Individual Details

Henry Speers & his brother Michael have been "accepted" by many as sons of Peter Abraham & Margaret Graefenreid Speers, natives of Germany. Henry & his brother Michael are said to first gone to Aix La Chapelle in France and from there to America. They are believed to have emigrated about 1732, either to the large Huguenot settlement in New Rochelle, NY or to the German settlement in the Philadelphia area. I have no convincing proof of this connection. It is found in a small book about the Speers family written by Rollo Clayton Speer, 1941 - there are no sources for the data and many, many errors have been found.

The surname is seen variously as Speers, Spears, Speer, and Spear, etc.

What is known is that:
Henry married Regina Froman in Augusta Co VA in 1744. They lived on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River near Massanutten Mountain. Henry was Captain for the Frederick Co VA militia from 1755-1761 [French & Indian Wars].

By 1771, Henry had secured a warrant for land on the Monongahela River, then part of Virginia but now Pennsylvania. He died soon after moving there - tradition is that he was kicked by a horse.

Will dated 14 May 1773. Westmoreland County PA WBI, p.10, file #11
Henry Speers names wife Regina - land where I now live -- for life. Each of my children not married have equal part of estate -- to what my children already married have had -- after which whole estate divided among wife and children -- 2 shares to my sons and my wife -- 1 share each to daughter, married or unmarried and also one share to children of deceased daughter Elizabeth Kuykendall. Executor: Regina. Signed Henry Speers, Samuel Fry
Witnesses: Jacob Keller, James Byrnes, William Anderson, Benjamin Rilton, James Wood, Joseph Bowman, Philip Shepler, brother of Matthias and Peter.
25 Nov 1782. Letters of Administration of Henry Speers, decd to Regina Speers and Benjamin Frye [probably son-in-law married to daughter Catherine]
[Abstract of the will is given in Vol V of THE PENNSYLVANIA GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINE and makes an error in that the daughter Elizabeth is listed as though she were living.]

Nelson Co KY Commissioners Deeds, 1823-1842, Land Book 3, p.47-49.
3 Oct 1825 between the unknown heirs of Elizabeth Kuykendall, the unknown heirs of Mary Reasoner, and Henry Crist, Catherine Lewright & John Lewright her husband, Nicholas Crist, Rebecca Cartmell & Jacob Carmell her husband, heirs of Sarah Crist, dec'd., Nathan Crist, Catherine Crist, Rebecca Crist, & Sarah Crist, the last four infant heirs of Jacob Crist who was one of the heirs of Sarah Christ, the said Henry Crist is also named as heir of Sarah Crist, the unknown heirs of Christina Frye, Catherine Ernest & William Ernest her husband, Henry Spears, Jacob Spears, Nancy Frye & James Frye her husband, Elijah Cartmell, Sarah Brown and Joseph Brown her husband and Regina Crist, the three last heirs of Susannah Cartmell who was one of the heirs of Solomon Spears, Rachel Bird, Mounce Bird her husband, the unknown heirs of Regina Owens & Noah Spears.
This is the best known list of the children of Henry Speers & Regina Froman.
1. Elizabeth Speers married James Kuykendall
2. Mary Speers married Peter Reasoner, her first cousin once removed. His mother was Maria Magdalina Froman, an aunt of Regina Froman
3. Sarah Speers married Nicholas Crist. Their son Henry was the sole male survivor from the Battle of the Kettle. He and Solomon were co-owners of the board Catherine Lewright was a daughter of Sarah & Nicholas Crist - she was married first to Nathan Cartmell, 2nd to John Lewright. Nicholas Crist was another child of Sarah & Nicholas. Rebecca Carmell was another daughter.
4. Christina Speers married Samuel Frye. They had 12 children, but this was apparently unknown to the Court
5. Catherine Speers married William Ernest as her second husband - her first was Benjamin Frye, son of Abraham & Agnes Ann Young
6. Rev. Henry Speers married Rebekah Frye
7. Jacob Speers married Elizabeth Kellar - they moved to Bourbon Co, KY. Jacob is likely responsible for named Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
8. Nancy Speers married James Frye - my husband's direct ancestors
9. Susannah married Nathan Cartmell - her children were Elijah, Sarah who married Joseph Brown and Regina who married Jacob Crist. Susannah and Nathan may have divorced - Nathan later married Catherin Crist, daughter of Sarah Speers & Nicholas Crist
10. Rachel Speers married 2 William Fry and 2nd, Mounce Bird (I'm not sure about this - documents from Kentucky suggest that Rachel, widow of William Fry, married Abraham Bird, brother of Mounce Bird.
11. Regina Speers married Joshua Owings
12. Noah Speers married Nancy Virginia Frye
Solomon was the 13th child. Some believe there was an oldest child Joseph, but no record of him has ever been found.


The land on the East side of the Monongahela River, now called Belle Vernon, went to Regina and then to son Noah. The land on the west side became that of son Rev. Henry Frye.

