See SQ 2567 for brief comments regarding this marriage.

.
!NOTES:
We learn of "Almy" from the Vital Records of Rhode Island, Births,
Records of Kent County, Book 2, pg. 80 from the entry recording the
birth of one of their children: "Jerauld, Niles, of Dutee, Jr. and
Almy, June 22, 1774."

(Here continues from William's notes at pg. 3761 of the SPARKS QUARTERLY,Whole No. 154:)

We have learned of three settlements of estates in Frederick County inwhich William Sparks was a debtor. When Margaret Riddle's estate wassettled in 1750, he was listed as owing one shilling and six pence for"one days work." [Inventories Book A, No. 1, pp. 65-661 It would appearthat Margaret Riddle had "hired out" someone in her household to work fora day for Sparks for which he had not yet paid. An inventory of theestate of William Barrick taken November 6, 1750, listed William Sparksas a debtor, but for what reason was not stated [Inventories Book A, No.1, p. 84] Also, in the settlement of the estate of Edward Beatty in 1752,William Sparks and his cousin, Joseph Sparks, were both listed as debtors[Inventories Book A, No. 1, p. 298-310]. William Sparks was also listedas a debtor in the settlement of the estate of Susanna Beatty in 1755[Inventories Book A, No. 1, p. 325]. Susanna Beatty and her son, William,lived on what "is known today as Glade Valley Farms near the village ofMount Pleasant." [Quoted from Pioneers of Old Monocacy by Grace L. Traceyand John P. Dern, published by the Genealogical Publishing Co.,Baltimore, 1987, p. 119.]

On April 25, 1761, William Sparks, Joseph Parks, and Richard Wellsreported to the Frederick County Court that they had surveyed a new roadconnecting with the road "from the head of Little Pipe Creek to BaltimoreTown." They added that "there is very good ground for a wagon road."[Frederick Co. Court Judgements, August Court, 1761, pp. 232-33] (WasJoseph Parks meant for Joseph Sparks?) Their report was in response to arequest made by "sundry inhabitants" at the June 1761 meeting of theFrederick County Court stating that they lived between Piney and GreatPipe Creeks" and requested authority "to clear a road from the TemporaryLine drawn by Peter Erb's mill into the new road near the head of LittlePipe Creek." ("Great Pipe Creek" is now called Big Pipe Creek.)

The most interesting reference to William Sparks found thus far among theFrederick County Court records pertains to his having had his "CastorHatt" stolen on June 20, 1761. Castor hats were made from beaver hidesand were highly valued in Europe as well as in the American colonies.William Sparks's hat was considered to be worth the equivalent of 140pounds of tobacco. (Tobacco often served as a form of currency--thetobacco itself was not usually traded, but rather "shares" of tobaccohoused in a central tobacco warehouse.) The person charged with the theftwas Thomas Stevenson, a farmer living in Frederick County. He was notonly accused by William Sparks; his charge was supported by several ofWilliam's neighbors who testified, including William Currance, George,John, and Thomas Norris, William Purseley, Jean Ogullion, RichardMeyrick, John McGlockran, and William Luckett.

The formal charge drawn up against Stevenson was that he "feloniouslytook, stole and Carried away, against the Peace of the Lord Proprietary,his Good Rule and Government [William Sparks's] Castor Hatt." WhenStevenson was brought before the Court on August 18, 1761, he stated thathe was "in no ways Guilty of the premises to him in form aforesaidImposed and therefore for Good and Ill puts himself upon the Country." Ajury was then appointed to hear the case, consisting of Joseph, Robert,Archibald, and James Beall, James Duley, Jeremiah Hays, Samuel Ellis,Richard Watts, John Dowdon, James Remmer, Alexander Magruder, and WilliamCammack. The prosecutor was Thomas Johnson, Jr. Stevenson seems not tohave had benefit of legal counsel. In any case, the jury returned averdict of guilty, whereupon the Court informed the sheriff thatStevenson should "be sett in the Pillory for and during the space of fiveMinutes and that aftez'wards he be set to the Whipping Post and therereceive on his Bare Body Ten Lashes for his offense ... and that he payto William Sparks, the sd Proprietor of the Hatt so Stolen as aforesaid,Five hundred and sixty pounds of Tobacco for fourfold thereof and restoreto the same William Sparks the Hatt so stolen."

A glimpse of William Sparks's character may be revealed by the next Courtrecord pertaining to this case. After Stevenson had received his corporalpunishment, William came before the Court "& releases the fourfold," thatis, he declined to demand payment of the 560 pounds of tobacco whichStevenson had been ordered to give him. Apparently, all William wantedwas to have his hat back. A friend of Stevenson's named Andrew Owler thenpaid the fees due the Court and Thomas Stevenson was "Dismist." [SeeJudgement Records, Frederick Co., Vol. 1761-62]

As has been noted earlier, William Sparks's father, William SampleSparks, had moved with his family from Frederick County, Maryland, to theForks of the Yadkin in Rowan County, North Carolina, in, we believe,1754. Only William, the oldest of his sons, had remained behind. hefamily had been accompanied by three of the sons of Joseph Sparks(uncle~f William Sample Sparks who had died in 1749). These three wereSolomon, -Jaaies, and Jonathan Sparks. It was Solomon, it will berecalled, who had obtained a grant for ninety-three acres of vacant landon the west side of the Monocacy River in the same year that WilliamSparks received his warrant for SPARKS DELIGHT. Solomon Sparks had calledhis tract COLD FRIDAY. When he sold it to Matthew Howard on June 20,1753, for "35 Pounds sterling money," he was making preparation for themove to North Carolina. [See Frederick Co. Deed Book E, pp. 194-95.]

Four other sons of Joseph Sparks (died 1749) remained in FrederickCounty: Joseph, Jr., Charles, George, and William. (This William Sparksmust not be confused with the subject of the present article.) These fourbrothers all eventually moved to Bedford and Washington Counties,Pennsylvania. (Material on Joseph Sparks, Jr., son of Joseph (died 1749),has appeared in the QUARTERLY of March 1955, Whole No. 9; that ofDecember 1960, Whole No. 32; that of September 1961, Whole No. 35; thatof Septembr 1986, Whole No. 135; and the December 1986 issue, Whole No.136. See the QUARTERLY of December 1990, Whole No. 152, for an article onCharles Sparks, son of Joseph (died 1749). The June 1963 issue, Whole No.42, contains information on George Sparks, another son of Joseph (died1749). Information on William Sparks, son of Joseph (died 1749), appearedin the QUARTERLY of June 1963, Whole No. 42; March 1984, Whole No. 125;and June 1984, Whole No. 126.)

We have no knowledge of whether or how William Sparks may have kept intouch with his father and other family members in North Carolina. Therewas no postal service, of course, letters and oral messages werefrequently carried by travellers. Since neither William Sample Sparks norany of his sons could write, any message would have had to have been byword of mouth. A letter was published in The North Carolina GenealogicalSociety Journal of May 1984 (Vol. X, No. 2, p.79) that was written onSeptember 27, 1767, by a Rowan County settler named Nicholas Massy to hisbrother back in Kent County, Maryland, provides a glimpse of the kind ofmessage that William Sparks might have received from his relatives inNorth Carolina. We quote it here for that reason:

Dear Brother this comes to you two let you know we are all well in goodhealth at present ... Hoping these lines will find you and your family inthe same and let me know Whether mother is alive or not ... It was thetwenty fifth day of March when we beg ... [there is a hole in the letterhere] Five thousand corn hills the 18 or 19 of May and I do not doubt butmake thirety barrels of it and we planted three thousand Seven Hundredhills the fifteenth of June and good Corn is Common to see Kent County... if it is not past full hard for Roasting & a good Turnip patch ... nomore at present but Remain your Loving Brother till Death ... pleasewrite Back how all our acquaintances is who a [hole] ... home [? ] is DadNB Please to Send your Bells to me by Thomas Huff as they are of noservice to you and Send your letter to me Whither you did or not

[signed] Nicholas Massy
There must have been communication of some kind between William Sparksand his relatives in the Forks of the Yadkin because in 1764, just adecade after his father, brothers, and cousins left Frederick County,William followed them to to their new home. In preparation for this move,on April 26, 1746, he sold his entire farm, comprising some 283 acres, toChristian Newswanger for 400 pounds.

