William Andrew Spires (1829 - 1916)

Born 21 Apr 1829 in Lexington, South Carolina, United States

Descendants

Died 1 Dec 1916 at age 87 in Columbia, Richland, South Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Nelda Spires [send private message]

Biography

Andrew Spires was born in 1829 in South Carolina. This is an estimate based on his age in the 1850 United States Census in which he was enumerated in the household of his father, Hamilton Spires and mother Mary Margaret Wise, who were living in Lexington District, South Carolina. In that census, Andrew is 21 years old. He and his father are both listed as being "coopers" by trade.^[1][2] Among other things, coopers made barrels, casks, and buckets of wooden slats or staves held together by metal or wooden hoops.^[3]

By the time of the 1860 United States Census, Andrew had married Louisa Ellen Taylor and they had children Amanda, Rosanna, Elias, Deborah, and a two-month-old infant (most likely William Noah) living with them. Andrew's occupation is given as "farmer." The family was living in Lexington County, South Carolina in the vicinity of Beaver Pond.^[4]

In the 1870 United States Census for Lexington County, South Carolina, Andrew and Louisa were enumerated with children, Rosanna, Elias D. Jane, William Noah, Sarah, Mary C., Albert J, and an infant (probably Benjamin E.) Andrew continued to support his family by farming.^[5]

When the United States Census was taken in 1880, Andrew Spires and his family were living in the Platt Springs Township of Lexington County, South Carolina. Andrew was still farming while his wife Louisa was keeping house. Children of the household were Sarah, Mary C., Albert J., Benjamin, and Archa (Archie). Son, Noah, lived in the same dwelling but was enumerated as a separate family. ^[6] Andrew Spires farm in 1880 had 27 acres in cultivations and 85 acres in woodland and forest.^[7]

I believe there is an enumerator error on the 1900 United States Census for Platt Springs Township, Lexington County, South Carolina. There is no last name given for the family in dwelling 93, instead a line is in the place of the last name. The family just above has the last name of Booker, so transcribers have assumed that Albert and Andrew have the last name Booker as well, However, most of the other last names on the pages are "Spier." This is the same area in which Andrew Spires and his family were enumerated on previous censuses. The family in dwelling 94 has last name of "Spires." The approximate ages, 31 and 70, and marital statuses, single and widowed, of "Albert ----" and "Andrew ----" are a good fit with other available information we have. In addition, the Booker family is black and "Albert -----" and "Andrew ----" are white. Therefore, I believe "Albert" and "Andrew" are actually Spires and not Bookers. ^[8]

Altogether, Andrew and Louisa Ellen had at least ten children:

1. Amanda Catherine Spires^[4]
2. Rosanna M. Spires^[4][5]
3. Elias Spires^[4][5]
4. Deborah Jane Spires^[4][5]
5. William Noah Spires^[4][5][6]
6. Sarah Ann Spires^[5][6]
7. Mary Caroline Spires^[5][6]
8. Albert L. Spires^[5][6]
9. Benjamin E. Spires^[5][6]
10. Archie Robert Spires^[6]

In 1910, Andrew Spires, age 81, was living in the household of his son Benjamin, still on the family farm in Platt Springs, close to Swansea, Lexington County, South Carolina.^[9]

Much of the Spires farmland, though not actively cultivated today, remains in the possession of Spires descendants to this day.^[10] Andrew Spires conveyed some of the original lands to his brothers Michael and Dedrick in 1850.

