William Allen Spoor (1884 - 1937)

Born 18 Aug 1884 in Houston, Harris, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Susanna (Baldinger) Spoor — married 9 Sep 1918 in Harris, Texas, United States

Died 19 Oct 1937 at age 53 in Houston, Harris, Texas, United States

Biography

This profile is part of the Spoor Name Study.

William, son of William Henry Spoor and Mary Ryman,^[1] was born 18 August 1884 in Houston, Texas.^[1][2] By 1900, his father William Henry (age 39) was cultivating his own land in Matagorda.^[3] His labor supported his family comprised of Mary (40), William Allen (16, farmhand), Addie Laura (14), Henry Melvin (11), John Grady (9), Eugenia F. (7, shown as daughter, but this is Eugene Franklin), David Ezell (4) and Victoria (2, shown as daughter, but this is Victor Deb).^[3]

His sister Addie married in 1908,^[4] leaving a family consisting of William Henry (age 49, truck farmer), Mary (48), William Allen (25, farmhand on the homestead), Melvin Henry (20, farmhand), John (18, farmhand), Virginia [sic] (16, Eugene), David (14), Victor (12), Cygred Elector (9) and a boarding farmhand.^[5] His mother reported that she had given birth to three more children between 1900 and 1910, but that only one had lived.^[5]

On 9 September 1918 in Harris County, he married Susanna Baldinger,^[6] daughter of Henry Andrew Baldinger and Katharine Simmler.^[7] William and Susie had four children:

• Mary Catherine (b. 2 July 1920;^[8] m. Curtis Collet Fleming;^[9][10][11] d. 25 August 2006).^[12]

• William Alfred (b. 21 December 1921;^[13] d. 10 July 2018).^[14]

• Henry Allen (b. 22 September 1924;^[15] m. Lila Frances Forbes;^[16] d. 31 May 2001).^[17]

• John Baldinger (b. 28 September 1926;^[18] d. at age one on 2 January 1928).^[19]

When William Allen registered for the draft just after his wedding, he was living in Houston and selling insurance for First Texas Prudential.^[2] He was described as tall and slender with gray eyes and brown hair.^[2]

William Allen (age 35) and his wife Susie (36) owned a home in Houston in 1920, which they shared with her sister Katherine Baldinger (51).^[20] William continued to earn his living as an insurance agent.^[20] That same year their first child, Mary Catherine, was born.^[8]

By 1930, their family was complete and continued to live in Houston, where he sold life insurance.^[21] The household had grown to include Allen W. (age 45) and Susie (46), their children Mary C. (9), William Alfred (8), Harry A. (5), Susie's sister Catherine Baldinger (60), and their niece Mary C. Foster (19).^[21] They lived next door to Alfred and Edith Baldinger.^[21]

He died in Houston on 19 October 1937 due to heart disease^[1] and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.^[22] His father William Henry died 14 December 1937, having survived his son.^{[23] [23] [16] [17] [15] [14] [13] [12] [10] [9] [11] [8] [7] [21] [20] [19] [18] [4] [3] [5] [2] [6] [1] [22]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Texas Deaths, 1890-1976, database with images, FamilySearch (13 March 2018), Wm Allen Spoor, 19 Oct 1937; citing certificate number 50595, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,117,299.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, database with images, FamilySearch (13 March 2018), William Allen Spoor, 1917-1918; citing Houston City no 3, Texas, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,953,565.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} United States Census, 1900, database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 13 January 2019), Household of William H Spoor, Justice Precincts 1, 5 Matagorda town, Matagorda, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 33, sheet 147B, family 296, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,657. This is the only record on which the child born in 1898 is shown as Victoria (female), rather than Victor D. Some have combined David and Victor D., but they do appear to be different individuals if Victoria is Victor.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965, database with images, FamilySearch (10 December 2017), H H Foster and Addie Spoor, 12 Apr 1908; citing Marriage, citing Matagorda, Texas, United States, Texas State Library, Archives Division, and various Texas county clerks; FHL microfilm 4,173,293.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} United States Census, 1910, database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 13 January 2019), Household of William Henry Spoon, Justice Precinct 5, Matagorda, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 143, sheet 9A, family 185, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1577; FHL microfilm 1,375,590.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977, database, FamilySearch (4 November 2017), William Allen Spoor and Susanna Baldinger, 9 Sep 1918; citing , Harris, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 25,240.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981, database, FamilySearch (11 February 2018), Susanna Baldinger, 11 Jul 1883; citing Galveston, Texas, reference p 101-399; FHL microfilm 1,398,557.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935, database with images, FamilySearch (11 March 2018), Mary Catherine Spoor, 02 Jul 1920; citing Houston, Harris, Texas, United States, certificate 36607, Texas Department of Health, Austin; FHL microfilm 4,516,113.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} He is unmarried in 1942 per his enlistment record and they are both included on the birth record of their daughter in Harris County, Texas, in 1954. The daughter may still be living.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014, database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 11 March 2019), Curtis Fleming in entry for Mary Catherine Spoor Fleming, Texas, United States, 27 Aug 2006; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (2014); citing Houston Chronicle, born-digital text.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, database, FamilySearch (5 December 2014), Curtis C Fleming, enlisted 23 Sep 1942, Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland. Curtis was unmarried at this time.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} United States Social Security Death Index, database, FamilySearch (19 May 2014), Mary Catherine Fleming, 24 Aug 2006; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, database, FamilySearch (1 January 2015), William Alfred Sparr, 21 Dec 1921; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 13 January 2019), memorial page for William Alfred Spoor (21 Dec 1921–10 Jul 2018), Find A Grave Memorial no. 191468915, citing Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, Killeen, Bell County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Donna Schulte Loth (contributor 46568224). Full dates are given on his monument.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, database, FamilySearch (1 January 2015), Hy Allen Spoor, 22 Sep 1924; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014, database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 13 January 2019), Henry A Spoor in entry for Lila Frances Forbes Spoor, Texas, United States, 20 Mar 2011; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (2014); citing Houston Chronicle, born-digital text.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} United States Social Security Death Index, database, FamilySearch (19 May 2014), Henry A Spoor, 31 May 2001; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935, database with images, FamilySearch (11 March 2018), John Baldinger Spoor, 28 Sep 1926; citing Houston, Harris, Texas, United States, certificate 58445, Texas Department of Health, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,240,271.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} Texas Deaths, 1890-1976, database with images, FamilySearch (13 March 2018), John B Spoor, 2 Jan 1928; citing certificate number 2483, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,114,437.
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1 20.2} United States Census, 1920, database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 27 March 2019), William Spoor, Houston Ward 3, Harris, Texas, United States; citing ED 53, sheet 14A, line 30, family 349, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1813; FHL microfilm 1,821,813.
21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3} United States Census, 1930, database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 27 March 2019), Allen W Spoon, Houston, Harris, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 84, sheet 12A, line 30, family 140, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2348; FHL microfilm 2,342,082.
22. ↑ ^{22.0 22.1} Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 13 January 2019), memorial page for William Allen Spoor (18 Aug 1884–19 Oct 1937), Find A Grave Memorial no. 94663226, citing Glenwood Cemetery, Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA; Maintained by Gene Ford (contributor 46802925).
23. ↑ ^{23.0 23.1} Texas Deaths, 1890-1976, database with images, FamilySearch (13 March 2018), W H Spoor, 14 Dec 1937; citing certificate number 61956, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,117,400.

Acknowledgement

This profile was created, researched and initially written by Kathy Rabenstein.