Arlene Spencer is a full time historical researcher writer, living in Seattle, where she is currently finishing research into early seventeenth century, English, merchantman Master Richard Williams alias Cornish. After finishing her research Arlene will write an historical non-fiction book about Cornish detailing how adept he was as an early modern period mariner Master, and newly discovered circumstances that may shed new light on his execution in 1625, in Jamestown, and on English merchant fishing and trade occurring off the northeast American coast during the 1620’s.
She has completed historical research for two other books. One is about James Dillman who was a trapper, blacksmith, and sheepman that during the Oregon Range Wars survived lethal brutality with his family intact, or so he thought. The other, Catherine Northrup, after crossing the Oregon Trail and settling in the American West, was one of only a few survivors of some of the last sorties ever ran by Native Americans trying to eradicate recent homestead settlement on their homelands. A decade later Northrup was murdered.
In 1994 Arlene first fell in love with historical research when she was hired to help inform a cultural witness’ testimony, gathered from primary sources held in the University of Washington’s Rare Book Collections, in Seattle. Arlene located and compiled anthropological accounts and historical records as they related to the three Puget Sound Native American tribes who were then parties in that federal lawsuit.
In 1992 Arlene earned a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology at Central Washington University, in Ellensburg, Washington, and in 1998 returned to C.W.U. and attended the Master of Science Resource Management program there, focusing on Cultural Resource Management (Archaeology). For more about Arlene’s work see her website, arlenespencer.com and follow Arlene on Twitter @pencilnubs.