Lexington County, S. C. Office of Register of Mesne Conveyances Book R, page 1 Wm Andrew Spires } Deed Book (R) Lexington County 1 Conveyance of 200 Acres of Land. To } Dedrick H. and } Michael H. Spires } State of South Carolina, Lexington District. Know all me by these Presents that I William Andrew Spires of Lexington District in the State aforesaid for and in consideration of the sum of one Hundreds Dollars to me paid by Dedrick Hamilton and Michael Harman Spires of the said State and Districts aforesaid have Granted, Bargained, Sold and Released, and by these presents do Grant, Bargain, Sell, and Release unto the said Dedrick H. and Michael H. Spires all that plantation or tract of land containing Two Hundred Acres, More or less, Situated in the said State and District aforesaid on the Bushy Bay Branch, Waters of the N. Edisto River, and hath such shapes and forms as had been made agreeable by the parties which will be the N. E. part of said tract of land which was Granted to Conrad Neise, September 25, 1809 that is where the buildings and plantations is-- Together with all and singular the Rights, Members, Hereditaments and Appurtenances To Have and To Hold all and singular the said premises unto the said Dedrick H. Spires and Michael H. Spires their and assigns forever. And I do hereby bind myself and my Heirs, Executors and Administrators to warrant and forever defend the said premises unto the said Dedrick H. Spires and Michael H. Spires against myself or my Heirs lawfully claiming the same or any part thereof-- Witness my Hand and Seal this Eighth day of February in the year of Lord 1851. It being the Seventy fifth of the Sovereignty and Independence of the United States of America- Signed, Sealed and Delivered in the presence of tests for them- Charles Hutto Harman Hutto } William Andrew Spires L.S.State. South Carolina } Personally appeared before me Harman Hutto and Lexington District } makes oath that he saw William Andrew Spires Sign Seal and Deliver the within Conveyance for the Use and purposes herein mentioned and that he with Charles Hutto in the presence of each other Witnessed the due execution thereof-- Sworn to this 10th day of March A.D. 1851 - Henry A Meetze Magt.} Harman Hutto Recorded March 10th 1851 John Fox Regr Delivered to Dedrick H. Spires July 19th 1852

There is some evidence Andrew Spires possible served in the Confederate Army. There are records of pension payments of $96.00 each having been paid to him for the years 1909 through 1913.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

Andrew Spires passed away 01 December 1916, after briefly being admitted to the Columbia State Hospital for the Insane, in Richland County, South Carolina. According to his attending physician, C. A. Wise, Andrew Spires' cause of death was general arteriosclerosis. His year of birth and age were incorrectly recorded on his death certificate.^[16]

Notes by Daisy Spires Scarbrough (granddaughter of Andrew Spires) included in the genealogical papers of Gwendolyn Spires Holladay (great-granddaughter of Andrew Spires):

According to Dad [Archie Spires] Andrew Spires...[was] Blind for last 8 years, smoked clay pipe and kept jug of corn whiskey & pint cup beside him. Had tame deer and put bell on him. Owned property near Gaston which was left to 5 sons...Andrew was Dutch-German. He made a will. He died in State Hospital for Insane. Was senile and second wife Lucy Ann couldn't handle him, so had him put in State Hosp. According to dates found in family bible he was nearly 87 years old. He and Lucy Ann had no children.^[17]

Research Notes

Because of similarity in name and age, information for William Andrew Spires is frequently confused with information for William Allen Spires. For example, a grave marker for William A. Spires in the cemetery at First Baptist Church, Gaston, SC, is said by some to be the grave marker for William Andrew Spires, but it is more likely, based on the image of the order form found online that the headstone is for William Allen Spires and was applied for by his son James Maxie "J.M." Spires.^[18]

Some Confederate soldier information is possibly mistakenly attributed to Andrew Spires when it should be attributed to William Allen Spires, A family member has offered this information in an email, none of which has been verified or disputed by this writer with written records, about the Confederate Service record of Andrew Spires:

