James Spencer Jr.

Version(Revised): 20 Sep 2024

The Ancestry of James Spencer Jr. (1840-1925) of Chester County, Pennsylvania

By Marcia C. Field and Richard L. Tolman, Ph. D.

The first issue is the name of the father of James Spencer b. 1840; on James’ death certificate (1925) his father is named ‘John’, but this is not a strong source (informant: wife, Amanda Spencer). Everywhere else he is James (Sr.). We will discover in the course of the essay through DNA and paper source evidence that this James is descended from the Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania Spencers who are in turn descended from Barbados Quaker Spencers that came from London, England about 1640.

James Spencer Sr.

Because James Sr. does not appear with his family in the 1850 census of Phoenixville, Chester County (in this census James Spencer Jr. is 9 yrs. old), James Sr.—the father—must have died after 1842 vide infra and before 1850. A James Spencer died in a domestic dispute with a relative on 6 Jul 1845¹ in Phoenixville,² Chester County (see Figure 1). And a James Spencer died 6 Jul 1845 at Chester County, Pennsylvania and is buried at St Pauls Episcopal Church Cemetery, Exton, Chester County, but he is reported to be only 18 years old (b. 1827). Something is wrong here; he is not likely to have fathered a son at age 13 (the newspaper reports he was the father of seven children). This must be the grave of James Spencer Sr. as the family details in the newspaper article match the 1850 census and the death date of the grave and the newpaper report are coincident. The Gerberich Collection citation and the Findagrave citation must be incorrect about age of the deceased. The coroner’s records of Chester County show three autopsy bills³ for a James Spencer: 7 Jul, 29 Jul and 7 Aug 1845, but these may all be related to the same case (the court case occurred on 5 Aug with the verdict on Aug 7). Online at Findagrave there are no other James Spencers buried in Chester County or the state of Pennsylvania in this time period.

The murderer Jesse Moore was tried and convicted of manslaughter, but served no jail time. He was a violent repeat offender who was charged with assault in 1855 and served one month in the Norristown Prison.⁴ James Spencer on the other hand was ‘a quiet civil man who left a wife and seven children.’ The newspaper report (Public Ledger, Philadelphia) states that James Spencer Sr. was a half-brother of Moore’s wife (actually a half-niece, see below).

A birthdate for James Sr. is calculated at abt 1800 considering his marriage⁵ to Rachiel/Rachel in 1825; this is consistent with the 1840 census,⁶ that has him in West Whiteland, Chester, age 40-49. The 1830 census⁷ shows him in East Whiteland, Chester, Pennsylvania with a household of 5.

Examination of the earlier censuses (1800-1820) reveals one James Spencer family in Upper Dublin Twp that fits our criteria (husband and wife 30+ yrs in 1810, and a son and dau abt 10 yrs in 1810), but this family is still in Upper Dublin in the 1830 census when our James Spencer is counted in the Chester County census; therefore this is not the family of James Sr.

A series of Chester County deeds⁸ regarding the sale of lands in Fallowfield Twp, Chester County (west of Exton) by three parties was discovered—one of them was ‘James Spencer and his wife Mary of Southwark, Philadelphia’. The authors thought this was IT—our family (parents of James b. abt 1800)—but alas it was not to be. This James Spencer was identified in the 1820 U. S. census⁹ in Southwark (south Philadelphia) and in the 1850 U. S. census¹⁰ as well. This James was born¹¹ to Christopher and Elizabeth Spencer 17 Sep 1777 at Westminster, London, England and died 10 Feb 1857 very affluent at Philadelphia, buried¹² at Mount Moriah, Philadelphia County. James’ wife Mary outlived him about 10 years and left a great will¹³ outlining their family structure. Mary was born 1784 at Philadelphia, Philadelphia County and died 2 Mar 1868; buried¹⁴ at Union Burial Ground Society, Philadelphia. Children: James b. 1813; Rebecca b. 1828, m. Tasker; Richard D. b. 1830. But this is not the family of James Sr.

at-DNA.

The autosomal at-DNA matches of Marcia Case Field (MCF, a gggdau of James Sr.) and her niece Katherine Ellen Case (hereafter KEC) were examined. Searching for surname: Spencer in Pennsylvania revealed several matches: including two to a James Spencer of Whiteland Twp, Chester County, Pennsylvania and his dau Hannah (Spencer) Burnett: Sharon St Jean¹⁵ and hehines456¹⁶ (see Cluster 1). This DNA result showing that MCF/KEC share DNA with these descendants of James Spencer Sr. of East Whiteland, Chester County and the foregoing discussions remove any doubt as to the birth and death years of James Sr. and James Jr.

The family trees of this Hannah indicate her father was ‘James’ Spencer, b. 1775 (there is no source for the name ‘James’ or the date in these trees). Hannah is likely the sister of our James Spencer Sr. Hannah’s birthyear is abt 1800—there is no birth record and four U. S. censuses (1850, 1860, 1870, 1880) have her born 1798-1802. Hannah married¹⁷ Samuel Burnett (b. Ireland) of Delaware County, Pennsylvania (directly east of Chester County) in 1818 and they had eight children together.¹⁸

In the 1810 U. S. Census there are 27 Spencers in Chester and neighboring counties when James Sr. and Hannah would both have been about 10 years old—three of these qualify by family structure¹⁹ as parents of James and Hannah, one in Chester (Joseph) and two further afield in Delaware County (Samuel, John).

The Spencers of Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Obviously, the Joseph Spencer family of New London is of primary interest as it is the only one in Chester County. Joseph married²⁰ Rebecca Goode in 8 Oct 1800 at Willow Grove, Delaware, Pennsylvania. The Joseph Spencer family has in the 1810 Census²¹ a 10-15 year old son in the family group. This son is not in the Jenkins²² description of the Joseph Spencer family that has only daus. There is a gap between Joseph’s marriage in 1800 and the birth of their oldest Jenkins-reported child in 1803. This is reflected in the original Quaker record that is undoubtedly Jenkins’ source,²³ but these summary records for New Garden Monthly Meeting (see Samuel Spencer 27) were written much later (after 1899). Therefore, it is completely plausible that Joseph and Rebecca (Good) Spencer are the probable parents of James and Hannah Spencer. Proof comes from at-DNA data showing matches by MCF and KEC to the Good(e) surname/PA (see Cluster 2).

The Goode line goes back many generations to Robert Downe Goode, b. 1586 at Whitley, Yorkshire, England.²⁴ The Goodes came to Chester County from Plumstead, Bucks County and like the Spencers (also Quakers) spent time in Barbados before coming to America.

As mentioned above, James Spencer Sr. and his murderer Jesse Moore were related (by marriage)—Moore was married to Rebecca Ann Miles who was a dau of Hannah, an illegitimate dau of Rebecca Good and half-sister of James (paper evidence and details are provided in the Genealogical Summary). This is all substantiated by at-DNA evidence as shown in Cluster 3

More at-DNA.

There are other at-DNA matches of interest. A search of the MCF and KEC at-DNA matches for ‘Spencer’ and ‘Pennsylvania’ gives 25 hits. For most of them a connection to our Pennsylvania Spencers is not obvious. But interestingly, DNA is shared with eight others (see Cluster 4, 16-8cM) all descended from children of Samuel Spencer b. 1699 of Upper Dublin Twp: including R. B.²⁵, L. M.²⁶, B. M.²⁷, Justin Forbes²⁸, and Joseph Goebel²⁹ (other problems exist³⁰ for the ‘Joseph Goebel’ match see the GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY. Trees for some matches are not available.

The Spencer family were Quakers and farmers in Barbados and in Pennsylvania. In the 18th century they were located almost exclusively in Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County (then Philadelphia County), Pennsylvania.

The Spencers of Barbados.

Samuel Spencer of Barbados (b. abt 1670) is 9 gens removed from MCF (Cluster 1 members are 7th cousins); the DNA Painter Tool³¹ indicates that an 8cM match is highly compatible with 7th cousins.

Figure 2. The first two generations descended from Samuel Spencer of Barbados (from Jenkins, p. 40).

