Spencer, Henry (b. , d. 1477/78)

Note: Henry Spencer is ancestral to five American presidents, George Washington, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, and the two Bushes. He is also ancestral to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Ancestors of American Presidents
Title: Compiled by Gary Boyd Roberts, Ancestors of American Presidents (Santa C
larita, California: C. Boyer 3rd, in cooperation with the New England H
istoric Genealogical Society, 1995.)
larita, California: C. Boyer 3rd, in cooperation with the New England H
istoric Genealogical Society, 1995.

Page: p. 239

Given Name: Henry

Death: 1477/78

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: Henry Spencer and Isabella Lincoln, ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales, were the 9th great grandparents of President George Washington and the 13th and 14th great grandparents of President Franklin Roosevelt.

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Ancestors of American Presidents
Title: Compiled by Gary Boyd Roberts, Ancestors of American Presidents (Santa C
larita, California: C. Boyer 3rd, in cooperation with the New England H
istoric Genealogical Society, 1995.)
larita, California: C. Boyer 3rd, in cooperation with the New England H
istoric Genealogical Society, 1995.

Page: p. 239.

Given Name: Isabella

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: Elizabeth

Death: AFT 1491

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Cook
Title: Lewis D. Cook, <i>"Alrichs of New Castle County, Delaware"</i> (TAG)

Page: Vol. 38, pp. 31-39, 90-99

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Pennsylvania Legislature
Title: Craig W. Horle, et. al., <i>Lawmaking and Legislators in Pennsylvania: A B
iographical Dictionary</i> (Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvan
ia Press, 1991)
iographical Dictionary</i>
iographical Dictionary</i>. Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvan
ia Press, 1991.

Data:
Text: Volume II, pp. 1055-1064, and Volume II, pp. 195-199.

Given Name: William

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: Joan

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: Henry

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: Alice

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Pennsylvania Legislature
Title: Craig W. Horle, et. al., <i>Lawmaking and Legislators in Pennsylvania: A B
iographical Dictionary</i> (Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvan
ia Press, 1991)
iographical Dictionary</i>
iographical Dictionary</i>. Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvan
ia Press, 1991.

Page: Vol. II, p 1055.

Given Name: Ann

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Pennsylvania Legislature
Title: Craig W. Horle, et. al., <i>Lawmaking and Legislators in Pennsylvania: A B
iographical Dictionary</i> (Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvan
ia Press, 1991)
iographical Dictionary</i>
iographical Dictionary</i>. Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvan
ia Press, 1991.

Page: Vol. II, pp. 1055-1064

Given Name: Francis

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Note: William West emigrated to Pennsylvania from his native northern Ireland by 1751 and settled in Philadelphia where he became a prominent and successful dry-goods merchant, operating as far away as Charleston, South Carolina. During the Revolution he was very active in trade with the Dutch on the island of St. Eustatius in the West Indies, the source of much of the Continental Army's military supplies. He was also involved in the fur trade with the Indians and had a wide acquaintance with the Pennsylvania frontier as a result.

West served one term in the Pennsylvania Assembly, representing Cumberland County, where his brother and sister (No. XXX) had settled. He also served as an Indian Commissioner. In June, 1752, West accompanied a group of Indian traders to Logstown, on the Ohio River, where they met with commissioners from Virginia negotiating a treaty with the Indians.

On November 5th, 1765, West was one of 400 Philadelphians who signed a resolution to not import goods from Britain as long as the Stamp Act was in effect. In 1768 he was named one of the eight merchants to a committee of correspondence, which attempted to influence English merchants with whom they did business to lobby for repeal of the Townshend duties. When this failed, many merchants, including West, signed a new non-importation agreement and West was named to a committee to enforce the agreement. He would be among the moderates as Pennsylvania drifted towards rebellion, but sided with the Patriots.

West was a charter member of the Hibernia Fire Company as well as of the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, in which he served as vice president in 1773-74, and president from 1774 to 1776. He presided over a meeting of the Society in March, 1776, when Thomas Batt was expelled "for taking an active part against the Libertys of America." In January, 1782, West attended a meeting of the Society when it held an "Entertainment" at the City Tavern in honor of George Washington. Washington had been elected an honorary member of the Society in the previous month and he praised it as a "Society distinguished for the firm Adherence of its Members to the glorious cause in which we are embark'd."

West was also a charter member of the Union Library Company, in 1759, and was elected as the 79th member of the American Philosophical Society, founded by Benjamin Franklin. He contributed at least sixty pounds to the Pennsylvania Hospital, founded by Dr. Thomas Bond (No. XXX).

At this time he installed a lightning rod on his 4 1/2 story house on Water Street to assist Benjamin Franklin in his experiments. To Franklin's delight, West reported that "a terrible stroke of lightning" struck the house in the summer of 1760, but did no damage, except minor damage to the rod itself. Franklin used this as one his examples of the efficacy of pointed lightning rods.

On West's death, the Pennsylvania Gazette wrote that "he was certainly a gentleman of very unblemished reputation, amiable and gentle in his disposition, affable and courteous in his deportment, cheerful in his temper, though grave in his aspect, generous and polite in his manner of living . . . and to the highest degree upright and exact in his dealings. . . . In his conduct, the integrity of his heart and the candour of his principles were so distinguished and conspicuous that his loss is most universally regretted by the public and all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance."

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Pennsylvania Legislature
Title: Craig W. Horle, et. al., <i>Lawmaking and Legislators in Pennsylvania: A B
iographical Dictionary</i> (Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvan
ia Press, 1991)
iographical Dictionary</i>
iographical Dictionary</i>. Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvan
ia Press, 1991.

Page: Vol. II, pp. 1055-1064.

Given Name: William

Death: 28 OCT 1782 Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Given Name: William

Death: 1739

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Polsue
Title: Polsue

Page: Chart opposite page 4.

Given Name: Mary

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Polsue
Title: Polsue

Page: Chart opposite page 4.

Given Name: Laurence

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Polsue
Title: Polsue

Page: Chart opposite page 4.

Given Name: Richard

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Polsue
Title: Polsue

Page: Chart opposite page 4.

Given Name: Anne

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Polsue
Title: Polsue

Page: Chart opposite page 4.

Given Name: John

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Polsue
Title: Polsue

Page: Chart opposite page 4.

Given Name: Agnes

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Polsue
Title: Polsue

Page: Chart opposite page 4.

Given Name: John

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Polsue
Title: Polsue

Page: Chart opposite page 4.

Given Name: Robert

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003

Source: (Individual)
Abbreviation: Polsue
Title: Polsue

Page: Chart opposite page 4.

Given Name: Thomasin

Change: Date: 9 Feb 2003