We will be adding a range of Documents and Photos available for download from here:
Rebecca Spencer Letters
Between 1879 and 1885 Rebecca Spencer (wife of Thomas Jnr) wrote to her friend and former neighbour Eliza Saunders. The letters give a unique insight into life at both Rouchel and Wirra Warra (Neighbour of Cuttabunda).
Click Here to download the PDF.
The Vale 1906
There are no known photos of the Rouchel Vale during the period it was owned by the Spencers. The current owners, Querida and Stephen David have shared with us a photo of The Vale in 1906 (18 years after it was sold by the Spencers).
The house in the centre of the photo, surrounded by trees and a white rail fence is the original Spencer house at the Rouchel.
The house no longer exists although you can still see the yard area. The house was removed from the site and relocated. It burnt down shortly after its move to a new location.
Click Here to download the photo
Aunt Mary's Story
Aunty Mary's Story is an autobiographical account of Edna Mary Adam's (nee Spencer) life. Edna is a Matthew descendant and was born in Aberdeen. After marrying Dave Adam she moved to Upper Rouchel where she lived until the 1980's. (the story was provided by Therese Mackay - Mary's niece)
Click here to download PDF
Keseko
The second is an unpublished book "Keseko" by Cecil Eric Spencer. It details his war time experiences in the Solomon Islands with the US Marines and then as a Coast Watcher. Its quite long but a fantastic read. Eric wrote Keseko originally in 1947 and it was significantly reworked shortly before his death in 1981. Eric is a John Descendant.
Click here to download PDF
The Edward Spencer Story
Edward is the youngest and least mentioned son of Thomas and Mary. The Document to be downloaded was written by Grahame Best who is married to an Edward descendant. It contains what we know about Edward and his family down to the present. NB: The original version of the document has been modified to remove personal details of living people and also to remove general content that is covered elsewhere in the site.
click here to download
May Spencers 1887 Diary
The diary is a goldmine of Spencer Family history with every surviving child of Thomas and Mary mentioned multiple times. Their spouses and intended spouses are also mentioned, with the exception of Billy Frost.
Despite May being only in her 15th year, she has a surprisingly sophisticated writing style.
May's Diary is available in two forms. A large PDF file (27.5Mb) if you want to print it yourself and a small PDF file (1.5Mb) which is fine to read on screen or a tablet but won't print so well
Download the large file here
Download the small file here
Mac Bridge of Muswellbrook:
The man and his Recollections
Some time ago Margaret Ashford McDougall sent me scanned pages from the now out of print book Mac Bridge of Muswellbrook: The Man and his Recollections. I have finally turned it into a PDF.
Mac Bridge grew up in Rouchel and went to school with with the Spencer children. He had an astonishing memory and spent the last 10 years of his life documenting his recollection. In 1883 his daughter and granddaughter published this biography based on his own writings.
Mac Bridge has been an invaluable source of information on the Spencer family. There is a direct connection between the Bridge and Spencer families in two places. Emma Walker, wife of Matthew Spencer was a half sister to Mac Bridge's mother, Mary Ann Morrison. Mac Bridge's brother Aubrey Bridge married Violet Spencer (daughter of John Spencer and Eliza Marsh)
Download the PDF file here
The Gardner Family of Rouchel Brook
This document was published in 2016 by Margaret Ashford and Jim McDougall. It is based on the historical writing of Mac Bridge edited and corrected by granddaughter Margaret and her husband Jim.
This document provides history and family trees for the Gardner Family who settled in the Upper Hunter after migrating from Northern Ireland.
The Gardners Family is most relevant to the descendants of Matthew Spencer and Emma Walker who was a Garder descendant.
Download the PDF file here