Ohio County Record, Entry Book, Yohogania County 1779-1785
Began Nov 17 1779. Containing Entrys In Right of Settlement
22 Feb 1780
#200 Henry Spears produeced a Certificate from the Comr for adjusting Claims & Setling Titles to Lands in the Countie Yohogania, Monangalia & Ohio for four hundred acres Land in this County on the West Side Monongalia River to include his settm. made in the year 1776. Which Entry I have certd.
#201 Henry Spears produeced a Certificate from the Comr for adjusting Claims & Setling Titles to Lands in the Countie Yohogania, Monangalia & Ohio for four hundred acres Land in this County on the West Side Monongalia River to include his settm. made in the year 1773. Which Entry I have certd.

Administration of Henry Spears, Regena Spear and Benjamin Fry. 25 Nov 1782
THE PENNSYLVANIA GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINE, Vol VI, "Administrations of Westmoreland Co, PA." [Perhaps the settlement of the estate continued until all children had reached their majority.]

Researcher Hank Frye believed Henry's name may also have been Peter - but I'm not sure why as I've seen it only as Henry.

http://genforum.genealogy.com/speers/messages/148.html
Posted by Tom Speers
(Peter) Henry Speers (Senior) really had his name spelled Henry Speer and Spears in VA records. The stream by Belle Vernon was also initially named Spears Run. Henry's son Rev. Henry Jr. 1756-1840 and his line spelled their last name Speers adding the s to Speer. Henry's son Noah (there are 17 Noah's) who founded Belle Vernon spelled his name both Speer and Speers. Speers is on his tombstone and Speer and Speers is on the town sign. Noah's son Louis Marchand and his line used the spelling Speer. He founded North Belle Vernon. Henry Jr. located in West Belle Vernon which had a Post Office named West Belle Vernon. Later it was changed to Speers, PA. One of Henry Speers, Jr.'s grandchildren in Pittsburgh changed their last name to Spear. Some of these descendents are in Nebraska or Oklahoma. Two of Henry Sr's children - Jacob and Solomon who went to KY in 1787 used the spelling Spears. Henry Sr's brother Michael Christopher Spears in VA and his descendents Jacob and George and others who went to KY all used the spelling Spears.
Noah Speers married Nancy Virginia Frye and both are buried in the Belle Vernon Gibsonton Cemetery. 5 of Henry Sr's children including Rev. Henry Speers, Jr. married into different branches of the Fry and Frye family. Some of them use the original spelling Frey. This is a larger family and have an association named HFFA - Heinrich Frey Family Association.


The Charleroi Mail, Sat, 2 Jul 1960 (or 1964 - very difficult to read...)
p.4
"Backward Glances" by R. Mitchell Steen, Jr.
Horse's Kick Cause of First Valley Burial
Henry Speers is considered to be the first settler to die in the Mon Valley district, his death occurring 188 years ago in Belle Vermon.
Speers died from a kick by a horse [no, it was his son Noah that is said to have died this way, not Henry] and it is generally believed that his remains were interred in Gibsonton Cemetery, on the original Speers farm near Belle Vernon on the Monessen Road.
This was the first burial place in the immediate area. Rehoboth Cemetery's first interment coming later, in 1790.
... incorporation of Belle Vernon Cemetery Association on Nov. 1, 1866. Denton Lynn, Noah Q. Speers, J. M. Springer, J. S. Van Voorhis, Daniel Springer, and Bazil Brightwell purchased a plot of ground from James H. Springer for burial purposes and organized the Belle Vernon Cemetery Association.
A charter for this Association was granted by the Westmoreland County court on May 13, 1867. The first meeting was held Sept 27, 1867 and Denton Lynn, Noah Speers, J. S. Van Voorhis, Bazil Brightwell and Daniel Springer were named managers...

Birth	1725	Germany
Marriage	1744	Augusta County, Virginia - REGINA FROMAN
Death	1773	Pennsylvania

Spouse	REGINA FROMAN (1729 - 1805)
Child	Joseph SPEERS (1744 - 1770)
Child	Elizabeth Spears (1746 - 1773)
Child	Mary "Molly" Spears (1747 - 1805)
Child	Sarah Spears (1748 - 1814)
Child	Rachel Spears (1749 - 1820)
Child	Susanna Spears (1750 - )
Child	Catherine Spears (1751 - 1816)
Child	Christena Spears (1752 - 1841)
Child	Jacob Spears (1754 - 1825)
Child	Rev. Henry Speers Jr. (1756 - 1840)
Child	ANN "NANCY" SPEARS (1759 - 1839)
Child	Regina Speers (1763 - 1827)
Child	Solomon Spears (1765 - 1788)
Child	Noah Speers (1769 - 1832)

Father	PETER ABRAM [ABRAHAM] SPEERS (1685 - )
Mother	MARGARET GRAEFENEREID ( - )
Sibling	Michael Christopher Speers (1709 - )