The Lear Family in Victoria

There are a a number of distinct LEAR Families in Victoria - all thought to have originated in England.

The Lears from Bitton UK who initially settled in Tasmania largely moved to Victoria. Recent research indicates that the 1840s in Tasmania were a period of instability with high numbers of convict arrivals to a new scheme of contracting out convict labour instead of the old assignment system. 

The resulting high unemployment and a degree of lawlessness in Tasmania combined with the discovery of gold in Victoria would have made moving to Victoria an attractive option. The following are links to the Bitton/Tasmanian Lears in Victoria:

Some research has started on a family of Lears thought to have been established by the brothers Henry and Benjamin LEAR who arrived as free settlers from Devon in England and known to have established themselves in South Australia. It is believed they may have landed at Port Augusta. This Lear Family branch has descendants in NSW, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.