PATIENCE CHADBOURNE was baptized in Tamworth, Warwickshire, England 8 Nov 1612; died York Co ME (probably Berwick) 7 Nov 1683 (MPC III: 188-189, YD 5 1/23-4); married, perhaps in England, before 1629 (Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700 states that a child was born 1630).15

THOMAS SPENCER, born England about 1596, died Berwick 15 Dec 1681 (MW, 66-68; YD 5/1/12; inv YD 5/1/3). A Thomas Spencer was baptized 28 Mar 1597, son of William at Eastwick, Herefordshire, England (LND, 651-2). The baptism in 1603 of a Thomas Spencer, son of Thomas Spencer, has been noted in the parish registers of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire. Further research is required to determine whether this could be the Maine settler.
No marriage record has been found.
Thomas arrived at Piscataqua in July 1630 on the barque Warwick (TMS), returned to England in 1633, and returned to the colonies on the Pied Cow in 1634. In his 1904 work, Emery was probably mistaken when he said Spencer was from Winchcombe, Gloucester, England. Emery went on to say erroneously that this was also the English home of the Chadbournes. By the 1950s, it was known that this was untrue and that the Chadbournes came from Tamworth (Parish records).
Thomas was a planter, lumberman, and tavernkeeper. Pope's Pioneers of Maine & New Hampshire says that Thomas was a proprietor of Cambridge MA in 1633, a freeman in 1634 who removed to Kittery. Patience and Thomas lived first at Strawbery Bank (Portsmouth), then on 6 Mar 1636/7 were called residents of "Piscataqua" (Kittery Point), and finally of Newichawannock (S Berwick). Dispute over Thomas' title to land in S Berwick (where William Chadbourne gave them a house) is described under their son Humphrey #8. They were of Saco in 1654 (Holmes, Dictionary of New England Families) and Patience was (erroneously) called a widow of Saco in 1662 (Savage, Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England). In 1682 Patience was probably of Berwick as Thomas died there in 1681 and she in 1683.
Thomas was disenfranchised for entertaining Quakers in 1659 (LND, 652). Evidence that Thomas and Patience may have been Quakers is seen in the courts 7 July 1663 when they were presented for "neglecting to come to the publique meeteing on the Lords day to heare the word preached for about the space of 3 Moenths" (MPC II:139). They were presented again for the same offense on 6 July 1675 (ibid, II:306). In a long list of "those persons yt entertayned the Quakers, with the answers given in by them respectively" we find: "That Thomas Spencer pay as a fine to ye country for his entertayning the Quakers the somme of five pounds, & be disfranchised" (The Records of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Vol 4, part 1, p 407). Edward Wharton piloted a vessel that carried a group of Quakers up the coast, and seven people were fined varying sums and/or disenfranchised (lost the right to vote) by the Massachusetts Bay government, the only entity which could disenfranchise a freeman. Thomas Spencer obviously answered their questions in sympathy with the Quakers, defied the government, and was cast out as a result. Because we don't have copies of his answers to the Court's questions, we don't know how steadfastly he supported the Quakers, but he clearly satisfied the Court that he was in sympathy with them or they would not have taken action against him. They did not take action against James Rawlings, for instance, whom they found to be "more innocent and ingenious then the rest."
Brother Humphrey Chadbourne expressed concern for his sister Patience Spencer when he wrote his will in 1662. Humphrey directed his wife to assist "sister Spencer" if she should fall into "decay" (qv). [page 6] After Thomas' death in Dec 1681, Patience may have continued to operate the tavern. After her death her children and relatives, William, Humphrey and Moses Spencer, Ephraim Joy, and Thomas Chick, chose William Spencer and Thomas Chick to help them divide the estate 15 Nov 1683 (MPC III:186), and then finally settled on Edward Rishworth, Richard Nason and James Emery to make the division (ibid, III:188), probably because William and Thomas were heirs.
