The Spencer Genealogy

Part Three

Note: Part Three of our study presents an account of this family during the generation of the Revolutionary War.

14. DANIEL SPENCER, a Revolutionary War veteran, son of Joseph and Mary Spencer, born 1 April 1761 in Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut; died circa 1853-56 in Dallas Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Daniel farmed for several years in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and afterwards in Dallas, where he died at either the age of 92 or 95. He was one of the very first settlers of Dallas, well before Dallas Township was created out of territory originally within Kingston Township.

Two brief biographical sketches of Daniel Spencer and a few other passing references to him are included in the History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, 1893, edited by H.C. Bradsby. It should be noted, however, that in one passage Bradsby seems to have erroneously misread Daniel's name as "David," evidently reading the "n" as a "v" and running the "e" and "l" together to produce a "d" (unless "David" was Daniel's middle name by which he was sometimes known). Bradsby's sketches were based on information supplied by Daniel's children and grandchildren. Bradsby's history tells of the family of Ziba Spencer, son of Orin Spencer, who in turn was the son of

"David, (sic) who came to this county about 1775, locating at Forty Fort; he served three years in the Revolutionary army as a valiant soldier, defending his rights as a free-born man. He participated in the defense of the fort at the time of the Wyoming Massacre, and caused several Indians to 'bite the dust.' He is said to have been the owner of several hundred acres of land in the Wyoming Valley, which he disposed of for a trifle, not knowing its value at that time. He afterward moved to Dallas, and subsequently bought a farm in Kingston township, where he lived for a number of years. He died in Dallas at the age of ninety-five years, having reared a family of five children, all of whom grew to maturity."

For more information about the Wyoming Massacre, and for the historical background of the movement of Connecticut settlers to the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania in which Daniel Spencer took part, see Tom Dreyer's essay, "The Wyoming Valley massacre," at the Vita Brevis weblog of the New England Historical & Genealogical Society. An additional note on Daniel Spencer is also found in Bradsby's history, which includes the biographies of two Spencer brothers, William and Ambrose, who were grandsons of Daniel Spencer. According to his biography, William Spencer was

"a son of Daniel and Susan (Amey) Spencer, the former of whom was born in Connecticut, and who removed to this county in its early settlement. He [i.e., William's father Daniel] located in Kingston township, on a farm, where he passed the remainder of his lifetime. The grandfather [i.e., Daniel Spencer] served in the Revolution, in the defense of that liberty which the true patriot loves better than life itself. He lived to be ninety-two years of age. His family consisted of four children."

Although William Spencer's biography does not name his grandfather, "the grandfather" is obviously the same "David Spencer" (sic -- Daniel Spencer), Revolutionary War veteran, mentioned in the 1893 History as the grandfather of Ziba Spencer and the father of Orin Spencer. Different members of the Spencer family apparently had uncertain recollections of their grandfather: some said he died at age 92, others at age 95; some said he had five children, others said he had four.

Besides the information based on family tradition quoted above, vital records, land deeds, census records and other documents also attest to Daniel's life. His birth is recorded in Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut, on 1 April 1761, eldest son of Joseph and Mary (Jerome) Spencer of Farmington. The next available records of Daniel's life tell of his military service during the Revolutionary War. The family traditions quoted above indicate that Daniel Spencer was forced to flee the Wyoming Valley at the fall of Forty Fort in July of 1778. That particular tradition, however, is difficult to reconcile with Daniel's own testimony of his Revolutionary War service. During the Revolutionary War, Daniel served as a private in Capt. Peter Curtiss' Company, Col. Roger Enos' Connecticut Regiment (Selected Final Pension Payment Vouchers 1818-1864: Pennsylvania, Kathryn McPherson Gunning, vol. 1, page 529). "He served in the Rev. in 1778, as a substitute for his father; in Nov. 1779, substitute for Hiram Brooke (sic -- Brooks); in 1780 for Cyrus Gaylord (Unplaced and Shoemaker Spencers, 1987, page 42).

In his 1832 Revolutionary War pension file, Daniel presents his own memories of his military service as follows:

In the month of May 1777 I enlisted at Farmington Connecticut, in the Connecticut state troops under Capt Curtis and Col. Roger Ens [sic - Enos] for the defense of the State of Connecticut - We were mustered at New Haven - we soon went to Norwalk - remained there four weeks - We marched to Peekskill - at this place and Fishkill we remained four or five months under Genl. Putnam - Then marched to Horse Neck staid there till first of January - was discharged at Horse Neck - had no written discharge -

July 1778 served two months in the drafted Connecticut Malitia (sic) under Capt Stoddard in the regiment of Col. Moseley - marched to White Plains - from there to West Point staid there two months - Got a written discharge It is lost - September 1779 I was drafted in the Connecticut militia for one month - In November 1779 entered as a substitute for Hiram Brooks in Capt. Catlins Company Col Hays Regiment - at Fishkill remained there about four months in the service - Had no written discharge -

In the year 1781 September was drafted in Connecticut troops under Capt Gillit Col Hoskins Regiment - was stationed at New Haven two months and twenty three days - have no discharge - I served two tours of nine months each in the waggon Department - I was never an officer - In the year 1777 was in the battle of Westchester - the State of N York under Gen Putnam - We attacked and took some of the British picket guard at Fort Independence

Private Daniel Spencer's signature from his petition for a Revolutionary War pension, dated 5 Sept. 1832, when he was 71 years old.

Also included in Daniel Spencer's pension file was an affidavit of his younger brother Elam, who at times served alongside Daniel during the war. Although Daniel didn't mention it, Elam said his brother was stationed at Fishkill, New York, during "the hard winter" of 1779-80. Elam's memories of his brother Daniel's military service are as follows:

In the year 1777 my brother Daniel Spencer enlisted in Bristol Township Connecticut in the State guards of Connecticut and served nine months - in the army -

In 1780 he served under Captain Gershon Luttle [sic - Tuttle] a tour of nine months -

In 1782 my Brother enlisted at Bristol under Capt Tuttle of the militia. I enlisted in the same company My Brother and myself served a tour of nine months in this company - he was generally stationed at West Point - Timothy Pickering was our Colonel -

Captain Gershon Tuttle was a conductor of teams for transporting supplies from Connecticut to the Continental Army. He was in charge of 15 supply teams, and Daniel and Elam Spencer were among the soldiers on his teams. (See Record of Service of Connecticut Men in the I. -- War of the Revolution. II. -- War of 1812. -- III. Mexican War, Hartford, 1889, pages 627-628). Notably, Daniel doesn't mention being present at the Wyoming Massacre at Forty Fort, Pennsylvania in July 1778. On the contrary, his recollections place him in White Plains and West Point, New York, at the time of the Wyoming Massacre. Daniel's only mention of his taking part in combat was during "the battle of Westchester - the State of N York under Gen Putnam," when "We attacked and took some of the British picket guard at Fort Independence." This refers to action at Fort Independence in Westchester County, New York (today in Bronx County). Daniel's recollections place most of his military service in this general area.

After the war, Daniel and his family removed back and forth between Pennsylvania and Connecticut a few times. The abstract of Daniel's pension file (petition for pension dated 5 Sept. 1832, final pension payment voucher dated April 1843) says this about his movements and migrations:

"Daniel, CT Line, S3961, sol was b 1 Apr 1870 at Farmington CT & he lived there at enl & after the Rev he lived in CT for 2 yrs then moved to MA for 1 yr then moved to NY for 5 yrs then returned to CT for 38 yrs then moved to Luzerne CO PA where he appl 5 Sep 1832 having lived there since 1826, sol'd bro Elam Spencer aged 68 made aff'dt in Luzerne Co PA & stated his bro Daniel Spencer had also srv as a sub for their father Joseph Spencer" (Abstracts of Rev. War Pension Files, page 3264)

Unfortunately the above abstract of Daniel's pension file is garbled and has several serious errors. These mistakes are understandable, given the fact that Daniel's handwriting on the original documents of the pension file is not easy to read. The first, most obvious error is that Daniel could not have been born in 1870 since he fought in the Revolutionary War and filed for a pension in 1832. In the pension file, Daniel says he was born "April 1. 1760" (though the correct year of his birth is 1761). The abstract also severely garbles what Daniel said of his migrations and residences. In his affidavit, Daniel wrote that after the Revolutionary War, he "lived in Connecticut two years - lived in Massachusetts one year - one year in New York - again five years in Connecticut - Thirty eight years ago came into Luzerne County Penns. - lived in here six years - went again to Connecticut lived there four years - returned again to Pa. and have lived here ever since."

Daniel's pension file thus gives us a fairly comprehensive chronology of Daniel's life and movements following the Revolutionary War, keeping in mind, of course, that Daniel admits in another document in his pension file "that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot positively swear as to the precise length of his service." With the Revolutionary War ending in 1783, Daniel's recollection would place him in Connecticut for two years, until circa 1785, when he moved to Massachusetts and lived there for a year, then circa 1786 he moved to New York and lived there for a year, then circa 1787 he moved back to Connecticut, where he lived for five years. He then decided to leave Connecticut and go to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Based on his recollection of the chronology, that would have been circa 1792 -- but he also says his arrival in Luzerne County was 38 years prior to the date of his pension filing in 1832, which would supply the year 1794 as the year of his arrival in Luzerne County. As we shall see, Daniel was certainly in Luzerne County by 1794, so we can be fairly certain that his return to Pennsylvania occurred circa 1792-94. After six years in Pennsylvania, Daniel again returned to Connecticut circa 1800, where he remained for four years, until circa 1804, when he came back to Luzerne County to stay. This agrees with the statement in Daniel's final pension payment voucher in 1843, which says he had been living in Luzerne County for 40 years, that is, since about 1803.

Daniel's sojourn in Massachusetts after the Revolutionary War is attested by two deeds in the land records of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Deed No. 20-423, recorded 17 Nov. 1784, is a transaction involving a certain URIAH KINGSLEY and "Daniel Spencer of Farmington, County of Hartford," in which Daniel acquired land in Windsor, Massachusetts. Deed No. 20-177, recorded 21 May 1785, involves the sale of land in Windsor, Massachusetts, by "Daniel Spencer, late of Farmington, now of Becket, Massachusetts" Thus, we know that Daniel lived in Windsor and Becket during the year or so around 1785 when his recollections in his pension file place him in Massachusetts. After that, Daniel lived in New York State for about a year, and then went back to Connecticut, where he lived for about five years. It was then that he decided to return to Pennsylvania, where he stayed for about six years.

Spencer genealogists have not yet been able to discover anything about Daniel's marriages. He most likely first took a wife in the years immediately after the end of the war, but we have no information on who she was, where she came from, to which family she belonged, or where the marriage took place. In Unplaced and Shoemaker Spencers, Flora S. Clark speculated that Daniel's wife may have been related to -- perhaps a sister of -- the Uriah Kingsley named in the 1784 land deed from Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It may or may not be significant that Daniel had a grandson named URIAH SPENCER, perhaps named after Uriah Kingsley. At this time, however, there is no way to tell if his first wife was a Kingsley or not. U.S. Census records indicate that, whoever she was, she died before the time of the 1810 census, and Daniel seems to have remarried before the time of the 1820 census (certainly by the time of the 1830 census he had remarried).

We cannot be absolutely sure when Daniel Spencer returned to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, but his recollection in his pension file and other records show that it certainly was in the early 1790s, around which time many of his fellow Connecticut settlers of Luzerne County are also known to have returned to the Wyoming Valley. A few of Daniel Spencer's Pennsylvania land sale transactions during the 1790s are mentioned in George E. McCracken's report, "Spencers in Wyoming Valley 1772-1830" (The American Genealogist 43:139-145, July 1967). It could be that one or more of these transactions had something to do with the above mentioned family tradition that Daniel had once owned "several hundred acres of land in the Wyoming Valley, which he disposed of for a trifle, not knowing its value at that time." Be that as it may, McCracken says --

"Residing in Kingston Township, he bought land in Plymouth from William Dunmead of Kingston on 11 Sep 1793, acknowledged 16 Sep 1793, recorded 4 March 1794 [Deeds 2:522]. He sold land in Plymouth to John Joseph of Plymouth, on 28 Jan 1797, acknowledged same date, recorded 8 Nov 1797 [5:153], and again on 1 Nov 1797 sold land in Plymouth to Sale Roberts of Kingston, acknowledged 1 Nov 1797, recorded 7 Nov 1797 [5:152], after which the records are silent."

Daniel was living in Luzerne County in 1794, when he rendered service to his country with the Luzerne Volunteers during the suppression of the Whisky Rebellion, as we see in Bradsby's 1893 History of Luzerne County, page 169 (emphasis added):

"After all mild and dissuasive measures had failed, in 1794, Washington being president, it was resolved to raise and equip an army for the purpose of quelling the insurrection. A force of 15,000 men was assembled, of regulars and volunteers, from the States of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. Gov. Lee, of Virginia, had the chief command. Mifflin was governor of this State, and one of the commanders. All the governors and commanders were ordered to meet in Pittsburg, to hear complaints and take testimony, as the malcontents should be arrested and brought before them. Among the first to tender their services to the government were the Luzerne volunteers, Capt. Samuel Bowman; attached to a battalion of light infantry, under Maj. George Fisher. Capt. Bowman marched out September 1, 1794, reaching where is now Pittsburg, with fifty men. The Captain was an old officer of the army of the Revolution; brave and experienced, and in his company were some of his old soldiers. The following is the muster-roll:

"Captain, Samuel Bowman; lieutenant, Ebenezer Parrish; ensign, Arnold Colt; sergeants, John Alden, Daniel Spencer, John Freeman; corporals, Archibald White, Oliver Parrish, Robert Lewis, Thompson Holliday; fifer, Peter Yarrington; drummer, John Wright; privates, Samuel Young, Solomon Daniels, John Cochran, Elihu Parrish, James Sitey, Thomas P. Miller, Peter Grubb, Arthur McGill, James Johnston, Joseph Headsdale, Daniel Alden, Simon Stevens, Warham Strong, David Landon, Gideon Underwood, Jeremiah Decker, James Robb, Sale Roberts, Partial Roberts, Rufus Drake, Benjamin Owens, John Earl, Charles Bowes, Curtis Grubb, Thomas Jeayne, Joseph Grimes, Jesse Tompkins, William Harris, Jesse Coleman, John Talliday and Cofrin Boldwell.

"The gathered 15,000 troops spread terror among the "Tom the Tinker," as the whisky boys were called, and a general surrender soon followed, and "Johnny came marching home." In suppressing this rebellion no precious Luzerne blood was spilled, but it was quite evident to the "rebels" that "Barkis is willin'" so far as the people of the county were concerned. From beginning to end the campaign lasted three months."

Our Daniel Spencer is also the "Daniel Spencer" who appears among the signatories of the Petition of the Connecticut Settlers to the Connecticut General Assembly, dated 13 Sept. 1796. The petition was signed by a large number of the settlers and inhabitants of Luzerne County, and "Daniel Spencer" is the only individual of the name of Spencer among all the signers. He also appears in that year among the list of Luzerne County "taxables" -- that is, landowners -- who resided in Kingston Township (History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, H.C. Bradsby, 1893, vol. 1, p.595).

