Lewis Spear

Full Name

Lewis Spear

Victim Profile

Lewis Spear

Name Variations

Louis Speir, Lewis Speer, Louis Speir

Biography

Lewis Spear was born circa 1861 in Alabama. He and Ella Spear, ńee Pearson were married on December 24th, 1879. Together they had a total of 7 kids. The names known to us are Gaddis born 1884, Calvin born 1888, and Milton Spear born 1891. He and family lived and worked in Riddle community, roughly 7 miles northwest of Wetumpka, of Elmore County. Throughout his life, Lewis worked almost exclusively as a farm laborer. The people who he often worked for, William Carden and Randolph Curlee, were prominent farmers hailing from western Georgia. His last known place of residence is on the land George W. Howard. Despite him working on farms for nearly fourty years, he was never able to own his land, and remained a tenant farmer up until his death. In the face of targeted harassment by law enforcement and his numerous appearances in court, he was only ever convicted of crimes twice. Throughout his imprisonment, he was a victim of the convict leasing system, where he was leased out to at least two individuals and a local lumber company. As of 1910, only one of his seven kids was still alive, and their name is not known. After her husband’s death, Ella Spear eventually moved to Verbena, Alabama at some point between 1900 and 1910. Even though she could not read nor right, she went on to own her own home there. Lewis Spear was lynched on June 17, 1898 near Riddle, Elmore County, Alabama by a mob numbering at least 150 people after being accused of the murder of William Carden, Amy Carden, William Curlee.

Documented or Attempted

Documented

Birth Date

Circa 1861

County of Birth; County of Death

N/A; Elmore County

Death Date

June 17, 1898

Age at Death

37

Race

Black

Sex

Male

Researchers

Austin Johnson

Case Number

AMP051-18980617-003

Identified by:

Alabama Memory Project

Spouse or Partner

Ella Spear

Child

Henry, Gaddis, Calvin, and Milton Spear

Occupation

Tenant Farmer

Head of Household and Literacy Status

Head of Household