George Spencer Jr. was born on 4 June 1882 in Hackettstown, Warren County, New Jersey. However, alternatively, he may have also been born in Budd Lake, Morris Co., NJ, as indicated by his obituary. George was the ninth of eleven children born to George Spencer Sr. (1845-1886) & Margaret Anne "Mary" Niper (1845-1904); Margaret's mother, Jane Niper [née Pricket], was full-blooded Lenni Lenape [also known as the Delaware Tribe]. George's eight older siblings consisted of two brothers, William (1866-1971) & James Spencer (1879-1958), and six sisters, Adeline (1865-1953), Hannah (1868-1952), Sarah (1870-1958), Anna (1872-1936), Emma Jane (1876-1964), & Arminda "Minnie" Spencer (1878-1935). His two younger siblings consisted of one sister, Ellen "Ella" (1885-1965), and one brother, Charles Spencer (1886-1954). According to the 1885 New Jersey State Census, the Spencer family, except for Arminda, was residing in Roxbury Township, Morris Co., NJ. However, by 25 September 1886, when Charles was born, the family is believed to have been residing in Roseville, Byram Township, Sussex Co., NJ.

Sometime in November 1886, George's father fell ill, and after five weeks of fighting his affliction, died on 14 December 1886 in Byram Township from, according to his death certificate, pyemia [blood poisoning] and heart failure. At only four years old, George Spencer Jr. had lost his father, and his mother, Margaret, who worked as a housekeeper, was left to care for George Jr. and his siblings. Margaret was known to discipline her children with a switch, one instance of which resulted in George's oldest sister, Adeline, walking with a limp for the rest of her life. It is believed that George was raised as a Methodist.

The 1895 New Jersey State Census shows George, aged 13, was living with his mother, Margaret, and four of his siblings, James, Arminda, Ellen, and Charles, at 25 Main Street in Mt. Olive [alternatively, Flanders], Morris Co., NJ, along with the homeowner, Caroline White, a widow. The 1900 United States Census, enumerated on 7 June 1900, shows George, now 17 years old, was living in Byram Township with his mother and siblings: Arminda, James, Ellen, and Charles. The census erroneously lists him as being born in June 1883 and his age as 16. His occupation was listed as "day labor," and it was noted that he had not been unemployed for a whole month thus far that year and could read, write, and speak English. Living eight houses down the road from George was his first cousin, John Henry Spencer (1866-1936), who was working as a "sawyer" and was the eldest son of his uncle, one of his father's older brothers, Charles P. Spencer (1841-1915), who was a veteran of the Civil War [Pvt., Co. C, 27th NJ Infantry] and was the "owner of much timber land and the largest dealer of telephone poles in New Jersey." It is believed that as George and his brothers grew up, their Uncle Charles may have taught them about carpentry and logging. However, George's oldest brother, William Spencer (1866-1971), could have just as easily taught his younger siblings the ins and outs of being a lumberman as he, too, was involved in the logging business. George may have also learned how to make ax handles from his maternal grandfather, George Niper Sr. (1808-1916), who was known to have made hickory ax handles for a living.

In 1901, George Spencer Jr. married Sarah A. Chidester (1878-1911/1912) in Sussex Co., NJ. George and Sarah's only child, Harry Spencer, was born on 13 March 1902 in Branchville, Sussex Co., NJ.

In April 1904, George's mother, Margaret, died at age 58. For at least two years, she has been afflicted with a serious but unspecified illness that was known to have kept her bedridden for months at a time; in one instance, she was bedridden for thirteen weeks. In 1911 or 1912, George's wife, Sarah, died from unknown causes.

The 1915 New Jersey State Census, taken on 14 June 1915, shows that George, aged 33, and his son, Harry, aged 13, were residing in a rented house in Green Township, Sussex Co., NJ. George's occupation was listed as "sawyer," marital status as "widowed," and it was shown that his son was attending the "Tranquility Rd." school in Green.

On 12 September 1918, George, aged 36, registered for the draft. His draft registration card shows that he lived in Andover, Sussex Co., NJ, at the time and that he was working as a "teamster" for "Hopkins & Spencer" in Andover. It described him as being of medium height, medium build, and having grey eyes and black hair. George's older brother, James, was also living in Andover and working for "Hopkins & Spencer" as a "teamster" according to his draft registration card. Additionally, their younger brother, Charles, was listed as working as a "lumberman" in Andover. His employer was shown to be William Spencer of Andover, who is almost assuredly the eldest of George's brothers, as Charles was known to live with him. Due to this, it can be supposed with a fair degree of certainty that "Hopkins & Spencer" was a company owned by George's brother, William, who was known to have "run a sawmill in the Andover-Cranberry Lake area" and been "one of New Jersey's pioneer loggers." It is known that by 1896, William "owned his own logging business and two saw mills," and that he "spent more than half a century of his life as a lumberman, clearing away thousands of acres of mountain timber in the northern counties [of New Jersey] in the early 1900s." Years later, in 1966, William "reminisced about how he cleared the areas from Flanders to Budd Lake to Hackettstown and Mohawk Lake 'clear through to Waterloo,'" and recalled that "the timber was sold for dock pilings… fenders for ferry boats as well as for construction… [and perhaps most important of all] 'People needed wood to heat their homes.'" It was also mentioned that when William Spencer "headed his own logging operation in the northern mountains… [he] built shanty towns for his crew of about 40 men" and that he would "'put in railroad siding through the mountains to haul away the timbers,'" but "when the terrain was too steep, the men would use draft horses." Based on George's and James's occupations being listed as "teamster," they would have likely been a part of the crew(s) that hauled away or delivered the timber to its destination. During his career as a lumberman, it is estimated that William Spencer cleared away more than 8,000 acres of timber in the northern hill counties [of NJ] until his retirement in his early sixties," but it must be noted that he "had the foresight… to spare young timber to provide future growth and prevent erosion." It is almost certain that George played a part in his older brother's logging operations in New Jersey during the early 1900s.