From his name, we can assume that Newswanger was a member of the growningcommunity of German immigrants (Mennonites) in Frederick County, andsince neither the words "sterling" nor "gold" followed "four hundredpounds" in the deed, we can probably assume that Newswanger paid WilliamSparks in "proclamation money" which the had a lower real value (at leasttwenty-five percent) than the same amount in gold or silver.

The deed which William Sparks signed on this occasion signified a majorchange in his and his family's lives, for which reason we quote it herein full. Readers may also find interesting the terminology used in alldeeds of that time. It will be noted that in this deed, which wasrecorded in the Frederick County Courthouse on the same day that it wassigned [Deed Book J, pp. 305-06], the three parcels of land which Williamhad purchased at different times from James Brooke were described as asingle tract, but SPARKS DELIGHT and WILLIAM AND ANN were notedseparately. The reference to a tract of land called GOOSE QUARTER is ofinterest--John Everett had obtained a patent for this parcel in 1746.

At the request of Christian Newswanger the following Deed was recordedApril the 26th 1764, To Wit: This Indenture made the Twenty Sixth Day ofApril in the year of our Lord God one Thousand Seven hundred & Sixty fourBetween William Sparks of Frederick County in the province of Maryland,Farmer, of the one part, and Christian Newswanger of the county &province aforesaid of the Other part, Witnesseth that the said WilliamSparks for and in Consideration of the Sum of four hundred pounds to himin hand paid By the said Christian Newswanger, the receipt whereof hedoth hereby Acknowledge, hath Given, Granted, Bargaind, sold andConfirmed, and by these presents he the said William Sparks doth forhimself and his heirs, give, grant, Bargain, sell and Confirm unto thesaid Christian Newswanger, his heirs and assigns for ever, all that partof three Tracts of Land, Vizt part of a Tract Called the Addition ofBrook Discovery on the Richland, all that Tract Called William and Ann,and that Tract Called Sparks Delight Beginning for the out Bounds of thewhole at the End of the one hundred and Eighty fourth Line of theAddition to Brooke Discovery on the Richland and Runing thence SouthSixty eight degrees west sixty three perches to the End of the third Lineof William and Ann, then with said Line Reverst North Twenty one Degreeswest Seventy perches, west Twenty four perches to the End of the SixthLine of a parcel of Land James [Brooke] sold William Currans [Currence]out of the Addition to Brooke Discovery on the Richland, then By and withsaid Line Reverst North fourteen Degrees west one hundred and Sixty fourperches, North Sixty nine Degrees East Twenty one [perches] to the End ofthe Sixth Line of Goose Quarter, South fifty one Degrees East fortyperches, East thirty perches, South Ten Degrees East thirty perches,South Twenty five Degrees East twenty Six perches, North Eighty SixDegrees East Sixteen perches, South thirty Six Degrees East twenty fourperches, South Eighty four Degrees East Eighty four perches, North Sixtytwo Degrees East one hundred and four perches, South Nine Degrees EastSixty five perches, South fifty Degrees West one hundred and Eighteenperches, West seventy four perches, Then with a Straight Line to theBeginning place, Containing and now laid out For two hundred and Eightythree Acres of Land, be the Same more or less, together with all andsingular the improvements, Conveniences and advantages thereon orthereunto any wise Appertaining or Belonging. To have and to Hold theLand and premises aforesaid unto him the said Christian Newswanger, hisheirs & Assigns for ever, to the proper use & behoof of him the saidChristian Newswanger, his heirs and Assigns, and to no other use, intentor purpose whatsoever and the said William Sparks does for himself, hisheirs, Executors and Administrators, Covenant, promise, grant, agree toand with the said Christian Newswanger, his heirs & Assigns, the Land andpremisses aforesaid, According to the meets and Bounds aforesaid, forever hereafter against all manner of persons of Claims whatsoever thatshall Claim By, from or under him, to warrant and defend, in Testimonywhereof the party to these presents hath interchangeably set their handand affixed their seal the day and year first above written
Sealed and delivered in the presnce of his
Thos Beatty J. Dickson William O Sparks (seal)

mark & seal
on the Back of which Deed was the following Indorsement, To Wit-Receivedthis 26th day of April 1764 of Christian Newswanger, party to the withinDeed four hundred pounds, the Consideration money within Expressed.

his
Thos Beatty J. Dickson William O Sparks

mark
Then came William Sparks, party to the within Deed, and acknowledged thesame with the Lands and premisses therein mentioned to Be the right ofthe within mentioned Christian Newswanger, his heirs and Assigns, foreverAccording to the Directions of the Act of Assembly in such cases made andprovided, and at the same time Came Ann Sparks, Wife of the said WilliamSparks, who Being privately Examined out of the hearing of her saidhusband, acknowledged that [she] relinquished all her Right of Dower tothe Land and premisses within mentioned, which she declared she did fully& Volluntarily Without Being induced thereto By any threats of her saidHusband or fear of his Displeasure.
Acknowledged this 26th day of April 1764 before

Thos Beatty J. Dickson

April the 26th 1764 Then received of Christian Newswanger ElevenShillings and four pence half penny sterling as an Alination fine on thewithin mentined Two Hundred and Eighty [sic] acres of Land by order ofEdward Loyd, Esquire, Agent of his Lordship the right honorable the Lordproprietary of Maryland

pr. John Darnall C.Clerk
The wording of this deed is typical of all deeds throughout the Americancolonies at this time, including the description of Ann Sparks beingquestioned out of the hearing of her husband as to whether she had givenup her dower right to this land of her own free will, although in somecolonies a wife did this simply by signing the deed with her husband. InMaryland, only the husband actually signed. (A wife's dower right wasusually calculated to be one third of her husband's real property at thetime of his death.)

As has been noted earlier, William Sparks signed legal documents by mark,but he did not make the typical X. He drew a small circle, as shown onthis deed.

Little has been learned regarding Christian Newswanger. As his namesuggests, he was, we are sure, a German immigrant. He did not hold forlong the land he purchased from William Sparks. In 1767, he sold aportion of it to Leonard Pauther, and the following year, 1768, he soldother parts to Norman Bruce and Abraham Hayter. He held both SPARKSDELIGHT and WILLIAM AND ANN, however, until August 21, 1771, when he soldthem to Michael Trout, another member of the German community inFrederick County. Trout died in 1780, and his land Was then sold in orderto divide his estate among his widow, Susannah, and their seven children.The Frederick County "Debt Books," in which records were maintained ofthe quit-rents collected from each land owner, continued to list WilliamSparks as owner of SPARKS DELIGHT and WILLIAM AND ANN into the early1770s, but this was because soon after William Sparks moved his family toNorth Carolina in 1764, the agitation over the Stamp Act caused manyMaryland owners to ignore paying their quit-rent to the Lord Proprietor.The whole system of land ownership in Maryland was changed with theAmerican Revolution, of course.