So it would appear that our Spencers are ultimately descended from the immigrant Samuel Spencer of Barbados (1670-1705) and probably through his son Samuel Spencer b. 1699 (m. Mary Dawes). There is an excellent compiled and sourced genealogy (mostly wills and Quaker records, not specifically cited) of the Pennsylvania Spencers by Howard Malcolm Jenkins.³² vide supra. This great book describes the descendants of Samuel Spencer of Barbados through his two sons Samuel and William; see Figure 2 above. There is much more detail in Jenkins; this author has only cited the points that are important in this study. The author has pored over this excellent tome for over a hundred hours; it does not mention our James Sr./Hannah (cf the discussion of the Joseph Spencer/Rebecca Good family).

Samuel Spencer of Barbados had a brother James (b. 1667) who also immigrated from Barbados to Talbott County, Maryland (on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay). James married Isabella Camper (1670-1752). In Cluster 5 are shown three MCF matches to the Talbott County branch: boogreen11³³, Jon Miller³⁴, and coweber³⁵. Cited by boogreen11 is a compiled genealogy³⁶ that has interesting, speculative comments (no sources). It suggests that the brothers Samuel and James immigrated with their father John Spencer of London to Bucks County from Barbados (this would be abt 1680 when Wm Penn was giving out land grants to Quakers).

Nathan Spencer.

More needs to be said about the Cluster 4 matches. Beside the eight shown in Cluster 4, there are two other matches (Jonathan Jones³⁷ and S. C.³⁸) that claim to descend from Nathan Spencer (b. 1734, son of Samuel b. 1699)—but their Ancestry tree genealogies are faulty (see Cluster 6). They claim descent from Nathan b. 1734 through his son Nathan, b. 1764, m. Rachel Jackson Reed at Fayette County, Pennsylvania. However, Nathan’s son Nathan was b. 1767, m. Ann Smith.³⁹ So it is unclear how these matches tie into the eastern Pennsylvania Spencer lineage although considering the DNA evidence, they must!

GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY

Generation One

1. Samuel Spencer of Barbados, a merchant of Barbados, was probably born 1672 in Barbados or England.⁴⁰ His parents probably joined the Quakers in Great Britain and fled to Barbados soon after the English persecution began (1647).⁴¹ George Fox, founder of the ‘Society of Friends’ (Quakers), visited Barbados in 1671.⁴² There remain several Spencer families in Barbados; original settlers (which included a John Spencer of London, a tailor) were in Christ Church and St. Michael parishes of Barbados in 1679. Samuel left for Pennsylvania sometime before 1698, established his family after marriage to Elizabeth in Upper Dublin Twp, and died there in 1705.⁴³,⁴⁴ He married (2) abt 1698 at Pennsylvania Elizabeth Whitton of Yorkshire dau of Robert and Isabell (Whorlton) Whitton.⁴⁵ She was born abt 1675 and died 8 Aug 1702 of smallpox at Pennsylvania (Upper Dublin Twp, then Philadelphia County).

Samuel and Elizabeth (Whitton) Spencer had two sons.

+ 2 i. SAMUEL SPENCER ‘of Upper Dublin’ was born 22 Aug 1699 at Upper Dublin Twp, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

+ 3 ii. WILLIAM SPENCER ‘of Northampton’ was born 1 Nov 1701 at Upper Dublin Twp, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Generation Two

2. Samuel Spencer (Samuel¹) was born 22 Aug 1699 at Upper Dublin Twp, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died after 1750. Left an orphan at an early age, he was raised by his mother’s people, the Whittons. He married 18 Jun 1723 Mary Dawes dau of Abraham and Edith Dawes of Whitemarsh, immigrants from Nottinghamshire, England. They were Quakers.

Samuel and Mary (Dawes) Spencer had thirteen children all born in Upper Dublin Twp.⁴⁶,⁴⁷

+ 4 i. JACOB SPENCER was born 16 Feb 1724 of Moreland, Montgomery County (then Philadelphia County) and died 28 Oct 1782. He married 21 Sep 1745 at Abington Meeting House (Quaker) Hannah Jarrett dau of John and Mary Jarrett of Horsham; she was born Feb 1726 and died 14 Sep 1801.

5 ii. JOSEPH SPENCER was born 21 Feb 1726 and died 31 Mar 1793. He married (1) 25 Sep 1747 at Germantown Hannah Lukens dau of Mathias and Ann Lukens and (2) 12 Nov 1761 Abigail Conrad, a widow (born West). He had four children with Hannah that all died before reaching adulthood. He had two sons with Abigail; son John died in infancy and son Nathan b. 5 Jan 1764 at Germantown, Philadelphia County, m. Rachel Pim.⁴⁸,⁴⁹

6 iii. EDITH SPENCER was born 28 Nov 1727 and died ‘in her 14th year’.

7 iv. ELIZABETH SPENCER was born 10 Jan 1729. She married Joseph Lukens.

8 v. JOHN SPENCER was born 9 Jan 1731 (Gregorian) and died 6 Feb 1812 of Upper Dublin, Philadelphia County. He married 21 Nov 1752 at Abington Meeting House, Montgomery, Pennsylvania Elizabeth Kirk dau of John and Sarah Kirk. They had eight children born 1766-1775 at Upper Dublin Twp, none of the boys reached adulthood.⁵⁰,⁵¹

9 vi. NATHAN SPENCER was born 30 May 1734. He married⁵² 19 Apr 1756 at Abington Presbyterian Church (‘not according to Friends’) Hannah Lofborough dau of Nathaniel and Margaret Lofborough. After marriage they moved to Loudoun County, Virginia where their children were born. They had nine children all born in Virginia 1757-1776; most children lived in Virginia or Ohio.⁵³

‘R. B.’ (16cM) is a descendant of this Nathan Spencer through his son William Spencer (1765-1835), married 1793 Sarah Hatcher; ‘donniemillerjr’, ‘M. H.’, and ‘V. H.’ (9cM) are also descendants of Nathan.

10 vii. SARAH SPENCER was born 14 Mar 1736. She married William Nichols.

‘L. M.’ (8cM) and ‘B. M.’ (8cM) are descendants of Sarah Spencer (1736-1810).

11 viii. ABRAHAM SPENCER was born 17 Aug 1738 and died age 3.

12 ix. RICHARD SPENCER was born 16 Jun 1740 and died in childhood.

13 x. RICHARD SPENCER was born 16 Sep 1742 and died in childhood.

14 xi. WILLIAM SPENCER was born 8 Nov 1743/4 (Julian) and died 9 Nov 1833 at Clinton County, Ohio.⁵⁴ He married⁵⁵ 30 Jun 1765 at Trinity Church, Oxford, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mary Whitaker dau of Thomas Whitaker. Five boys born in Ohio.⁵⁶

‘Joseph Goebel’ (8cM) is a probable descendant of William Spencer (1743-1833).

15 xii. EDITH SPENCER was born 22 Mar 1746. She married (1) George Shoemaker and (2) Joseph Clark.

16 xiii. MARY SPENCER was born 28 Aug 1750. She married Jonathan Roberts.

3. William Spencer (Samuel¹) was born 1 Nov 1701 at Upper Dublin Twp, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died Mar 1756 at Bucks County, Pennsylvania, buried at Horsham. He was raised by his uncle Richard Whitton. He married 24 May 1733 at Gwynedd Meeting House (by order of Friends), Upper Dublin Twp Elizabeth Lewis dau of Ellis and Ann Lewis. After her husband died Elizabeth moved to Middletown, Bucks.⁵⁷

William and Elizabeth (Lewis) Spencer had eight children born at Horsham, Montgomery County (then Philadelphia County).⁵⁸

+ 17 i. JAMES SPENCER Sr. was born 16 Mar 1734 of Northampton, Bucks and died 19 Mar 1813 at Upper Dublin. He married twice.

18 ii. THOMAS SPENCERwas born 9 Jan 1736 of Northampton, Bucks and died 3 Apr 1811 at Northampton, Bucks, Pennsylvania. He married 16 Dec 1760 at Horsham Meeting House Mary Hallowell dau of Thomas and Mary (Craft) Hallowell.⁵⁹,⁶⁰ Seven children born at Horsham, Montgomery, Pennsylvania: including sons William (b. 8 Dec 1761 m. Margaret Spencer dau of Samuel—a 1st cousin, they had all daus), Thomas (b. 1767, m. Esther Worthington, 5 children: 1804-1815), and Amos (b. 8 Jan 1773, m. Ann Brown, 8 children: 1798-1815.⁶¹

19 iii. ANN SPENCER was born 16 Nov 1737. She married 7 Apr 1757 James Hayhurst of Middletown, Bucks, a cordwainer.

