.

!NOTES:
See THE SPALDING FAMILY OF MARYLAND, KENTUCKY AND GEORGIA by Hughes
Spalding, FHL 929.273Sp18sg, pg 24:
"(5) Thomas Spalding - (1778-1850). His first wife was Susanna Abell.
Thomas and Susanna had fourteen children. Upon the death of his first
wife, Thomas Spalding married Ann Shircliffe. They had no children.
Also at page 72 we find:
"Thomas Spalding (December 2, 1778-April 27, 1850). He was the grandfather
of Benedict Spalding Mattingly and the ancestor of Susan Mattingly Spalding; of
Benedict Spalding Mattingly, Jr., George Basil Mattingly; and of their
descendants. He was also the grandfather of Sister Anne Marie Mattingly."

.

!NOTES:
See THOMAS JENKINS OF MARYLAND 1670 by Edward Felix Jenkins O.S.A . pg
62: "THOMAS SPALDING born about 1803; died in St. Mary's County Jun e23, 1838;
married January 27, 1823; Ann Johnson, died about 1853. He lived an ddied
in Maryland. They had four children whose names are in the Spaldin gMemor-
ial, page 991:
i. Sarah (Sally) Ann
ii. Joseph H.; went South (Tradition)
iii. Johnson; went South
iv. Forrest; died in infancy."

.

!WILL:
WILLS OF ST. MARY'S COUNTY, MD., Bk TA 1, pps 95-97. FHL 14425.
Will executed December 6, 1740 and proved January 19th (or 9th), 1740.
(Charles Fenwick says that the year is probably in error and should be
1741. [seems obvious in view of the will date])

!NOTES:
From "THE SPALDING FAMILY OF MARYLAND, KENTUCKY AND GEORGIA" by Hughes
Spalding; Vol 1. FHL US/CAN 929.273 Sp18sg, ppg 12-13:
"William was the second son of Thomas and Catherine Spalding. The reis
no record of his birth, but he probably was born about 1678. He first
appears of record in Maryland when his father sold him "Spalding Addition"
containing forty-two acres on March 17, 1710. On December 10, 1714 he and
his brother John obtained a patent on one hundred and sixty-five acres which
they called "Two Brothers." He continued to acquire land until he had
several hundred acres. He was undoubtedly a man of fine intellect, well
educated for his time, rapidly became wealthy and was prominent in the
business and social world of his day. He seems to have been a lawye ror
certainly a conveyancer, executing many deeds, wills and contracts for his
neighbors.
He married Ann Jenkins, daughter of Thomas and Ann Jenkins of Char les
County, Maryland, around 1704. (Wills Liber 10 folio 251 Land Office,
Annapolis also a deposition of Henry Jenkins. Test Proc. Liber 38 folio
417-432 Land Office Annapolis Maryland.)
The equal of any who bore the Spalding name, he died about the fir st
of January, 1741. His will made December 6, 1740, proven at Leonardstown,
January 9, 1741. He leaves to his wife Ann his dwelling plantation,
"St. Barberys" during life, at her death to be divided between his sons,
Thomas, William and Henry. This land was in Beaver Dam Manor. To his
son Benedict he leaves "The Mill Land," but not his Water Mill, he also
leaves him part of "Additiona" to "Hearts Delight" and "New Cassell. " He
gives to his son Thomas "Spalding Addition" and "St. Giles." To hi sson
William he leaves part of "Addition" and "Hearts Delight." To Henry
part of "St. Joseph" that joins land of Mr. Plowden and John Dent..."
"William Spalding's wife Ann lived a great number of years after h is
death. She made her will November 10, 1760. It was proven in Leonard-
town February 7, 1761. She named three of her sons as Executors, among
which was our ancestor, Benedict. The wills of William and Ann reveal
that they had eight children."
See FHL 985186, GENEALOGYS OF ST. MARY'S CO., MD.: WILLIAM SPALDING
born 1678 St. Mary's County, MD., died 1741, Charles County, MD. Son
of Thomas Spalding of England and Maryland, and Catherine ---. Married
Ann Jenkins daughter of Thomas Jenkins and Ann Spalding. They had 10
10 children, all born in St. Mary's County, MD.:
Thomas born 1706 died 1769, married Catherine Cooper died 1769;
William born 1709 died 1779 married Mary Herbert; Ann born 1718, died
1741, married Clement Joseph; Jane born 1711, married Edmond Plowden;
Mary born 1721, married John Seale; Benedict born 1723 died 1767,
married Elizabeth Mattingly; Henry born 1726 died 1799 married Mary
Ann Spalding; John Baptist born 1728 died 1787 married Ann Jackson
July 23, 1767.
See CHRONICLES OF ST. MARY'S, VOL 5, pg 72, FHL 975.2B2s. This
contains an abstract of the Will of William Spalding dated 6 December,
1741 who names as his sons Thomas, William, Henry, John and Benedict ,all
of St. Mary's County, Maryland.