The decision by William Sparks to follow his father and siblings to NorthCarolina in 1764 may well have related to the growing political unrest inwestern Maryland. The French and Indian War, which was the American phaseof the Seven Years War in Europe, had finally come to an end in 1763, butthe threat from hostile Indians continued to be a constant worry. Whilethe Indian attacks against Frederick County settlers had been well to thewest of the settlements along the Monocacy River, in the area that nowcomprises the counties of Washington, Allegany, and Garrett, the storiescarried eastward of Indian atrocities received wide publicity. A writerliving in Fredericktown (now called Frederick) wrote in July 1763 to theMaryland Gazette: "Every day, for some time past, has offered themelancholy scene of poor, distressed families driving downwards throughthis town with their effects, who have deserted their plantations forfear of falling into the cruel hands of our savage enemies, now dailyseen in the woods."

Although our evidence is quite limited regarding the political attitudeof this branch of the Sparks family toward the growing antipathy ofAmerican leaders toward the British Crown, there is some reason tobelieve that those who belonged to William's generation tended to beTories, i.e. , they continued to be loyal to the mother country. Furtherdiscussion of this will appear later in this article, but it is possiblethat William Sparks was increasingly uncomfortable with many of hisneighbors' angry opposition to the Stamp Act, which required that arevenue stamp be attached to all legal documents, even the records ofcourt proceedings. In fact, a year following William's departure, at itsNovember 1765 meeting, the Frederick County Court actually repudiated theStamp Act, an action that is still celebrated in the county today on eachNovember 23rd. The Maryland Gazette of December 16, 1765, reported that amock funeral had been held in Frederick and that the legend on the coffinhad proclaimed that the Stamp Act had "expired." [See This Was the Lifeby Millard M. Rice, published in Redwood [City], CA, in 1979, pp.273-77.] We suspect that William Sparks would have found this action ofthe Frederick County Court to be quite reprehensible had he still been aresident of the county at the time.
Another possible factor in William Sparks's decision to move to NorthCarolina was that land was still relatively cheap in the Carolinas. The400 pounds he had received for his farm would provide him with asubstantial amount of capital in starting a new life in Rowan County.

A word about land ownership in North Carolina may be in order here. Toreward eight noblemen who had assisted King Charles II to regain theEnglish throne, the King, in 1663, had granted to them the colony ofCarolina. Thus, Carolina was to be a proprietary colony, as was Maryland,with the Crown to receive only a small portion of the profits therefrom.Whereas in Maryland there was one proprietor, in Carolina Colony therewere eight, and they had problems from the start. These were too numerousto discuss here, except to note that in 1711 the portion of Carolina thatbecame South Carolina was restored to the Crown. Then in 1728, Parliamentauthorized King George II to purchase the proprietors' shares, now in thehands of descendants, and to make North Carolina a royal colony. Seven ofthe proprietors readily accepted the 2,500 pounds offered each of them(along with a share of 5,000 additional pounds for uncollectedquit-rents), but one, the heir of Sir George Carteret, refused to sellhis share. This was the Right Honourable John Earl Granville (1690-1763)who, with the death of his mother in 1744, became the second EarlGranville. He was then given one-eighth share of the colony, from theVirginia border on the north to the parallel line on the south, which isthe lower level of Rowan County.

While Lord Granville was given no role in governing his part of NorthCarolina, he alone had the authority to sell his land and to collectquit-rents. He, himself, never visited his vast domain; agents acted forhim in the land sales.

At the time of the arrival of the Sparkses in the Forks of the Yadkin in1754, a hundred acres of Granville land could be purchased for only threeshillings, plus three shillings silver (or four shillings "proclamationmoney") each year thereafter as quit-rent. According to his deed, MatthewSparks paid only ten shillings in silver for his 372 acres in 1761,although there was probably an additional "fee" charged by Granville'sagent. These additional fees charged by the agents and other countyofficials were a cause of growing resentment among the settlers.

In 1763, the year before William Sparks set out for North Carolina, LordGranville died, and his land offices were closed. It was assumed,however, that his heirs would soon reopen them and that sales to settlerswould resume. Prospective buyers had been quite accustomed to "squatting"on vacant land for a time, often several years, before actually buyingit, and this practice continued.

The Forks of the Yadkin (now Davie County), where William's father,brothers, and cousins had gone ten years earlier, was part of theGranville land, and this area became William Sparks's destination when heand his family began their journey in the late spring of 1764. Whetherother Frederick County families accompanied them, we do not know,although when the 1765 quit-rent list was prepared for Frederick County,the words "gone to Carolina" followed ten of the names.

In the article devoted to William Sample Sparks in the QUARTERLY ofDecember 1989, we speculated regarding the route that he and his partyhad probably taken to the Forks of the Yadkin in 1754. We can guess thatnow, in 1764, his son followed a similar route.

The likelihood is that William Sparks traveled down the Great TradingPath (also called the Great Wagon Road) from Frederick, Maryland, thoughWinchester and Staunton in Virginia, to Drapers Meadows, Chiswells, andWolf Hills, then along the north and east side of the (North) YadkinRiver to where it is joined by the South Yadlin. He may have crossed theYadkin at the Shallow Ford in what is now southeast Yadkin County, or hemay have continued a few miles beyond the Fork where his brother,Matthew, had acquired Granville land in 1761, to the Trading Ford nearthe village of Salisbury. If he chose the latter, he would then havetravelled back northward to Howard's Ferry across the South Yadkin.

Based on research among North Carolina official records as well as laterfamily records, Dr. Paul E. Sparks and the present writer are convincedthat William Sparks and his wife, Ann, were the parents of ten children.We believe that at least six of these children were born in Maryland,before the family set out for the Forks of the Yadkin. These were, webelieve, William, Jr., Matthew, Rachel, Nancy, George, and James.William, Jr., the oldest son, whose name fitted family tradition, wasthirteen or fourteen years old in 1764. The other four children ofWilliam and Ann, born, we believe, in North Carolina, were namedMargaret, Thomas, Benjamin, and Jeremiah.

A map of the Forks of the Yadkin appears on page 3495 of the December1989 issue of the QUARTERLY. There we show the exact location of a tractof the 372 acres which William's brother, Matthew Sparks, had purchasedfrom Lord Granville's agent on April 4, 1761, for 10 shillings sterling.As shown, this tract lay at the very point where the South Yadkin Riverjoins the (North) Yadkin River. (Sometimes to distinguish between the tworivers above the fork, the Yadkin is called the Main Yadkin as well asthe North Yadkin.) The tract which Matthew's cousin, Solomon Sparks,purchased also in 1761, lay on the North or Main Yadkin.

It was not until 1836 that the area between the two rivers was cut offfrom Rowan County to become Davie County. (The name "Forks of the Yadkin"is often used for this area, but it has sometimes been used, also, for alarger area, even including parts of what are now Iredell and DavidsonCounties.)

We believe that Matthew Sparks, who was about five years younger thanWilliam, had "squatted" on his land for a number of years before heactually purchased it, this being a custom followed by most of the earlysettlers on Granville lands. We believe that William Sample Sparks,father of William and Matthew, had made his home on Matthew's land. Weknow from court records that it was in his home that he had a license to"keep an ordinary" (that is, a tavern to accommodate travellers),beginning in 1762. The seat of justice for Rowan County, the town ofSalisbury, is located only nine miles further down on the Yadkin River,so Matthew's land would have been a strategic spot for an "ordinary." Hishouse no doubt stood near the river which formed a natural highway. It isquite probable that William Sample Sparks, his wife (whose name, webelieve, was Rachel, although she was surely a second or even thirdwife), and his younger children, lived near his son, Matthew. (An articleabout Matthew Sparks and his family appeared in the QUARTERLY of June1961, Whole No. 34, pp. 556-66, although at that time we had notdetermined that he was a son of William Sample Sparks and a youngerbrother of the William Sparks who is the subject of this article.)