20 iv. SARAH SPENCER was born 1 Jun 1739.

21 v. SAMUEL SPENCER was born 14 Oct 1742 at Northampton, Bucks. He inherited the Northampton farm, married 1758 at Abington, Montgomery, Pennsylvania Sarah Kirk dau of Rynear and Sarah (Tyson) Kirk. Five children: including sons John (b. 1766, m. abt 1790 ____ Hart, sons Samuel b. 1795 and John b. 1797),⁶² and Samuel (b. 14 Jan 1775, m. Martha Longstreth, 6 children: 1800-1819; both sons lived in Philadelphia.⁶³,⁶⁴

22 vi. ENOCH SPENCER was born 8 Dec/Feb 1744/5 at Northampton Twp, Bucks, Pennsylvania and died 1799 at Harford County, Maryland. He married 1765 at Bucks County, Pennsylvania Sarah Lucas dau of Robert and Sarah (Croasdale) Lucas; she was born 1745 and died 1819. Six children born at Northampton, Bucks, Pennsylvania: including sons Robert, b. 1767; Mahlon, b. 1771, m. 30 Dec 1797 Little Falls MM, Harford, Maryland Eleanor Lee; and Asa, b. 1774.⁶⁵,⁶⁶

23 vii. JOB SPENCER was born 8 Jan/Mar 1750 and died after 1799 and before 1818.⁶⁷ He married 7 Oct 1785 at Gwynedd MM (Monthly Meeting), Montgomery County Hannah Kenderdine, a widow (born Morgan); she was born 1754. At least six children born at Horsham, Montgomery, Pennsylvania: including sons Edward m. 12 Apr 1808 Mary Roberts; and Job b. 26 Mar 1788 and dau Hannah b. 18 Feb 1795, m. William Harding, 2 children Charles and Mary.⁶⁸

24 viii. ABEL SPENCER was born 8 Aug 1753. He married 20 May 1779 at Langhurst, Bucks County Rebecca Hayhurst dau of William and Rebecca (Searle) Hayhurst. Seven children born at Deercreek, Harford, Maryland: including sons William b. 1782, Abel b. 1788, Reuben b. 1790, Joseph b. 1793.⁶⁹

Generation Three

4. Jacob Spencer (Samuel² Samuel¹) was born 16 Feb 1724 of Moreland, Montgomery County (then Philadelphia County) and died 28 Oct 1782. He married 21 Sep 1745 at Abington MM (Quaker) Hannah Jarrett dau of John and Mary Jarrett of Horsham; she was born Feb 1726 and died 14 Sep 1801. Beside the farm in Upper Dublin that he inherited from his father, he had other land holdings. At his death the lands were divided among his three sons, Samuel receiving the Upper Dublin farm and the other two sons Jarrett and John the Moreland holdings.

Jacob and Hannah (Jarrett) Spencer had seven children born at Moreland.⁷⁰

25 i. JARRETT SPENCER was born 10 Nov 1746. He married Hannah Evans. They had eight children born 1746-1761 at Moreland.⁷¹ Their sons: Jacob, b. 1775 never married; Thomas b. 1777, m. Alice Lukens, moved to Indian Spring MM, MD; Caleb, b. 1778, d. 1799; Charles, b. 1780, m. Mary Paxson; Samuel E. b. 20 Sep 1788, m. Rebecca Story. A letter of 1892 from Anna Spencer says ‘the supposition is correct that the Spencer name in the line of Jarrett and Hannah is extinct.’⁷²

26 ii. MARY SPENCER was born 31 Dec 1748 and died Apr 1815, unmarried.

+ 27 iii. SAMUEL SPENCER was born 2 Feb 1750/1. He married Mary Fitzwater. They moved in 1783 to Chester County.

28 iv. ELIZABETH SPENCER was born 6 Jul 1753 and died 18 Aug 1768 (dysentery).

29 v. JOHN SPENCER was born 29 May 1756. He married 1783 at Gwynedd Meeting Lydia Foulke dau of William and Hannah Foulke.⁷³ Nine children born 1784-1799 at Moreland, including sons George b. 1787, Jesse b. 1790, and Jonathan b. 1792.

30 vi. SUSANNA SPENCER was born 6 Sep 1758 and died 20 Aug 1768 (dysentery).

31 vii. SARAH SPENCER was born 23 Feb 1761 and died 21 Aug 1768 (dysentery).

17. James Spencer (William² Samuel¹) was born 16 Mar 1734 of Northampton, Bucks and died 17 Oct 1812 (probate date) at Upper Dublin (he was survived by wife Elizabeth).⁷⁴

He had inherited his father’s half of the Richard Whitton estate. He probably moved to Upper Dublin after his father’s death in 1756. He married (1) May 1761 at Horsham, Montgomery (then Philadelphia; Montgomery created 1784) Sarah Walton dau of Jeremiah and Elizabeth Walton of Moreland. After Sarah’s death (in 1787) he married⁷⁵ (2) 2 Apr 1788 at Horsham Meeting House Elizabeth Marple a widow (born Lukens); she had children by her first marriage.⁷⁶

James Spencer Sr. appears to have been an astute and prosperous businessman. His uncle Samuel’s will appears to be in his hand. He was a supervisor of the township and was in 1776 the county assessor. He purchased several other pieces of property (Abraham Charlesworth property and others). He wrote a lengthy, detailed and complicated will with care to make safe provision for all his heirs.⁷⁷

Under the terms of the will (sons Wm and Abner were executors; the oldest two sons and two other sons were already deceased by 1812 but had minor children). Abner actually ended up living on the main property and had the charge to maintain the widow Elizabeth. James also inherited property (he was abt 37 yrs); the property was to be held in trust⁷⁸ by the executors until son James (Jr.) died and then sold and the money divided up among his James’ two sons, Josiah and Samuel. This necessitated that James Jr. leave with his family (after 1820). Due to circumstances which are not known at this time, this reduced James Jr. to a state of great poverty.

James Sr. and Sarah (Walton) Spencer had at least eight children.⁷⁹ Birth years are not known, but James’ will has Abner the last (therefore perhaps the youngest), born 1776.

32 i. JOSIAH SPENCER was born after 1762 and died before 1812 (deceased at the time of his father’s will; wife Mary Lloyd. Two children: sons Josiah and Ezra.

33 ii. ENOS SPENCER was born after 1762 and died before 1812 (deceased at the time of his father’s will). He married Miriam Lloyd, Mary’s sister. She died after 1827 as she administered her sister Mary’s will. One son: Enos Morgan Spencer (called Morgan in James’ will); eventually inherited the Whitton property.

34 iii. WILLIAM SPENCER was born after 1762. He was an executor of his father’s will. He was a tailor. He married Hannah Walton and they had issue. One dau Lydia inherited his farm; she had married Charles Michener and survived him many years.

35 iv. SENECA SPENCER was born after 1762 and was probably deceased in 1812 as he is not mentioned in his father’s will. Probably no issue.

36 v. EZRA SPENCER was born after 1762 and died before 1812. His father James makes provision for his children. He married Sarah ____ and they had children: Hugh, Hannah⁸⁰, and Sarah (m. David Atkinson, lived in Maryland).

37 vi. ELIZABETH SPENCER was born abt 1770 and died 21 May 1849. She married 3 Nov 1786 at Abington Presbyterian Church.

38 vii. JAMES SPENCER Jr. was born before 1775 at Upper Dublin Twp; he was a laborer. He married⁸¹ 9 May 1795 at Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Montgomery, Pennsylvania Elizabeth Smith dau of George and Elizabeth Smith.⁸² Ten children all born in Upper Dublin.⁸³

39 viii. ABNER SPENCER was born 1775. He married Mary Muckleson.

