Former slave in Missouri until her father Albert joined the Union side of the Civil War to free his family. She is the daughter of Albert and Susan Bass of Boone County, Missouri
Had 3 children with a man of German descent John Henry Spears(# 58656629) whom she met while working as a maid, and he a chauffeur in Missouri in the early 1880s. There are articles in the newspaper about how John pretended to be "colored " so that he could stay with his wife and children. She was arrested for various charges to keep them apart, but her employer at the time, Senator John Martin of Kansas always came to her defense and had all charges dismissed. Around 1900, the couple moved on to other relationships. He, marrying Caroline Curry, a Caucasian and she Charles Bruce Winder, a Black man. Our grandfather Byron Spears, Sr. stated that John Henry kept abreast of his children and grandchildren and they met him from time to time. Susan eventually went to live with her daughter in Iowa and died there. Her body was taken back to Topeka for burial. Their story was discovered and confirmed by Ancestry DNA testing when a new fold of relatives discovered each other.
Bertha Mae Spears Danforth Dunn,
Arthur Spears
Carl Frederick Spears, Sr.
Had 3 children with a man of German descent John Henry Spears(# 58656629) whom she met while working as a maid, and he a chauffeur in Missouri in the early 1880s. There are articles in the newspaper about how John pretended to be "colored " so that he could stay with his wife and children. She was arrested for various charges to keep them apart, but her employer at the time, Senator John Martin of Kansas always came to her defense and had all charges dismissed. Around 1900, the couple moved on to other relationships. He, marrying Caroline Curry, a Caucasian and she Charles Bruce Winder, a Black man. Our grandfather Byron Spears, Sr. stated that John Henry kept abreast of his children and grandchildren and they met him from time to time. Susan eventually went to live with her daughter in Iowa and died there. Her body was taken back to Topeka for burial. Their story was discovered and confirmed by Ancestry DNA testing when a new fold of relatives discovered each other.
Bertha Mae Spears Danforth Dunn,
Arthur Spears
Carl Frederick Spears, Sr.
Former slave in Missouri until her father Albert joined the Union side of the Civil War to free his family. She is the daughter of Albert and Susan Bass of Boone County, Missouri
Had 3 children with a man of German descent John Henry Spears(# 58656629) whom she met while working as a maid, and he a chauffeur in Missouri in the early 1880s. There are articles in the newspaper about how John pretended to be "colored " so that he could stay with his wife and children. She was arrested for various charges to keep them apart, but her employer at the time, Senator John Martin of Kansas always came to her defense and had all charges dismissed. Around 1900, the couple moved on to other relationships. He, marrying Caroline Curry, a Caucasian and she Charles Bruce Winder, a Black man. Our grandfather Byron Spears, Sr. stated that John Henry kept abreast of his children and grandchildren and they met him from time to time. Susan eventually went to live with her daughter in Iowa and died there. Her body was taken back to Topeka for burial. Their story was discovered and confirmed by Ancestry DNA testing when a new fold of relatives discovered each other.
Bertha Mae Spears Danforth Dunn,
Arthur Spears
Carl Frederick Spears, Sr.
Had 3 children with a man of German descent John Henry Spears(# 58656629) whom she met while working as a maid, and he a chauffeur in Missouri in the early 1880s. There are articles in the newspaper about how John pretended to be "colored " so that he could stay with his wife and children. She was arrested for various charges to keep them apart, but her employer at the time, Senator John Martin of Kansas always came to her defense and had all charges dismissed. Around 1900, the couple moved on to other relationships. He, marrying Caroline Curry, a Caucasian and she Charles Bruce Winder, a Black man. Our grandfather Byron Spears, Sr. stated that John Henry kept abreast of his children and grandchildren and they met him from time to time. Susan eventually went to live with her daughter in Iowa and died there. Her body was taken back to Topeka for burial. Their story was discovered and confirmed by Ancestry DNA testing when a new fold of relatives discovered each other.
Bertha Mae Spears Danforth Dunn,
Arthur Spears
Carl Frederick Spears, Sr.
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