On 1 February 1919, at the Merriam House in Newton, Sussex Co., NJ, George, aged 37, married Elizabeth May "Lizzie" Burdge Maxwell (1884-1968), aged 35. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. Dr. Baker Smith of the Methodist Church.

Just like George, Elizabeth had been married once previously. She was married to Wade Shay Maxwell (1880-1918) in 1900 and had five children with him, four sons and one daughter: Russell S. Maxwell (1902-?), Howard D. Maxwell (1903-1981), Raymond Maxwell (1904-1979), Dorothy E. Maxwell (1912-2003), and William D. Maxwell (1916-?). The 1920 U.S. Census, taken on 21 February 1920, shows that George, aged 38, Elizabeth, aged 35, his stepdaughter, Dorothy, aged 7, and stepson, William, aged 4, were living in a rented home on Railroad Avenue in Andover Borough, Sussex Co., NJ. George's occupation is listed as "sawyer," and his industry was listed as "saw mill," likely one owned by his older brother.

George and Elizabeth had three daughters. Their first daughter, Helen Mae Spencer (1921-2011), was born in Andover on 28 September 1921 [her middle name is also spelled as May in some records]. On 18 March 1925, their second daughter, Jane Charlotte Spencer (1925-1997) was born in Andover. Lastly, their third daughter, Marian Elizabeth Spencer (1927-2001), was born in Andover on 12 October 1927 [her first name is sometimes spelled as Marion].

The 1930 U.S. Census shows George, aged 49, Elizabeth, Dorothy, William, Helen, Jane, and Marian were living in a rented home on Brighton Avenue in Andover Borough, with the rent being 14 dollars a month. George's occupation was recorded as "carpenter" and his work industry as "house," indicating that he used his carpentry skills to help build houses in the area. It was also noted that he had worked the day before the census was taken on 16 April 1930. Additionally, George's "age at first marriage" was shown to be 22, which may mean that he married his first wife, Sarah, in 1904 as opposed to 1901 as other records show.

When the 1940 U.S. Census was taken on 6 April 1940, George, now 57 years old, Elizabeth, Helen, Jane, and Marian were still living in Andover Borough, but by then, had moved to a rented home on Lenape Road, which was rented for 30 dollars monthly. The census also indicated that the highest level of education George had completed was 2nd grade and that he had worked 46 hours in the week prior to the census being taken and worked for 26 weeks in total in 1939. His occupation was listed as a carpenter "working on [his] own account" in the "building" industry, and it was also noted that his current income was "0" but that George also had income from other sources aside from the occupation listed. George's World War II Draft Registration Card, filled out on 26 April 1942, showed that he was living on Lake Lenape Road in Andover Borough, was unemployed at the time, and described him as 5 feet 7 inches tall, approximately 140 pounds, and having brown eyes, gray hair, and a sallow complexion. Some time afterward, later in 1942, they moved to Newton, Sussex Co., NJ.

The 1946 Newton City Directory shows that George, Elizabeth, and Marian were living at 45 Halsted Street. His occupation was listed as sawyer. By 1949, as also indicated by the Newton Directory, George and Elizabeth had moved to 2 Jersey Place, with occupation once again being listed as "sawyer." The same information was listed in the 1950 Newton Directory. According to the 1950 U.S. Census, enumerated on 27 April 1960, George, aged 67, and Elizabeth were still living at 2 Jersey Place but now with their oldest daughter, Helen. George's occupation was listed as "sawyer," his industry as "Lumber Co.," and it was noted he had worked 48 hours the week prior. By 1952, as indicated by Newton's directory that year, George, still working as a sawyer, and Elizabeth had moved into a rented home at 56 Woodside Avenue. The 1954, 1955, and 1957 Newton Directory contained the same information. The only variation in the 1959 directory was that his occupation was listed as "carpenter" as opposed to "sawyer." The house at 56 Woodside was two stories and rather narrow-faced, with a detached garage, an outdoor porch, and a small garden in the backyard. While living there, George was also known to make ax handles to sell and for his own use. His great-granddaughter recalled him making them in his garage and shaping them with a grinding wheel.

