The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-06-18
OLD TIMES IN NEWBERRY.
Judge J. M. Crosson's Mind Runs
Back to the Days of Long Ago.
Interesting "reminiscences.

Hhii uo youllS Hull any more.
Thinkin' back IS a thing at grows
On feller 1 suppose.
Older at he gifts, I jack,
More he keeps a-think' back!
Old as old men git to be,
Er As middle-aged as me,
Folks'l find us, eye and mind
Fixed on what we've left behind.
Thinkin' back-why goodness mel
[ kin call their names and see
Every little lad I played
With, er fought, er was afraid
OF, and so made him the best
Friend had Of all the rest!
Thinkin' back, I even hear
Them calling, high and clear
Up the crick banks, where they seem
Still hid in there like a dream
And me still a-pantin' on
The greenpath-ways they have gone |!
Still they hide by bend er ford
Still they hide-But thank the Lord
Thinkin' back as I have said
I hear laughin' on ahead.
Tn the olden time. about five miles
southwest Of the village lived a good
genial old man, Of whom Judge
ONeall in the Annals very truly
wrote, "his wit, honesty and virtue
commend his memory to all his sur
viving acquaintances. Few men will
. be found hereafter among us who
will so we'll fill the place Of the good
citizen and honest man.
He was indeed fine, lively, intel
ligent old man, with rich, generous
spirit; he had fund Of fine humor,
of an original flavor and loved a
harmless laugh; had jovial physiog-
mony and his bsogue' was pleasing.
While on tower in the highlands of
Scotland, he was impressed and put
on a British man of war as q sailor.
The ship stopping at Charleston, he
gave them leg bail and escaped and
made his way to Newberry. His name,
Spence, meaning "the parlor of a
cottage or farm house," shows his
Scotch descent, but having been rails
ed in County Antrim he was known as
a Scotch prisoner. Such was
Samuel Spence, an all around good
man. 1t is. supposed he came to New
berry after the war of 1912.
There were two tribes of Spences
in Newberry-Samuel and James,
brothers, were Of one tribe; my moth
er was Of that tribe. The other tribe
was headed by Capt. James Spence,
and to this tribe the writer's grand
mother Crosson belonged. So am Of
Spence descent on both sides. Capt.
Spence was generous, intelligent,
religious man and was an elder in
Kings Creek A. r. P. church. Wagon
er Billy Spence and great number Of
other belonged to this. always sup
posed that these tribes were kin as
they each came from County Antrim.
Capt. Spence's ancestors, Andrew and
William, came to this country before
the Revolutionary war. Capt. james
Spence was captain in the Creek
war. Samuel came about 1915;
James in 1920.
Samuel was twice married, first
to Mrs. Mary McCalla. They had no
children. After her death, he mar
ried Miss Mary Hunter, who was a
pure, kindly, home-loving wife, with
a warm heart and blessed with a
charming sunny disposition, and re-
markable for her piety and great
common sense. She was Of that large,
intelligent and progressive family Of
Hunters, descended from that Nathan
Hunter, who came from the county Of
Antrim.
When youngster my mother and
two sisters and I, the only kin uncle
Sam had in the county, attended the
wedding Of Nathan Hunter, man of
supreme good sense and sound judg-
ment.' .-
- Sam and Mary Spence had three
children, Sam, who was lost in the
war between tho slater; Isabella and