The Bear family came from Bern, Switzerland, and settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. There were two sons, John and Jacob Bear. After a short time they moved to the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia, and settled near the Adam Miller (Muller) home. John Bear married his daughter Ann Miller, and Jacob married Barbara Miller. Adam Miller gave each of his sons-in-law a large tract of land which included the Bear Lithia springs. John Bear soon after moved with his family to Churchville, Augusta County, Virginia, while Jacob remained with his family on the place. He had three sons, Jacob, Jr., Henry and Adam Bear. Jacob, Jr. and Adam Bear did not marry, and they came into possession the Bear Lithia springs. Henry married and had a son named Jacob to whom his uncle willed the Bear Lithia Springs. This Jacob Bear had a son named Jacob Asbury Bear.

When Lieutenant Governor Spotswood visited this valley in 1716, and came across the Blue Ridge Mountains he lost one of his diamond studded knee buckles for which there was offered a generous reward. About 1860, while harvesting wheat near the place where Governor Spotswood crossed the mountain, James Asbury Bear found the knee buckle. He did not realize the value of his find, and it was kept in his home until about 1890 when the house was destroyed by fire. Mr. Bear searched the ashes and found the knee buckle. The silver was melted, but the remains of that knee buckle are now in possession of Mrs. Fannie Bear, Elkton, Virginia. She has also a silver teaspoon that was made from the knee buckle, which belonged to her great-grandfather, Colonel Jacob Slagle, who was an officer in the war of 1812. Mrs. Bear has an old stove, about one hundred and fifty years old, which belonged to the original James Bear (the name was Bearin in the early days).

John Bear died at Churchville, Virginia and is buried either at that place or at New Market, Virginia.

After the battle of Port Republic, during the War Between the States, twenty privates and one officer were buried in this cemetery by the Northern Army.

The inscriptions on the tombstones are written in what is probably dialect German, and are as follows:

Informants: Mrs. Fannie Bear, Miss Elizabeth Bear, Mrs. Mary F. Kiser, Mrs. W. F. Herring, Shenandoah, Virginia.

September 9, 1936 C.C. Morris

Shenandoah, VA