See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1956, Whole No. 15, pg. 160 forthe following:spouse: Sparks, William Granvil (1868 - 1955)
OBITUARY OF MRS. ESTELLA SPARKS
In the September, 1955, issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY we reported thedeath of William Granvil Sparks. We must now report the death of hiswidow, Mrs. Estella (Morse) Sparks who passed away on June 22, 1956,at the home of her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. B. P. Wallinof Grant, Nebraska.
Mrs. Sparks was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Morse and wasborn August 31, 1874, at Belleville, Wisc. She was eighty-one yearsold at the time of her death. At an early age she moved with herparents, brother and sister by covered wagon to Kansas and later toFaulkton, S.D. When still a small girl she was baptized in a rivernear Faulkton and joined the Methodist Church to which faith sheremained a faithful member until her death. At Easter time of thisyear she was presented her fifty year
membership pin of the church at Soottsbluff which was her home.
From Dakota the family moved to Beatrice, Nebr., and on March 7, 1894,she was united in marriage to William Granvil Sparks at Beatrioe.Eight children were born to this union: Mrs. Alta Crook and Mrs.Lucile Miller of Scottsbluff, Nebr.; Mrs. Edith Wallin of Grant,Nebr.; Chester Sparks of Kearney; Ralph Sparks of Fort Collins, Cole.;Norbert Sparks of North Platte, Nebr.; Mainard Sparks of Denver, Cole.One son, Wallace, passed away in 1930.
In 1915, Mr. and Mrs. Sparks moved with their family to a farm southof Parton, Nebr. They spent the next seventeen years on farms inPerkins, Keith and Lincoln counties and in 1932 they purchased a homein North Platte and retired. While living in North Platte, she was anactive member in community affairs and belonged to the Mary Lincolngroup of the church and the HOA club. About five years ago she waspresented the good neighbor award in North Platte. Three and a halfyears ago she
and her husband purchased a home in Scottsbluff and moved there to benear their two eldest daughters.
Mrs. Sparks was loved by all who knew her and was a kind, loving andfaithful wife and mother, and will be greatly missed by her family andfriends. She and her husband had celebrated their 61st weddinganniversary on March 7, 1955. She was preceded in death by herhusband, and son, Wallace, her father and mother, one brother, HenryMorse. Besides her seven children she leaves to mourn her passing onesister, Mrs. Lucy Burcham of Loveland, Cob., twelve grandchildren,sixteen great-grandchildren, and many other relatives and a host offriends.
Funeral services were held at the Adams Funeral Home in North Platte,June 24, 1956. The Rev. Luverne Hicks, pastor of the Methodist Churchofficiated. Interment was in the family lot in North Platte cemetery.
[Editor?s Note: In the obituary of William Granvil Sparks hisgrandparents?s names were given but no birth and death dates had beenfound at that time. We have since learned that Calvin Sparks(grandfather of William Granvil Sparks) was born on Dec. 3, 1823 anddied at Hoag, Nebr., on July 3, 1903. Mahala Carmichael, wife ofCalvin Sparks, was born April 7, 1824, and died March 5, 19l0.]
Martha (Motley) Sparks is shown in the 1850 census of Center Township,District 40, Greene County, Indiana as Patsey Sparks age 40. See theSPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 427, Whole No. 27.spouse: Sparks, Hardy (1796 - 1866)
.spouse: Stone, Benjamin W. (1803 - 1875)
!NOTES:
See notes under Benjamin for information regarding her birth anddeath.
spouse: Sparks, Sarah F. (1845 - 1896)
SQ p. 3551: "He served in the Confederate States Army and died ofmeasles at Camp Cheatham, Tennessee, on November 9, 1861.
SQ p. 3632:spouse: Powers, J. T. (*1840 - )
"Mary Ann Frances Murphree was born on February 18, 1844. She wasmarried three times. He first marrige was to David McClure ("Mac")Cooper on January 17, 1861. He had been born about 1829 and was a sonof John and Hannah (Walker) Cooper. He served in the ConfederateStates Army in the Civil War and died on September 20, 1861, atNashville, Tennessee. By a most remarkable coincidence, his son wasborn on that same day.
"After the death of her soldier-husband, Mary Ann Murphree was married(2nd) to Jonathan J. Lancaster on December 18, 1864. He had been bornon May 24, 1837, and was a son of Paschal and Margaret (Halbrooks)Lancaster. He and Mary Ann had nine children before his death whichoccurred on January 7, 1883. After his death, Mary Ann was married(3rd) to J. T. Powers. She died on September 22, 1891. She and hersecond husband were buried in the Trinity Cemetery in HumphreysCounty, Tennessee."
A photograph taken about 1870-5 of Mary Ann Frances Murphree appearsin the SPARKS QUARTERLY on page 3632. A photograph taken in 1928 ofthe sons of Mary Ann appears on page 3635, and a photo of her daughterRachel Hannah (Lancaster) Robbs taken about 1916-1917 appears on page3634.
.spouse: Daniel, Mary (~1845 - 1934)
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3895: They lived in the village of Sip in Johnson county (K Y)where they reared nine children: Fred, Bloomfield, Paris, Alice ,Jeff, Lafayette, Mary Jane, "Bunk", and Miranda Murray.
.spouse: ???, Donna (private)
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3414: Mason (as he was called) and Mona had four children :Edith, Charles, Mitchell, and Ronald Musser. Mason and Donna ha dfour children: James, Ruby, John, and Sally Musser.
.spouse: Bradley, Arlie Jennings (1900 - 1971)
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3414: "Anna Mary Musser was born on April 25, 1905, in Ashland, Kentucky. She was married on June 4, 1930, to Arlie Jennings Bradley, in Lawrence County, Kentucky, by the Rev. H. B. Hewlett, a Methodist minister. Arlie was born on June 22, 1900, at Yatesville, Kentucky, and was a son of Frank and Minnie (Chaffin) Bradley. He was an employee of the Allied Chemical Company. He died on July 20, 1971 . He and Anna had one child, Suzanne. Anna has furnished almost al lof the information contained in this portion of the article and als oseveral of the photographs."
.spouse: Dummitt, Lorna Christine (1914 - )
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3414: They had one child, Ramona Ann Musser.
.spouse: Crooks, Verna Mae (1915 - )
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3414: They had two children: Michael and Susan Musser.
.spouse: Selby, Martha Marie (1908 - 1971)
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3414: They had four children: Jeanella, William, Barbara , andWanda Musser.