1679 Will of Thomas Spencer
In the name of God amen I Thomas Spencer of Newgewanacke in the Townshipp of Kittery being sick of body, but through the mercys of god, sound of Mind & memory and not knowing how soone my Change may come desire to dispose of that Estate which god hath given unto Mee as followeth viz:
Imps I give unto my Eldest sonn William Spencer after my decease & the decease of Patience my loving wife my now dwelling house & all out housing by it & belonging to it & all the Land adjoyning to it being now in my possession & lying on the North side of the highway, by my sd dwelling house, whither it be Gardens orchards, pasture Meddows Corne Land to him the sd William Spencer my child, & to his hayres for ever, provided hee pay or Cause to be paid unto my Two daughters, namely Susanna & Elizabeth with in six weeks after my decease & or my loving wife Patience, the full and just Sum of Tenn pounds, apiece in money or pay equivalent there unto the houses and the land lying responsable until ye Legseys aforsd bee duly payd.
2ly I give to patience my loving wife all the rest of my Estate, whither bee in lands Chattles, Cattle, goods debts house hould stuff Meddows &c: not mentioned as abovesd for her to distribute & dispose of amongst my Children at her own discretion, except what I have already given to my Eldest sonn as abovesd
Lastly I do nominate & appoynt patience my sd loveing wife to bee my Soole executrix of this my last will & testament in Consideration where of I have here unto set my hand & seale, the second day of June in the yeare of our Lord one thousand six hundred seaventy nine/1679
Signed sealed & Delivered Thomas Spencer
in Presence of his mark
Gillbard Warrins his marke x
George Pearsons

tyme, & left it to his heyres; and wh as I also gave unto my sonn Etherington a Certain Tract of Land adjoyning to the land hee bought of the sd John Gattinsby on which the dwelling house of the sayd Etherington now standeth, & both Tracts of land contayning about Twety foure Acres, by Estimation, bee it more or less, as they are now bounded with Richard Nason & the high way on the South, William Spencers land on the West, Daniell Goodins land & Humphry Spencers land on the North, & that part of my land Called Parkers Marsh on the East: And although some writeings have been Prused about the Premisses, yet nothing yt I know upon record about it, & that the sd Land according to my true intent discend unto the right heyres of it, both by the sayd Etherington's purchase of the sayd Gattensby in part, & my gift unto the sayd Etherington of the rest of the sd land: Now my will is that the sayd Land with the dwelling house Upon it, & all the appurtenances & priviledges yt unto belonging, should bee & remaine the proper right & inheritance of John Wincoll Junior, sonn of John Wincoll of Kittery & of Mary his wife deceased, who was the daughter of my sd sonn in law Thomas Etherton & Mary his wife deceased, to have & to hould the sd tract of Land, dwelling house with all the appertuancnes, & priviledges there unto belonging to him the sd John Wincoll Junjr & his heyres lawfully begotten of his body; and if hee dy without such lawful heyres my will is that the sd Tract of Land houseing & all appurtenances and priviledges yt unto belonging shall bee & remaine the proper right & inheritance of patience Atherton daughter unto sd Thomas Etherington & Mary his wife deceased, to have & to hould to her & her heyres for ever/ in witness where unto I have afixed my hand & Seale, this fifth day of June one thousand six hundred seventy nine 1679
Signed sealed & delivered Thomas Spencer
in Presence of his mark
Gilbard Warrine his marke x
George Pearson
Acknowledged 15 June 1679, recorded 15 June 1682 Inventory taken 1 May 1682 and the estate valued at £257.14.0 by Richard Nason, Moses Spencer and John Wincoll 1 May 1682, who stated that Thomas Spencer was deceased in Dec 1681 (MW, 66-8). According to historian John Frost, the Old Fields cemetery of S Berwick originated as Thomas and Patience Spencer's burial plot. Frost believes that two of the three old plots near the woods on the riverbank, in what now appears to be an unmarked grave, hold the remains of Thomas and Patience (Chadbourne) Spencer and other early settlers ("Talk of George F Sanborn Jr," Pied Cow 7:1).