John Henry Spray and his brother Charles were the first of the Spray family to come to America. After landing at New York they went at once to Portage County Ohio where they started work. Charles as a blacksmith and John as a miller. He operated flouring mills at a number of places in North-Central Ohio for about 13 years. An interesting story is told about his experience at one of these mills. It seems that the owner of the mill at Chagrin Falls owed him about $300 in back wages and offered to give him several hundred acres of land in settlement. This he refused but the interesting part is that all of this land is now within the confines of Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1845 he married Rosana Romigh, born December 16, 1828. From this union there were 3 children, two of whom died in infancy. The third, Plin V. Spray, born May 26, 1852, later joined his father in Iowa. His wife Rosana died and was buried in Ohio.

About 1855 John came to Iowa. He settled first at Ozark, where in partnership with Richard Waller, he opened a flouring mill for the next 13 year. On December 17, 1861 he married Elizabeth Margaret Gilmore and they had 6 children.

In 1863, Waller and Spray enlarged the mill and formed a new partnership with John Reyner to operate a woolen mill in conjunction with the flouring mill. In 1868 John Reyner took over the operation of both mills and John Spray moved to Mill Rock (about 3/4 mile from Baldwin) where he operated the Slopers Mill, also a flouring mill. During this time, (1869-1871) He served as a member of the board of County Supervisors of Jackson County. In 1870 John and his wife opened a hotel at Baldwin under the name of The Transit House. They continued to operate the hotel until 1882. During this period he also served as Postmaster of Baldwin. In 1873 John went into the farm implement business in Baldwin and continued in that business until he retired about 1904 or 5. During this time they lived in Baldwin, John also served as Justice of the Peace for several years. Soon after his retirement he and his wife moved to Pierre, South Dakota to live with their daughter Elethie. His wife died there on October 9, 1912, and was buried in Pierre. John then went to live with his son Homer in Washington Court House, Ohio, where he passed away on July 19, 1914. His remains were taken to Pierre and buried beside those of his wife.


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