SQ 2567:

Simon Sparks, son of Nathan, married Sarah Nevitt (copied as Neute) onJune 18, 1795, in Queen Annes County. She was probably a daughter ofJames Nevitt. Simon and Sarah had at least one child, a daughter, HarrietSparks, born prior to 1797. Sarah apparently died shortly after Harriet'sbirth. On November 7, 1797, Simon Sparks made a will. As abstractedseveral years ago, he left his daughter Harriet "all my part of the lotof land that my father purchased out of Queen Annes Manor and all myestate of that part which belonged to my brother, James Sparks, latedeceased, and also all other any property." Simon named his brother,Isaac Sparks, as his executor. Witnesses were: Geo. Finley, J. B. Hacket,and Thos. S. Burgess. The will was proven on December 29, 1797, provingthat Simon died shortly after he made his will on November 7, 1797.

For marriage record source see SQ p. 4183.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriage informationfrom Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822- 1865):
Sirena Sparks & Daniel Castle, October 17, 1844. (Box 1)

SQ 3856: "Sirena Sparks, probable daughter of Joseph and Martha (Edwards) Sparks, was born about 1822 in North Carolina. Whe was marriedto Daniel S. Carroll on October 17, 1844, in Lawrence County. He hadbeen born about 1824 in North Carolina. When the 1850 and 1860 censuseswere taken, they were living on Sinking Creek in Carter County. Withthem were their seven children:
a. Martha J. Carroll was born about 1845
b. Rebecca Carroll was born about 1847.
c. Calvin Carroll was born about 1850.
d. Phebe B. Carroll was born on September 8, 1852, in Carter County,KY.
e. William C. Carroll was born on October 1, 1855, in Carter Coun y,KY.
f. Susannah Carroll was born about 1858.
g. Thomas Carroll was born about 1859.

SQ 3856: Sirena Sparks, daughter of Etheldred and Ellen (Gent)Sparks, was born about 1854. She was married to George W. Elswick, andwhen the 1880 census was taken of Pike County, KY., they had a sonJames. We have no further information about this couple.

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On July 14, 2000, an email was received from Krystal Branham(buggy_41501@@yahoo.com), a great-great-granddaughter of Sirena Sparkswhich began: "I have recently visited your Sparks Family Tree website. Inoticed under Sirena Sparks, wife of George W. Elswick, that you had verylittle information. I am a direct descendant of this couple and I livenot far from the cemetery where they are buried.
"I made a trip to Bent Ridge Cemetery, here in Meta (Pike Count, KY],and came across their tombstones. On them was "Rena Sparks Elswick1852-1941" and "George W. Elswick 1854-1941."
Ms. Branham goes on to provide the names of the children of George W.and Sirena (Sparks) Elswick and their descendants. Our thanks to Ms.Branham for this information.
Krystal Ann Branham is 18 years of age and descends from Sirena asfollows: Kenis Harrison Elswick, Betty Jean Elswick, Danny BruceBranham, Krystal Ann Branham.

SPARKS QUARTLY, December 1955, Whole No. 12, p. 97:

THE GENEALOGY OF JOHN SPARKS REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSIONER OFWILKES COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

" As John Sparks (359) stated in his pension application (SQ 94), hewas born on the 25th of February, 1753, near Salisbury, Rowan County,North Carolina , and removed with his father to what is now Wilkes (thenSurry) County, North Carolina about the year 1772. John Sparks did notidentify his father in his application, but other records prove that hisname was Solomon Sparks (356). Surry County was formed from Rowan Countyin 1770, and the Surry tax lists for 1771 and 1772 have been preserved.On the 1771 tax list , Solomon Sparks is listed, with 3 polls, andWilliam Sparks (???) with 1 poll; Will Sparks(199) and son Matthew(334), 2 polls; James Sparks, 1 poll; and Solomon Sparks (356), with sonsJoseph (365) and John (359), 3 polls.

"Solomon Sparks lived in Maryland before settling in North Carolinaand was very probably the son of Joseph Sparks (344) who died intestatein Frederick County, Maryland in 1749.

"On the 20th of March 1750, Solomon Sparks patented 93 acres inFrederick County, Maryland, and gave his land the descriptive name of"Cold Friday". This land was located on Beaver Dam Branch, a tributaryof Linganore Creek. On the 20th of June, 1753, Solomon Sparks and hiswife , Sarah, sold these 93 acres for 34 Pounds, to Mathew Howard.Solomon is disignated in this deed as a "farmer".

"If Solomon Sparks and his wife Sarah were living in Frederick County,Maryland, as late as June 20, 1753, as this deed would indicate , thentheir son John, born February 25, 1753, was born in Frederick County,Maryland, rather than in Rowan County, North Carolina, and was carried toNorth Carolina as a babe in arms. Although we cannot be sure of theexact date, it is reasonably certain that Solomon Sparks removed with hisfamily some time in 1753 to near Salisbury, Rowan County, N.C. (RowanCounty was formed April 12,1753, from Anson County.)

"The following description of Salisbury is found in a letter writtenon November 24, 1755, by Governor Arthur Dobbs: "The Yadkin here (TradingFord) is a large beautiful river where is a ferry. It is near 300 yardsover, it was at this time fordable scarce coming to the horses bellies.At 6 miles distance I arrived at Salisbury the County town of Rowan, thetown is but just laid out, the Court House build and 7 or 8 log houseserected."

"The Sparkses settled in the Forks of the Yadkin, less than ten milesnorth of Salisbury, in what is now Davie County, North Carolina . SolomonSparks obtained a land grant in 1761, for 25O acres in Row an County, onthe west side of the Yadkin River, opposite the mouth of Muddy Creek. In1762 he obtained a grant for 290 acres on the south side of the YadkinRiver, which adjoined his other land. In 1763 Solomon sold 130 and 3/4acres to Jonas Sparks (354), and 159 and 1/ 4 acres to ValentineVanhouser. According to the statement made by John Sparks in his pensionapplication, Solomon Sparks and his family removed from Rowan County to"what is now Wilkes (then Surry) County, North Carolina, about the year1772." In 1787, as residents of Surry County, North Carolina, Solomonand Sarah Sparks sold 160 acres in Rowan County to Zephemiah Harris, andin 1788 they sold 170 (?) acres in Rowan County to Jonas Sparks. Solomonand Sarah Sparks disappear from North Carolina records after 1788.Solomon does not appear on the 1790 census, and there is no will, nointestate record, and no record of Solomon and Sarah Sparks buying orselling land in Surry or Wilkes Counties, although when the Surry-WilkesCounty Line wa s surveyed in 1778 it mentioned the plantation of SolomonSparks. (Here follows a full copy of the description of the dividingline between Surry Co. and Wilkes Co.)

"Thus Solomon Sparks lived just south of the village of Swan Creek inthe western part of Surry (now Yadkin) County, North Carolina, with landin Wilkes as well as in Surry. Around 1800 the Sparkses and theirconnections owned land for several miles along the Surry (nowYadkin)-Wilkes County line and there are still many descendants in thatarea today.

"It is believed that Solomon and Sarah Sparks were both deceased by1800, or possibly by 1790. Since neither of them left a will, and nofamily Bible or other record has been located, it has been difficult toascertain the names of the children of this couple. However, a power ofattorney recorded in Wilkes County, North Carolina, Court Minutes, onTuesday, August 4, 18O1, gives what we feel certain is a listing of atleast eight of the children of Solomon and Sarah Sparks. (Here follows acopy of the power of attorney. The article continues as to Solomon andSarah's son John Sparks, for which see his notes.)"

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THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1959, Whole No. 26; DESCENDANTS OF SOLOMONSPARKS, JR. (DIED 1817) & AND HIS WIFE CHARITY OF WILKES COUNTY, NORTHCAROLINA, Page 382:

"In an article by William Perry Johnson entitled "The Genealogy ofJohn Sparks, Revolutionary War Pensioner of Wilkes County, NorthCarolina," which appeared in the QUARTERLY of December, 1955 (Vol. III,No. 4, p p. 97-104), the data were summarized which have been gleanedthus far on the life of Solomon Sparks, early settler in Wilkes County,North Carolina. In his article, Mr. Johnson pointed out that SolomonSparks was probably born in Frederick County, Maryland, and that he wasprobably a son of Joseph Sparks who died in Frederick County, Maryland,in 1749. Solomon Sparks, with his wife Sarah, and family moved fromFrederick County, Maryland, to near Salisbury, Rowan County (now DavieCounty), North Carolina, sometime during the year 1753. They settled inthe forks of the Yadkin River where Solomon obtained a land grant of 250acres in 1761 near the mouth of Muddy Creek. About 1772 they moved fromRowan County to what is now Wilkes (then a part of Surry) County, NorthCarolina.

"The last record we have of Solomon and Sarah Sparks is dated 1788when they sold land which they still owned in Rowan County to JonasSparks. (Jonas Sparks was probably a brother of Solomon and accompaniedDaniel Boone to Kentucky in 1773...")

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THE SPARKS QUARTERLY,September, 1967, Whole No. 59, p 1082,

DESCENDANTS OF SOLOMON AND SARAHSPARKS, OF MARYLAND AND NORTH CAROLINA
THROUGH THEIRSON, REUBEN SPARKS (ca. 1755-1840)

"Solomon Sparks was born in Maryland about 1725. It is probable thathe was a son of Joseph Sparks who died intestate in Frederick County ,Maryland, in 1749. (Solomon named one of his sons Joseph, probably forhis father.) Sometime before 1750, Solomon Sparks married Sarah -----.

"On March 20, 1750, Solomon Sparks patented 93 acres of land inFrederick County, Maryland, and gave this tract the descriptive name ofCold Friday. This land was located on Beaver Dam Branch, a tributary ofLinganore Creek. On June 20, 1753, Solomon Sparks and his wife Sarah,sold this tract of 93 acres for 35 pounds to Mathew Howard. Solomon isdesignated in this deed as a "farmer."

"Sometime in 1753, probably soon after selling this tract of land ,Solomon Sparks moved from Frederick County, Maryland, to near Salisbury,Rowan County, North Carolina. (Rowan County was formed on April 12, 1753from Anson County.) Solomon and Sarah Sparks were among the firstsettlers in that area of North Carolina. Two years after their arrival,Governor Arthur Dobbs visited Salisbury and wrote the followingdescription on November 24, 1755: "The Yadkin here (Trading Ford ) is alarge beautiful river where there is a ferry. It is near 300 yards over,it was at this time fordable scarce coming to the horses' bellies. At 6miles distance I arrived at Salisbury the County town of Rowan, the townis but just laid out, the Court House built and 7 or 8 log Houseserected." (From THE COLONIAL RECORDS OF NORTH CAROLINA, Vol. 5, page 355.)

"Solomon Sparks settled in the Forks of the Yadkin, less than tenmiles north of Salisbury, in what is now Davie County, North Carolina. In1761, he obtained a land grant for 250 acres in Rowan County, on the westside of the Yadkin River, opposite the mouth of Muddy Creek. In 1762, heobtained a grant for 290 acres on the south side of the Yadkin River,which adjoined his other grant.

"By the early 1760's, Solomon Sparks had been joined in North Carolinaby several of his close relatives from Frederick County, Maryland:Matthew Sparks [256], son of William Sample Sparks who was a cousin ofSolomon], William Sample Sparks [201], son of William Sparks who wasbrother of Solomon's father, Joseph and, thus, was Solomon's cousin,Jonas Sparks [354], brother of Solomon, and James Sparks [355], brotherof Matthew and another first cousin once removed of Solomon].

"In 1763, Solomon Sparks sold a portion of his land on the Yadkin toJonas Sparks, who was probably (JS: actually) his brother, and anotherportion to Valentine Vanhouser. According to a statement made by JohnSparks , son of Solomon, when applying for a Revolutionary War pension in1832, Solomon Sparks and his family moved from the Forks of the Yadkin towhat is now Wilkes County (then Surry County), North Carolina, in 1772.When the dividing line between Wilkes and Surry counties was surveyed in1778, it was found that the like cut through Solomon's plantation, butaccording to the Court Minutes, his house was on the Surry side. Thus ,Solomon Sparks lived just south of the present village of Swan Creek inthe western part of what is now Yadkin County, North Carolina.

"By 1800, Solomon and Sarah sparks had both died. Neither of themleft a will, nor has a family Bible record been found listing the namesof their children. However, a document recorded in the Wilkes CountyCourt Records reveals the names of those still living in the WilkesCounty area in 1801. It is a Letter of Attorney dated July 31, 1801,from John Sparks, Reuben Sparks, Solomon Sparks, Jr., Mary Jacks, HannahDenny, Susannah Johnson, and Joseph Sparks to Abel Sparks, all beingchildren of Solomon Sparks. We know from his application for a pensionthat John Sparks, son of Solomon, was born in 1753; it seems probablethat he was the oldest son.

"Assuming that the other children were listed in the Letter ofAttorney in the order of their birth, we may speculate on their birthdates as follows: [here is a list of the eight children of Solomon andSarah Sparks].

**********

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1991, Whole No. 154, p. 3777:

WILLIAM SPARKS, ca .1725-1801/02

............."We know that Solomon Sparks, older brother of Jonas, andclose neighbor of William Sparks in Surry County, remained openly loyalto the British Crown. This is graphically revealed in an application fora Revolutionary War Pension application by one George Parks, dated April10, 1833. Congress had passed legislation in 1832 providing pensions forall surviving Revolutionary War soldiers whether or not they were infinancial need, and Parks was one of those who applied. Like many of hisfellow veterans, however, Parks could find no documentary proof of hisservice, which was required by the War Department before a pension couldbe issued. What veterans with this problem often did, besides seekingaffidavits from others who remembered their service, was to try to recallin as much detail as possible the events during the war in which they hadbeen participants. This George Parks did in his application. Herecalled that at the time of the Revolution, he had lived in that part ofSurry County, North Carolina, that was cut off to form Wilkes County in1777 and that in 1779, he thought "in the fall season," he had enlistedin a "Company of Minute Men" for a period of eighteen months . It wasthe primary mission of this company, which was commanded by CaptainWilliam Lenore, to find men in their neighborhood who belonged to Torymilitary units. Some they would hang when they captured them, whileothers were whipped "nearly to death." They also punished civilians whowere judged to be Loyalists, but less severely.

"One of the incidents recalled by Parks had involved "Old SolomonSparks," whom he described as "a celebrated Tory." He and several othermen from Captain Lenore's Company were determined to punish Solomon forhis Tory sentiments, but they knew that he was aware of this danger andwas usually armed. In order to entice him out of his house unarmed, Parksrecalled how he and his comrades had "employed a Whig from a distantneighborhood and a stranger to said Old Tory, to decoy him out of hishouse without his gun under the pretence of being a traveller & inquiringthe Road." Parks stated that the stranger "succeeded admirably" and thatSolomon had, indeed, stepped outside his house unarmed to point the wayfor the stranger.

"The soldiers, who had been hiding, then grabbed Solomon. "He foughtbravely without arms," Parks admitted with a certain degree ofadmiration, and in the fracas, Solomon had "considerably injured thisapplicant by kicking him." The soldiers had succeeded in overpoweringSolomon Sparks, however, and "he was sent down the Yadkin in aCanoe...tied hand and foot, on his back. " Although Solomon's plightmust have been quite precarious, Parks recalled that "he repeatedlyhallowed 'hurra for King George'," as he floated helplessly downstream.(See Park's Revolutionary War Pension File, W27456; BLWt. 53670-150-55 atthe National Archives.)

"Who finally rescued Solomon Sparks we do not know, but he did survivehis ordeal for he was still living in 1788 when he sold to his brother,Jonas, the last of his land in the Forks of the Yadkin."

In 1749, Solomon Sparks signed a petition, with others, for theestablishment of a road from their new church in the Linganore Creek areaof Frederick County to "Baltimoretown" and "Annapolistown." See PIONEERSOF OLD MONOCACY, The Early Settlement of Frederick County, Maryland,1721-1743, Grace L. Tracey & John P. Dern, pg 102-3.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1986, Whole No. 136., pp 2959-60:

"Solomon Sparks, son of Joseph (428) and Mary (McDaniel) Sparks was bornon July 13, 1760, in Frederick County, Maryland, according to theinscription on his tombstone in the Providence Union Church Cemetary inBedford County, PA.; however, he stated that he had been born in 1758when he applied for a military pension in 1832. He was probably namedfor his uncle Solomon Sparks (356), who went from Frederick County,Maryland to Rowan County, North Carolina, about 1755. When Solomon wasabout sixteen years of age, he went with his brothers, Joseph and James,to Bedford County, PA. It was there that he enlisted in Boyd's RangerCompany of the Pennsylvania Militia in the spring of 1782 to fight theIndians who were allies of Great Britain during the Revolutionary War. Heserved for a period of about fifteen months . Many years later heapplied for a pension for his service. The application is printed in THESPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1955, Whole No. 9, pp. 59-61 and is reproduced asfollows:

REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION OF SOLOMON SPARKS

"The file number given to the application papers of Solomon Sparks in TheNational Archives is S4874.
State of Pennsylvania)
Bedford County ) SS

"On this 29th day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eighthundred & thirty-two personally appeared in open Court before theHonorable Alexander Thompson & his Associate Judges of the Court ofCommon Pleas of Bedford County no holden of August Term 1832, SolomonSparks, a resident of Providence Township, Bedford County and State ofPennsylvania, aged seventyfour & upwards, who being first duly swornaccording to law doth on his oath make the following declaration, inorder to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832:

"That he enlisted in Bedford County with Ensign Hugh Means of CaptainJohn Boyd's company of troops raised by the State of Pennsylvania in theyear, as Deponent believes, of 1782. That Deponent enlisted sometime inthe month of April of said year. That said company remained within theCounty of Bedford aforesaid, then a frontier county, the greater part ofsaid year & and were stationed in said County to act against the Indiansthen the allies of Great Brittain (viz). That his said service was theyear after said Boyd was defeated near Frankstown. That said companynever joined any regiment during the time of his said service, which wasbout eighteen months, when Deponent was discharged in Bedford aforesaid.That his said discharge is now lost . That he further relinquishes everyclaim whatever to a pension or an annuity except the present, & hefurther declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agencyin any State.

"Answers to questions put by the Court--
"I was born in Frederick County, Maryland, in 1758, & have a record ofmy age at home. I was living in Bedford County when called into service. I lived two years in Maryland after I was discharged & ever since inBedford County. I was enlisted. I had a discharge from either Means orJohnson, but do not know where it is--never had a commission. s/SOLOMON SPARKS

"Bedford County)SS
We, William Caldwell, a minister & preacher of the Gospel inProvidence Township, Bedford County, & Charles Ashcom, Esquire, bothresiding in said Township of Providence, do hereby certify that we arewell acquainted with Solomon Sparks who has subscribed and sworn to theabove declaration. That we believe him to be seventy four years of age &upwards. That he is reputed & believed in the neighborhood were heresides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution & and that we concur inthat opinion (signatures).

"And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after theinvestigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogationsprescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was aRevolutionary Soldier, and served as he states. (Includes identificationof the witnesses.)

"I, Job Mann, Prothonotary (or clerk) of the Court of Common Pleas ofthe County of Bedford in the State of Pennsylvania, do hereby certifythat the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court inthe matter of the application of Solomon Sparks for a pension. Intestimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office atBedford the 29th day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eighthundred and thirty two. s/Job Mann, Prothonotary."
State of Pennsylvania)
Bedford County ) SS

"Personally appeared before me the undersigned, a Justice of the Peacein & for said County, Solomon Sparks who, being duly sworn according tothe law, saith that by reason of old age & the consequent loss of memory,he cannot state with more precision than he has done, the periods of thewar when he served and that his term of service was not less than fifteenmonths to which length of time he can swear positively--that he held nocommission, that he has not any documentary evidence of his service, &and that he does not know any person who can tell anything of them.

Sworn to and subscribed this 6th day of December AD 1832, before me J.Bonnett.

(See also PENNA. ARCHIVES, 2nd Series, Vol. 12, page 46O; SOLOMON SPARKSTHE REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER, HISTORY OF BEDFORD COUNTY, published 1884 byWaterman & Watkins)

END OF PENSION APPLICATION

The above-referenced article continues on SQ p. 2959 as follows:

"At the close of the Revolutionary War, Solomon returned to FrederickCounty, Maryland, where he stayed for about two years before returning toBedford County. It may have been in Frederick County that he marriedRachel --- about 1784. She had been born on September 23, 1764,according to the inscription on her tombstone in Providence Union ChurchCemetary. On April 16, 1794 , Solomon received 400 acres of land inBedford County, probably for his service in the Pennsylvania Militia. Healso received 200 acres from the state of Pennsylvania.

"With the outbreak of the second war with Great Britain in June 1812,Solomon organized a company of riflemen which was mustered into serviceof the United States on September 25, 1812, and was attached to the 2ndRegiment of Pennsyl- vania Riflemen, commanded by Col. William Piper.Included in Sparks's company as a 2nd Corporal was his nephew, JamesSparks (597), and the roster of privates included another nephew, JosephSparks (595), and his own two sons, Abraham Sparks (642) and Joseph S.Sparks (644). The unit saw action at Buffalo, New York. (See Whole Nos.32 & 33 for accounts of these men and their military service.)

"Solomon Sparks was undoubtedly a successful farmer. His home wasmade of brick which was a bit uncommon in the rural areas of that time.He was also a shrewd businessman and made careful and profitableinvestments. He made a will many years before his death, for he hadaccumulated a considerable estate and two of his children had not hetattained adulthood. With a great deal of concern for the details of thedisposition of his property, he made his will on January 10, 1821.

FIRST of all. I resign my soul into the hands of Almighty God and mybody to the dust to be buried in a Christian-like manner.

SECONDLY. My funeral and debts are to be paid as soon as circumstancespermit.

THIRD. To my beloved wife, Racheal, one-half of the brick house,together with all the bedding, one table, six chairs and all the kitchenfurniture. Also one cow and one riding creature.

FOURTHLY. To my son, Abraham Sparks, the home place together withbuildings and improvements, reserving only his mother's half of the brickhouse which is to descend to him at his mother's death. Also 200 acresof land on Owl Creek in Crawford County, together with all my horses,cows and stock, wagons, ploughs, harrows and farming utensils as well ashousehold furniture not already bequeathed; together with all outstandingdebts which he is to pay off.

My son, Abraham, is to pay to my five beloved daughters, namely:Sarah, Hannah, Mary, Delilah and Rachel, the sum of $200 each in thefollowing manner: On Jan. 1, 1826, $150 to Sarah; on Jan. 1, 1827, $50 toSarah and $100 to Hannah; on Jan. 1, 1828, $100 to Hannah and $50 toMary; on Jan. 1, 1829, $100 to Mary and $50 to Delilah; on Jan. 1, 1830,$50 to Mary and $100 to Delilah; on Jan. 1, 1831, $50 to Delilah and $100to Rachel; on Jan. 1, 1832, $100 to Rachel.

FIFTHLY. To my son Joseph Sparks, I give the Hagerly place and a 100acre warrant tract on the Turnpike Road. Also $100 in turnpike stock.

SIXTHLY. To my son, Jonah Sparks, I give the Chapman place on ClearRidge and also the claim I have to the land adjoining the east of the newbridge on the Turnpike Road. Also $100 in turnpike stock.

To my son, John Sparks, I give the Chaney place adjoining Philip Morgert.

To my beloved son, Solomon Sparks, I give the old place on Clear Ridgeand the Calhoun place.

To my grandson, William Latta, I give $100 to be paid to him when hecomes of age.

If any of my children should not live to enjoy their shares thusbequeathed, it is my will that it should be equally divided between thesurviving heirs.

P.S. I also give my son, Abraham Sparks, $150 of turnpike stock and he isto provide a comfortable living for his mother and provide keeping forher horse and cow and provide for the children until they arrive at 21years of age.

Lastly. I appoint my wife, Rachel Sparks, and my eldest son, AbrahamSparks, executors of my will. Thus having endeavored to be plain andexplicit in all devises, I hope and trust that no dispute will ariseconcerning them, but if the case should be otherwise, my will is that alldisputes shall be decided by three impartial and intelligent men knownfor their good understanding.
his
Solomon S Sparks
seal
Witnesses:
Joseph Sparks
Abraham Martin

"Solomon Sparks lived to see all of his children attain adulthood. Hedied on April 8, 1838, at the age of 77 years, 8 months and 25 days. Hiswin was probated on April 24, 1838. Four days later, his widow, RachelSparks, renounced her appointment as his co-executor and his son, AbrahamSparks, was granted letters of administration of his father's estate.Rachel died on February 13, 1842, at the age of 77 years, 4 months and 20days. She and Solomon had eleven children."

