Elisabeth “Bessie” Morris was born on November 24, 1886 in Illinois. She was married to James Frederick Spencer on October 20, 1908 in Marshall, South Dakota. The couple resided in Ordway, Brown County, South Dakota during the early years of their marriage. They had nine children: LaVerne, Irvin L. (b. August 15, 1910), Abigail J. (b. ci. 1912), Miva M. (b. ci. 1916), Doris H. (b. ci. 1919), Marion M. (b. ci. 1921), James F. (b. ci. 1923), Reva E. (b. ci. 1925), and Betty J. (b. ci. 1927).
The family resided in Columbia (also in Brown County) in the 1920s; Shelby, Brown, South Dakota in the 1930s; and Detroit, Brown, South Dakota in the 1940s. Elisabeth passed away in February of 1972 in Claremont, Brown, South Dakota.
