Charles Langhorne Spangler, called “Tump” was one of six children born of Wallace Wolford Spangler and his second wife Frances (Fannie) Eunice Langhorne. Tump had a half-brother, Harry Hannibal Spangler born 1877 to Wallace Wolford Spangler and first wife Catharine (Katie) Ellen Spangler. Wallace and Fannie’s children were:

 John Watts, “Babe ” Spangler (1882-1970)

 Charles Langhorne “Tump ” Spangler (1885-1983)

 Mary Josephine Spangler (1887-1970)

 Lila Ann Spangler (1889-1973)

 Elizabeth Lucretia Spangler (1892-)

 Virginia Empress Spangler (1894-1933)

 

As a young man, Tump married first, Susan Bertha Shelor, 1885-1909 who unfortunately died in childbirth. Secondly, he married Kittie Clyde Cockram and they had seven amazing children!

 Samuel Maurice Spangler 1916 – 1997

 Leila Evelyn Spangler 1918 – 2002

 Thomas W Spangler 1920 – 1991

 Benjamin Leslie Spangler1923 – 1996

 Harvie Langhorne Spangler 1928 – living

 Charles Bishop Spangler 1932 – 2011

 Daniel Patrick Spangler PhD 1934 – living

Two sons, Harvie and Pat (Daniel Patrick) are outstanding men in their own right, as were their siblings, and I will write more about them at a later date.  When you meet the grandchildren, of whom there are many, you can have no doubt about the upstanding character of their parents and Charles and how he passed on those strong character traits.

Among other things, Tump served as a Deputy Collector for the U.S. Internal Revenue (he was a revenuer!) In that capacity he spent many lonely days searching out and destroying moon-shine stills in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, in and around Patrick County. Charles is quoted in a family heirloom as writing, “My daily diary shows some 400 miles per month, for 4 years—1917-1921.” It just so happens, Charles had a first cousin who left those ole hills in a hurry one year. Later, another cousin, Mary Stuart Houchins, who became quite famous as a soap actress on the TV show “Search for Tomorrow”, wrote in her memoirs, that she had one cousin who was a revenuer, and one who shot a revenuer! Oh my gracious! I’ll have to ask Harvie and Pat if their Dad was ever shot!

Charles is probably best remembered for being elected to serve 5 terms in the Virginia House of Delegates. He was remembered in a tribute article in The Mountain Laurel now available online at http://www.mtnlaurel.com/. John H. Yeats wrote in 1989 that “the fact that he served with so much dedication, integrity and humility, set him apart from many of his legislative associates, and endeared him to many people.”

Tump Spangler, his wife Kitty Cockram, and their seven children grew up on a beautiful mountainous homestead that is still the home of one of his grandchildren. Once part of a 13,000 acre plantation owned in the Meadows of Dan by his grandfather, James Steptoe Langhorne, that land has belonged in the family for 200 years at least.

A statesman and a revenuer, Tump was also a musician, like all the Spanglers! In his younger days he won many a fiddler convention we are told, although it was his brother John Watts, “Babe” Spangler who became the famous “Old Virginia Fiddler” on the radio in Richmond, Virginia for 30 years! His sister’s husband and his first cousin, Dudley Spangler was another incredible fiddler along with first cousin Harry Houchins on the banjo, all members of this talented Spangler/Langhorne family!

Tump was my first cousin, 2x removed!  What a treat to see his family at our reunion coming up immediately! You will hear all about it I’m sure! With best wishes for your days, Helen