Earl Teer b. March 31, 1902 d. 1988 2 Robert Arnold Teer b. November 6, 1904 d. May 7, 1973 3 Cansadie Spear "Sadie" Teer b. September 11, 1907 d. November 1983 4 Living b. 5 William Andrew "Bill" Teer b. June 20, 1912 d. June 13, 1986 6 James Franklin "Frank" Teer b. June 20, 1912 d. March 22, 1984 7 Living b. 8 Clara Alice Teer b. May 14, 1917 d. August 5, 1989 9 Clyde Johnson Teer b. May 14, 1917 d. April 11, 1918 10 Claude Norman Teer b. May 14, 1917 d. May 16, 1917 About 1906, James Teer moved his young family to near Itasca, Hill County, Texas. The family lived there for several years, but it just was not home. So, James Teer moved again about 1914, back to Freestone County. James Teer was still a young man of forty when he died from cancer on June 20, 1916. He left his widow, Valera Teer, and eight children ranging in age from one to fifteen years of age. Valera Teer had to work hard to raise her young family. James P. Teer died intestate and the Probate Court in Freestone County administered his estate. His estate consisted mainly of forty five acres of land which he had purchased from his father, Arnold, in 1897. This land proved to be valuable when oil and natural gas were discovered there later. The mineral royalties provided Valera Teer a small income for the remainder of her life. Valera Teer married a second time on December 1, 1923, to Mr. E.Z. Bone of Freestone County. She was known as "Big Grannie" or "Grannie Bones" by her family. She lived to be ninety five years old, living most of her life in and around Kirvin and Wortham, Texas. She was laid to rest by the side of her first husband, James P. Teer, at Woodland Cemetery at Kirvin, Texas. The Teer children grew up in Hill and Freestone Counties during the difficult times of the 1920s and 1930s. The youngest child, Clara Alice Teer, married Simeon English Kinnison on September 24, 1933. (See the Kinnison Family History)e-mail me at: drsines@n-link.com
My Favorite Web SitesReturn to the Table of Contents Return to My Home Page Return to my Family History Page
Here are my favorite links at Angelfire. Please come and visit them. My Favorite Site for Home Pages Angelfire Home Pages
Other Angelfire Services A Free Angelfire Email Account. Best homepage of the month. News from Angelfire.
Still more Angelfire Services Free Web Building Help
