"Portrait & Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon." Chapman Publishing Company, 1903. p. 1498. WILLIAM C. SPENCER The spring of 1847 witnessed the departure of many immigrants from their homes in the middle west to cast their lot amid the untried conditions beyond the Rocky mountains, and of these it is doubtful if any started forth with more glowing hopes, and greater faith in success, than William C. Spencer. Born in the farming region around St. Charles, Mo., October 1, 1823, Mr. Spencer has already lived to the biblical allotment of years, yet still finds pleasure and profit in farming and stock-raising, interests drawn around him by an inquiring mind and youthful heart. His boyhood days on the Missouri farm were crowded with duties, and he walked three and a half miles to the nearest school-house. There were fifteen children in the family, five dying at birth, nine sons and five daughters. The mother died in 1837, and the father in 1841, after which the farm was managed by the combined efforts of the children, several of whom had already attained maturity. During the winter of 1846-7 William C. made preparations to emigrate to the far west. Starting out April 11, 1847, he drove during the entire journey, and arrived near Dayton, Ore., in October, little the worse for the days and months of strenuous activity and consequent deprivation. In the spring of 1848 William C. went to Polk county and took up a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres four miles from Springfield on the banks of the McKenzie river, erected a round-log house 14x16 feet dimensions, and very crude and uninviting in every particular. Afterward, when some of the land had been cleared, and crops realized, a better house afforded shelter for his family, and he remained there in comparative comfort until 1857. Between 1857 and 1887 Mr. Spencer lived in Santa Clara county, Cal., after which he returned to the section farm on the McKenzie, and worked the same in its entirety until 1903. During the preceding year he disposed of three hundred and twenty acres, finding that with increasing age this is about all that he can attend to with any degree of satisfaction. The year after coming to Oregon, in 1848, Mr. Spencer married Julia Scott, who died in 1865 leaving five children, of whom Mary E. is now Mrs. Cowan; Maria T. is the wife of James Carlyon, of California; and Marian, Anna E., and William H. are deceased. Mr. Spencer has lived an upright and highly useful life, and his right to a place among the most industrious and worthy of the pioneers of '47 is unquestioned. ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in March 2007 by Diana Smith. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.