1. | William Harrison SPICER was born on 8 Jul 1852 in MI (son of Asa Holmes SPICER, II and Nancy M CHAPMAN); died on 20 Mar 1931 in Brainerd, Crow Wing, MN; was buried on 23 Mar 1931 in Finnish Lutheran Cemetery, Finlayson, Pine, MN. Other Events and Attributes:
- Census: 23 Jun 1880, Atkinson, Holt, NE
- Residence: Apr 1895
- Census: 20 Jun 1895, Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN
- Census: 16 Jun 1900, Mazeppa Township, Wabasha, MN
- Census: 1 Jun 1905, Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN
- Census: 11 May 1910, Pine Lake Township, Pine, MN
- Census: 10 Feb 1920, Pine Lake Township, Pine, MN
Notes:
Note:
William Spicer had cancer in his face which required many surgeries to remove the cancerous tissue and bone. Due to the surgeries, William's face was horribly disfigured and his sinus cavities were exposed which drained constantly and required frequent dressing changes. Despite severe pain from the facial mutilation(s), and the exposure of his open wounds to bacteria and germs, William survived, albeit miserably, in this condition for many years. His son, Lanklyn also suffered from facial cancer, however, his malignancies were diagnosed in the early stages and less extreme measures of treatment was provided, i.e. burning the malignancies.
William Harrison Spicer made a blackboard for one of the first schools [in Holt County, Nebraska] which is written in 'Before Today' a book about the people who settled Holt County, Nebraska. The same book states, James Davis and Arina Wyman moved to Minnesota in 1855, a year before Arina Philinda Davis was born. Then moved their family to Holt County, Nebraska in 1878 with 13 children. Yet Arina and William Harrison's daughter, Valerie [Lanklyn's sister] was born in 1875, where I don't know, but their 2nd child, Claude was born in 1877 in Atkinson, Nebraska, a year before the book claims Arina Phylinda moved to Holt County, NE with her parents! So it is questionable that Arina Wyman and James Davis moved to Holt County, Nebraska with their 13 children after all.
He was named after his uncle William Harrison.
William moved his family back and forth between Minnesota and Nebraska on several occasions by covered wagon. On the family's last trip back to Minnesota, William and Arina's 6 year old son, Nathan, contracted scarlet fever and died near Winnebago City, Minnesota. Heart broken, William and Arina carried their small child away from the train and buried him under a small cherry tree on the prairie.
Once the towns people heard that someone on the train had died of the fever they wired to all of the towns and villages ahead to warn them, and the people on the wagon train were shunned and made to stay away from the towns and villages. In later years one of Nathan's brother's went back to Winnebago in search of his brother's small grave in order to place a headstone but was unable to find it.
Census:
1880 census at Atkinson, Holt, NE shows William Spicer, 28, farmer, b. NY, parents b. NY/NY; Arina, 24, b. IA, parents b. NOVA SCOTIA/ME; children b. MN: Valeria, 5; Claude, 3; John Spicer, brother, 18, b. NY, parents b. NY/NY.
Residence:
Moved with Arina and children, by covered wagon to Finlayson, MN.
Census:
1895 Minnesota State census at Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN shows Wm. Spicer, 43, b. NY, in state 11 years, in district 11 years, laborer; Arina, 38, b. IA; Claude, 18, b. MN; Pearl, 13, b. NE; Lankyn, 11, b. NE; Morton, 7, b. NE; Nathan, 3, b. NE; Zelah, 5/12, b. MN.
Census:
1900 census at Mazeppa Township, Wabasha, MN shows William Spicer, b. July 1852, 47, married 27 years, b. NY, parents b. NY/NY, farmer; Arina, b. Mar. 1857, 44, b. IA, parents b. NOVA SCOTIA/ME; 9 children born / 8 living; children: Lanklyn, b. August 1884, 15; b. NE; Morton B., b. Feb 1889, 11, b. IA; Sella, b. Dec 1894, 5; b. MN; Evelena, b. Jun 1897, 3, b. MN; William, b. Jan 1899, 1, b. MN.