Generation Four

27. Samuel Spencer (Jacob³ Samuel² Samuel¹) was born 2 Feb 1750/1 and died 31 Mar 1834. He married⁸⁴ 14 Apr 1774 at Abington Meeting Mary Fitzwater dau of John Fitzwater.⁸⁵ Mary was born 10 Jun 1751 and died 14 Jun 1844. Samuel sold his Montgomery County property to his brother John and Uncle John of Upper Dublin and moved in 1783 to New London, Chester County, Pennsylvania where he purchased a farm of 200 acres.⁸⁶ The farm was located within the bounds of the West Grove MM, but was difficult to attend because of the 4 mile distance. In 1812 a branch of the New Garden MM was established that was held in Spencer’s schoolhouse. Samuel refused to pay militia taxes to support the war and paid penalties for this action; his sons, Joseph, Jonathan, and Asa, owning no property to be confiscated, were imprisoned for non-payment of taxes. When Joseph was married in 1800 he desired a home of his own and abt 1803 an adjacent farm was purchased by Samuel. This farm had a log house that became Joseph’s home until Samuel died and then Joseph moved to his father’s house for the remainder of his life.⁸⁷ Samuel and his sons Joseph and Jonathan appear in the 1800 Septennial Census of New London Township, Chester County.⁸⁸

Samuel and Mary (Fitzwater) Spencer had seven children born at Upper Dublin Twp.⁸⁹

+ 40 i. JOSEPH SPENCER was born 1776 and died 1845. He married Rebecca Good.

41 ii. JONATHAN SPENCER was born 1778. He married⁹⁰ 12 May 1814 at West Grove MM Lydia Michener.

42 iii. ASA SPENCER was born 1780 and died 1862. He married⁹¹ (1) 5 Oct 1803 Hannah Good and (2) Ann Mercer.

‘Justin Forbes'(8cM) is a descendant of Asa Spencer, a son of Samuel Spencer (1751-1834) and grandson of Jacob Spencer.

43 iv. AARON SPENCER was born 20 Aug 1780 and died 28 Dec 1810; unmarried.

44 v. ELIZABETH SPENCER was born 28 Oct 1782 and died 30 Dec 1784.

45 vi. HANNAH SPENCER was born 2 Aug 1786 and died 5 Mar 1850 at Chester County, Pennsylvania. She married⁹²,⁹³ in 1820 at Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Thomas Farra son of Oliver and Phebe Farra of New London. Three children.

46 vii. SARAH SPENCER was born 1789. She married⁹⁴ 15 Apr 1819 at New London MM Dr. Ezra Michener son of Mordecai and Alice Michener of Londongrove.⁹⁵

Generation Five

40. Joseph Spencer (Samuel⁴ Jacob³ Samuel² Samuel¹) was born 3 Jul 1776⁹⁶ and died 2 Jan 1845 of New London, Chester, Pennsylvania. Joseph died of a progressive attack of paralysis agitans (shaking palsy, Parkinson disease)⁹⁷ that also had affected his father. He married⁹⁸,⁹⁹ 8 Oct 1800 at West Grove MM Rebecca Good (she was age 24) dau of Francis and Sarah (Roberts) Goode of London Grove, Chester County. Rebecca was born¹⁰⁰ 24 Apr 1776 at Buckingham Twp, Bucks, Pennsylvania;¹⁰¹ her family moved to Chester County before 1800. Rebecca had a dau Hannah at age 14 (probably out of wedlock; father L___).¹⁰²,¹⁰³

‘Tiffany Preston'(10cM) is a descendant of Rebecca (Goode) Spencer through Rebecca’s sister Margaret (daus of Francis Goode)

Rebecca Good had a daughter, father unknown.¹⁰⁴

47 i. HANNAH L___ was born 1790¹⁰⁵ and died¹⁰⁶ 1872 at Chester County. She married abt 1812 Joseph Miles. They had three children:¹⁰⁷ (1) George Washington b. 1813; (2) Nelson b. 1815, d.¹⁰⁸ 17 Nov 1853 at Lancaster, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, m.¹⁰⁹ 4 Nov 1836 Mary Ann Gheen; and (3) Rebecca b. 1818, d.¹¹⁰ 6 Mar 1888 at Coatesville, Chester, Pennsylvania.

Hannah was arraigned for larceny in 1860.¹¹¹ Hannah’s history indicates she was destitute much of her life.¹¹²

Hannah’s dau Rebecca Miles m. abt 1830 Jesse Moore; six children.¹¹³ In 1863 Rebecca and her mother (Hannah L. Miles) were living together in Philadelphia Ward 20.¹¹⁴ Jesse Moore, a blacksmith, was born 1816 and died 1882 at Coatesville, Chester, Pennsylvania. Jesse murdered James Spencer Jr. 6 Jul 1845.¹¹⁵

‘brooksky'(11cM, 2 segments),¹¹⁶ ‘Sherry Mullen’ (11cM) and ‘Carol Graham’ (8cM) are all descendants of Rebecca Ann Miles, dau of Joseph and Hannah L. Miles.

Joseph was a practicing Quaker; Joseph lived in his father’s house after Samuel died. Note that although they married in 1800, Jenkins has no children for them until 1803, the year the New Garden MM¹¹⁷ summary records began; perhaps Hannah and James were born in this interim (see also father Samuel’s history and the Chester Spencers discussion vide supra). They are also close to Delaware County where dau Hannah’s spouse Samuel Burnett lived; Hannah Spencer married 1818.

Joseph and Rebecca (Good) Spencer had at least six children at New London, Chester County.¹¹⁸

+ 48 i. JAMES SPENCER Sr. was born was born abt 1800 and died 6 Jul 1845 at Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania.

49 ii. HANNAH SPENCER was born abt 1800 vide supra of Glenloch, East Whiteland Twp, Chester, Pennsylvania and died 7 Sep 1881 (1880)¹¹⁹ at Lancaster, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; buried¹²⁰,¹²¹ at Exton, Chester next to her husband. She married 15 Sep 1818 at Concord, Delaware, Pennsylvania¹²² Samuel Burnett; he was born 1797 of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and died/was buried¹²³ 16 Aug 1863 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Exton, Chester, Pennsylvania.¹²⁴ He may have immigrated from Ireland in 1812.¹²⁵ He fought in the War of 1812 (Capt. Wetherby’s Co., Pennsylvania Militia; enlisted Delaware County, Pennsylvania); Hannah applied for a pension 19 May 1868.¹²⁶ Ten children.

‘hehines456’ (10cM) and ‘Sharon St Jean’ (11cM) are descendants of Hannah (Spencer) Burnett.

50 iii. RACHEL SPENCER was born 1803 and died 1851. She married¹²⁷ 11 Mar 1824 at New London MM Joel Thompson.

51 iv. ELIZABETH SPENCER was born 2 Feb 1805 and died 2 Oct 1891. She married¹²⁸ (1) 14 May 1829 at Spencer’s Schoolhouse Israel Hughes and (2) William Richards.

52 v. ANN SPENCER was born and died in 1807.

53 vi. MIRIAM SPENCER was born 21 Aug 1808; never married.¹²⁹

54 vii. MARY ANN SPENCER was born 24 Apr 1812; never married.¹³⁰

55 viii. SARAH GOOD SPENCER was born 30 Apr 1818 at Chester County, Pennsylvania and died 6 Mar 1907 at Little Britain Twp, Lancaster.¹³¹ She married¹³² 17 Nov 1842 at West Grove MM Henry Paxson Townsend Eleven children.

‘S_Lyle49’ (16cM, 2 segments) is a descendant of Rebecca (Goode) Spencer through Rebecca’s dau Sarah (Spencer) Townsend.

