Origins

Lucy Shelton Spruce, a daughter of Hardy and Mary Shelton, was born into enslavement in Rome, Georgia and was likely connected to the land now known as Possum Trot. Named for her grandmother, Lucy Spullock, her life reflects a deep and layered connection to place—one that would continue through her descendants.

On January 7, 1871, she married Irvin Spruce, a formerly enslaved man born in North Carolina to Currell and Martha Duke Spruce. The eldest of a large family, Irvin’s siblings formed connections with the Shelton, Cathey, Adams, and Knox families, reflecting a broader network of kinship that would extend across generations.

Migrations

Lucy remained in Rome, where she is believed to be buried at Possum Trot. From there, her descendants carried the family’s story outward, moving into Chattanooga, Tennessee, and north into Pittsburgh and Detroit, forming connections across regions while remaining tied to their origins.

In 1903, Irvin Spruce, a farmer and landholder, acquired over 300 acres of where the Spullock farm was located at Possum Trot—land deeply connected to Lucy’s ancestral line—marking a significant moment of return and reclamation.

Family

Lucy and Irvin were the parents of fourteen children: Columbus, Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie,” Hattie, Fannie, James Aaron, Earley, Lela, Ollie, Rhoda, Jessie, Saphronia “Froney,” Queen “Queenie,” Eldora, and Rayfield. They were also the guardians of other children.

Through these children, the Spruce line expanded across generations, with descendants forming connections through marriage into families such as the Shropshire, Robinson, Selman, Espy, Drew, Ware, Sams, and others. Their legacy reflects both continuity and growth, rooted in family and carried forward through time.

Lizzie Spruce Shropshire

Among their children, Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” and her husband Pierce Walter Shropshire carried forward a particularly powerful connection to the land and commitment to its legacy. Remaining in Rome, they lived near Irvin and Lucy and acquired additional property at Possum Trot, strengthening the family’s presence there.

During the family’s forced transition from Possum Trot, this branch retained land that remains in their family today, including the Shropshire Cemetery. Their daughter Clara would marry Eulas Montgomery with the family having additional ties to the Finley family forging a bond that remains today. The Shropshire, Montgomery, and Finley families continue to hold a homestead spanning hundreds of acres—a testament to continuity, resilience, and stewardship across generations.

From land once held to land reclaimed, their story remained rooted where it began, while branches extended outward through generations.

This story continues to unfold through deeper connections, names, and discoveries still being brought to light.

Find out more at our gathering.

Through generations, they remain bound to Coosa, Rome, and Possum Trot.