It was during these years that Daniel's son DANIEL SPENCER JR. was born. Daniel Jr. was born 4 Nov. 1795 in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. According to Daniel's recollection in his pension file, it was around 1800 that Daniel took his family back to Connecticut. There his son ORIN SPENCER was born on 11 Sept. 1801 -- though a later family tradition says Orin was born in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the U.S. Census cannot help us narrow down the date when Daniel moved back to Connecticut, because Daniel Spencer is not enumerated in the 1790 and 1800 U.S. Censuses. That is probably because he was often on the move, and it could well be that his move from Pennsylvania back to Connecticut around 1800 accounts for his absence from the U.S. Census that year. In any event, after residing in Connecticut for about four years, Daniel returned to Luzerne County, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Judging from the Spencer family traditions recorded in the 1893 History of Luzerne County, along with other historical notices, it would appear that Daniel Spencer was one of the very earliest settlers in what would later become Dallas Township, Luzerne County. An account of the formation and early settlers of the township is recorded in the History of Luzerne County, vol. 1, pp.542-3, which says that Dallas Township --

"Was formed in 1817 of territory taken from Kingston township, and embraces a portion of one of the 'certified townships.' Stewart Pearce says that Ephraim McCoy, a Revolutionary soldier, built the first log cabin in 1797 near the site of old McClellandsville (Dallas borough). Some unknown party had years before built a small floorless cabin near the same spot, it is supposed for the purpose of camping and hunting, but it had long been deserted before McCoy came. William Briggs was the next settler. The next settlers in the order of coming as is supposed were Daniel Spencer, John Wort and John Kelley (Revolutionary soldiers), and Elam Spencer, J. Mears, John Honeywell, Sr., and Jr., William Honeywell, Isaac Montanye and two Ayers brothers. William Honeywell came in 1808 and purchased 500 acres of land and built a log house and the next year a frame addition -- the first frame in the township."

The land that William Honeywell had purchased had formerly belonged to Daniel Spencer. Another account of the early settlement of what would become Dallas Township is recorded on page 39 of William Penn Ryman's The Early Settlement of Dallas Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, written in 1885-1886 and published in 1901. Ryman's book includes the 1885 reminiscences of Abram Honeywell, son of William Honeywell. Abram Honeywell recalled that his father had settled on and built a house within "the upper end of lot one certified Bedford," and that --

"There were only four or five houses within the territory of present Dallas township at that time. Ephraim McCoy lived there then on the lower side of the present road, about half way between the Goss or corner school-house and Raub's hotel. There was also a man by the name of Vanscoy living back of us somewhere, about where Ferdinand Ferrell lives. Elam and Daniel Spencer each had a little log house down along the creek in a direct line between our house and the present village of Dallas."

Abram Honeywell's mention of "certified Bedford" is a reference to Dallas Township, which was originally named Bedford. By a remarkable series of coincidences, our Spencer family, which first appears in County Bedford, England, later lived in a place called Bedford in Pennsylvania, and from there, as we shall later see, our Spencers would migrate to a town in Iowa called Bedford. As for Abram Honeywell's reference to Elam Spencer, that was none other than Daniel's younger brother Elam. Like his brother Daniel, Elam Spencer was a Revolutionary War veteran (a fact of which Bradsby evidently was unaware: as shown above, Bradsby identified the early Dallas Township settlers Daniel Spencer, John Wort, and John Kelley as Revolutionary War soldiers, but not Elam). Elam served as a private in Capt. Gershon Tuttle's Company, Col. Timothy Pickering's Regiment, according to his final pension voucher, dated 23 Sept. 1840.

Our Daniel Spencer is likely to be the "Daniel Spencer" mentioned in Luzerne County newspapers in 1803 as a land claim attorney. The same early newspapers have several references to a farmer of Kingston Township named "Daniel Spencer," who is obviously our Daniel Spencer. The newspapers show just a single reference to a "David Spencer" of Kingston Township, probably another misreading of the name "Daniel." In the 23 July 1824 edition of The Susquehanna Democrat, "David Spencer" appears among the local residents of Luzerne County in the "List of Letters Remaining in the Post Office at Kingston, July 1st." Taken together, all of these references attest to the abovequoted family tradition that Daniel was a farmer in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, during those years.

