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Biography/History:
Horatio Nelson Spencer was born in Hadlyme, Connecticut, on November 22, 1798. He was the son of Israel Seldon and Temma B. Spencer. Horatio Nelson Spencer spent his early life in Connecticut and graduated with a law degree from Yale in 1821. Spencer married his first wife, Theresa Goddard, on September 23, 1824. The couple settled in Hillsboro, Georgia, where Spencer practiced law and taught school. The family later moved to Port Gibson, Claiborne County, Mississippi, where Spencer established a law practice in 1828. The Spencers had two children: Maria Elizabeth (b. December 12, 1827) and Horatio Goddard (b. February 28, 1830). Theresa Goddard Spencer died on March 21, 1830. Horatio Goddard Spencer died on June 6, 1830. Spencer married his second wife, Sarah Ann Marshall, on April 19, 1832. The couple had ten children, five of whom lived to adulthood: Israel Seldon (b. March 23, 1837), Samuel Marshall (b. December 19, 1838), Horatio Nelson, Jr. (b. July 17, 1842), James Grafton (b. September 13, 1844), and William Butler (b. March 4, 1849). Sarah Ann Marshall died on March 20, 1854. Spencer married his third wife, Prisilla Turnbull, on January 24, 1856.The Spencer family moved to Almont, a plantation located three miles outside of Port Gibson, on January 17, 1838. Throughout his life, Spencer was active in various Port Gibson business and social circles. He helped organize and build the Bank of Port Gibson and served as its first president. Spencer was also president of the Port Gibson and Grand Gulf Railroad in 1857. He was an elder of the First Presbyterian Church for over forty years and supervised the construction of the sanctuary between 1859 and 1861. Spencer died at Almont on April 18, 1876, and was interred at Wintergreen Cemetery in Port Gibson.
Scope and Content:
This collection consists of a letter written by Horatio Nelson Spencer to his son, Samuel Marshall, on April 9, 1870. In the letter, Spencer relates news of his family and specifically mentions his granddaughters, Rose and Sarah, and the health of his brother, Israel. He discusses personal activities such as the planting of corn and cotton at Almont and Hollyrood plantations and purchasing a parsonage for the First Presbyterian Church. Spencer also expresses his thoughts on Governor James Lusk Alcorn’s policy on the leasing of prisoners from the state penitentiary.Series Identification: