Moses Spencer (1792 - bef. 1860)

Born 1792 in Caswell, North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Barbara Jane (Fite) Spencer — married 1815 in Smith Co., Tennessee

Descendants

Died before 1860 before age 68 in Shawneetown, Gallatin Co., Illinois, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Ida Burkhart [send private message] and Darrell Spencer [send private message]

Biography

This profile is part of the Spencer Name Study.

Moses Spencer was born in 1792 in Burke Co NC, son of John Spencer (1750–1825) and Nancy Ann Kerr (~1759–~1850).

Moses (22) married Barbara Fite (16) (born about 1798 in Lincoln, North Carolina, United States; daughter of George Fite and Martha Elizabeth (Owens) Fite) in 1815 in Smith Co., Tennessee. Their children were:

• John Spencer (~1816–<1860)
• LeAnne L Spencer (1817–1868)
• Mary Spencer (1822–1882)

In 1850, Moses (57) was living in DeKalb, Tennessee. ^[1]

Moses died before 1860 in Shawneetown, Gallatin Co., Illinois, United States, aged about 67.

Research Notes

Moses Spencer came from Caswell Co., North Carolina at about the age of 16 when his parents relocated to Smith County, Tennessee about 1808. He married Barbara Fite sometime around 1815 in Smith Co., Tennessee. At about the age of 20, Moses Spencer enlisted in the War of 1812. Moses was a private in the Third Regiment of Tennessee Militia and served under Major General William Carroll, Colonel James Raulston, and Captain Edward Robinson. Moses fought in the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815.

COLONEL JAMES RAULSTON DESIGNATION: 3rd Regiment West Tennessee Militia Infantry DATES: November 1814 - May 1815 MEN MOSTLY FROM: Jackson, Sumner, Wilson, Overton, Smith, and White Counties CAPTAINS: James A. Black, Matthew Cowen, Henry Hamilton, Elijah Haynie, Wiley Huddleston, Matthew Neal, Daniel Newman, Edward Robinson, Charles Wade, Henry West BRIEF HISTORY: Part of Major General William Carroll's division at the battles for New Orleans, this regiment suffered casualties during the skirmish of 28th December 1814 and had two of the handful of fatalities on the famous 8 January 1815 battle. General Carroll's report of the battle tells that Captains Elijah Haynie and Matthew Neal "had the honor of receiving and repelling the attacks of the British forces."

As a result of "General William Carroll's call in November 1814 for volunteers to defend New Orleans against an expected attack by the British" Colonel James Roulston formed the Third Regiment of Tennessee Militia. The Company was mustered into service on 15 November 1814 at Camp Flynes, Jackson County, Tennessee. "On 21 Nov the regiment left Nashville by boat, and arrived in Clarksville on 24 Nov." "They made a fairly fast trip to New Orleans for they were at the mouth of Cumberland on 1 Dec., Natchez on Wednesday 14 Dec, and finally landed on 20 Dec 1814 about four miles above New Orleans." They had traveled 1300 miles by boat in about 30 days. There they made camp, cleaned weapons, mended clothing, and drilled by Company. When they arrived in New Orleans the Tennesssee Militia did not make a very good impression on the people of New Orleans with their clothing, etc.

"Their appearance was not very military. In their woolen hunting shirts and copperas(greenish color) dyed pantaloons, with slouched hats made from the skins of raccoons or foxes; with belts of untanned deerskin in which were stuck their hunting knives and tomahawks-with their long unkempt hair and unshorn faces .... But were admirable soldiers, remarkable for endurance and possessing that admirable quality in soldiers of being able to take care of themselves."

Another eyewitness wrote of Carroll's Tennessee Militiamen: "These men carried nothing but their carouch-boxes and powder homs-their bullets were usually in their pantaloons pockets-they had no idea whatever of military order and discipline; they paid attention only to the more important part of their calling, which, according to their notions, was quietly to pick out their man, fix him in their aim, and bring him down. After the British had landed about 8 miles below New Orleans, Gen. Jackson on 23 Dec. ordered Gen. Carroll and his Tennesseans into New Orleans, and to be ready to move at a moments notice. During Jackson's night attack of 23rd against British, Gen. Carroll's Tennesseans did not take part. On the 24th Jackson put his troops in a defensive position along Rodriquez Canal several miles below New Orleans. The canal extended from the Mississippi River for 900 yards to a swamp. Carroll's men were moved on the 26th to the left center of the line, and they covered the area to the swamp. There they worked without stopping on the breastworks of the lines. In order to discover the nature of Jackson's defenses, the British made a small attack on the 28th. The British thought that the area next to the swamp was the weakest, but Carroll's Tennesseans were able to stop the attack. There they lived until the battle on the 8th of January.