On the map appearing on page 3769, we show the location of other landowners living (or at least owning land) near Matthew's and Solomon'sgrants prior to Lord Granville's death in 1763, that is, before the landoffice was closed. While it was assumed at the time that Granville'sheirs would soon begin selling vacant land again, for a variety ofreasons this did not happen, and it was not until the state of NorthCarolina confiscated Granville's estate did land sales commence again in1778. From 1763 to 1778, the only way that an individual could acquire alegal title to a tract of land in the Granville District was to purchaseit from someone who had obtained a grant prior to 1763. Familiescontinued to "squat" on vacant land, however, many of whom expected tobuy their tracts eventually. [See map in scrapbook item 5]

It can be assumed that Matthew and Solomon Sparks had more neighbors thansuggested by this map because of the presence of squatters. Regarding thesquatters, Jo White Linn has written: "Possessing no legal title to theland on which they lived, they remained virtually invisible in therecords, their names not appearing on tax lists, in deed books, nor inwill books, since they lacked ownership of real property." (See Mrs.Linn's "Prolegomenon" for Rowan County, NC, Vacant Land Entries 1778-1789abstracted by Richard A. Enochs, 1988.]

It was to the Sparks home(s) on Matthew's land that William and Ann wentwith their family in 1764.

(This lengthy article (SQ pp 3762-3798) reaches the bottom of p. 3768above and continues under the notes for William's son Jeremiah.)

Information concerning this line of the descendants of James and Lucinda(Sparks) Hanks was provided by Dottie Reid (Dreid10278@@aol.com) in May,2000. She is the daughter of Lena Mae Harmon but she didn't provide thename of her father.

.

!NOTES:
See THE MATTINGLY FAMILY IN EARLY AMERICA by Herman E. Mattingly (1975);
pg 9: "The head of the little family died early in 1664 without makin g awill.
The widow Elizabeth, was given letters of administration...(see note sunder
her spouse Thomas regarding the probate). Meanwhile, the widow, Elizabeth,
married one Walter Pake(s), himself a widower."
At pg 11: "Nothing is known about the later activities of the wido w,Eliz-
abeth. After the tragic death of her second husband we find no recor dof her;
although there is a record of an Elizabeth Peake receiving "personalt y"in
1671 in the Will of one Mordecay Hamon (citing St. Mary's Co., MD. Wi lls,
Liber 1, folio 473."

!NOTE:
Robert Cole mentions Elizabeth as his wife in his will though he disclaims
any interest in her estate. It is assumed that she is the mother o f the
children listed.

The Maryland Semmes and Kindred Families, page 201:
"Benedict Leonard Boarman, son of Benedict Leonard and Anne Boarman, wasborn
near the present village of Bryantown, Charles County (Maryland). During1778
he subscribed to the Oath of Allegiance in Charles County before JohnParnham.
His wife was Elizabeth _____." Following is a list of their children asseen on
the family group sheet.

See SQ pg 1965 for information concerning Elizabeth (???) Sparks.

Also see article beginning at page 2914 on Joseph Sparks Jr. (494 )making reference to Jonas, his uncle, all of Joseph's siblings andparents . See note under Jonas' brother Solomon (356) from this article.

Here follows a continuation of the SPARKS QUARTERLY article regardingWilliam Sparks (1725-1801/02) and Jonas Sparks continuing from page 3774:

"News of the death and torture at the hands of the Indians was notnew on the frontier. Immediately on learing of the situation, DanielBoone placed his party in a defensive position, the women and childrensheltered in a large hollow under the roots of a beech tree, outpostswere established for an immediate attack. Despite the possibility of anIndian attack, Rebecca Boone insisted on sending back one of the fewlinen sheets they possessed in which to wrap her son and keep the dirtfrom his body . After some time, the Indians attacked. But, due to thesettler's strong de- fensive position and finding the settlers ready forthem, they fell back , apparently waiting for a more favorablesituation. The settlers remained on the defensive all that day andthrough the night. During the night, the Indians were again discoveredcreeping up on the camp but, learing that the settlers were ready forthem, they again drew off. Boone and some of the men followed theIndians downstream, coming upon the Indians gathered around a fire. Astheir rifles cracked, the Indians vanished into the forest.

"Once it was determined that the Indians had definitely withdrawn , ageneral discussion was held in which it was decided that the majority ofthe settlers were too frightened to go on. The death of the men in therear party and the torture of the boys indicated that there might be moreIndians in the vicinity probably lying in wait along the trail. Gatheringtheir scattered cattle, the entire party returned to the settlements.After resting up at Snoddy's Fort, the majority of them moved back totheir homes in North Carolina. Boone's first attempt to establish asettlement in Kentucky had failed before getting well underway. TheBoones, without a home and having spent most of their resources onequipment for the new settlement, settled down for the winter at Snoddy'sFort on the Clinch River. Despite these misfortunes and the death of hisson, Daniel Boone's enthusiasm for settling in Kentucky had not beendampened."

"Solomon's land was at the mouth of Muddy Creek, i.e., across f romwhat is now Davidson County (on the main or North Yadkin). This wasabout nine miles (as the crow flies) from Matthew Sparks's 372 acretract. In 1762, Solomon had obtained an additional grant of 290 acresadjoining his earlier grant, but in 1763 he had sold this second tract,part of it to his brother, Jonas Sparks, and the rest to ValentineVanhauser. Solomon continued to live on his first grant until about1770/71 when he moved to that part of Rowan County which had just beencut off to form Surry County. He did not dispose of his first grant of250 acres on the Yadkin, however, until many years later. (He sold 160acres of this to Zepheniah Harris in 1787 and the remain der to hisbrother, Jonas Sparks, on May 8, 1788..."

"James Sparks (355), younger brother of Matthew, apparently moved toSurry
County (to what became Ashe County) with Matthew, while Solomon's (356)younger brother Jonathan Sparks (357), either accompanied Solomon orWilliam when they moved to Surry County. Of the Sparkses who had comefrom Frederick County, MD, to the Forks of the Yadkin, all had moved awayby 1773 except Jonas , brother of Solomon and Jonathan.

"Jonas Sparks was a young man, not yet of age, when he accompanied hisbrothers and cousins to the Forks of the Yadkin. His name appeared on aRowan County tax list in 1759 thus proving that he had reached agetwenty-one. The fragment of a tax list for 1761 shows that he was livingthen on the opposite side of the Yadkin River from his brother, Solomon.He had squatted on a tract near Muddy Creek on a small branch thereofwhich yet bears his name, "Sparks Creek." In a land claim made by oneEvan Davis in 1778, the description referred to "Jonas Sparks' Branch."Jonas made some improvements on his land, but he failed to purchase itfrom Lord Granville prior to January 1762 when one of the Moravian Germansettlers nearby named Jacob Lash (or Loesch) obtained from Granville'sland agent two different tracts totalling 1,384 acres which included theland on which Jonas had been living. [See Rowan Co. Deed Book 6,pp.108-091 It was after this misfortune that Jonas purchased from hisbrother for only five pounds slightly over 130 acres on the west (orsouth) side of the North Yadkin [Rowan Co. Deed Book 5, p. 2751.

"Jonas Sparks and Daniel Boone were about the same age, and because asteenagers and young married men they lived near each other, they becamegood friends. In 1773, about two years after his brother, Solomon, hadleft for Surry County and his cousins, William and Matthew Sparks, hadfollowed him, Jonas and his young family set out on an even moreadventurous journey. Daniel Boone had returned from his exploration ofKentucky and invited others to join him and his family as settlers inthat new and wonderful land. Jonas was one of five young men tovolunteer, the others being Boone's brother, Squire Boone, Jr., and threesons of Morgan Bryan: James, Morgan, Jr., and William. These sixfamilies left to follow the "Wilderness Trail" to Kentucky on September25, 1773, according to Daniel Boone's autobiography. Along the way, theywere joined by several other families.

