McAlearFile
Contents
Introduction
The Everett and Alta McAlear home on the corner of Third and Base Hi Oregon. Everett and Alta moved to this home from Forest Grove in 1911. The home was purchased for $4,000. This was the McAlear home until 1967 when Alta died. In 1972 the property was sold and the house was torn down to make room for an office building.
It was in this home that I heard from my grandmother, Alta Good McAlear, the stories about the family. These were the stories that began my venture into the family histories.
This is a “work in progress.” It will be revised periodically. I began these genealogical studies nearly fifty years ago. I was fortunate enough to know my four grandparents and was equally fortunate in being able to correspond with some of the older generations before their recollections were lost forever.
Family Trees
This site has been updated to include family trees for the following major branches:
McAlear
Jones
Good
Bamberger
Fleming
Stagner
Morris
Matthews
Maberry
Berryman
Bryan
Gage
Shrewsbury
Marlin
Pérez
Nájera, Nájar
Family Cards & Person Sheets
“Family Cards” show basic birth and death information and list parents and children when known. Click on the underlined name to navigate to the “Person Sheet” for more detailed information.
Photos
Click on the camera icon to view a photograph of that person. In some cases, by clicking on the photograph icon, you will be taken to additional photographs of the individual, gravestone, home, etc.
Surname & Index
Use the “Surnames” or “Index” sections to locate a specific individual.
Acknowledgements
Credit must be given for information gathered at family reunions: McAlear; Stagner; Maberry. In the 1960s Wilmeth Stagner Brown (1909-1995) and Mary Stagner Taylor (1919-1989) organized Stagner family reunions and printed two Stagner histories. Much of the Stagner information was gathered at the Stagner family reunions. Harold Maberry, Raytown, Missouri, has graciously shared corrections and updates on Thomas Jefferson Stagner’s descendants and Thomas H.B. Maberry’s descendants.
Maberry researchers are also directed to Don Collins’ work on early Maberry/Mabry families. Berryman research information can be found on Marvin Berryman’s Rootsweb site and on Mary Love Berryman’s Rootsweb site.
Kevin Matthews of Heritage, Tennessee, has generously provided information on the Matthews families.
Bill Deyo, Patawomek tribal historian, has provided information connecting Berryman descendants back through the Bryan family to Wahaganoche, the last king of the Patawomek Indians.
Clues to the Pérez and González families came primarily from Ramona Herrera González (1873-1973) whose memories provided the oral traditions that led in some cases to actual documentation.
Some interesting ancestors include: a ghost (Barney Stagner); two Mayflower passengers (William Brewster, Edward Doty); Mary (Clement) Osgood, condemned as a witch during the 1692 Salem witch trials; several Revolutionary War soldiers, and hundreds of honest, hard-working individuals who have all had a part in this family history. While not direct lines, there are some interesting cousins: Jesse and Frank James (Margaret Ann Stagner); John Christian Good and Joseph Martin Good, two brothers who fought on opposite sides during the Civil War.
Ursula Scott was a descendant of David I, King of Scotland and also a descendant of Henry III, King of England.
The Story Tellers.... we are the chosen...
My feelings are that in each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors: to put flesh on their bones and make them live again, to tell the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve.
To me doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the storytellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called as it were by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do.
In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors you have a wonderful family you would be proud of us? How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say.
It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who am I and why do I do the things I do?
It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying I can't let this happen. The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing something about it.
It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today.
It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family.
It goes to deep pride that they fought to make and keep us a Nation. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do.
With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are them and they are us.
So, as a scribe called I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and take his or her place in the long line of family storytellers.
That, is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what calls those young and old to step up and put flesh on the bones
Remember me in the family tree—
My name, my days, my strife;
Then I’ll ride upon the wings of time
And live an endless life.
Linda Goetsch. Used with permission.
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The information you have obtained from me is protected under the copyright
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this information provided that it is only for your personal use or for the
personal use of someone who has hired you to do research for them. Any
other commercial use of this material is prohibited. You may not post it to
any website nor give out any information regarding living persons. Please give credits and references if you do use any of it. Thank you.
Copyright © 2004-2007 Robert McAlear. All rights reserved.
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