General Notes

Birth:  Oct. 11, 1601
Stotfold
Bedfordshire, England
Death:  1640
Hartford
Hartford County
Connecticut, USA

William Spencer, the eldest child of Gerard Spencer and Alice Whitbread of Bedfordshire, England, bapt. Oct. 11, 1610 at Stotsfold, Bedfordshire. He was the eldest and probably the first of at least four Spencer brothers and one sister that emigrated to New England during the 1630s (William, Thomas, Michael and Gerard and their sister Elizabeth (Spencer) Tomlins).

William arrived in New England by late 1631 and first settled at Cambridge, Mass. where he was town clerk for the years 1632-1635. He was made a freeman of the Mass. Bay Colony on Mar. 4, 1632/3, the same date that his sister Elizabeth's husband, Timothy Tomlins, was made a freeman.

William was very involved in both Cambridge town and Mass. Colony affairs during the 1630s and was one of four founders of the Military Company of Mass., now called The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, in which he initially held the rank of Lieut. However, he is referred to as Lieut. Spencer only twice in civil or political records in the Mass. Bay and none in Conn. Colony records. By August 1639 William had moved to Hartford on the Connecticut River where he was also involved in Hartford and Conn. Colony affairs. At his death he was one of Hartford's townsmen, now called Selectmen.

Possibly as early as 1631, William m. Agnes Harris, dau. of Bartholomew Harris and Elizabeth Collamore, bapt. Apr. 6, 1604 at Barnstaple, county Devon, England. When and where they married remains unknown.

William Spencer and Agnes Harris had three children, who are outlined in Agnes' separate memorial. He d. testate at Hartford, Conn. betw. May 4 and May 22, 1640, Æ 39. It is assumed he was one of the earliest interred at what became the Ancient Burying Ground at Hartford, Conn., formerly known as the Center Church Cemetery. He likely had no gravestone placed at the spot of his burial, or if he did have one it long ago decayed and fell away.

The following, using modern spelling, may be of interest to the reader:

"the 11th of January 1640(-41).

It is further ordered that ye burying place is appended to be part of Richard Umstead's Lot & for satisfaction to Richard Umstead for ye said Burying place & ye fencing about it he is to have a parcell of ground Lying at ye north middle gate containing about an acre & half of ground & ye said Richard Umstead is to remove Mr. Alings [Allen's?] fence & set it by ye highway against ye said ground... [Hartford Town Votes, vol. I, p. 40.]

"3 March 1640(-41). An Order Concerning Graves.

it is ordered that Thomas woodford shall attend the making of Graves for any Corpse Deceased and that no corpse shall be laid less than four foot deep. None that be above four years old shall be laid less than five foot Deep. None that be above ten shall be laid 1ess then six foot Deep. He shall receive for giving notice by ringing the bell, making the grave and keeping of it in comely repair so that it may be known in further time where such graves have been made: for the lesser sort two shillings six pence, for the middle sort three shillings, for the biggest sort three shillings six pence. [ibid., p. 48.]

Mr. Woodford, where is William Spencer's grave?

More detail regarding William at Cambridge and Hartford, as well as eldest dau. Elizabeth, will be added later.

Family links:
Spouse:
Agnes Harris Edwards (1604 - ____)*

Children:
Sarah Spencer Case (1637 - 1691)*
Samuel Spencer (1639 - 1716)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial:
Ancient Burying Ground
Hartford
Hartford County
Connecticut, USA

Maintained by: Don Blauvelt
Originally Created by: Charlene Backus
Record added: Jun 08, 2008
Find A Grave Memorial# 27422696