St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-10-03
RECENT DEATHS.
Spencer.

in the spring from which he never fully
recovered and had been in failing health
all summer, though he was confined tc
his bed but three weeks.
Mr.. Spencer was bornin Bloomington
March, 90 1881, and when seven years
old, the family moved to Irasburg where
the next twelve years of his life was
spent. Here he attended the public
schools during the winter months, the
rest of his time being pro6tably spent on
his fathers farm. His education in
schools ended with three terms at Brown
ington academy. In the winter of 1848
and 1S49 he taught school in 1rasburg.
Though steadily employed on the farm,
he showed in these early years leaning
towards his life work, as he took especial
interest in the farm buildings and
planned neighbours building and cree
ted the frame.
In 1850 the family moved to St. Johns
bury and the young man entered the
sash and blind shop of Charles F. Ram
sey as an apprentice. In 1851, having
learned his trade, he went to Woodstock
to engage in the same business. He re-
manned there only a few months and
returned to this town in the fall of 1851,
where he has since resided. He found
employment in the steam mill which
then stood opposite the passenger depot,
but in 1854 was moved to Paddock vii
lage From 1855 to 1857 he was assoc-
ated with O. N. Gilbert in the manufac-
ture OF reed musical instruments and in
October 1858, he first entered the en-
ploy of E. & T. Fairbanks & Co., in
their carpenter shop. For the next three
years he was busily engaged in various
buildings, working sometimes for the
company and sometimes for others, and
when the war broke out in 1861, he re-
turned to the scale shops and entered
the pattern shop. He succeeded the late
Richard H. Eastman as foreman Of the
pattern shop in 1864 and continued in
charge of this shop until August 1, 1896,
when the draughting office was moved
to its present location in the main office
of the corporation.
Mr.. Spencer's life work was the max
ing of plans for scales and his first plan
was hay scale, made about 1868. For
the next 20 years he was practically
alone in this important work. In 1883
he was obliged to take leave of absence
and that winter was spent in Florida.
From the time he planned the first scale
until the summer of 1900, he has been at
the head Of the draughting room and in
that time the business has increased so
that now about dozen are employed in
this department. 1t will be of especial
interest to those of mechanical turn of
mind, to know some of the scales which
Mr.. Spencer planned, and supervised the
making of the patterns.
These include the suspension track
scales, the plantation track scale, testing
machines, the largest having capacity OF
100000 pounds, the 100000 pound
scale for the government arsenal at
Watervliet, N. Y, the japanese arsenal
scales, beam on which four kinds OF
grain can be weighed at a time, and
many little devices applied to regular
scales to conform to the requirements OF
special customers. In addition to these
he had charge of the plans and patterns
for all the scales made at this factory
during his long term of service.
This sketch would be very incomplete
if it did not mention Mr.. Spencer's re-
ligious life. When about Is years old he
joined the Congregational church al
Irasburg and took letter from tha
church to the North Congregations
church in April, 1850. In January 1876
during the pastorate of Rev. Henry W
| Jones, he was elected a deacon of tn
North church, a position which he ha
held ever since and to which he has bee,
unanimously elected whenever his terri
of office expired. He was also active i
the Sunday school and for many years
teacher of a class of adults. During a
his life in st. Johnsbury he has been deer
lyinterested in the temporal and spiritua
welfare OF the North church and no on
has rendered it more faithful service, a
ways considering his office as a sacre
trust,
In the prayer meeting. in the Sunda
school and in all the branches of TIL
church work Deacon Spencer will b
sorely missed and in his active and sill
cere Christian life both young and oil
have an inspiration as we'll as blesse
, memory.
On Jan. %, 1854, he was married
Eliza n. Paddletord of North Monroe, !
r H., and soon after his marriage lett h
! fathers home to live in a small house c
Hastings hill, which his father had bull
and which was at that time the on
; house on the hill. few years later tn,
q, moved to their present home on SUNNI
: street. Mr.. Spencer leaves a wife al
one daughter, Mrs. Ella S. Trua
-, another daughter having died in infanc
Il The funeral was held on Tuesday afte
t noon at his late residence and was lare
n ly attended by shopmates and friend
Rev. Edward T. Fairbanks and Re
Edward M. Chapman spoke very apr
ciatively OF the rare traits of charact
e displayed by Mr., Spencer in his long |
10 and of his devotion to the church M
- sic was furnished by the Mahogany Qua
e tette. There was prousion OF aowt