He enlisted on December 30, 1861, in Lexington District as a private in Capt. E. Kinsler's Company, 20th Regt., South Carolina Volunteers. On January 10, 1862, Capt. Roof was in charge of his Company at Camp Hampton. Illness forced Andrew to get a medical discharge on June 16, 1862. He was paid $16.86 for his service from May 1, 1862 to June 16, 1862, the date of his discharge. The record states: "W. A. Spires, private, aged 22 years, 6 feet, 1 inch high, light complexion, gray eyes, light hair, and by occupation a farmer, is now entitled to discharge by reason of chronic congestion of the right lung." He must have re-enlisted after recovering, because his name appears on a Company Muster Roll of Capt. Elias Venning's Company of Cavalry, attached to the 20th Regt., South Carolina Volunteers. It says he re-enlisted November 26, 1863. He was captured by Sherman's [troops] on February 14, 1865, in the fighting around Lexington Court House, and was sent as a Prisoner of War to Point Lookout, Maryland. When the war was over, William Andrew Spires was released on May 15, 1865, on taking the Oath of Allegiance. Our dear Southern boys were taken from Point Lookout by boat across the bay and released on Virginia soil. From there, they had to get home on their own, so I'm sure our Andrew walked home from the war, back to his wife and family in Gaston, South Carolina...My Mother, Nevelyn Mack Johnson [great-granddaughter of Andrew Spires], told me that after the war he started losing his eyesight and was completely blind by 1908. He applied for a Confederate Veterans pension and was denied the pension because he owned land.^[19]

Records of Andrew's marriages after the death of Louisa have not been located, other than that implied in the 1910 United States Census. In that census, "Lucyann" is listed as stepmother of Benjamin Spires, so it can be inferred she was most likely Andrew's wife at that time. Family members say Lucy Ann's last name was Berry. It has also been proposed he was married to a woman with the last name Sharpe between his marriages to Louisa and Lucy Ann but the 1910 Census says that Andrew had only been married twice and that he had been married six years to his current spouse.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8QV-SM6 : 12 April 2016), Andrew Spires in household of Hamilton Spires, Lexington county, Lexington, South Carolina, United States; citing family 1097, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

   Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Birthplace
   Hamilton Spires	40	M	Cooper	South Carolina
   Margaret Spires	40	F		South Carolina
   Andrew Spires	21	M	Do	South Carolina
   Mahala Spires	17	F		South Carolina
   Dederick Spires	14	M		South Carolina
   Michael Spires	12	M		South Carolina
   Isam Spires	17	M	None	South Carolina

2. ↑ Lexington County Genealogical Society, Lexington County South Carolina 1850 Census Second Edition with Genealogical Data on Most Families, 1998, "Andrew Spires," entry 1097.
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cooper (profession)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cooper_(profession)&oldid=890678964 (accessed May 2, 2019).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZTD-9XK : 12 December 2017), Andw Spires, 1860.

   Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Birthplace
   And w Spires	30	M	Farmer	Lexington
   Ellen "	30	F		Lexington
   Amanda "	8	F		Lexington
   Rosanna "	6	F		Lexington
   Elias "	4	M		Lexington
   Deborah	2	F		Lexington
   Infant	2/12	M		Lexington

   |}
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8} "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8RL-8J4 : 12 April 2016), Andrew Spires, South Carolina, United States; citing p. 44, family 345, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,001.

   Name	Sex	Age	Birthplace
   Andrew Spires	M	41	South Carolina
   Louisa E Spires	F	37	South Carolina
   Rosanna M Spires	F	17	South Carolina
   Elias Spires	M	15	South Carolina
   D Jane Spires	M	14	South Carolina
   Wm Noah Spires	M	11	South Carolina
   Sarah Spires	F	9	South Carolina
   Mary C Spires	F	6	South Carolina
   Albert J Spires	M	3	South Carolina
   Infant Spires	M	0	South Carolina

   Transcription by FamilySearch.org because lightness of image makes it hard to transcribe.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6SK-H7T : 15 July 2017), Andrew Spires, 1880; citing enumeration district ED 133, sheet 471D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d), roll 1234; FHL microfilm 1,255,234.

