I started researching my Spence ancestry as well as my Murdock, Skidmore and Mobley lines in early 1990, shortly after I retired. I have searched in the Dallas, Texas library, the Dallas branch of the LDS church library, Federal and State archives, thru relatives, and a trip to Thomasville County Georgia and out to the old home place of Isaac Spence in what is now Grady County Georgia, was Thomas County when he lived there. There is a community there called the Spence Community, which was named after Isaac, as he was one of the first settlers in that part of Georgia. I discovered a Bluford Spence living there. He is of the same generation as my father. There is also a large cemetery next to a church which is full of Spence's. This cemetery plot was donated by one of the Spence's as well as the church site. There is a building there with the Spence name on the portal and has been restored. Bluford told me that this building is where they had court and other city functions back in the old days. Bluford and I and his wife kept in touch and Bluford died this past year. He took me to where the old home place site was and to where he said Isaac was buried which was in a wooded area close to the old home place. There were no headstones but Bluford assured me this was the spot. This property is now owned by another family and some of there relatives are buried there. There are also a bunch of Spence relatives living in and around Camilla, Ga. but I did not have time to go visit them I have touched base with them by mail a few time since my trip down there. The information I have gathered on Isaac Spence, his children, etc. is as follows: ISAAC SPENCE WAS BORN ABOUT 1785. i HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PIN DOWN HIS BIRTHPLACE BUT BELIEVE IT WAS EITHER IN VIRGINIA OR GEORGIA. HE APPEARS TO HAVE LIVED THE EARLY PART OF HIS LIFE IN GEORGIA. ACCORDING TO PENSION AFFIDAVITS HE DIED ON 7 APRIL 1871. HIS WIFE AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH WAS HANNAH TAYLOR SPENCE. SHE WAS BORN ABOUT 1820 AMD WAS LIVING 19 MARCH 1880 IN DECATUR COUNTY GEORGIA. HER MAILING POST OFFICE WAS AT CAMILLA, MITCHELL COUNTY GEORGIA. I HAVE HEARD SOME RUMORS THAT SHE WAS RELATED TO A GENERAL TAYLOR WHO SERVED IN THE WAR OF 1812. THE 1850 CENSUS SHOWS ISAAC TO BE 65 YEARS OLD AND HANNAH TO BE 30. CHILDREN LIVING IN THE HOUSEHOLD WERE JACKSON, 23 YEARS OLD, OLIVE, 19 YEARS OLD, AND BLUFORD WHO IS 13 YEARS OLD. IT APPEARS THAT HANNAH IS ISAAC'S SECOND WIFE AS SHE IS TOO YOUNG TO HAVE BEEN THE MOTHER OF MY ANCESTOR ISAAC R. SPENCE, WHO WAS BORN ABOUT 1825, OR THE MOTHER OF JACKSON, OLIVE AND POSSIBLY BLUFORD WHO ARE LISTED ON THE 1850 CENSUS. i HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE NAME OF ISAAC'S FIRST WIFE AND THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILDREN. RECORDS SHOW THAT ISAAC MARRIED HANNAH ON 4 APRIL 1839 WHICH LENDS CREDENCE THAT SHE IS NOT THE MOTHER OF ANY OF THE CHILDREN LISTED ON THE 1850 CENSUS/. IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THERE WERE OTHER CHILDREN BY ISAAC'S FIRST WIFE. IF THERE WERE I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND THEM. INFORMATION TAKEN BY ME FROM HANNAH'S APPLICATION FOR WIDOW'S PENSION FOR ISAAC'S MILITARY SERVICE STATES THAT ISAAC LIVED ON THE SAME FARM IN THOMAS COUNTY GEORGIA FROM ABOUT 1837 UNTIL HE DIED 0N 7 APRIL 1871. THEY WERE MARRIED BY JOHN JONES, J.P., THOMAS COUNTY, GEORGIA, 4 APRIL 1839. A COPY OF THE MARRIAGE