"The tragedies and hardships faced by these emigrants on the trail toKentucky, and then in their settlement at Boonesborough, proved too muchfor Jonas Sparks and likewise for some members of the Bryan family. Theyreturned to their old homes in the Forks of the Yadkin, but in what yearwe do not know. We believe that Jonas Sparks's first wife died inKentucky; in 1805 he married a widow named Mary Eakle.

"It was on the eve of the American Revolution that William Sparks andhis relatives moved to their new homes in Surry County, and one wonderswhether the anticipation of those hostilities may have been a factor intheir deciding to move to a less populated area. Another factor may wellhave been that called "the Regulators." During the 1760s, a large numberof settlers in western North Carolna had become convinced that theircounty sheriffs, justices, and other officials were corrupt. It wasclaimed that a number of sheriffs, who were the tax collectors, werepocketing a large portion of the taxes they collected, and that many ofthe fees these officials were charging for services were both excessiveand illegal. The Royal Governor of North Carolina, Governor Tryon, whilebelieving that these complaints were probably true, feared the people'sdetermination to "regulate" these officials would be more dangerous thanthe corruption. After a number of incidents of violence, he used forceto put down the "uprising." Calling out the militia, mainly from theeastern counties, the Governor was responsible for what came to be calledthe Battle of Alamance on May 16, 1771, where a force of 2,000 Regularswas defeated with considerable bloodshed. We have no knowledge of wherethe sympathies of the Sparks brothers and cousins lay in this dispute,but it is quite possible that their decision to move to a more thinlypopulated area could have been related to the Regulator Movement.

"Several records survive which suggest that the Sparkses of William'sgeneration were quite content for the American colonies to remain underBritish rule. There is ample evidence that a large number of men livingin the Forks of the Yadkin were Tories, or Loyalists. There is the storythat the militia of the area was so evenly divided among Tories and Whigsthat it was agreed that a fist fight between an officer of each partywould determine which side the men would take. Although the Tory leader,Samuel Bryan (one of the seven sons of Morgan Bryan), lost, he continuedas the principal leader of the Loyalists in Rowan County.

"A call went out in the- spring of 1774 to hold a Continental Congressin Philadelphia. In North Carolina, a meeting was held on August 25,1774, to elect delegates. Following this meeting, Committees of Safetywere established in each county which took over the local government. Asexplained by James S. Brawley, a North Carolina historian, thesecommittees "established prices, collected arms, embodied troops andformed sub-committees to influence the disaffected." The "disaffected"were those citizens who opposed taking up arms against the mothercountry. As noted, we believe that at least the older members of theSparks family were among the "disaffected."

"In March 1775, Samuel Bryan, whose operation of the ferry across theNorth Yadkin has been mentioned, secured the signatures of 195 citizensof Rowan and Surry Counties to a pledge of allegiance to the BritishGovernor of North Carolina. Unfortunately, the names of these Loyalistshave not been preserved.

"In 1778, soon after Jonas Sparks had returned from Kentucky, the new"state" of North Carolina demanded that all of its adult male citizenssign oaths of allegiance to the new state government. When the RowanCounty Court met on August 5, 1778, the justices took note of a long listof individuals who had "neglected or refused ... to take the Oath ofAllegiance." Among those listed was Jonas Sparks [Rowan Co. CourtMinutes, Vol. 4, p.1591. The punishment for refusing to take this oathwas the confiscation of one's estate, but this action seems not to havebeen taken against Jonas, perhaps because he repented his earlier neglector refusal to sign. Nevertheless, four years later, on November 9, 1782,following the surrender of General Cornwallis, Jonas Sparks was broughtbefore the same Court, with five other men, "to Shew Court Cause whytheir Estates should not be Confiscated." The Court record isdisappointingly brief regarding the action taken, but apparently Jonas,as well as the others, was able to explain their earlier opposition tothe Revolution, and all of them "were discharged." [Vol. 4, p. 333; thesetwo references are found in Mrs. Linn's abstracts of these court records,Vol. III, pp. 38 & 86.1

"As was noted earlier, the wife named Mary whom Jonas Sparks named inhis will, was his second wife, and he had no children by her. We mayassume that he named all of his living children in his will, as well ashis deceased son, Jonas, Jr. It is possible, however, that there was adaughter omitted, perhaps because she had died earlier without issue.Lewis Little, born November 4, 1770, a son of Daniel Little and his wifeMary (who became Jonas Sparks's second wife), is known to have married aTabitha Sparks. Since there was this family connection and because JonasSparks sold land to Lewis Little in 1804, it is possible that Tabitha wasanother daughter of Jonas; perhaps she had died prior to 1805. (End ofarticle on page 794 SQ.)

!NOTES:
See notes of her husband Joseph (428) in SQ 2914-2928 and in particular at
page 2920 were it states "Joseph Sparks died on September 18, 1827 . Hewas
buried beside his wife Elizabeth, in the Indian Springs Cemetery in W est
Providence Township in Bedford County, near Everett, Pennsylvania. ( Onthe map
oon page 2918, it is located quite near the dwelling identified as "J .Tate".)

.

!NOTES:
See CATHOLIC FAMILIES OF SOUTHERN MARYLAND, by Timothy O'Rourke, p g 18
regarding the baptism of Richard Spalden (Spalding) of Benedict and Aloysia
on April 20, 1777. Sponsors were "Peter Ford, Eliz., wife of Phil Fo rd."

(Continuation of article in SQ Whole No. 190 on page 5340)

The Act of the General Assembly had required that a person claiming atract of land from the new state had to be an "industrious person." Thiswas interpreted to mean, also, he be willing to sign a loyalty oath,which William Sparks refused to do. There were several active Patriots inSurry County who were ready to identify their Loyalist neighbors and tomake claim to their land along with their improvements thereon. Anespecially aggressive Patriot who was an officer in the Surry CountyMilitia as well as a "bounty hunter" for army deserters, was WilliamTerrell Lewis, well known to the Sparks family. Lewis immediatelyidentified a number of his "disloyal" neighbors, including WilliamSparks. On September 7, 1778, Lewis entered a Surry County Claim (#680)for 200 acres "on the waters of Hunting Creek including William Sparks'mill and plantation." Five days later, on learning of the action takenagainst him by William Terrell Lewis, William Sparks transferred the landon which he had been squatting, along with the mill, to his son Matthewthrough a "Bill of Sale." Recorded in Surry County Will Book 1, p.121,this document is as follows:

BILL OF SALE

Know all men by these presents that I William Sparks of the County ofSurry and State of North Carolina for and in Consideration of the Sum ofone Hundred Pounds to me in hand paid by Matthew Sparks of the County andState aforesaid have Bargained and sold the Said Matthew Sparks One GristMill and Improvement of Land lying and being in Surry County on the Northfork of hunting Creek Which Mill and Improvement I do warrant unto thesaid Matthew Sparks from any person or persons Laying any Just Claimthereon Except the Lord of the Soil.
Given under my hand this 12th day of September 1778

his
William O Sparks
mark

Test
William Davis
William Roysdon

On the Monday following the signing of this bill of sale, Matthew Sparksappeared before Joseph Winston, the official charged with registeringland claims, and, with his father's document in hand, challenged theclaim that had been made by Lewis. The matter then went to the SurryCounty Court on November 11, 1778, where it was ruled that WilliamSparks's bill of sale was equivalent to a deed to his son. We may wonderwhether the God-fearing members of the Court were impressed by William'sappeal to "the Lord of the Soil."

