12. Joseph SEARS
Joseph was a farmer before the war. He joined the British Army in Bedford, NY and served in James Delancey's corp. He was wounded in the shoulder and carried the bullet for the rest of his life. He and his family left NY in the June evacuation of 1785 on the ship Thetis along with 85 other Loyalists...most from Westcheser co., including Delancey's corp. and their families for a total of 246 men, women, and children.
There were a number of ships in the fleet that sailed that day. The first fleet (spring fleet) had sailed two months earlier, all bound for New Brunswick, Canada. All the other ships put in at St. John, but the Thetis sailed on to Sackville. The reason is not that clear but religious differences are believed to be at the root of it.
Joseph Sears was given a grant of 500 acres. He was a Loyalist who had escaped just before George Washington took over New York.