1601 - 1640

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• Birth	11 Oct 1601	Stotfold,Bedfordshire,England   [2]
  Christened	11 Oct 1601	Stotfold,Bedfordshire,England
  Gender	Male
  Died	11 Jan 1640	Hartford,Hartford,Ct   [1, 2]
  Buried	1641	Hartford,Hartford,Ct
  Person ID	I57136	Brainard (Brainerd) / Foster / Fish
  Last Modified	12 Jun 2005 00:00:00
  Father	Gerard SPENCER, b. 20 May 1576, Edworth,Bedfordshire,England
  Mother	Alice WHITEBREAD, b. 7 Oct 1571, Ion,Upper Gravenhurst,Bedfordshire,England
  Family ID	F1265	Group Sheet
  Married	1633	Hartford,Hartford,Ct   [2]
  Family ID	F24825	Group Sheet
  Married	Between 1632-1634	Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Ma
  Family ID	F24826	Group Sheet

• Notes

  William was in Hartford, CT 1639. He was a Freeman, Deputy in Newtown,May 1632-1638; Lt. in Newtown; one of founders of Ancient and HonorableArtillery Co. and had other evidences of the public favor bestowed on him. Hemoved to Hartford, CT 1639; where his home lot was about where the Union depot now stands. He was appointed with Wyllys and Webster to revise the laws ofthe colony. He appoints "my cousin Matthew Allyn, my brother, John Pratt" andJohn Talcott to be overseers of this estate in his will dated March 4,presented may 4, 1640. One of Founders of Hartford, CT. Notes: WILLIAM SPENCER Notes: ORIGIN: Stotfold, Bedfordshire MIGRATION: 1631 FIRST RESIDENCE: Cambridge REMOVES: Hartford 1639 CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Admission to a Massachusetts Bay church (probablyWatertown) prior to 4 March 1632/3 implied by freemanship. FREEMAN: 4 March 1632/3 [ MBCR 1:367]. EDUCATION: Cambridge town clerk, 1632-1635 [ CaTR vi (with facsimile of apage of records in his hand facing CaTR 9)]. Wrote a well-reasoned andwell-spelled letter to Winthrop in 1638 [ WP 4:74-75]. OFFICES: Deputy from Cambridge to the General Court, 9 May 1632, 4 March1634/5, 3 March 1635/6, 8 September 1636, 18 April 1637 (as "Lieut.Spencer"), 17 May 1637, 26 September 1637, 12 March 1637/8 [ MBCR 1:95,135, 164, 178, 191, 194, 204, 220]. Observer to committee on bounds between Cambridge & Watertown, 4 March1634/5 [ MBCR 1:139]. Committee on bounds between Boston & Charlestown,28 March 1636 [ MBCR 1:162]. Committee to "set out bounds of the newplantation above Charles Ryver," 3 March 1635/6 [ MBCR 1:166]; report ofabove committee rendered on 13 April 1636 [ MBCR 1:173]. Committee oncolony debts, 8 September 1636 [ MBCR 1:179, 184]. Committee oncompensation of soldiers who made the expedition to Block Island, 9 March1636/7 [ MBCR 1:188]. Committee to "view Shaushin, & to consider whetherit be fit for a plantation," 1 August 1637 [ MBCR 1:200]. Committee on"plantation upon the river which runs to Concord," 20 November 1637 [MBCR 1:210]. Committee on codification of laws, 12 March 1637/8 [ MBCR1:222]. Cambridge town clerk, 1632-1635 [ CaTR vi]. Committee to "survey thetown lands and enter [mutilated] a book appointed for that purpose," 3February 1634/5 [ CaTR 12]. On 27 October 1636 "Newe Towne presented abook of their records under the hands of Will[iam] Andrews, constable,John Beniamin, & Will[iam] Spencer" [ MBCR 1:182]. A Cambridge generalmeeting ordered that "William Spencer and Georg[e] Steele should measureall the meadow ground undivided belonging to the Newtowne" and allot "toevery man his proportion," 20 August 1635 [ CaTR 12]. Cambridgeselectman, 23 November 1635 [ CaTR 13]. Lieutenant of the Cambridge train band, 9 March 1636/7 [ MBCR 1:190].Charter member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company [ HAHAC1:40; MBCR 1:250-51]. Deputy for Hartford to Connecticut General Court, 11 April 1639, 8August 1639, 10 September 1639, 16 January 1639/40, 9 April 1640 [ CCCR1:27, 29, 34, 41, 46]. Surveyor of "armor and other military provisions" for Hartford, 8August 1639 [ CCCR 1:30]. ESTATE: Granted three roods for a cowyard in Cambridge, 5 August 1633 [CaTR 5]. Granted "the swamp on the other side the creek," 2 March 1633/4[ CaTR 7]. Granted "that corner of ground by Joseph Myat's between theswamps," 1 December 