END OF ARTICLE

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See also an article appearing in THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1988,Whole No. 144, beginning at page 3348 entitled "Further Informationabout the Descendants of Joseph Sparks (ca.1730-1809) of FrederickCounty, Maryland, and Bedford County, Pennsylvania. While the articlerepeats much of the earlier information is it copied in full as follows:

"[Editor's Note: A portion of the December 1986 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 136, was devoted to the descendants of Joseph and Mary(McDaniel) Sparks, early settlers of Frederick County, Maryland. Sincethe publication of that article, we have received additional informationabout two of their children, Solomon Sparks and Susannah Sparks. Thisinformation has come to us through the interest of Donald Teeter andTimothy King, and we appreciate their willingness to share theirrecords. Mr. Teeter lives at 1522A Old Towne Manor, Cumberland, Maryland(21502). Mr. King lives at 224 12th St. S.E. Washington, D.C. (20003).]

"Solomon Sparks, son of Joseph and Mary (McDaniel) Sparks, was born onJune 13, 1760, in Frederick County, Maryland. (See also pages 2959-2974of the December 1986 issue of the QUARTERLY.) He married Rachel Weimer,probably about 1785. She was born on September 23, 1764, and was adaughter of Abraham and Hanna (---) Weimer. Abraham Weimer was a son ofJohannes and Wientje (Symons or Simons) Weimer, thus a brother of AdamWeimer who married Susannah Sparks. (See Item G, below). Johannes(Weimer) was born in 1696 in Germany and migrated to the colony of NewJersey where he lived for a while in Hunterdon County. He bought land inFrederick County, Maryland, in 1761 and died in Bedford County, Virginia,in 1780. The surname Weimer was also spell ed Wemmer, Wemer, Wimmer, andsometimes Winner. Rachel (Weimer) Sparks died on February 13, 1842, inBedford County. She and Solomon had ten children, according to recordshanded down in the Hollar family of Bedford County. They are shown belowas recorded in the Hollar Bible. Our readers will note that thesebirthdates are at varience with those published in the December 1986issue of the QUARTERLY, pages 2961-2972. Since the birthdates we hadreceived earlier were incomplete, we are inclined to accept the HollarBible records as being correct. These dates are given below:
(here are listed original SQ dates and Hollar Bible dates.)"

See SQ pps 3348-50 for more information on the descendants of Solomonand Rachel.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1963, Whole No. 43, pp. 747-748:

SOLOMON SPARKS (1767-1838) OF WASHINGTONCOUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, AND ADAMS COUNTY, OHIO

"In the June, 1963, issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY (Vol. KI, No. 2,Whole No. 42), we published a record of George Sparks, who we believe wasborn in the 1730.s and his brother, William Sparks, of Washington County,Pennsylvania. One of George Sparks's sons was Solomon Sparks who wasborn November 15, 1767.

"Solomon Sparks grew to man hood in Washington County, Pennsylvania,and there he was married about 1792 to Catherine Hillegas, who was adaughter of John and Elizabeth Hillegas. Catherine was born February 15,1777.

"Our records of Solomon Sparks in Washington County, Pennsylvania, arefew in number. On October 10, 1798, his father deeded 114 acres of hisfarm called "Elenoroon" to him. (See the map on the cover of the June,1963, issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for the location of "Elenoroon.")Solomon Sparks acquired other land and appears to have been a prosperousfarmer. In 1803 and again in 1805, Solomon and Catherine sold land inWashington County. On May 3, 1809, they sold the last of their propertyand shortly thereafter moved to Adams County, Ohio, settling near thepresent town of Winchester. there they became charter members of theFirst Baptist Church of Winchester, signing the Articles of Confederationin 1814.

"Solomon Sparks probably chose to move to Adams County, Ohio, becausean older brother, Salathiel Sparks, had settled there in 1803. Salathiellived near the town of West Union.

"Solomon died in Adams County, Ohio, on March 19, 1838, and his wife,Catherine, died on March 14, 1859. Following is a record of the childrenof Solomon and Catherine (Hilligas) Sparks as copied many years ago fromtheir family bible by their son Abner Sparks. (Here follows a list oftheir children and their birth dates and some death dates.)

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See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1992, Whole No. 160, pp. 4050-56:

SOLOMON AND CATHERINE (HILLEGAS) SPARKS - THEIR CHILDREN ANDGRANDCHILDREN

"In addition to making the correction (above on pp. 4049-50), we givehere a listing of the children and grandchildren of Solomon and Catherine(Hillegas) Sparks as recorded by Judge Walter Sparks prior to 1925, butsupplemented with a considerable amount of data discovered since theJudge prepared his twenty-five charts.

"Solomon Sparks was born on November 15, 1767, near Uniontown,Washington County, Pennsylvania; he died on March 19, 1838, atWinchester, Adams County, Ohio. In the issue of the QUARTERLY for June1963, Whole No. 42, we published material pertaining to George Sparks,father of Solomon. Since the publication of that article, we havelearned that George Sparks, father of Solomon, was a son of Joseph andMary Sparks. Joseph Sparks, born about 1730 in Queen Annes County,Maryland, died in Frederick County, Maryland, in 1749. In an articleabout another son of Joseph Sparks (i.e. Joseph Sparks, Jr.) appearing inthe QUARTERLY of September 1986, Whole No. 135, we gave information aboutthe elder Joseph Sparks (died 1749) on page 2915. More information aboutthis branch of the Sparks family appeared in the QUARTERLY of December1989, Whole No. 148, as part of a study of the life of William SampleSparks, who was a nephew of Joseph. A detailed study of the life ofJoseph Sparks appeared in the QUARTERLY of March 1990, Whole. No. 149,pp. 3555-61.

"Solomon Sparks, son of George Sparks and a grandson of Joseph Sparks,was married about 1792 to Catherine Hillegas, probably in WashingtonCounty, Pennsylvania; she was a daughter of John and Elizabeth Hillegasand had been born on February 15, 1775. She died on March 14, 1859, atWinchester, Ohio.

"Although Judge Sparks referred to Solomon Sparks as a "RevolutionaryVeteran," we have found no proof of such service. Considering thatSolomon was born in 1767, he would have been only nine years old when theDeclaration of Independence was signed. On October 19, 1781, whenCornwallis surrendered, Solomon would have been only in his fourteenthyear, so if he did serve in the Revolution, his service would probablyhave been as an errand boy or waiter to an officer.

"Solomon and Catherine (Hillegas) Sparks were in Brooke County,Virginia, when the 1810 census was taken. (Since the Civil War, BrookeCounty has been part of West Virginia, just over the state line fromWashington County, Pennsylvania.) Enumerated in Solomon's household in1810 were their first eight children. Solomon and Catherine did not stayin Brooke County very long, however, for they were in Adams County, Ohio,by 1812. There they purchased a 164-acre farm just west of the villageof Winchester. Solomon had followed his older brother, Salathiel Sparks,to Ohio.

"Solomon Sparks was a tailor by occupation. He and Catherine becamecharter members of the First Baptist Church of Winchester in 1814.Solomon died there on March 19, 1838, and on April 23, 1838, his son,James Sparks, was appointed administrator of his father's estate. Theadministration bond was set at $3,200, with Hiram Burnett and MiltonGassett as bond securities. When the 1850 census was taken of AdamsCounty, Catherine, widow of Solomon, was shown as heading a household inwhich her sons Abner Sparks (age 38) and John 0. Sparks (age 30) werestill living. Following is a brief record of the children of Solomon andCatherine (Hillegas) Sparks, with a list of the known children of each.We plan to provide a more detailed record of these children and theirdescendants in future issues of the QUARTERLY. [For information on thesechildren, see their family pages.]

SQ 2921: "Solomon Sparks, Son of Joseph and Elizabeth Sparks, was bornon
September 13, 1780. He was undoubtedly named for his uncle, SolomonSparks
(586) (1760-1838), with whom he has sometimes been confused. He is saidto
have married Rachel Manville. There are few records of this SolomonSparks.
As far as we can determine, he did not appear by name on the 1810-1850censuses
of Bedford County. We have found no records of his marriage nor of any
children who were products of that marriage. Tombstones in the Providence
Cemetary give the following Information:
Solomon Sparks, Sept. 13, 1780 - April 8, 1853.
Rachel Sparks, Sept. 23, 1794 - February 13, 1872.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1963, Whole No. 43, pp. 757-58:

SPARKSES IN THE WAR OF1812
BOUNTY LAND AND PENSION APPLICATIONS

"SOLOMON SPARKS, born January 4, 1787, in Washington County,Pennsylvania; died May 21, 1860, in Taylor County, Virginia (now WestVirginia). Married Rachel Nixon. Bounty Land Warrant File22-144-80-55.

"On December 3, 1850, Solomon Sparks appeared before a justice of thepeace in Pruntytown, Taylor County, West Virginia (then Virginia), namedJoshua 0. Robinson to make application for bounty land. He stated thathe was 64 years old and a resident of Taylor County; that he had been aprivate in Capt. Gabriel Wilkinson's company in the Fifth Regiment ofVirginia Militia commanded by Col. Street in the War of 1812. SolomonSparks stated that he had performed this service as a substitute forLewis Yates who was drafted at Garrison County in 1814 (he could notremember the date) and that he served for a term of almost six months,being honorably discharged at Fort Nelson, Virginia, in February, 1815.(Records in the Treasury Department of this regiment revealed thatSolomon Sparks had served from Aug. 31, 1814, to March 19, 1815.) SolomonSparks stated that he had received a written discharge, but that it hadbeen lost. He signed his application as "Solomon Sparks."
On July 23, 1851, he was issued a warrant for 80 acres of bounty land.

"On May 19, 1855, Solomon Sparks applied for additional bounty landunder the new act of March 30 1855. He stated that he was now 66 yearsold and still a resident of Taylor County. He gave no new informationregarding himself. He again sigmd his name as "Solomon Sparks" -- IsaacA. Morris and Benjamin F. Baldwin, both residents of Taylor County,signed as witnesses. He was issued a warrant for 80 acres of additionalbounty land.

"(Editor's Note: The above Solomon Sparks was born January 4. 1787, inWashington County, Pennsylvania, and died in Taylor County, Virginia (nowWest Virginia) on May 21, 1860. He married Rachel Nixon, who was born in1791 and died in Taylor County on February 9, 1875. She was buried inthe Nixon Cemetery on U.S. 250 near Pruntytown. It is probable thatSolomon Sparks was buried there also, but there is no stone with hisname. This Solomon Sparks was a son of George and Rachel (Norris)Sparks, who were married in 1785 in Washington County, Pennsylvania; theylater moved to that section of Virginia which is now in Taylor County,West Virginia. George Sparks, father of Solomon, was born in the 1750'sand served in the American Revolution, being taken a prisoner by theBritish in New York in November, 1782. George Sparks was a son of Georgeand Mary Sparks of Washington County, Pennsylvania. For additional dataon this family, see The Sparks Quarterly of June, 1963 (Vol. XI, No. 2,Whole No. 42) pp. 728-734. See also the record of Anna (Sparks) Snyder,sister of Solomon Sparks, which appears in this issue of the Quarterly,page 759.

"We have only scattered references to Solomon Sparks in WestVirginia. Since Taylor County was not created until 1844, his nameappeared on the 1830 census of Harrison County, which then included thepart of what is now Taylor County where he lived. He was listed withhis wife and three boys (one under 5; one between 5 and 10; and onebetween 10 and 15) and four girls (one under 5; two between 5 and 10; andone between 10 and 15). When the 1850 census was taken of Taylor County,Solomon's family was listed as follows:
(age) (birth place)
Sparks,Solomon 65 Penna. Farmer $500
Rachael 60 " (in real estate)
Sarah 30 Virginia
George 30 " Laborer
Charlotte 28 "
Mary 26 "
Solomon 25 " Laborer
John 21 "
Sarah 20 "
Sarah 19 "

"It will be noted that there are three women in this family namedSarah; from the way in which they are listed it would appear they wereall daughters, in which case the census taker must have made a mistake inwriting their names. Two of them may, of course, have been relatives.

"Solomon Sparks did not leave a will. His son, George W. Sparks, whoseems to have been the oldest son, reported his death to the countyclerk, stating that Solomon had died from "old age." We know that thisGeorge W. Sparks was born August 14., 1819, and died January 10,1895--these dates appear on his tombstone in the Nixon Cemetery on U.S.250 near Pruntytown, Taylor County, West Virginia. His wife's name wasSina; she was born Jan. 3., 1823, and died Dec. 7, 1873.

"The only other child of Solomon and Rachel (Nixon) Sparks on whom wehave any information is Solomon Sparks, Jr., who was born Sept. B. 1824,and died Nov. 3, 1894. According to his tombstone in the Nixon Cemetery,he was a soldier in the Civil War.

"One other Sparks family was listed on the 1850 census of TaylorCounty, West Virginia, (then Virginia). The ages of the members of thisfamily present a problem--perhaps that of John Sparks, given first, is anerror--perhaps he was really 41 instead of 21. He may, on the other hand,not have been the husband of Margaret, whose age is given as 36, but mayhave been her son and was listed first because he had succeeded hisfather as head of the household. The family was given as follows:
Sparks, John 21 Virginia Farmer $1100
Margaret 36 "
Luvina 18 "
Mary Jane 14 "
John 12 "
Syntha 10 "
Whitaker, Erny 21 "

"(We shall welcome additional information on this family fromdescendants.)"

TWO EARLY SPARKS SETTLERS IN LOUISIANA: In the American State Papers,published in 1834 in class VIII devoted to "Public Lands,' there are twoSparks references. On Feb. 7, 1809., a certificate-was issued to JamesRichardson for 240 arpents of land near a water course called Marais desLiards. This land had been claimed by JONAS SPARKS. It is not clearwhether James Riichardson was his heir or whether he had purchased theright from Jonas Sparks (see Vol. 2, page 694). In a section devoted to"Claims in the Western District of Louisiana" (Vol. 3, page 242) appearsthe following entry: 'No. 1239-1037--JONATHAN SPARKS claims six hundredand forty acres of land on both sides of Stokely's creek, parish ofCattahoula. The evidence of Henry Combs,, taken the 15th December 1813,states that the claimant settled on the land in 1803., and has inhabitedand cultivated the same ever since.' Can anyone identify either JONASSPARKS or JONATHAN SPARKS?

Solomon Sparks, Sr., is the great-great-grandfather of James JosephSparks.

CENSUS:
1840 US Census, Smythe County, VA; FHL 29692 (copy in file).
1850 US Census, 67th Dist. pg 84 (or 884), Washington County, VA ,August 3, 1850; FHL 444970, (copy in file).
1860 US Census, Knoxville, Knox County, TN, district 3, pg 136, line4, living in the house of his son James Sparks (180). FHL 805259. (copyin file with James.)

MORTGAGES:
Mortgage Record Book (1831-1838) Washington County, VA., book 12, pg278 (FHL 34369); trust deed executed Jan 14, 1836 by Solomon Sparks Sr.to John Ramage and witnessed by Solomon Sparks Jr., his son Jacob Sparks(175) and his nephew Ephriam Sparks (228), conveying property for thebenefit of Alex McCall to secure a loan of $172.86 to Solomon Sparks,Sr., payable January 15 , 1837. (Jacob is a son of Solomon Sr., andEphriam is a son of Solomon's brother William (192). Photocopy inpossession of James J. Sparks)

Initial information came from Paul Sparks, worksheet D in which hecites as his authority the following (he drops the word Census) 1820,1850 , 1860 Washington County, VA, 1840 Smyth Co. VA., 1860 Knox Co.Tenn. He states that Solomon paid taxes Washington Co. VA. 1815, 1816,1818, 1819, 1820, 1823, 1826-30; Deed (of trust) 14 Jan 1836 WashingtonCo. Va.

Solomon is mentioned in lengthy article about his grandfather Williamin the Sparks Quarterly for March, 1990, Whole No. 149, beginning at page3752.

***************

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4272 includes thefollowing information (additional information provided by Dr. RussellBidlack is put in parenthesis and preceeded with an RB):

"Solomon Sparks, son of James Sparks, Sr., was born about 1788 inNorth Carolina. He married Susan ----, probably about 1814 and when the1820 census was taken of Washington County, Virginia, they had two sonsand two daughters, all born between 1810 and 1820. (RB: In 1815 SolomonSparks, Sr. appeared on the tax list of the Upper District of WashingtonCo., VA for the first time.]

"On the 1818 tax list, Solomon was shown as living in Saltville. Thattown in the Upper District lies on the border between Washington andSmyth Counties, with more of it in Smyth than Washington. On the 1820Census, Solomon was shown as aged 26 to 45 with 2 males under 10, afemale (wife, probably) aged 26 to 45, plus 2 females under 10.)

"Solomon paid personal property taxes in Washington County from 1815to 1830; however he did not appear on the 1830 census as heading ahousehold there, nor have we found him on the 1830 census of any othercounty. He did appear on the 1840 census of Smyth County, Virginia,however, but by 1850, he was back in Washington County, Virginia. Onthat census, six of his children, born between 1825 and 1839, were shownas born in North Carolina, according to information given to thecensus-taker; however, we have found no record of him in that stateduring that period of time. (Photocopy of census in JS file)

"Although it seems highly probable that Solomon Sparks lived in andaround Washington County, Virginia, most of his life, we have found onlyone record of him among that county's files. On January 14, 1836, hegave a Deed of Trust to John Ramage, also of Washington County, in orderto secure an obligation which he (Sparks) apparently owed to AlexanderMcCall in the amount of $176.86. Sparks pledged his crops, his farmimplements and his household goods to secure the loan which he promisedto pay on or before January 15, 1837. Sparks made his mark on this deed,while Ramage signed his name. Two of Solomon's sons, Solomon Sparks,Jr., and Jacob Sparks, and a nephew, Ephriam Sparks, witnessed thetransaction. (Photocopy in JS file)

"Susan Sparks, wife of Solomon, apparently died prior to 1850, forshe was not listed on the 1850 census of Washington County. Solomon waslisted as head of his family, and six of his eleven children were livingwith him. He died sometime after 1860, probably in Knox County,Tennessee, where he was living with his son, James Sparks, and family. Wehave been unable to identify two of the children of Solomon and SusanSparks."

RESEARCH:
Marriage was estimated in 1813. Could have been in Lee County VA orin Washington Co., VA where Solomon first appears on tax rolls in 1815 .Regarding the death of Solomon, see the following records:
I have a note "ESTATE OF SOLOMON SR. FHL reel 562161." Check this out!!
Knox Co. Tennessee, Court Records.
Administrators bonds, 1859-1869 1021353, negative
Admin and Exec Settlements: v 13-14, 1858-1865, 1020323, negative v15-17, 1865-1874, 1020324, negative
Records of insolvent estates 1859-1915, 1021356, negative
Knox Co. cemetary records 976.8a1 no 46.; 976.885/k1 v3b and 823845 No2
1st Presbyterian Church FHL 833254, 979357(4)
List of members in First Baptist church of Knoxville 1843-1953 984 304
and 499878.
Deed Index Sk-Sz FHL 503387
Reverse Index Sk-Sz FHL 503128
Bible Records "S" (Sparks) FHL 975604, "B" (Brimm) FHL 975600

SQ 102 incorrectly shows this son of John, Solomon (359), as beingmarried to Isabella Swaim. It was later demonstrated that the Solomon(392) who married Isabella Swaim was the son of John's younger brotherSolomon (361).

The following three articles contain many inconsistancies concerningSolomon, son of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks:

*********************************

FIRST: See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December, 1963, Whole No. 44, pp.780-781:

"SOLOMON SPARKS, born about 1783, in Wilkes County, North Carolina; aresident of Cherokee County, North Carolina, prior to 1850. Bounty LandWarrant File 17 850-80-55.

"On June 7, 1852, Solomon Sparks, a resident of Fort Hembreo (?),Cherokee County, North Carolina, appeared before Edward Rogers, a justiceof the peace in Union County, Georgia, to make application for bountyland under the provisions of the Act of Congress dated March 22, 1852. Hestated that he was 69 years of age and that he had been a private in thecompany commanded by Captain McLane in the 7th Regiment of North CarolinaMilitia commanded by Col. J. A. Pearson in the War of 1812. He statedthat he had volunteered in Wilkes County, North Carolina, about February1, 1814, to serve for six months, and was honorably discharged atSalisbury, North Carolina, on September 1, 1814. He appointed John S.Fain of Blairsville, Union County, Georgia, as his lawful attorney "toprocess the within mentioned claim." Solomon Sparks signed hisapplication by mark.

"Along with his application, Solomon Sparks submitted his certificateof discharge dated September 1, 1814, and signed by Col. J. A. Pearson.Records in the War Department indicated that he had actually served fromMarch 1, 1814, to July 16, 1814, although his discharge was datedSeptember 1. He was issued a warrant (No. 292) for 80 acres of land onNovember 29., 1852.

"On April 13, 1855, Solomon Sparks appeared before a justice of thepeace named J. R. Dyche in Cherokee County, North Carolina, to apply foradditional bounty land under the new act of March 3. 1855. He statedthat he was now 80 years of age, still a resident of Cherokee County. Hegave no new information about himself in this application. He signed hisname to the application on this occasion. Joel Sparks and BenjaminHariss, both of Cherokee County, signed as witnesses.

"In the account of the children of John Sparks, a probable son,Solomon, is mentioned on page 102 (Note referred to by Paul E. Sparks:This Solomon Sparks was probably a son of John Sparks, a RevolutionaryWar pensioner of Wilkes County, North Carolina (see the Quarterly ofDecember, 1955, Vol. III, No. 4, pp. 97-104.). Subsequent research hasproven that this Solomon was not a son of John Sparks as suggested there,but was probably a son of Solomon Sparks, Jr., a brother of John. (Seepages 382-400 of the Quarterly of June 1959 (Vol. VII, No. 2.)

"Little is known of Solomon Sparks, probable son of John. Traditionin the Sparkses of Little Fork of Little Sandy River, Elliott County,Kentucky, says that there was a Solomon Sparks who lived there for awhile and then returned to Warne, North Carolina. Warne is located inCherokee County. This Solomon is said to have been the father of JoelSparks, who was well known in Elliott County.

"In 1811, William Pigg obtained a land grant from John Sparks inWilkes County, North Carolina. Chain Bearers in the Survey were SolomonSparks and Joel Sparks. Since this Joel was a son of John Sparks, it isnatural to assume that Solomon was a brother or closely related. SolomonSparks, probable son of John, was listed on the 1820 census of WilkesCounty with three sons and two daughters. He had left Wilkes Countybefore 1830.

"The 1850 census of Cherokee County, North Carolina, lists SolomonSparks, aged 60, a farmer, born in North Carolina, with a wife, JuliaSparks, aged 44, also born in North Carolina. Living with Solomon washis son Joel Sparks, aged 22, also a farmer, born in Kentucky. There wasone other Sparks family living in Cherokee County in 185C, Samuel P.Sparks, aged 29, a farmer, born in North Carolina; living with him wasMary Sparks, doubtless his wife, aged 22, also born in North Carolina;also Jeremiah Sparks, aged 5, and Jackson Sparks, aged 1 year, both bornin North Carolina.

"By 1880, Joel Sparks, son of Solomon, was living in Elliott County,Kentucky. He was listed on the census of that year as Joel Sparks, Sr.,aged 55, a farmer, born in North Carolina. Living with him was his wife,Mary Sparks, aged 44, born in North Carolina,, and the following children:
(1) George W. Sparks, aged 23, born in Ohio;
(2) John W. Sparks, aged 14, born in Ohio;
(3) Irena Sparks, aged 20, born in Ohio;and
(4) Julia E. Sparks, aged 12, born in Kentucky. Also living withJoel Sparks was his mother, Juda A. Sparks, aged 76, born in NorthCarolina. Note that her name was given as Julia on the 1850 census ofCherokee County, North Carolina.

"Since Joel Sparks was closely related to the Lawrence and ElliottCounties, Kentucky, set of Sparkses--and since this set of Sparksesdescended from John Sparks, the Wilkes County, North Carolina,Revolutionary soldier, it is quite natural to assume that his (Joel's)father, Solomon Sparks, was a brother or closely related to George andLevi Sparks, sons of John, who settled in that section of Kentucky about1820. However, more definite proof will need to be established.)

************************************

SECOND: See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1970, Whole No. 72, p. 1360:"SOLOMON SPARKS, OF SURRY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA AND FRANKLIN COUNTY,TENNESSEE.

"It is believed that John (359) and Sarah (Shores ) Sparks had a sonnamed Solomon Sparks (384) who was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina,about 1790, and it is believed that it was this Solomon Sparks who movedfrom North Carolina to Franklin County, Tennessee, prior to 1830. Thiswas the same county in Tennessee to which Jonathan Sparks, also a son ofJohn and Sara (Shores) Sparks, moved about 1830.

