Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-01-29
GID. SPENCER DEAD.
Passed Away Early
This Morning.
FACTORY BOY WITH SLATER.
Long and Honorable Career of an Old
Resident.

Gideon Spencer is dead. With his death,
which occurred ut an early hour this
morning, Pawtucket loses one Of its old
est landmarks, as it were. He was ono OF
the old factory boys with Samuel Slater
and was one OF the oldest residents Of the
city.
He was taken i'll with the grip few
days before Christmas last, and had been
confined to his home since then. He died
surrounded by his family. He leaves five
children, one of whom is +. ank q. Spen-
ser, Superintendent of the Worcester
division of the New York, Providence an
Boston railroad, and three grandchildren.
Gideon Lawton Spencer was born in
East Greenwich, Sept. %, 1903. His father
Gideon was young his parents moved to
Pawtucket and he was or s years old.
The factory in which he went to work
was the mill where is now located the
Dexter Yarn Company, on the cast side OF
the Pawtucket river. The mill was then
run by Wilkinson, Greene, q Company
Samuel Slater having an interest in the
ing breaker" receiving s1.5O a week for
working IA hours day.
He worked in this and the old Slater
mill until he was Ii years OF age, at which
time he was tending a dresser and receiv-
ing 81 a day at the time for his labor
which was considered good pay for boy
in those days. One day when he was
feeling half-sick and nearly dead with tn,
heat, he stumbled and fell through th
web OF threads, breaking the ends. Tn.
looms were hurrying him up and he wa
feeling irritable. Instead of repairing tn,
damage and going on with his work, h
decided then and there he weuld never
work in that nor any other mill again
Young Spencer kept his word, and di,
not again work in the mill, but insteao
learned the trade OF q tailor. He 8 rveC
his apprenticeship to John II. Wood, an
his salary was s25 year and his board
working in the summer season from t
o'clock in the morning to o'clock in tn,
evening.
After serving mis- apprenticeship, at tn
age Of 21 years he left Pawtucket to seeh
work in other localities. In less than
three years he was employing moro than
a score of hands, and became the secono
merchant tailor in the State.
At the age of "a years he married Susan
w. Carpenter, daughter of the late Joh
Carpenter of Providence. Subsequent. 5.
he purchased the north half of the Wilcoz
and Spencer building on North Main
street, next to the Manchester block
where he continued in the tailoring busi-
ness until lS46. During this time hI
served as q member of the Town Council
Court Of Probate, State Agent OF the Paw
tucket and Providence Turnpike, and wa.
one of the three commissioners who
served in building the wooden bridge that
preceded the present granite bridge on
Main street.
At the time of the famous Dorr War he
was appointed by the Governor to raise g
company of volunteers, which he did, ana
was subsequently appointed one of q
court martial carry out martial law in
Pawtucket. He held many offices OF
trust.
He was chosen one of the Erst directors
of the Providence and Worcester Railroad
Company, served in the capacity of di-
rector for nearly 40 years, as such bar
gained for most of the roadbed between
Providence and Lonsdale and was a warm
advocate Of the necessity of running Sun
day trains.