According to Audrey Mae’s artistically designed cemetery map and Audrey Mae’s gravestone numbering system in her Spencer Historical Family Cemetery, Robert Rathbun’s gravestone is Gravestone Number Fifty-Four. Robert is a ninth-generation Spencer in East Greenwich, Rhode Island because of his mother, Evelyn Augusta Spencer (gravestone No. 57) who was the first wife of John Rathbun. Using her Smith-Corona typewriter in the 1980s, Audrey Mae typed the following mini-biography of Robert Rathbun:
Bruce MacGunnigle – 57
Robert’s parents are Evelyn Augusta Spencer (gravestone No. 57) and John Rathbun (gravestone No. 58). Evelyn Augusta is the daughter of Audra (gravestone No. 53) and Benjamin (gravestone No. 54). Audra is the daughter of Richard Anthony (“Deacon”) Spencer (gravestone No. 6) and Roby Spencer (Gravestone No. 5.) Richard Anthony (“Deacon”) is the 6th child of Huldah and John (gravestone No. 1 & 2).
Unfortunately, Robert’s mother and brother died in November of 1879. Robert was born in 1872 so he was a young boy when his mother and brother died. Web-site author does not know the cause of death. According to Audrey Mae, Robert’s father married two more times. His third wife. Effie Kenyon (gravestone No. 59) died after him.
Robert’s brother in the Spencer Family cemetery:
Delightful story re Robert’s parents and his aunt and uncle:
The two Rathbun brothers, (George–Gravestone No. 49 and John– Gravestone No. 58) married the two Spencer sisters, (Evelyn –Gravestone No. 57 and Roby Alice–Gravestone No. 48).
Article about the Rathbun brothers who married the Rathbun sisters:
According to the above article on the Rathbone (sic) genealogy, the Spencer sisters are the daughters of Benjamin (gravestone No. 54) and Audra (gravestone No. 53).
Audrey Mae’s daughter, Crystal, met one of the Rathbun descendants who gave her copies of the above articles.
“Spencer, Johnson, Goff, Tarbox and Rathbun descendants, if you have any additional information on Robert Rathbun, please add a comment to this web site and the web site editor will add this to the site. Thanks.”