No. 42 Richard Augustus (“Uncle Rich”)

no-42-richard-and-lottieAccording to Audrey’s Mae’s artistically created cemetery map design and her gravestone numbering system in her Spencer Family Historical Cemetery, Richard Augustus’s gravestone is Gravestone Number Forty-Two. His spouse, Lottie Lees, and he share the same gravestone No. 42. Using her Smith-Corona typewriter in the 1980s, Audrey Mae typed the following mini-biography of Richard Augustus, a ninth-generation Spencer in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. ams-42-richard-augustus

Bruce MacGunnigle – 40

Uncle Rich and aunt Lottie and their three daughters lived in the Spencer house at Spencer’s Corner (Division, Shippeetown and Crompton Roads in East Greenwich, R.I.). Two of Richard and Lottie’s three daughters are buried in the Spencer Family Cemetery.  They are Annie Eleanor (gravestone No. 43) and Amy Lees (gravestone No. 44).

Richard Augustus (“Uncle Rich”) is the older brother of William J.B. (aka Joseph Briggs) Spencer and Alfred Ernest Spencer (gravestone No. 40)William J.B. Spencer is the father of Audrey Mae, Edith Anna and John Edward so Richard Augustus was Uncle Rich to them.

Richard Augustus was the eldest child of Anna Maria (Mar-eye-ah) and John Johnson Spencer (Gravestone No. 8).  Anna Maria was the child of Richard Anthony Spencer (Gravestone No. 7) and Ann Almy (née Tarbox) Spencer.  Richard Anthony’s father was Richard Anthony (“Deacon”) Spencer.  Father and son had the same name. Richard Anthony (“Deacon”) is the sixth child of John and Huldah (née Johnson) Spencer.

This web author was interviewing Audrey Mae at her second daughter’s Crystal’s home late February, early March 2003.  Mother was ninety-one. Audrey Mae recalls:” Richard and Lottie’s three daughters were Amy, who was a beauty and won a contest in Providence, Eleanor who we all called Girlie, and Eleanor.” All were older than Audrey Mae.
“Richard went to Auburn where he worked on train (driver). “(threw coal in)”  Audrey Mae’s second son said “I’m pretty sure the coal referred to the fire used to heat up the boiler for steam engine”.  “When Audrey Mae went to Rhode Island School of Design, Rich would wave to her.”  “When Audrey Mae and Milton married and were leaving on their honeymoon, Richard came running and gave them a $20.00 bill.”
Lottie died two decades after Rich.  “The farm was left to the three daughters and they sold farm.”

A report on the Descendants of Deacon Richard Spencer and Roby Tarbox married in Exeter gives the following information about their great-grandson:  “Richard married Lottie Lees on 4-16-1903.  Lottie was born in England 10-30-1878.  She was the daughter of Harrie and Sarah A. Gadsby.  Richard and Lottie had three children. Their daughter Amy Lees (b. 2-6-1904) married Albert Capelli on 6-22-1929.  Richard and Lottie’s daughter Leah Marian was born 9-17-1907 and their daughter Annie Eleanor was born 6-7-1909.”

Additional information about Lottie and their three daughters from “Glimpses of the Past: Morning Conversations with Audrey Mae”  at age 92 years in 2004: “She married Rich.  All she had to do was bring her money over here. She had a lot of money, but she had to leave the money in England.”…”They (Rich and Lottie) had Amy, Leah Louise, and Girlie.  I always love the sound of Leah Louise. What a pretty name.  The three girls lived in the city and went to school at Auburn in Providence. They came home in the summers. Richard drove a train, so he was never home. I think he was only home on the weekends. He drove an old fashion auto that he drove to the country.  The auto had only one other seat.”

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Spencer’s Corner: Division, Crompton and Shippeetown Roads Intersection

Descendants believe that Uncle Rich, Lottie and the girls inherited the Spencer house and farm land on Spencer’s Corner, Division, Crompton and Shippeetown Roads Intersection.  Richard Anthony(“Uncle Rich”) died twenty-three years before Lottie. The name Lottie Lees is the markings on gravestone No. 42. However, It appears her birth name was Lottie Lees Gadsby from the information above.

Additional recollections of Audrey Mae at age ninety-two from “Glimpses of the Past: Morning Conversations with Audrey Mae” in 2004: Aunt Lottie used the front door only when her three daughters came home.  The three daughters lived upstairs and Richard had a small corner room downstairs.  The front door opened to a big hall and stairs and each family had their section of the house with their [front] door shut. Ed (Audrey Mae’s brother) and Jenny lived downstairs.”

Below is Audrey Mae’s gravestone and generation numbering system of Richard Augustus (“Uncle Rich”), his wife, two of their three daughters.

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Spencer, Johnson, Goff, Tarbox and Gadsby descendants, if you have any additional information on Richard Augustus Spencer, please add a comment to this web site and the web site editor will add this to the site. Thanks.”