1933 Henry P. Spencer

Former Resident Dies in California~~Henry P. Spencer's Family Came to Fowlerville Eighty Years Ago~~The death of Henry P. Spencer at nearly eighty years, in Merced, California, during the Christmas holidays, may have some interest to those in Fowlerville or its adjacent territory who have known the community for three score years and ten.

Henry P. Spencer was the eldest son of Dr. Henry N. Spencer, who came to Fowlerville in 1853, just eighty years ago, Dr. Spencer was himself then only twenty-seven. He brought with him his wife and their babe in arms. Four years earlier, he had finished his studies at the Cleveland Medical college. Incidentally, the wife and mother was the sister of Dr. James Avery Brown, also eminent in the medical profession, who practiced in Fowlerville and is buried in its cemetery. Two sons, Dr. Will C. Spencer and Dr. J. Ernest Brown, both eminent in the profession of medicine, fully sustained the Spencer and Brown family tradition.

It may be interesting to record how Dr. Henry N. Spencer was one of a family of nine (five brothers and four sisters) of old Connecticut stock, and that all of them except two of the sisters came from New York to Fowlerville in those early days when that great movement of population was on during the fifties to the North Central states and territories. The Spencers were thoroughly rooted in this community, and however far away or long years absent, persist in that feeling still.

In Fowlerville were born all of Dr. Spencer's family except Henry; Claudine, William, Belle and Alice. The two older boys recalled very distinctly the excitement in the village as the Civil War came on, the knocks at the little red school house, the training and marching away of the older youths called to the colors. The township of Handy never had a draft. Very distinct was the memory of how drab was the day they saw Lincoln shot.

In 1868, Dr. Henry N. Spencer was elected Judge of the probate court for Livingston county, and Howell, the county seat, became the future old home town of the family.

This is just a portion of Dr. Spencer's obituary, published in The Fowlerville Review -- the most interesting part. Hopefully this is helpful to those doing any kind of geneaology research.