Son of Dea. Joel Spencer and his wife, Mary Bevins. Rev John and his wife Rebecca had eleven children, of whom some are buried here in the West Sheridan Cemetery. Received from Harold L. Spencer, Jr. (#46835374)

(missionary of CT. Missionary Soc.) stone rededicated 1960 at Western Assc. of Chriatian and Community Churches. 125th Anniversary.)

I believe the following information belongs to this person. Book Soldiers of the American Revolution: who at one time were residents of, or whose graves are located in Chautauqua County, New York (pg. 49). Published in 1925. heritagequestonline.com - Benjamin Bosworth Chapter, Silver Creek, N. Y. - "SPENCER, Rev. JOHN - Born 1758. Died in 1826 at Sheridan, Chautauqua County, N. Y. Buried in a part of ground contributed by him from his farm to the town of Sheridan for burial purposes. He served as a Lieutenant in Capt. Peter Van Rensselaer's Company, Col. Marinus Willet's Reg't, New York Levies, which was organized at Fort Herkimer, Oct. 7, 1781. He conducted the first religious meeting held in the town in 1807."

(From Dana Dancy # 46998072

He was a son of Dea Joel Spencer and Mary Bevins, born in Spencertown, Albany Co, NY (now Columbia Co, NY); baptized 10 April 1760 at Great Barrington, Berkshire Co, MA. He married 14 April 1782 at Spencertown, by Rev David Porter, pastor of the Congregational Church, to Rebecca Spencer, a daughter of Dea (Capt) Ithamar Spencer of Spencertown and his wife Rebecca. Ithamar and Joel were brothers. Rev John's wife, Rebecca, was born 14 April 1763 at Spencertown; died at Sheridan, Chautauqua Co, NY on 25 February 1852, age 88. They had eleven children:
1. Elizabeth (Betsey) Spencer, married Worthy Allen
2. Mary Spencer, married James Shepard
3. Seth Spencer, married Tirzah (Tirzy)
4.Abram Spencer, died young at Rupert, Bennington Co, VT
5. Rebecca Spencer, married Abram Howe Ferris
6. Lydia Spencer, died unmarried
7. Joel Spencer, married Susannah Hazeltine
8. Cyrus Spencer, died young at Vernon, Oneida Co, NY
9. Philip Spencer, died young at Vernon, Oneida Co, NY
10. Anna Spencer, died at 21 yrs, at Sheridan, unmarried
11. John Steele Spencer, died young at Sheridan, Chautauqua Co, NY
John enlisted 26 May 1775, one month after the alarm at Lexington and Concord, in Col David Brewer's 20th Regt of Massachusetts Militia which became a unit of the Continental Army. He served at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, and when his enlistment expired late in 1775, he joined a unit of the Continental Army and served in skirmishes at Trenton and Princeton. He then joined the army of Gen Richard Montgomery during Montgomery's attack on Canada, serving as a Private in McKinstry's Company of the Columbia Co, Regt of Foot at the Battle of the Cedars, followed by his participation in the Mohawk Campaign. Battle of the Cedars was a series of military confrontations during the Continental Army's invasion of Quebec that began in Sept 1775. The skirmishes occurred in May 1776 at and around the Cedars, 28 miles west of Montreal on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River. The Mohawk Campaign began in 1777 and was carried on throughout the Rev War period (ref: Ledger of Abraham Holdridge dated 1805 at Hillsdale, Columbia Co, NY, giving a list of officers of the regiment of Hillsdale, Claverack, Albany Co, NY, 17Nov1775).
John was the first Congregational Missionary to the Holland Land Purchase in western NY State. Following his military service he married at Spencertown, NY , then moved to Rupert, Vermont for a short period, and to Worcester, Otsego Co, NY where many of his Spencer relatives had moved including his father and father-in-law. He then returned to Spencertown to study for the ministry with the minister, David Porter, who had performed his earlier marriage to Rebecca. He was subsequently licensed to preach in 1800 and in 1801 was ordained.
He and his family then moved to Freehold in Greene Co, NY, then to Vernon in Augusta Township, Oneida Co, NY for about 6 yrs. From Vernon he moved to Canadaway (Pomfret) in Chautauqua Co, NY when he had contracted with the Connecticut Congregational Missionary Society to provide missionary services and labors to bring the Word of God to the wilderness to what was then a wilderness in western New York. He and his family arrived at Canadaway on 22 Aug 1807.
For the next 20 years he travelled over much of western New York northwest Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio organizing churches, first on foot, then on horseback, traveling some years well more than a thousand miles.
"The first religious meeting in the Town of Sheridan was held at the home of Orsamus Holmes in 1807, conducted by Rev John Spencer. He had been a soldier in the Revolutionary War and held a commission as a First Lieutenant in Capt Peter Van Rensselaer's Company, Col Marinus Willet's Regiment of NY Levies. (John was promoted to First Lieutenant for bravery during his service with Willet's Regiment in the Mohawk Valley)." (ref: History of Sheridan, NY in History of Chautauqua County, New York, by John P Downs; American Historical Society; 1921)
Contributor: Harold L Spencer Jr. (49053915)