The Spence Connection

My Great Grandma Nace went by her middle name Frances. Her first name was Sulmena/Sulmenia/Sulmana (depending on which source you consult). She came from the Big Island area of Bedford County, across the mountains from where she spent most of her married life. Update: She came from near Big Island, in the Charlemont section of Bedford County. Her family moved to Buchanan when she was 15.

Her maiden name was Spence. Her parents were Andrew F. Spence and Mary Lucy Goff, who were married on December 19, 1849. Lucy was the daughter of Archibald Goff of Bedford County. Jefferson Goff provided surety for the marriage bond.

She had two sisters and six brothers. 

The Spence names on the "Births" page are hard to read:

• John Henry Spence Born De  24 1850
• Edward [Lott?] Spence Born Feb  10 1853
• William [G?] Spence Born Feb  3 1855
• Mary [?]Spence Born De 5 1859
• Alexzander [?] A. Spence Born June 8 1863
• Selmenia F. Spence Born De 14 1864
• Daniel [might be David?] M. Spence Born June 12 1867
• Lucie Jane Spence Born De 9 1869
• Walter F. Spence Born July 9 1875
• one infant Boy Born Apr 11 1858

I've tried Googling many of the Spence names but haven't had much luck. I'd love to know more about Andrew Francis  Frederick Spence. Who were his parents? Where did he come from? Update: He came from Orange, County, New York; he was a stone mason. And his name was actually Andrew Frederick Spence, not Andrew Francis Spence as I'd heard for years. See https://nacelithia.blogspot.com/2015/07/andrew-francis-spence.html for more info about him.

The Spense family apparently originated in Scotland. I found the following information on the Internet several years ago but neglected to note the URL:

Although the family name Spence is found in Ireland for centuries, it is ultimately of Scottish origin, having been introduced into Ireland by Scottish settlers. The name is classified as being of occupational origin, that is, derived from the trade or profession pursued by the initial bearer. In this instance the surname Spence is derived from the Middle English "spense, spence", a derivative of Old French "despense", denoting "an official in charge of provisions or a larder". Variants of the surname Spence include Spense, Spencer, and Spenser.

The Scottish Spences of Wormsington were a sept of the clan MacDuff and standard bearers to this clan. Today, this name is numerous in Counties Antrim and Down and rarely found in the rest of Ireland. One of the earliest references this name or to a variant is Scottish in origin and a record of one Roger Dispensator (Latin for Spenser) who witnessed a charter by the Bishop of Moray in 1202. However, research is on going and this name may have been documented even earlier than the date indicated above. John Spens was bailiff of Irvine in 1260. . . .

According to this online article, there were Spences in Virginia in the 1600s, particularly in Westmoreland County; the same article and this genealogy thread also notes the family origin:

The family of Spens (or Spence, Spense) is of very high antiquity in Scotland, descended from a younger son of the Earl of Fife, and carried on its armorial bearing the lion rampant of the Clan MacDuff to denote descent from that ancient house^[2]. The name was sometimes rendered as "de Spens", or "of the Spences". Both the Scottish "Spens" and the English "Spencer" carry the meaning of steward. [Source: John Wayland, 1930: Virginia Valley Records: "The Spence Family", p 366.]

There's a lengthy thread on Rootsweb devoted to the Spence family, and  a reference on Rootsweb to a "Francis Spence, age 23" who arrived in Virginia in 1635. 

The earliest Bedford County Spence that I can find online (on the Rootsweb Spens/Spence DNA page) is "Burwell Spence born 1763 Bedford Co Virginia, wife Rebecca Puckett, resided Carroll Co VA." There's also a "James Spence, born abt. 1766 VA, married in Bedford Co VA, Eleanor Milam." Another site lists James Spence as born in 1770 and marrying Eleanor (b. 1774) on October 1, 1785, which would have made him 15 and her 11 when they married, so I'd guess one or more of those dates is wrong. (Another site says they married in 1794 and had no known children.) How either connects to Andrew, I don't know. 

UPDATE: They don't. Andrew was from Orange County, New York. According to his death certificate, his parents were John Frederick Spence and Catherine Andrews.

Perhaps someone reading this blog can provide information. Meanwhile, I'll do a separate post about the Goff connection.

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Andrew F. Spence

I've blogged about the Spence connection before. But where the father of Sulmana "Frances" Spence Nace came from has been a family mystery for decades. It's documented that Andrew F. Spence married Mary Lucy Goff, daughter of Archibald Goff, on Dec. 19, 1849. She was about  sixteen. During the course of their marriage, they had ten children. Here's the list from the family Bible:

• John Henry Spence Born De  24 1850
• Edward [Lott?] Spence Born Feb 10 1853
• William [G?] Spence Born Feb  3 1855
• Mary [?]Spence Born De 5 1859
• Alexzander [?] A. Spence Born June 8 1863
• Selmenia F. Spence Born De 14 1864
• Daniel [might be David?] M. Spence Born June 12 1867
• Lucie Jane Spence Born De 9 1869
• Walter F. Spence Born July 9 1875
• one infant Boy Born Apr 11 1858

The Spences were said to be from the Big Island area of Bedford County, and indeed, many are still there. But Andrew F. Spence didn't seem to connect to them. Why not?

On September 7, 1860, 33-year-old Andrew, 27-year-old Lucy, their sons John H (age 9), Edward J (age 6), and William A (age 3), and their 4-month-old daughter Mary C.S. were living in the northern district (Lone Pine Post Office) of Bedford County. John was attending school. Also in their household was 30-year-old Mary Sweeney, whose vocation was "serving." Was she employed by the Spences, or was she somehow kin? 

A close look at the 1860 census reveals that Andrew was a stone mason who was born in New York and that his personal estate was worth $200.

Perhaps, being born in New York, he wasn't close kin to the Spences who were already  in Virginia. 

Andrew served in Company C of the 58th Virginia Infantry in the Confederate army—the Big Island Greys (Chilton's/Arthur's Company) of Bedford County. The ten companies in the 58th were from Amherst, Franklin, Patrick, and Rockbridge Counties. The regiment was with General Jubal Early to defend Lynchburg in mid-June 1864. Andrew must have gotten leave a few times, since Alexander was born in 1863 and Frances in 1864.

In the August 18, 1870, census for the Liberty Post Office area of Charlemont in the Northwest section of Bedford County, the family had increased. Now 4-year-old "Sylwina" (who'd later be known as Frances), 2-year-old Daniel, and baby Lucy had joined the family. John, who'd likely started his own family, was no longer living with his parents. What became of Alexander? He likely died young.

By June 2, 1880,  Andrew and Lucy, along with their 15-year-old daughter Frances had moved to Buchanan in Botetourt County. Son William—now married to a Mary (who is 3 years older than he) and  has three sons (Alonzo-4, Jessie-2, and baby Ira)—either lives with his parents or lives next door. William has apparently followed his father into the stone mason business. But what became of little Daniel and Lucy and Walter and the unnamed baby? Had the Spence family lost four young children in a 10-year period? Five in a 15-year-period? At any rate, half their children didn't survive until adulthood.

Living in Buchanan, Frances was now in a good position to meet William Robert Nace. They were married on December 28, 1882.

Census records aren't available for 1890, so tracing the Spence family isn't easy. Andrew and Lucy don't appear on the 1900 census. However, their son does—a 45-year-old William  Spence and his 48-year old wife Mary are living in Forest in Bedford County. He now is a farmer and owns his land. They have four children at home: Maud, Walter, Bell, and Edgar. 

Also, in 1900, a 47-year-old stone mason named Lott Spence lives at Charlemont in Bedford County with his 42-year-old wife Mollie T, and son and daughter. His brother-in-law, Robert Goff, lives with them. Could Lott be Edward Lott, born in 1853? It seems likely. And there's another Goff connection.

So, part of the Spence mystery  is solved. But there are still some unanswered questions.

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Update: Recently, thanks to the Internet and Ancestry.com, I learned that his name was actually Andrew Frederick Spence, and he was born on December 1, 1829 (or possibly 1827) in Orange County, New York. I also learned his parents' names: John Frederick Spence (who was born in Orange County, New York) and Mary Catherine Andrews.


This makes sense. He got his middle name from his father, and he named his first son John Harrison Goff, likely John for his father. Andrew's wife was Mary Lucy Goff—the daughter of Polly Harrison and Archibald Goff, so that accounts for the Harrison middle name. His first daughter, actually his fourth child, was named Mary Catherine (1858-1879)—his mother's name.


