No. 44 Amy Lees Spencer

no-44-amy-lees-spencerAccording to Audrey Mae’s artistic cemetery map diagram and Audrey Mae’s gravestone numbering system, Amy Lees Spencer’s gravestone is Gravestone Number Forty-Four. Using her Smith-Corona typewriter in the 1980s, Audrey Mae typed the following mini-biography of Amy Lees, a tenth-generation Spencer in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Amy is one of the three daughters of Richard Augustus and Lottie Lee (née Gadsby) Spencer.

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Bruce Campbell MacGunnigle

Amy Lees (née Spencer) married Albert Cappelli. The web site author has no information on Albert Cappelli or his family of origin.

Richard Augustus, Amy’s father, 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 (Gravestone No. 2) and Huldah (née Johnson) Spencer (Gravestone No. 1).

A report on the Descendants of Deacon Richard Spencer and Roby Tarbox married in Exeter gives the following information on 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

Uncle Rich and Lottie Lees Gadsby and their three daughters lived in the Spencer house at Spencer’s Corner in East Greenwich, R.I, 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 their shared gravestone No. 42.  However, It appears her birth name was Lottie Lees Gadsby from the above information .

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.”

Audrey Mae’s gravestone and generational numbering system for Richard Augustus (“Uncle Rich”) and Lottie Lees (née Gadsby) Spencer’s family:

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Only two of the three daughters of Richard Augustus and Lottie Lees have gravestones in the Spencer Family Cemetery.  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. 43).

The web site author knows that one (or maybe two) of Uncle Rich and Aunt Lottie’s daughters would send money to Audrey Mae for cemetery upkeep. The daughter(s) would send money to Audrey Mae even after the family had moved away.

Spencer, Johnson, Goff, Tarbox, Gadsby and Cappelli descendants,, if you have any additional information on Amy Lees (née Spencer) Cappelli please add a comment to this web site and the web site editor will add this to the site. Thanks.”