Foreman Spencer &
Dorothy Wiseman
1784 - 1872
Foreman Spencer was born on
September 1, 1784 in Maryland. He was the son of Joseph Spencer and Margaret
Foreman. Joseph was a shoemaker by trade, a skill along with tanning he taught
his son, Foreman. Dorothy Wiseman was born August 6, 1788 in Little Kenesaw in
West Virginia. She was the daughter of Caleb Wiseman. So far I have been unable
to determine her maternal ascent.
Around 1800 Foreman immigrated
to Ohio, where he settled and built himself a log cabin. He was the first
settler in the Muskingum County. To pay off his land Foreman went to West
Virginia to borrow $100 from his uncle, after returning home he returned to
West Virginia to marry Dorothy Wiseman around 1809. The couple founded the town
of Shannon, Ohio, where Foreman supplemented his income from farming with a
tanning business.
Foreman and Dorothy Spencer
started their family with the births of William Wilson Spencer in 1811, Foreman
Spencer Jr. in 1812, Wiseman Spencer in 1814, Harriett Spencer in 1816 and Owen
Spencer in 1818. In 1817 Foreman and Dorothy built the first brick home in the
county, manufacturing the bricks themselves on their farm. The 1820’s found the
Spencer family growing with the births of Joseph Spencer in 1823, Elizabeth
Spencer in 1824 and Minerva Spencer in 1825.
In 1830 the family was still
residing in Muskingum County, Ohio. On March 27, 1834 William Wilson Spencer
married Sarah Cole and they started their family with the births of Samuel
Spencer in 1835, Martha Spencer in 1837, John Spencer in 1838 and William Spencer
Jr. in 1839. On March 31, 1836 Foreman Spencer married Matilda Dick in Falls
Township in Muskingum County, Ohio and they started their family with the
births of Edward Spencer in 1837 and William H Spencer in 1838. On April 23,
1839 Harriett Spencer married John Baxter. Dorothy (Wiseman) Spencer passed
away on September 10, 1830 in Muskingum County, Ohio at the age of 42 for
reasons unknown at this time.
In 1840 Foreman Spencer Sr.
married Margaret Evans in Muskingum County, Ohio. Unfortunately Foreman’s happiness
was short and Margaret passed away in 1844. There was documented one birth from
this marriage, but the name of the child was unknown. William and Sarah
Spencer’s family continued to grow in leaps and bounds with the births of
Wiseman Spencer in 1841, Frances Spencer in 1842, Marshall Spencer in 1844,
Jared Spencer in 1846, Jay Spencer in 1848 and Louisa Spencer in 1849. Foreman
and Matilda Spencer had one more child; John C Spencer was born in 1844.
Harriett and John Baxter started their family with the births of Foreman
Spencer Baxter in 1840, Isabell Baxter in 1842, Angeline Baxter in 1844, Sarah
Baxter in 1845 and Charles Owens Baxter in 1849. On November 23, 1849 Owen
Spencer married America Hawkins Ashby in Andrew County, Missouri. On March 28,
1844 Elizabeth Spencer married Benjamin Cole and they started their family with
the births of George Cole in 1847 and Harriett Cole in 1849.
The 1850’s found Foreman and
his unmarried children still residing in Muskingum County. They had eight other
people living with them to help provide labor for his rather large farm. His
real estate was valued at $8100. William and Sarah Spencer had their last child
in 1850 with the birth of their daughter Sarah Spencer. Foreman Jr. and Matilda
Spencer were living in Upper Sandusky in Wyandot County, Ohio where they had
their last child, Winfield Scott Spencer in 1851. Harriett and John Baxter’s
family continued to grow with the births of Mary Ann Baxter in 1852, George
Henry Baxter in 1854 and Cynthia Prudence Baxter in 1856. Owen and America
Spencer were living in Nodaway Township in Andrew County, Missouri where their
family grew by leaps and bounds with the births of Foreman Edward Spencer in
1851, Benjamin Franklin Spencer in 1852, Anna M Spencer in 1855, Robert Fulton
Spencer in 1856 and Joseph Wiseman Spencer in 1858. Elizabeth and Benjamin Cole
had one more child; Sophia Cole was born in 1855.
Sometime in the late 1850’s or
early 1860’s Foreman sold his farm in Ohio and traveled to New York where he
sailed to San Francisco from. He settled again close to Portland, Oregon and
started all over again. William and Sarah Spencer remained in Muskingum County,
Ohio. William died on December 25, 1864 in Muskingum County at the age of 55.
Wiseman Foreman died on July 29, 1860 at the age of 48 for causes unknown to me
at this time. Harriett and John Baxter were living in Gentry County, Missouri.
They had two more children, John Wiseman Baxter was born in 1860 and Joseph
Grant Baxter in 1865. Sometime in 1861 or 1862 Harriett and her husband chose
to move to Oregon where she joined her father. Owen and America Spencer were
living in Gentry County, Missouri also. Elizabeth and Benjamin Cole’s family
continued to grow with the births of Elizabeth Cole in 1862, Matilda Cole in 1864
and Emery J Cole in 1869.
By 1870 Foreman Spencer was
living with Harriet and Benjamin Baxter and their seven children whom they had
brought to Oregon with them. They were living in Dayton Township in Yamhill
County where Foreman owned 300 acres of farm land. His real estate was valued
at $2500 and personal estate at $3300. John Baxter’s real estate was valued at
$500 and personal estate at $1175. Owen and America Spencer were living in
Allen Township in Worth County, Missouri. Elizabeth and Benjamin Cole had moved
their family to Henderson County, Illinois. Foreman Spencer Sr. died on
February 14, 1872 in Dayton Township in Yamhill County, Oregon at the age of
87.
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