.
!WILL:
Records in La Plata, Charles County, MD, Liber WDM #15 Folio 377,
provided Charles K. Fenwick with information which he used to prepar ea
summary of the last will of William Spalding as follows (copy in FH L985191):
Will of Wiliam Spalding of Charles County.
Weak in health, etc.
To my brother John Spalding and
To my brother Basil R. Spalding
all my estate, real and personal. They to pay the following bequests:
To my mother $1,000
To my nephew William Ffrench, son of Mr. D'Arcy FFrench and Mrs Ann
Ffrench, $1,000.
To my sister Elizabeth Spalding $1,000. If she should marry, etc.
To my nephew Francis Henry Clements, son of my sister Mrs. Mary Clements
of Prince Georges Co., $1,000.
To my cousin Mrs. Ellen Cripps, wife of William M. L. Cripps of Washington
City, $500.
To my cousin Mrs. Matilda Coyle of Washington City, $100.
Signed in Washington City, D.C. Aug 21, 1830.
Witness: Henry Ashton, George Sweeney, E. Dyer.
November 23, 1830, came John and Basil R. Spalding etc.

.

!NOTES:
From THOMAS JENKINS OF MARYLAND 1670 by Edward Felix Jenkins, O.S. A.,on
page 17:
"Born before Dec 6, 1719, as he was of age when his father made hi swill;
died about 1779; married 1757; Mary Herbert, died 1789, daughter of Francisand Elizabeth Herbert of St. Mary's County (citing Adm. Accounts of St.
Mary's County, MD., Liber 41, Folio 185). Mr. Charles Fenwick of Leonard-
town, St. Mary's County, provided most of the information on Willia mSpalding.
Mr. Fenwick says that this is the William Spalding who married Mary Herbert.
Mary Herbert's mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of Ann Fenwick an dJohn
Sewall. William Spalding of William, died intestate in 1779 (citin gTest-
amentary Proc. St. Mary's County, 1777-1801). This record book was saved
from the fire when St. Mary's County Court House burned March 8, 1831.
Although the book is in private hands, a copy is on film and can be seen
at the St. Mary's County Historical Society, Leonardstown. William's
widow, Mary Spalding, died testate in 1789. In her will she names the
following children (citing L.J.J. #1, Folio 464, Hall of Records, Annap-
olis:
Henry, Philip, Mary; a widow (so named in her mother's will of 178 9),
Jane, Mary Ann, Dorothy; married Samuel Benfield and they had a daugh-
ter, Mary Ann Benfield, baptized July 10, 1770, Rebecca m. William King.
The above children were all mentioned in the will of their mother .It
is possible that there were more. William Spalding and his wife Mar y(Her-
bert) Spalding probably lived in the lower part of St. Marys County,and,
therefore, were not involved in the court case of 1762 (citing 1792 Testa-
mentary Proc., St. Marys County 1777-1801). They were married durin gor
before 1757, probably not long before."

!WILL:
INDEX OF WILLS ST. MARY'S COUNTY, MD. FHL 975.241s2H:
"Sep 10, 1788 SPALDING MARY Liber JJ, No. 1, Pg 464
"Children Henry, Philip, Mary, Martha, Mary Ann, Jane, Dorothy Ben-
field, Rebecca King. Died before 10 March, 1789."

NOTES:
See THOMAS JENKINS OF MARYLAND 1670 by Edward Felix Jenkins, O.S.A .at page 52 in an article on the life of Edward Jenkins, son ofMichael, son of William, son of Thomas and Ann. Edward married Feb15, 1803 Ann Spalding "eldest of the six children of William and Mary(Lilly) Spalding of Baltimore. Ann (Spalding) Jenkins was born inShepherdstown, Virginia (now West Virginia) May 28, 1786; and died inBaltimore, February 3, 1871. Her father, William Spalding, who diedin Baltimore, August 3, 1803, at the age of 48, was the son of Basiland Catherine (Green) Spalding [JS: Father Jenkins agrees with HughesSpalding, THE SPALDING FAMILY OF AMERICA, that Basil's spouse was notCatherine Edelin] of Charles County. Mrs. Mary (Lilly) Spalding wasthe daughter of Richard and Mary (Elder) Lilly of Frederick County.William Spalding, in his will of April 25, 1803, probated in BaltimoreAugust 17, 1803 (citing Baltimore Federal Gazette, June 6, 1801) nameshis children, says Ann is the only married daughter, and names EdwardJenkins, as his son-in-law. He makes Edward Jenkins, and BasilSpalding Elder, whom he calls his partner, but who was also hisnephew, the executors of his estate. He makes Basil Spalding Elderthe sole guardian of his minor children (they were all minors)."