"Solomon Sparks married Susan - - - - , who was born about 1802 inNorth Carolina. Whether they were married in North Carolina or Tennesseeis not known. Solomon Sparks was listed on the 1830 census of FranklinCounty, Tenn. His age was given as between 3O and 40 (thus born between1790 and 1800). His wife's age was given as between 20 and 30 (Thus bornbetween 1800 and 1810).

"Living with them were four children...(here lists results of 1830and 1840 census including one female between 80 and 90.) In allprobability, the old lady aged between 80 and 90 was a relative, perhapsSolomon's mother-in-law. It is believed that his mother had diedearlier. (Article continues with results of 1850 census of FranklinCounty, Tennessee.)

************************************

THIRD: But see THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1981, Whole No. 113, pp2269-2272 titled FURTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT THE FAMILY OF JOHN AND SARAH(SHORES) SPARKS by Paul E. Sparks. At p. 2271 we find the following:

SOLOMON SPARKS. "A brief account of the first Solomon Sparks whowas in this area of North Carolina was given on pages 97-98 of theDecember 1955 issue of the QUARTERLY and will not be repeated here.Suffice it for me to state that Solomon Sparks (born about 1720 and diedabout 1790) had five sons as proven by a power- of-attorney in 1801, andthere may have been others, including a son named James Sparks. Each ofthese sons named a son "Solomon," and we have found records of fiveSolomon Sparkses who were born between 1788 and 1792 in this area ofNorth Carolina.

"The preceding paragraph was written to point up the problem whichmust be faced when we try to give the correct identification to one ofthese Solomon Sparkses. In spite of this difficulty, however, I am nowconvinced that the Solomon Sparks who was a son of John and Sarah(Shores) Sparks was the one who appeared on pages 780-781 of the December1963 issue of the QUARTERLY. He was probably born about 1790 (he was 60years old on the 1850 census) and he was probably married about 1811.When the 1820 census was taken of Wilkes County, he was listed with hiswife and five children, all born between 1810 and 1820. By 1850, he wasin Cherokee County, North Carolina (age 60) with wife, Julia or Judah(age 44) and son, Joel (age 22). Living nearby was Samuel P. Sparks (age29) and family.

"Sometime between 1850 and 1860, Solomon Sparks moved to CarterCounty, Kentucky, probably to be near his numerous relatives in thatarea, including his brothers, George and Levi. He stayed there aboutthree years, but returned to his former home near Warne, North Carolina.He apparently died sometime near 1860, and his widow, Judah, went to livewith her son, Joel Sparks, who had married about 1853. Joel moved toOhio about 1865 and when the 1870 census was taken, he and his familywere living near Goshen in Clermont County. With him was his mother,Juda A. Sparks, now aged 66. By 1880, Joel was in Elliott County,Kentucky, and with him was his mother, now aged 76.

"Joel and Mary Jane (Grow) Sparks did not remain long in ElliottCounty, and shortly after the 1880 census was taken they returned toCherokee County, North Carolina. Perhaps the strongest reason for theirleaving Elliott County was the murder of their son, Solomon Sparks, in1879. Solomon was a young man about 24 years old at the time. Asdescribed by a member of the Sparks Family Association, here is how thetragic incident occurred:

"The killing of Solomon Sparks took place about 1879. Joel Sparks.,who married Mary Jane Grow, had a son, Solomon, born about 1855. He wasstabbed and killed at a dance on the Little Fork of the Little SandyRiver by one of the Porter boys. The two Porters had chosen their man tokill. One was to kill Sol Sparks; the other was to kill Elliott Sparks,son of William Sparks. All lights were suddenly extinguished; Sol Sparkswas killed instantly, and Elliott Sparks was injured so badly that helived only a short time afterwards. After the murder, Joel Sparks movedhis family back to Cherokee County, North Carolina. "

"Elliott Sparks, mentioned in this account, was James Milton ElliottSparks, son of William and Mary "Polly" (Lyon) Sparks, and grandsonofRobert and Margaret (Pigg) Sparks. He was born about 1851 in LawrenceCounty, Kentucky. He married twice. His first marriage was to MaryMargaret Johnson on April 29, 1871, in Elliott County., Kentucky. Theyhad one child, a son, William Franklin Sparks. Elliott (as he wascalled) married (2nd) Nancy Ison, probably about 1879. She was born onAugust 14, 1850, and was a daughter of Martin and Nancy (Sparks) Ison,thus she and Elliott were first cousins.

"After receiving the knife wound, Elliott Sparks lingered until thespring of 1881 before he died. When he died, his wife, Nancy, waspregnant with their first child. The child was born on September 25,1881, and was named Doctor Martin Sparks. (See page 101 of the December1955 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 12.)

*****************************

"The late William Perry Johnson, who was the Historian-Genealogist forthe Sparks Family Association for 27 years, and I exchanged several notesabout the size of the family of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks. We werein agreement that, according to census records, this couple had elevenchildren. We could identify all of these except the one daughter. Hereare these children. Further details may be found regarding them in theDecember 1955 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 12." (See each child'sFamily Group Sheet.)

7. Solomon Sparks, born about 1790; probably died about 1860; married(1st)----- ----- probably about 1811; married (2nd) Judah or Julia A.----- probably about 1824. Appeared on the 1820 census of Wilkes County,NorthCarolina, and the 1850 census of Cherokee County, North Carolina.

SQ 3269: "Solomon Sparks, son of Reuben and Cassie (Buttery) Sparks,was born about 1790 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He was probably
the Solomon Sparks with five children, born between 1810 and 1820, whowas listed on the 1820 census of Wilkes County. We have no furtherinformation about this family."

Solomon is found in the 1850 Census for Cherokee County, NC, at age60, living with Julia, 44, and Joel, 22.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1959, Whole No. 26, p 385:

"The second son of Solomon and Charity Sparks was named Solomon. Thename "Solomon" was used so frequently in the Wilkes County branch of theSparks family that it is difficult to distingusih between the several menwith that name living there in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Itseems virtually certain, however, that the Solomon Sparks who came toRandolph County, later to Wells County, Indiana, and was closelyassociated in Indiana with George Sparks, was the Solomon Sparks who wasthe second son of Solomon and Charity Sparks. He died in Wells County,Indiana on April 28, 1854, at the age of 62 years (thus he was born about1792). He married Isabella Swaim. (continued below at page 395)

SOLOMON SPARKS,SON OF SOLOMON AND CHARITY SPARKS

"Solomon Sparks, believed to have been the second son of Solomon andCharity Sparks, was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, about 1792. Hedied in Wells County, Indiana, on April 28, 1854; his tombstone gives hisage as 62 years at the time of his death. Little is known of his life inNorth Carolina. He married Isabella Swaim, presumably in Wilkes County,about 1808. The parentage of Isabella has not been determined, but theSwaim family was prominent in the Wilkes County area in the early1800's. They were a New Jersey Dutch family in which there is a strongtradition of Indian blood. Isabella (Swaim) Sparks was born aboutDecember, 1792; she died in Wells County, Indiana, on May 25, 1852. Herage at death, as given on her tombstone, was 59 years, 6 months. SolomonSparks was listed on the 1810 census of Wilkes County (called "SolomonSparks, Jr.' since his father, Solomon, was also listed), with his wifeand one child, a son under ten years. He also appeared on the 1820census of Wilkes County.

"According to a biographical sketch of one of Solomon's sons, Isaac B.Sparks, which appears in the History of Huntington County, Indiana(Chicago, Brant & Fuller, 1087), page 786, Solomon emigrated to Ohio inan early day, and later to Indiana, renting on what is known as NettleCreek, where he lived until his removal to Wells County in 1834." NettleCreek is in Randolph County where Solomon Sparks was listed on the 1830census. According to Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, byB. F. Boven (1903), page 29, "The first settlers of Rock Creek Township,Wells County, were Solomon Johnson, Benjamin Brown, Solomon Sparks, andIsaac Dewitt, who located here in 1835." The following is a furtherquotation from the sketch of Isaac B. Sparks. "He [Solomon Sparks]settled near the present site of Markle on the South side of the Wabash,and was one of the earliest settlers in that locality. He entered avaluable tract of land near Rock Creek, and spent quite a number of yearsin true pioneer style, meeting with many interesting adventures with theIndians and wild beasts during his early experience in the backwoods. Helived to see ten of his children grown and settled, was a man ofinfluence in the community where he resided, and died sometime prior to1860."

"As stated earlier, Isabella (Swaim) Sparks died, according to hertombstone inscription, on May 25, 1852. Apparently, prior to his owndeath on April 28, 1854, Solomon Sparks married a second time. In hiswill., dated April 14, 1854, he left property to his "beloved wife" butdid not give her name. In the settlement of the estate, however, thereis a list of the articles "taken by widow" and on April 15, 1855, shesigned the following: 'Received of Albert Draper, executor of the lastwill of my late husband, Solomon Sparks, deceased, the articles chargedto me in the foregoing inventory, amounting to $23.65. [signed] SusannahSparks." From this lone document, it would appear that Solomon's secondwife's name was Susannah. We have found no record of the marriage,however, nor any record of Susannah's death. On the 1860 census of WellsCounty, Indiana, Susannah Sparks, aged 55, born in Ohio, was listed asliving next door to Andrew J. Sparks, youngest son of Solomon andIsabella Sparks. Living with Susannah Sparks in 1860 were Hannah Bain,aged 21, born in Ohio, and Sylvester Huff, aged 15, a "laborer" born inIndiana. Susannah Sparks owned real estate valued at $1000 in 1860, andpersonal property valued at $500.

"Solomon Sparks left an interesting will which was drawn up two weeksbefore he died (with a codicil dated April 18). He signed by mark,apparently because of illness, for on earlier records he had signed hisname. Unfortunately, from a genealogical point of view, Solomon Sparksdid not name all of his children in his will. It reads as follows:

Last Will of Solomon Sparks

[Copied from the Original in File 78, Wells County, Indiana.]

"I, Solomon Sparks of Rook Creek Township, Wells County in the stateof Indiana do make and publish this my last will and testament. Firstthat my body be decently intered and that my funeral be conducted in amanner corresponding with my estate and situation in life--and as to suchworldly estate as it has pleased God to entrust me with, I dispose of thesame in the following towit. I direct first that all my just debts andfuneral expenses be paid as soon after my decease as possible out of thefirst monies that shall come to the hands of my executors from anyportion of my Estate real or personal. I give and bequeath two (2) acresof land the public for a burying ground said ground has been latelysurveyed and staked off I direct that the same be deeded to my executorto the county commissioners for the purposes above specified. I give andbequeath to my son Andrew Jackson Sparks one hundred (100) acres of landthe same to be taken from the west side of my farm including my farmbuildings in case he will keep and maintain my beloved wife in goodcomfortable and respectable way during her natural life. I also directthat the remainder of my farm be sold and my four horse waggon and mysmall horse called Balley and Eighteen (18) head of Hogs and my share ofthe grain that is growing on that part of the farm that I have directedto be sold. I also direct that the net proceeds of my property both realand personal hereinbefore ordered by me to be disposed of be equallydivided as soon as it can be done share and share & like among my sevenchildren. I also give and bequeath to my son Andrew J. Sparks a certainforty (40) acre lot of land in Huntington County being the same that NateW. Rogers was in possession of at the time of his first wifes death. Ifurther direct that in consideration of the above bequest the said AndrewJ. Sparks will pay to the heirs of my daughter Jane Rogers deceased thesum of $300.00 the said amount to be paid to Albert Draper and by himkept for the use and benefit of the said heirs namely James Culver RogersPhilo Rogers and Leroy Rogers the above amount to be equally dividedbetween them when they arrive at the age of twenty-one (21) years. Ialso direct that the whole of my household furniture shall be and remainthe absolute property of my beloved wife if she shall be living at thetime of my decease and all of my personal property of every kind whateverexcept such articles as is specially bequeathed to my other heirs. And Ihereby make and ordaine Albert Draper executor of this my last will andtestament. In witness whereof I, Solomon Sparks, Senr., the testatorhave hereunto set my hand and seal this fourteenth day of April in theyear of our Lord Eighteen Hundred and fifty four.
his
/s/ Solomon x Sparks (seal)
mark
Signed sealed published and declared by the above named Solomon SparksSr. as his last will and testament in the presence of us who havehereunto subscribed our names as witnesses thereto in the presence of thesaid testator and in the presence of each other.
/S/ Joseph Scott
Daniel Cup

Whereas I, Solomon Sparks of Rock Creek township Wells County Indianahaving made and duly executed my last will and testament in writingbearing the date the the [sic] fourteenth day of April in the year of ourLord Eighteen Hundred and Fifty Four. Now I do hereby declare thispresent writing to be a codicil to the said will and direct the same tobe annexed thereto and taken as part thereof and I do hereby give andbequeath to the heirs of my son Moses Sparks namely Albert Sparks andMary Jane Sparks the sum of twenty dollars to be equally divided betweenthem. In witness whereof I Solomon Sparks have to this codicil set myhand and seal this eighteenth day of April in the year of our Lordeighteen hundred and fifty four.
his
/s/ Solomon X Sparks (Seal)
mark

(The article continues with lists of Doctor bills, assets, and notes formoney loaned.)

SQ 395-400 article on Solomon and Isabella Swaim Sparks. Married about1808 presumably in Wilkes County. They had 7 children. Furtherarticles at pg 1834 and an article about son Moses at pg 1601 and sonIsaac at pg 1754.

SQ 489 find Solomon and Isabel in the 1850 Census for Wells County,Indiana, shown with John 22, Isaac, 20, (Andrew) Jackson, 18, NathanRogers 31 and Leroy Rogers, 5. Their son Solomon, 23, lives nearby andis shown with his wife Susanah, 21, and children Henryh C. 2, and Isaac,1.

SQ p. 5291:

Solomon Sparks, the second son of Solomon Sparks, Jr. and his wife,Charity, was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, about 1792. Becausehis grand father had been Solomon Sparks and his father was SolomonSparks, Jr., both of whom died in North Carolina, we call him, the thirdin line, simply Solomon Sparks; he was the first Solomon Sparks inIndiana. He died in Wells County, Indiana, on April 28, 1854, and carvedwith his date of death on his tombstone is his age, 62 years. He had beenmarried in Wilkes County, North Carolina, about 1808 to Isabella Swaimwho had been born, also, about 1792. Her tombstone in Wells County,Indiana, gives her date of death as May 25, 1852, age 59 years and 6months.

Solomon appeared on the 1810 census of Wilkes County as head of ahousehold consisting of a female (his wife), both in the age category of16 to 20, and one male under 10 years, who was doubtless their first son,William Sparks, born on December 10, 1809. Solomon and his growinghousehold were also enumerated on the 1820 census of Wilkes County, buthe was in Randolph County, Indiana, by August 27, 1828, when he purchasedfrom Jesse and Nancy Ruth of Union County, Indiana, a 50-acre lot for$175 located in Township 18, section 15. Solomon was identified in thisdeed as "of West River Township, Randolph County, Indiana." The witnesseswere Isaac and Lilly Barnes. (Deed Book B, p.59) The families of bothSolomon and his brother, George Sparks, were enumerated on the 1830census of Randolph County.

Parts of Randolph County went to form a number of other counties as thepopulation grew, including Wells County that was formed in 1835. B. F.Bowen, in his 1903 Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, citedearlier, stated (p.29) that "the first settlers of Rock Creek Township(in Wells County], were Solomon Johnson, Benjamin Brown, Solomon Sparks,and Isaac Dewitt, who located here in 1836." The following is a furtherquotation from the sketch of Isaac B. Sparks:

He [Solomon Sparks] settled near the present site of Markle on the southside of the Wabash, and was one of the earliest settlers in thatlocality. He entered a valuable tract of land near Rock Creek, and spentquite a number of years in true pioneer style, meeting with manyinteresting adventures with the Indians and wild beasts during his earlyexperience in the backwoods. He lived to see ten of his children grownand settled, was a man of influence in the community where he resided,and died sometime prior to 1860. After the death of his wife, Isabella(Swaim) Sparks, on May 25, 1852, Solomon was married to Susannah(Shibeley) Eikenbery, widow of Joseph Eikenbery. We have not found anofficial record of this marriage so are uncertain where it took place.Susannah had been born about 1805 in Ohio, according to census records.Our information regarding Solomon's second marriage was provided manyyears ago by Denton H. Sparks, born September 24, 1804, who was agrandson of Andrew Jackson Sparks, the youngest son of Solomon andIsabella Sparks. It is interesting to note that when Solomon Sparks wrotehis will on April 14, 1854, he left nearly all of his personal propertyto his second wife, Susannah, and also made the following provisionaffecting her:

I give and bequeath to my son Andrew Jackson Sparks one hundred (100)acres of land the same to be taken from the west side of my farm,including my farm buildings, in case he will keep and maintain my belovedwife in a good, comfoflable and respectable way during her natural life.

It is also interesting to note that Susannah's youngest daughter, MaryEikenbery, born about 1839, was married to Andrew Jackson Sparks on June22, 1854, in Wells County, Indiana. Thus, the mother-in-law of AndrewJackson Sparks had been also the second wife of his father. When the 1860census of Wells County was taken, Andrew Jackson Sparks, age 26, withwife, Mary, age 21, a native of Ohio, were listed with two children,Josiah Sparks, age 4, and Lydia Sparks, age 2. Numbered as a secondfamily but living in the same dwelling, was the household of SusannahSparks, age 55, a native of Ohio. Living with Susannah was a female namedHannah Bain (or Bane), age 21 and born in Ohio, and Sylvester Huff, age15, born in Indiana, and called a "Laborer."

A more complete record of the life of Solomon Sparks, including the fulltext of his will, appeared in the QUARTERLY of June 1959. Alth6ugh hefailed to name each of his children in his will, the record of thedivision of his property provides us with their identification. He haddesignated his son-in-law, Albert Draper, husband of his daughter,Rachel, to be the executor of his estate. The eleven children of Solomonand Isabella were:
(JS: See individual work sheets)

SQ pg 2972:

"Solomon Sparks, Jr., son of Solomon and Rachel Sparks, was born onJanuary 11, 1810, in Bedford County (PA). He married Susan Black,probably about 1834. She was born in Pennsylvania about 1814. Solomonand Susan lived on Clear Ridge on the home place which he had inheritedfrom his father in April, 1838. He was a farmer.

"Solomon apparently took sick during the spring of 1865 and made hiswill on
June 23rd. By this time, his eldest daughter and son were married, andhis son
Silas, was still in the Union Army. Named as his heirs were his wife ,Susan;
his sons: Abraham, Silas, and John; and his daughters: Mary McDaniel ,Jane, Ann
Rebecca, and Emma Susan. Witnesses were: David Sparks, Wilson H. Sparks,and
John Sparks. The will was probated on January 18, 1866.

"Their eight children were:

Abraham B.,
Mary A.,
Silas H.,
William Henry,
Jane Elizabeth ( Jenny),
Ann Rebecca,
Emma Susan and
John W. Sparks.

"(Jane Elizabeth Sparks married George Washington Amick on 30November, 1865 and the referenced article lists their eleven childrenwith statistics on each. SQ pg 2923 states that John Sherman Sparks(625) married one of these 11 children, Dora Belle Amick. A picture ofthe family is on the cover of Whole No. 135.")

SQ 3078: "Solomon Sparks, son of Abel and Sarah Sparks, was born onSeptember 5, 1812, in Tennessee and died on March 17, 1880. He wasburied in the McReynolds Cemetary near his parents. The inscription onhis tombstone reads: "Solomon Sparks, son of Abel and Sarah, died March17, 1900, aged 67 years, 6 mo., 12 das." He left an estate valued at$15,000 which was divided among his three living brothers, his fiveliving sisters, and the heirs of his four deceased sisters. So far as weknow, Solomon Sparks never married."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1988, Whole No. 141, p. 3186:

"Solomon Sparks, son of John and Elizabeth (Rose) Sparks, was born onSeptember 19, 1814, in Wilkes County, and it was there that he wasmarried to Malinda Ann Caudill in 1835. The marriage bond was issued onApril 1, 1835, and Hampton Holloway, Solomon's brother-in-law, served ashis bondsman. Malinda Ann had been born on September 6, 1816, and was adaughter of - - - - and Sarah (Jennings) Caudill. ("Caudill" was alsospelled "Cordell" and "Cordle.") When the 1840 census was taken ofWilkes County, Solomon Sparks was living near his brothers, Daniel Sparksand Emanuel Sparks, in Capt. Spicer's district. At that time, he hadthree children, a daughter and two sons.

"Sometime about 1846 (perhaps at the encouragement of his brother,William) Solomon Sparks moved his growing family to Owen County, Indiana,where the two brothers were reunited. A daughter, Malinda, was born toSolomon and Malinda Ann shortly after they arrived in Indiana, but shedied there in the summer of 1850 (JS: Actually, January. See hernotes). In 1851, the two families apparently decided to move furtherwest. They traveled slowly, and a son, James, was born to Solomon andMalinda Ann in the summer of 1852 in Mercer County, Missouri, whereSolomon's and Malinda Ann's youngest child was born in 1858.

"The Civil War had a big impact upon the family of Solomon and MalindaSparks. Two sons fought on the Union side and lived to receive pensionsfor their military service. Malinda died on July 23, 1886, and Solomondied on June 30, 1889. They were buried in Mercer County, Missouri. Theywere the parents of eight children."

See the SQ for March 1960, Whole No. 29, p. 467, for a census record ofthis family in the 1850 Census of Owen County, Indiana, District 3,Marion Township.

Solomon and Malinda (Caudill) Sparks and family appear in the 1860 censusfor Mercer County, Missouri, Harrison Township (Post Office: Goshen)enumerated July 6, 1860 at page 278: 1256-1256. See the SQ pg. 992.

For information on this family see the note for their son Elijah Sparks.

Solomon Sparks, Jr., is the great-grandfather of James Joseph Sparks

MARRIAGE:
Register of Marriages, Washington Co. VA, 4 May, 1839, FHL 34389 .Solomon Sparks and Margaret Ann Brim, married on the 4th day of May, 1839by David Duncan, ECC, as appears of record in Marriage Register No. I,Page 424. Certified copy in possession of James J. Sparks, San Carlos,CA.

CENSUS:
1850 US Census, Washington Co. VA; 3 August, 1850, 67th Dist., Page84. (FHL444970); copy in file.
1860 US Census, Washington Co. VA; Saltville, pg 88,89. (FHL 80538 3);copy in file.
1870 US Census, Rich Valley, Smyth County, Virginia, Post OfficeChatham Hill; July 14, 1870
This census lists Solomon as 55, a cooper, Margaret (Margerite) 47,born TN, Edwin (sic), 18, Justine 16, Robert A. 11, John A., 9, David L,4.
1880 US Census, Union Co., KY; Morganfield, pg 106. Federal Archives,San Bruno, CA Reel 444, 1880, Soundex (S162) T750, R67; copy in file.
This census lists Solomon at 63, a Sexton, born Virginia, bothparents born Virginia. Margaret is 57, keeping house, born in Tennessee, her father born in South Carolina, mother born inVirginia. Also listed is Robert 20, John 18, and Lilburn, 14. Livingnearby is their son, Edwin (sic) at 27 withwife Belle, 20. She was born in Kentucky and her parents were born inVirginia.

CENSUS DETAILS:
1870 US Census: Solomon 55, Cooper, $200, born in Virginia, cannotwrite; Margarita, 47, Housekeeper, born in Tennessee; Justin V., 16,apprentice housekeeper, born Virginia; Robert A., 11, at home, bornVirginia; John A., 9, at home, born in Virginia; David L. 4, at home,born Virginia.

MORTGAGES:
Mortgage Record Book (1831-1838) Washington Co. VA., book 12, pg 278,(FHL #34369); mortgage executed January 14, 1836 by Solomon Sparks Sr.(173) and witnessed by Solomon Sparks Jr. (28), Jacob Sparks (175) andEphriam Sparks (228) conveying property for the benefit of Alex McCall tosecure a loan of $172.86 to Solomon Sparks, Sr., payable 15 Jan 1837.(Jacob is Solomon's brother, and Ephriam is his cousin (a son of SolomonSr.'s brother, William (192)). Photocopy in possession of James J.Sparks, San Carlos, CA.

TAX LIST:
Union County, KY, 1872, 1873, 1874, (FHL 8253); 1875, Morganfield ,(FHL 8254); 1880, Morganfield (FHL 8355); 1881, Morganfield (FHL 83 82);1882, Morganfield, (FHL 8435[2]); 1883, Morganfield, (FHL 8486) ; 1884,Morganfield, (FHL 8539); 1885, Morganfield, (FHL 8601[2]); 1886,Morganfield, (FHL 162871); 1887, Morganfield, (FHL 16299[5&6]); 1888,Morganfield, (FHL 16312[6&7]); 1889, Morganfield, (FHL 163248&9) .

