James Frederick “Fred” Spencer was born on January 15, 1883 in Stockton, Jo Daviess, Illinois to James H. Spencer and Abigail (Hatton) Spencer. He spent his childhood in Rush, Illinois. On October 21, 1907 he was married to Elisabeth “Bessie” Morris in Marshall, South Dakta. 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).
James was a farmer, and the couple resided in different parts of Brown County, South Dakota over the next several decades. They lived in Ordway in the 1910s, Columbia in the 1920s, Shelby in the 30s, and Detroit in the 40s–all townships in Brown County. He died May 24, 1957 in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
An obituary for James (clipped out of an unidentified South Dakota newspaper) reads:
“Funeral services for John Frederick (Fred) Spencer, 74, were held Tuesday, May 28 at 2:30 p.m. at the Congregational Church at Houghton with the Rev. D.S. Hadley officiating. Burial was in the Houghton cemetery.
Mr. Spencer, a retired farmer, died Friday morning in St. Luke’s Hospital, Aberdeen from a heart condition. He was born January 15, 1883, on a farm near Stockton, Illinois.
In the early 20’s he came to South Dakota, settling in the Houghton and Claremont communities. On October 21, 1907, he was married to Bessie Morris at Britton. They farmed in the vicinity until their retirement in 1943, when they moved to Aberdeen.
Survivors include his widow, three sons, Irvin of Columbia, James of Claremont, and LaVerne of Watertown; six daughters, Mrs. Donald (Abigail) Waddington of Redfield, Mrs. Casper (Miva) Belseth of Aberdeen, Mrs. Joseph (Doris) Daly of Colubmia, Mrs. Myron (Marion) Ellsbury of Claremont, Mrs. Glen (Reva) Salfrank of Aberdeen, and Mrs. Robert (Betty) Miller of Watertown; 23 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Two brothers and five sisters preceded him in death.
The full story of James’s uncle Amza Spencer, edited by Grace Greenwood & Jeff Gurvine:
