The ancestors of the first Fears to live in the Grand River area were from Mark Somersetshire, England. Robert and his wife, Betsy (Cox), moved to Dyersville, Iowa, from England about 1856. Their son, also named Robert, and his wife, Mary Jane (Day), moved to Decatur County shortly after their marriage. They farmed and ran a general store in Decatur. They had nine children: Frank, William, Minnie, Louisa, Alice, Lillian, Susie, Ella and Robert. Susie married Curtis Boyd. Their children were Norris, Merle, Mary and Robert.