Odds & Ends (J.W. Part II)

Part II – This post offers several more newspaper clippings from the Hartford Courant about life on the farm in Bloomfield, Connecticut featuring my second great-grandfather, John William Spencer (1834-1896). The topics of the articles range from corn and pumpkins to snakes and rabid dogs!

21 October 1868 – Hartford Courant
Mrs. J.W. (Annie) Spencer – 2nd Place Rag Carpets
Mr. J.W. Spencer – Best Pumpkins

Part I – I’ll Say it Again, Those are My Nuts!

If you are interested in researching your family history, newspaper accounts can provide a wealth of information. The above referenced clippings were discovered through Newspapers.com by Ancestry.

Where there is a Will

*Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) · 18 Jul 1878, Thu · Page 2*

Above is a probate notice from 18 July 1878 that notes a bequest of $2,000 from Jason Goodwin (J.G.) Eggleston to his grand-niece Anna Eggleston Spencer. Anna is my second great grandmother. $2,000 in 1879 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $51,351.80 in 2019. Thank you great-uncle! Jason was the co-owner of Eggleston & Rowley Grocery located at 286 Main Street in Hartford, Connecticut.

Link to a previous post about Anna: Introducing Annie and John Spencer

Another benefactor in the will is the Reverend Nathaniel Eggleston who received $1,000. I wrote an earlier post (Rev. Eggleston’s Woods) about Nathaniel who was appointed chief of the Bureau of Forestry (now the United States Forest Service) from 1883-1886.

If you are interested in researching your family history, newspaper accounts can provide a wealth of information. The above referenced clipping was discovered through Newspapers.com by Ancestry.

I’ll Say it Again, Those are My Nuts! (J.W. Part I)

With genealogical research, it is often a case of feast or famine. With my 2nd great-paternal grandfather, John William Spencer (1834-1896), I have discovered a wealth of material. In a previous post, Introducing Annie and John Spencer, I described the joy of having someone share John and Annie’s wedding photograph with me.

Recently, researching Hartford newspapers, I came across several wonderful articles that shine a light on the lives of John and Annie.

The article below from 1869 describes a party celebrating John and Annie’s 10th wedding anniversary! Couldn’t they just have mentioned Annie by name?

*Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) · 28 Jul 1869, Wed · Page 2*

These “true crime stories” that occurred in Bloomfield Connecticut, involving John W. Spencer, are separated by 26 years!

*Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) · 14 Nov 1867, Thu · Page 8*

*Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) · 21 Oct 1893, Sat · Page 12*

If you are interested in researching your family history, newspaper accounts can provide a wealth of information. The above referenced clippings were discovered through Newspapers.com by Ancestry.