Eugene Gilmore Spencer (1902 - 1987)

Born 11 Dec 1902 in Harrisville, Alcona, Michigan, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Nyra Johanna (Bensel) Spencer — married 3 Jul 1929 in Valleyford, Spokane, Washington, United States

Descendants

Died 28 May 1987 at age 84 in Post Falls, Kootenai, Idaho, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Randall Spencer [send private message]

Biography

LEST WE FORGET

Gene was born 11 Dec 1902 in Harrisville, Michigan. ^[1] He was the youngest child of Lincoln Spencer and Mattie Nevin.

After his parents separated when he was three years old, his mother moved with her seven children to eastern Washington in 1906, with a group of other families from the Harrisville area, including some Nevin, Gilmour and Spencer relatives.

Gene spent several years in a children's home, after their arrival in Spokane County, because his mother could not care for him and work. It was a rough and tumble environment for a child in the early years of his life. This experience and growing up without a father impacted who he would be later in life. When he was old enough to go to school he was able to return and live with his mother again.

The 1910 U.S. Federal Census finds his mother, Mattie, living, and working as a cook, in a boarding house in Elk, Washington and Gene is living with her; ^[2] while his siblings are spread out in Washington, and Idaho. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

In 1916, his mother married widower, Ray Libby. ^[7]

Beginning in his early teens, Gene would hop a box car on a passing train and ride to North Idaho or Western Montana and find a logging camp that was hiring. He became a proficient horse logger. Each time, after he'd been gone for several months, his step-dad, Ray Libby, would show up at the logging camp in his Model-T and tell him his mom wanted to see him. So he would go back to Valleyford for a while and then hop a boxcar and find work in another logging camp.

The 1920 U.S. Federal census shows him living in Valleyford, Washington ^[8] with his mom and step-dad and working as a laborer.

After his step-dad, Ray, passed away in May 1926, ^[9] Gene stayed in Valleyford to live with and support his mom by cutting and selling firewood.

In the fall of 1928, he introduced himself to his future bride by throwing cherries at her during cherry harvest - an action that still irritated her fifty years later. The following summer Gene married Nyra Bensel on 5 Aug 1929 at Valleyford. ^[10]

After their marriage they lived with Nyra's family at Mica, Washington ^[11] and Gene worked with his father-in-law. Nyra's mother, Alice, was chronically ill and as the oldest daughter it was necessary for Nyra to care for her siblings. Alice's health continued to fail and she passed away in March 1930 ^[12] After her death, Gene and Nyra moved to Bonner County, Idaho where Gene's brothers Clare and Allen were. Nyra was expecting her first child, Dick, at that time and he was born at Newport, Idaho on Nyra's 18th birthday. They were living in Elmira, Idaho, in Bonner County, when their second son, Jim was born.

Gene and Nyra, with their young boys, were in the small community of McArthur in Boundary County by 1934 and enumerated there in the 1940 census. ^[13] In McArthur, they lived in a two room log cabin that Gene built. The boys attended a one room schoolhouse out on the highway. Gene hunted and Nyra gardened, which provided much of what they ate. Gene walked five miles each way to his job as a sawyer in a sawmill. On Friday nights all the people in the area went to the schoolhouse, pushed all the desks to one side, put the children to sleep under the desks, and danced into the night. Many years later, Gene related that this was the happiest time of his life.

In 1944, they moved to the Hillyard neighborhood in Spokane where Gene worked as a truck driver; and so their boys could attend public school and have friends their age - neither of which were available in the rural areas they had lived in; within two years they moved again to the Spokane Valley ^[14] east of Spokane. They moved to Cougar Gulch above Coeur d'Alene Lake in Kootenai County, Idaho in 1952, when Gene started working at Northwest Timber loading box cars.

In 1956, they bought a small house with a barn on ten acres near Post Falls, Idaho. The subsistence farm lifestyle that Gene and Nyra had lived their whole marriage came to full fruition on their place in Post Falls.