1634 [ CaTR 10]. Received a proportion of 2u in theundivided meadow, 20 August 1635 [ CaTR 13]. In the list of houses inCambridge, William Spencer was credited with two in the Westend, 8February 1635/6 [ CaTR 18]. In the Cambridge land inventory on 1 May 1635 William Spencer held atleast eleven parcels (entry partially mutilated): "one dwelling housewith other outhouses and a garden and backside, about one rood"; "more inold field about five acres and a half"; "more on small lot hill aboutthree acres"; "more in the neck about seven acres"; "more in Long Marshabout fifteen acres"; "more in Great Marsh about nine acres"; "more inthe Great Marsh about two acres"; "more in the Great Marsh about twoacres"; "[mutilated] west end one house with other [mutilated] housesgarden backside and other [mutilated] about three acres"; "more by thepine swamp about six acres"; and "more in Cowyard Row about one rood" [CaBOP 5-6]. On 1 April 1636 William Spencer of New Towne acknowledged that he hadsold to Nicholas Danforth his right in three and a half acres [ CaBOP38]. In an undated record, Symon Crosby purchased from William Spencerone house with three acres of ground [ CaBOP 58]. On 20 November 1637 "[t]hose that are to view the new plantation ofWatertowne are to view the place which Mr. Spencer desireth, & if it beconvenient, to certify the Court" [ MBCR 1:211]. On 2 May 1638 "Mr.Willi[am] Spencer is granted 300 acres of ground beyond Concord, by theAlewife Ryver" [ MBCR 1:228]. In the Hartford land inventory in 1640 William Spencer held sixparcels: two acres "on which his dwelling house now standeth with otherouthouses, yards & gardens ... which he bought of John Halles";sixty-three acres in the Middle Oxpasture "part whereof he bought ofEdward Stebing & another part he bought of William Kelse & another partthereof he bought of Thomas Spenser"; four acres in the Pine Field "whichhe bought of John Halles" (annotated "sold [to] Jno. Moris"); ten acresin the Pine Field "part whereof he bought of Edward Stebing & anotherpart of John Beddell"; eleven acres and two roods of meadow and swamp inthe North Meadow; and ten acres of meadow and swamp on the east side ofthe Great River (annotated "mead sold [to] Calsey" and "swamp sold [to]Barding & Pantry") [ HaBOP 352-53]. In his nuncupative will, dated 14 March and 4 May 1640 and 4 March1640/1, William Spencer bequeathed that the estate that he hath in New England, and also that which may come tohis wife hereafter, that is, any part of his wife's portion if any docome, that all the estate be divided as followeth: ...to my wife onethird part of all my estate ... to my son Samuel one third part ... to mytwo daughters Sarah and Elizabeth one third part ... the children to bebrought up with the improvement of the whole estate that I leave both tomy wife and children. Also my mind is my Cousin Matthew Allyn, my brotherJohn Pratt and John Taylcoate, that these three parties or any two ofthem shall have the oversight of my estate, and in case that they shallsee in their judgement the estate to be wasted, that they shall havepower to take the children and their portions [blank] for their bringingup, and to pay the children their portions that remain at the severaltimes above written. Also my mind is that my wife shall have no power toalienate or make sale of my house or any part of my land I leave withoutthe consent of two of the parties that are to oversee my estate [ CCCR1:449-50; Manwaring 1:36-37]. The undated "inventory of the estate of the said Will[iam] Spenser"totalled Ð67 12s. 2d. in moveables; there were "several debts ... owingin the Bay, the which the most of them are denied, and those that areconfessed are very doubtful whether much of it will be paid, being in thehands of some of his kindred that are poor." The supplement to thisinventory also included "the house and houselot containing about 2 acres,with some outhouses; also several parcels of upland lots, to the value of[blank] 74 acres, as may appear by the records to that purpose, whereof,besides the right which he had in any other lands to be divided"; "also,eleven