JosephM. Spencer
JOSEPH M. SPENCER, an intelligent and progressivecitizen of Ashland, Illinois, and an honored veteran of the late war, washorn in Gibson county, Indiana, October 24, 1842.His parents were Joseph and Elizabeth (Hayhurst)Spencer, both of whom were natives of Morgantown, Virginia, the fatherof Welsh and the mother of German ancestry. They were married in Miamicounty, Ohio, removing thence to Indiana, from where they came to Morgancounty, Illinois, in 1849. The parents and younger children later removedto Kansas, where the father died in 1870, leaving his family and many friendsto mourn his loss. He was a man of superior intelligence and generous impulses,and was very popular among his associates, who keenly felt his loss. Hisdevoted wife, whose greatest interest was the welfare of her husband andfamily, returned to Illinois after her husband’s death, finally expiringin Morgan county, Illinois, in 1879, deeply lamented by all who knew herand who appreciated her many excellent qualities of mind and heart.
This worthy couple were the parents of sevenchildren, four of whom are now living: Job H., the eldest, died in Arkansas,in April, 1890, leaving two children, his wife having previously died;John D. served three years in the Forty-second Indiana Infantry, is nowmarried and is a prosperous farmer of Gibson county, Indiana; William S.resides in Buena Vista, Colorado: he is a widower and has a family; Rebecca,wife of William A. Baldwin, lives in Loami, Sangamon county, Illinois;Amos and Simeon died in youth.
The subject of this sketch accompanied hisparents to Illinois when he was seven years of age, and his boyhood andearly manhood was spent in this State, in the quiet pursuits of farm andhome life. These peaceful, happy days were disturbed by the Civil war,and young Joseph enlisted at Springfield, on September 15, 1861, in CompanyK, Thirty-third Illinois Infantry. He was in the Department of Missouri,and was taken prisoner by the notorious Jeff Thompson, at the battle ofBlackwell Station, in October, 1861, and was paroled on the same day. Jeffsaid “they could either take the oath of allegiance, receive a parole,or be shot;” that he had “no use for prisoners.” It was at this battlethat Mr. Spencer saved the life of General Lippincott, a service whichthe General appreciated until the day of his death, and the heroic actafterward brought many courtesies to the subject of this sketch. He wasoffered a commission as Second Lieutenant, but declined it as a rewardfor doing his duty. We pause to exclaim, In what other country could suchan incident have occurred? Truly, America rears kings, not ordinary men!
Mr. Spencer was seven months under parole,when he returned to the right of his command, at Village Creek, Arkansas,and took part in the fight at Cotton Plant, which occurred the followingday. Here, he captured Colonel Harris’ horse, sword and two revolvers.This was the Colonel who commanded the Texas Legion in that engagement.Mr. Spencer was next engaged in battle at Port Gibson, May 1, 1863: hehad been in several unimportant battles during the interim, hut this wasthe next general engagement. He was at Champion Hills and Black River Bridge;after which came the siege of Vicksburg, where he dug in the ditches andwas under fire for forty-seven days. Here, he received a sunstroke, andwas sent to St. Louis on a hospital boat. It was then that he realizedfully the saying that misfortunes never come singly, for, while enroute,he fell down a hatchway, striking on his head and causing deafness in hisleft ear, from which he has never recovered.
He rejoined his regiment at New Orleans,in February, 1864, they being on their way home on veteran furlough. Mr.Spencer reenlisted as a musician, and accompanied the boys home. Afterward,be returned to New Orleans, where he did garrison duty until the Mobilecampaign, when the regiment was badly decimated by a railroad wreck, whichkilled and wounded many men. Mr. Spencer was assigned to the SixteenthArmy Corps, under General A. J. Smith, and participated in the fight atSpanish Fort. He then went to Montgomery, Alabama, and thence to Selma,of the same State, whence be and the command moved forward to Meridian,Mississippi. From there they went to Vicksburg, and, later, to Yazoo, whereMr. Spencer was mustered out of service, November 24, 1865, after a continuousservice of more than four years.
His duty done, his thoughts naturally turnedto procuring a means of livelihood. It was then that he turned his attentionto learning the business of painting and decorating, which he has followedmost of the time ever since, In 1866, he went to Kansas, where he remaineduntil 1874, at which time he removed to Iowa. While in Missouri, in thewinter of 1862, he met with a very painful accident, in which he lost onefinger and had another severely injured, which, although not incapacitatinghim from work, has, at times, seriously interfered with his dexterity.In 1880, he finally returned to Ashland, Illinois, to which place he isattached by all the associations of his childhood. Here he and his familyhave since resided, in a substantial and comfortable home surrounded byneat and attractive grounds, the whole place breathing the air of thriftand content. Besides this, Mr. Spencer is also the owner of other valuableproperty.
He was married, August, 1870, to Miss MaryE. Gard, an estimable lady, who is a native of Morgan county, Illinois,of which place her parents, Ephraim and Paulina Gard, were worthy pioneers.Her eldest brother, John S., died in the United States service, while waitingfor his discharge, after the close of the war. Mrs. Spencer was the secondof six children, only three of whom now survive: William, Mary and Lydia.
Mr. and Mrs. Spencer have three daughters,Ella, Anna and Lulu, all of whom are at home, the second being a teacherin the public schools. They are all highly intellectual and have been liberallyeducated. Mrs. Spencer and the two other daughters are useful members ofthe Christian Church.
Mr. Spencer is a straight republican in politics,and takes an active interest in all public affairs.
He is a prominent member of John L. DouglasPost, No.592, in which he served for two terms as Quartermaster, and oneterm as Officer of the Day. He is an Ancient Odd Fellow, to which orderhe has belonged for a number of years.
Any one who has read thus far in the lifeof this noble, upright man, will not be at a loss to make deductions inkeeping with his exemplary character. Unaided, he has attained to prominenceand acquired a comfortable income for himself and family, while his numerousgenerous qualities appeal successfully to the hearts of his country-men.
Biographical Review of Cass, Schuylerand Brown Counties, Illinois, Biographical Review Publishing Co., Chicago,1892, pages 207-209.
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