Reuben m. the widow Amelia "Emily" Skinner on 9 Nov. 1849 in Hocking Co., OH. He may have been related to Amelia's late husband Eli Skinner because he raised the four Skinner children: Sarah Catherine Skinner, Margaret Skinner, Richard A. Skinner, and Eli Morris Skinner along with their own children: Nancy, Alcinda "Cin," Millie, Alvaretta "Allie," and John Thomas "Tom" Spurgeon. It's been determined through the passed down records and remembrances of Eli's niece Sarah Elizabeth (Jennings) Dean, who d. in 1936, that Eli Skinner was Zebal Skinner, a son of Richard & Rebecca (Rush) Skinner. It's thought that the Tersia Spurgeon who m. Ephraim Skinner was likely a sister of Reuben Spurgeon. Ephraim Skinner was a brother of Zebal "Eli" Skinner, so perhaps that was the family relationship behind Reuben raising Eli Skinner's children. There is a great deal of misinformation online about who Eli Skinner's parents were, as well as misinformation about Eli Skinner, so those researching him to learn more about Reuben & Amelia Spurgeon need to be careful.

Reuben's right hand was partially lost while he was serving in Co. H. 62nd OVI during the Civil War. Many of the men he was serving with were nearby at the time of the accident. Some of them describe what they witnessed in Reuben's Civil War pension file. When Reuben was climbing over a log, there was a loud sound that caused him to jump. That movement caused his gun to discharge, shooting off part of his right hand.

It's thought that the Elizabeth Spurgeon living near Reuben & Emily Spurgeon may have been Reuben's mother. A paper in his Civil War pension file has him as "R.R. Spurgeon"
as does the marriage record for Margaret (Skinner) Lanning, which lists Reuben as a witness. He likely gave her away in place of Eli. He's also listed as Ruben R. Spurgeon on the order for his Civil War headstone. A descendant of Amelia & Eli Skinner, Sally Messenger, took the photo of the headstone that the late Penny Taylor posted.