In addition to the "Daniel Spencer" and "David Spencer" newspaper references, from 1811 to 1820 early Luzerne County newspapers ran four separate advertisements that refer to a "Daniel D. Spencer," a farmer of Kingston and Providence Townships who is listed as a Luzerne County resident in the 1820 and 1830 U.S. Censuses. However, he is a different person from our ancestor Daniel Spencer and should not be confused with him, nor confused with his son Daniel Jr. In the 1820 U.S. Census, Daniel D. Spencer was a resident of Providence, Luzerne County, and in the 1830 U.S. Census he was a resident of Blakely, Luzerne County -- but during those years our Daniel Spencer was recorded in the U.S. Census as living in Kingston Township, and therefore could not be the same as the Daniel D. Spencer of Providence and Blakely.

Around the years 1806 to 1810, Daniel and his younger brother Joseph Jr. sold lots in Harwinton, Connecticut, to John Smith. This was apparently the last of Daniel's property that he had owned in Connecticut, and the sale of these lots is an indication of his having decided to remain permanently in Pennsylvania. The 1810 U.S. Census shows Daniel Spencer as the head of a household of 16 souls in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Of the people in Daniel's household, six of them were under age 16 and two of whom were over age 25, including one free white male under age 10 (this would be Daniel's son Orin), three white males ages 10 to 15 (one of whom would be Daniel's son Daniel Jr.), one free white male over the age of 45 (i.e. Daniel himself), two free white females under age 10 (two daughters of Daniel). Significantly, there is no free white female in Daniel's household who could have been a wife -- his wife presumably had died before 1810. Also, besides the eight free whites in the household, Daniel owned eight black slaves at the time of the 1810 census. At that period of time, however, slavery was no longer approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in fact was being gradually abolished as a consequence of the Abolition Act of 1780, which provided:

"That all Persons, as well Negroes, and Mulattos, as others, who shall be born within this State, from and after the Passing of this Act, shall not be deemed and considered as Servants for Life or Slaves; and that all Servitude for Life or Slavery of Children in Consequence of the Slavery of their Mothers, in the Case of all Children born within this State from and after the passing of this Act as aforesaid, shall be, and hereby is, utterly taken away, extinguished and for ever abolished."

Consequently, it is not surprising that after this time there is no further record of Daniel owning slaves. The U.S. Census returns of 7 Aug. 1820 for Kingston Township, Luzerne County, show Daniel Spencer as the head of a household of seven souls, all of them free white persons, including three free white males ages 16 to 25 (including his son Orin and probably Daniel Jr. also), one free white male over age 45 (i.e., Daniel himself), one free white female age 10 to 15 (a daughter), one free white female age 16 to 25 (perhaps another daughter or a domestic servant), and one free white female over age 45 (probably a second wife for Daniel). The census record also says that Daniel's household included one person engaged in agriculture (i.e., Daniel), one free white person under age 16, and two free white persons age 26 or older (Daniel and the free white female who was probably a second wife of Daniel).

Ten years later, the 1830 U.S. Census for Kingston Township shows Daniel Spencer as the head of a household consisting of just one free white male age 60 to 69 (himself) and one free white female age 50 to 59 (obviously his wife). Daniel's son Daniel Jr. also appears in the 1830 census for Kingston Township with his own family, but curiously, Daniel's son Orin is not enumerated in the Kingston Township census even though he was still living in that locale.

In the 1840 U.S. Census, Daniel Spencer, age 79, veteran, appears as a resident of Dallas Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, along with seven other persons in the household, one of them employed in "manufactures and trades." However, another 1840 U.S. Census schedule lists Daniel in Washington, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. At the time of the 1840 census, Daniel was living with a certain JOHN WALDON (a shoemaker of Dallas Township; perhaps he was a son-in-law of Daniel's?), while his brother Elam was 76 years old and was living with Simeon Spencer (probably Elam's son). Daniel and Elam are listed together as residents of Dallas Township in the Luzerne County census of Revolutionary War and military pensioners that was taken on 1 June 1840. They had both successfully petitioned for war pensions in 1832 under an act of Congress passed that year to provide for aging Revolutionary War veterans. There is no indication in the 1840 census that Daniel then had a wife, so his second wife must have died before that year.

