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Published Spurlin and Spurling family histories

The main published genealogies are Quincy Haggard Spurlin's 'SPURLIN: A Spurlin Family in America' (1987) and Norman Kent Spurling's two-volume 'Spurling family history in Virginia & North Carolina' (1998). Shorter family articles appear in county heritage books, and the largest online trees are on WikiTree and FamilySearch.

Sourcing: mixed 1 commercial · 7 genealogy · 1 reference · 2 book

SPURLIN: A Spurlin Family in America (1987)

This book was compiled by Quincy Haggard Spurlin and edited by George Spurlin. It runs to 230 pages and was begun in the 1950s[1]. The publisher describes it as a genealogical account covering several generations, starting with Jeremiah Spurling (1680–1725) and including the family's settlement in Texas before the Civil War[1]. Higginson Book Company, which specializes in genealogy reprints, sells reprints[1]. The publisher says the account continues up to George W. Spurlin (1854–1921)[1]. WikiTree lists a George Washington Spurlin (1854–1921) as a son of Jeremiah J. Spurlin (1825–1865), who was born in Houston County, Georgia, and died in Texas[2]. See A Spurlin Family in America (1987 genealogy).

Spurling family history in Virginia & North Carolina (1998)

Norman Kent Spurling's Spurling family history in Virginia & North Carolina, with early history of Spurlings, Sperlings & Sparlings in many other areas was published by the compiler in Beltsville, Maryland, in two volumes. The catalogue record dates it to 2 December 1998 and notes contributing authors, bibliographical references and indexes. Its Library of Congress control number is 99231270[3]. Its catalogue subjects include the Sperling family and the genealogy of North Carolina and Virginia[3]. WikiTree profiles cite its chapter 10 for the family of John Spurlin Sr. ("Big John") of Lincoln County, North Carolina[4].

County heritage books

Sixteen years before the two-volume history, Norman Kent Spurling wrote "The John Spurlin Family" for The Heritage of Cleveland County (1982). The article covers John Spurlin Sr. of Lincoln County, whose family at the time of his 1822 will included 23 children. It credits census analysis and personal papers supplied by relatives, and family records[5]. The same volume has articles by other contributors on Isaac Spurlin Sr. and later Cleveland County families (see Spurlins of Cleveland and Rutherford Counties)[5].

Other compilations

Heare, Rownails & Spurling Families (1995), compiled by Grace Latimer Durig and Richard F. Durig, is held by the Internet Archive as a lending-only scan[6]. WikiTree's profile of John Spurlin Sr. also points readers to a 1986 work, "Spurling Family", by Larry R. Spurlin, but gives no publication details[4].

Online resources

WikiTree's free collaborative tree listed 361 Spurlin profiles in September 2026. Related spellings have separate pages, including about 1,090 Spurling and 123 Sparlin profiles[7]. FamilySearch's shared Family Tree has overlapping profiles for many of the same people. Some have census, Revolutionary pay-voucher or Georgia land-grant records attached[8][9]. A family blog, Spurlin Family Blog, collects traditions about the name's origin, but it relies on commercial crest sites[10]. The FamilyTreeDNA project adds Y-DNA evidence (see Sperling/Spurling DNA surname project)[11].

See also

  • Early Spurlin and Spurling families in America · Genealogy mixed
    Spurlin and Spurling families appear in colonial Virginia and North Carolina in the 18th century and moved west and south into Indiana, Alabama and Texas during the 19th century. Their European origins are still debated.
  • Sperling/Spurling DNA surname project · Genealogy mixed
    FamilyTreeDNA hosts a volunteer-run Y-DNA surname project, 'Sperling Spurling', for Spurlin, Spurling, Sparlin, Sparling, Sperlin, Sperling, Spirlin and Spirling lines. Its largest group links descendants of Jeremiah Spurling of Virginia with descendants of 'Big John' Spurlin of Lincoln County, North Carolina.
  • A Spurlin Family in America (1987 genealogy) · Genealogy weak
    A Spurlin Family in America is a 230-page family genealogy compiled by Quincy Haggard Spurlin and edited by George Spurlin, published in 1987. It follows one line from Jeremiah Spurling (1680–1725) down to George W. Spurlin (1854–1921) and a Texas branch; WikiTree places a man of that name in a Georgia and Alabama family that moved to Texas.
  • Jeremiah Spurling of Colonial Virginia · Genealogy weak
    Three generations of men named Jeremiah Spurling lived in colonial Virginia: a Westmoreland County shoemaker and planter who died in 1725 or 1726, his son (c. 1704–c. 1770), a tenant tobacco planter in Truro Parish, Fairfax County, and a grandson (c. 1745 – c. 1810) of Fairfax County. Many southern Spurlin and Spurling lines trace their descent to this family.
  • "Big John" Spurling and the Spurlin DNA Project · Genealogy mixed
    John Spurlin (or Spurling) Sr., known to researchers as "Big John", lived in Orange, Chatham, Richmond and Lincoln counties, North Carolina, and left a will in 1822 naming 23 children. Y-DNA testing places a descendant in the same paternal line as the Jeremiah Spurling family of Virginia, but no document yet found names his parents.
  • Spurlin research resources · Genealogy mixed
    A roundup of free online tools for researching Spurlin families: collaborative trees, the Spurlin Y-DNA project, surname forums, digitized county histories and newspapers, federal land patents, cemetery and historical-marker databases, and military and African American records.
  • Books by Spurlin authors · Culture strong
    A bibliography of books by authors surnamed Spurlin, from 1940s intellectual history and Texas military history to self-published fiction, compiled mainly from Open Library catalogue records.
  • Spurlin family groups and reunions online · Genealogy weak
    Online places where Spurlin relatives and researchers gather: a family reunion blog and newsletters, surname DNA and genealogy projects, surname message boards and Facebook.

References

  1. ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ SPURLIN: A Spurlin Family in America — Higginson Book Company — Publisher's description Commercial
  2. ↑ Jeremiah J. Spurlin (1825–1865) (Spurlin-118) — WikiTree Genealogy
  3. ↑ ↑ Spurling family history in Virginia & North Carolina ... by Norman Kent Spurling — Open Library — Catalogue record derived from Library of Congress MARC data Reference
  4. ↑ ↑ John Spurling (1740–1822) (Spurling-231) — WikiTree Genealogy
  5. ↑ ↑ The Heritage of Cleveland County (1982) — Internet Archive — Articles 1009–1012 Book
  6. ↑ Heare, Rownails & Spurling Families, compiled by Grace Latimer Durig and Richard F. Durig (1995) — Internet Archive — Lending-only item Book
  7. ↑ Spurlin Genealogy — WikiTree — Surname page, September 2026: 361 profiles; related-name counts Genealogy
  8. ↑ John Spurling Sr. (1740–1822), MM5Y-6T3 — FamilySearch Family Tree — Example profile with attached census and pay-voucher records Genealogy
  9. ↑ Jeremiah Spurling (1760–1820), LH1S-J8Z — FamilySearch Family Tree — Lists Georgia headright and bounty land records among its sources Genealogy
  10. ↑ Origin of Spurlin Surname — Spurlin Family Blog (WordPress) — Family blog; cites 4Crests.com Genealogy
  11. ↑ Sperling Spurling — Overview — FamilyTreeDNA group project Genealogy

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Last reviewed 2026-09-24.