Meet The Spanglers

Duncan Virostko, Museum Assistant

Dunhamsburgh was a mini-neighborhood stretching from East 69th to East 63rd St along Euclid Avenue. The name for the area first appeared in print February 17, 1844 as part of an article in the Cleveland Daily Herald, whose correspondent had an unplanned stay at Dunham Tavern after his sleigh was damaged. The next mention came in Rufus Dunham’s obituary in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 12, 1862, which states “the neighborhood, in the vicinity of the hotel, was called by its proprietor, ‘Dunhamsburgh’ ”. Rufus Dunham thus seems to be the origin of the name, a playful, tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that his family was in residence or constructed several major structures in the neighborhood: Dunham Tavern itself, his daughter Loretta Dunham Pier’s home at East 63rd St., and his second home, later his daughter Caroline Dunham Welch’s, built just west of the Tavern. The Dunham Family lived in this neighborhood from 1824, when Rufus Dunham first purchased the land the Tavern is located on, until 1905 when Caroline Dunham Welch passed away. This article series examines the other residents of the community, who were neighbors of Dunham Tavern and the Dunham family.

Samuel Spangler, the first neighbor to settle in Dunhamsburgh, lived next door to Rufus Dunham and his Tavern. The Spangler family shared much in common with the Dunhams and other residents of Dunhamsburgh. By examining the similarities between the Dunhams and the Spanglers, we can better understand both the shared experiences of early Cleveland settlers and the differences which made both families unique.

Samuel Spangler was a typical early settler of Cleveland. Much like Rufus Dunham, he was an early settler who did not have his roots in Connecticut. Some of Cleveland’s earliest residents came from Connecticut families, and acquired prime real estate within the bounds of what is now downtown Cleveland from the Connecticut Land Company. But later settlers like Dunham and Spangler were left to buy larger, but less central plots of land to the east and west of the city proper.

Spangler was born in York, Pennsylvania, on the 15th of April 1790. The United States was quite young at the time: the Constitution had recently been adopted and had only been in operation for less than a year. He was three years older than Rufus Dunham, who would be born in 1793 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Samuel’s heritage was German, as indicated by his name, and was a Lutheran. He married Catherine Neff-Spangler in 1811, at the Christ Lutheran Church, in his hometown of York. On the eve of war with Britain, the newly wed Samuel and Catherine moved to Ohio and settled in the town of Tuscarawas, Stark County. There they welcomed their first son Michael, named after his grandfather, on June 12th, 1812. Ohio spent the next three years engaged in a bloody three way war between the United States, Britain, and the indigenous allies of the British. Meanwhile, the Spangler family would continue to grow. The Spanglers became a family of four on November 8th, 1815, with the birth of their daughter Eliza.

Evidence suggests that the Dunhams arrived in Cleveland slightly earlier than the Spanglers, aboard the steamboat Walk-In-The-Water in the spring of 1819. They settled in a log cabin along the Cuyahoga River, not far from Walworth run, where Rufus Dunham worked at a mill owned by Alfred Kelley. Beginning in 1821, Rufus would start making payments to John H. Strong, to buy a better plot of land to the east of the city.

At the same time, the Spanglers were still living in Tuscarawas Township, and they welcomed their son Peter to the family on May 20th, 1819. The first record of the Spanglers’ residence in Cleveland meanwhile comes from Christmas 1821, when they welcomed their second daughter Elizabeth B. . Christmastime at the Spanglers must have subsequently been an important event!

Dunham & Spangler properties ca. 1858 (ARCGIS)

Samuel Spangler first appears in the historical record of Dunham Tavern, in the original deed of May 17th, 1824 to the land where the tavern is situated. The deed acknowledges a portion of the same lot 338 sold to Dunham by John H. Strong as being owned by Samuel Spangler. The day before Rufus Dunham signed his deed, meanwhile, daughter Catherine H. was born, named after her mother.

Spangler however did not obtain a deed to his land until two years later, in 1826. There are two possibilities for this difference in dates of the deeds, both suggested by Rufus Dunham's deed. Firstly, it is probable that Samuel Spangler was engaged in a similar land buying agreement with John H. Strong as Rufus Dunham, requiring installment payment to Strong to acquire the property. Rufus was ready to pay off the land by 1823, but was delayed in obtaining his deed because John H. Strong died before he was able to complete the final payment. Strong died intestate, that is without a will, the result being that his estate was settled by his executors, Rodney and James Strong. This delayed Rufus in obtaining his deed until 1824. It appears that Samuel Spangler may have still been making payments on his land to John H. Strong as well when Strong died. This would account for his (partial) ownership of the land and acknowledgement in Rufus’ 1824 deed, whilst still not having a deed of his own. Strong’s death, and negotiations with the executors, no doubt also contributed to the two-year difference between deeds.