DEEDS:
Deed dated 18 April, 1881 from Solomon Sparks and Margaret Sparks toEdwin Sparks recorded in volume 31 of records of Union County, Kentuckyat pages 573 and 574 of a lot in the Spaulding Addition of Morganfield,KY. FHL 561106. Deed dated 1884 from Solomon and Margaret Sparks to EdwinSparks recorded in volume 35 of records at page 193 , FHL 562122.

DEATH:
COURT RECORDS:
Order Appointing Administrator dated 11 March, 1889 (FHL 562161) ,appoints F. M. Sparks with the consent of Margaret Sparks, his mother.Administrator's Bond, F. M. Sparks, Administrator of Solomon Sparks,Deceased, Intestate, bond dated 11 March, 1889 (FHL 567637) filed in theCourthouse Morganfield, Union County, KY. Photocopy in possession ofJames J. Sparks, San Carlos, California
Inventory filed in the above courthouse by F. M. Sparks on 16 March,1889 (FHL 567643) Photocopy in possession of James J. Sparks, San Carlos,CA. Final Accounting filed in the above courthouse by F . M. Sparks onNovember 3, 1890, approved and estate closed January 5 , 1891. (FHL567646). Photocopy in possession of James J. Sparks, San Carlos, CA.

RESEARCH:
Washington Co. Cemetaries, Catherine S. McConnell, High on a WindyHill, 1968, Bristol, TN King Printing Co., 975.5725.v3m
Washington Co. Cemetary Records, 975.5725 and 0928116 item 6
Washington Co. 1830 Census, 975.5725 x2d
Primitive Baptist Assn. St. Clair's Bottom District (Glade Springsetc.) 975.57 k2m
Washington County History, Thomas Lewis Preston 921.73 p926p
History of SW VA, 1746-1786, Washington co 1777-1870 by Lewis PrestonSummers, 1971 975.5 h2slp also FHL 162046 (PURCHASED)
Probate Records Wills, Estate Appraisements, Accounts, 1840-1904, FHL34362
General Index to Wills, 1777-1937, 34355 (apparently wills datedafter1866 are not included)
Wash. Co. births and deaths, 1853-1892 incomplete, 975.5725 v2m
Birth and death registers 1853-1892 FHL34388
Margaret S. Sparks, 2 Feb 1854, father James, mother Julia. This isthe daughter of Solomon Sr.'s brother James and a cousin of Sol Jr.Marriage Registers 1785-1902 FHL34389. In the 1870 census the familyis found in Chatham Hill, Smyth County, Virginia. David was youngest,born 1865 in Washington, Co. Solomon appears on the tax rolls of UnionCounty, Ky., in 1872.

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4273: "SolomonSparks, Jr., son of Solomon and Susan Sparks, was born about 1816 inVirginia. He was married to Margaret "Peggy" Brimm, and they had elevenchildren: (here names them)."

Letter from Dr. Russell Bidlack, Secretary of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY dtd11/24/90 states "I have a record from Washington Co. VA of the marriageof your Solomon Sparks to Margaret Brimm on May 4, 1839. They weremarried by a preacher named David Duncan. The initials followingDuncan's name were "E.C.C." --I do not know what they represent. Duncanalso performed the marriage of Jacob Sparks (175) to Elizabeth Sparks onAug. 18, 1840, in Washington Co. I imagine that Solomon and Jacob wererelated -- possibly brothers."

We know that Solomon and Margaret were married in Washington Co. Va.,in 1839, that Margaret was about 16 years 2 mos of age, and thatSolomon's sister, name unknown, was thought to have been born about 1820.Thus it is likely that Margaret and Solomon's sister were the two females15-20 shown in the 1840 census and Solomon and Margaret were still livingwith his parents. Paul Sparks, in a report on James Sparks (189) andhis son Solomon (173), states: "Solomon Sparks Jr., son of Solomon andSusan Sparks, was born about 1816 in Virginia. He had eleven children:Matilda, Francis M., Mary, Minerva, William, Edwin, Justine, Martha,Robert, John and David."

**********

JS Notes:

In a 4 volume History of Kentucky, 1928, in a biography of WilliamBallard Sparks, born 1869, his parents were given as Francis MarionSparks (153) and Mary Alice (Thomas) Sparks (168), and his grandparentswere given as Solomon and Margaret (Simms) Sparks. There is no doubtthat this man is a grandson of Solomon and Margaret; his father's recordsare plentiful. But he is wrong about his grandmother' s maiden name.Clearly the many records which bear her name show Brim or Brimm includingFrancis Marion Sparks' own batismal records. The Baptismal Register ofthe Sacred Heart Church, Union County, Kentucky, showed that FrancisMarion Sparks, aged 24, son of Solomon Sparks and Margaret A. Brimm, wasbaptised on July 28, 1867. His sponsor was John B. Walthen. He wasmarried to Mary Alice Thomas on November 5, 1867, in that same church.Incidentally, this source shows that Solomon Jr. was a cooper and adistiller. (Regarding John B. Walthen, it is my belief that this wasJohn Benedict Wathen (b. 1836) who was a brother of Robert Hensen Wathenwho married Francis's sister Virginia Justine Sparks in about 1872.)

The family was living in Union County in late 1867 and moved toadjacent Smyth County by the 1870 US Census. Shortly after they followedtheir eldest son, Francis Marion Sparks, to Union County, Kentucky, wherethey appeared on the tax rolls in 1872. Apparently Solomon and Margaretwere not Roman Catholic but some of their children were baptised andmarried within the faith here. Notice that Margaret was buried in theMasonic Cemetery.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for June, 1980, Whole No. 110, pp 2202-04:

A SABINE RIVER LEGEND AND ONE SOLOMON SPARKS

A member of the Association recently sent us a clipping from the Beaumont(Texas) Enterprise of August 24, 1978, which contains a reference to aSolomon Sparks. This newspaper account by W. T. Block recounts an oldlegend that is still repeated along the lower Sabine River separatingLouisiana from Texas. We have been able to identify the Solomon Sparkswho is mentioned but would welcome help from our members regarding hisparentage and descendants.

The legend involves Pavell's Island, which is the delta formed near themouth of the Sabine where the deep river abruptly divides into its eastand west forks. This island marked the journey's end for the Sabine Riverflatboatmen who, prior to the Civil War, floated their cargoes of cottonto market. This terminus of the cotton trade attracted a German merchantnamed Augustine Pavell, a native of Prussia, to take up residence on thelonely island and to give it its name. In 1854 he built a store buildingand a cotton warehouse along with a wharf and there he prospered bybuying the cotton from the flatboat trade and storing it until he couldtransport it to market. Gus Pavell had a wife named Sophie who, accordingto the legend, was both beautiful and clever in matters of business.

Alone on the island for days, even weeks, at a time, while her husbandsailed his schooner between their home and New Orleans buying and sellingmerchandise, Sophie Pavell was quite able to protect herself. "A buxomfemale, Sophie often wore a fiber bag, tied at her waist, which usuallybared a portion of her yarn and knitting needles, but never the cap andball Colt upon which they rested."

The Pavell's nearest neighbor was SOLOMON SPARKS who lived a mileupstream, in Jefferson County, Texas. Sparks would play a key role in thediscovery that would create the Pavell legend.

While "A. Pavell & Co., Cotton Factors" prospered, with merchandisevalued at $10,000 in 1860, Gus Pavell had one great regret: Sophie wasapparently barren. As she approached her 35th birthday, knowing herhusband's strong desire for an heir, Sophie's hopes to bear a childbecame increasingly forlorn.

The story goes that one day, upon her husband's return from Orange withsome cattle, Sophie joyfully informed him that she was with child. Neverdoubting her, Gus was delighted. "Time passed, the gold coins clinked onthe counter, and Sophie, pregnant with new life and hope, whiled away herdays with laughter, planting flowers and knitting tiny garments."

As the 1858 cotton shipping season approached, Gus Pavell was required tosail for Galveston to replenish his stock of merchandise. He proposedclosing the store and taking Sophie to a hotel in Sabine Pass while hewas gone, but she refused, noting that the baby was not due for two orthree months. Upon his return a week later, he was met by a tearfulSophie who led him to a tiny grave. Shortly after he had left, accordingto her account, she had been frightened by a snake in her kitchen - - shehad fallen against a table and shortly thereafter, alone on the island,she had given birth to a stillborn daughter. Later she had made a coffinfrom some cypress boards and buried her infant. Consoling her husband,she assurred him that, having conceived once, she was confident that shecould give him another child. Pavell sent away for a tombstone on whichwas incribed: "In Memory of Our Darling Daughter, Ann Eliza Pavell, Bornand Died Sept. 10, 1858."

Sophie never conceived again and in her grief tended the tiny grave sitewith the same devotion that she would have given a child. In the centerof the grave, Sophie placed a bronze urn, "its rim neatly decorated withcherubims." Steamboatmen often saw Sophie placing fresh flowers in theurn.

The Civil War brought a new prosperity to the PavelIs. While a Unionblockade soon choked off all imports, Gus assumed the role ofblockaderunner and, as the war raged, lined his pockets with gold. Sophiecontinued to tend the grave and to keep fresh flowers in the urn.

Two events drastically changed life for the Pavells in 1865 - - thesurrender of General Lee and the great storm of September 13, 1865, whichdestroyed the city of Orange and pounded their island unmercifully. Amonth later, they suddenly abandoned their store and moved to Galveston.There they opened a new store and moved into a fine house. In 1867, Gussuddenly died of yellow fever. Sophie inherited most of the wealth shehad helped to accumulate and eventually she married a second time. So faras is known, she lived out her life in comfort.

But it was a discovery made by Solomon Sparks that has wrapped the storyof the Pavells in mystery. Shortly after their hurried departure, Sparksvisited the island with the thought of purchasing it himself. He hadheard that Sophie had insisted upon digging up the coffin she had madefor her stillborn daughter seven years earlier and taking it to Galvestonwith their other belongings. Sparks was drawn naturally to the gravesite. He was startled to discover that, while the coffin had beenexhumed, the little tombstone had been left behind along with the bronzeurn. Upon examining the urn, he found that it was not really an urn atall - - it was a two-foot section of bronze pipe, one end of which hadapparently extended down to the coffin itself. Noting the square cornersof the excavation where the coffin had lain, Sparks's eye was caught by a$20-gold piece that had been left behind. Had the cypress coffin been abox in which to hide the Pavells' mounting treasure rather than a box fora tiny skeleton? And had the hollow pipe been a conduit for gold coinsrather than a container for fresh flowers? Solomon Sparks could onlyspeculate, but as he recounted these observations to family and neighborsin the years to come, a legend was created which is still told on darknights along the lower Sabine River.

Who was this Solomon Sparks? We do not know his parentage, but he wasmarried to Martha Caroline Smith in Hardeman County, Tennessee, on March23, 1841. She was born about 1819 in South Carolina. Solomon, a native ofTennessee, was also born about 1819. Remaining in Tennessee for a fewyears, Solomon moved his family to Louisiana about 1847 where their thirdchild was born. By 1849 they had moved to Texas. When the 1850 census wastaken the family was in Jefferson County. There were then four children,Lucy Ann Sparks, born about 1842 in Tennessee; John Sparks, born about1844 in Tennessee; James E. Sparks, born about 1847 in Louisiana; andMary Susan Sparks, born about 1849 in Texas. Also in the household in1850, according to the census of that year, was a Jacob Sparks, aged 22(thus born about 1828) and a native of Tennessee. We can speculate thathe may have been a brother of Solomon.

Solomon Sparks appears to have lived the rest of his life in JeffersonCounty, Texas. He apparently died before 1880 for, according to thecensus of that year, his widow, Caroline (Smith) Sparks, was living witha son in Jefferson County, J. M. Sparks, age 26. (This must have been adifferent son from the James E. Sparks shown on the 1850 census as bornabout 1847.)

Can anyone tell us more regarding SOLOMON SPARKS and his family?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

See also the SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1989, Whole No. 145, pg 3361:

"Solomon Sparks, probable son of William Sparks, was born about 1819 inTennessee. He was married to Martha Caroline Smith on March 23, 1841, inHardeman county, Tennessee. She was born in May 1820 in South Carolina.Caroline (as she was apparently called) and Solomon began house-keepingin Tennessee, but they moved to Louisana about 1847. After a short staythere, they moved on to Jefferson County, Texas, where they joined thefamily of Solomon's brother, John Sparks, at "Sparks Settlement" (laterPort Arthur). There, Solomon built a home just a few hundred feet awayfrom the home of his brother.

"In 1853, Solomon and a partner named Douglas built a steam sawmill onOld River but, in the main, he was a farmer. He apparently died prior to1870 for he was not listed on the census of that year. Caroline diedsometime after 1880 for she was listed on that census along with her son,Joseph M. Sparks. Both Solomon and Caroline were buried in the SparksCemetery, but years later their remains were moved to Forest LawnCemetery. They had eight children. (See [above] the June 1980 issue ofTHE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 110, pages 2202-04, for additionalinformation about Solomon Sparks and his family." )

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for September 1999 for the 1860 Census of OrangeCounty Texas, p 5226:

Orange County, Texas --1860 Census
Post Office: Nuncans Wood
Page 323. Census taken by Geo. A. Pattillo on June 22, 1860.
192-192

Name Age Sex Occupation Born
Sparks, Solomon 40 (M) Shingle Maker $300 - $300 AL
" Martha C. 40 (F) Housekeeper SC
" John L. 16 (M) Labourer TN
" James E. 14 (M) LA
" William E. 9 (M) TX
" Mary S. 11 (F) TX
" Joseph M. 7 (M) TX
" Oscar C. 4 (M) TX
" Julia C. 2 (F) TX

Note: Solomon Sparks, with his wife and their first five children, wereenumerated on the 1850 census of Jefferson County, Texas. (See p.123 ofthe March 1956 QUARTERLY, Whole No. 13.) Orange County was cut off fromJefferson County in 1852; Solomon probably had not moved, but had foundhimself in the new county . Solomon Sparks played a role in a famousSabine River mystery dating from before the Civil War that was recountedin the QUARTERLY of June 1980, Whole no. 110, pp. 2202-04. At the time ofthat publication, however, we did not know Solomon's parentage. In theQUARTERLY of March 1899, Whole No. 145, pp. 3354-65, the article entitled"The Sparkses of Early Jefferson County, Texas" provided an answer tothat question. There can be no doubt but that he was a son of WilliamSparks, born about 1785, who was living in Franklin County, Tennessee,when Solomon was born about 1819. Solomon was married to Martha CarolineSmith on March 23, 1841, in Hardeman County, Tennessee. They moved toLouisiana about 1847, but by 1850 they had joined Solomon's brother, JohnS. Sparks, in Jefferson County, Texas. John S. Sparks was still inJefferson County when the 1860 census was taken (see page 5217), whileJacob Sparks, another brother, was in Colorado County (page 5213).

SQ 1356: "Solomon Sparks, son of Jonathan and Rachel (Swaim) Sparks,was
born about 182O; he moved from Franklin County, Tennessee, to ClevelandCounty,
Arkansas, about 1858. A grandson, John Sells, recalled in 1958 thatSolomon
Sparks was driving a stagecoach out of Stevenson, Alabama, on the night of
November 13, 1833, during the famous meteor shower--his horses werefrightened
and ran away. Solomon Sparks married about 184O-42 Jane Champion,daughter of
Daniel and Mary Champion. She was born about 182O in Tennessee. Basedon the
187O census of Saline Township, Princeton, Arkansas, where he moved in1867,
Solomon Sparks had the following (1O) children: (all born inTennessee)...."

SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4275 states: SolomonSparks, son of Jesse and Nancy Sparks, was born about 1820 in Virginia.He was married twice. He and his first wife, Nancy Skaggs, had fivechildren: Peter, Annanias, Nancy, Jesse, and Mary. His second wife wasHelen Birchfield, and they had children named Lewis, Sarah, Rebecca,Amanda, Lindsay, (also spelled "Linzy"), John, Solomon, Jr., Roseman (orMargaret), Ulysses "Lester" Grant, and William. See pp 4278-80 for anabstract of pension papers pertaining to Solomon's service in the CivilWar, copied below.) [This Solomon was a nephew of Solomon Sr., and afirst cousin of Solomon Jr. (28)]

CIVIL WAR PENSION ABSTRACT:
SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4278-80:
SOLOMON SPARKS, a son of Jesse and Nancy (---) Sparks was born about1820 in Virginia, probably in Lee county. He died in August 1873. Hewas married (1st) to Nancy Skaggs and (2nd) to Helen Birchfield. Heserved in Company 1 , 2nd Regiment Kentucky Infantry. File Designation:Minor Application No. 561,258.

On August 3, 1892, Linzy D. Sparks, age 29, a resident of Scaggs,Lawrence County, Kentucky, completed an application for a pension forminor children of a deceased soldier. He stated that he was a son ofSolomon Sparks who had enlisted at Oak Hill, Ohio, as a private inCompany I, 22nd Regiment, Kentucky Infantry, in the spring of 1862 andwho had died after his discharge from the service as a result of adisability brought on by military service. Solomon had died in ElliottCounty, Ky., on August 2, 1873, leaving seven minor children. The maidenname of the children's mother had been Helen Birchfield; she had diedprior to the death of her husband, Solomon Sparks. The children's namesand dates of birth were:
Amanda Sparks, born April 4, 1859
Linzy D. Sparks, born October 5, 1862
John J. Sparks, born July 9, 1864
Solomon Sparks, born October 14, 1866
Rosa M. Sparks, born May 30, 1868
Ulysses G. Sparks, born January 12, 1870
William F. Sparks, born August 18, 1872

The last child listed above, William F. Sparks, who was under the ageof sixteen at the time of the soldier's death, had died in January 1890.

Jacob McDowell and Millard Barker, both residents of Gimlet, Kentucky, witnessed Linzy Sparks sign the application, and they also appearedbefore J . E. Sparks, a notary public of Elliott County, to swear thatthey had seen Linzy D. Sparks sign his name to the document. Sparksappointed George E . Lemon, Washington, D.C., as his attorney toprosecute the claim.

The War Department verified the military service of Solomon Sparks .He had been enrolled in Company 1, 22nd Regiment Kentucky Infantry onOctober 14, 1862, as a private and had been discharged on January 16,1863, at Memphis, Tennessee, by reason of a Surgeon's Certificate. Nomedical records could be found.

The remaining documents in the pension file relating to SolomonSparks's service pertain to his marriage and the number of minor childrenhe had left when he died in 1873. In spite of the evidence, however, theapplication was not approved, and no pension certificate was issued.

A general affidavit was made by F. M. Mauk, age 66, a resident ofGimlet, Kentucky, on February 7, 1894, in which he stated that he was abrother- in-law of Solomon Sparks [his wife was Solomon's sister, SarahJane Sparks], and that he had gone with Solomon Sparks to get the licensefor Solomon to be married to Helen Birchfield and had signed the bond. Hestated that Sparks ha d been previously married, but that his first wifewas dead. Sparks's last wife had also died before Sparks did, but he didnot know the date. Sparks had left no children under the age of sixteenby his first wife. [The children by his first wife had been named Peter,Annanais, Nancy, Jesse, and Mary. ] On December 14, 1897, the WarDepartment searched the military file of Solomon Sparks, but no newinformation was found. There was no certificate of disability normedical record.

On October 29, 1898, Linzy D. Sparks, now living at Sandy Hook,Kentucky, made an affidavit that his father, Solomon Sparks, died"between midnight and day Saturday night before the first Monday inAugust 1874. I cannot give the day of the month. The reson I know thisis the Monday following was the election." He also stated that he hadmade "all effort that I know for the proof or evidence of the disabilityof my father in the service and have not found it." William Skaggs, anotary public of Lawrence Co., Ky., executed the affidavit.

On February 22, 1915, Mary S. Middleton, age 64, New Boston, Scioto County, Ohio, made an affidavit that she had been appointed guardian ofLindsey Sparks, John Sparks, Margaretta Sparks, and Lester Sparks onJanuary 1, 1915 , and as the guardian of these children of Solomon Sparksand Helen Birchfield , she was reopen- ing the prior claim for them asminor children of a deceased soldier. The application was received bythe chief of the Law Division of th e Bureau of Pensions, but there isnothing in the "selected papers" from this fil e to show what dispositionwas made of it.

On September 10, 1915, Armelia R. Mauk, age 75, of Bruin, Kentucky;Elizabeth Sparks, aged 82, of Ibex, Kentucky; and Ben Cox, age 60, ofGimlet, Kentucky, made a joint affidavit that they were personallyacquainted with the pension claim of the heirs of Solomon Sparks, a Unonsoldier under Col. Lenzy , namely, John Sparks, Margaret Sparks, LesterSparks, and Linzy Sparks, all of whom were now living and who were minorchildren at the time of death of Solomon Sparks, which was aboutforty-two years ago. They said they believed the claim was true. Theaffidavit was witnessed by A. F. Skaggs and Henry Sparks, and it wasnotarized by Walter Leadingham.

On January 28, 1916, John J. Sparks of Limestone, Kentucky, and JamesSparks, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, both in Carter County, Kentucky, made anaffidavit that they had both been acquainted with the soldier, SolomonSparks , and also with his children. At the time of the death ofSolomon, his children who were then under the age of sixteen years were:
Lindsey D. Sparks
Amanda Sparks, died April 11, 1898
John J. Sparks
Margaret Sparks, sometimes called Roseman Margaret Sparks
Solomon Sparks, died April 22, 1910, in Lawrence County, Kentucky
Lester Sparks, known as Ulysses G. Sparks
William Sparks, died February 1890.

The affiants further stated that there were no records kept by thefamily of Solomon Sparks except in a Bible which could not be found orhad been lost or destroyed. No doctors or nurses were livng who were atthe births of the children, and none of the churches kept records of thisnature. They said the youngest child was about one year old when SolomonSparks died in August 1873. L. D. Kennard and William Scuans [?]witnessed the affidavit which was notarized by B. P. Cassady.

SQ 5289:

i. Solomon Sparks was born on October 5, 1822. He may have diedprior to 1845 because there was no mention of him in the settlement ofhis father's estate.

SQ 3266:

"Solomon Sparks, son of Benjamin and Sarah (Jeffreys) Sparks was bornabout 1825. He married Rachel Martin, probably about 1854 . She wasborn about 1828 and was a daughter of Alfred Martin, thus she was asister of Nancy Martin who married Solomon's brother, William RussellSparks (See Above). Solomon and Rachel lived near the community of Cyclein Yadkin County, North Carolina. According to a descendant and fromcensus records, it appears that they had four children.

a. Solomon Sparks married Ida Wells.
b. Winfield Sparks married Florence Swan.
c. Elizabeth Sparks married Hubert Roberts.
d. Lavina Sparks married T. F. Pardue."

"It is noteworthy that Solomon's great-grandfather Solomon Sparks (356) and Solomon's first cousin once-removed, William Sparks (199), ownedhundreds of acres of land along the Yadkin-Wilkes County line near thetown of Cycle and were shown in a poll of Surry County taken in 1774. Atthat time Surry County consisted of present day Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes,Surry, Yadkin, Stokes and Forsyth Counties. In 1774 they were living inan area described as Benjamin Cleveland's District. Living in the areawere William (199), with his son Matthew (334). His sons William (521)and James (189) were living in their own households. Solomon (356) waslisted with two of his sons, John (359) and Joseph (365) brothers of thisSolomon's grandfather, Reuben Sparks. In the 1790, Reuben made purchasesof almost 600 acres in this area. In the 1830's and 1840's he soldacreage to his sons William R. Sparks and Jonas Sparks.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1959, No. 27, p. 418:

"Solomon Sparks Jr., son of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks, wasborn about 1827. On the 1850 census his age is given as 23 and his placeof birth as Indiana, but this must have been an error for he was probablyeither born before his parents left North Carolina or during their shortstay in Ohio. He married Susannah Johnson in Wells County, IN., on Nov.16, 1846. He farmed in Wells County and died there about 1877. He leftno will, but from the records pertaining to the settlement of his estateand from census records, his children can be identified as follows:

1. Henry C. Sparks, born about 1848; married Margaret E. Reilly inWells County, IN., on Oct. 1, 1868.
2. Isaac B. Sparks, born July 24, 1849; died May 25, 1855.
3. Andrew J. Sparks, born about 1852; apparently died in youth.
4. Sarah Sparks, born about 1853.
5. Elvina (or Levina) sparks, born about 1857; married DavidSiebold in Wells County, IN., on July 10, 1875.
6. Charles W. Sparks, born about 1858; married Maggie Baker inWells County, IN., on May 12, 1881. He died about 1889 in Wells County.
7. Laura Sparks, born about 1865; married John W. McCance in WellsCounty, IN., on Sept. 2, 1883.