RECORD ATTESTED TO BY JOS. S. MERRILL, CLEK OF THE ORDINARY OFFICE DATED 19 NOVEMBER 1879, PROVES THIS MARRIAGE DID OCCUR. THIS STATEMENT IS A PART OF THE RECORDS OBTAINED IN THE PENSION APPLICATION HANNAH MADE TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THE APPLICATION STATES THAT ISAAC SERVED IN THE WAR OF 1812 AS A PRIVATE IN CAPTAIN R. GAMBLES COMPANY, GEOERGIA MILITIA, FROM 26 MARCH 1814 TO 12 SEPTEMBER 1814 AND ANOTHER SHORT PERIOD AFTER THAT. TOTAL SERVICE TIME WAS 171 DAYS. HE WAS STATIONED ON THE SEACOAST TO DEFEND THE COAST AGAINST THE BRITISH NAVY. HE WAS NOT IN ANY BATTLES WITH THE ENEMY. HIS DISCHARGE WAS LOST BY LEAVING IT WITH HIS CAPTAIN WHJO RETURNED FROM POINT PETER BY SAVANNAH TO DRAW THE PAY. HE SHOWS TO HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED AT POINT PETER. ON THE PROOF OF IDENTITY AND LOYALTY STATEMENT: THE CLAIMANT GIVES CORRECT EVIDENCE OF HER HUSBAND WHEN HE APPLIED FOR WARRANT. IT STATES HE ENLISTED IN EMANUEL COUNTY GEORGIA. sOLDIER SAYS HE VOLUNTERRED IN BURKE COUNTY (BURKE AND EMANUEL ARE ADJOINING COUNTIES). CLAIMANT SAYS HE WAS DISCHARGED AT POINT PETER. SOLDIER STATES THE SAME. AFFIDAVIT BY EDMON DAVIS AND MOSES C. SMITH. PENSION GRANTED 2 FEBRUARY 1880 FOR $8.00 PER MONTH FROM 9 MARCH 1878. BOUNTY LAND CLAIM WARRANT 9409-80-55 ISSUED SOMETIME BEFORE. SOLDIERS STATEMENT ABOVE TAKEN FROM THIS WARRANT BY H. M. HALL, BOUNTY LAND RESEARCHER. EXAMINED BY J. N. GRANGER AND APPROVED BY R. E. REDWAY, REVIEWER. SWORN STATEMENT BY LAYAYETTE GAUNT AND MALCOLM WILKS, STATES THAT SOLDIER DIED 7 APRIL 1870 AT A VERY ADVANCED AGE. (NOTE: THIS DEATH DATE DOES NOT COINCIDE WITH THE DEATH DATE OF 1871 IN OTHER MATERIAL I HAVE). IT APPEARS THAT ISAAC SPENCE WAS AWARDED TWO BOUNTY LAND WARRANTS AS I HAVE OBTAINED PAPERS FROM THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES WHICH SHOW TWO DIFFERENT DATES AND DIFFERENT WARRANT NUMBERS. MOST OF THESE WARRANTS WERE FOR LAND OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA AND IN A LOT OF THE CASES THE SOLDIERS SOLD THESE WARRANTS. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE CASE OF THE TWO WARRANTS AWARDED TO ISAAC SPENCE. 1820 CENSUS - ISAAC SPENCE - EMANUEL COUNTY GEORGIA 1830 CENSUS - ISAAC SPENCE - THOMAS COUNTY GEORGIA 1840 CENSUS - " " " " " `1850 CENSUS - " " " " " 1860 CENSUS - " " " " " (87? YEARS OLD) ISAAC'S CHILDREN THARPE S. SPENCE, BORN FEB. 1818 BURKE CO., GA., DIED 21 MARCH 1905, SPENCE COMMUNITY, THOMAS CO., GA. WILLIAM SPENCE, BORN 1820, PLACE UNKNOWN, DIED 28 FEB. 1885, HAWKINSVILLE, HOUSTON CO., GA. MARIAN SPENCE, BORN 1824, THOMAS CO. GA. PLACE AND YEAR OF DEATH UNKNOWN. ISAAC R. SPENCE, BORN ABOUT 1825-6, PLACE UNKNOWN, DIED 28 SEPTEMBER 1871 IN TRINITY COUNTY TEXAS. EMMALINE SPENCE, BIRTH DATE UNKNOWN BUT SHOWS TO HAVE BEEN IN THOMAS CO., GA. ELIZABETH SPENCE, BIRTH DATE UNKNOWN BUT SHOWS TO HAVE BEEN IN THOMAS CO., GA. MARY SPENCE, BIRTH PLACE UNKNOWN, DIED BEFORE 1860 IN GADSDEN, FLORIDA. JACKSON SPENCE BORN IN 1827 IN THOMAS CO., GA. DATE AND PLACE OF DEATH UNKNOWN. (JACKSON MIGHT HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE SPENCE BROTHER WHO CAME TO TEXAS WITH ISAAC R. AS I KNOW THERE WERE SOME JACK SPENCE'S LIVING IN HOUSTON CO., TEXAS. ) OLIVE SPENCE, BORN IN 1836 IN THOMAS CO., GA., DATE AND PLACE OF DEATH UNKNOWN. BLUFORD SPENCE, BORN 1837 THOMAS CO., GA. DIED 30 MARCH 1863 IN RICHMOND, HENRICO COUNTY, VIRGINIA. ( MY FINGERS ARE TIRED. WILL SEND MORE LATER ) JIM SPENCE