A portion of the original 30 acre Plot 338, divided evenly in half between Samuel Spangler and Rufus Dunham, is still in Dunham Tavern Museum’s possession. It encompasses sections of both the Dunham and Spangler properties. The northernmost boundary of Plot 338 is now Belvidere Ave, and its southern boundary now lies along Euclid Ave. The frontage of the Plot 338 stretched along Euclid from East 65th to East 71st St.

Rufus Dunham was something of a land speculator. According to unpublished work by researcher James Edmunson, Rufus Dunham acquired a total of 763 ½ acres, valued at some $8,621 over the course of his lifetime. Some 159 of these acres were located in what was then the township of East Cleveland. Rufus’ dealings in land gave him the unique opportunity to effectively choose his own neighbors, as he sold off his various holdings along Euclid Ave. Thus, the community of Dunhamsburgh is both a physical and social construct of Rufus Dunham.

Dunham’s land deals also extended to existing neighbors such as Samual Spangler. In 1827, Rufus purchased from Luther M Parson Lot 341, adjoining his existing Plot 338 to the north, which was 43 acres. He later sold the southeastern corner of the land to Samuel Spangler, in 1828. This coincided with the birth of yet another Spangler daughter, Matilda, on September 30th, 1827.

Dunham & Spangler properties ca. 1852 (ARCGIS)

Lot 341 stretched all the way north to Superior Ave, as shown on historic maps of Cleveland dating to 1852. To the east, it went all the way to approximately East 75th street. The map shows the maximum extent of the Dunham Tavern property, as Rufus Dunham would subdivide it and sell off the Tavern and its outbuildings in 1853 to George Williams. Rufus’s property stretched between Euclid and Superior Ave, with a western border of East 65th street and an eastern border of approximately East 75th street.

Whereas Rufus bought land for the purpose of trading it, Spangler seems to have bought his 21 ½ acres of land simply to extend his farm. In contrast to Rufus Dunham, who was both a farmer and a businessman, Samuel seems to have been of much more modest means, as this would be his last purchase of land in Cleveland. History does not record what Samuel thought of his neighbor’s new home business!

A few years later, Rufus Dunham was busy expanding his home and business whereas Samuel Spangler was once again expanding his family. August 10th, 1832, brought daughter Harriet into the Spangler family, Meanwhile, in June 1833 Rufus Dunham was granted a license to keep tavern in the new expansion he was adding to the western wing of his home.

Samuel Spangler’s son Jacob Edwards, was born next on December 12th, 1834, and was followed by the youngest of the Spanglers, Louisa on November 10th, 1837. Tragedy would then would strike the Spanglers, when in 1849 his daughter Catherine H Spangler Reed contracted a fever and died February 7th. In terms of family size, the Spanglers were the rule and the Dunhams the exception: larger families were necessary because of high mortality rates amongst children and young adults.

According to historical records, both Samuel Spangler and Rufus Dunham were active members of the community, and could both be counted upon to show up at their neighbors “lumber bees” to assist in clearing away trees. Rufus, Samuel, and other early Cleveland farmers would have had to clear their own lands of trees in order to have space for their fields. “Lumber bees” were community social events which served to make use of communal labor and shared tools to ease the burden of this arduous task.

John H. Reed had married her in 1842 and together they had three children together: sons Samuel Reed, named for his grandfather, and Franklin, and daughter Mrs. Charlotte Reed-Sargent. He would remarry her sister Matilda following this tragedy, and they would raise Catherine’s son, named Samuel Reed after his grandfather. They have six children together. John H Reed would go on to become something of a minor celebrity, partly as a result of his service in the Civil War a Private in the 124th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Co. H, along with his sons Samuel & Franklin during the Civil War. He and his wife Matilda would subsequently settle in Decatur, Indiana where he would live to the age of 103, and was the oldest living GAR member and one of the oldest people in both the United States and the State of Ohio upon his death. He even received honors at the 1901 GAR Reunion held in Cleveland.

The Spangler’s lives were very similar to the Dunhams: they enjoyed the same joys of the birth and marriages of their children, and the same despair of outliving their own children. They both witnessed the decades of peace and growth following the War of 1812, and lived to see the nation they had grown up alongside torn apart by a Civil War. They both settled in Cleveland, raised families there, and even participated in logging bees with their neighbors.

The shared experiences of the Spanglers, the Dunhams, and hundreds of other early Cleveland families give us important information about the culture and circumstances in which they lived. By understanding the differences and similarities between the two families, and their patriarchs Rufus Dunham and Samuel Spangler, we can gain a better appreciation for what made Rufus Dunham and his family exceptional, and what experiences all families living in early Cleveland shared.

Ultimately, the two families were more alike than different. Sheer luck, more than anything, led to the survival of the house Rufus began in 1824, which has kept the memory of his family and its spirit of hospitality alive into the 21st century. Perhaps, were events slightly altered, I would be writing this blog from the Spangler Home & Gardens!