"Unshaven, dirty, they lived for over seven days waist-deep in mud, chilled by the intermittent rains, surrounded by the stench of the decaying marshlands, threatened by lurking danger in the shadows of the cypress trees. Yet they had one complaint: If we could only see the redcoats within fair buck range. "

But at night they came into their own, as Latour states, "The Tennesseans, on account of their well-known skill at the rifle, were the terror of the British sentinels and advanced posts. Their uniform consisted of a brown hunting shirt, ('because of this the British called them dirty shirts'), which rendered it difficult to perceive them among the Underwood and dry grass through which they approached to shoot down the British sentinels, whom they never missed. Finally when dawn of 8th of Jan arrived, the Tennesseans discovered the enemy occupying the space between the woods and the Mississippi. The British having perceived that the left part of Jackson's line was weak, Carroll's Tennesseans would bear the brunt of the attack. On their first charge the British were met by a withering volley from Carroll's men, and the British took to their heels and fled. Then Carroll's men were attacked by Scottish Highlanders. Again the Tennesseans showed no respect for their enemy and opened a murderous fire upon the Highlanders. "The whole line from Carroll's Tennesseans to the swamp was almost one solid blaze. Four men deep, the ranks of the Tennesseans never stopped for breath. As fast as one man fired he stepped back for the next to take his place. By the time the fourth line had discharged its rifles, the first was taking aim again. There were barely fifteen hundred rifles in the line yet scarely a rifle failed to find its mark. The redcoats fell like blades of grass beneath the scythe." a British officer recorded.

Moses Spencer (" Blackhorse"), who was in the battle of New Orleans and a Whig in politics, was once solicited to vote the Democratic ticket, the solicitor kindly presenting him with a bag of cured hog jowls. Carrying to his home in Liberty this necessary ingredient of the famous dish of greens, Mose threw it down on the floor and observed to his wife: " Barbara, Colonel Tubb has asked me to vote for a Democrat the coming election. Barbara, now you hear this Blackhorse that fit an' bled under Andy Jackson: I'm a Whig an' have always been one, an' I would not vote for a Democrat for even a bag o' middlins."

Moses Spencer was noted in Will T. Hale's HISTORY OF DEKALB COUNTY as being one of the larger men in the county weighing from two hundred and twenty-five pounds up.

1816-12 Nov-Alexander Bane vs John Reynolds Def to take depo George & Pleasant Fite, Joseph Drew & Moses Spencer. Smith Co., TN Court Minute Book 1815-1817 pgs 205-206.

1820 Smith Co., TN Federal Census Moses Spencer Page 89 200010-10100 free white males age 16-26 (B. 1794-1804) Moses free white females age 16-26 (B. 1794-1804) Barbara free white males under age 10 (B. 1811-1820) John, ?Alexander free white females under age 10 (B. 1811-1820) Leanne

On January 5, 1826 Moses Spencer purchased seventy-five acres of land for seventy-five cents in Smith County, Tennessee (Smith Co. Land Grant 8025, Book 10, page 45). This tract of land was surveyed on June 15, 1827. The land lied in Smith County on the West side of Smith's Fork of Caney Fork and bounded as follows to wit. beginning at a beech marked F.B. on Sampson Williams West boundary line running South one hundred sixty-nine and one-fourth poles to a stake then a West fifty-nine poles to two pawpaws in Wilson's East boundary thence North forty three and one-fourth poles to an oak his North-east corner thence West sixteen poles to a buck thence North with Blithe's East boundary one hundred and twenty-six poles to a white walnut thence East seventy-five poles to the beginning.

In 1830 Moses Spencer was living in Smith County, Tennessee, probably around the Dixon Creek Community. Neighbors were Johnston, Donoho, Carter, Wright, Campbell, Thompson, Parker, Uhles, Dixon, Ford, Freeman. These were not surnames common in DeKalb County but surnames in the area of the Dixon Creek Communtiy in Smith County, Tennessee.

1830 Smith Co., TN Page 81 Moses Spencer 121001-120001 free white males age 30-39 (B. 1791-1800) Moses free white females age 30-39 (B. 1791-1800) Barbara free white males age 10-14 (B. 1816-1820) John free white females age 5-9 (B. 1821-1825) Leanne, Mary free white males age 5-9 (B. 1821-1825) ?Alexander, ?Alsey free white males under age 5 (B. 1826-1830) James free white females under age 5 (B. 1826-1830)  ?

By 1840 Moses Spencer was back living in DeKalb County, Tennessee.

1840 DeKalb County TN Dist. 4 (Dry Creek) Moses Spencer 22000001-20100001

1850 DeKalb Co. TN Dist. 12 (Hannah's Branch) 492 Moses Spencer 58 W M Farmer $150 NC Barbary 52 W F NC Moses W. 18 W M School-Farmer TN Lafayett 15 W M Farmer TN Sarah 12 W F School TN Mahala 10 W F School TN

In 1850 Moses Spencer is listed on the Agriculture Census of DeKalb County TN owning 70 acres of land with value of $150. His farming supplements were valued at $8. He owned 1 horse and 2 cows valued at $27. He had in stock 260 bushels of Indian corn, 25 bushels of Irish Potatoes, 25 bushels of sweet potatoes, 20 lbs. of butter, and owned $5 of homemade manufactures.

On May 23, 1851 Moses Spencer sold 40 acres of land he owned on Hannah's Branch in Dekalb County, Tennessee to John Hill for two hundred dollars. The land sold was bounded by Asa Driver and Edmon Neal and was recorded in Dekalb County Deed Book D, page 268. Moses and Barbara Spencer, and the younger children left Tennessee and moved to Shawneetown, Gallatin County, Illinois sometime after 1851. Barbara Spencer was listed on the 1860 Census of Gallatin County, Illinois living with her son Thomas Spencer. The three children that remained in Tennessee were John Spencer, Leanne Self, and Mary Johnson.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDZ-TWG : 23 December 2020), Moses Spencer, DeKalb, Tennessee, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.)