6 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 
Spencer Fullerton, the third child of Samuel Baird (2) 
and his wife Lydia, is the subject of this memoir. 
Since every man is mentally and physically a com- 
plex of tendencies inherited from his ancestors, some 
interest attaches to their characteristics as traditionally 
preserved. From memoranda and personal recollections 
preserved by Miss Lucy Baird and gathered by her from 
various sources, the following extracts are taken. 
A letter from one of the family to Miss Lucy contains 
the following data, here somewhat condensed: 
“Mary Douglas, widow of Thomas Baird, with five 
sons and two daughters went to Kentucky, after the 
death of her husband, and later to Indiana, but apparently 
was brought back to be buried. She is said to have been 
interred at St. John’s church, Pequa, Pa. The graves of 
the early settlers of the Baird family lie in the churchyard 
of the Rocky Spring Presbyterian church, four miles 
rom Chambersburg. Samuel (1), son of Thomas, married 
Rebecca, daughter of Thomas Potts (1) of Colebrookdale 
and Deborah Pyewell, his wife. John Potts, in charge of 
the Baird family burying ground at Pottstown, related 
that ‘Uncle Tommy’ (brother of Rebecca) was a charac- 
ter. He was connected in business with a cousin and 
would call for his partner in a buggy, and if the other 
Potts gentleman did not come at once, would yell from 
the buggy the most embarrassing remarks, quite oblivious 
of the neighbors. He claimed that he thus taught punc- 
tuality. He seems to have been a very uncouth person of 
whom the children were rather afraid.” 
Samuel took his bride to his estate called “‘Stowe,”’ 
at Pottsgrove (now Pottstown). ‘“‘She wrote the day 
after she was married, describing its attractions, marble 
