Genesee-Livingston County MI Archives Biographies.....Spenser, James L. 1853 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 19, 2006, 10:23 pm

Author: Chapman Bros. (1892)

JAMES L. SPENSER. Mr. Spenser is a native of Hartland, Livingston County, Mich.,
where he was born January 25, 1853. He is a son of Olympus Spenser, who is a
native of Cayuga County, N. Y., and was born in 1818. He was a farmer by calling
and came to Michigan in 1836, locating in Genoa Township, Livingston County,
where he lived for several years. He subsequently removed to Hartland Township
where he lived a few years and returned to Genoa Township where he purchased a
farm. In 1866 he removed to Fenton and there lived until the fall of 1886 when
he removed to Linden where he still lives.

  Mr. Spenser, Sr., held various local offices in Genoa Township in an early
day. He is of old Dutch stock, his father being the Rev. Asa Spenser, who was a
Baptist minister and died about 1834. Our subject's father has cleared and
improved a great deal of land in Michigan and until within a short time has been
a most energetic worker. His wife was prior to her marriage Miss Laura Jacobs.
She was born in 1825 and still survives. She is of Welsh stock.

  The original of our sketch is the elder of two children who were born to his
parents, the younger being George R., who is a farmer in Deerfield Township,
Livingston County. James L. remained upon the home farm until thirteen years of
age and during that time received a district-school education. After the removal
of his parents to Fenton he attended the public schools there and later entered
the State Normal School at Ypsilanti in 1873; he graduated in 1876, completing
the English course and having also taken two years of the classics. He taught
his first school at the age of eighteen years and continued teaching for nine
years, giving four terms to district school, three years in Linden and two and a
half years in Flushing. He worked his way through the State Normal. After
starting out at eighteen he taught four months of winter school and alternated
his teaching with his study as best he could.

  In 1880 Mr. Spenser purchased a drug store at Linden, having picked up the
drug trade at odd times. Since then he has been steadily engaged in the
business. Our subject was married August 1st, 1878, his bride being Miss Ella
Webber, who was born at Bedford, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. She is a daughter of
Charles and Henrietta (Rice) Webber, of New York and Ohio respectively. They
came to Michigan about 1865 and now reside in Linden where he is recognized as a
first-class veterinary surgeon. One child, L. Zoe, was born to our subject and
his wife June 26, 1879. Mr. Spenser is a Republican in his party affiliations
and has ever been actively interested in local politics. He has been a delegate
to county, State and district conventions. He has held various offices having
been School Inspector, Township Superintendent and Village Clerk. In the fall of
1884 he was elected County Clerk of Genesee County and re-elected the following
term. He was president of the village of Linden in 1890.

  He of whom we write was admitted to the bar in November, 1888, and was
appointed attorney for the village of Linden but does not practice enough to
make a business of it. Socially Mr. Spenser belongs to the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and has filled all the chairs in the subordinate lodges. He belongs
to the Knights of the Maccabees and in his church relations both he and his wife
are Presbyterians. Our subject devotes the greater part of his attention to his
business as a druggist, and is also interested in the settlement of certain
estates. He also does an insurance business and is a popular Notary.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Portrait and Biographical Record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan,
Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens,
Together with Biographies of all the Governors of the State, and of the 
Presidents of the United States

Chicago:
Chapman Bros.
1892

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