See SQ p. 489 for the 1850 Census of Wells County, Indiana includingSolomon and the 1860 Census of Wells County, SQ p. 4540.

See also SQ p. 5299-5300 as follows:

Solomon Sparks, son of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks was born about1827, after her parents had moved to Indiana. He was married in WellsCounty, Indiana, to Susannah Johnson on November 16, 1846. When the 1850census was taken of Wells County, he was shown as age 23; Susannah's agewas shown as 21, and both were shown as having been born in Indiana, By1850, Solomon and Susannah's first two children had been born: Henry C.Sparks was 2 and Isaac Sparks was one year. Little Isaac, however, diedin 1855. Five more children had been born by the time that the 1860census was taken; their last child was born in about 1865.

Solomon died in or about 1877 We do not have copies of the probaterecords pertaining to the settlement of his estate, but following thedeath of his son, Charles W.Sparks, and the appointment of Henry C.Sparks (Solomon's oldest son) to administer Charles' estate at theSeptember 1889 term of the Wells County Court, the following document wasrecorded (Probateflle 925):

Henry C. Sparks, administrator of the estate of Charles W. Sparks,deceased, petitions the Court to permit him to sell land belonging to thedecedent as follows: Section 7, Township 27, North, of Range 11 East,since the decedent left personal assests [sic] of less than $8.00 and hehas debts of more than $600.00. The only surviving heirs are a child,Chester Sparks.

Henry C. Sparks, administrator of the estate of Charles W. Sparks,deceased, shows the Court that the said decedent is one of four heirs ofSolomon Sparks, deceased; that there was a large body of land belongingto the estate of the said Solomon Sparks; that this land was inherited inequal shares by:

this affiant [Henry C. Sparks]
Elvina Seabold
Laura MeCance
and Charles W. Sparks

that the personal estate of the said decedent, Solomon Sparks, wasinsufficient to pay the debts of the estate in the sum of $1434.40; thatthe above named heirs entered into an agreement to sell the land ofSolomon Sparks; that before the land could be sold, one of the heirs,Charles W. Sparks, also died; that because of this the remaining heirsassumed the indebtedness of the estate of Solomon Sparks; and lastly,these heirs pray the court to permit them to take monies due from theestate of Charles W. Sparks.

We have found no record to reveal when Susannah (Johnson) Sparks died.Following is a list of the children of Solomon and Susannah:

(see family group sheet)

SQ pg 2457: "Solomon Sparks, son of William and Rhoda (Pennington )Sparks, was born about 1830 in Tennessee. He died in 1912. He served inthe 28th Regiment Tennessee Infantry, C.S.A. He was married threetimes. We have not learned the name of his first wife by whom he hadthree children: Vica Sparks, William Sparks, and James L. Sparks. Hisfirst wife apparently died sometime between 1859 and 1869, and he married(2d) Malissa Jackson, daughter of Andrew and Nancy Jackson. Solomon andMalissa had two children: John Thomas Sparks and Mary Sparks. Malissadied about 1871. Solomon Sparks married (3d) Permelia ("Milly") Jackson,a sister of his second wife. To this union were born eleven children:James, Josiah, Lewis, Sarah, Jennie, Morgan, Joseph, Levi, Enoch, Robertand Cora."

See also THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4272 for:

"Solomon Sparks, son of William and Rhoda (Pennington) Sparks, wasborn in September 1830 in Tennessee. He was married three times. Hisfirst marriage was to Sarah Sloane, by whom he had four children: Vica,Elizabeth, William, and James L. (article repeats above re second andthird families.)

See lengthy note following Individual Data Sheet for this Solomon 'sfather,
Ephriam (228) which gives some details about this Civil War veteran .Ephriam
was the son of William (192) who was a brother of Solomon Sr. (173) . Sothis
Solomon was my Solomon's 1st cousin once removed (ie. the child of a first
cousin).

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1980, Whole No. 111, p. 2226, whereSolomon Sparks, his wife Salina and his three sons, Roy, Henry, andArthur are shown in the 1900 census of Oklahoma and the IndianTerritory. They are enumerated in the Cherokee Nation which is in thenortheastern portion of present-day Oklahoma. See the map on page 2226.

On February 8 2005, I received an email from David Clark of Yamhill,Oregon (mamime@@cfaith.com) providing information as to the descendants ofSolomon and Mary Sparks, particularly those of Roy Sparks, David'sgreat-grandfather.

SQ 2271;

"Joel and Mary Jane (Grow) Sparks did not remain long in Elliott County,and shortly after the 1880 census was taken they returned to CherokeeCounty, North Carolina. Perhaps the strongest reason for their leavingElliott County was the murder of their son, Solomon Sparks, in 1879.Solomon was a young man about 24 years old at the time. As described bya member of the Sparks Family Association, here is how the tragicincident occurred:

"The killing of Solomon Sparks took place about 1879. JoelSparks., who married Mary Jane Grow, had a son, Solomon, born about1855. He was stabbed and killed at a dance on the Little Fork of theLittle Sandy River by one of the Porter boys. The two Porters hadchosen their man to kill. One was to kill Sol Sparks; the other was tokill Elliott Sparks, son of William Sparks. All lights were suddenlyextinguished; Sol Sparks was killed instantly, and Elliott Sparks wasinjured so badly that he lived only a short time afterwards. After themurder, Joel Sparks moved his family back to Cherokee County, NorthCarolina. "

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3189: "Solomon Sparks, son of William James and Sarah Jane (Sm ith)
Sparks, was born on February 6, 1870. He married Illa Green. He die d in
1959."

SQ pgs 2965-2966:

"Solomon Christian Sparks, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Naill)Sparks, was born on December 3, 1820. He was married twice. His firstmarriage was to Mary Maria Rumsey in East Providence T/S, probably about1843. She died on August 2, 1845, when their first child was born.Solomon married (2nd) Sarah Jane Householder on November 29, 1849, atCamelstown, PA. They moved to Bureau County, IL about 1851.

"Solomon Sparks served in the 93rd Regiment Illinois Infantry duringthe Civil War and received a pension for his service. (See pg 2965 forhis picture and Whole No. 133 for an abstract of his military servicefile which is reproduced below.) Some time prior to August 1898, he movedto Montrose, MO. By this time his wife, Sarah Jane,
had died. It is believed that Solomon C. Sparks died about 1900,although we have found no record of his death. He was the father of sixchildren :

Mary Elizabeth born Aug 2 1845;
Anna Maria born Nov 25 1851;
Emma born Ju l 28 1855;
Albert born May 8 1857;
Jessie (Female) born March 1862; and
William born May 29, 1864."

CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION

SOLOMON C. SPARKS, son of Joseph S. and Elizabeth (Naill) Sparks,was born
on December 3, 1820, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania; he died after1898. He married (lst) Mary Maria Ramsey and (2d) Sarah JaneHouseholder. He served in Company C, 93rd Regiment Illinois InfantryVolunteers. File designation Invalid Cert. No. 259,303.

"On January 11, 1882, Solomon C. Sparks, a resident of Wyanet,Illinois, appeared before S. G. Paililva [?], County Clerk of BureauCounty, Illinois, and made application to be placed on the pension rollof the United States. He stated that on August 13,1862, he had enlistedin Company C, 93rd Regiment Illinois Infantry Volunteers, under thecommand of Capt. Brown, and had been discharged at Louisville, Kentucky,on June 23, 1865. He stated that he was 61 years of age; that when heenlisted he was 5 feet, 9 inches tall; that he had dark hair, dark eyesand a dark complexion. He claimed that on October 5, 1864, at the fightfor Altoona [Allatoona], Georgia, he had been lying under a battery andlost his hearing because of the firing of the cannon. He said he had notgone to the hospital for treatment. He appointed J. H. Herron,Washington, D.C., as his attorney to prosecute his claim. JamesBatchelder and N. A. Lathrop witnessed his signature.

"On January 31, 1883, the Surgeon General's Office informed the Bureauof Pensions that no information bearing on the claim of Solomon Sparkscould be found in his military records; however, his military service wasconfirmed. He had enlisted at Wyanet, Illinois, on August 16, 1862, fora period of three years. He had been absent on a sick furlough of thirtydays in August 1863 and also in September 1864, but was present for dutyuntil he was mustered out with his company on June 23, 1865, atLouisville, Kentucky.

"Dr. F. C. Robinson, a physician in Wyanet, Illinois, confirmedSparks's claim by an affidavit on March 20, 1883. He said that he wasaware of the hearing loss of Sparks, but had never prescribed a remedybecause he was satisfied that there was no treatment which could benefithim. He said that the hearing disability had caused Sparks to loseseveral jobs which would require him to depend upon good hearing. Hestated that Solomon was an honest, reliable, and temperate man.

"Sylvanus Baxter, age 43, a resident of New Bedford, Illinois, alsomade an affidavit on November 14, 1883, in support of Sparks's claim. Hesaid that he was a military comrade of Sparks from 1862 to 1865 and thatafter the Battle of Allatoona Pass, Georgia, he had noticed that Sparkswas quite deaf. The affidavit was notarized by James H. Small, a notarypublic.

"Solomon C. Sparks was placed on the pension roll effective January17, 1882, but there is nothing. in his file provided to us by theNational Archives to indicate the amount of the pension.

"The last document (in chronological order) in the pension file is aresponse by Solomon C. Sparks to a questionnaire on August 4, 1898. Atthat time he was a resident of Montrose, Henry County, Missouri. Hestated that his wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Jane Householder, wasdead and that he had not remar- ried. They had been married on November29, 1849, at Camelstown, Pennsylvania, by the Rev. A. Hight, and themarriage had been recorded in the family Bible. He said he had beenpreviously married to Mary Maria Ramsey who had died on August 2, 1845,in East Providence Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Sparks saidthat he had one child by his first marriage, Mary Elizabeth Moshier, bornAugust 2, 1845. By his second marriage, he had five children: Anna MariaHoughton, born November 25, 1851; Emma Lysinger, born July 29, 1855;Albert Sparks, born May 8, 1857; Jessie Clark, born March 18, 1862; andWilliam Sparks, born May 29, 1864."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1959, Whole No. 26, pp 382-400:

DESCENDANTS OF SOLOMON SPARKS, JR. (DIED 1817) & HIS WIFE CHARITY OFWILKES COUNTY , NORTH CAROLINA, by Dr. Russell E. Bidlack:

"In an article by William Perry Johnson entitled "The Genealogy ofJohn Sparks, Revolutionary War Pensioner of Wilkes County, NorthCarolina," which appeared in the QUARTERLY of December, 1955, Whole No.4, pp 97-104), the data were summarized which have been gleaned thus faron the life of Solomon Sparks (356), early settler in Wilkes County,North Carolina. In his article, Mr. Johnson pointed out that SolomonSparks was probably born in Frederick County, Maryland, and that he wasprobably a son of Joseph Sparks ( )who died in Frederick County in1749. Solomon Sparks, with his wife Sarah, and family moved fromFrederick County, Maryland, to near Salisbury, Rowan County (now DavieCounty), North Carolina, sometime during the year 1753. They settled inthe forks of the Yadkin River where Solomon obtained a land grant of 250acres in 1761 near the mouth of Muddy Creek. About 1772 they moved fromRowan County to what is now Wilkes (then a part of Surry) County, NorthCarolina. The last record we have of Solomon and Sarah Sparks is dated1788 when they sold land which they still owned in Rowan County to JonasSparks (354). (Jonas was probably a brother of Solomon and accompaniedDaniel Boone to Kentucky in 1773; he did not remain in Kentucky, however,and soon returned to North Carolina--see the QUARTERLY of September,1953, Whole No. 3, pp 13-16).

"Solomon and Sarah Sparks had probably both died by 1800, perhaps asearly as 1790. As Mr. Johnson Explained in his article (p.98) a completelist of the children of Solomon and Sarah Sparks has not been discovered,but on August 4, 1801, a power of attorney was given to Abel Sparks inconnection with the settlement of Solomon's estate which appears to listthe surviving children of Solomon and Sarah Sparks. (The family bible ofAbel Sparks survives and gives Abel's date of birth as January 8,1767--see the QUARTERLY of December 1958, Whole No. 4, p337.) Eightchildren were listed in this power of attorney, one being Solomon Sparks,Jr.

"Little is known of Solomon Sparks, Jr., son of Solomon and SarahSparks, except that he lived his life in Wilkes County, near the boundaryline between Wilkes and Surry County, and was a farmer by occupation. Theearliest record of his purchasing land is a deed recorded in WilkesCounty (Book F1 , p 153) dated January 12, 1791, by which "SolomonSparks, Jr. of Wilkes County, North Carolina" purchased a tract fromWilliam T. Lewis of Surry County. Solomon Sparks, Jr., paid six pounds,eight shillings for this piece of land which was located in WilkesCounty, "on the head of the north fork of Hunting Creek." [JS: We nowknow that this land had earlier been owned by Solomon Sr . and taken awayfrom him by William T. Lewis. See notes for Solomon Sr . (356).]

"It was described in the deed as follows: "Beginning on a white oakin the County Line on the North side of a branch and Running North withSd . Line thirty Chain to a poplar on the brush Mountain in JosephSparks' line thence west with sd line fifty chains to a Maple inClemmon's Line thence South with sd Line thirty Chain to a Chestnutthence East fifty Chain crossing the branch to the beginning." The deedwas witnessed by Robt. Lewis and Joseph Sparks.

"Another deed on file in Wilkes County (Book F1, p161), dated February1, 1805, records the sale by George Denny to Solomon Sparks, Jr., for 20pounds, a tract of 61 1/2 acres adjoining Solomon's other land. Thistract was located also on the north fork of Hunting Creek, "Beginning ona white oak in the County line, Said Sparkes South east Corner, Runingthence west along sd. line one hundred twenty pole to a post oak in sdline thence South eighty two pole to a hicory in sd Denneys line thenceEast one hundred and twenty poles to a black oak in sd County line thenceNorth Eighty two poles to the begining at the branch in the County line."This deed was witnessed by Daniel Wilcockson and John Felts. In 1808,Solomon Sparks, Jr., purchased 150 acres in Surry County. From 1813until Solomon's death in 1817, his son William appears to have lived onthis tract and to have paid the taxes. On the 1817 tax list he wasdescribed as "William Sparks of Solomon."

"Solomon Sparks, Jr.'s name appears occasionally in the court recordsof Wilkes County, as when he served on "road jury" in 1809 and inNovember, 1817. In the latter record he was one of eleven men to "viewand lay off a new road from John Sales the nearest and best way toHamptonville." He was taxed, according to extant Wilkes County taxrecords, on real estate amounting to 128 acres in 1797 to 111 1/2 acresin 1805. On the 1810 census, his age was given as between 26 and 45.

"Solomon Sparks, Jr. married Charity ----- about 1785. They were theparents of six sons: (1) George, (2) Solomon, (3) William, (4) Samuel,(5) Jonathan, and (6) Joseph. The latter two, Jonathan and Joseph, wereapparently minors when their father died in 1817; from the 1820 census itwould appear that Jonathan was born about 1800 while Joseph was bornbetween 1802 and 1804. The four oldest sons, George, Solomon, Williamand Samuel , had each been given some livestock and a "Feather Bed andfurniture" by their father before his death, which would imply that theyhad married and left ho me by 1817.

"Solomon Sparks, Jr. died on the night of December 18, 1817, probablyfrom a sudden injury or illness. He was unable to prepare a written will, but on his deathbed dictated how he wished his property to be divided.A few days later, his son, Solomon, and Elizabeth Chappel, who wasprobably a relative or
near neighbor, put into writing Solomon Jr.'s last wishes. (An oral , orunwritten will, is called a "nuncupative will.") Recorded in WilkesCounty Will Book 3, page 171, the will reads as follows:

Nuncupative Will of Solomon Sparks, Deceased.
State of North Carolina/
Wilkes County /
The Will of Solomon Sparks of the County aforesaid Deceased who diedon the Night of the 18th Decr. 1817 . On the day before he died wedo Certify that he the said Solomon Sparks Requested that his propertyshould be disposed of in the following manner to wit. -- First as much ofhis personal Estate to be sold as shall be Sufficient to pay all his Justdebts. 2d. His two Youngest Sons Jonathan and Joseph to have as much outof his Estate as he had previously given to his older children which wasthe following property. One Horse, Bridle and Saddle, One Cow and Calf,One Sow and pigs, and One Feather Bed and furniture. 3d. All theBallance of his Estate he desired that his wife Charity Sparks shouldhold and enjoy both Personal and Real during her life. 4th. Then allthe aforesaid property to be Sold to the best Advantage and the moneyArising from the sale to be Equally divided amongst his six Sons, George,Solomon, William, Samuel, Jonathan and Joseph. In witness whereof we theunder Signed do certify the above to be true and believe the said SolomonSparks was in his proper mind and Sences, December 23d 1817.
her
/S/ Elizabeth "X" ChappelJut.
mark
/S/ Solomon Sparks
North Carolina/
Wilkes County/ Feby. Term 1818. The foregoing Nuncupative Willwas duly proven in open court by the Oath of Elizabeth Chappel.
/S/ Test. R. Martin, Clk.

"On February 2, 1818, Charity Sparks, widow of Solomon Sparks, Jr .submitted to the court an inventory of her late husband's estate, whichis recorded on page 168 of Will Book 3, as follows: [see SQ pp 384-5 forinventory]

"In accordance with Solomon's will, his widow, Charity, continued inpossession of his estate until her death. Tax records of Surry County,North Carolina, for instance, reveal that she was taxed regularly on 25acres which lay in Surry County from the time of Solomon's death until1828, the year in which she apparently died. This tract of land lay onHunting Creek and through the years was described on the tax records asadjoining land of the following persons: William Jeffrey, Lewis Samuel,Hyram Sales, Levi Chappel, and JohnJackson. Following the death ofCharity Sparks, her son Samuel Sparks became administrator.

"On February 3, 1829, Samuel Sparks gave bond "in the sum of $4,700";his bondsmen were his brothers, Joseph and Jonathan. The courtthenordered that "Sam's Sparks, Adm., sell the Estate of Solomon Sparks,dec'd.,and make due Return thereof to our next County Court." (Quotedfrom Wilkes County Court Minutes, 3 Feb. 1829.) On May 6, 1829, SamuelSparks reported that his father's estate had been sold, that the totalamount received was $2,185.91, and that $186.25 had been paid out inlegacies. (Wilkes County Will Book 4, -131.) Presumably, the "legacies"pertained to the provision which Solomon had made for his two youngestsons, Jonathan and Joseph.

[On SQ p 385 commences detailed information on the five children ofSolomon and Charity Sparks for which see the notes on each child.]

**************************

See the notes for Solomon's granddaughter (of George) for an article inthe Sparks Quarterly Whole No. 94 pp 1831-2. entitled FURTHER DATA ON THEDESCENDANTS OF SOLOMON SPARKS, OF WILKES COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Dec 1992, Whole No. 160, p. 4052-3:

"Solomon Sparks, Jr., son of Solomon and Catherine (Hillegas) Sparks,was born on March 6, 1803, and died on May 6, 1832, at Winchester, Ohio.He was a farmer. He was married on March 8, 1827 in Brown County, Ohio,to Elizabeth (Betsey) Cowan; she had been born on May 30, 1803, atWinchester and died there on August 9, 1892. They were the parents oftwo children:" (see family sheets).

"There is a court order preserved in Highland County, Ohio, datedOctober 17, 1838, which reads: James Davidson appointed Guardian of NancyJane Sparks, aged 8 years, and Catherine Sparks, aged 6 years, childrenand heirs of Solomon Sparks, dec'd." Highland County adjoins AdamsCounty on the north side of Adams County, so Davidson did not live farfrom the Sparkses in Adams County. A younger brother of Solomon Sparks,Jr., George Hillegas Sparks (1814-1887), as noted on page 4054, wasmarried in Highland County to Jane Ann Davidson in 1839. It is highlyprobable that Jane Ann Davidson was closely related to James Davidson.Circumstantial evidence also suggests that James Davidson was married toElizabeth (Cowan) Sparks, widow of Solomon Sparks, Jr., after thelatter's death in 1832, and that it was for that reason he becameguardian for the two Sparks children.

"It appears that shortly before 1850, James Davidson moved with hisfamily to Montgomery County, Missouri, as did also George Hillegas Sparkswith his family. In fact, when the 1850 census was taken of MontgomeryCounty, Missouri (District No. 61), these two families were living in thesame dwelling. The wife of James Davidson was shown as ElizabethDavidson, age 46, and a native of Kentucky, as was also James Davidson.Note that Elizabeth Cowan, widow of Solomon Sparks, Jr., had been born onMay 30, 1803, which would mean that she would have been 46 when thecensus was taken of the Davidson household on August 30, 1850. JudgeSparks believed, however, that Elizabeth Cowan had been born inWinchester, Ohio, whereas Elizabeth, wife of James Davidson, was shown asborn in Kentucky. Errors of this nature are made frequently, however.Living with James and Elizabeth Davidson in 1850 was Catherine Sparks,age 17, a native of Ohio. This was surely the same Catherine Sparks,daughter of Solomon Sparks, Jr., for whom James Davidson had becomeguardian in 1838. (Judge Sparks indicated that she was married to GeorgePugh. Her older sister, Nancy Jane Sparks, was married, according toJudge Sparks, to Henry Kibler in January 1848.) The Kesiah Davidson, age23, born in Ohio, shown in the household of James Davidson in 1850, mayhave been his daughter by a previous marriage. (James Davidson's age in1850 was shown as 56.) The three Davidson children listed in 1850 (Mary,10; James, 9; and Virginia, 4) were probably children of James andElizabeth."

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1979, Whole No. 106, pp 2118-9:

CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION

SOLOMON SPARKS,
son of Solomon and Rachel (Nixon) Sparks, was bornon Sept.
8, 1824, and died on Nov. 3, 1894. He served in Co.G, 15th
Regt. W. Va. Infantry. File Designation: Inv.Application No.
912,612.
On July 30, 1890, Solomon Sparks, age 66 years, a resident ofBoothsville, Marion County, West Virginia, made an application for aninvalid pension. He stated that he had served in Company G, 15th RegimentWest Virginia Infantry in 1865 under the command of Capt. Shaw, but hehad received no discharge. Since leaving the service he had lived inMarion County and his occupation was that of a day laborer. He appointedJoseph H. Hunter, Washington, D.C., as his attorney. Jelina D. Cooper andLinnie P. Boggess, both of Clarkson, West Virginia, were attestingwitnesses to his mark and the application
was notarized by James W. Boggess, a notary public of Marion County.

A week later, on August 8, 1890, Solomon Sparks appeared before James W.Boggess and amended his application by making an affidavit that he hadserved at least 90 days in the War of the Rebellion and was honourablydischarged. He said that he was unable to earn a living because of theloss of a thumb and rheumatism. He signed the affidavit by making hismark which was witnessed by Linnie P. Boggess and Thomas A. Watkins.

On April 24, 1891, the War Department responded to a request from theBureau of Pensions which had asked for verification of Sparks's militaryservice in the 15th Regiment of West Virginia Infantry. The WarDepartment wrote, "The rolls show that Solomon Sparks ... was enrolledAugust 30, 1862, and deserted December 15, 1864."

Five days later, on April 29, 1891, Solomon Sparks made another affidavitas follows: "I served in Co. G, 15th W. Va. in 1865 until I became sickof disease contracted in the service. After that, or being sick anddisabled, I was not with my regiment when it was disbanded being underthe care of friends at home, and never have since that time been able todo but very little labor and getting less able every year as mydisabilitys are becoming greater. I am now not able at times to labor forsustinence. As to the loss of my
thumb, I did that after the close of the War with an ax while making awooden wedge to split a log which disabled me for many months and had tobecome a county charge." Linnie Boggess and Jelina Cooper witnessed hismark, and the affidavit was notarized by James W. Boggess.

Apparently the application was denied for no pension certificate wasissued to Solomon
Sparks.

(Editor's Note: Solomon Sparks was a son of Solomon and Rachel (Nixon)Sparks. For
further details about this family, see the September 1963 issue of THESPARKS
QUARTERLY, Whole No. 43, pages 757-58.)

Information concerning the descendants of Solomon Sparks and Mary(Seagraves) Sparks was provided by Maureen Elizabeth Ryan, a descendant.Her email address is oneveryirish1@@yahoo.com. Her mailing address is 925Primm Road #414, Lincoln, IL 62656. She descends from Solomon throughhis daughter Fannie Cooeye Sparks, and her daughter Millicent Aline(Sparks) Dougherty who was Maureen's mother.

