John
Spencer
(Spencer)
Renwick
Born in Genesee County, New York
Ancestors 
Son of John Renwick Jr.
and Rhoda (Dunning) Renwick
Brother of
William Dunning Renwick
Husband of
Mary (Marlatt) Renwick
— married
18 Feb 1863 in Novi Township, Oakland County, Michigan
Descendants 
Died
at age 85
in New Hudson, Michigan
Profile managers:
Jo Hollingsworth 
[send private message] and Andrew Hollingsworth [send private message]
[send private message] and Andrew Hollingsworth [send private message]Profile last modified
| Created 24 Apr 2017
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Biography
"In 1831...he came alone to Michigan to establish a new home for his family. The record says the he came to Detroit from Buffalo by boat, very probably in a sailing vessel, but he might have arrived aboard the Walk-in-the-Water, the first steamboat on the great lakes that had gone into service on Lake Erie in 1818". Arriving in Detroit he walked about thirty miles west to where an uncle had preceded him. There were no roads, but Grand River Rd from Detroit to Lansing was being started and the trees had been cut...He purchased 130 acres of government land for one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre and spent the summer clearing trees and building a long cabin, returning to NY in the fall. We don't know when he returned with his family, very likely the following year....Spencer eventually acquired 200 acres.
"Grace remembers her grandfather as an erect, white bearded, neatly dressed old gentleman. He had apparently prospered...."
Spencer and Mary had three sons: Homer (m. Edna Carpenter, 5 children, Nina Smith, Neva Griswold, Merrill, Homer who died young, Dale, Jay (m. Matie Whipple) with two children Oral and Claire both no children, and Ora (m. Bella) who took over family farm.[1]
1831 born in New York[2]
1850 (age 19) living in Novi, Michigan with his parents and three siblings who range in age from 1yo to 23yo [3]
1860 (age 29) living in Novi, Michigan with his parents 62yo John and 56yo Rhoda and his 11yo sister (?) Lucy Ann Spencer. John and Spencer are farming. [4]
1863 (age 32) marries Mary Marlatt in Oakland, Michigan [5]
1870 (age 39) living in Lyon, Michigan with his wife, two young children and his 21yo sister (?) Lucy Spencer who is keeping house. Working as a farmer. [6]
1880 (age 49) living with his wife, three children and parents on his fathers farm in Lyon, Michigan where he also works as a farmer [7]
1900 (age 69) farming in Lyon, Michigan. His wife lives with him as well as his son Ora who is listed as farm labor. His sons Jay and Homer and their families live on the next two farms over. Homer is a farmer and Jay is listed as farm labor. [8]
18 July 1908 Lyon Township
- "A barn 30 X 40 feet on the farm of Spencer J. Renwick was struck by lightning early Monday morning and consumed, together with a sheep shed attached and about 15 tons of hay. Three horses in the barn were rescued. Ora Renwick, who resides with his father, was awakened by a hard crash of thunder shortly before 3 o'clock and got up to take a look out of the window. While he was still looking there came a blinding flash and he saw the barn had been struck."[9]
1910 (age 79) retired and living with his wife in his son Ora's household in Lyon, Michigan [10]
Born John Spencer Renwick, he begins going by Spencer John Renwick somewhere between his marriage in 1863 and the 1870 Census.
Sources
- ↑ Rorabacher, Bruce. Grandpa Remembers 1972
- ↑ Gravestone
- ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (9 November 2014), John S Renwick in household of John Renwick, Novi, Oakland, Michigan, United States; citing family 574, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
- ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (30 December 2015), Spener Renwick in entry for John Renwick, 1860.
- ↑ "Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1940", database with images, FamilySearch (25 April 2016), John Spencer Renwick and Mary Marlatt, 1863.
- ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (17 October 2014), Spencer Renwick, Michigan, United States; citing p. 15, family 122, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,193.
- ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW3Q-PV4 : 14 January 2022), Spencer J. Renwick in household of John Renwick, Lyon Township, Oakland, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .
- ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 29 April 2017), Spencer Rewick, Lyon township South Lyon village, Oakland, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 91, sheet 15A, family 387, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,735.
- ↑ Milford Times. 18 July 1908.
- ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 28 April 2017), Spencer Y Renwick in household of Ora Renwick, Lyon, Oakland, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 128, sheet 13B, family 345, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 668; FHL microfilm 1,374,681.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Spencer:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Spencer:
-
~6.25%
Jo (Rorabacher) Hollingsworth
:
Family Tree DNA Family Finder, GEDmatch T417848 [compare], FTDNA kit #702816
Featured German connections: Spencer is 19 degrees from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 21 degrees from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 24 degrees from Lucas Cranach, 20 degrees from Stefanie Graf, 19 degrees from Wilhelm Grimm, 24 degrees from Fanny Hensel, 26 degrees from Theodor Heuss, 17 degrees from Alexander Mack, 30 degrees from Carl Miele, 18 degrees from Nathan Rothschild and 19 degrees from Ferdinand von Zeppelin on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
"In 1831...he came alone to Michigan to establish a new home for his family. The record says the he came to Detroit from Buffalo by boat, very probably in a sailing vessel, but he might have arrived aboard the Walk-in-the-Water, the first steamboat on the great lakes that had gone into service on Lake Erie in 1818". Arriving in Detroit he walked about thirty miles west to where an uncle had preceded him. There were no roads, but Grand River Rd from Detroit to Lansing was being started and the trees had been cut...He purchased 130 acres of government land for one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre and spent the summer clearing trees and building a long cabin, returning to NY in the fall. We don't know when he returned with his family, very likely the following year....Spencer eventually acquired 200 acres.
"Grace remembers her grandfather as an erect, white beared, neatly dressed old gentleman. He had apparently prospered...."
Spencer and Mary had three sons: Homer (m. Edna Carpenter, 5 children, Nina Smith, Neva Griswold, Merrill, Homer who died young, Dale, Jay (m. Matie Whipple) with two children Oral and Claire both no children, and Ora (m. Bella) who took over family farm.