With this Court ruling, Matthew Sparks then entered a claim in his ownname for these 200 acres on September 14, 1778. We may wonder whether the"one Hundred Pounds" that the bill of sale credited Matthew as havingpaid his father may have been actually a private loan or gift from hisfather. Winston assigned #173 to Matthew Sparks's claim, with thefollowing description provided by Matthew:

Matthew Sparks enters 200 acres of Hunting Creek adjoining William Millerincluding the above place for quantity. September 14, 1778.

Matthew's claim was approved. As explained on page 3788 of the June 1991issue of the QUARTERLY, on March 8, 1779, Matthew Sparks succeeded inmaking another claim (#1466) for "200 acres of land in Surry County onthe top of Brushy Mountain" adjoining the land of his brother, WilliamSparks, Jr., and a year later, on March 9, 1780, Matthew transferred thistract to his father. It was there that William and Ann spent theremainder of their lives. On December 21, 1801, at the age of about 75,William made his last will, a copy of which survives and was photo copiedon page 3791 of the QUARTERLY cited above. He provided for "my LovingWife Ann Sparks" and designated an equal share for each of his children,but he did not name them. He appointed three of his sons, however, toserve as executors of his estate, William, Jr., Thomas, and George, alongwith a son-in-law, William Wilcox. His son Jeremiah was a witness. Thewill was entered for probate during the May 1802 session of the SurryCounty Court, so it would appear that William Sparks died either late in1801 or early in 1802. We have no further record of Ann, his widow.

From a number of records pertaining to the family of William and AnnSparks, we believe that the following is a complete list of theirchildren, the first six of whom were born in Frederick County, Maryland,as may possibly have been the seventh, Margaret; the rest were born atthe Forks of the Yadkin.

1. William Sparks, Jr., born about 1750. By 1800 he had moved toBurke County, North Carolina.
2. Matthew Sparks, born about 1752. He is the subject of the presentartide.
3. Rachel Sparks, born about 1754. She was married to John Rose inor about 1773. She was still living in Surry County, North Carolina, in1843 when she applied for a military pension based on her husband'sservice in the Revolutionary War.
4. Nancy Sparks, born about 1756. She was married to William Wilcox(or Wilcockson); they moved to
Green County, Kentucky, then to Barren County, Kentucky.
5. George Sparks, born about 1758/60. He lived near the town ofJonesville in that part of Surry County which became Yadkin County in1850. He died there in 1842.
6. James Sparks was born about 1762. He served in the RevolutionaryWar; later lived in Lee County,
Virginia. He moved to eastern Kentucky with his brother, ThomasSparks, and died in 1826 in that part of Floyd County that had becomeLawrence County, Kentucky, in 1822.
7. Margaret Sparks, born about 1764 She was married to WilliamGibson in 1782. They moved to Burke County, North Carolina.
8. Thomas Sparks, born about 1766. He was married twice, first toRebecca and second to Diana Wilcox. He moved first to Lee County,Virginia, but in 1821 he moved with his brother, James Sparks, to FloydCounty, Kentucky, living in that part that became Lawrence County in 1822.

9. Benjamin Sparks, born about 1769/70. He was married to ElizabethHicks in 1797 inSurry County,
North Carolina; he moved to that part of Burke County, North Carolina,that helped to form Caldwell County in 1822 where he died in 1749/50.
10. Jeremiah Sparks, born about 1772, was married to -------- Bell.They lived on Bear Creek in that part
of Burke County that became Mitchell County North Carolina, in 1861; heapparently died before 1840.

A more detailed record of these ten children of William and Ann Sparks,with identification of many of their children, may be found on pp.3794-98 of the June 1991 issue of the QUARTERLY.

********************************
Part II: The life of Matthew Sparks as a Miller and Plantation Owner inSurry County, North Carolina. (SQ p. 5342)

As was noted earlier, Matthew Sparks was shown on a 1774 tax list thatsurvives. He was living with his parents in that part of Surry County,North Carolina, called Capt. Benjamin Cleveland's District. Like othermilitia captains in North Carolina, Cleveland also served as taxcollector for the area in which his militiamen lived. His districtincluded what is not only Surry County today, but also Wilkes County andAshe County. Because squatters had no title to the land on which theylived, they were taxed then only as polls--white men between 16 and 60.

Matthew Sparks reached the age of 21 in or about 1773, the year that hemoved to Surry County with his
parents and several siblings. Sometime during the next three or fouryears, he was married to a young woman whose first name was Eunice.Despite many years of searching, we have failed to find a clue to revealher parentage or even her maiden name. Her nickname was "Nicy," sometimes"Eunicy". It was in or about 1777 that her and Matthew's first childwas born, a daughter named Nancy. Another daughter named Margaret, oftencalled "Peggy," was born about 1779, and still another daughter was bornabout 1781 named Sarah, usually called "Sally." It was not until in orabout 1784 that their first son was born, named Joel Sparks. This was thefirst use of the name Joel in this branch of the Sparks family--perhapsit may someday provide a clue regarding his mother.

In 1775, a portion of Capt. Cleveland's District was assigned to JohnHudspeth for tax purposes, and on his surviving list Matthew Sparks wasidentified as "Juner" [i.e., Junior] to distinguish him from his uncle ofthe same name. His father was identified as "William Sparks, Sener" andhis older brother as "William Sparks, Juner." Living near them was JosephSparks, son of Solomon Sparks.

As was noted earlier, through a bill of sale Matthew's father hadsucceeded in transferring to Matthew the tract of land on which he hadsquatted in 1773 and on which he had built his gristmill. William T.Lewis had thus been prevented in making his claim for this tract based onWilliam Sparks having been a Loyalist. Matthew had then entered a claimto this land. Fees were collected when a claim was approved: 16 shillingspaid to the Entry Taker; 30 shillings to the surveyor if the tract wasunder 300 acres; 5 shillings for making out and recording the patent(deed); 3 shillings to the secretary of the Governor for the use of theGreat Seal of the state on the patent; and 50 shillings to the StateTreasury for each 100 acres.

As noted earlier in this article, on March 8, 1779, Matthew Sparksentered a claim (#3788) for 200 acres of land on the top of BrushyMountain in Surry County. This was vacant land and Matthew's claim wasapproved promptly, with his payment of the usual fees. This land adjoinedland obtained by William Sparks, Jr. On March 9, 1780, Matthewtransferred the title to the tract to his father, and it was there thatWilliam and Ann Sparks lived out their years.

It was not until April 3, 1780, that the Great Seal was finally placed onthe official grant to Matthew Sparks for his 200 acres. He promptlyarranged for it to be recorded by Surry County's Register of Deeds (BookB, pp.67-68). Because this is the record of Matthew's first landownership, we quote below the document in full. Because other land thatMatthew purchased and sold later will also be noted, perhaps a wordregarding land measurement at that time would be in order.

As in all descriptions of land at that time, tracts were surveyed by the"Metes and Bounds" system. The key measuring device was the "Chain"consisting of 100 "Links," each link measuring 7.92 inches long. Thus thesurveyor's chain was 66 feet in length. A "Pole," like the rod, was 16.5feet long. The term "Chain Carrier" was given to the boy or young man whoassisted the surveyor. The survey under the Metes and Bounds system beganat a known landmark, with the surveyor following a line according to hiscompass-needle (or magnetic bearing) to the next landmark, although asseen in the survey of Matthew's 200 acres, this could be a tree or a meresapling, or the course of a stream or ancient path or Indian trail.

The "Rectangular System of describing and dividing land was based onAstronomical Observation. It was
officially adopted by the U.S. Congress on May 7, 1785, to describe allnew lands awarded to settlers by the U.S. Government. Under this system,all distances and bearings are measured from two lines which are at rightangles to each other, they being the Principal Meridians running northand south, and the Base Lines which run east and west.