Sparks Quarterly, September, 1963, Whole No. 43, pg 749:

"Solomon Shriver Sparks was born at Winchester, Adams County, Ohio,July 2, 1821, and died January 7, 1874, at Bethel, Ohio. He marriedIsabel Sargent at New Vienna, Ohio, on November 17, 1859. She was bornJuly 12, 1837, in Bethel, Ohio, and died October 17, 1908. Solomon was afarmer and a kind and loving father. Isabel, whose father andgrandfather were Baptist ministers, was a devoted church worker." (Herethe article names their children.

SQ 1978: "Spencer Sparks, son of Cornelius and Susannah (Stevens )Sparks, was born in Wayne County, Indiana, on December 9, 1815, and diedin Berrien County, Michigan, on March 9, 1872. He married Sarah G.Hunter in 1834. She was born in Darke County, Ohio, on October 22, 1815,and died on February 3,1894. From family and census records, it wouldappear that they had the following children: [here named]."

See The SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 1979:
"Spencer Newton Sparks, born about 1842, died December 22, igo4. Hewas married on February 11, 1869, in Niles, Michigan, to Phebe Snyder. Hewasenrolled on Sept. 8, 1862, in Company A, 7th Regiment of MichiganCavalry Volunteers and was mustered into service on Oct. 13, 1862. Hewas discharged on October 13, 1865. In his Civil War pension applicationit is found that he was living in Sioux City, Iowa, as early as 1893where he was a carpenter. His eye sight failed and he was no longer ableto practice his trade by 1900."

SQ p 2869: They lived at Callihan, Texas.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3906: They had one son named Orie Nickell.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3277: They had six children: May Etta; Berniece; Olbert, Jr .,
Ancil B.; Virginia Mae; and George C.

.

!NOTES:
SQ p. 3910: "Stella Virgie Sparks, daughter of Daniel and Marth a(Spriggs)
Sparks, was born on December 24, 1882. She was married to John Alonz oCreech
on October 9, 1900, in Elliott County, Kentucky. He had been born o nOctober
29, 1881. He and Stella had nine children. Stella died on January 2 ,1967,
and John died on November 30, 1973.
a. Roy T. Creech was born on August 26, 1901. He was married t o Anna
Klitz in 1920, and they had seven children: Gerald, Eunice, Ra lph,
Louise, Faye, Doris, and Fern. Roy died on October 6, 1981.
b. Mary Creech was born on February 20, 1905. She was married t oWilliam
Riley Johnson in 1924, and they had six children: Eugene, Joy ce,
Shirley, Gary, Sue, and Kieth. Mary died on September 8, 1980.
c. Martha Evelyn Creech was born on April 15, 1907. She was marr iedto
Charles Edsell Darnell in 1932, and they had three children: David,
Florence, and Harry.
d. Verna Creech was born on March 31, 1909. She was married to J ames
Parker Chapman on December 5, 1931, and they had five children :Karl,
Carol, Rita, Bernardine, and Kieth.
e. Henry Harrison Creech was born on May 6, 1911. He was marrie d toDora
Whitt in 1933, and they had two children: Vera and Robert.
f. Arvil Creech was born on April 4, 1914. He was married to An n L.Cursi,
and they had five children: Sandra, Sharon, Dennis, Douglas , and
Thomas. Avril died on July 28, 1986.
g. Arlene Creech was born on May 26, 1919. She was married to Rollie Eve
on December 7, 1940, and they had six children: William, Ruth ,Douglas,
Debra, Deidra, and Peggy.
h. Vivian C. Creech was born on July 13, 1922. She was married twice. Her
was to John B. Gregg on June 7, 1942. They had two children ,Ronald
and Thomas. Vivian was married (2nd) to Howard F. Pullin on October
18, 1950, and they had three children: Daryl, Michael, and Richard.
i. John Lonzo Creech, Jr. was born on February 4, 1924. He die d onMay 17,
1926."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY Sept 1985, Whole No. 131; p. 2770:

DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM SPARKS (1761-1848)

(See photos of Stephen Franklin Sparks on the cover of Whole Number 131,i.e., pg 2767, and on page 2770)

"Stephen Franklin Sparks, son of Richard and Elizabeth (Cooper)Sparks, was born on April 7, 1817, in Lawrence County, Mississippi . Hewas a sixteen year-old lad when his parents moved to Texas during thewinter of 1833-34. He recalled that event many years later in a letterwhich he wrote to the Rev. J. L. Walker, of Bruceville, Texas, on March16, 1895:

"We first rented land in San Augustine County, but in the fall of1834, we moved and settled five miles north of Nacogdoches on a Leagueof land [Editor's note: ca. 4600 acres] that my father had bought. Inthe fall of 1835 I started to school some twenty miles north of us inwhat was then known as the Williams Settlement.... I did not stay morethan a month before General Cos invaded Texas with an army of 1000 or1500 men and there being a call for colunteers to meet them, I leftschool and joined the army. My Captain was H. T. Edwards of NacogdochesCounty.

"Stephen Sparks served in the Texas Army from the start of thehostilities in the fall of 1835 until the defeat of the Mexican Army inApril 1836, and ended with the massacre of a hardy group of Texans at theAlamo. The Mexicans also won a hard-fought battle at Goliad on March 27,1836 , which ended with the killing of helpless prisoners of war by theMexicans. A month later, on April 21, 1836, under the leadership ofGeneral Sam Houston and shouting the war cries of "Remember the Alamo "and "Remember Goliad," the Texans whipped General Santa Ana at the Battleof San Jacinto. Stephen Sparks received a bayonet wound during thisbattle, but continued to fight to its end. The Battle of San Jacinto, toall intents and purposes, ended the Texas-Mexican War.

"An incident involving Steven Sparks is related in the HISTORY OF THEWACO BAPTIST ASSOCIATION written in 1897 by J. L. Walker and C. P.Lumpkin . Just before the battle of San Jacinto, when General SamHouston crossed Buffalo Bayou, Sparks and Howard Bailey, a lad of aboutthe same age as Sparks, conveyed the baggage of the Texas Army across thebayou while the men crossed in the ferry boat. They took rope and boundthree logs together and then placed on the "raft" as much baggage as itwould carry. A rope was tied to one end. Sparks took this rope in histeeth and swam and pulled while Bailey swam behind and pushed. In thisway they swam the bayou 21 times and had all the baggage over by the timethe men crossed.

"After the war ended, Stephen Sparks rejoined his family which hadmoved to Sabine County, probably as a safety measure. He helped themmove back to Nacogdoches County where they planted a crop of corn. Thatfall, on October 6, 1836, he was married to Emily Beauchamp Whitaker byAdolphus Sterne, Judge of the Municipality of Nacogdoches. She had beenborn about 1822 and was a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Hammond)Whitaker of Woodford County, Kentucky. Shortly after his marriage,Stephen was converted, baptized, and joined the Baptist Church. Yearslater, he commented that since his conversion he had helped to buildchurches and schools wherever he had lived. He helped to build the firstBaptist Church in the village of Nacogdoches.

"In 1854, Stephen Franklin Sparks, moved his family to McLennanCounty, Texas. There, in January 1855, his wife, Emily, died when theirson , Newell Crane Sparks, was born. A year later he was married to JaneM. Jurney on April 14, 1856, in McLennan County. She was born about 1822in Tennessee. No children were born to this marriage.

"Stephen Sparks was a justice of the peace in McLennan County. He wasalso elected to the Board of Trustees of the Trinity River BaptistAssociation and helped to organize many churches in the area around Waco,including the Bosque Baptist Church, the East Waco Baptist Church, andthe Oak Grove Baptist Church. Descendants describe him as a missionarypreacher who would travel many miles to preach on a Sunday.

"In 1890, Stephen made his last move, this time to Aransas County ,Texas, where he settled at Rockport. He was elected president of theTexas Veterans Association (he was the last one) in 1905, and he oftenbragged that the only organizations to which he had belonged were theBaptist Church and the Texas Army.

"On July 19, 1903, Stephen Sparks gave an account of his SPARKSancestry. He was now aged 86 years and apparently his memory was fadingfor he made several errors in his account. These have been corrected inthe text which follows, so that they will not be perpetuated. Theoriginal statements have been preserved and are now in the possession ofa great-grandaughter , Effie Jewel (Sparks) Owen. Here are hisstatements (as corrected):

"Rockport, Texas. July 19, 1903. The Ancestry and Kindred andPosterity of S. F. Sparks, Sr.
I will commence with my great-grandfather. His name was Matthew . Heand six other brothers came to the U.S. from Ireland in the early day andhe was killed at Mimms Fort, Georgia, while serving in the Oconee IndianWar. My grandfather, whose name was William, was among the oldestchildren of his father who was killed at Mimms Fort. Some of hisbrothers were Jesse, Bailey, Issac, and Nathan. I don't know whetherthere were any more children or not. My grandfather told me he did notknow what became of his father's brothers. My grandfather's childrenwere Richard (who was my father) and John and James (who was Jesse W.Sparks. Sr's father) and Levi and Eli and Sally McNulty and EdieSimmons. So Jesse's father and my father were brothers. None of myuncles were in the war with Texas and Mexico except Levi who was with mein the Battle of San Antonio in 1835. John Sparks left two childrenwhose names were Allen and Sussie. Levi and Eli left no children. Mybrothers and sisters are William F., James H. , Thomas B., Andrew J., andJohn M., Eliza Rogers, and Mary Sharp. My children are James H., StephenF., Newell C., Amanda E., and America.

"(Editor's note: As was noted at the beginning of this article in theJune1985 issue of the QUARTERLY, a record of the life of Matthew Sparks,greatgrandfather of Stephen Franklin Sparks, appeared in the June 1961issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 34. Matthew and his wife, Sarah(Thompson ) Sparks, were the parents of eleven sons and two daughters. Webelieve that Stephen Franklin Sparks was mistaken in saying that hisgreat-grandfather came to America from Ireland, although it is possiblethat Matthew's forebears did so. We believe, but cannot yet proveconclusively, that Matthew Sparks, who was born about 1730, was closelyrelated to the William and Mary Sparks who came from County Hampshire,England, to Queen Annes County, Maryland, (at that time Talbot County)about 1680. William Sparks died there in 1709 leaving a will that wepublished, with biographical data, in the QUARTERLY of March 1971 (WholeNo. 73.), pages 1381-89.)

"Jane (Jurney) Sparks, the second wife of Stephen Franklin Sparks ,died about 1900. Stephen died on March 12, 1908, and was buried in theSeaside Cemetery at Rockport. He left a long line of descendants,numbering today more than one hundred. He and his first wife, Emily, hadeight children, including an unnamed child born about 1848 who died atbirth."

SQ pg 2774: "Stephen Franklin ("Long Frank") Sparks, Jr., son of Stephenand Emily (Whitaker) Sparks, was born on November 11, 1852 . On August8, 1872, he was married to Ida Jane Bentley. She had been born onJanuary 29, 1852, in Tennessee. He died on April 14, 1933, and Ida Janedied
on March 20, 1938. They had at least two children and there may havebeen others:
(1) Annie Beauchamp Sparks was born on February 18, 1873. She marriedCharles Davis, a son of Lee R. Davis. They had three children: Richard,Charles and Robert.
(2) Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Magdalene Sparks was born on May 2, 1879. Shemarried Newton Felix Moncrief, Sr. They had five children: Ruth, Lucy,Kizzie Lee, Margaret Elizabeth, and Newton Felix, Jr."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3403: They had one child: Omer Wilson.

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3181: Surilda Evatine Sparks, daughter of David and Betsy (Bass)
Sparks, was born on May 30, 1861. She died on June 2, 1934. She mar ried
C. A. Barnes and they had five children: Mary, Alpha, Edith, Clara, a nd
Charles.

SPARKS QUARTERLY, WHOLE No. 112, p. 2263:
Susan Sparks, daughter of John and Katherine (Waddell) Sparks, wasmarried to Abraham Inlow in 1828 by John Rogers in Nicholas County,Kentucky. (Nicholas County bond dated July 17, 1828.) They moved toMontgomery County, Indiana, that same year. Abraham Inlow died in 1860.They had at least two children,there may have been others:
(1) William J. Inlow was born on December 6, 1833, in Montgomery County.OnMarch 15, 1866, he married Emmarine Sparks. She was born on November2,1833, and was a daughter of William and Catherine (Knox) Sparks ofNicholas County, Kentucky.
(In the article of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY referred to above, EmmarineSparks’s name is given as Harriet Sparks. Emmarine Sparks had a sister,Harriet Sparks, who was omitted from the article. She was born on June17,1831, and was married to William Firman Gillespie in 1863. He was bornon November 2, 1833, and was a son of Calvin and Cythia (Hedges)Gillespie. Harriet (Sparks) Gillespie died in 1888 and was buried in theCarlisle (Ky.) Cemetery. Our readers are asked to make the appropriateaddition on page 1500 of the QUARTERLY referred to above.)

(2) Susan Inlow was born on February 20, 1838. She was married to JamesH. Kelly in 1866. She died on February 25, 1879.

SQ p. 3644:

Susan Sparks, daughter of Jesse and Susan (May) Sparks, was born onFebruary 24, 1826. She was married to James Cotham about 1844. He hadbeen born on June 4, 1820, and was a son of Stephen and Mary (Shipp)Cotham. Susan died on July 26, 1872, and James died on February 23,1876. They were buried in the Union Chapel Cemetery on Little RichiandCreek in Humphreys County. They had eight children.

SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1978, Whole No. 101, pg 1984:
"Susannah Sparks (called Susan), daughter of Cornelius and Susanna h(Stevens) Sparks, was born in Berrien County, Michigan, on August 1 ,1832; she died on October 22, 1917. She was married to John Irwi n onJuly 31, 1851. He was born on June 19, 1828, and died on November 3,1906. From the family records of Mary Vogel, it would appear that theyhad children named: (William Irwin; (2) James Irwin; (3) Frank Irwin; (4)Arthur Irwin; (5) and John Irwin."
SPARKS QUARTERLY, September, 1989, Whole No. 147, pg 3473:
"In THE SPARKS QUARTERLY of March 1978, Vol. XXVI, No. 1, Whole No .101, we published an article about Cornelius Sparks (1789-1862) whosewife was Susannah (Stevens) sparks (1794-1861), daughter of Spencer andElizabeth (Little) Sparks and was born in Rowan County, North Carolina.He left North Carolina in 1814 and settled in Wayne County , Indiana;then in 1828, he and Susannah, with the first eight of their elevenchildren, moved to Berrien County, Michigan, where they lived out theirlives. Among their eleven children was a daughter named Susannah, thoughshe was always called Susan, who was born in Merrien County on August 1,1932.
"In the isssue of the QUARTERLY cited above, on page 1984, we notedthat Susan Sparks had been married to John J. Irwin on July 31, 1851. Hehad been born on June 19, 1828, and was a son of James and Margaret(Gillchrist) Irwin; he was born in the state of New York. John J. Irwinlived until November 3, 1906; Susan died on October 22, 1917.
"We had very little information regarding John's and Susan's child renwhen we published the article in the March 1978 issue of the QUAR TERLY,but through the efforts of a great-great-grandaughter of thi s couple, weare now able to present a complete list of the Irwin chi ldren....TheIrwin family Bible, published in 1866, which contains this record, is nowowned by the mother of Mrs. Phyllis Rohn, Genevieve (Irwin) Casselman...."

.

!NOTES:
THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4273 states: "Susan
Sparks, daughter of Solomon and Susan Sparks, was born about 1839 i nNorth
Carolina. We have no further information about her."

SQ p. 2622:

"Susan Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was bornon December 5, 1847. She was married to George Forbes on November 29,1876, at Bridger, Territory of Wyoming. (This marriage date was providedby Susan's daughter, Alice; as recorded by Sarah Sparks in her familyBible, see page 2613, Susan was married "December 1876.") George Forbeswas from Toledo, Ohio, and was a civil engineer associated with the UnionPacific Railroad. He and Susan had two children, including an unnamed sonwho died at birth. Shortly after the birth of her second child, Susan(Sparks) Forbes died on September 19, 1881. She was buried in theBushnell Cemetery."

!NOTES:
SQ 2569: "Susan Ann Sparks, daughter of Levi Sparks, married a ma nnamed
Knight.

Susan graduated from California Politechnic University at San Luis Obispoin 1985 majoring in Business Administration. She was employed forseveral years by Franklin Mutual Funds located in San Mateo, Californianear her home in San Carlos. She rose the the position of AssistanatVice President before resigning to spend time with her family.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3693: Her first marriage was to William Chapman by whom sh ehad two children, Cora and William, Jr. Her second marrige was t oWesley Rainey, by whom she had three children: Arelda, Susan, and B etty.

SQ p. 2974: Article on descendants of Joseph and Mary (McDaniel) ends onpage 2974 with mention of Susannah Sparks.

SQ p 3350:

"Susannah Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Mary (McDaniel) Sparks, wasborn about 1762 in Frederick County, Maryland. (See also page 2974 of theDecember 1986 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 136). She was married toAdam Weimer, probably about 1775. He was born about 1740 and was a sonof Johannes and Wientje (Symons or Simons) Weimer; thus a brother and asister (Solomon Sparks and Susannah Sparks) married into the Weimerfamily, Solomon marrying a niece of Adam Weimer who married Susannah.

"Adam Weimer, son of Johannes Weimer, died sometime between March 7,1825, when he made his will, and May 21, 1825, when his will wasprobated. Named in the will were his wife, Susannah, and their six sons:
Joseph b.1775,
Abraham b abt. 1777,
Jacob b. abt 1779,
John b. abt 1781,
James b abt 1783, and
Solomon b abt 1785.

"Susannah (Sparks) Weimer is said to have died on May 14, 1825. Thisdate is apparently based upon a tombstone inscription which reads asfollows: "S [reversed] W was Born 1752 D May 14, 1825." If this stonedoes mark Susannah's grave, then Adam's death probably occurred shortlybefore the date on which she died.

"Adam and Susannah (Sparks) Weimer were the parents of six children:
(see above names)

Information on Susannah's descendants came from Kevin Boers via email(kdb@@prodigy.net) on October 8, 2001.
***************
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 2000, Whole No. 190, p. 5371:

Susannah Sparks, daughter of Matthew and Sarah (Elmore) Sparks, was bornin Surry County, North Carolina, about 1810; her age on the 1850 censuswas given as 50 and on the 1870 census as 60. She was married in SurryCounty in 1833, the marriage bond being dated October 9, 1833, with LeroyHolcomb serving as bondsman. The Holcombs were extensive landowners onDeep Creek in Surry County.

Susanna and her husband, Thomas Holcomb, moved from North Carolina toMissouri before 1845; they crossed the plains to Oregon in 1853,following other members of the Sparks family, including her parents, andsettled in Polk County. She signed a receipt in 1856 for her share($14.29) of her father's estate. According to the mortality schedule ofthe 1860 census for Polk County, Thomas Holcomb had died from cancer inDecember 1859 at the age of 50. Susan Holcomb was shown as head of herhousehold on the 1860 census of Polk County. With her were her children:William Holcomb, age 20; Thomas Holcomb, age 15; Elizabeth Holcomb, age13; and Martha Holcomb, age 11. William's place of birth was given asNorth Carolina; that for the other three as Missouri.

Susannah was married (second) to William Darrow on November 26, 1861, inPolk County, Oregon. On the 1870 census of Polk County, however, she wasshown as "Susan Holcomb," age 60, a native of North Carolina, living withher daughter, Mary, age 28, and Mary's husband, Abraham Garrison, age 38,a native of Indiana, farmer. According to Susan's thirdgreat-granddaughter, Marijane Rea, a family record identifies Susannah'schildren as: William Holcomb, Thomas H. Holcomb, Martha Evans, ElizabethLynch, Eliza Reynolds, and Mary Garrison.

Sybrina ["Bryan"] Sparks was born on April 30, 1904. She was married toReuben Thomas on January 1, 1927. He was elected later to the office ofRowan County jailor. He died on May 7, 1967, and Bryan died on March 25,1971. They had twelve children: John C. Thomas, James Thomas, ClaudiaThomas, Clyde Thomas, Clayton Thomas, Edith Thomas, Ruby Thomas, VindaThomas, Mary Jane Thomas, Sue Thomas, Bonnie Thomas, and Madge Thomas.

SQ 3193: Sylvester Sparks was born probably about 1879. He lived inTarkio, Missouri.

In July, 2001, Cindy Sparks (casparks10@@gateway.net) posted informationon the GenForum web site as follows:

"My father was Eugene Sparks b. Apr. 16, 1933, d. Apr. 24, 1994, MFrances Laychack b. Mar. 8, 1935, d. Apr. 4, 1994. Eugene's siblings:LUcille Sparks b. ? D. 198?, m John Montgomery; William (Billy) Sparks b.?KY resided in Mayhew Flats m Florence Hay b.?; Robert Sparks b. ? KYd.KY; Lettie Irene b. ?KY d. 1996 OH m. Elbert Hay b.? KY d. 1995 OH;Carolyn b. 1936? KY d. 1999 OH m. Leonard Hayes b. ?KY d. June, 2000 OH;Baby Sparks (Mildred) died in childbirth 1927

"My grandfather was James Solomon Sparks (Solly) b. Aug 7, 1901, m.Elizbeth Seagraves (Lizzie) b. 1908 d. 1927.

"G-grandfather was Sylvester Sparks b.? d.? m Elizabeth Johnson b.? d.?

"I cannot locate the branch from which Sylvester came. I have been toldwe are descendants of William Sample Sparks but I cannot find any directconnection with him."

This information is included here on the possibility that these aredescendants of this Sylvester Sparks b.ca.1879.

SQ 3872:

"Sylvester Barnett Sparks was married to Belle Redden. She had beenborn on December 24, 1874, and was a daughter of Joseph and AmeliaRedden. She and Sylvester had six children: Alva, Edith, John G.,Gilbert, Iva and Doris. Sylvester died in 1940."

SQ 3858: "Tabitha Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Martha (Edwards )Sparks, was born about 1832 in Kentucky. She was married to Rhodes Meadeon June 15,1848, in Pike County."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1985, Whole No. 130, pg 2746:

"Thaddeus C. Sparks was born on January 9, 1848. He was married toMary E. Gaines in 1867 in Cooke County, Texas. She was born about 1851and was a daughter of John B. and Nancy (McMahon) Gaines. Thaddeus diedon February 28, 1890, and was buried in the First Street Cemetary inWaco,Texas. According to the 1880 census of Johnson County, Texas, heand Mary had at least three children: (1) John M. Sparks b. ca. 1870; (2)Walter Sparks, . ca. 1876; (3) Mary Sparks b.ca. 1878. She is said tohave married a man named Dorris.

(Note: Do not confuse Thaddeus C. with Thaddeus D. Sparks, son of Thomasand Juliana (McWhorter) Sparks for which see page 541, March 1961, WholeNo. 33. Sparks Quarterly.)

(Thaddeus C. Sparks, son of Billy and Minerva (McKay) Sparks, should notbe confused with Thaddeus P. Sparks who was listed on the 1860 and 1880censuses of McLennan County, Texas. The latter was born about 1839 andwas a son of Thomas and Juliana (McWhorter) Sparks. See page 541 of theMarch 1961 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 33, for further details ofthe family of Thaddeus P. Sparks.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1991, Whole No . 154, page 3753:

"Land records in Queen Annes County prove that this first WilliamSparks had come to Maryland from Hampshire County, England, at least asearly as 1670, as had also his brother, John Sparks. Recent researchstrongly suggests that they were sons of Thomas and Joane (Davis) Sparkswho had been married in Fareham Parish in Hampshire County, England, onOctober 19 , 1635.

"Among the children of Thomas and Joane was a son named WilliamSparks, baptised on August 6, 1646, and a son named John Sparks, baptizedon December 3, 1649. They also had two other sons baptized in theFareham Parish,Church: Francis Sparks, baptized on July 20, 1641, andRichard Sparks , baptised on December 10, 1658."

The World Family Tree disk Vol. 2, file 5319, shows Thomas and Joaneand their descendants for seven generations down to thegreat-great-grandfather of James J. Sparks, Solomon Sr.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for September, 1955, Whole No. 11, at page 79for the following:

THESPARKS FAMILY OF PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VIRGINIA

Compiled by

William Perry Johnson

It was during the American Revolution, in 1778 to be exact, that theSparkses settled in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Prior to that time,the family had made its home in Maryland, in the counties of AnneArundel, Baltimore, and Prince George's. In Prince George’s County, thefamily appears to have resided near the town of Upper Marlboro, whichlies about fifteen miles southeast of Washington, D.C., and about thesame distance southwest of Annapolis, Maryland.

