El
Dorado County
Biographies
FRANCIS NEWTON SPENCER
This
gentleman is one of the well and favorably known old timers of
Placerville. He came to the town in 1852
and has since been one of her highly respected public men. Mr. Spencer is a native of Missouri, born
January 18, 1840, and is a son of Lorenzo Spencer, one of California’s
pioneers. Lorenzo Spencer was born in
1812 in New Hampshire, whence at an early day he went to Ohio, where he
subsequently married Miss Fannie Maria Rudd, of that state. They removed to Missouri, later to Iowa, and
from the latter state to California, crossing the plains in 1852, with oxen,
bringing with them their family of four children, three of whom are now living,
namely: Francis N. and Edwin, both
residents of Placerville; and Mary, now Mrs. Francis McCormick. The father, a blacksmith and carriage-maker,
worked at his trade successfully for a number of years, but later turned his
attention to fruit-growing, planting fifty-five acres to fruit. He was one of the first to show that the soil
in this locality was adapted for fruit production. Both he and his wife departed this life some
years ago, his death occurring in February, 1889, at the age of seventy-seven
years; hers in 1887, at the age of sixty-eight.
Both were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and stood
high in the esteem of the people among whom they lived. At one time he had the honor of serving as alderman
of his town. He was not, however, what
might be called a public man; he was retiring in disposition and gave his time
and attention chiefly to his own private affairs.
Francis
N. Spencer was twelve years old when he arrived at Placerville. He was educated in the public schools of this
town, and like many others at that early day, was for a number of years engaged
in freighting from Sacramento to Nevada City.
His freighting outfit consisted of twelve horses and two wagons. As showing the profit there was in the
business at that time, we state that Mr. Spencer received as high as one
thousand and fifty dollars for a single load of freight! After freighting and teaming for several
years Mr. Spencer was elected to the office of road overseer, an office which
he filled seven years, during that time doing much to bring about a better
condition of the roads. After this he
was elected coroner and public administrator, which offices he filled eight
consecutive years, having been three times re-elected. The next public office filled by him was that
of assessor of El Dorado County, and in this place he served two terms of four
years each. Since 1889 he has not been
in public life, but has been practically retired, devoting his time to the
raising of fruits and vegetables.
Mr. Spencer has been a Republican since
he voted for President Lincoln. During
the exciting times of the Civil War he was a staunch Union man, and was a
member of the Home Guards, an organization for the purpose of keeping
California in the Union and to keep the secession element from law-breaking. Fraternally he has affiliated with the Odd
Fellows for thirty-three years, and has passed all the chairs in both branches
of the order; also he has passed the chairs in the Knights of Pythias lodge and
is a member of the Order of Chosen Friends. Ever interested in educational matters, he has
given his support for the betterment of schools and served eight years as a
school trustee.
Mr. Spencer was happily married in
1876 to Miss Mary N. Palmer, a native of the state of Tennessee, and they have
six children, as follows: Francis
Lorenzo, Elsie, now Mrs. Robert Crocker, George Francis, May, Francis Newton,
Jr., and Mabel.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 610-611. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden
Nugget Library's El Dorado County Biographies