The patent received by Matthew Sparks for the 200 acres of land on whichhis father had squatted and erected his gristmill was recorded in a SurryCounty deed book as follows:

State of North Carolina. To all to whom these Presents shall come,Greeting. Know ye that we for and in consideration of the sum of' fiftyShillings for every hundred acres hereby granted paid into our Treasuryby Matthew Sparks, have given and granted and by these Presents do giveand grant to the said Matthew Sparks a Tract of Land containing TwoHundred acres lying and being in our County of Surry, on the Waters ofHunting Creek beginning at Thomas Yates N . W. corner Black Oak, runnmgthence North Thirty seven Chains to a Pine, thence East fifty four Chainsto a Pine, thence South Thirty seven Chains to a Stake in Yates' Line,thence to the Beginning as By the Plat hereunto annexed doth appear;together with all Woods, Waters, Mines, Minerals, Hereditaments andAppurtenances to the said Land belonging or appertaining; To hold to thesaid Matthew Sparks, his heirs and Assigns forever. Yielding and payingto us such sums of Money yearly, or otherwise, as our General Assemblyfrom time to Time may direct. Provided always that the said MatthewSparks shall cause this Grant to be registered in the Register's Officeof our sd. County of Surry within Twelve Months from the Date hereof,otherwise the same shall be void and of no Affect. In Testimony whereofwe have caused our Great Seal to be hereunto affixed. Witness RichardCaswell, Esquire, our Governor, Captain General and Commander in Chief atKingston the third Day of April in the fourth Year of our Independence,and in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty.Recorded in the Secretary's office.

[signed Jno.Franck, Pro. Secy.

On the same date that Matthew Sparks's grant of 200 acres (April 3,1780), was issued, a grant of 200 acres adjoining the lower side ofMatthew's tract was made to Thomas Yates. Yates had entered his claim(#311) for this tract on July 24, 1778, which he had described as located"on the North Fork of Hunting Creek adjoining William Sparks and WilliamWillcocks, including my improvement for complement." The patent forYates's tract, also dated April 3, 1780, described as being:

... . on both sides of the North fork of Hunting Creek.. .beginningat a Pine, turning thence north
crossing the said Creek thirty-three chains to a black oak, thenceEast sixty chains and seventy links
to a black oak, thence East sixty chains and seventy links to aStake, thence South crossing the said
Creek thirty-three chains to a stake, thence to the first beginning."

What is striking about this description of Yates's 200 acres is that theNorth Fork of Hunting Creek both entered his land on the west and left iton the east, with no part of it passing through Matthew's tract.Recalling that his gristmill was on North Hunting Creek, the survey haddetermined that the Sparks Mill was actually on Yates land. This problemwas solved five years later, on October 19, 1785, when Matthew Sparkspurchased the Yates land for "one hundred and fifty pounds current moneyof this state." (Surry County Deed Book L, p.179.) It was actually fromWilliam Yates of Rowan County, apparently a son of Thomas Yates, thatMatthew bought these 200 additional acres.)

For the year 1782, the General Assembly of North Carolina ordered thatthe tax list for each county not only give the name of all propertyowners, but also their location within each tax district with the numberof acres owned, and the number of their horses and cattle. Because nopolitical divisions had been drawn other than designated militiadistricts, "location" in Surry County meant the principal river or streamdrained by the land in question. Matthew's land was described as 400acres in Capt. Wright's District although it was John E. Elsberry whoprepared Wright's list. Matthew's location was given as on "the Waters ofHunting Creek," and he was credited with 3 horses and 6 cattle. Itappears that he already was considered to be owner of the Yates tract,although the deed had not actually been drawn up. (This 1782 tax list wascopied and published in 1974 by Beulah Scates and others.)

It was on February 15, 1778, that an act passed earlier by the NorthCarolina General Assembly became
effective, creating a new county cut off from Surry to be called Wilkes.Not only did it include most of today's Wilkes County, but also today'sAshe County and parts of Caldwell, Alexander, Watauga, and AlleghanyCounties. The size of Surry County was thus greatly reduced by this act,and the line between Wilkes and Surry now became the line forming thewestern border of Matthew Sparks's property, including that of ThomasYates, within Surry County. In 1792, however, the General Assemblyordered that the line between Surry and Wilkes Counties be re-drawn,resulting in many acres of Wilkes land being returned to Surry For theSparks and Yates property this meant moving the line six chains west,with some 42 acres now in "limbo."

The first census for the United States was taken in 1790. At that time,presentday Yadkin County was still part of Surry (it would remain sountil 1850), as was part of Alleghany County. Only the person headingeach household was actually listed by name on the 1790 census; allhousehold members, including the head, were then enumerated in thefollowing categories: the number of free white males under 16; the numberof free white males 16 and over; the number of free white females of allages; the number of other free persons; and the number of slaves.

According to the 1790 census of North Carolina, Matthew Sparks was one of971 heads of households in Surry County, with 7,191 individuals in all.These 7,191 individuals were recorded in these five categories as follows:

Free white males under 16: 1531
Free white males 16 and over: 1762
Free white females of all ages: 3183
All other free persons 17
Slaves: 698

Matthew Sparks, himself, was shown as the only male over 16 in hishousehold in 1790; there were 3 males 16 and under, and 4 females,including his wife. He owned no slaves. From other records, we cansurmise that the three males 16 and under were sons Joel, George, andMatthew, Jr. The sons named William D. and John were born after the 1790census was taken. The three women in his household besides his wife,Eunice, were doubtless his daughters, Nancy, Margaret, and Sarah.Assuming that the census taker recorded households in the order that hevisited them, it would appear that in 1790 Matthew's near neighbors inSurry County were: Zachariah Spurling, Isaac Stubbs, Joseph Scofield,Mary Hudspeth, James Chappel, Moses Swaim, James Shaw, John Stephens,George Grace, and Jacob Dibold. On the Wilkes County side of his land,Matthew's brother-in-law, William Willcockson (also spelled Wilcox,Wilcock, etc.), owned many acres of land, also on the North Hunting Creekadjoining Matthew.

Matthew Sparks's father, William Sparks, Sr., was shown on the 1790census with one male over 16 (himself, of course), also one male 16 andyounger, and two females. The male in the "16 and younger" category mayhave been Matthew's youngest brother, Jeremiah, although we have assumedthat Jeremiah would have been more nearly 18 in 1790 than 16. Matthew'sbrothers, William, Jr., George, and Thomas, were heads of their ownhouseholds in 1790 near their father.

Without family letters or other personal papers with which to tell thestory of Matthew Sparks's life, we must rely on public records, such asrecorded deeds, probate records, and county court documents. In NorthCarolina's court system, that at the county level was called the "Courtof Pleas and Quarter Sessions." A leading authority on local history inthe state, Jo White Linn, has explained the function of this Court asfollows:

The Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions was the lowest court ofrecord in North Carolina. It met every three months, and the minutesreflect the administration of local government. Three Justices wererequired to be present for the transaction of normal business. Theminutes of this court reveal the names of local office holders, jurors,road overseers, persons who applied for licenses to keep ferries,ordinaries, and public houses. Petition of all sorts appear. Deeds andbills of sale are either acknowledged by the grantors or proved by thesubscribing witnesses. Stock brands and marks are registered. Wills areprobated, settlements of estates filed, guardians appointed for minorchildren, administrators appointed for persons dying intestate. There arerecords of oaths, bonds, inventories, divisions of estates, dissents towills, etc. The Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions dealt with civilsuits involving less that $150 and criminal cases of a minor nature forwhich there was no capital punishment.. . . The minutes of the Court ofPleas and Quarter Sessions are the researcher's most important singlesource of information for genealogy and local history; the genealogicalmaterial they contain is invaluable. (See the Rowan County Registerpublished by Ms. Linn, Vol.1, No.2, May 1986, p.72.)

