The Spaldings of Kentucky

Thomas Spalding came from Suffolk, England to St. Mary's Co, Maryland around 1657 in search of religious freedom. His great-grandson Benedict Joseph Spalding Jr was one of a large group of Catholics who left Maryland after the Revolution to settle in mid-Kentucky.

Benedict's eldest son, Richard Marcus Spalding Sr was a farmer with strong ties to the Catholic Church. Several of his children and grandchildren went on to fairly high positions within the Church hierarchy:

Richard Marcus Spalding Jr was a businessman in Lebanon, KY. He served in both the State Legislature and the State Senate. In the Democratic Convention of 1868 he was considered as a candidate for the party for governor and received a large vote in the convention.

"Richard Marcus Spalding was the fifth child of Richard and Henrietta Hamilton Spalding, born June 7, 1808, at the family home near Lebanon, Kentucky. He was an older brother of Bishop Martin John Spalding and, like him, attended the Catholic Colleges at Lebanon and Bardstown. On July 22, 1839, he married that talented young lady, Mary Jane Lancaster, daughter of John and Catherine Miles Lancaster. The Lancaster family was a noted one, and short accounts of a number of them will be given in these sketches. Richard was ambitious and diligent, and was prominent in business and political affairs in Marion County. He served with distinction, both in the House of Representatives and in the State Senate. He died September 24, 1883. Mary Jane, his wife, was born May 25, 1816, near Loretto, Kentucky, and died August 11, 1895. She was beloved by all and brought great credit to her family and to her Church. Richard and Mary Jane had nine children. Both are interred in the Catholic Cemetary in Lebanon, which was presented to the Church by Richard's uncle, Benedict Spalding III."

from THE SPALDING FAMILY OF MARYLAND, KENTUCKY AND GEORGIA
by Hughes Spalding, FHL 929.273Sp18sg, page 63

Richard's oldest son John Lancaster Spalding was consecrated the first Bishop of Peoria 1 May 1877. After becoming paralyzed in 1905 he resigned his post 11 Sept., 1908, but remained in Peoria as Archbishop of Scitopolis, to which honour he was raised in 1909. He was one of the founding fathers of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC where Spalding Hall is named for him. He is remembered for the many churches, schools, and institutions of charity which he helped found.

Another of Richard's children was Mary Ellen Spalding. She married Francis Tully Slevin of Louisville and subsequently moved to Peoria, Illinois. Their second son was named Spalding Lancaster Slevin for his grandparents' surnames. Spalding's family often spoke of his uncle, the Bishop of Peoria. The Slevins were Irish Catholic.

For a modified family tree, please see my Spalding Lineage.

The main database only includes information as far back as Richard Marcus Spalding, because I have not yet finished my own personal research on his ancestors. The above information is fairly well documented, however, I cannot personally vouch for all of it. Consider this a starting point for further Spalding research.

Additional Sources:

Links with information about John Lancaster Spalding: