Born: 15 April 1854 Greenwood, Johnson Co., IN Married 1st: 03 May 1882 Greenwood, Johnson, IN       Spouse 1st: Susan Catherine Powers Married 2nd: 16 July 1890 Indianapolis, Marion, IN       Spouse 2nd: Sadie B. Buser Died: 26 Jan 1926 Greenwood, Johnson Co., IN Buried: Greenwood Cemetery, Johnson Co., IN FATHER Simeon B. Spillman

MOTHER

Sarah V. Brewer

WIVES

Susan Powers

Sadie Buser

CHILDREN with  Susan Powers 1. Ethel Blanche Spillman     b. 3 Mar 1883	Ethel Spillman
2. Ralph Spillman     b. 31 July 1885     d. 02 April 1887  3. Ray Jacob Spillman      b. 31 July 1885	Ray Spillman

William Garrett Spillman
by Susan Brooke
Dec 2020

According to his death certificate, William Garrett Spillman was born 15 Apr 1854 to Simeon Spillman and Sarah Brewer. (1) "He must have been quite a character." (2) He pulled some very devilish pranks.  He married married Susan Powers, a widow with a 2 1/2 year old daughter, in 1882 when he was 28. (3)  Their families may have been friends since William's older sister, Mary Spillman, married Susan's older brother, Isaac Powers, just a few months later.  In 1885 William G Spillman was in partnership with a Mr. Dill with a candy store.  The partnership dissolved in Oct 1885 and W. G. continued the store as a restaurant.  Meals were 25 cents. (4)
The marriage with Susan Powers was short and stormy. They had a daughter, Ethel, in 1883 and twins in 1885. But they seem to have disagreed about everything. One of the twins died in 1887, probably deepening the rift.  Susan had inherited a wagon (see page for Susan Powers) from her deceased first husband, and some money from her parents who had died in November of 1881.  So, when an argument broke out over how William G. was planning to vote, she went out and chopped up the buggy, her own buggy, preventing him from going to town.  Susan joined a traveling wild west show, divorced William Garrett Spillman, and took her oldest daughter, Bessie, to Wyoming, but left her other two children with their father, William G. Spillman.
William G. remarried in 1890 to Sadie  B. Buser and had another son, Roy Spillman in 1891.  In 1893 he owned a successful harness shop. (5)  Below is a photo of him taken in 1910. (6)  In 1916 they moved to Goshen, Indiana where he and his son Roy opened a grocery business. (7)  His son Ray J Spillman and son-in-law J. Earl Zimmerly had also moved to Goshen and opened a leather goods store. All may have been going well.  But then there was one ravaging disaster after another. In 1916 Ray's home roof caught on fire in May and he had an operation in Sep. In 1917 The Leather good store caught on fire in March. Ray and J. Earl Zimmerly moved to another location and there was a gas explosion there on 20 Apr 1917. (8) At some point W. G. Spillman and his son Roy both moved back to Indianapolis.  In the 1920 census William Spillman is a harness maker renting his home on Brookside Dr. (9) Ray Spillman and J Earl Zimmerly stayed on in Goshen.  Ray went to Seattle in April of 1917 to bring his mother back.  Susan Powers lived with her daughter Ethel for about a year. But things were still disastrous in Goshen.   Ray's home was nearly destroyed by fire in Goshen in Sep 1921.(8) By Dec 1921 he too left Goshen and went to Columbus.  J. Earl Zimmerly and family moved first to South Bend and by 1930 went back to Indianapolis.
William G. Spillman died at his home at 6276 College Ave. Indianapolis on 26 Jan 1926 at the age of 71 and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery.  (9) (10) Afterwards, his wife, Sadie Buser, lived with her son Roy.  She died in 1944 at the age of 85. (11)

