Marie-Eugénie (Adnot) Spencer (1864 - 1913)

Born 16 Feb 1864 in Mussey, Meuse, France

Ancestors

Wife of William Augustus Spencer — married 24 Dec 1884 in Westminster, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

Died 26 Oct 1913 at age 49 in Paris, Seine, France

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Biography

Marie-Eugénie Adnot was born on February 16th, 1864, in Mussey, Meuse, to Pélagie Adnot, a 20-year-old unmarried seamstress. In 1873, Pélagie married Louis Nicolas Dumougeot, a boilermaker who recognises Marie-Eugénie as his daughter. Upon this, Marie-Eugénie is known as Marie-Eugénie Demougeot on French records.^[1]

Her mother died a few months later in Lyon.^[2] Nicolas Demougeot later lived in Paris, it is unknown if Marie-Eugénie went with him.

On December 24th, 1884, she married William Augustus Spencer in the Saint-George Church on Hanover Square. She has no occupation listed and lived on "5 Alfred Street, Bedford Square".^[3][4] The interclass marriage may have not been well seen by the Spencer family, which is why it was celebrated in London rather than in Paris.^[5]

The Spencers lived between New York, Paris and their Swiss residence of Dreilinden. ^[5]

William Spencer's brother died in March 1912, and William was cited in the will, so the Spencers decided to go from Paris to New York for the execution of the will. They were joined by Élise Lurette, a former maid of the Spencer family who was also cited in the will. They boarded the Titanic in Cherbourg on April 10th, 1912 and stayed in Cabins B-78 and B-80. William Augustus Spencer died in the sinking of the ship but Marie-Eugénie and Élise survived.^[6][5]

Marie-Eugénie Spencer went back to France and died in her Parisian appartment of 36, avenue Henri-Martin, on October 26th, 1913.^[7] Her funerals were celebrated on October 30th in the Saint-Honoré d'Eylau church in Paris. ^[8][9]

Research Notes

There is no primary source to be found about her being an opera singer (Her marriage certificate doesn't give any occupation). There may be a confusion with Marcelle Demougeot. A lot of sources claim Marie-Eugénie sang with Enrico Caruso, whose carreer only began in 1892, so 8 years after her marriage to William Augustus Spencer, but who sang at the same time as Marcelle Demougeot.

Sources

1. ↑ Acte de naissance de Marie-Eugénie Demougeot: Naissances-Mariages-Décès 1863-1872 Mussey, AD55 2 E 374 (9) (vue 6/137), consulté en ligne par Yannis Lafond-Bensot le 13 décembre 2021.
2. ↑ Acte de décès de Pélagie Adnot: Acte #1338, Décès 1873 (juillet-décembre) Lyon 2, Archives de Lyon 2E748 (vue 132/205), consulté en ligne par Yannis Lafond-Bensot le 13 décembre 2021.
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921 (page 188/384) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Marriage Bonds and Allegations. London, England: London Metropolitan Archives.
4. ↑ Ancestry.com. Westminster, London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935 (page 32/538) [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2020. Original data: Westminster, Anglican Parish Registers, City of Westminster Archives, Westminster, London, England.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Encyclopedia Titanica (2014) Titanic Legacy of a Paris Maid (Titanica!, ref: #20124, published 3 October 2014, generated 15th December 2021 08:55:17 AM); URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-legacy-of-a-paris-maid.html
6. ↑ (2019) Marie Eugenie Spencer Encyclopedia Titanica (ref: #280, updated 5th November 2019 20:01:07 PM)
7. ↑ Acte de décès de Marie-Eugénie Demougeot, veuve Spencer : Acte#1529, Décès 1913 Paris 16e arrondissement, Archives de Paris 16D 102, consulté en ligne par Yannis Lafond-Bensot le 13 décembre 2021.
8. ↑ Page 3 Figaro du 28 octobre 1913, FRBNF34355551, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, consulté en ligne par Yannis Lafond-Bensot le 13 décembre 2021.
9. ↑ The Allentown Democrat (Allentown, Pennsylvania). 30 Oct 1913, Thu. Page 9. Newspaper notice of death.