Probate records for Anne Arundel County, Maryland, on file in theMaryland Hall of Records, in Annapolis, show that a Thomas Sparks diedintestate in that county in or near the year 1727. The inventory ofestate for Thomas Sparks is dated 20 April 1727, and the papers show thathe had "No Relations." (For some reason, a wife and children apparentlydid not count as "relations" in these cases.) The account, dated 1732,was made by Leonard Hollyday of Prince George’s County, Maryland, asadministrator of Thomas Sparks late of Anne Arundel County, deceased.This Thomas Sparks may or may not be the father of the Thomas Sparks whoappears on the records of Anne Arundel County a generation later.

For the balance of this article see the notes for Thomas Sparks born 1711.

*********************************************

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, VOL. VI, NO. 4 DECEMBER 1958 WHOLE NO. 24a pp.335-6

THOMAS SPARKS, POLITICAL EXILE

By: Paul E. Sparks

(Editor's Note: Among a large number of political exiles sent fromEngland to Prince George's County, Maryland, in 1716-1717, was one ThomasSpark. He was probably the same Thomas Sparks who died intestate in AnneArundel County, Maryland, in 1727. (See The Sparks Quarterly, Vol. III,No. 3, September, 1955, p. 79.) The following account by our President,Paul E. Sparks, gives the historical background necessary to understandthe circumstances under which this early Sparks immigrant came toAmerica.)

James II, King of England, was deposed in 1688 primarily because heattempted to restore Catholicism as the religion of England. The birth ofa son, by his second wife, who was to be educated as a Roman Catholic,precipitated the crisis. James fled to France where he died in 1701. Hisson James, (later to be called The Old Pretender), was proclaimed at onceby the French court as "James III, King of England and Scotland." TheEnglish people, however, had selected as their rulers William and Mary,the latter of whom ruled Great Britain until 1702, when she was succeededby Queen Anne.

In 1707, during Queen Anne's reign, England and Scotland formed apolitical union. The union was not popular, and there was much unrest. Itset into motion several factions: "highlander" against "lowlander," Whigagainst Tory, "low" churchman against "high" churchman. The discontentmounted and reached a climax in August, 1714, when Queen Anne died andGeorge I was crowned as King.

Under the leadership of the Jacobites (Latin for "followers of James"), adissenting group of Englishmen and Scotchmen invited James, The OldPretender, to become their King. Internal friction within the group,however, and a lack of concerted leadership, caused a premature meetingof the Jacobite forces and a Loyalist army at Preston, England, and inNovember, 1715, the rebel group surrendered or dispersed. A month later,James landed from France, but his supporters had melted away, and hespeedily returned to France. The rebellion collapsed.

Seven hundred and thirty-eight men were taken as prisoners of war by theEnglish army and were sentenced to exile in the colony of Maryland. Theywere forbidden to return to England within seven years. Most of theseexiles, lowlanders from Scotland in the main, settled in Prince George’sCounty, Maryland, where they remained. They called their new home "NewScotland."

Among these exiles was Thomas Spark. Since there were so many factionsinvolved in this short rebellion, it is not known to which faction hebelonged.

References:
1. Richardson, Hester Dorsey. Side-Lights on Maryland History (Baltimore,Williams and Wilkins Company, 1903), Vol. I.
2. Cross, Arthur Lyon. A Shorter History of England and Great Britain(New York, The MacMillan Company, 1929).

SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1962, Whole No. 40, p. 682:

THOMAS SPARKS

Another probable son of James Sparks, who died in 1736, was ThomasSparks. His name appeared for the first time on the Spotsylvania CountyCourt Order Book on October 7, 1731. On that date, the Court heard thecase of John Tennant against Thomas Sparks, Tennant claiming that Sparksowed him 50 shillings which he demanded to be paid. The Court, "afterhearing all evidence and arguments on each side are of the opinion that15 shillings current money was due on balance of account between themtherefore judgement is granted for the same with costs and attorney'sfee." (See Order Book 1730-1738, page 88.) On the same day, John Tennantalso brought suit against John Sparks far one pound, ten shillings. JohnSparks was probably another son of James and a brother of Thomas. Noother record of Thomas Sparks has been found in Spotsylvania, and, as inthe case of Henry Sparks, it seems probable that he moved out of thecounty.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for September 1955, Whole No. 11, p.79. Thisarticle is reproduced below:

Deed books for Anne Arundel County, Maryland, show seven deeds under thename Sparks, all for one Thomas Sparks. He first appears on record in1748, when he purchased 162 acres, and in 1752 he obtained 430 more acresof land. By 1756, he had sold all of his land in Anne Arundel County andwas living in Baltimore County, Maryland, having removed there late in1755 or early in 1756. The names of no other persons named Sparks appearin Anne Arundel records except Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Sparks, and theJosiah Sparks mentioned below.

The records of St. Anne’s Parish, Annapolis, Anne Arundel County,Maryland, contain two Sparks items, as follows: (1) Josiah Sparks married15 July 1749 to Penelope Brown, by the Revd. Mr. Andrew Lendrum. (2)Samuel, son of Thomas Sparks and Elizabeth his wife, was born 29 July1749. Both Thomas Sparks and Josiah Sparks, with their families, removedto Baltimore County, Maryland, and were members of St. John’s & St.George’s P. E. Church, Harford (then Baltimore) County, Maryland. JosiahSparks was born c1729 and died, intestate, in 1765, Baltimore County,Maryland, with Penelopy Sparks as adaministratrix. Records of St. John's& St. George's P. E. Church, afore-mentioned, show that on the 10th ofApril, 1770, Aquilla Wyle was married to "Pine" Sparks, widow of Josiah,and by 1781 they were living in Shrewsbury Twp., York County,Pennsylvania. Josiah and Penelope Sparks had five sons: Josiah, Matthew,Francis, Elijah and Thomas. (A record of Josiah Sparks, Sr., and hisdescendants, will appear in a forthcoming issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY.)The estate papers for Josiah, 1765, show that he had "No Relation in thisprovince but Thos. Sparks." No other records for Thomas Sparks have beenfound in Baltimore County, except that in 1760 he was granted 38 acres inBaltimore County, called the Hawk"s Nest. Thomas Sparks was born c.1711,and was either the father (by an earlier wife than Elizabeth) of Josiah(b. c.1729), or his elder brother - - probably the former.

The only other Sparks item on the records of St. John’s & St. George’s P.E. Church is the marriage, on the 3rd of September 1762, of Phill LockEllcott and Sarah Sparks. Sarah was probably a daughter of Thomas andElizabeth Sparks.

There are eleven Sparks deeds or other instruments on record in PrinceGeorge’s County, Maryland, as follows:

(1) Book T, page 682 - 7 February 1738 - John Courts of Charles County,Maryland, Gentleman, to Thomas Sparks, Senior, of the county aforesaid,planter - 21 year lease - 250 acres part of a tract of land lying inPrince George's County near Rock Creek and kown by the name of CleanDrinking. /S/ John Courts, Thomas his T mark Sparks. Witnesses: Robt.Yates, Jno. Biscoe. Proven 24 October 1738.
(2) Book Y, page 197 - 25 June l740 - Charles Carroll, of City ofAnnapolis, Maryland, Esquire, to Thomas Sparke of Prince George’s County,Maryland, planter 21 year lease - 100 acres - part of a tract of landcalled Cloven Couse. /S/ Charles Carroll. Witnesses: Danil Carroll, SamlBeall, Senr. Proven 25 June l740

(3) Book EE, page 631 - 13 December l748 - William Fields of PrinceGeorge's County, Maryland, planter, to Mathew Sparks of same, planter -3000 lbs. of tobacco - 68 acres, called Bedfordshire Carrier. /S/ Williamhis X mark Fields. Witnesses: B. Young, L. Young. Proven 13 Dec. 1748.
(4) Book RR, page 67 - 27 August 1760 - Benjamin Beall, planter, and wifeSarah, of Prince George's County, Maryland, to Matthew Sparks of same,planter - 5 Shillings 109 acres, called Smith’s Neglect. /S/ BenjaminBeall, Sarah Beall. Witnesses: Morda, Jacobs, Robert Tyler. Proven 27Aug. 1760.

(5) Book TT, page 113 At the request of Matthew Sparks the followingCertificate of a Stray was recorded November 25th, 1763. “Novr. 19th,1763 - Mathew Sparkes brought Before me the subscriber a Small BlackStallion Colt about Ten hand high has a Small Stare in his forehead heComplains that he Trespasses upon his Inclosure.” /S/ Chrisr. Lowndes.

(6) Book BB2. page 228 - 11 November 1767 - John Banks, Sr., of FrederickCounty, Maryland, planter, to Thomas Sparks, planter, of Prince George‘sCounty, Maryland 55 Pounds 100 acres, called Quee Beck. /S/ John Banks (&wife Mary).

(7) Book CC2. page 136 - 2 February 1775 - James Beck, and wife Rebecca,of Prince George's County, Maryland, planter, to “Matthew Spark ofThomas” of same 50 Pounds 100 acres, called Pleasant Spring Enlarged. /S/James Beck, Rebecca Beck. Witnesses~ Chris, Lowndes, Mary Henderson.Proven 2 Feb 1775.

(8) Book CC2, page 177 - At the request of Samuel Sparks the followingCertificate of a Stray was recorded August 21st 1775. "Prince George’sCounty, Ss. I do hereby Certify that Samuel Sparks brought before me thisday a Horse with the following Marks which he took up at Mrs. BerrysPlantation about 14 miles from Upper Marlborough a Bright Bay 13½ handshigh Branded on the near Shoulder IW natural Pacer and Short Scraped Tailtaken up four Weeks ago.”

(9) Book CC2, page 337 - 15 March 1777 - Matthew Sparks, Sr., of PrinceGeorge’s County, Maryland, planter, & wife Eleanor, to Richard Beall, sonof Ninian, Sr., of same - 100 Pounds - 109 acres, called Smith’s Neglect./S/ Matthew his X mark Sparks, Eleanor her X mark Sparks. Witnesses:Josa. Beall, Chrisr. Lowndes. Proven 15 March 1777.

(10) Book CC2, page 380 - 30 August 1777 - Thomas Sparks of PrinceGeorge’s County, Maryland, planter, to Solomon Groves of same, planter -150 Pounds - 100 acres, called Quebeck. /S/ Thos. Sparks, & (wife)Elizabeth Sparks. Witnesses: Chrisr. Lowndes, James Beck.

(11) Book CC2, page 396 - 5 April 1777 - Matthew Sparks of Thomas, ofPrince George’s County, Maryland, to John Hamilton, Sr., of same - 80Pounds - 100 acres - part of a tract called Pleasant Spring Enlarged. /S/Matthew Sparks, & (wife) Margery Sparks. Witnesses: Jos. Beall, Chris.Lowndes. Proven 5 April 1777.

In view of the fact that the counties of Prince George’s and Anne Arundeladjoin, it is supposed that the Thomas Sparks who leased land in PrinceGeorge’s County in 1738 and 1740 is identical with the Thomas Sparks whobought land in Anne Arundel County in 1748 and 1752, sold out by 1756,removed 1755/6 to Baltimore County, and by 1767 to Prince George’sCounty. This is further supported by the fact that the wife’s name ineach instance was Elizabeth.

The 1750 Rent Rolls for Prince George ‘s County, Maryland, list but oneSparks: Mr. Matthew Sparks, Bedfordshire Carrier, 68 acres. (Among theland owned by Mr. Caleb Dorsey was Sparks Chance and Sparks Round.)

The Register of St. John’s or Piscataway Parish, Prince George’s County,Maryland, contains the following Sparks data:

Children of Matthew and Elenor Sparks:

Sarah born 23 May 1753
Josiah born 26 Aug. 1761
True Love born 21 July 1764
Children of Matthew and Margery Sparks:
Elizabeth, bapt. 2 Nov. 1766
Jane, bapt. 6 Nov. 1768

In the above Register, True Love Sparks is designated as a female, but isbelieved to have been a male and identical with the True Love Sparks whomarried 1788 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, to Jane Sparks, and wasliving in 1790 in Spartanburgh County, South Carolina.
In Volume I of Brnmbaugh’s Maryland Records, is a copy of the 1776 Censusof Maryland. Among the inhabitants of St. John’s and Prince George'sParishes, Prince George's County, Maryland, listed on 31 August 1776, aretwo Sparks families:
(1) Thomas Sparks, age 65: 2 males, ages 18 & 14; Elizabeth, age 58; & 2females aged 16 & 14. (2) Mathew Sparks, age 61: 5 males, ages 27, 15,11, and 7; Elinor Sparks, age 45; 2 females, ages 23 & 3.

Thus, there were three Sparks families in Prince George s County,Maryland. (1) Thomas Sparks (b, c.l711) and wife Elizabeth (b. c.l718);bought 100 acres in 1767 and sold out in 1777. (2) Matthew Sparks (b.c.1715) and wife Eleanor (b. c.1731); bought 68 acres in 1748 and 109acres in l760; sold the 209 acres in 1777 (undoubtedly sold the 68 acresalso, but grantee failed to have the deed recorded). (3) Matthew Sparks(son of Thomas) married (c.1765) to Margery; bought 100 acres in l775;sold out in 1777.

These Sparks families, having sold out in 1777, removed from PrinceGeorge's County, Maryland. to Pittsylvania County, Virginia, where theyobtained land in 1778.

Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Deed Book 5, page 211 - 25 February 1778 -Sylvester Adams & wife Nansey, of Pittsylvania County, Virginta, toThomas Sparks of same 110 Shillings (acreage not given) on both sides ofSandy River, /S/ Sylvester Adams Witnesses: George Adams. Edward Cook,Jonathan Montgomery Church. Proven 17 Aug l779 (This is the first andearliest record of the Sparks family in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.)

Land Grant Book E, page 441 Richmond, Virginia, shows that on 1 Sept.,1780 Matthew Sparks. for 35 Shillings was granted 305 acres inPittsylvania County, Virginia, on branches of Sandy River by survey dated13 March 1778. Same book, page 451, shows that on same date ThomasSparks, for 15 Shillings, was granted 137 acres in same county, on branchof Strawberry Creek, by survey dated 28 May 1780.

The third land grant to a Sparks in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, is tobe found in Land Grant Book H, page 250. On 3rd of July 1783 MatthewSparks, for 2 Pounds & 10 Shillings, was granted 496 acres inPittsylvania County, on both sides of Mortons Spring, branch of SandyRiver, by survey dated 30 Apr. 1780.

The forth and last land grant is on record in Land Grant Book 51, page388. Warrant No. 14,050, issued 30 August 1782, and on 6 July 1803granted to Thomas Sparks, 52 acres in Pittsylovania County, Virginia, onBean's Creek Mountain, Surveyed 1 April 1902.

Pittsylvania County, Virginia, tax lists, both land and personalproperty, begin in 1782 and extend to middle 1800's. Below is a listingof the Sparkses given on the land tax lists from 1782 to 1820:

1782 - Matthew Sparks - 796 acres
...........Thomas Sparks - 350 acres

1783 - (Alterations - Matthew Sparks - 496 acres

1784 - (Alterations - none for Sparkses)

1785 - (Alterations - Thomas Sparks - 162 acres from Thomas Robertson
.................................Mathew Sparks, 496 acres Ditto in Ditto(i,e."Rong charged")

1786 - Thomas Sparks - 162 acres
............Samuel Sparks - 100 acres
............Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
............Matthew Sparks - 796 acres
...........(Alterations & Mistakes for 1786 - Samuel Sparks, 100 acresfrom Thomas Robertson)

l787 - Matthew Sparks - 300 acres
..........Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
..........Samuel Sparks - 100 acres
..........Thomas Sparks - 162 acres

1788 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Samuel Sparks - 100 acres
...........Matthew Sparks - 300 acres
...........Thos. Sparks (T. Robinson) - 163 acres

1789 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
Matthew Sparks - 300 acres
(Davd. Shelton (Tho. Sparks) - 80 acres
(Leon. Sparks (Tho. Sparks) - 83 acres .

(Note that these two tracts owned by Shelton and Leonard Sparks in 1789totaled 163 acres, the tract owned by Thomas Sparks. this Thomas Sparksapparently died c.1789 and his land was divided between Shelton & LeonardSparks.)

1790 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
Matthew Sparks - 300 acres
(Davd. Shelton (T.S.) - 80 acres
(Lenard Sparkes (same) - 83 acres

1791 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres

1792 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres

1793 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres

1794 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Mathew Sparks (S) - 100 acres

1795 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Mathew Sparks (S) - 100 acres

1796 - Missing

1797 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Mathew Sparks - 100 acres

1798 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Mathew Sparks 100 - acres

1799 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Mathew Sparks - 100 acres

1800 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Mathew Sparks -100 acres

1801 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Mathew Sparks - 100 acres

1802 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Mathew Sparks - 100 acres

1803 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Matthew Sparks - 100 acres

1804 - Thomas Sparks - 350 acres
...........Matthew Sparks - 100 acres

1805 - Mathew Sparks - 100 acres
...........Thos. Sparks-do. (L.P.) - 52 acres
...........Mathew Sparks - 100 acres

l806 - Matthew Sparks - 100 acres
..........Thomas Sparks - Bal.: - 298 acres
..........Thomas Sparks - do. (L. Pat.) - 52 acres
..........Matthew Sparks - 100 acres

1807 - Mathew Sparks - 100 acres
...........Thomas Sparks - 298 acres
...........Thomas Sparks - 52 acres
...........Mathew Sparks - 100 acres

1808 - Missing

1809 - Mathew Sparks - 100 acres
...........Thomas Sparks - 298 acres
...........Thomas Sparks - 52 acres
...........Mathew Sparks - 100 acres
...........John Sparks - 500 acres

1810 - Thomas Sparks - Balance: 198 acres
...........Same - 52 acres
...........George Sutherland, Ext. John Sparkes to pay - 100 acres
...........Mathew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres

1811 - Thomas Sparks - 222 acres
...........Matthew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres

1812 - Matthew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres - South side of Sandy River
...........Thomas Sparks - 222 acres - Cattail fork Beens Creek

1813 - Thomas Sparks - 222 acres - Cattail fork Beens Creek
...........Matthew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres - S. side Sandy River

1814 - Thomas Sparks - 222 acres - Cattail fork Beens Do. [Creek] - 23miles southwest of courthouse.
............Matthew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres - S. side Sandy River -20 miles south of courthouse.

1815 - Matthew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres - S. side (Sandy) River - 20miles south of courthouse.
...........Thomas Sparks - 222 acres - Cattail fork of Beens Creek - 23miles southwest of courthouse.

1816 - Thomas Sparks - 222 acres - Cat tail fork of Beens Creek - 23miles southwest of courthouse.
...........Mathew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres - S. side Sandy River - 20miles south of courthouse.

1817 - Mathew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres - S. side of Sandy River - 20miles south-west of courthouse.
...........Thomas Sparks - 27 acres - Sandy River - 18 miles southwest ofcourthouse

1818 - Thomas Sparks - 27 acres - Sandy River - 18 miles southwest ofcourthouse
............Mathew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres - s. side Sandy River -20 miles southwest of courthouse.

1819 - Mathew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres - S. side Sandy River 20 milessouthwest of courthouse
...........Thomas Sparks - 27 acres - Sandy River - 18 miles southwest ofcourthouse

1820 - Mathew Sparks, deceased - 200 acres - S. side Sandy River 20 milessouthwest of courthouse
...........Thomas Sparks 27 acres Sandy River - 18 miles southwest ofcourthouse

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1992, Whole No. 160, pg 4036-4040:

"Thomas Sparks, son of George and Elizabeth (Ricketts) Sparks, wasborn on January 8, 1736, according to the register of St. Lukes Parish.Apparently he was married about 1757, for when the special census wastaken of Queen Annes County in 1776, he was shown as having six children,five daughters and one son. His wife apparently died about 1776, and hewas married (2nd) to Juliana ( ----- ) Meredith Sparks, widow of acousin, James Sparks. (See page 2565 of the December 1983 issue of THESPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 124.)

"The last record in which we have found mention of Thomas Sparks isthe 1783 tax list of Queen Annes County. In this, he was listed as aresident of the "Upper District." We have been unable to identify hisfirst wife or any of his children."

Also see SQ p. 4959 under an article entitled SPARKSES WHO SERVED IN THEAMERICAN REVOLUTION:

"Thomas Sparks (ca. 1736) Queen Anne's Co., MD. (Spouses) (1) ------------,
(2) Juliann Meredith Sparks; he took the Oath of Fidelity, see thearchives of Maryland; See also the Sparks Quarterly p. 2565.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriage information:Thomas Sparks & Katherine Jayne, December 24, 1823. (Book I, p. 17)Married by Stephen Wheeler, Baptist minister.

See SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1991, Whole No. 154, p. 3797:

"Thomas Sparks, son of William and Ann Sparks, was born ca.1766 inNorth Carolina. He was married about 1787 to Rebecca -----. She mayhave been a daughter of Evan Beall (Bell) who died in Wilkes County,North Carolina, in 1794. She died about 1795, and Thomas was married(2nd) to Diana Wilcox about 1800. About 1817, he moved to the area whereLee and Scott Counties, Virginia, adjoin, but in 1821, with his brotherJames Sparks, he moved again, this time taking his family to that part ofFloyd County, Kentucky, which helped to form Lawrence County shortlythereafter. We believe that both he and Diana died there between 1836and 1840. Thomas Sparks was the father of fourteen children, the firstfour (Hanna, Joseph, Eleanor, and Allen) by his first wife and the lastten by his second wife." (The children are included in the familyinformation sheets).

**********

See also SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1991, Whole No. 156, p. 3853:

"Thomas Sparks, son of William (199) and Ann (200) Sparks, was bornabout 1766, probably in Rowan County, North Carolina. He probably grewto manhood in Surry County, and it was probably there that he was marriedto Rebecca --- about 1787. When the census was taken of Surry County in1790, they had two children, a son and a daughter. Rebecca apparentlydied about 1795, and Thomas married (2nd) to Dianah Wilcox about 1800. Wehave not found this family on an 1800 census, but Thomas' household wasenumerated on the 1810 census of Surry County. Living in his house holdin 1810 was his wife along with six males and four females, all probablytheir sons and daughters.

"Thomas Sparks paid taxes on 200 acres of land in Surry County in1790. On January 9, 1795, he purchased 200 acres of land from GilbertKeen. He sold this tract to his brother George Sparks (534). On October8, 1802, he purchased a 100-acre tract which had belonged to his fatherfrom the executors of his father's estate for $150. He sold this tractto Benjamin Martin, John Spencer, and Thomas Cartwright on December 26,1812. Thomas was present when this deed was registered in Surry Count yin November 1815.

"These are the only deeds we have found for Thomas Sparks in SurryCounty, although it is apparent that he owned other property. He wastaxed in 1812 on 200 acres; in 1813 on 378 acres; in 1815 on 697 acres(described as "on the waters of Deep Creek"), and in 1816, he was taxedon 100 acres "which adjoin Jonathan Sparks." His name does not appear onany subsequent tax list, and it seems obvious that he moved from SurryCounty about 1817.

"Thomas Sparks moved to nearby Virginia about 1817 where he settlednear the present-day boundary between Lee and Scott Counties. It was inScott County that a daughter, Eleanor, was married to Peter Mauk in 1818;however, when the 1820 census was taken, Thomas Sparks was listed in LeeCounty. With him, in addition to his wife, were seven males and threefemales, all of whom were probably his children.

"Thomas Sparks did not remain long in Virginia, and by the fall of1821, he and a son, Allen Sparks, were in Floyd County, Kentucky, whereeach was issued a Kentucky Land Warrant for fifty acres of land on "afork of Big Blaine Creek." The warrants were dated September 3, 1821.Thomas and Allen settled in that portion of Floyd County which became apart of Lawrence County when that county was formed three months later,on December 6, 1821.

"In all probability, Thomas Sparks was also accompanied to LawrenceCounty by his brother, James Sparks (189), and James's youngest son,Jesse Sparks (196). Most certainly, at least two other families, oneheaded by Levi Sparks (255) and the other by George Sparks (347), whowere relatives of Thomas and James Sparks, also arrived in LawrenceCounty about 1821. When the 1830 census was taken of Lawrence County,nine men named Sparks were shown as heads of households there.

"On May 24, 1825, Thomas Sparks, Sr. was issued another Kentucky LandWarrant for fifty acres which adjoined his earlier grant. The land wasin Lawrence County and was located on the Middle Fork of Laurel Creek, astream which flows most of its ten miles through present day JohnsonCounty before entering Blaine Creek in Lawrence County. Thomas Sparks,Jr. also acquired land that year on Lower Laurel Creek.

"The next to last land transaction we have found involving ThomasSparks, Sr. is a deed made in Lawrence County on March 11, 1836. He andhis wife, Dianah, on March 11, 1836, sold 200 acres of land on LaurelFork of Big Blaine Creek, recorded in Johnson County, to David Rose for$400. The last record we have found of Thomas Sparks, Sr. is a deed,recorded in Johnson County but made on September 19, 1837, in LawrenceCounty, by which he deeded 50 acres of land on Lower Fork to NicholasSparks. Witnesses to the deed were Thomas Sparks and Henry Jayne.

"Both Thomas and Dianah (Wilcox) Sparks probably died between 1836 and1840. No record has been found of them on the 1840 census. They left nowills, nor have we found any administrative records of their estates.From census records, it seems apparent that Thomas Sparks was the fatherof fourteen children, four of them by his first marriage and ten by hissecond marriage. We have identified thirteen of them." (Here followsrecords of children).

**********

See THE SPARKSQUARTERLY, December 1991, Whole No. 156, pp 3853-54:

THOMAS SPARKS(ca.1766-ca.1837) SON OF WILLIAM AND ANN SPARKS

OF SURRYCOUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA & LAWRENCE CO., KENTUCKY

By Paul E. Sparks

[Editor's Note: Thomas Sparks, who came to Lawrence County, Kentucky, in1821, was a son of William and Ann (-----) Sparks about whom an articleappeared in the QUARTERLY of June 1991, Whole No. 154. His parents haddisposed of their property in Frederick County, Maryland, in 1764 and hadmoved to Rowan County, North Carolina, shortly thereafter. The move wasmade in order for them to join some other members of the Sparks familywho had left Frederick County a few years earlier. William purchased landfrom his brother, Matthew Sparks, in 1765 in Rowan County. Other Sparksfamilies in Rowan County that year were headed by Solomon Sparks, JonasSparks, and William Sample Sparks.

[William and Ann did not stay in Rowan County very long; by 1771 they hadmoved to Surry County, North Carolina. It was there that William diedeither late in 1801 or early in 1802. His will, which he had made onDecember 21, 1801, was probated at the May 1802 term of the Surry CountyCourt. He left most of his estate to be "equally and peaceably dividedamongst my children and wife, she taking an equall share with one of thechildren." He appointed William Wilcox, William Sparks, Thomas Sparks,and George Sparks as executors of the will and "trustees for my wife andother children." Although he did not name all of his children in thewill, we believe that he and Ann had ten children: William Sparks, Jr.,Matthew Sparks, Rachel Sparks, Nancy Sparks, George Sparks, James Sparks,Thomas Sparks, Margaret Sparks, Benjamin Sparks, and Jeremiah Sparks.

See the June 1991 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 154, for furtherdetails about William and Ann and their family.]

Thomas Sparks, son of William and Ann Sparks, was born about 1766,probably in Rowan County, North Carolina. He probably grew to manhood inSurry County, and it was probably there that he was mayried to Rebecca----- about 1787. When the census was taken of Surry County in 1790, theyhad two children, a son and a daughter. Rebecca apparently died about1795, and Thomas Sparks was . married (2nd) to Dianah Wilcox about 1800.We have not found this family on an 1800 census, but Thomas' householdwas enumerated on the 1810 census of Surry County. Living in hishousehold in 1810 was his wife along with six males and four females, allprobably their sons and daughters.

Thomas Sparks paid taxes on 200 acres of land in Surry County in 1790. OnJanuary 9, 1795, he purchased 200 acres of land from Gilbert Keen. Hesold this tract to his brother, George Sparks. On October 8, 1802, hepurchased a 100-acre tract which had belonged to his father from theexecutors of his father's estate for $150. He sold this tract to BenjaminMartin, John Spencer, and Thomas Cartwright on December 26, 1812. Thomaswas present when this deed was registered in Surry County in November1815.

These are the only deeds we have found for Thomas Sparks in Surry County,although it is apparent that he owned other property. He was taxed in1812 on 200 acres; in 1813 on 378 acres; in 1815 on 697 acres (describedas "on the waters of Deep Creek"), and in 1816, he was taxed in 100 acres"which adjoin Jonathan Sparks." His name does not appear on any subsquenttax list, and it seems obvious that he moved from Surry County about 1817.

Thomas Sparks moved to nearby Virginia about 1817 where he settled nearthe present-day boundary between Lee and Scott Counties. It was in ScottCounty that a daughter, Eleanor, was married to Peter Mauk in 1818;however, when the 1820 census was taken, Thomas Sparks was listed in LeeCounty. With him, in addition to his wife, were seven males and threefemales, all of whom were probably his children. Thomas Sparks did notremain long in Virginia, and by the fall of 1821, he and a son, AllenSparks, were in Floyd County, Kentucky, where each was issued a KentuckyLand Warrant for fifty acres of land on "a fork of Big Blaine Creek."The warrants were dated September 3, 1821. Thomas and Allen settled inthat portion of Floyd County which became a part of Lawrence County whenthat county was formed three months later, on December 6, 1821.

In all probability, Thomas Sparks was also accompanied to Lawrence Countyby his brother, James Sparks, and James's youngest son, Jesse Sparks.Most certainly, at least two other families, one headed by Levi Sparksand the other by George Sparks, who were relatives of Thomas and JamesSparks, also arrived in Lawrence County about 1821. When the 1830 censuswas taken of Lawrence County, nine men named Sparks were shown as headsof households there.

On May 24, 1825, Thomas Sparks, Sr. was issued another Kentucky LandWarrant for fifty acres which adjoined his earlier grant. The land was inLawrence County and was located on the Middle Fork of Laurel Creek, astream which flows most of its ten miles through present-day JohnsonCounty before entering Blaine Creek in Lawrence County. Thomas Sparks,Jr. also acquired land that year on Lower Laurel Creek.

The last land transaction we have found involving Thomas Sparks, Sr. is adeed made in Lawrence County on March 11, 1836. He and his wife, Dianah,sold 200 acres of land on Laurel Creek to David Rose for $400.

Both Thomas and Dianah (Wilcox) Sparks probably died between 1836 and1840. No record has been found of them on the 1840 census. They left nowills, nor have we found any administrative records of their estates.From census records, it seems apparent that Thomas Sparks was the fatherof fourteen children, four of them by his first marriage and ten by hissecond marriage. We have identified thirteen of them.

**************************************

SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 108, pp. 2153-54:

Thomas Sparks, son of Josiah and Susannah (Phillips) Sparks, was born onOctober 27, 1798, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and was probablycarried as a baby by his parents to Union County, South Carolina. He wasa fair-sized boy when his parents moved again, this time to JeffersonCounty, Tennessee. There he grew to manhood and married Sarah McClisteron November 10, 1816, just a few days after he had reached his 18thbirthday. They were married by Henry Bradford, a justice of the peace.Leonard Sparks, undoubtedly a relative, was the bondsman. Sarah was bornon March 13, 1794, in Pennsylvania and was a daughter of James and Sarah(Roan) McClister.

Thomas Sparks apparently went to Kentucky during the early part of 1823(he paid taxes in Jefferson County, Tennessee, in 1822) for he paid taxesthere that year as a male over 21 years of age. On March 13, 1826, hebought 133½ acres of land on Cedar Creek from George and Ann Taylor for40 pounds. During the next forty years, he was involved in at leastfifteen land transactions in and around the Glens Fork community. On thecensuses of 1850 and 1860 he was listed as a farmer and a shoemaker.

In 1836, Thomas and Sarah sold the land they had purchased from theTaylors and bought 118 acres on Trace Fork of Crocus Creek which adjoinedthe farm of Thomas's brother, Josiah Sparks, Jr. They bought this farmfrom Thomas and Rosey Gilkey for $245. Then, in June 1841, when hisbrother, Josiah Sparks, Jr. was making plans to move to Missouri, ThomasSparks bought his farm of 60 acres, giving him $200 for it.

In 1846, 1847, and 1848, Thomas Sparks bought three tracts of land onCrocus Creek. The first tract consisted of 18½ acres which adjoined thefarm of his brother, Samuel Sparks. He bought it from Isaac and NancyWest for $36. The next tract was 99 acres which he bought from John Hallfor $120. Then in 1848, he bought 50 acres of land at a public sale whichhad previously belonged to his brother, Samuel, who had died in June1846.

In 1853, Thomas Sparks bought 83 acres of land on Crocus Creek from theheirs of John Powell at a public sale. A year later, he and Sarah soldthis tract to their sons, James J. Sparks and Josiah A. Sparks, for $200.Thomas continued to add to his land holdings, however, and in 1862 hebought 35 acres on Crocus Creek from James and Nancy Nell for $2.00 peracre. In 1864, he bought the dower interest in an 84-acre farm from hisdaughter-in-law, Sarah Ann Sparks, the widow of James J. Sparks, who haddied in 1862. He gave her $175 for her interest.

It seems apparent that the health of Thomas Sparks began to fail aboutthis time, and he and Sarah began to plan the disposition of their land.On January 13, 1866, they sold 100 acres on Cedar Creek to the PetroleumCenter, a Pennsylvania oil company, for $950. A few days later, they sold195 acres to their son, Josiah A. Sparks, for $200.

Thomas Sparks died two months later on March 14, 1866, and was buried inthe Sparks Cemetery on Crocus Creek where his tombstone is well-preservedtoday. When the 1870 census was taken, Sarah was living with ason-in-law, Michael Loy, and her daughter, Jane. The date of her death isnot known. Although neither Thomas nor Sarah left wills, informationpreserved by their descendants show that they had seven children.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriage informationfrom Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
Thomas Sparks & Katherine Jayne, December 24, 1823. (Book I, p. 17)Married by Stephen Wheeler, Baptist minister.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1957, Whole No. 18, pg. 227 for theJohnson County, Ky. - 1850 Census.

(p. 96) Sparks, Thomas 48 North Carolina (M) Farmer $400
200-200 " Katherine 43 Kentucky (F)
" Sarah 19 " (F)
" Eleanor 17 " (F)
" Margarett 15 " (F)
" Thomas J. 13 " (M)
" Henry 11 " (M)
" Daniel 9 " (M)
" Katherine 6 " (F)
" John 4 " (M)

Also see SQ p. 3797: He was married to Catherine Jayne in 1823.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1991, Whole No. 156, p. 3868:

"Thomas Sparks Jr., son of Thomas and Dianah (Wilcox) Sparks, was bornon November 8, 1801, in Surry County, North Carolina. He accompanied hisparents to Lawrence County, Kentucky, and it was there that he wasmarried to Catherine Jayne on December 24, 1823. She had been born onJanuary 15, 1807, and was a daughter of William and Dorcas (Ramey)Jayne. Thomas and Catherine lived near his father on Lower Laurel Creekin that part of Lawrence County that became a part of Johnson County in1843, but about 1859 they moved to newly-formed Boyd County, Kentucky.It was there that Thomas died on February 8, 1876. Catherine died inLewis County, Kentucky, on May 6, 1883 . They had twelve children.

See the photograph of Thomas Sparks in Whole Number 143 of the SPARKSQUARTERLY, on page 3286.

SQ pps 2625-6:

" Thomas Sparks, son of James and Margaret (Ray) Sparks, was born onAugust 11, 1810, and was about eleven years old when his parents moved toOhio. He accompanied them also to Clinton County, Indiana , where hebought 40 acres of land on May 18, 1836. The following December, headded another 52 acres to his farm, probably in preparation for hismarriage to Martha Loveless on September 22, 1837. She was born onSeptermbr 21, 1816, in Ohio and was a daughter of Benjamin and Catherine(Besley) Loveless. Her brother, John V. Loveless, married her husband'ssister, Elizabeth Sparks the following March."

" A biographical sketch is given of Thomas Sparks in A Portrait andBiographical Record of Boone and Clinton Counties, Indiana, published in1895 by the A. W. Bowen & Company of Chicago. It reads in part , "Whentwenty-seven years old, he [Thomas Sparks] became a resident of ClintonCounty, and he is classed among the pioneers of this section. He madethe journey from Ohio to Indiana in a wagon, and moved to a place uponwhich no improvements of any kind had been made, but in time he cleared adeveloped a good farm of 140 acres and erected substantial buildings. Hewas a prominent man of his community , a member of the Methodist Church,and a Whig in his political belief, later a Republican."

"Martha (Loveless) Sparks, wife of Thomas Sparks, died on September 8,1855. Thomas died on April 3, 1879. They were buried in the LovelessCemetery near Colfax, Indiana. They had nine children."

This family is shown in the 1860 Census of Clinton County, IN, PerryTownship. See SQ p. 4445.

SQ p. 5401:

"A son born before 1820 who had left home before the 1840 census wastaken. He may well have been the Thomas Sparks who was married toCatherine Swaim in 1837. The marriage bond, dated February 28, 1837,shows William Z. Sparks as having signed as bondsman. On the 1838 taxlist for the Jonesville District, Thomas Sparks was listed as a whitepoll without land and living next to William Sparks. He appeared in thesame manner on the lists for 1839 and 1840. It seems probable that he wasthe Thomas Sparks, age 33 (i.e. born ca.1817) living with his wifeCatherine (also age 33) in Iredell County, Norh Carolina, in 1850.(Iredell County adjoins Yadkin County on the south.) His occupation was"Stiller." Their children as listed on the 1850 census were: MichaelSparks, age 9; William A. Sparks, age 7; John C. Sparks, age 4; andAdaline J. Sparks, age 1.

**********

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 2000, Whole No. 192, pp. 5432-5434for the following article:

THOMAS SPARKS(1816-1863) OF YADKIN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

AND YORK COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA

"In The Sparks Quarterly of September 2000, Whole No. 191, pp. 5396-5304appeared an article devoted to William Z. Sparks (ca.1791-1858) of YadkinCounty, North Carolina. (Until 1850, Yadkin County had been part of SurryCounty.) Based on quite compelling circumstantial evidence, we believethat William Z. Sparks was a son of George Sparks who had been bornbetween 1758 and 1760 in Frederick County, Maryland; George Sparks hadaccompanied his parents, William and Ann Sparks, on their move to theForks of the Yadkin, then part of Rowan County, North Carolina, in 1764.(See the QUARTERLY of June 1983, Whole No. 122, pp. 2520-24, for anarticle devoted to George Sparks.)

"William Z. Sparks died in December 1858 in the Jonesville area of YadkinCounty where he had spent most of his life. We have not discovered thename of his first wife, who was also the mother of his seven children.Sometime after her death, be tween 1840 and 1850, he was married, second,to a widow named Mary Benge.

"Of the seven children of William Z. Sparks, we can be certain of theidentity of only two. One was James Sparks who was shown on the 1850census as 21 years of age, still living in his father's household. Theother was Thomas Sparks who was married to Catherine Swaim in SurryCounty, North Carolina, in 1837. The marriage bond for Thomas andCatherine was dated February 28, 1837, and from Bible records that willbe noted later in this article, we have learned that their marriageceremony took place nine days later, on March 9, 1837. It is significantthat their bondsman was William Z. Sparks, doubtless the father of Thomas.

"As we noted on page 5401 of the QUARTERLY of September 2000, it isevident that Thomas Sparks was in informal partnership with his father,William Z. Sparks, both before and for a period of time after hismarriage.

"We have not been able to determine the parentage of Catherine (orKatherine) Swaim (sometimes spelled Swain). When the 1840 census of SurryCounty was taken, William Z. and Thomas Sparks were living in thesouthern part of the county, below the Yadkin River, that would becomeYadkin County a decade later. There, also, were enumerated five Swaim (orSwain) families. The heads of these five families were: (1) MichaelSwaim, Sr., age 50 to 60, with wife 40 to 50, and 4 children; (2) JohnSwaim whose household immediately followed that of Michael, Sr., age 50to 60, with wife 40 to 50, a female 70 to 80, and 7 children; (3) WilliamSwaim, age 40 to 50, with wife 30 to 40, and 10 children; (4) SolomonSwaim, age 30 to 50, with 7 children; and (5) Moses Swaim, age 20 to 30,with wife in the same age category, but no children.

"From the ages of these heads of households, we can be fairly certainthat Catherine (Swaim) Sparks, born in 1816 and therefore 24 years of agein 1840, was a daughter of either Michael Swaim, Sr. or John Swaim. It isinteresting that Thomas and Catherine named sons Solomon, Michael, andJohn. Of these three names, however, only Michael was an unusual name inthe Sparks family.

"Thomas Sparks's household, as enumerated on the 1840 census of SurryCounty, then consisted of himself and his wife, along with their firsttwo sons, both of whom were shown as under 5 years. On this 1840 census,the name of Thomas Sparks appeared just before that of William Z. Sparks.

"By the time that the 1850 census was taken, Thomas and Catherine Sparkshad moved with their children to Iredell County, which adjoins YadkinCounty on the south. Thomas' occupation was given as "Stiller." (SeeCensus record on page 603, SQ)

"By 1857 Thomas Sparks had moved with his family to York County, SouthCarolina, the northern boundary of which is the southern boundary ofthree North Carolina counties: Cleveland, Gaston, and Mecklenburg.

"Recently we received from Louise Pettus of 708 Harrell St., Rock Hill,South Carolina, who descends from Thomas and Catherine (Swaim) Sparks,the results of her research on this family in York County, SouthCarolina. Through her, we have also obtained copies of family recordscontained in two 19th-century Bibles now owned by another descendant ofThomas and Catherine, Pat Rodgers Murphy. The older of these two Bibleswas published in 1846 by the New York Bible Society, and on a blank pageat the beginning of the New Testament appear the dates of birth of Thomasand Catherine, with their date of marriage. Following, on the same page,were recorded the names and birth dates of their six children, Becausethe Bible was published in 1846, we know that only the last two childrencould have been entered at the time they were born. The information aboutthe parents and the births of their first four children, and probably,also, the last two, were surely copied from another, earlier, record.

"The second Bible owned by Mrs. Murphy was published in 1851. It appearsto have been owned first by a man named John A. Marion. At a later date,this Bible came into the possession of Marion DeKalb Rodgers and hiswife, Adeline Josephine Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Catherine. In this1851 Bible there is what Mrs. Murphy has described as "a very fragilepiece of paper" containing, also, the record of births of Thomas andCatherine (Swaim) Sparks, their marriage, and the births of their sixchildren. Besides this "fragile piece of paper" there is a smaller sheetgiving the date of death of Thomas Sparks and the death dates of four ofhis children.

From these two Bible records, we learn the following: Thomas Sparks wasborn on December 25, 1816, and Catherine Swaim was born on April 11,1816. They were married on March 9, 1837. (In the Bible published in1846, Catherine's name was written "Catharn Sparks" while on the sheet inthe the 1851 Bible her name was written "Katharine Swain.") The dates ofbirth for their six children are the same in both of these records.

1. Solomon Sparks was born December 25, 1837.
2. Michael Sparks was born December 14, 1839.
3. William Ashley Sparks was born June 24, 1841.
4. John Calvin Sparks was born July 21, 1843.
5. Adeline Josephine Sparks was born April 11, 1849.
6. Martha Ellen Sparks was born November 22, 1851.

The deaths recorded on the small piece of paper in the 1851 Bible were:

Thomas Sparks died Nov.23, 1863.
Wm. A. Sparks died March 5, 1863.
Martha Sparks died Oct. 11, 1853.
Solomon Sparks died December 19, 1853.
Michael Sparks died Nov. 4, 1861.

Thus, of the six children of Thomas and Catherine (Swaim) Sparks, two(Solomon and Martha) died as children, while two others (William Ashleyand Michael) died as young men, both at the age of 21, The cause ofMichael's death on November 4, 1861, is not known. William Ashley Sparkswas a victim of the Civii War.

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SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p 4276:

"Thomas Sparks, son of Jesse and Nancy Sparks, was born on March 11,1827 , in Lawrence County, Kentucky. He was married to Dianna Sparks,and they had nine children: Sarah, Jesse Allen, Richard, Thomas, William,Nelson, Clarinda, Nancy and Perlina.

!NOTES:
SQ 3866: Thomas Sparks, son of Allen and Elizabeth (Kozee) Sparks ,was born
about 1835. He was married to Margaret "Peggy" Johnson on August 9 ,1858, in
Johnson County, Kentucky. She had been born about 1837 in Kentucky . Sheand
Thomas lived in Lawrence County where they were listed on the 1860, 1870, and
1880 censuses. According to these records, they had eight children.

SQ 2569-70:

"Thomas Sparks, son of Levi Sparks, was born on October 3, 1836.After his father's death, he went to Jeffersonville, Indiana, to go toschool. Thomas Sparks lived with his brother, Levi Sparks, Jr., andbecame a clerk in his store. When Levi died in 1875, Thomas and hisbrother Nathan Sparks, became successors to the store. Thomas was quiteprominent in the Masonic Lodge in Jeffersonville. He was a member of theEpiscopal Church." See photograph of Thomas taken ca. 1900 on page 2570).

"Thomas Sparks lived with his brother, Levi Sparks, Jr. and became aclerk in his store. When Levi died in 1875, Thomas and his brother,Nathan Sparks, became successors to the store. Thomas was quite prominentin the Masonic Lodge in Jeffersonville. He was a member of the EpiscopalChurch. On April 15, 1879, he married Orra McClure. She was born onFebruary 23, 1857, and died on May 24, 1905.
Thomas died on June 10, 1915. They had two children, a child who was bornon August 18, 1883, and
who died in infancy; and David McClure Sparks, born on April 30, 1885. Hedied on April 11, 1948."

SPARKS QUARTERLY, pg 4470:
"Thomas Sparks, son of Sam and Sarah (Deal) Sparks, was born on April23, 1841, in Winston County, Mississippi, and was almost grown wh en hewent with his parents to Lampasas County, Texas, in 1857.

When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted on April 5, 1862, in CompanyD , 17th Regiment Texas Infantry, Confederate States Army, along with hisbrother, Martin Van Buren Sparks. He promptly caught the measles . Acompany muster-roll for April 5-June 30, 1862, has the following entry:"Tom Sparks, absent with measles." Later, on the muster-roll forNov.-Dec. 1862, he was listed as "Present-sick." On April 1, 1865, hewas carried on the muster-roll as "On detached service." Agranddaughter, Nancy (Sparks) Lawrence, said that he had been wounded bya Minie ball and furloughed home to recover. He was on his way back tojoin his regiment when the war ended.

"Tom Sparks returned to Lampasas County where, in 1867, he registeredto vote in Precinct No. 1 along with his father, Sam Sparks, and hisbrother, John Sparks. Three years later, he was married in LampasasCounty to alice Eugenia Coffey on March 10, 1870. She had been born onSeptember 26, 1853, in Texas and was a daughter of Cyrus and Mary Ann(Gibson) Coffey. When the 1870 census was taken of Lampasas County, Tomand Alice were listed in a household near his father . His real estatewas valued then at $1,000, and he had personal property valued at $600.

"In the early 1870s, Tom Sparks and his brother, John Sparks, drovefour "gigantic" herds of cattle from Texas to Wyoming; however, hecontinued to live in Lampasas County until the early 1880s. His familywas enumerated twice on the 1880 census. It appeared on the census ofLampasas County and also on the census of Knox County. Since Knox countyis a considerable distance from Lampasas County and in the northwestdirection, perhaps Tom and his family were then on their way to Idahowhile the census was being taken.

"A descendant says that Tom Sparks purchased a three-thousand-acreranch near American Falls, Idaho, probably in the early 1880s. He was amember of the last territorial legislature of the Idaho Territory andrepresented Oneida County when it comprised a large portion ofsoutheastern Idaho. (Idaho became the 43rd state in 1890.) He suffereda severe loss of cattle during the memorable winter of 1889-1890. (Seenotes of his younger brother, Gov. John Sparks).

"The role of Tom Sparks in the business affairs of his brother, JohnSparks, is not clear. In 1885, in dictating some autobiographical notes,John recalled that in 1872 "in company with my brother, I drove cattle toWyoming and sold them at a good profit." It seems fairly certain thatTom made several cattle drives with John during the 1870s. It seemsequally certain that Tom managed some properties for his brother. This,however, is about all of the knowldege that we have about theirrelationship.

"Tom Sparks died on January 4, 1892, in Idaho. Alice survived him byforty years, dying on April 12, 1932, at Pocatello, Idaho. They were theparents of eight children."

SQ pp 4561-2:

"Thomas Sparks, son of Jesse and Susan (Cornell) Sparks, was born onMay 26, 1842, in Tennessee. He served in Company A, 16th Regiment TexasCavalry, C.S.A., during the Civil War. (See the page from his diarybelow [SQ p. 4561).

"After he returned from military service, Thomas Sparks was married toMrs. Hannah (Weeks) Sparks on December 25, 1867, in Cooke County, Texas.She had been born on November 16, 1830, in Illinois and was the widow ofWilliam J. Sparks who had died in 1865. (See page 2649 of the September1984 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 127, for information about herearlier marriage.) She and Thomas had one child before her death, whichoccurred on March 6, 1875.

"After the death of Hannah (Weeks) Sparks, Thomas was married to JennyRothrock in 1884. They apparently had no children. Thomas died in 1924at Weatherford, Oklahoma. Jenny died there in 1927.