Foreman Spencer Sr. (1784 - 1872)

Born 1 Sep 1784 in Maryland, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Dorothy (Wiseman) Spencer — married before 1812 in Little Kanawha River, West Virginia

Husband of Margaret (Evans) Spencer — married 1840 in Muskingum County, Ohio

Descendants

Died 14 Feb 1872 at age 87 in Willamette Valley, Clackamas, Oregon, United States

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Biography

Foreman Spencer, son of Joseph Spencer and Margaret Foreman, was born on the 1 Sep 1784 in Maryland.

Foreman married 1st, Dorothy Wiseman before 1812 in Little Kanawha River, West Virginia.

Children of Foreman and Dorothy:

1. Foreman Spencer 1812-
2. William Wilson Spencer 1812-1865
3. Caleb Wiseman Spencer 1814-1860
4. Owen Spencer 1818-1872
5. Harriet Spencer Baxter 1821-1908
6. Joseph Spencer 1823-1893
7. Minerva Spencer Roberts 1825-
8. Elizabeth Spencer Cole 1826-1913

Foreman married 2nd, Margaret Evans in 1840 in Muskingum, Ohio.

Children of Foreman and Margaret:

1. Infant Spencer 1844-

Foreman left his family in Muskingum sometime after 1851 and traveled to Oregon. He was in Yamhill, Oregon as early as 1858 as evidenced through a tax assessment record. He was joined later by his daughter Harriet Baxter and her family. They can be found together in the 1870 Yamkill Co. Oregon Federal Census.

Foreman passed away on the 14 Feb 1872 in Willamette Valley, Clackamas, Oregon.

Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Muskingum County, Ohio

FOREMAN SPENCER

Mr. Spencer's father, Joseph Spencer, was a native of Maryland, of English descent, and was a shoemaker by trade. He was the father of five children: Foreman, Edward, William, Sarah, and Gracie (who died in Maryland). [Joseph] Spencer came to Ohio in early life, after the death of his first wife [Margaret Foreman], and after her son, Foreman, had made a start, built a home and married. He lived with his son until his death, when seventy-five years of age.

His son, Foreman Spencer was born in Maryland, September 1, 1784, secured but a limited education, and there learned the trade of a tanner and shoemaker. He was one of the first settlers of Muskingum County, Ohio, emigrating there, it is believed about 1800 or 1801, with a family by the name of Tanner, the descendants of whom are now residing in Zanesville. Mr. Spencer entered land which is now the farm of his grandson, John Spencer. Muskingum County was then an unbroken wilderness, and to the best knowledge of our subject there was not a single settler in it. Mr. Spencer first built a log cabin and here resided for a number of years. He had entered his land, but had no money to pay for it. He had a horse, and having some time in which to pay for his land, he mounted that animal and with some provisions and a sack of oats, he visited Virginia to borrow $100 of an uncle. He received the money and returned in time to save the land, consisting of 160 acres.

He again returned to Virginia and married Miss Dorothy Wiseman, of West Virginia, on the Little Kenesaw River. The fruits of this union were eight children, all of whom lived to maturity: Wilson, Foreman, Owen, Wiseman, Harriet, Joseph, Elizabeth and Minerva.

Mr. Spencer was a great worker and cleared his land of the heavy timber with which it was covered. For many years his nearest neighbor was ten and fifteen miles away, except one family that lived where the covered bridge now is, near Frazeysburg, and he used to go ten miles to a log rolling. He used to go to the falls of Licking River for his grist of meal, horseback, and hitch his horse to the branches of the beech trees waiting sometimes all night to get his grist ground, and sleeping under the trees.

On his way home, he would frequently miss his cabin, although near it, on account of the thick foliage of the trees. Here he labored hard, endured all the privation of pioneer days, and gradually made a fine farm. He cared very little for hunting and did not waste his time that way, well knowing that the farm was the road to success. He used to wrap up his children and lay them under beech trees while his wife would gather brush to keep up a fire so that he could see to grub up the bushes with his mattock. In this way he worked and delved until he finally owned 600 acres. His sons, as they grew up, greatly assisted him, which he repaid by giving them land.

Mr. Spencer built a brick house before 1817 and this was the first brick building in that county. There were none at Nashport, Irville or Frazeysburg at that early day. He got out the timber on his own land, burned the brick on his own farm and they are in excellent condition to this day. He built the house piece meal and the walls are still standing in good condition.

Mr. Spencer gave an acre of land to build the Old School Baptist Church on, and this still stands and is occupied by them. The land where Shannon now stands belonged to Mr. Spencer, who founded the town and which at one time had a general store; a physician, and all the different trades were represented. He was the first tanner in this township, or in this part of the county, beginning the business soon after coming here and continuing it for many years. The money he made in that way assisted him in paying for his land. He was very careful and economical, and the household clothing was all raised, spun, woven, and made upon the farm. He used to go to Taylor's salt works for salt, paying several dollars per barrel.

His faithful wife died at the early age of thirty-seven. She was an Old School Baptist in her religious belief and a devout women.

About fifteen years afterward, Mr. Spencer married the widow of Jesse Crannel, formerly a Miss Margaret Evans, and to them was born one child.

Mr. Spencer was one of the foremost men of the township and took an active interest in its advancement. After rearing his children and giving land to each, he sold his property in Ohio, and went to New York City, where he took passage on a sailing vessel for San Francisco. From there he went to Portland, Oregon and settled thirty miles from that city in the Willamette Valley on new land which was then a wilderness, and here Mr. Spencer again made a new home in a new country.

During the period of the great Civil War about 1861 and 1862, his daughter, Harriet Baxter, with her husband (John Baxter) and seven children, went to Oregon and settled in the home of Mr. Spencer, who was now an old man and who lived about eight years after they arrived, dying at the age of eighty-six years. He left a handsome property of over 300 acres in the Willamette Valley. Mr. Spencer was a very energetic and a good business man, depending more on his business management and not so much on hard work the latter part of his life. He was honorable and upright and his word was as good as his bond.^[1]

US Census Collection

Sources

1. ↑ Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Muskingum County, Ohio: Chicago, 1892: the Goodspeed Publishing Co. Page 571 Re: JOSEPH SPENCER & son

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile created by Michael Sheffield & Suzanne nee Sayer Crosby