Generation Six

48. James Spencer Sr. (Joseph⁵ Samuel⁴ Jacob³ Samuel² Samuel¹) was born abt 1800 and died (murdered) in a domestic dispute 6 Jul 1845 at Chester County, Pennsylvania. He was beaten to death by an intoxicated relative (husband of his half-sister’s dau) named Jesse Moore vide supra. He married¹³³ 14 Apr 1825 at Chester County, Pennsylvania Rachel Martin; she was born 1807 and died 1850 at Glenloch, Chester, Pennsylvania.¹³⁴,¹³⁵ During the 1830’s they lived¹³⁶ first at Whiteland Twp, Chester (east of Exton and SSW of Phoenixville) and subsequently at East Caln, Chester County (west of Exton, part of Downingtown). James Spencer appears in the 1842 Pennsylvania census in West Whiteland Twp, Chester County.¹³⁷

Rachel became pregnant at age 14 and had a dau (presumed illegitimate) by Henry Hoopes¹³⁸ son of John Hoopes of East Caln, Chester, Pennsylvania, a wealthy landowner.¹³⁹

56 i. MALINDA HOOPES¹⁴⁰ was born 10 Apr 1822 at Chester County, Pennsylvania and died 20 Jan 1903 at Liberty, Trumbull, Ohio.¹⁴¹ She married after 1860¹⁴² Zenas Kline of Churchill, Trumbull, Ohio. Zenas was born 28 Aug 1828 and died 28 Aug 1888 at Liberty, Trumbull, Ohio;¹⁴³ husband and wife are buried¹⁴⁴ at Oak Hill Cemetery, Youngstown, Mahoning, Ohio. No children.¹⁴⁵

James and Rachel (Martin) Spencer had eight children.¹⁴⁶,¹⁴⁷

57 i. JOHN SPENCER was born 8 Jun 1826 at Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania and died¹⁴⁸ 14 Dec 1904 at the Soldiers Home, Hampton, Virginia; buried¹⁴⁹ in Montgomery Cemetery, Norristown. He enlisted in the 14th Pennsylvania Infantry 16 Apr 1861 at Harrisburg. He married abt 1850 Cornelia Ainsley/Ainslee¹⁵⁰ dau of William and Julianna Ainsley.¹⁵¹,¹⁵² Four children: John William, Elizabeth, Miller, Letitia.¹⁵³

58 ii. MARY ANNE SPENCER was born 16 Dec 1828 and died 17 Apr 1911 at Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania; buried¹⁵⁴ at Morris Cemetery, Phoenixville.¹⁵⁵,¹⁵⁶ She married abt 1852 Peter Gruver Carey; he was born 1828 and died 1897 at Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania; buried¹⁵⁷ at Morris Cemetery, Phoenixville. Three children: Franklin Pierce, Mary Emma, Clara.¹⁵⁸

59 iii. SARAH ANNE SPENCER was born 9 Feb 1830 and died 15 Aug 1830.¹⁵⁹

60 iv. HANNAH EMALINE SPENCER was born¹⁶⁰ 28 Jun 1831 and died 14 Aug 1913 at Lima, Allen, Ohio; buried¹⁶¹ at Woodlawn Cemetery, Lima, Allen, Ohio. She married¹⁶² 7 Mar 1855 at Van Wert County, Ohio Capt. John Lorenz Hughes son of Richard and Nancy (Davis) Hughes. A civil war veteran, he served in Company E, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was born 16 Dec 1824 at Virginia and died 16 Dec 1904; buried¹⁶³ next to his wife at Woodlawn Cemetery, Lima, Allen, Ohio. Two children: Mary Ella, Richard Martin.¹⁶⁴

61 v. MARIA JANE SPENCER was born 25 Feb 1834 and died¹⁶⁵ 5 Nov 1924 at Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania; buried¹⁶⁶ at Morris Cemetery, Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania.¹⁶⁷ She married 1857 David Baugh. He was born 1833 and died 1908; buried¹⁶⁸ next to his wife. One dau Clara.¹⁶⁹

62 vi. PHOEBE SPENCER was born 2 Apr 1836 and died 4 Feb 1903 at Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania; buried¹⁷⁰ at Morris Cemetery, Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania.¹⁷¹ She married 1860 J. William Batt. He was born 26 Nov 1837 and died 17 Feb 1914; buried¹⁷² next to his wife. Two children: Elmer Ellsworth, Laura M.¹⁷³

63 vii. CATHERINE SPENCER was born 8 Oct 1838 and died 5 Aug 1867 at Downingtown, Chester, Pennsylvania.¹⁷⁴ She married abt 1857 Oliver Hampton; he was born 1835 and died 1910; buried¹⁷⁵ at Covenant Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Frazer, Chester, Pennsylvania Two children, Ella H.¹⁷⁶ b. Dec 1858 at Pennsylvania, d.¹⁷⁷,¹⁷⁸ 5 Aug 1910 at Liberty, Trumbull, Ohio and Clara d.¹⁷⁹ 27 Nov 1944 at Trumbull County, Ohio; buried at Morris Cemetery, Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania. After their mother’s death the girls were raised by their half-sister Malinda (Hoopes) Kline. Neither married.

+ 64 viii. JAMES SPENCER Jr. was born 20 Dec 1840 at Chester County, Pennsylvania and died 22 May 1925 at Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Generation Seven

64. James Spencer Jr. (James⁶ Joseph⁵ Samuel⁴ Jacob³ Samuel² Samuel¹) was born 20 Dec 1840 at Chester County, Pennsylvania and died¹⁸⁰ 22 May 1925 at Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; buried¹⁸¹ at Hillside Cemetery, Roslyn, Montgomery, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the Union army at the age of twenty on 21 Apr 1861 and served in the 4th regiment of Penna volunteers, Captain Bolton’s company.¹⁸² He married¹⁸³ (1) 15 Apr 1875 at Pottstown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania Alice A. H. Beecher dau of William and Elizabeth Beecher of Pottstown.¹⁸⁴,¹⁸⁵ She was born 17 Feb 1856 at Pennsylvania and died¹⁸⁶ 29 Aug 1876 (age 20, childbirth, listed as single?) at Philadelphia; buried¹⁸⁷ at Pottstown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania. They had a dau Sylvia (Sylvie) Beecher Spencer (b. 1876) who was raised by her maternal uncle.¹⁸⁸ Sylvie married 1899 Albert B. Millet;¹⁸⁹ she died 1953 and was buried¹⁹⁰ next to her husband at Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia. Albert was born¹⁹¹ 28 Mar 1872 at Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died/was buried 1956.¹⁹²

Figure 3. James Spencer (1840-1925) in 1920

James married¹⁹³ (2) 6 Jan 1880 at The Church of the Mediator (Episcopal), Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Amanda Schiedel dau of Johann Jacob and Margareth (Conley) Schiedel. She was born 4 Feb 1850 and died¹⁹⁴ 18 Mar 1940 at Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and buried next to her husband. Three children: Clarence Martin b. 1881, d. 1966, m. Nov 1907 Ellen Eliza Cadwallader Smith (one dau Dorothy Elsa, b. 16 Oct 1933, d. 23 Dec 2006); James Burbank b.1887, d. 1968, m. Eleanor Wilhelmina Josephina Rohner (one dau Nikki, b. 3 Oct 1933, d. 17 May 2018); and Elsa Matilda b. 1892, d. 1990.¹⁹⁵

Figure 4. Top: James (b. 1840) abt 1865, age 25 and Amanda abt 1870, age 20;

Bottom, L to R: Clarence in 1898, age 17;James Burbank in 1914, age 27; Elsa in 1912, age 20.

James was a printer; in the 1860 census¹⁹⁶ he was a printer’s apprentice in Norristown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania. After 1886 James and Amanda ran their printing business out of their home at 1840 N. 13th St. (the 32nd Ward) in Philadelphia.

Figure 5. Philadelphia Inquirer, 2006

In 1920 James bought the building at 22 No. 6th St in Philadelphia; it became the James Spencer Company, a printing/engraving company (see sign above made of lead which was 8 inches high and 55 inches long) until it was purchased by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia on September 23, 1964.¹⁹⁷ This sale was not due to the retirement of the Spencers, but the building was taken by eminent domain in order to convert the 3 blocks in front of Independence Hall into a national park to ultimately showcase Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. (Court decree was on 9/23/64, pursuant to ordinance of the City of Philadelphia dated 12/31/63 and pursuant to the Act of May 24, 1945, P.L.991). Within the next decades this park area became a pavilion, and ultimately the Independence Mall that we now know houses not only Independence Hall and the adjoining buildings but the newer home of the Liberty Bell.

NOTES

1. Findagrave #147108834.

3. Coroner’s Bills: Chester County Coroners Records 1720-1957; online at www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/1694/Coroner’s-Records-1720-1957.

4. Montgomery County Historical Society, Dekalb Pike, Norristown, Jesse Moore, Box 7.

5. William Newlin, Esq. performed the marriage (4 May 1825) The Village Record, West Chester Historical Society, Chester Co., PA).

