David Spoon: A pioneer life cut much too short

X on map shows approximate location of Spoon farm

John Spoon, a descendant of the German family Löffler, raised seven children in North Carolina with his wife, the former Eve Fogleman. The couple’s third child, born Oct. 16, 1793, was named David Sylvester Spoon.

David was a member of the first generation to adopt from birth the American surname Spoon, which is the English translation of Löffel or Löffler. He is also the author’s great great great grandfather and a man about whom very little is known in the short time he spent on this earth.

Nothing is known about David Spoon’s childhood years, but it is assumed he helped work the family farm and, like most other men in rural colonial communities, chose from among the women in the few neighboring families for a mate. On Feb. 22, 1820, he married Margaret (known as Peggy) Greeson, whose ancestors came from the same region of Germany as the Spoons and most of the other settlers of Guilford County.

David and Peggy Spoon lived on land deeded them by Peggy’s father. It was a 150-acre parcel bordering Beaver Creek, which crosses what it is now Highway 61 at a point near the intersection of Highway 62, just a few miles southeast of Greensboro. Making use of the rich soil and nearby water source, the Spoons diligently worked a farm that annually reaped harvests of wheat, corn and other crops.

Peggy's great grandfather, Isaac Greeson, sailed from Rotterdam on the ship James Goodwill, arriving in Philadelphia on Sept. 11, 1728. His trip south as one of Guilford County's first settlers was surely a difficult one, but it appears Isaac carved out a productive life once he got there. Land grant documents from Sept. 11, 1762 show an Isaac Grayson (probably Greeson) as the owner of 907 acres. And Salisbury District Court Minutes from March 1763 show that one Isaac Creson (probably Greeson) was naturalized (under British rule, of course).

Isaac Greeson died in 1768, leaving a wife and five children. One of those, a son named Jacob, had six children of his own, including Peggy's father, also named Isaac. Like his pioneering grandfather, this Isaac Greeson is portrayed in state documents as a land owner of considerable stature.

In a land deed dated Aug. 29, 1820, Isaac gave a large parcel of land to David Spoon, probably as a wedding gift. The boundaries of that parcel were described in terms perhaps unfamiliar to us, but in standard language for that time period. According to the land deed, the property bordered Beaver Creek and ran from an oak tree north 48 degrees east two poles to a hickory tree, then north 80 degrees east 96 poles to another oak tree, then south 34 degrees east 108 poles to a red oak tree, etc. A "pole" was a standard surveyor's unit of measure equal to 16.5 feet -- the distance between fence poles on property boundaries of that time period.

Starting their family on that plot of land, David and Peggy Spoon had three sons -- Henry, Turly and David Jr. With reasonably wealthy and influential families supporting them on both sides, the couple appeared to have a bright future together. But on Oct. 10, 1823, just six days short of his 30th birthday, David Spoon died.

John Spoon Jr. acknowledges Margaret Amick’s petition for David Spoon’s land

The cause of David's death is not known to researchers. He is buried in the Low's Lutheran Church Cemetery near where he lived. Low's Lutheran Church, organized in 1771, was originally a log structure used by both Lutheran and German Reformed congregations. Today it is a beautiful modern brick building located on the original site, on state Highway 61 near its intersection with Highway 62, about six miles south of Interstate 40 (which is also Interstate 85 at that point).

Behind the church, in one of the first rows among the oldest graves, is the grave marker for John Spoon, born July 19, 1766, died March 11, 1849. His wife Eve is also buried there. A few feet away is a headstone now virtually unreadable, but verified a few years ago as bearing the first name "DAVID." Beneath the name are the dates that match those of David Spoon: Born Oct. 16, 1793, died Oct. 10, 182-. Although the last number of the year is illegible, this certainly seems to match his 1823 death date.

David left behind three infant sons who, according to state law at that time, were legally considered orphans. Because women were homemakers and not considered capable of providing for their children without a spouse, widows generally were forced to place their minor children under the care of a male guardian -- usually an uncle, grandfather or family friend. This was the case with Henry, Turly and David Spoon Jr. -- all apparently under the age of 4 when their father died. In guardian documents ranging from 1830 to 1842, John Spoon Jr. is listed as the guardian of the three minor sons of the late David Spoon.

Only a close look reveals the letters on David Spoon’s tombstone

Researchers assume John Spoon Jr. was a brother of David Spoon. In an 1821 Guilford County land deed, John Spoon Sr. and John Spoon Jr. are listed as joint grantors of land to another family. This leads to speculation that John Spoon Jr., apparently being roughly the same age as David Spoon because of his status as guardian of three minors, was the brother of David Spoon and that John Spoon Sr. was their father. John Spoon Jr. would be the John Spoon, born 1808, who is listed as one of John Spoon and Eve Fogleman’s seven children.

Peggy Greeson Spoon certainly maintained contact with her sons and probably lived very close to them, yet apparently she didn't grieve over the loss of her husband for too long. On Sept. 24, 1824 -- less than a year after David's death -- Peggy remarried to Jacob Amick, the member of another prominent local family. In an 1830 court document, Peggy and Jacob Amick were awarded 150 acres of land from the estate of David Spoon. In this document, the land was described as a "plantation."

Douglas Spoon

15 November 2008