Census:
1905 Minnesota State census at Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN shows William Spicer, 52, b. NY, parents b. NY/NY, carpenter; Arina P., 49, b. IA, parents b. NOVA SCOTIA/ME; children b. MN: Valeria, 30; Lankyn, 20, carpenter; Morton, 16, b. IA; remaining ch b. MN: Zella, 10; Evalina, 7; William, 6; Nannie, 3. Note: The census is difficult to decipher, the child Morton, may be Nathan but given the age I decided it must be Morton.
Census:
1910 census at Pine Lake Township, Pine, MN shows William H. Spicer, 57, married 37 years, b. NY, parents b. NY/NY, stone mason; Arina P., 54, 11 children born / 9 living, b. IA, parents b. CANADA/ME; children b. MN: Evalena J., 12; William C., 10; Nannie, 8.
Census:
1920 census at Pine Lake Township, Pine, MN shows William Spicer, 68, b. NY, parents b. NY/NY, farmer; Arina, 64, b. IA, parents b. NOVA SCOTIA/ME; Morton, 30, son, married, b. IA, house plasterer; William, 21, son, b. MN, laborer, home farm; Mildred, 20, daughter-in-law; b. MN, parents b. MN/IA; Nanny, daughter, 18, b. MN, servant, private family; Cecil, grandson, 6, b. CO; Edwin, grandson, 5, b. MN.
Buried:
Find A Grave e-Memorial
William married Arina Philinda DAVIS on 31 Dec 1872 in Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN. Arina (daughter of James Anderson DAVIS and Arina WYMAN) was born on 11 Mar 1856 in Davenport, Scott, IA; died on 28 Dec 1928 in Finlayson, Pine, MN; was buried on 31 Dec 1928 in Finnish Lutheran Cemetery, Finlayson, Pine, MN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- Valeria Lyle SPICER was born on 21 Mar 1875 in Zumbrota, Goodhue, MN; died on 4 Feb 1949 in Spokane, Spokane, WA.
- Reverand Reverand Claude Urban SPICER was born on 1 Feb 1877 in Zumbrota, Goodhue, MN; died in Jan 1967 in Verndale, Wadena, MN; was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, North Branch, Chisago, MN.
- Geneva Pearl SPICER was born on 2 Jun 1882 in Atkinson, Holt, NE; died on 8 Feb 1967 in Olmsted Co., MN; was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Rochester, Olmsted, MN.
- Lanklyn Sylvestor SPICER was born on 15 Aug 1884 in Atkinson, Holt, NE; died on 3 Jun 1970 in Pine Co., MN; was buried in Brook Park Cemetery, Brook Park, Pine, MN.
- Baby Boy SPICER was born on 16 Jan 1886 in Atkinson, Holt, NE.
- Morton Cecil SPICER was born on 13 Feb 1887 in IA; died on 23 Dec 1922 in Pine Co., MN; was buried in Finnish Lutheran Cemetery, Finlayson, Pine, MN.
- Nathan SPICER was born in 1892; died on 16 Apr 1895 in Winnebago, Faribault, MN.
- Zella Enid SPICER was born on 29 Dec 1894 in Atkinson, Holt, NE; died on 4 Feb 1973 in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles, CA.
- Evelena Joy SPICER was born on 10 Jun 1897 in Mazeppa Township, Wabasha, MN; died on 24 Sep 2003 in St. Louis Park, Hennepin, MN; was buried in Finnish Lutheran Cemetery, Finlayson, Pine, MN.
- William Edwin SPICER was born on 9 Jan 1899 in Mazeppa Township, Wabasha, MN; died on 10 Apr 1982 in Rice Co., MN; was buried in Maple Lawn Cemetery, Faribault, Rice, MN.
- Nannie SPICER was born in 1901; died in 1988; was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Bath, Clinton, MI.
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