Sources

(1) Death Certificate of William G Spillman

(2) Oral history as recorded by Mary Zimmerly Zenor in 1980

"This brings us to Ethel Blanche Spillman was was 16 when she met Earl.  She was a student at Manuel High School learning to become a teacher.  She was on her way home, walking along Meridian Street the day J. Earl first saw her.  She lived with her father and step-mother above the harness shop with her two brothers.  It must have been love at first sight.  They began dating, but her father did not approve (possibly because of the lack of his education or her young years.) At any rate, they saved their money and were married at their first residence, 3651 N. Capital Ae. on June 28, 1904.  J. Earl was 23 and Ethel 21.
Ethel's father was William Garrett Spillman, born April 15, 1854.  His father, Simeon Spillman married to Sarah Brewer, had been one of the first settlers to Johnson Co.  He must have been quite a character.  W. G. said his father used to have steak and two kinds of pie for breakfast every morning.  W. G. had a sister Sarah and a brother Robert.  He and his brother were well known around Greenwood, Indiana as very active little boys up to lots of pranks.  One of the stories he liked to tell about himself was how they tricked a blind man into falling into a shallow dry well.  He and his brother had rerouted a rail fence along a farm where this blind man walked daily knowing the blind man used the fence as his guide.  On the other side of the fence was an old mule named Belle with a bell around her neck.  Well, after the blind man fell into the well the boys got a long stick with a bell tied to the end of it and pretended to be the mule about to fall in on top of the blind man.  They delighted in hearing the blind man yell "woe Belle, Woe  - Woe!"  W. G. was also quite the ladies man and delighted in telling another story about being out on a date with one girl in a horse and buggy when the horse by habit turned in to another girlfriend's house. With all this in mind it is possibly a little bit more understandable why his first wife marched out on him one day.  Elizabeth, however, remembered her grandfather as a kind and lovable man who loved to tell stories and who was especially wonderful to her.
but back to W. G.  He married Susan Catherine Powers (married name Stephens) on May 3, 1882.  Susan had been married before and possibly widowed. She had a daughter, Bessie Stephens, born September 22, 1879.  Ten months after the wedding another daughter was born, Ethel Spillman born March 3, 1883 in Greenwood, Indiana.  Two years later they had twin sons, Ralph and Ray born July 31, 1885.  During their marriage they must have had many stormy battles.  One election day, for example, there was some kind of argument over the way to vote, so Susan went out and chopped up the buggy so no one could vote.  Susan was high spirited for those Victorian days.  She and W. G. must have been some match for each other.  In April 1887 one of the twins, Ralph, died and susan must have been very depressed over the death.  This coupled with the stormy marriage lead her to join a wild west show that was in town.  She packed up and moved west taking only Bessie with her.  She had beena musician and sang.  Before the divorce she and W.G. had played for square dances.  After Susan got out West, poor health set in and she was forced to leave the show in Cody, Wyoming.   There, alone, sick and with a small daughter to raise, she met Aarom Holm, known as Tex.  She eventually married him and they started taking guided tours through Yellowstone Park.  Together they built the Holm Lodge and Tex helped plan the original road leading into Yellowstone National Park from the north.  Later when Susan came visiting to Indianapolis she told of many adventures and of knowing Buffalo Bill.
Susan eventually came back to visit Indianapolis once in a while. She even stayed with Ethel after Ethel was married.  She suffered from rheumatism in her old age and her hands became crippled.  She went back to Wyoming and is buried there.  I am guessing she died around 1917.  Susan's parents were Jacob Powers and Sarah Bronson.  She used to tell her granddaughter, Elizabeth, that Sarah Bronson was a first cousin to Louisa May Alcott.
But, back to W. G..  After Susan left, he was left to raise two small children, Ethel who was about 4 and Ray who was an infant.  Finally he married again to Sadie B Buser on July 16, 1890.  Together they had one more child, Roy.  They all lived over the harness shop at 909 S. Meridian St.  Ethel did not have a particularly happy childhood.  She felt her step-mother, Sadie, was partial to Roy and ignored Ray leaving Ethel caught in the middle, always there to protect Ray.  I think she was extremely happy to get married and move out.  W. G. lived to be 71.  He died January 26, 1926.  Sadie didn't' die until 1944."

(3) Marriage of William Spillman to Sudie C Stevens

(4) Franklin Evening Star
      1885 Sep 11, Finest display of candies at Dill and Spillman's.
      1885  Oct 1, Firm of Dill and Spillman, dissolved by mutual consent, Mr Dill retiring and Mr. Spillman continuing.
      1885 Oct 9, Oysters! in any style, served at all hours, at Spillman's rest. Meals 25 cents.