In her book Unplaced and Shoemaker Spencers, page 42, Flora S. Clark mentions a tradition that, "In 1841, Daniel is said to have walked to Onondaga Hill to visit brother Joseph and from there to see relatives in Conn.," but Clark adds, "As he would have been 80 that yr. it seems highly improbable that he undertook such a walking journey." Could this tradition be a garbled memory of some of Daniel's moves during the 1780s, when he lived in New York for about a year -- around four decades before his siblings and parents moved to Onondaga, New York? On the other hand, while such a journey is improbable for an 80-year-old, it's not impossible even for that time and place, and we should remember that some octagenarians are unusually healthy and fit for their age. (When I told my wife about this tradition of her ancestor's remarkable perambulation to see his brother and relatives, she responded, "That sounds like a Spencer!")

Although Daniel does not appear in the 1850 U.S. Census, according to the old Spencer family traditions recorded in 1893 by Bradsby, Daniel lived to the age of either 92 or 95, which means Daniel died around 1853-56. Researchers have found no record of his death, nor is his place of burial known, but no doubt he died in Dallas Township.

As discussed above, the name and identity of Daniel Spencer's wife (probably first wife) is uncertain, but she could have been surnamed KINGSLEY. Only two of Daniel's five (or four?) children have been identified, his sons Daniel Jr. and Orin, who are named above, but census records indicate that probably two of Daniel's children were daughters. Flora Clark identified a daughter of Daniel as the wife of a Dallas Township settler named JOSEPH MONTANYE. That identification was based on a reference to early Dallas Township marriages in the 1880 History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming Counties, Pa., page 245, which says, "Among the early marriages were those of Abram S. Honeywell to Miss Lydia Hawk, and Joseph Montanye to a Miss Spencer, both on the same day in 1820." There were two Joseph Montanyes living in this part of Pennsylvania at that time, and one of them married Daniel's niece MARILLA SPENCER, daughter of Daniel's brother Elam. Most likely Marilla is the "Miss Spencer" who married Joseph Montanye in 1820, but it is not impossible that, to the confusion and consternation of later genealogists, the other Joseph Montanye married Marilla's first cousin, daughter of Daniel, so that "Miss Spencer" was Daniel's daughter as Flora Clark thought.

As for Daniel's two sons, Daniel and Orin, in the Genealogical Record of the Descendants of Nicholas Hess, Pioneer Immigrant, 1912, by Asher L. Hess, pages 82 and 84, there are references to "Daniel Spencer, farmer, of Dallas, Luzerne County, Pa., born November 4, 1795; died January 27, 1878," and, "Orin Spencer, farmer, a brother of Daniel Spencer, also of Dallas, Luzerne Co., Pa.," who married Anna ("Nancy") Amey, a younger sister of Daniel's wife Susanna (see No. 7 below). Orin's older brother Daniel married Susanna Amey, born 28 Sept. 1796 in Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsyvania, died 23 July 1856, the eldest child of George Amey and Mary Magdalene Hess. Daniel and his wife Susanna, who had five sons and three daughters, briefly occupied the homestead of Susanna's father after his death. Daniel and Susanna were buried in Wardan Cemetery (Worden Cemetery) in Dallas, where many other members of our Spencer family also are buried. Orin and Nancy, however, settled in Carverton, Luzerne County, and are buried in the cemetery of Carverton Methodist Church along with Nancy's parents.

The children of Daniel Spencer are:

     --  DANIEL SPENCER, born 4 Nov. 1795, married Susanna Amey.
     15. ORIN SPENCER, born 11 Sept. 1801.
     --  (DAU.) SPENCER, perhaps married Joseph Montanye
     --  (DAU.) SPENCER
     ??  (NN) SPENCER

-------------

Seventeen Generations of the Spencer Family (Part One)
Seventeen Generations of the Spencer Family (Part Two)
Seventeen Generations of the Spencer Family (Part Four)

Return to Website Index

Spencer Genealogy Resources:

The Early Settlement of Dallas Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, 1901, by William Penn Ryman (1847-1899)


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