6. 1840 U. S. Census of West Whiteland, Chester, Pennsylvania, Roll 454, Page 370, FHL Film 0020542, household of 7, two persons 40-49, 5 children under 20—one male, four females; online at Ancestry.

7. 1830 U. S. Census of East Whiteland, Chester, Pennsylvania, Roll M19_148, Page 144, FHL Film 0020622, household of 5, two persons 30-39, 3 children under 20—one male, two females; online at Ancestry.

8. Chester County Deeds 1688-1903, Deed books H-4, p. 394-5; I-4, p. 198, 403; K-4, p. 48 (all 1833-1834); the parcel was divided and sold to 4 different buyers; online at FamilySearch.

9. 1820 U. S. Census of Southwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll M33_110, Page 99, Image 364; online at Ancestry.

10. 1850 U. S. Census of Southwark Ward 5, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll 822, Page 381a; online at Ancestry.

11. England and Wales christening index, 1530-1980; online at Ancestry.

12. Findagrave #177020295; with obit.

13. Pennsylvania U. S., Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993, Wills, No. 115-163, 1868, Image 211-2/525, names children and grandchildren; online at Ancestry.

14. Findagrave #146419609; with obit.

15. ‘St Jean Family Tree’, owner Sharon St Jean, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/64740936, and sources therein (accessed 30 Nov 2020).

16. ‘Hines-Eric’, owner hehines456, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/114230653, and sources therein (accessed 30 Nov 2020).

17. Pennsylvania U. S., War of 1812 Pensions, Hannah Burnett, widow, of Downington, Chester, Pennsylvania, image 375/753; online at Ancestry.

18. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited therein.

19. Samuel Spencer of Chester Twp, Delaware County (Roll 47, Page 454, Image 186, FHL Film 193673; 1M less than 10, M26-44, 2F less than 10, F10-15, F26-44); John Spencer of Middletown Twp, Delaware County, (Roll 47, Page 471, Image 203, FHL Film 193673, 2M less than 10, M10-15, M26-44, 2F less than 10, F10-15, F26-44); and Joseph Spenser of New London, Chester County, (Roll 47, Page 184, Image 39, FHL Film 193673, M10-15, M26-44, 3F less than 10, F26-44); online at Ancestry.

20. Pennsylvania, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Marriage Records, 1512-1989, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6CYX-LQ19) , ‘Greens and Browns Collection’: Joseph’s parents are listed as Samuel and Mary Spencer; Rebecca’s parents are Francis (dec) and Sarah Goode; marriage at WGrove.

21. Ibid.

22. Jenkins, Howard Malcolm Genealogical Sketch of the Descendants of Samuel Spencer of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: Ferris & Leach, 1904); hereafter Jenkins, p. 115-116.

23. Pennsylvania Historical Society, Births and Baptisms 1520-1999, Greens and Browns Collection, Call Ch 3F-3 and 22F-1, Friends records monthly meeting Church Records, Chester Co., Pa, New Garden MM, ca 1800-1899; image 132/143 online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSCX-2R87?cc=4138679 also image 97/355 New Garden MM, online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSC7-HS39-8?cc=4138679.

24. ‘Lyle/MacRae Family Tree’, owner S_Lyle49, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/26077860, and sources therein (accessed 23 Aug 2024); hereafter Lyle/MacRae Tree.

25. ‘Lutze Family Tree’, owner DonnaLGalster50, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/830523, and sources therein (accessed 12 Dec 2020).

26. ‘David Jeffrey Broida Schwartz Merwin Family Tree’, owner David Merwin, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/55333441, and sources therein (accessed 12 Dec 2020).

27. ‘David Jeffrey Broida Schwartz Merwin Family Tree’, owner David Merwin, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/55333441, and sources therein (accessed 12 Dec 2020).

28. ‘Forbes/Hemphill Family Tree’, owner Justin Forbes, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/116716576, and sources therein (accessed 12 Dec 2020).

29. ‘Goebel Peters Primary Tree’, owner hlgoebel1, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/1990417, and sources therein (accessed 12 Dec 2020); hereafter Goebel Family Tree.

30. There is no strong evidence that the Goebel match through Nathan’s son William b. 1743 is viable, but to ignore the common pieces of evidence (birth date and year) is to ignore the DNA evidence.

31. Online at www.dnapainter.com; devised by Blaine T. Bettinger.

32. Jenkins.

33. ‘William Green Family Tree’, owner boogreen11, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/33754777, and sources therein (accessed 12 Jan 2021).

34. ‘Miller Family Tree’, owner Jon Miller, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/107396194, and sources therein (accessed 12 Dec 2020).

35. ‘bielefeld Family Tree’, owner coweber, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/22341079, and sources therein (accessed 12 Dec 2020).

36. Haines, Blanche Moore Ancestry of Sharpless Moore and Rachel Roberts Moore (Michigan: s.n., 1937) p. 103; image 116/236 online at Ancestry.

37. ‘Jones Family Tree’, owner Jonathan Jones, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/160159003, no sources (accessed 12 Dec 2020).

38. ‘James Cody’, owner Dodgers1972, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/69019233, no sources (accessed 12 Dec 2020).

39. Nathan Spencer, b. 1767, married Ann Smith in Virginia (Jenkins, p. 99) near where his father Nathan raised his children. Nathan Spencer, b. 1764, married Rachel Jackson Reed in Fayette County in (far western Pennsylvania).

40. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

41. Early Emigration to Barbados, online at FindMyPast.

42. ‘The Quakers in Barbados’, online at www.caribbeanfamilyhistory.org/quakers.

43 Jenkins, p. 41; he wrote a will 26 Nov 1705 (proved 20 Dec 1705) which implied that he had relatives in Barbados.

44. Jenkins, p. 11-13; there were Spencers (a father John from London and two sons James b. 1670 and Samuel b. 1672) who obtained a land grant from William Penn in 1681 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania; John Spencer died in 1683. It is possible that upon their father’s death, the two boys were sent to Barbados to be raised by relatives there. It is known that one of the sons (James) was in Philadelphia in 1707 petitioning to obtain his father’s land.

45. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

46 U. S. Quaker Meeting Records 1681-1935; Pennsylvania, Montgomery, Abington MM, Births and Deaths 1682-1809; 13 children’s births are recorded for Samuel and Mary (Dawes) Spencer, not clear whether the dates are Julian or Gregorian; online at Ancestry.

47. Jenkins, p. 42-43.

48. Jenkins, p. 58.

49. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

50. Jenkins, p. 62-65.

51. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

52. Spencer/Lofborough marriage: U. S. and International Marriage Records1560-1900, source no. 638.004 pedigree; online at Ancestry.

53. Jenkins, p. 65-69.

54 See Jenkins, p. 43, ‘probably died young’, no source.

55. Spencer/Whitaker marriage: Maryland, U. S., Compiled Marriage Index 1634-1777 (married at Baltimore) and Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U. S., Church and Town Records (married at Philadelphia); online at Ancestry.

56. Goebel Family Tree.

57. Jenkins, p. 72-76; the author’s thoroughness does not extend to the descendants of William. There are many more blanks and gaps in the genealogy of William’s descendants.

58. Jenkins, p. 43.

59. Jenkins, p. 76.

60. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

61. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

62. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

63. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

64. Jenkins, p. 77.

65. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

66 FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there. The families of Robert, Mahlon, and Asa were checked for sons James or daus Hannah—nothing found.

67. Jenkins, p. 79.

68. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

69. FamilySearch Family Tree and sources cited there.

70. Jenkins, p. 44-50.

71. Jenkins, p. 82-83.

72. Jenkins, p. 83.

73. Jenkins, p. 87-89.

74. 1810 U. S. Census of Upper Dublin Twp, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll 52, Page 1228, Image 195, FHL Film 193678, male and female over 45; online at Ancestry.

75. Spencer/’Marpole’ marriage: U. S. Quaker Meeting Records, Horsham MM, Montgomery, intention 30 Apr 1788; online at Ancestry.

76. Jenkins, p. 72.

77. James Sr. Spencer Will, probated 17 Oct 1812, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Wills, Vol 3-5, 1808-1821, images 249-255/682; online at Ancestry.

