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Seeking information on 'Spencer' of England, My maiden name is 'Spencer.' It is my great grandfather, whose name was supposedly 'Thomas' Spencer, that we are seeking to find information on. All of us were told that 'Thomas' was the son of 'John' Spencer, Earl of Lancashire. It was also written in the Spencer family bible 'Spencer Woolen Mills,' and 'Lancashire, England,' which I believe was passed down from my great grandmother, Harriett Lomanda Spencer. I don't know how this all fits into the Spencer family in England, but are eager to find out to complete our family trees. Let me give you a little of the info that we have been able to find to date in researching. 'Tom,' as he referred to himself as, moved to Ontario, Canada, to marry my great grandmother, Harriett Lomanda Young. They were married in London, Ontario in 1882. According to his marriage record to Harriett, he was 22 years of age, which would have made his birth year at 1859 or 1860, he was a leather currier (finisher), and his residence was in London, England at that time. Contrary to what was told to all of us that his Father's name was 'John,' he listed his parents as Richard and Ann Spencer. We found one Thomas with an Ann and Richard Spencer in the 1861 Census, and Thomas was two years of age, putting his birth at approximately 1859, corresponding to the age listed on tom's marriage record. Unfortunately, in the 1871 England census, he was no longer with Richard and Ann, which made no sense seeing as he would only have been 12 years of age at that time. Instead, there was a 12-year old 'Solomon' with the same Richard and Ann. Thomas and Harriett Spencer had one male child, Edgar Lorne Spencer, born October 31, 1885, in Napanee, Ontario, Canada. Edgar had six children of his own, John Edward, Lomanda June, Walter, Harriett Elizabeth, Edna, and my father, the youngestm, Edgar Lorne Spencer, Jr. 'Thomas' supposedly died between 1885 and 1990 in a street fight we believe in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the grave and death record of which we have not been able to locate. Harriett, my great grandmother remarried a man by the name of John H. McCabe, and they moved in 1892 to the US. My grandfather, Edgar Lorne, supposedly ran away from home and moved to Buffalo, New York, where all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, myself and my brother and sisters were born and raised. We don't know if 'Thomas' was an illigitimate child of one of the Earl John's (Charles John or John Poyntz), or if there is another branch of the family that were Earls of certain burroughs. My father showed me papers with the family crest on it when I was 14 (1967), and told me everything at that time. He also was extremely close with my great grandmother and knew her well, so would have a lot more information than the rest of the family directly from her. He had an 18k gold ring that had a 25mm by 28mm emerald cut amethyst in it that he said his great grandfather 'John,' the Earl of Lancashire, had given to my great grandfather, Thomas Spencer, who in turn gave it to my grandfather, Edgar Lorne Spencer, who in turn handed it down to my father. Unfortunately, I have requested of my mother that she find the papers my father had shown me with the spencer family crest on it, but she won't do it. She was not crazy about the spencer family and will not go out of her way to do anything that has any connection to them at all. Four out of the six of my aunts and uncles were referred to by their middle names. Therefore, my great grandfathers name could have been Thomas Edward, Edward Thomas, John Edward Thomas, or any combination thereof. If you have any information that could help us in obtaining a background on 'Tom' Spencer, it would be greatly appreciated. We are all pulling our hair out over this one -- he is quite a mystery. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]. Christine