Please don't assume that Spence and Spencer aren't the same name. Old hand-written vital records can be notoriously inaccurate. County records from years ago are sometimes written in a very ornate style with excessive curlicues (which sometimes result in extra letters). Certainly, people were hard of hearing, but hearing aids did not exist. So clerks wrote what they thought they heard. Possibly the clerk knew some Spencers but no Spences, so the name was "corrected." You are dealing in a time period in which many people were not very educated. You may need to pursue your leads until you can eliminate them. Good luck. Marcia (pursuing Cotrels, Cottrells, Coterells, Cottrills, Cotrills, etc. in Pike Co.)