   Name	Race	Sex	Age	Role	Occupation	Birthplace
   Spires, Andrew	W	M	53		Farmer	South Carolina
   Louise E	W	F	49	Wife	Keeping House	South Carolina
   Sarah A	W	F	19	Daughter	Asst in Keeping H	South Carolina
   Mary C	W	F	15	Daughter	Asst in Keeping H	South Carolina
   Albert J	W	M	12	Son	Assisting in Farm	South Carolina
   Benjamin	W	M	10	Son		South Carolina
   Archa	W	M	8	Son		South Carolina
   Spires, Noah	W	M	20		Farmer	South Carolina

7. ↑ "U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880," Census Year: 1880; Census Place: Platt Springs, Lexington, South Carolina; Ancestry.com, citing Archive Collection Number: AD273; Roll: 12; Page: 3; Line: 9; Schedule Type: Agriculture. Image
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3TC-C4Y : accessed 2 May 2019), Andrew ------ in household of Albert ------, Platt Springs Gaston town, Lexington, South Carolina, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 44, sheet 6B, family 94, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,534.

   Name	Role	Race	Sex	Month of Birth	Year of Birth	Age	Place of Birth	Occupation
   Albert	Head	W	M		1869	30	South Carolina	Farmer
   Andrew	Father	W	M		1830	70	South Carolina

9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M567-XY3 : accessed 2 May 2019), Andrew W Spires in household of Benjamin E Spires, Platts Springs, Lexington, South Carolina, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 41, sheet 19A, family 233, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1467; FHL microfilm 1,375,480.

   Name	Role	Sex	Race	Age	Marital Status	Number of years in present marriage	Birthplace	Occupation
   Spires, Benjamin E.	Head	M	W	40	M1	18	South Carolina	Farmer - General Farm
   Maggie	Wife	F	W	38	M1	18	South Carolina	None
   Leola	Adopted	F	W	12	S		South Carolina	None
   Andrew W	Father	M	W	81	M2		South Carolina	Nothing
   Lucyann	Step-mother	F	W	40	M1	6	South Carolina	None

10. ↑ Personal knowledge of Marion Mobley Spires, great-grandson of William Andrew Spires, as told to his wife Nelda Gilchrist Spires.
11. ↑ Class A. $96.00 Andrew W. Spires "Lexington Pension Roll for 1909, The Lexington Dispatch, 28th Apr. 1909, " Lexington Genealogical Exchange, Book 2, Volume 22, (Spring 2002): 81.
12. ↑ Class A. $96.00 Andrew W. Spires, Gaston "Lexington CSA Pension Roll for 1910, The Lexington Dispatch, 27 April 1910, " Lexington Genealogical Exchange, Book 2, Volume 22, (Spring 2002): 84.
13. ↑ Class A. $96.00 Spires, Andrew W. "Lexington County CSA Pensioners for 1911, The Lexington Dispatch, April 19, 1911, page 1, " Lexington Genealogical Exchange, Book 2, Volume 22, (Spring 2002): 87.
14. ↑ Class A. $96.00 Spires, Andrew W. "Lexington County CSA Pensioners for 1912, The Lexington Dispatch, April 17, 1912, Wednesday, " Lexington Genealogical Exchange, Book 2, Volume 22, (Spring 2002): 90.
15. ↑ Class A. $96.00 Spires, Andrew W., Gaston "Lexington CSA Pension Roll for 1913, The Lexington Dispatch, 16 April 1913, " Lexington Genealogical Exchange, Book 2, Volume 22, (Spring 2002): 93.
16. ↑ "South Carolina, Death Records, 1821-1965," for Andrew Spires, Ancestry.com, citing South Carolina. South Carolina death records. Columbia, SC, USA: South Carolina Department of Archives and History. South Carolina Death Records, South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. Image
17. ↑ Recollections of Archie Spires as recorded by Daisy Spires Scarbrough and included in the genealogy papers of Daisy Spires Scarbrough, Gwendolyn Spires Holladay, and Louise Spires Sloan. Partial copy in the possession of Nelda Gilchrist Spires.
18. ↑ "U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963," Application for William A. Spires, Ancestry.com. Citing Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941. Microfilm publication M1916, 134 rolls. ARC ID: 596118. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Record Group 92. National Archives at Washington, D.C.Applications for Headstones, compiled 01/01/1925 - 06/30/1970, documenting the period ca. 1776 - 1970 ARC: 596118. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. Image
19. ↑ e-mail of Beverly Chisolm to Nelda Gilchrist Spires, July 24, 2001.