Research Challenge – Samuel Spencer / George Newton Spencer (1882–?)
I'm researching a fascinating Scottish-born ancestor whose life took an unexpected turn and I'm hoping fellow researchers may be able to help fill some gaps.
What We Know
Samuel Spencer
Born 8 September 1882 at 159 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow, Scotland.
Son of George Spencer and Hannah McGee.
Later appears to have adopted the name George Spencer or George Newton Spencer.
By 1914 he was living and working in Hamburg, Germany, for a German shipping concern and became involved in a major maritime financial transaction shortly after the outbreak of WWI.
The Old Bailey Case
George was prosecuted under the newly introduced Trading with the Enemy Act 1914.
The case involved:
Three German ships interned in neutral ports.
German-held mortgages over those vessels.
A proposed transaction worth approximately £545,000 (a huge sum at the time).
Funds intended to be routed through a Dutch firm before ultimately reaching Germany.
George was:
Tried at the Old Bailey.
Convicted on 14 October 1914.
Sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
Appealed the conviction.
Appeal dismissed on 9 November 1915.
He appears to have been one of the earliest, and possibly the first, individuals convicted under the Trading with the Enemy Act.
After Prison
Remarkably, he returned to Hamburg after the war.
He married:
Johanna Louise Auguste Singenstrueh
(1892–1986)
in Hamburg on 14 November 1922.
They had one known daughter:
Marion E Spencer
(1926–2012)
who later married into the Wittesch family.
Known Timeline
✔ Glasgow 1882–1901
✔ Hamburg before 1914
✔ Old Bailey conviction 1914
✔ Appeal rejected 1915
✔ Marriage in Hamburg 1922
✔ Daughter Marion born Hamburg 1926
✔ Travel to New York with wife and daughter in 1937
✔ Residence records continue in Hamburg through WWII
✔ Family appears to have survived the Hamburg bombing of 1943
✔ Wife died Hamburg-Altona in 1986
✔ Daughter died about 2012
The Big Mystery
Despite all of this, I have never found:
❓ Samuel/George's death record
❓ His final resting place
❓ Confirmation of what happened to him after WWII
❓ Details of a possible Hamburg business called Spencer & Co.
Looking For
Any assistance with:
Hamburg death records
Hamburg business directories
Trade/shipping records
Spencer & Co. Hamburg
Marion Spencer / Marion Wittesch records
Post-war Hamburg records
Newspaper references
Probate records
would be greatly appreciated.
This Glasgow-born shipping agent somehow became part of British legal history, rebuilt his life in Germany, and then seemingly vanished from the historical record.
I'd love to finally discover how his story ended.
