Ceramic pots date back to Loffler family in 1700s

On the same 2013 trip to North Carolina (see previous post), I located two beautifully preserved ceramic pieces in a display case in a museum in Raleigh. They were verified by a docent as being passed down through the Loffler (Spoon) family from the 1700s. These sugar pots also are documented in the book "Ceramics in America," of which I have a copy. Other than a crack in the lid of the yellowish pot, they appear to be in remarkably good shape.

According to the book, these items and the 1779 confirmation certificate of John Spoon were acquired during an auction in Guilford County some years ago. What a find!

John Spoon (1766-1849): A treasure discovered

One of the most significant Spoon ancestors we share is John Spoon, who was born Johannes Loffel/Loffler on July 17, 1766 in Guilford County, North Carolina. He was the first of our direct ancestors to be born in America, the son of Johannes Loffler (1722-1785) -- one of three brothers who sailed to America from Germany on separate trips in the mid-1700s.

As I began to research John, I came across a photocopy of his confirmation certificate from 1779. I have copies of both the German script and the English translation, as you can see in the attached photos. It always fascinated me to know that I had seen an original German document from one of my ancestors. I was never sure who found this certificate and if the original survived, however.

Until one day in 2013 during a research trip to North Carolina, that is.

I knew our ancestors lived in Guilford County and neighboring Alamance County, about an hour from Raleigh in a rural area of North Carolina. I had made previous trips there and found many Spoon headstones in local cemeteries. On this particular trip, I decided to make a trip to a museum in nearby Winston-Salem to see what I could find.

On a guided tour, we came into a room that had many similar certificates framed and hanging on the walls. Could I be lucky enough to find John Spoon's original certificate there, I wondered? I shared my anticipation with the group as we searched the walls, but John's certificate was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, I followed the group into the next room, which was filled with antique furniture from that time period.

As I entered, I spotted an old hope chest in the center of the room, with a spotlight shining on a framed certificate. To my amazement, it was the original John Spoon confirmation certificate! Stunned, I studied it carefully and had my photo taken with it. The tour guide had no idea how the museum acquired the certificate or why it was the one chosen for special display in that room. You talk about divine intervention ... I stopped and said a prayer of thanks, right there.

I have also visited John's grave at the Low's Lutheran Church Cemetery in Guilford County. Attached is a photo of the headstone of my gggg grandfather. I can't wait until I can return to North Carolina in search of more treasures.

Jake Spoon: Horse thief or simply a cow-punching cowboy?

Was he really a horse thief, and which ancestor actually is Jake Spoon?

This remains somewhat of a mystery, but it certainly makes for good conversation. A story handed down through the Spoon generations speaks about a cowboy who lived in Texas and was infamous for stealing horses from Indian territory in Oklahoma. Some speculate that the character Jake Spoon in the "Lonesome Dove" book and movie was based on our Spoon ancestor. Larry McMurtry, the author of the book, isn't saying, although he grew up in that area of Texas.

There are two most likely Spoon ancestors who were the Jake Spoon of cowboy folklore. One is John M. Spoon, born in 1866 in Arkansas. Descendants of John M. often tell the story of Jake Spoon and believe John M. was that person.

This narrative comes from Debby Spoon Looney, the great granddaughter of John M. Spoon:

"I don't know how true the story about John Spoon being a horse thief is. It may just be a stab my grandpa made at a dad he hated. I just found it all so interesting that the movie 'Lonesome Dove' had this character Jake Spoon, who was being chased by Sheriff July Johnson for accidentally killing somebody in Ft. Smith, Arkansas and was ultimately hung for being a horse thief. The Ft. Smith area is where my great grandfather John M. and grandfather Harry Frederick Spoon and siblings were living at that period of time.

"I have researched the making of the movie several times. It is said that author used some factually events in his story, but the story itself is totally fictional."

The other Spoon ancestor who might possibly by the Jake Spoon we speak of is Jacob Andrew Spoon, who was born in 1864 in Illinois and died in 1922 in Menard, Texas. The Facebook page "Traces of Texas" reports the following:

"Many Texans know that there was a character named 'Jake Spoon' in Lonesome Dove, the book and TV miniseries, with Robert Urich playing the part of Jake in the miniseries. But most Texans probably do not realize that there was a real life Jake Spoon who, though he was also a trail-riding cowboy, was quite different from ex-Ranger Jake Spoon in the story. The real life Jake Spoon was born in 1864 and, as a young man, made 10 trips up the trail, driving cattle from Texas to Kansas. He died on a cot in his front yard in Menard, Texas, in 1922, and is buried in the Pioneer Rest cemetery there."

There is no mention of this Jake Spoon being a horse thief. His identity as a trail-riding cowboy is confirmed through the above photo, however.

We may never know whether Jake Spoon really was a horse thief or which man the movie character may refer to, but it remains one of the most interesting stories in Spoon family history.