William Harrison SPICER

1852 - 1931  (78 years)

• Name	William Harrison SPICER
  Birth	8 Jul 1852	MI   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Census	23 Jun 1880	Atkinson, Holt, NE   [4]
  	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.
  Census	20 Jun 1895	Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN   [5]
  	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	16 Jun 1900	Mazeppa Township, Wabasha, MN   [2]
  	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	1 Jun 1905	Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN   [6]
  	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	11 May 1910	Pine Lake Township, Pine, MN   [7]
  	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	10 Feb 1920	Pine Lake Township, Pine, MN   [8]
  	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.
  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.
  Residence	Apr 1895  [9]
  	Moved with Arina and children, by covered wagon to Finlayson, MN.
  Death	20 Mar 1931	Brainerd, Crow Wing, MN   [3]
  Burial	23 Mar 1931	Finnish Lutheran Cemetery, Finlayson, Pine, MN   [3, 10, 11]
  	Find A Grave e-Memorial
  Person ID	I18181	MM
  Last Modified	17 Jun 2022

  
  

  Father	Asa Holmes SPICER, II,   b. 18 Mar 1825, West Sparta, Livingston, NY d. 3 Mar 1896, Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN (Age 70 years)
  Mother	Nancy M CHAPMAN,   b. 3 Jun 1832, Nunda, Livingston, NY d. 19 Feb 1866, Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN (Age 33 years)
  Family ID	F4121	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Arina Philinda DAVIS,   b. 11 Mar 1856, Davenport, Scott, IA d. 28 Dec 1928, Finlayson, Pine, MN (Age 72 years)
  Marriage	31 Dec 1872	Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN   [1]
  Children	1. Valeria Lyle SPICER,   b. 21 Mar 1875, Zumbrota, Goodhue, MN d. 4 Feb 1949, Spokane, Spokane, WA (Age 73 years)   2. Reverand Reverand Claude Urban SPICER,   b. 1 Feb 1877, Zumbrota, Goodhue, MN d. Jan 1967, Verndale, Wadena, MN (Age 89 years)   3. Geneva Pearl SPICER,   b. 2 Jun 1882, Atkinson, Holt, NE d. 8 Feb 1967, Olmsted Co., MN (Age 84 years)   4. Lanklyn Sylvestor SPICER,   b. 15 Aug 1884, Atkinson, Holt, NE d. 3 Jun 1970, Pine Co., MN (Age 85 years)   5. Baby Boy SPICER,   b. 16 Jan 1886, Atkinson, Holt, NE   6. Morton Cecil SPICER,   b. 13 Feb 1887, IA d. 23 Dec 1922, Pine Co., MN (Age 35 years)   7. Nathan SPICER,   b. 1892   d. 16 Apr 1895, Winnebago, Faribault, MN (Age 3 years)   8. Zella Enid SPICER,   b. 29 Dec 1894, Atkinson, Holt, NE d. 4 Feb 1973, Redondo Beach, Los Angeles, CA (Age 78 years)   9. Evelena Joy SPICER,   b. 10 Jun 1897, Mazeppa Township, Wabasha, MN d. 24 Sep 2003, St. Louis Park, Hennepin, MN (Age 106 years)   10. William Edwin SPICER,   b. 9 Jan 1899, Mazeppa Township, Wabasha, MN d. 10 Apr 1982, Rice Co., MN (Age 83 years)   11. Nannie SPICER,   b. 1901   d. 1988 (Age 87 years)
  Family ID	F4123	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Jul 2023

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 8 Jul 1852 - MI Marriage - 31 Dec 1872 - Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN Census - 23 Jun 1880 - Atkinson, Holt, NE Census - 20 Jun 1895 - Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN Census - 16 Jun 1900 - Mazeppa Township, Wabasha, MN Census - 1 Jun 1905 - Mazeppa, Wabasha, MN Death - 20 Mar 1931 - Brainerd, Crow Wing, MN Burial - 23 Mar 1931 - Finnish Lutheran Cemetery, Finlayson, Pine, MN  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S496] Wallewein Family, 496. [S1900] 1900 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1900), 1900. [S502] Descendants of William Sibley, 502. [S1880] 1880 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1880), 1880. [S954] 1895 Minnesota Census, (Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1977), 954. [S955] 1905 Minnesota Census, (Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1977), 955. [S1910] 1910 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1910), 1910. [S1920] 1920 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1920), 1920. [S549] Spicer Family File, 549. [S957] Dalby Database, 957. [S500] Find A Grave, 500.