Spencer (surname)
From My Research Wiki
Soundex: S152
Contents |
Origins
English, Norman (French)
Spencer is derived from a Middle English or Norman-French occupation; dispensing provisions of the household or tavern. That is, a 'spencer' is similar to a 'steward'. Many early researchers (and naive ones) would claim that all Spencers in New England were descended from the same ancestor or that all Spencers are descended from Hugh Despencer who was part of William the Conqueror's invasion of England in 1066. That just isn't true, or possible, since people who were managing the provisions - spices, etc - of a household or tavern would take up the name.
Variations
- Despencer
- Spence
- Spenser
Immigrants
Four brothers and their sister from Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England risked the long voyage to New England in the 1630s. William traveled with Winthrop's Fleet but it is unclear if the others made the trip at the same time or later.
- William Spencer (1601-c1640)
- Elizabeth Spencer
- Thomas Spencer (1607-1687)
- Michael Spencer (1611-1653)
- Jared Spencer (1614-1685)
