<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

  <head>
    <script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-2.1.3.min.js" data-semver="2.1.3" data-require="jquery@*"></script>
    <script data-require="lodash.js@*" data-semver="3.1.0" src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/lodash.js/3.1.0/lodash.min.js"></script>
    <script src="//cdn.datatables.net/1.10.5/js/jquery.dataTables.min.js"></script>
    <script src="//cdn.datatables.net/plug-ins/f2c75b7247b/api/fnFakeRowspan.js"></script>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="//cdn.datatables.net/1.10.5/css/jquery.dataTables.min.css" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
    <script src="script.js"></script>
  </head>

  <body>
    <h1>Hello Plunker!</h1>
    <table id="pastPresidents">
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>NAME</th>
          <th>YEAR</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td rowspan="2">Creed Ford</td>
          <td>2013</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td class="hide">Creed Ford</td>
          <td>2016</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Jose Chavez</td>
          <td>2015</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td rowspan="3">Lindsey Bock</td>
          <td>2012</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td class="hide">Lindsey Bock</td>
          <td>2013</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td class="hide">Lindsey Bock</td>
          <td>0</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Luis Muñoz</td>
          <td>2014</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
    <table id="pastPresidents2">
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>NAME</th>
          <th>YEAR</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td>Creed Ford</td>
          <td>2013</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Creed Ford (1)</td>
          <td>2016</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Jose Chavez</td>
          <td>2015</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Lindsey Bock</td>
          <td>2012</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Lindsey Bock (1)</td>
          <td>2013</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Lindsey Bock (2)</td>
          <td>0</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Luis Muñoz</td>
          <td>2014</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </body>

</html>
// Code goes here
$(document).ready(function(){
    $('#pastPresidents2').DataTable();
    
    var data = [];
    $('#pastPresidents2 td').each(function() 
    {
        var $this = $(this);
        var index = $this.index();
        var txt =  $this.text();
        //console.log(this);
        //console.log(index);
        
        if (index == 0) {
          var item =  _.find(data, function(o) {
                    //return o.v == txt;
                    return txt.indexOf(o.v) != -1;
                  });
        
          if (item) {
            item.t = item.t + 1;
            item.o.attr('rowspan', item.t).removeClass('hide');
            $this.addClass('hide'); 
          }else{
            data.push({
              i: index,
              t: 1,
              o: $this,
              v: txt
            });
            //$this.addClass('hide'); 
          }
        }
    });
    console.log(data);
});
/* Styles go here */
.hide{
  display:none;
}