They raised chickens, pigs, cows and at times rabbits. Gene bought his first tractor. He boarded horses and ponies. Nyra had an extensive garden with pear, apple and plum trees, long rows of raspberry and blackberry bushes, and a large plot of potatoes. Nyra canned fruits and vegetables, which she stored in their cellar. Gene stored carrots, potatoes, onions and apples in their root cellar under his shop. He raised hay on part of their property to offset part of the cost to feed their livestock. Gene sold calves every year. Their livestock provided them with meat, milk and eggs.

This way of life allowed them to use their income to pay off the mortgage on their property early, make all their purchases in cash, save money that provided them with security throughout the rest of their lives. These things provided, then and now, a clear example to their posterity of how to live within your income, avoid debt, distinguish between wants and needs, and provide security through the changes and storms of life.

Gene passed away 28 May 1987 ^[1] at home in Post Falls from the effects of stomach cancer, which developed and lingered after having part of his larynx removed in the early 1950's. He was buried in the Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on 1 Jun 1987. ^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} ""United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch [1] : 11 January 2021, Eugene Spencer, May 1987; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
2. ↑ ""United States Census, 1910</u>," database with images, FamilySearch [2] : accessed 21 November 2022, Eugene Spencer in household of Henry Robidau, Elk, Spokane, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 133, sheet 7A, family 95, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1669; FHL microfilm 1,375,682. </li>
3. ↑ "<i>United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch [3] : accessed 21 November 2022, R Candice Murphy in household of I Patrick Murphy, Sandpoint, Bonner, Idaho, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 82, sheet , family , NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll ; FHL microfilm .
4. ↑ ""United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch [4] : accessed 21 November 2022, Earl Spencer in household of Barney D Heard, Monitor, Chelan, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 32, sheet 1A, family 8, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1654; FHL microfilm 1,375,667.
5. ↑ ""United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch [5] : accessed 21 November 2022, Gladys Spencer in household of William A Hicks, Elk, Spokane, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 133, sheet 6B, family 86, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1669; FHL microfilm 1,375,682.
6. ↑ ""United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch [6] : accessed 21 November 2022, Clare Spencer, St. Anthony, Fremont, Idaho, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 138, sheet , family , NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll ; FHL microfilm .
7. ↑ "Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008", database with images, FamilySearch [7] : 24 April 2021, Ray Libby and Mary Spencer, 1916.
8. ↑ "1920 United States Federal Census, "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch [8] : 4 February 2021, Eugene G Spencer in entry for Ray E Libby, 1920.
9. ↑ "Washington Deaths and Burials, 1810-1960", database, FamilySearch [9] : 30 June 2021, Edwin R. Libby, 1926
10. ↑ ""Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008," database with images, FamilySearch [10] : 14 April 2021, E G Spencer and Nyra Bensel, 3 Jul 1929, Valleyford, Spokane, Washington, United States, Washington State Archives, Olympia; FamilySearch digital folder 005013805.
11. ↑ "1930 United States Federal Census, "United States Census, 1930</u></i>," database with images, FamilySearch [11] : accessed 21 November 2022, Eugene G Spencer in household of Rudolf L Bensel, Mica, Spokane, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 144, sheet 1A, line 8, family 1, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2514; FHL microfilm 2,342,248.
12. ↑ "Washington Deaths and Burials, 1810-1960", database, FamilySearch [12] : 30 June 2021, Minnie Alice Bensel, 1930.
13. ↑ "1940 United States Federal Census, Family Search, [13] : 31 March 2017, Eugene Spencer, Naples Election Precinct, Boundary, Idaho, United States, citing enumeration district (ED) 11-12, sheet 3B, line number 55, NARA microfilm publication T627, (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972).
14. ↑ "1950 United States Federal Census"[14] : 20 November 2022, Eugene Spencer, Spokane, Washington; Roll: 6034; Sheet Number: 13; Enumeration District: 32-43.
15. ↑ ""Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch [15] : 23 November 2022, Eugene Gilmore Spencer, ; Burial, Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai, Idaho, United States of America, Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens; citing record ID 111757124, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.