Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/664

630 mining business in Nevada. Hi? first wife. Bella Zilfa. b. in London, England, 1 March, 1840 ; d. in lisa. Ala.. 1 Aug.. 1*'!7. fame to this r-ountry in infancy, and married Gen. Spencer in 1862. She published "Ora, the Lost Wife" (Philadelphia, 1864) ; " Tried and True, a Story of the Rebellion " iSj rmgfield, 1866); and "Surface and Depth" 1867). His second wife. William Loring, b. in St. Augustine, Fla., is a niece of Gen. William W. Loring, and daughter of Albert A. Nunez. She is called " Major," perhaps because of her masculine name. She married Gen. Spencer in 1877. She has published " Salt-Lake Fruit " (Boston, 1883) ; Sr, ,ry of Mary " i New York, 1884 ; republished a-s " Dennis Day, Carpet-Bagger," 1887) : " A Plucky One " (1887) ; and " Calamity Jane " (1887).

SPENCER, Jesse Ames, clergyman, b. in Hvde Park. N. Y., 17 June, 1816: d. in Passaic. K. J., 2 Sept., 1898. His family removed to New York, where he entered a printing-office in 1830, and in two and a half years mastered the compositor's art. For several years he was assistant to his father, who was a city surveyor. He was graduated at Columbia in 1837. and at the Episcopal general theological seminary in 1840. While a student he was actively engaged in Sunday-school work in what was then a new part of the city. He was or- dained deacon, 28 June, 1840, by Bishop Benjamin T. Onderdonk, and priest, 28 "July, 1841 by the same bishop. He was elected rector of the church in'Goshen in 1840. After two years' labor in his parish his health failed, and he spent a winter in Nice, on the Mediterranean. On returning he was occupied in educational and various literary pur- suits. A return of illness led to his going abroad again, and in 1848-'9 he travelled in Europe, Ki;ypt. and the Holy Land. He was chosen to be secre- tary and editor of the General Protestant Episcopal Sunday-school union and Church book society in 1851, and served in that capacity until 1857. He accepted the rectorship of St. Paul's church, Flat- bush, N. Y., in 1803, which post he held for two years. He was elected professor of the Greek lan- guage and literature in the College of the city of New York in 1869, and discharged the duties of this department for ten years of active service, with two years as emeritus professor. In 1883 he was ap- pointed custodian of the Standard Bible, and has de- voted his time to authorship, editing, and teaching. He received the degree of S. T. D. from Columbia in 1852, and from Trinity in 1872. Dr. Spencer has published ' The Christian instructed in the Ways of the Gospel and the Church " (New York, 1844 " History of the Reformation in England " (154m; " The East: Sketches of Travel in Egy pt and the Holy Laud “ (1850): " History of the United States from the Earliest Period to the Death of President Lincoln " (4 vols.. 13556—69): " Greek Praxis" (1870): “The Young Ruler who had Great Posses- sions. and other Discourses " (1H71); " A Course of English Reading " (1.873); " Sketch of the History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States" (1873); and “ Five Last Things. Studies in Eschatology " (1857). He edited " The New Testament in Greek. with Critical and Exegetical Notes on the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles" I (New York. 1547): "Czesar‘s Commentaries. with ('opious Notes and Lexicon ” (1848) : the " Arnold Series of Greek and Latin Books " (1846—156): " Richard Chencvix Trench's Poems " (1856): " .\enophon's .\nabasis." from the manuscripts of Alphcus Cr0sby (1H75): and " Urigen‘s Works.” vol. iv. in “ Ante—Nicene Library " (Buffalo. 138-3).

'''SPENCER. Joseph William'''. geologist. b. in Dundas. Canada. ‘36 March. 1.550. He was graduated at )chill university. Montreal. in 1374. with ﬁrst honors in geology and mineralogy. and then studied at the University of Gn'ittingen. where. in 1877. he received the degree of Ph. D. On his re- turn in 1877 he hecame science master in the Col- legiate institute of Hamilton. Ontario. and in 1152-30 professor of geology and allied subjects in King's college. Nova Scutia, and vice-president of the same. In 1-352 he was elected professor of geology in the University of Missouri. which chair he held until 18-37. The museum building of this uni- versity. which is the largest west of Washington, D. C.. was desrgned by him and erected under his supervision. and he also obtained the large zoologi- cal collection and procured the rivate cabinets of Prof. Joseph G. Norwood and rot. George C. Swallow for the geological department. Dr. Spen— cer's work has been nrainiy in questions relating to surface and glacial phenomena both in America and Europe. and he was one of the pioneers in this country in the department of lacustrine geology. Dr. Spencer is a fellow of the Geological s0ciety of London. and of the American association for the advancement of science. and a memher of other scientiﬁc societies in the United States and Canada. His scientiﬁc papers exceed thirt_\ in number.

'''SPENCER. Pitman Curtius'''. surgeon. b. in Charlotte cuunty. Va.. in 1790: d. in Petersburg. Va.. in February. 1861. He was graduated at the medical department of the University of Pennsyl- vania in 1813. and settling in Nottoway county. Va.. practised there for ﬁfteen years. after which he went to Europe to pursue his studies. On his return he settled in Petersburg and devoted himself to surgery. He was a successful lithotoruist, and claimed to be the ﬁrst to practise this branch of Surgery in this country.

'''SPENCER. Platt Rogers'''. originator of the Spencerran system 01 penmanship. b. in East Fishkill, Dutchess 00., N. Y.. 7 Nu\‘.. 1800: d. in Geneva. Ashtabula 00.. Ohio. 16 May. 15114. His father. Caleb. a farmer and soldier of the Revolution. died in 15015. and in 1810 the family removed to Jefferson. Ashtabula 00.. Ohio. then a wilderness. The Son was pa$ionately fond of writing. Paper being difﬁcult to get. he wrote on birch-bark. sand. ice, snow. the ﬂy-leaves of his mother‘s Bible. and by permission of a cobbler. upon the leather in his shop. In 1815 he taught his ﬁrst writing-class. From 1816 till 1821 he was a clerk and book-keeper. and from 1521 till 1H24 he studied law. Latin, English literature. and penmanship. taught in a common school. and wrote up merchants‘ hooks. In 1824 he contemplated entering college with a view to preparing for the ministry. but. being a victim of inherited alcoholism aggravated by the prevalent drinking customs. he fell and his plans were changed. He then taught in New York and Ohio. In 1.532 he became a total abstainer. and was. as he believed. the ﬁrst public advocate in this country of that principle. for which he lahored during the remainder of his life. Soon after his reformation he was elected to public ofﬁce. and was county treasurer twelve years. He was instrumental in collecting the early history of Ashtabula county. and was deeply interested in American history. He early engaged actively in the anti—slavery movement and was an advocate of universal liberty. Through his work and inﬂuence as a teacher. by his system of penmanship. through his pupils. and by his public addresses and encouragement. he was instrumental in founding the business colleges of the United States and in promoting their growth and development. In the winter of lSti-l Mr. Spencer delivered before the business college in