Emil Spoor was born in Payne, Ohio, on January 21, 1891, the son of John Spoor, born in 1851 in Germany, and Stepena (Shoemaker)—or, in the German spelling, Schuhmacher—born in 1865 in Germany. The couple was married on November 14, 1889, in Ottawa, Ohio.
By 1900, the couple was living in Payne, Ohio, where John was farming in Harrison Township. John and Stepena were the parents of Bertha Mae, born October 19, 1885; Emil, born in 1891; Lucy Marie, born August 24, 1892; and William, born November 7, 1897. On April 17, 1901, a son, Lewis Spoor, was born. By 1910, the Spoor family was still farming, and Emil was helping his father on the farm. He quit school after the eighth grade. A sister, Josie, was born in 1912.
By 1915, Emil had moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was working as a fireman for the New York Central Railroad. He was living at the Lake Shore Hotel in Fort Wayne when, on June 5, 1917, he registered for the World War I draft. He was described as tall, of medium build, with brown eyes, black hair, and single. His brother William also registered for the draft on June 5, 1918. William was living in Payne, Ohio, and working on the railroad for the B&O Railroad out of Junction. He was described as tall, slender, with blue eyes and light hair…