Although Surry County was formed from Rowan County in 1771, it was notuntil 1790 that the Surry Count "P's & Q's," as it was often called,began meeting within the county, and it was not until its session in May1791 that Matthew Sparks's name appears in the Court's minutes. One ofthe items recorded on May 9, 1791, was a list of the names of 19 men whowere ordered to be available to serve as members of "a jury to view andmark out a road the nearest and best way from Wilkes County Line nearWilcocks Shop to George Lashes Ferry and from there towards Salem untilit intersects with Stokes County Line and make report thereof to nextcourt."

Matthew Sparks was one of the 19 men ordered to serve on this "road jury.

The minutes of the Court meeting on August 10, 1791, contain thefollowing:

The jury app't to view a road report as follows, to wit, beginningat William Wilcoxons on the Wilkes
Line and so passes by Airs Hudspeths and so into the Iron Work Roadnear where Phil Holcomb
formerly lived then along said road opposit to Capt Bruces thenacross at his ford on the north of
Deep Creek and into the Critchifeld Road at Grays Old Field thendown the same by Benjamin
Hudspeath's and so on across Forbis Creek to said Lashe's Ferry.

Upon acceptance of this report by the justices, its construction wasdivided into six sections, each section to be supervised by a man livingnear it. The first was assigned to Matthew Sparks as follows:

Matthew Sparks is app't overseer of the new road already laid outfrom Wilcoxon's Shop to Lashes'
Ferry, [Sparks] to begin at the said shop [and go as far as] toWoolridges Old Place, the hands
convenient [to] work thereon.

Another action taken by the Surry County Court during its August 1791session pertaining to Matthew Sparks was his being sworn as one of thecounty's citizens to be available to serve on a jury in the followingterm to hear cases brought before the Court. There was still anotherCourt decision made during the August 1791 term affecting Matthew whichis difficult to interpret. In the Court's minutes it reads simply:"Matthew Sparks is released from the payment of a poll tax for thefuture." After 1778, men over 60 years of age were no longer taxed aspolls, but Matthew could not have been more than 40 in 1791. (In 1801,however, the age limit was reduced to age 50 and in 1817 to 45.) On allSurry County tax lists during the remainder of his life, Matthew Sparkswas shown as not having to pay the poll tax. A possible explanation forits taking effect in 1791 could be that, somehow, he had become disabledand had requested to be excused from this tax. Further credence may beadded to the possibility, that some physical misfortune had befallenMatthew, is the fact that it was not until the May 1801 meeting of theSurry County Court that any additional service had been asked of him fora decade. On May 14, 1801, however, he was named as one of 30 men in thecounty who were to make themselves available for jury duty at the AugustCourt session of 1801, and, indeed, he did so serve.

On January 27, 1795, Matthew Sparks entered a claim for 350 acres ofvacant land adjoining his own 400 acres on the North Fork of HuntingCreek. It seems odd that such a tract was still unclaimed from the statein 1795, but there were also other tracts in the county still beingclaimed then. While there is no record of anyone disputing Matthew'sclaim, it was not until December 3, 1800, that a patent was issued to himbearing the state's Great Seal. A possible complicating factor causing adelay in his patent being granted was that his claim included the stripof land, six chains wide and 70 chains long between his own land and theWilkes County line. As noted earlier, the 1778 revision of the boundaryline between Wilkes and Surry Counties had left this strip unclaimed.Because of the peculiar shape of this 1800 grant in relationship toMatthew's other land, a description of his entire plantation at this timeappears on the following page.

Matthew must have been quite confident in 1797 that he would receive thepatent for this 350-acre tract because in May 1797, he sold for 20 poundsthe southeast corner of it (100 acres) to his son-in-law, AlexanderSmith. (Deed Book G, pp. 81-82) Matthew and Eunice's eldest daughter,Nancy Sparks, had been married to Alexander Smith in Surry County in1796--their marriage bond was dated July 22, 1796, with Joseph Smith astheir bondsman. There is evidence that Joseph Smith was a brother ofAlexander.

A sketch of the land (750 acres) once owned by Matthew Sparks in SurryCounty, North Carolina (now within Buck Shoals Township in Yadkin County)is shown below. The description of his 350-acre grant in 1800 (SurryCounty Deed Book 1, p.437) was as follows: "...lying and being.. on theNorth fork of Huriting Creek, beginning at a black Jack the Northwestcorner of said Sparks' former survey, runs South seventy chains to aStake, thence East sixty chains to a pine on Smith's line, South on thesame forty six chains to a pine on Henry Speers' line, West on the samesixty six chains to a stake in the Wilkes County line, North on the sameone hundred and sixteen chains to a stake, thence East to the beginning."

It was also in May 1797 that Joseph Smith sold to Alexander Smith,son-in-law of Matthew and Eunice Sparks, a portion (130 acres) of theland that he owned on the east side of the 100 acres that Matthew hadsold to Alexander. (Deed Book G, pp.116 -17)

The U.S. Constitution requires that there be a national census takenevery ten years, so in 1800 the nation's second census was taken. The agecategories for the members of each household in 1800 were extended toprovide five categories for while males and females, with slaves simplycounted. These categories were: Under 10; 10 & under 16; 16 & under 26;26 & under 45; and 45 & upwards. Matthew and Eunice were enumerated inthe "45 & upwards" category, of course. Only one other female wasenumerated, as "16 & under 26," whom we can be certain was the daughterSarah, whose marriage to Henry Bray would occur in May 1803. We cannot becertain of the identity of the six young males in the Sparks household,however; three were under 10 years while the other three were within the10 to 16 category. Matthew and Eunice's sons named William D. Sparks andJohn Sparks were probably among the males under 10, but only their sonMatthew Sparks, Jr. would seem to fit in the 10 to 16 group. They mayhave been sons who died young of whom we have no record, or they may havebeen orphaned relatives or neighbors whom Matthew and Eunice had taken asapprentices to learn the miller's trade. Matthew was also shown as owningone slave in 1800.

The second daughter of Matthew and Eunice, Margaret ("Peggy"), had beenmarried to William West in
1799--their marriage bond was dated January 4, 1799, with Joseph Smithserving as bondsman. On November 3, 1806, Matthew Sparks purchased fromhis son-in-law, William West, for 200 pounds, "good and lawful money ofthe state," a 200-acre tract of land described as "beginning at a whiteoak corner on Hicks old line..." (Book L, p.240) This land adjoined onthe east the 200-acre tract that Matthew had been granted in 1780. Itwas probably as a personal favor to his son-in-law that Matthew boughtthis tract, for on July 6, 1810, he sold 170 acres of it back to West for$204. (Book N, p.80) William West's financial problems continued,however, and following a lawsuit involving a debt that he owed inNovember 1815, the Surry County Sheriff John Wright was directed by theCourt to seize West's 170 acres to be sold at public auction to pay thisdebt. According to Surry County Deed Book N, pp.322-33, Matthew Sparkswas the highest bidder at the auction, and for $95.31 he again became theowner of this tract of land. This was a remarkably small price; we maywonder whether other bidders curbed their bids to permit Matthew to buyit for no more than the amount of West's debt. Matthew did not return itto his son-in-law, however; on May 7, 1817, he sold it to a neighbornamed Philip Holcomb for $1,000. (Book 7, p.93) West's financial problemsappear to have continued through apparent mismanagement as will be notedin the wording of Matthew's will in 1819. (Near bottom of page 5348)

[This article is continued under notes for their daughter Nancy Sparks.]