Spruance, William C. (William Corbit), 1873-1935

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William C. Spruance, Jr., was an electrical engineer, an executive with E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, and a civic leader in Wilmington, Del. With the rank of colonel, he was chief of the Explosives and Loading Division of the Ordnance Department during World War I. Spruance amassed a collection of papers dealing with the history of his own family and that of his wife, Alice Moore Lea.

The Lea family were among the largest flour mill operators at the Brandywine Falls, north of Wilmington, since the 1770s, when Thomas Lea joined in partnership with Joseph Tatnall to operate mills on the north bank of the stream. After his death, his son, William Lea, took over operation of the mills in 1837. Tatnall & Lea was reorganized as William Lea & Sons in 1864 with the entry of Henry and Preston Lea into the business. The firm was incorporated as the William Lea & Sons Company in 1882. In 1901 the Lea Milling Company was formed and assumed operation of the mills under lease from the William Lea & Sons Company. The latter firm was dissolved on August 22, 1923, and succeeded by Lea & Company. The mill properties were sold in 1926, and Lea & Company was dissolved on June 20, 1927.

Preston Lea (1841-1916) was the son of William Lea and Governor of Delaware in 1905-1909.

William Corbit Spruance, Sr., was a lawyer and judge of Wilmington. He graduated from Princeton and studied law at Harvard and was admitted to the Delaware bar in 1855. He was U.S. District Attorney for Delaware in 1876-1880.

Arthur Willing Spruance was the son of William C. Spruance, Sr., and a lawyer of Wilmington. He was a member of the State House of Representatives in 1909.

From the description of Lea Mills Collection, 1679-1938. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122503533

Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Bayard, Thomas F. (Thomas Francis), 1828-1898. person
associatedWith Cauffiel, Daniel, 1867-1930. person
associatedWith Cedartown Land Improvement Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Clayton, John M. (John Middleton), 1796-1856. person
associatedWith Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893. person
associatedWith Delaware. General Assembly. House of Representatives. corporateBody
associatedWith Delaware Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. Office of the president. corporateBody
associatedWith E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. Secretary's Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Jamestown Ter-centennial Exposition (1907) corporateBody
associatedWith Lea & Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lea family. family
associatedWith Lea, Henry, 1839-1888. person
associatedWith Lea Milling Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lea, Preston, 1841-1916. person
associatedWith Lea, Thomas, 1757-1824. person
associatedWith Lea, William, 1805-1876. person
associatedWith McCulloh, R. S. (Richard Sears), 1818-1894. person
associatedWith Moore family family
associatedWith Peters family family
associatedWith Peters, Richard, 1743-1828. person
associatedWith Piedmont Land and Improvement Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Princeton University. corporateBody
associatedWith Ridgely, Edward, 1831-1900. person
associatedWith Spotswood family family
associatedWith Spruance, Arthur W. (Arthur Willing), 1871-1932. person
associatedWith Spruance family. family
associatedWith Spruance, Presley, 1785-1863. person
associatedWith Spruance, William C. (William Corbit), 1831-1913. person
associatedWith Tatnall, Edward, d. 1790. person
associatedWith Tatnall, Joseph, 1740-1813. person
associatedWith Tatnall & Lea. corporateBody
associatedWith Thomas Lea & Son. corporateBody
associatedWith Union Iron and Steel Company. corporateBody
associatedWith United Button Company. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Food Administration. corporateBody
associatedWith William Lea & Sons. corporateBody
associatedWith William Lea & Sons Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Willing, Thomas, 1731-1821. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Florida
Brandywine Village (Wilmington, Del.)
Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
Philadelphia (Pa.)
New Castle County (Del.)
Delaware
Subject
Bankruptcy
Bird watching
Flour industry
Flour mills
French spoliation claims
Grain trade
Lawyers
Merchants
Millers
Playbills
Politics, Practical
Real property
Speeches
Occupation
Collector
Activity

Person

Birth 1873-09-26

Death 1935-01-09

English,

French,

German

Information

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SNAC ID: 43456483