Joseph L. Spinney

Joseph was born in 1832 in St. George, New Brunswick.¹ Joseph's father was James S. Spinney and his mother was Martha (Anne) Lowe. His paternal grandparents were Jonathan Spinney and Mary Catherine Troke. He had four brothers and seven sisters, named George, James, Tobias, Horatio, Katherine, Mary, Martha, Emily, Mary, Sarah and Alice. He was the second oldest of the twelve children. He died at the age of 96 on May 6th, 1928 in Eureka, California.¹

General Notes
- Joseph, being older and marrying young, was deeded part of his father's farm, on which he built a house and barn. Later it was sold to a John Spires who lived there and then his sons, Michael, Charles and Pat. Some years later, Tobias, who lived on his father's farm purchased it back, so as to keep the estate intact. It remained in the Spinney Family. It was vacant after the Rist War.
  Joe owned several teams of heavy draft horses and his job was to haul lumber from the fresh water landing in St. George, over the hill to the public wharf on salt water, where it was loaded in ships for export to the United Kingdom and the United States. The lumber was a sawn in three-inch deal on the Magaguadic River and its tributaries, where there were several mills. It was wafted down to the landing, where it was loaded on carts (two-wheelere) to go across town-hence the name Portage Street.
  When Joe's two older sons grew up they headed fo California and started in the lumber business (Redwood and Mahogany) at Eureka, in Humbold County. Before long, they sent for their father, mother and family. One or more of the youngest were born there. Joe and Ann were married on November 15, 1853 in St. George, New Brunswick.