78. There is something peculiar here. For some reason his father felt James incapable of managing the property.

79. Jenkins, p. 75-76.

80. No further information could be found.

81. Spencer/Smith marriage: Pennsylvania U. S. Compiled Marriage Records, Montgomery County, Abington Presbyterian Church, ‘James Jr.’ and ‘Eliza.’; online at Ancestry.

82. Jenkins, p. 83-86.

83. 1810 U. S. Census of Upper Dublin Twp, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll 52, Page 1228, Image 195, FHL Film 193678, household of 8; 1820 U. S. Census of Upper Dublin Twp, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll N33_100, Page 161, Image 505, household of 7; and 1830 U. S. Census of Upper Dublin Twp, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll M19_154, Page 412, FHL Film 20628, household of 5; online at Ancestry.

84. Jenkins, p. 83-84.

85. Jenkins, p. 83-84; John Fitzwater was a descendant of Thomas Fitzwater who came to Pennsylvania on the Welcome with William Penn in 1682.

86. Pennsylvania U. S., Septennial Census 1786, New London Twp, Chester County, Pennsylvania; online at Ancestry.

87. Jenkins, p. 85.

88. Pennsylvania U. S., Septennial Census 1800, New London Twp, Chester County, Pennsylvania; online at Ancestry.

89. Jenkins, p. 86.

90. Pennsylvania Historical Society, Births and Baptisms 1520-1999, Greens and Browns Collection, Call 3F-3, West Grove MM, Chester County 1800-ca1899; image 73/143; online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSCX-2RPF?cc=4138689.

91. Pennsylvania Historical Society, Births and Baptisms 1520-1999, Greens and Browns Collection, Call 3F-3, West Grove MM, Chester County 1800-ca1899; image 73/143; online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSCX-2RPF?cc=4138689.

92. Farra/Spencer marriage: U. S. and International Marriage Records 1560-1900, he was born 1797; online at Ancestry also FamilySearch Family Tree and sources therein.

93. Jenkins, p. 86.

94. Pennsylvania Historical Society, Births and Baptisms 1520-1999, Greens and Browns Collection, Call 3F-3, West Grove MM, Chester County 1800-ca1899; image 73/143; online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSCX-2RPF?cc=4138689.

95. Jenkins, p. 117.

96. Jenkins, p. 115.

97. A hereditary ailment that contributed to his father Samuel’s death as well.

98. Pennsylvania, Historical Society of Pennsylvania Marriage Records 1512-1989, online at FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6CYF-6RTS.

99. Jenkins, p. 115.

100. Pennsylvania Historical Society, Births and Baptisms 1520-1999, Greens and Browns Collection, Call Bu 5F, Buckingham and Falls MM, Bucks County 1700-1870; image 43/245 online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS76-DSHJ-8?cc=4138679.

101. 1850 U. S. Census of New London Twp, Chester, Pennsylvania, online at FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M441-1WN; Rebecca age 74 is living with her two maiden daus and a 13 yr. old Thaddeus S. Gregg.

102. Hannah L. Miles: Pennsylvania U. S., Septennial Census 1863, Philadelphia Ward 20; Hannah is living with her dau Rebecca Miles; online at Ancestry.

103. Note also Figure 1 the Public Ledger (Philadelphia). ‘he (James) was a half-brother of Moore’s wife’ b. abt 1800 was murdered by Jesse Moore. This is highly unlikely as James was born abt 1800 and Rebecca (Jesse’s wife) was born 1818. It is more likely that Hannah (L___) Miles b.1790 was James’ half-sister. Such mistakes in the Public Ledger are not uncommon: the initial report of the murder on Jul 10 has Moore dead and Spencer carried off to prison.

104. 1850 U. S. Census of Steelville, Chester, Pennsylvania, Roll 766, Page 334b, Hannah (age 60) is living with Mary Miles age 64—a possible sister-in-law? and a Hannah Miles age 20 (Mary’s dau?); online at Ancestry.

105. Ibid.

106. U. S. Quaker Meeting Records, Pennsylvania, Chester, Kennett Preparative Meeting, Minutes 1910; inventory of graves at ‘Old Quaker Burying Ground’, page 15; online at Ancestry.

107. All three children were resident Chester Co., parents: Joseph and Hannah Miles; Chester County Pennsylvania website, Poor School Children Records 1810-1842, online at https://www.chesco.org/1710/Poor-School-Children-Records-1810-1842, 1823-1824, residence East Caln, Chester; online at Ancestry.

108. Findagrave #171118043.

109. Miles/Gheen marriage: online at FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q28G-K794 and 1850 U. S. Census of Rapho, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, online at FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4HL-Y2R.

110. Findagrave #47193277.

111. Hannah Miles, Burglary/Perpetrator, Court date: Apr 1860; Quarter Sessions, M: Image 118/125; online at https://www.chesco.org/1394/Criminal-Prison-Records.

112. Chester County, Pennsylvania U. S., Poor House Admissions Index, Book 4, Page 53, Hannah Miles discharged 16 Mar 1846; online at Ancestry.

113. ‘Finkbeiner Family Tree’, owner Scott Finkbeiner, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/26739758 and sources therein (accessed 30 Nov 2020).

114. Hannah L. Miles: Pennsylvania U. S., Septennial Census 1863, Philadelphia Ward 20; Hannah is living with her dau Rebecca Miles; online at Ancestry.

115. Figure 1. and Marcia C. Field research files, Chester County Archives, 601 Westtown Rd. West Chester, PA hereafter Chester County Archives.

116. ‘Scull Family Tree’, owner brooksky, www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/111176387 (accessed 30 Aug 2024).

117. Thomson, J. J. Chester County and Its People (Chicago, IL: Union History Co., 1898) p. 76, Quaker MM and dates of establishment; online at FamilySearch.

118. Jenkins, p. 115-6.

119. Gerberich Collection, Gravestone Inscriptions, Pennsylvania and New Jersey U. S., Church and Town Records; online at Ancestry.

120. Findagrave #22815027.

121. St. Pauls Episcopal Cemetery, 2005 transcription of sexton records, Hannah Burnett death: ‘in her 83rd year’ (a secondary source at best); St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Exton, PA.

122. U.S. War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, cites marriage date and other vitae; online at Ancestry.

123. Findagrave #51977145; there is another Samuel A. Burnett who died at the Battle of Gettysburg, Jul 3, 1863.

124. A. Jackson Burnett Death Certificate: Pennsylvania Death Certificates, names parents; online at Ancestry.

125. U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index 1500-1900, Source Publ’n Code 8195, arrived New York 1812 (original data: Filby, P. Wm. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index); online at Ancestry.

126. Pennsylvania U. S., War of 1812 Pensions, Hannah Burnett, widow, of Downington, Chester, Pennsylvania, image 375/753; online at Ancestry.

127. Pennsylvania Historical Society, Births and Baptisms 1520-1999, Greens and Browns Collection, Call 3F-3, West Grove MM, Chester County 1800-ca1899; image 73/143; online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSCX-2RPF?cc=4138689.

128. Pennsylvania Historical Society, Births and Baptisms 1520-1999, Greens and Browns Collection, Call 3F-3, West Grove MM, Chester County 1800-ca1899; image 73/143; online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSCX-2RPF?cc=4138689.

129. 1850 U. S. Census of New London Twp, Chester, Pennsylvania; online at FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M441-1WN; ‘Marion’ is age 42 and single.

130. 1850 U. S. Census of New London Twp, Chester, Pennsylvania; online at FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M441-1WN; Mary Ann is age 38 and single.

131. Lyle/MacRae Tree.

132. Pennsylvania Historical Society, Births and Baptisms 1520-1999, Greens and Browns Collection, Call 3F-3, West Grove MM, Chester County 1800-ca1899; image 73/143; online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSCX-2RPF?cc=4138689.

133. William Newlin, Esq. performed the marriage (4 May 1825) The Village Record, West Chester Historical Society, Chester Co., PA).

134. 1850 U. S. Census of Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania, Roll 765, Page 79b, Family 53, James is missing, Rachiel (43 yrs.), six children: Mary Anne b. 1830, Emaline b. 1833, Maria b. 1834, Phoebe b. 1836, Catharine b. 1839, James b. 1841; also Benj Essic, a saddler, is living with them (a lodger?); online at Ancestry.

135. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship, detailed genealogy provided to the court; specifically mentions Glenloch, Chester County as the death place for Rachiel.

136. Online at Chester County Poor School Children Records, 1810-1842 www.chesco.org/1710/Poor-School-Children-Records-1810-1842; John, age 6 (son of Rachel Spencer of East Whiteland) is listed in 1832; John and Mary Ann (children of James Spencer of East Caln) are listed in 1834-1835.

137. Pennsylvania , U. S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1772-1890, year 1842, Chester Co. index; online at Ancestry.

138. Chester County Archives, John Hoopes Will, 27 Mar 1827 (Proved 31 Jun 1831), #8645/WB 16 page 353, Abstract (p. 160): ‘Son Henry—guardian of Malinda Hoopes, daughter of Rachel Spencer , late Rachel Marten’. The codicil gives Malinda Hoopes a quarter of land in Columbiana County, Ohio and five hundred dollars ‘as long as she lives and remains under the care of my son Henry Hoopes until she arrives at the age of 21’.

139. Chester County Archives, in 1923 the East Caln tax records have John Hoopes property worth $24,400.

140. Ohio, Trumbull County, Probate Court Records, Estate of Clara M. Hampton, Petition for the Determination of Heirship #19463, 13 Aug 1947. Malinda Hoopes Kline (no issue) received an inheritance (land in Columbiana County, Ohio) from John Hoopes (her paternal gf) vide infra and when she died in 1903 this passed to her half-sister Clara M. Hampton {dau of Catherine (Spencer) Hampton}; Clara never married and also had no issue—thus provoking the probate inquiry into her estate when she died in 1944. The administrator provided a detailed 2-generation genealogy of Clara which names her mother Catherine (Spencer) Hampton and all of Catherine’s sibs, their birthdates and deathdates Generally reliable except that her father James’ death is reported to be in 1866, which must be an error (no death certificate, not in 1850/1860 census, not in Findagrave in Chester and surrounding counties); hereafter Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship.

141. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship.

142. The 1870 census of Liberty, Trumbull, Ohio is the first one where she is with her husband, Zenas Kline. In the 1850 and 1860 census she is living with her father Henry Hoopes; 1850 U. S. Census of East Caln, Chester, Pennsylvania, Roll 766, Page 253b, Henry Hoopes, a shoemaker, age 64; Malinda Hoopes, age 23 and others; online at Ancestry.

143. There is another Malinda (White) Hoopes, married to Caleb Hoopes. She was born 21 Apr 1821 at Willistown, Chester, Pennsylvania and died 8 Aug 1892 at Media, Delaware, Pennsylvania (Findagrave #4204110).

144. Findagrave #98198494 and #98198550 (Malinda).

145. 1880 U. S. Census of Liberty, Trumbull, Ohio, Roll 1070, Page 253A, E. D. 199,Dwelling 176, , Zenas and Malinda Kline with girls Ella ‘Kline’ and Clara ‘Kline’ (these are undoubtedly the daus of Malinda’s half-sister Catherine (Spencer) Hampton (deceased in 1867); online at Ancestry; in the 1900 census, the Hampton girls are still living with Malinda (now a widow) and are properly called ‘Hampton’.

146. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship.

147. 1850 U. S. Census of Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania, Roll 765, Page 79b, Family 53, James is missing, Rachiel (43 yrs.), six children: Mary Ann b. 1830, Emaline b. 1833, Maria b. 1834, Phoebe b. 1836, Catharine b. 1839, James b. 1841; also Benj Essic, a saddler, is living with them (a lodger?); online at Ancestry.

148. U. S., National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers 1866-1938, Hampton Register S, image 963/3251; online at Ancestry.

149. Pennsylvania, U. S., Veterans Burial Cards #6784, 1777-2012; online at Ancestry.

150. Spencer/Ainsley marriage: Dec 1892, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania 1885-1901, names parents; online at Ancestry.

151. John W. Spencer death; Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 18 Apr 1925 at Montgomery County, names parents; online at Ancestry.

152. 1870 U. S. Census of Norristown Upper Ward, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll M593_1378, Page 93B, Dwelling 66, FHL Film 552877, John and Cornelia A. with four children, living with her parents; online at Ancestry.

153. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship.

154. Findagrave #89721194.

155. 1870 U. S. Census of Phoenixville, Chester, Pennsylvania, Roll M593_1324, Page 633A, Dwelling 952, FHL Film 552823, Peter and Mary Ann with three children; online at Ancestry.

156. Mary A. Carey will: Pennsylvania, U. S., Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993, Chester Wills, Vol 38-39, 1910-1913, names only her children; online at Ancestry.

157. Findagrave #29861396, nice bio.

158. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship.

159. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship, a detailed genealogy provided to the court.

160. Ibid.

161. Findagrave #13606712.

162. Hughes/Spencer marriage: Ohio , U. S. County Marriage Records 1774-1993 FHL Film 10105,859; online at Ancestry.

163. Findagrave #13606696.

164. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship.

165. Pennsylvania, U. S. Death Certificates 1906-1967, 1924, #109779, names parents; online at Ancestry.

166. Findagrave #89721171.

167. 1900 U. S. Census of Phoenixville Ward 2, Chester, Pennsylvania, Page 6, E. D. 97, FHL Film 1241,393; online at Ancestry.

168. Findagrave #89721170.

169. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship.

170. Findagrave #89721166.

171. 1900 U. S. Census of Phoenixville Ward 2, Chester, Pennsylvania, Page 3, E. D. 97, FHL Film 1241,393; online at Ancestry.

172. Findagrave #89721165.

173. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship.

174. Clara M. Hampton probate/heirship, a detailed genealogy provided to the court.

175. Findagrave #29383168.

176. 1900 U. S. Census of Liberty, Trumbull, Ohio, Page 9, E. D. 111, Family 161, FHL Film 1241,325, Ella and her sister Clara b. 1862 and ‘Balinda’ Kline (an aunt); online at Ancestry.

177. Ella Spencer Hampton Death: Ohio, U. S. Death Records; online at Ancestry.

178. Ella Spencer Hampton Will: Ohio, U. S. Wills and Probate 1786-1998, Vol 26, probate 1 Sep 1910, case 4002, image 199/643; online at Ancestry.

179. Clara Hampton Death: Ohio, U. S. Death Records, cert. 42375; online at Ancestry.

180. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates; online at Ancestry.

181. Findagrave #138774607.

182. James Spencer, personal communication from Mrs. Marcia Case Field, Blue Bell, Pa. (a gdau).

183. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records, Reel 586; online at Ancestry.

184. 1870 U. S. Census of Pottsgrove, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll M593_1378, Page 254A, FHL Film 552877; online at Ancestry.

185. There is another Alice (Showers) married to a James Spencer (b.1853 England); this Alice was also born 1856, but in Philadelphia. She died in 1900 and had several children including a son Alfred E. Spencer, b. 1878 and died 1897 (age 19), and daus Alice Matilda and Gertrude Regina Spencer; online at FamilySearch.

186. Alice A. H. Spencer burial: Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records 1669-2013, Trinity United Church of Christ, includes birth vitae and parents names; online at FamilySearch FHL Film 1003,702 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKZ1-7V9.

187. Findagrave #147217515.

188. 1880 U. S. Census of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll 1187, Page 500B, E. D.603, Dwelling 20, Sylvia (age 3) is listed as a niece; online at Ancestry.

189. 1900 U. S. Census of Philadelphia Ward 38, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Page 17, E. D. 976, FHL Film 1241,479; online at Ancestry.

190. Findagrave #111602759.

191. Pennsylvania Births and Christenings 1709-1950; online at FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HF74-SF6Z.

192. Findagrave #111602681 and wife Amanda #138774615.

193. Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records 1669-2013; online at Ancestry.

194. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates; online at Ancestry.

195. Ibid.

196. 1860 U. S. census of Norristown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Page 557, Dwelling 465, FHL Film 805144; online at Ancestry.

197. Personal records and photos of Marcia Case Field, Blue Bell, Pa.