Max Spanner

According to Morris Benjamin's autobiography, Max Spanner was born in England, after the family fled there from (sic Satinof), Ukraine. Morris says that he was the third child, after Katy and Molly. See news article, below, for another version.

Max's naturalization card states that he was from Russia, as do the 1930 and 1940 US censuses. It also occurs to me that the passenger manifest from 1887 that gives his name as "Nördler" may have actually been "Mordecai," after his grandfather Abram Mordecai Spanner. [ME Dec 27, 2022]

Per Kathy Spiro (Senor) - '... I do know where the Zallers are buried in Mayfield - there are five plots together - the Zallers, Spanners and Uncle Max Spanner.'

In 1918, Max registered for the WW I draft, and lived at 123 13th St., Toledo, Ohio. His mother, Rose Spanner, at 6802 Hough Ave, Cleveland, Ohio was his contact. He states his birthday as November 18, 1874
In 1930 US census, Max Spanner was living in the Louis Spanner household. His age is given as 56. Louis's age is given as 47. Both brothers list Russia as their place of birth.

In the 1940 US census , Max Spanner, age 60, lived with Harry, age 38, and Betty Emerling, age 39, and their children Ken, age 12, and Ron, age 9. David and Larry Emerling, Ken's children, recall hearing that Max was a favorite uncle of Ken and Ron's, perhaps because they lived together for a time.

News article , The Jewish Review and Observer, Friday, October 19, 1938, p 8

The Jewish Review and Observer, Friday, October 19, 1928; Page: 8
SPANNER HAS BEEN IN THE FLORAL BUSINESS SINCE 1897
Picture

It was quite by accident that Max Spanner became engaged in the floral business in which he has now been engaged for the past thirty-one years. As a youth of twelve, Spanner was brought to this country and his parents settled in Cleveland. He attended Mayflower school and then went to work. His first job was as a newsboy in Cleveland's public square. He attended night school and in a short time opened a cigar, newspaper, magazine and shoe shining stand in the square entrance of the Williamson building. It was while he was operating this stand that he received his chance to go in the floral business. A man asked him if he knew of anybody who would interested in becoming a partner in a Toledo florist shop for $75. It got young Spanner thinking. The outcome of the proposition was that Max, then but 17, invested the $75 required for a half interest in a store of which half was used for the flower business and half for some other purpose. He closed up his cigar stand here and went to Toledo. Soon the partners took over the entire store and the business was put on a sound basis. For seven years the two men were partners all the time enlarging their business. At the end of that time they separated and Spanner had a store to himself. For 25 years he conducted the business in Toledo until six years ago he established his first store in Cleveland Heights at 2801 Euclid Heights boulevard. He started the store here so as to live with his mother after his father died. A short time ago he established his second store in Cleveland Heights at Lee road and Meadowbrook boulevard. He lives with a brother at 2316 Bellfield road. He is 48.