Despite being from the north, Andrew served in Company C of the 58th Virginia Infantry—the Big Island Greys (Chilton's/Arthur's Company of Bedford County. The ten companies in the 58th were from Amherst, Franklin, Patrick, and Rockbridge Counties. The regiment was with General Jubal Early to defend Lynchburg in mid-June 1864. Andrew must have gotten leave a few times, since Alexander was born in 1863 and Frances in 1864.

I was able to find his death certificate online (he died April 18, 1912 of "Euremic convulsion"), and now I know he is buried in Lithia Baptist Church Cemetery, where his Nace in-laws and some of his descendants are buried.

 

 

He was still alive when his granddaughter Annie Pearl Nace died mysteriously in July of the previous year. That must have been hard on my great grandmother, Frances Spence Nace, to lose a child one year and her father the next.

ANOTHER MYSTERY: I can't find his grave listed in Lithia Baptist Church Cemetery. Nor can I find out when his wife died or where she is buried.

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The Goff Connection

Our Spence-Nace ancestors are connected to the Goffs. Mary Lucy Goff (daughter of Archibald) married Andrew Frederick Spence on December 19, 1849. Their daughter Sulmana (also spelled Sulminia/Sulmena) Frances Spence married William Robert Nace in 1882. 


Here's the Goff line, starting as far back as I can find documentation:

Willyam Goffe

I

William Goffe (died 1660 in Virginia) & Martha Baxter

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Thomas Goffe (b. 1656; d. after 1720 in Essex Co, VA) & Margaret
(1st wife Martha; 2nd wife Margaret)

I

John Goff (1704?- 1763) in Amherst Co, Va) & Ann Tinsley (abt, 1700-1763)

I

John Goff, Jr.  (abt. 1745-abt. 1831) & Mary "Polly" (possibly Tittle?)

(2nd wife Priscilla Standley—married Oct. 31, 1782)

I

Archibald Goff (1780-abt. 1850) & Mary (Polly) Harrison (married March 29, 1810) 

I

Mary Lucy Goff & Andrew F. Spence (married Dec. 19, 1849)

I

Sulmena* Frances Spence & William Robert Nace
(married Dec. 28, 1882)  

The first Goff in the Amherst/Bedford County, Virginia, area was John, who made a will in 1762. Here's some information about him that I found Bedford County, VA Goffs on the Goff-Gough site:

His son—also named John—was born about 1740 and died in 1831. He was married twice. His first wife, Mary, whom he married about 1760 in Amherst County, was apparently the mother of his two oldest sons: Christopher (who died between 1830 and 1840) and Archibald. Mary was born in 1740 and died before 1782. 

John's second wife, Priscilla Standley (or Stanley), whom he called Prossella in his will, was a Quaker, who was dismissed by the church for marrying outside her faith. The daughter of Pleasant Stanley and Sarah McGhee, Priscilla was born in 1760 in Bedford County and died in 1855.  

Here is a partial list of John's children and their spouses: 

 John Jr. mentions his son Archibald in his will:

More info about John's will: 

 Archibald, born about 1780 in Bedford, Virginia, was apparently married to a Sallie (?) before he married Polly Harrison, daughter of Battaile Harrison and Frances Tinsley, on March 29, 1810. Polly's line runs deep into old Virginia:

Although I can't find his exact death date, Archibald was 70 years old at the time of the 1850 Bedford census. His occupation listed him as farmer. It is likely that Polly was the mother of Mary Lucy Goff, since Mary  married to Andrew F. Spence in 1849 and thus would likely have been born several years after 1810. Mary's daughter named her eldest daughter Mary Lucy.

Many of the early Bedford County Goffs lived on Goff Mountain:

After her marriage, Mary would most likely have lived with her husband in nearby Big Island, Virginia, also in Bedford County. In the map below, "A" marks Goff Mountain; Big Island, on the James River, is at the right. (You can see Big Island if you click the picture to enlarge it.) At some point, they moved to Buchanan in Botetourt County.

Andrew F. Spence and Mary Lucy Goff Spence moved from Bedford County to Buchanan in 

Botetourt County, Virginia, when their daughter Sulmana "Frances" was fifteen. That is likely where Frances met Robert William Nace.

Frances and William would eventually live in Lithia in Botetourt County. As the crow flies, Big Island is only 14 miles from Buchanan (near Lithia). By twisting mountain roads, the distance would be much longer.

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