Throughout the 1950s, George helped build several houses and developments in Sussex County, New Jersey. In 1951, the "development rights" of the Lake Lenape community in Andover Township, NJ, were sold to "Mr. and Mrs. William LaVigne," who established Lake Lenape Properties. George Spencer was known to have worked for them building houses and lakeside cabins. Some of the homes George built on Lenape Road are still standing, including two cabins near the modern-day Lenape Lodge, the crest of the hill on Andover Sparta Road, and one on Hemlock Road.

During the 1950s, George also worked for Olaus Westby Caspersen building homes and cutting down trees in the Forest Lakes community in Byram Township, on Brookwood Drive in Stanhope, Sussex Co., NJ, and on Wildwood Shores Drive in Hopatcong, Sussex Co., NJ. Approximately 75 men, in addition to George, helped build Forest Lakes, whether it be by cutting down trees, building houses, or paving roads. While working for Caspersen, George became good friends with Walter Conrads, who also worked for him and oversaw the development of Forest Lakes, and Conrads's son, Al. Around 1951, while building Forest Lakes, George, Walter, and Al drove from Byram Township, NJ, to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where they picked up a portable, electric sawmill. The sawmill, which was disassembled, was loaded into the back of a 1954 Dodge pickup and on a hay wagon pulled by the truck and transported back to Forest Lakes. After returning to Byram, George and Walter reassembled the sawmill. Once it was reassembled, Walter and Al left George with the sawmill after he had chosen a large pine tree, which was around 100 feet tall, to cut down with a chainsaw. That same day, after just a few hours, George had turned the entire tree into beams of various sizes. Years later, Al recalled that George could look at a tree and estimate with a fair degree of accuracy how many beams he would get out of the tree and the sizes of the beams. A shed was later built around the sawmill once it was in a more semi-permanent location. While working in both Lake Lenape and Forest Lakes, George was known to have encountered and had to kill numerous copperhead snakes, which are venomous.

Al Conrads and others remember George Spencer in the 1950s as a short fellow, built like an ox, with a white mustache and calloused hands after years of labor, who always wore a fedora atop his bald head. He also remembers him as an honest, regular guy who was very knowledgeable of carpentry and willing to teach Al anything he wished to know about the trade. George is also remembered as having a very jovial demeanor, always happy, laughing, and telling jokes or stories. One instance Al remembers is that for years, on the day after Easter, when George, Walter Conrads, and all the other men working under Caspersen arrived at work, the first thing he would jokingly say to him is, "'Hey Al, what are doing next Easter?'" Al also remembers him as having a large selection of axes of various sizes that he would bring to work with him that were so razor sharp they "would split a hair."

Near the end of his life, George was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and the illness soon progressed to the point where he could no longer walk up the stairs to the second floor of the house on 56 Woodside Avenue. His granddaughter, Betty, recalls that he had to sleep on the couch and remembers coughing up blood due to cancer. On 23 June 1960, George's son-in-law's mother, Emma Tomasik Mayer (1896-1984), the mother-in-law of his youngest daughter, Marian, arrived at the house with some food she had cooked for George and his wife, Elizabeth, and walked into the garage, where she greeted George, who seemed to be working on something. He hurriedly brought her into the house and abruptly returned to the garage. Emma gave Elizabeth the meal she had brought over and the two sat down in the dining room or kitchen with her. A few minutes later, a shot rang out. Tragically, at the age of 78, George had committed suicide with a sawed-off shotgun in his garage at 56 Woodside Avenue in Newton, NJ. He was buried in Newton Cemetery, across Woodside Avenue from his house, that same day in Section C, Lot 061. Everyone was shocked at this news, but apparently, George had seen one of his brothers die from stomach cancer and did not wish to be subject to the same fate. George was also not one who would have been satisfied with being unable to work due to his illness. His son-in-law soon turned in the sawed-off shotgun to the Newton Police Department, as it was an illegal weapon. However, Newton Police did not dispose of it. Instead, it rode in one of their patrol cards for several years, as it was the first shotgun the then-small department possessed and used.

George's obituary, published in the Thursday, 30 June 1960 issue of "The New Jersey Herald," read as follows:

"George Spencer, Newton - Funeral services for George Spencer, of Woodside avenue, were conducted Sunday afternoon at the Smith Funeral Home, 63 High street, by the Rev. Richard Gibbins, pastor of the Branchville Presbyterian Church. Burial was in Newton Cemetery. Mr. Spencer died Thursday, 23 June, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Born in Budd Lake 78 years ago, he had been in ill health for some time. A resident of Newton since 1942, he had lived for many years previously in Andover. He was a self-employed carpenter. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Spencer; a son, Harry, of Newton; three daughters, Mrs. Helen Hamler, of Newton; Mrs. Jane DeVincenci, of Branchville; and Mrs, Marion Mayer, of Sparta; two sisters, Mrs. Emma Kinney, of Jersey City, and Mrs. Ella Vorhies, of Newton; a brother, William, of Plainfield, and four, grandchildren. He also leaves three step-sons, Raymond Maxwell, of Dover; Howard Maxwell, of Wharton, and William Maxwell, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and a step-daughter, Mrs. Norman Lanterman, of Brielle."

***Contributor: Robert Mayer III [50468536]