| The first Dears to apper in Mississippi were four brothers who traveled west from South Carolina in the 1820/30's. Their names were Mack, Hardy, John and James Dear. Mack was listed as acquiring land on December 18, 1826. The property's legal description is as follows: W 1/2, SW 1/4, Sec. 29, Township 4, Range 2. Mack's name appeared on the Rankin County tax roll in 1828. He was listed as owning 6 slaves so he must of been a man of some means. He and his brother, Darling, appeared in the Rankin County 1830 census. In the 1840 Rankin County census four Dear households appeared: Hardy, Herren, J., and J.J. Dear. |