acres of meadow and swamp, lying in the North Meadow"; "also, oneparcel lying on the east side of the Great River, containing ten acres";"also, there is land yet remaining at Concord in the Bay, which while helived he esteemed at Ð120" [ CCCR 1:450-51]. It was agreed that if any of the children died before they came ofage, "the survivor & survivors shall receive it at the time when itshould have been paid to the deceased, if he or she had lived, and ifthey all die before the said time, then it shall be paid to Agnes Edwardsor her lawful attorney of the said Agnes, the mother of the saidchildren" [ Manwaring 1:37]. The estate of William Spencer, deceased, was brought to court 24 June1650 and, "with the information of the overseers in the presence ofThomas Spencer, brother to the said William, with the consent of the wifeof William Edwards, they do judge that Ð30 is as much as the estate herewill bear to be sequestered for the use of the children, which is to bepaid to them according to the will of the said William Spencer ...provided also that whatsoever shall be paid here or in England of anyestate due to the wife of the said William Spencer while she was the wifeof William Spencer, or that shall come from Concord, two thirds thereofshall be and remain to the proper use of the children aforesaid" [ RPCC85-86]. BIRTH: Baptized Stotfold, Bedfordshire, 11 October 1601, son of Gerrardand Alice (Whitbread) Spencer [ TAG 27:162]. DEATH: Hartford after 4 May 1640 [ Manwaring 1:36-37] and probably before22 May 1640 [ Aspinwall 141]. MARRIAGE: By about 1633 Agnes Harris, baptized Barnstaple, Devonshire, 6April 1604, daughter of Bartholomew and Elizabeth (Collamore) Harris. Shemarried (2) Hartford 11 December 1645 William Edwards [ TAG 63:33-45]. CHILDREN: i ELIZABETH, b. say 1633; m. (1) by about 1650 William Wellman [TAG 37:7-9]; m. (2) by 1672 Jacob Joy (Jacobus gives the date of marriageas 23 May 1671 and McCracken as 23 May 1672, in Killingworth, but theKillingworth vital records do not contain an entry for this event [ TAG37:7-9; FOOF 1:348]). Notes: ii SARAH, b. about 1635 (of full age [18] in the year 1653 [Manwaring 1:37]); m. by 1656 John Case [ TAG 34:66-69]. Notes: iii SAMUEL, b. about 1639 (of full age [21] in the year 1660[ Manwaring 1:37]); m. by about 1668 Sarah _____ (estimated b. of firstchild [ TAG 27:165-66]). Notes: ASSOCIATIONS: William Spencer was brother of THOMAS SPENCER ofCambridge and Hartford, and of Michael Spencer and Gerard Spencer of Lynn[ TAG 27:79-87, 161-65]. Notes: COMMENTS: William Spencer appeared on a list of early inhabitantsof Cambridge, apparently dated 1632 [ CaTR 2]. On 29 November 1638 William Spencer wrote from Hartford to JohnWinthrop asking why Winthrop had made suggestions regarding arguments tosupport the union between the Bay and "the plantations here," and yetwhen men came to treat with him regarding it, many using the veryarguments suggested by Winthrop at Spencer's prompting, all were met with"a prejudice in the spirits of some men" and forced to go awayunsatisfied [ WP 4:74-75]. On 4 July 1648 Aspinwall certified "copies of five letters unto EdmundAngier - 3 letters from John Talcot & John Pratt, one dated 22 May 1640,another August 10th 1640, & another 15th June 1641, a fourth from AnneSpenser dated 2 May 1642 and the fifth from W[illia]m Edw[ards] no date.Also unto a copy of a writing under W[illia]m Spencer's name dated 3 July1639. Also to a letter [of] attorney from Ed[mund] Angier to Joseph Mayetdated 5 July 1648" [ Aspinwall 141]. From the chronology and the personsinvolved, it would seem that these letters pertained to the estate ofWilliam Spencer in England. BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: In 1988 Douglas Richardson ably demonstrated theidentity of Agnes Harris, wife of William Spencer [ TAG 63:33-45].

• Sources

  [S75] Automated Archives, Automated Family Pedigrees - #1 CD No. 100(Orem, Utah: Automated Archives, 1992).. [S61] World Family Tree Vol. 4, Ed. 1, Brøderbund Software, Inc., (Release date: August 23, 1996), Tree #3551. Date of Import: Apr 1, 2000