First found in Bavaria, where the name spread to the north and gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society.

Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Spangler or a variant listed above: Frederick Spengeler, who came to America in 1709 at the age of 53 with his wife and two sons. Fritz Spengler also came with his wife in 1709; Johannes Spengler arrived in Philadelphia in 1731.

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