My Genealogy Hound

Alfred Spence, a merchant of Newport, Mo., has been a resident of Barton County since 1872. He was born in Kentucky, and moved from there with his parents to Davis County, Iowa, in 1849, first coming to Golden Grove, where he bought a piece of land and resided until 1873, then moved to Round Prairie, where he bought some raw land and improved a farm. In 1879 he came to Newport, and in 1880 established his present business and has served as postmaster seven years. Jonathan and Elizabeth (McLean) Spence were born on Kentucky soil. The father was a farmer throughout life, and in 1849 removed with his family to Davis County, Iowa, where he died in 1886 at the age of eighty-one years. The mother’s death occurred in 1880, when seventy-five years of age. They had long been members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The following are their children: William, who was a soldier in the Mexican War, and held a captaincy in the late war, died in 1866; Hannah, wife of C. A. Thompson; Thomas; Alfred; Mary Jane, wife of George Moore; Malinda, wife of William James; Anna, wife of Dock Yates; and Andrew T. When twenty-one years of age, Alfred Spence left home to engage in farming in Iowa, and in 1858 was married and moved to Grundy County, Mo.; then joined the Third Iowa Cavalry, and served four years and three days, participating in the following battles: Moore’s Mills, Pea Ridge, Vicksburg, Helena, Little Rock, Gun Town, Tupelo, Price’s raid through Missouri, Independence, Big Blue, Mine Creek, Wilson’s Raid, Montevallo, Selma, Montgomery and Columbus. After the war he returned to Iowa, but in 1867 moved to Cherokee County, Kan., where he resided until 1872, moving from there to Barton County, Mo., where he owns eighty acres of land and some town property in Newport. He was first married in 1858 to Elizabeth J. Rayburn, a native of Indiana, who died in 1862 while her husband was serving in the army, and left two children: Jonathan, a teacher of Nevada, Mo.; and Melissa J., the wife of R. H. Fanning of Lamar. In 1864 Mr. Spence wedded his present wife, Martha E. Moore, who was born in Iowa, and by her became the father of seven children: Louisa, wife of A. Amick, of Barton County; Milton L.; Thomas M.; Alfred N.; Martha E.; Anna A. and Emma A. Mr. and Mrs. Spence are members of the United Brethren Church, of which he has been a licensed minister since 1877, and was ordained in 1882. He is a Republican, and has held the office of justice of the peace for six years.