An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The
Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893

B.M. SPINNING, a farmer residing near Sumner, Pierce county, Washington, is one
of  the representative men of his vicinity, and of him we present the following
brief sketch in this work. Mr. B.M. Spinning was born in Fountain county,
Indiana, August 7, 1829, son of Isaac Spinning, a farmer and a Yankee. The
subject of our sketch lived in Fountain county until he was twenty-two years of
age, attending the schools of that place and working on a farm, he started
across the plains for the far West, March 24, 1851, and after a long and tedious
journey arrived at Portland, Oregon, September 24, 1851. There he worked as a
teamster during the winter, and the following spring went to Rogue river mines
in the southern part of Oregon, where he remained until September 1, 152. Then
he spent a short time in Portland and from there went to Lewis county and at a
place about three and a half miles from the present city of Chehalis he took a
donation claim to 160 acres. After farming there about six years, he came to
Pierce county and took a claim about seven miles from the city of Tacoma. The
following four years he was employed in a sawmill owned by Andrew Byrd. Next, we
find him on a reservation, twelve miles west of Olympia, as agent and teacher to
500 Indians. He taught the Indians to farm and do other kinds of work, and was
thus employed for two years. Then he turned his attention to lumbering on Puget
Sound, where he did a successful business about eight years. His next move was
to his present location in Pierce county, and here he has been engaged in
agricultural pursuits ever since. Mr. Spinning was married in 1854 to Mary J.
Castro, and they have two children. He takes a commendable interest in public
affairs. For two years he has served as County Commissioner of Pierce county and
for four years has been Justice of the Peace.

Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in January 2004 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.