Author talk:Alfred Francis Sears

Sources

Occupation(s)?

I believe this fine fellow was primarily known as a civil engineer, not a judge. In fact, I'm wondering whether the "cereal judge" position mentioned above might reflect a typo or other error or bit of mischief somewhere along the way... @Billinghurst: Did you have anything else to go on when identifying him as a judge? (I have fond memories of a friend's zine produced when we were in high school, called the Cereal Killer, which featured the Grim Reaper in a bowl of Cheerios.) -Pete (talk) 22:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

You are correct Peteforsyth, this is the son's details. I have disconnected the WD item as we can leave it for the son, and we can rebuild based on the father. I will scrap son's data though leave in the history for posterity. — billinghurst sDrewth 23:12, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

Ah, well sleuthed. Looks like it's all squared away. Thanks for tracking everything down. -Pete (talk) 00:04, 8 January 2020 (UTC)

Census

• 1910 USA

Name: Alfred F Sears
Age in 1910: 83
Birthplace: Massachusetts
Home in 1910: Portland Ward 9, Multnomah, Oregon
Street: Union Ave
House Number: 193 1/2
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital status: Married
Spouse's name: Agusta B Sears
Father's Birthplace: Massachusetts
Mother's Birthplace: Massachusetts
Native Tongue: English
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Employer, Employee or Other: Own Account
Home Owned or Rented: Rent
Farm or House: House
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Years Married: 60
Number of Children Born: 3
Neighbors:
Household Members:
Name Age
Alfred F Sears 83
Agusta B Sears 84
Mary E Sears 27

• 1880 USA

Name: Alfred F. Sears
Age: 53
Birthplace: Massachusetts
Home in 1880: Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, USA
Street: Second Street
House Number: 391
Dwelling Number: 147
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital status: Married
Spouse's name: Augusta B. Sears
Father's Birthplace: Massachusetts
Mother's Birthplace: Massachusetts
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Neighbors:
Household Members:
Name Age
Alfred F. Sears 53
Augusta B. Sears 52

burial

• Find a grave

Maj Alfred Francis Sears
Birth 10 Nov 1826, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA
Death 7 Jun 1911 (aged 84), Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA
Burial Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Mausoleum, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA
Plot Rose D Tier 6 Niche 6
Memorial ID 137556784

Passport

• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Roll #: 179; Volume #: Roll 179 - 01 Feb 1872-17 Mar 1872

Name: Alfred F Sears
Age: 45
Birth Date: 10 Nov 1826
Birth Place: Boston Massachusetts
Passport Issue Date: 29 Feb 1872
Has Photo: No

ACW

• National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online <http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/> c. 2007.

Name: Alfred F. Sears
Side: Union
Regiment State/Origin: New York
Regiment: 1st Regiment, New York Engineers
Company: E
Rank In: Captain
Rank Out: Major
Film Number: M551 roll 126

Obituary

• Park family tree @ ancestry

Maj Alfred Francis Sears
1826–1911
Birth 10 NOV 1826 • Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States
Death 7 JUN 1911 • Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States

Multnomah County Pioneer Obituaries S-Z‎

Maj. Alfred Francis Sears
June 8, 1911; Oregonian, p 22
"Major Sears Dies After Busy Life"

Major Alfred Francis Sears, Civil War veteran, linguist, civil engineer, railroad builder and pioneer resident of Portland, died at 11:30 yesterday morning. Death was due partly to old age and partly to an ailment of the heart. He was 85 years and seven months old. The body was removed to the undertaking-rooms of J. P. Finley & Son. The funeral service will be held at the Unitarian Chapel, Seventh and Yamhill streets, tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock, with final rites at the crematorium.

Major Sears was born in Boston, November 10, 1826. He was the son of Zebina Sears, who led an adventurous career as soldier of fortune in the war of South American independence. Major Sears was the fourth in a family of seven children. His great grandfather, Zachariah Sears, of Yarmough, Cape Cod, was a Lieutenant of militia in 1776, although then 71 years old. His grandfather, Joseph Henry Sears, when only 14 years old, joined the regiment commanded by Colonel Freeman, of Yarmough, and served with the American troops in Rhode Island. His father, Zebina Sears, inherited the family passion for liberty and in 1816 commanded the brigantine Neptune, a cruiser in the service of the States of La Plata, then engaged in their war for independence from Spain.

Major Sears received a medal for scholarship from the Boston public schools and was graduated with high honors from the English High School in 1844. After a year in a counting-house, and another year in an artist's studio he took up civil engineering, which became his profession. He was for a time in the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He married Augusta Bassett, of Bridgewater, Mass., a descendant of the Puritans, in 1850. Three children were born to them, but all are dead. Miss Elizabeth Sears and Lieutenant Robert E. Sears, of Vancouver Barracks, are grandchildren.

When the Civil War broke out Major Sears was in charge of an engineering project for Newark, N. J. This position he returned in January, 1861, to raise a company in Newark, which later was incorporated in the First New York Engineers as Company E. In October of that year his company was ordered to Hilton Head in the expeditionary corps commanded by General Timothy Sherman and Flag Officer Dupont in the capture of Forst Beauregard and Walker, in Port Royal Bay. After a year at Hilton Head, Captain Sears superintended the building of the batteries in the rear of Savannah. Captain Sears participated in the battle of Secessionville, after which he was transferred to Fort Clinch. The remainder of his service of more than three years was spent in Florida. In 1865, six months after his company had been mustered out he was relieved from duty by an officer of the regular corps, and with the rank of major he was honorably discharged. Upon his return to Newark, Major Sears was engaged in various engineering undertakings for the city and railroads.

Having acquired a knowledge of French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, Major Sears secured important positions in Spanish-America, first with the government of Costa Rica, and later with Peru, where he remained seven years. In 1879, following the Chile-Peru war, which left the latter country almost bankrupt, Major Sears returned to the United States, coming to Portland, where his son, the late Judge Alfred F. Sears, resided. He spent one year in Mexico, where he superintended the construction of the Mexican Central Railway, and again returned to Portland, which has since been his home.

Major Sears' abilities have brought his services in demand as a lecturer and writer. He has lectured on several occasions before various engineering societies of New York and Brooklyn, and was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the national Society of Engineers of Peru, and was corresponding member of the Geographical Society of Lima, Peru. Major Sears was also a member of the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. He held the office of Junior Vice-Commander of the Oregon Commandery. He was a member of George Wright Post, of the Grand Army of the Republic.