From Georgia to Texas: The Lives and Legacy of an East Texas Family

Among the four million slaves in the United States in 1860, were the great-grandparents and grandparents of the author. Beginning with them, the story of the Fears family is written. The author’s father, Jonathan Turner Fears, vividly told of relatives far and near, living and long departed. He heard stories about his family’s growing up in Nacogdoches, Appleby, Caro and Trawick, about World War I, and many other places, peoples, and events in Nacogdoches County and around Eastern Texas. He has preserved this family history here, for unless we pass along these treasured stories and consciously dig into our past, our knowledge of our ancestors will grow dim and become lost to our descendants. The author, after years of family genealogical research, herein shares the joy of his discoveries and invites readers to join him in finding and preserving the precious memories of ancestors. There is joy in finding and preserving those memories and in ensuring that ancestors are never forgotten and that their names will always be spoken. Chapters include: Georgia, Gone to Texas, The Matriarch, Born A Slave, A Stern One, A Teacher’s Daughter, Christopher Columbus Fears, Augustus (Gus) Fears and Roxie Burk Hill, Jonathan Turner Fears, Belma Denman, Roxie Fears, Jonathan Turner Fears, Jr., James Denman Fears, Shirley Mae Fears, Johnny Lee Fears, Joel Van Fears, Beedie F. Fears, and Caroline Fears. Legal documents with vivid descriptions of individual slaves, numerous photographs, and a full-name index add to the value of this work.