BIOGRAPHIES - SPEARS, Capt. Edward Ford, Bourbon County, Kentucky From: Bob Francis http://www.shawhan.com Date: 07 Feb 2000 The biographies are taken primarily from William Perrin's "The History of Bourbon, Scott, Harrison and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky" and E. Polk Johnson's "The History of Kentucky and Kentuckians," Vol. III. Many Bourbon County, Kentucky, researchers have pointed out mistakes and they are notated. Name: CAPT Edward Ford SPEARS _________________________________________ Father: Abraham/Abram SPEARS Mother: Rebecca Pollock FORD Spouses _________________________________________ 1: Sally Archer WOODFORD1 Birth: 1841 Death: 1919 Age: 78 Father: John Thornton WOODFORD (1812-1892) Mother: Elizabeth Hawes BUCKNER (1821-1904) Marriage: 1866 Children: Mary; Elizabeth Clay; John W.; Catesby; Keith Young CAPT. E. F. SPEARS,2 milling; was born 1840 in Paris, the third son of Abram Spears and Rebecca Ford. At the age of thirteen he began to do for himself, being early in life trained to provide for his own necessities. At the outbreak of the war, he espoused the cause of the South, and in June volunteered his services in the Second Kentucky Infantry as private, he was, however, soon after elected First Lieutenant in Co. “G” and for effective service rendered, he was promoted to a captaincy and led his company until the close of the war. During this time he participated in all the heavy battles in which his command was engaged, except Shiloh, he was three times wounded, and once taken prisoner, yet through all, he acquitted himself as a true and gallant soldier; upon his return to Paris, at the termination to the war, he engaged in the grocery trade for about two years with his brother Henry; in 1867, he engaged in company with others in the distillery and mill business, under the firm name of Woodford, Spears & Clay, which association lasted about nine years, at which time the firm dissolved, Mr. Spears purchasing the mill-site, and the warehouse near by, and engaged in milling exclusively in 1876; his mill is situated in the southern part of the precinct, on the Stoner River; under his management the mill is doing an excellent business; the mill has five run of stone, and the arrangement of the manufacturing portion was with a view to make the “New Process” flour. The mill runs regularly, having steam power attached when the water is low, and with his grading appliances for his wheat, he is enabled to make a straight and regular grade of flour, which is in demand in the market, from the regularity of the brand; in 1866, he married Sallie Woodford, eldest daughter of John T. Woodford, one of the prominent farmers of the precinct. To Mr. Spears have been born five children, whose names are: Mary, John W., Lizzie, Catesby, and Keith Young. Notes on Sally Archer Woodford: “The auditorium has thirteen beautiful art glass windows in soft, harmonizing tints. All of the art glass windows in the building were the gifts of the family of Mrs. Sallie Woodford Spears and her children in memory of her husband and their father, Capt. E. F. Spears, who was a faithful member of the official board of the congregation during his long and useful church membership.”3 Sources 1. The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Volume 17: Mrs. Sallie Archer Woodford Spears. DAR ID Number: 16769 Born in Paris, Kentucky. Wife of Capt. Edward Ford Spears. Descendant of Brig. Gen. William Woodford, of Viriginia. Daughter of John Thornton Woodford and Elizabeth Hawes Buckner, his wife. Granddaughter of William Woodford and Ann Maria Archer, his wife. Gr.-granddaughter of Col. John Thornton Woodford and Mary Turner Talliaferro, his wife. Gr.-gr.-granddaughter of William Woodford and Mary Thornton, his wife. 2. Perrin, pp. 490-491 3. “Presbyterianism in Paris and Bourbon County, Kentucky,” p. 68. ------------------------------ USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or his legal representative and then contact the listed USGENWEB archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.