(5)Harness Shop

(6) Photo taken in 1910

(7) Goshen Daily Democrat
Opens grocery store with son Roy  18 Apr 1916

(8) Newspapers in Goshen, Indiana

1915      April 19

R J Spillman has purchased leather good store with brother-in-law J E Zimmerly

Goshen Daily Democrat

1916   Jan 11

WG Spillman has pneumonia

Goshen Daily Democrat

1916   April 13	Mr and Mrs WG Spillman moves to Goshen and will occupy Slaughter House at 118 South Sixth Street	Goshen Daily Democrat
April 18	WG Spillman and son open grocery store	Goshen Daily Democrat
May 12	Roof of dwelling of R J Spillman on fire  112 S 6th ST  roof of Slaughter House on fire.  Started in fireplace.	Goshen Democrat
Sept 1	RJ Spillman undergoes an operation	Goshen Daily Democrat

1917   Mar 16	Historic Old Playhouse is Burned down.  Spillman and Zimmerly leather goods store, damages $8,000.  Insurance $6,000. - Practically all the stock on the first floor of the Spillman and Zimmlerly store was carried out and placed in the rear room of the City National bank, and in an empty room across the street from the fire. Much stock in the basement was ruined by water, however, which will make their loss high.  Lloyd Chapman arrested for looting	Goshen Weekly News Times
Mar 15	The Leather Goods Store will re-open either in the former site of their business on East Lincoln Ave., or elsewhere as soon as the fire loss is adjusted.  Any report that the firm will go out of business is an erroneous one.	Goshen Daily Dempcrat
Mar 24	Losses of the Irwin estate and Spillman & Zimmerly in the Irwin opera house fire of March 10 have not been adjusted.  The Irwin estate not being in possession of plans that were used when the theater was remodeled in 1895 have had some difficulty in establishing their loss.	Goshen Daily Democrat
Mar 27	To Hold Fire Sale.  The Spillman & Zimmerly leather goods store will hold a fire sale next week in the Spohn building on East Lincoln Avenue	Goshen Daily Democrat
Mar 29	Judge F E Baker stated that the arcade over the alley in the Irvin Theater block, would be removed.  The Baker rights to the second floor over the Baker-Mitchell room, occupied by the Spillman & Zimmerly leather goods store, will be sold to the Judge's mother.  In all probability a bowling alley will be constructed over the H F Kidder rooms.	Goshen Daily Democrat

1917    Apr 20

R. J. Spillman will leave in a few days for Seattle, Wash. to return with his mother

Goshen Democrat

1917    Nov 6	Gas Explosion.  A gas explosion in the basement of the building recently erected by Dr. A. J. Irwin etc.  Spillman & Zimmerly, leather goods dealers, who were tenants in the building before the fire, were moving their stock in the room from the Spohn building at the time of the explosion.	Goshen Daily Democrat
Nov 30	While at work in the Spillman & Zimmerly leather goods store, Earl Zimmerly ran a splinter in the third finger of his right hand, and required the services of a physician to dress the wound	Goshen Weekly News Times

1921      Sep 19	Home of Ray J Spillman nearly destroyed by Sunday Blaze. Home at 305 south South Sixth Street was damaged to $1,??? by fire yesterday morning.  Much of the damage was to the furniture and decorations through water and chemicals that were thrown on the blaze.  Much of the loss is covered by insurance.  6th time that he has had a fire in his home.	Goshen Daily Democrat
1922    Oct 31	R J Spillman, proprietor of the leather goods store, east Lincoln Ave., is negotiating for the sale of his business to N A Starr of Indianapolis, a luggage salesman.  The Spillmans will probably remain here until Jan 1st after which they move to Columbus, Ohio, he having accepted  Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia for a St Louis concern.	Goshen Daily Democrat
Aug 10	A man broke into the home of R J Spillman at 305 South 6th at 2:30 am and took money from a pocketbook	Goshen Daily Democrat
Nov 22	Leather Goods store to be continued. R J Spillman has sold the leathers goods store to N A Starr.	Goshen Daily Democrat

1922    Dec 16

Dr & Mrs J A Snapp entertained at cards last evening for Mr and Mrs. Spillman who are leaving soon for Columbus, Ohio to make their home.  Guest favors were given to Mr. and Mrs. Spillman

Goshen Daily Democrat

(9) 1920 census Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana

(10) Obituary
Franklin Evening Star Thursday Jan 28, 1926 pg. 6

 (11) Buried Greenwood Cemetery, Johnson County, IN

(11) Mrs. Sadie B. Spillman, age 85, who died Sunday in Saint Francis Hospital at Beech Grove, was laid to rest in the Greenwood Cemetery here Wednesday afternoon (September 6, 1944) following services conducted at 2 p.m. at the Moore and Kirk Mortuary in Irvington.

A member of the Morris Street Methodist church in Indianapolis. Mrs. Spillman had lived for the past 20 years with her son, Roy E. Spillman, in the capital city. Another son living in Waco, Texas and a daughter living near Indianapolis also survive.

Obituary appeared in The Franklin Evening Star newspaper on Wednesday, September 6, 1944.

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