See THOMAS JENKINS OF MARYLAND 1670 by Edward Felix Jenkins O.S.A .page
40: "William, born May 5, 1795; married Elizabeth Thompson."
We are able to identify William Francis Spalding as the father of
Jane Catherine (Spalding) Payne (1071) by the following language from
THE HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY, KY., published in 1868, FHL 976.9885H2 hat
pages 654-5, a biography of Jane's son John Spalding Payne:
"Our subject's maternal grandfather, William F. Spalding, a farmer
of Uniontown Precinct, was born in Marion County (formerly Nelson Co.)
in 1795; married a Miss Wathen there, and coming to Union at a very early
day, (1820) and died here in 1870."
Thus, Jane Catherine (Payne) Spalding a first cousin of Archbishop
Martin John Spalding.
See THE SPALDING FAMILY OF MARYLAND, KENTUCKY AND GEORGIA from 165 8to
1965 by Hughes Spalding, FHL 929.273 Sp18sg, V.1.2 pg 25:
"(12) William Francis Spalding - (1795-1870). His first wife was
Elizabeth Thompson. There were three children by this marriage. Hi ssecond
wife was Behetheland (Hetty) Wathen. There were ten children by thi smarriage.
His third wife was Mrs. Polly Clements Hite, a widow. There were n ochildren
by this marriage."
(At present, we do not know whether Jane Catherine (Payne) Spalding
was a daughter of Elizabeth Thompson or of Behetheland Wathen.)

.

!NOTES:
See THOMAS JENKINS OF MARYLAND 1670 by Edward Felix Jenkins O.S.A . pg
61: "ZACHARIAH SPALDING born in St. Mary's County, in 1778 and spen this
whole live there. He died at his residence, "Valentine's Grove" January
5, 1845. (citing National Inteligencer, January 13, 1845). He married
(1) on December 28, 1799 Eleanor Abell, born March 10, 1782, daughte rof
Edward and Statia (Taylor) Abell. Mrs. Spalding Lally of Baltimore has
informed me that if Zachariah had any children by his first wife, they
must have died in infancy. He married (2) on February 10, 1810, Cecelia
Reswick or Van Ryswick, both forms are used, daughter of Joseph and Eliz-
abeth (Mattingly) Van Ryswick. Cecelia was born 1790 and died November
19, 1869, aged 80..."
A copy of his final account and distribution is found in a genealo gy
folder provided by Charles Fenwick (FHL 985191). The accounting is
dated 9 June 1845 and the distribution is dated 31 March, 1847. There
is no citation to the source of these documents in Leonardtown, Md.

.
!NOTES:
See THOMAS JENKINS OF MARYLAND 1670 by Edward Felix Jenkins O.S.A . pg96:
"ZACHARIAH A. (sic) SPALDING born march 10, 1828, in Oakville; died Jun
30, 1892; married June 1, 1858, Mary Amanda Floyd, daughter of William
Floyd and Ellen Heard. He was a merchant. One child, Henry born about
1863; lived in Baltimore.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3847 for mention of these two unidentified daughters of Millington and Mabel (Ruth) Sparks.

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3680: "A son of Charles and Margaret Sparks was identified as a nheir
of Charles Sparks when his siblings, mother, and step-father signed the Bed-
ford County, Pennsylvania, deed dated November 23, 1786. Unfortunately he
was referred to only as "the youngest Heire" not yet "of age." Thi smeans
that he was born after November, 1765. As was noted earlier [see notes of
his father], when the witness to this deed, Samuel Paxton, swore to its
validity on January 18, 1788, he recalled incorrectly that "Solomon Sparks"
had been one of the signers, and omitted Absolom Sparks, the oldest child
of Charles and Margaret. This may suggest the possibility that thi syoungest
son may have been named Solomon. We have no further information regarding
him."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3264: An unidentified daughter apparently was born to Reuben
and Cassie (Buttery) Sparks between 1785 and 1790.

!NOTES:
SQ 3796: "Daughter, born ca.1797. She may have been the daughte rknown to
have been married to Samuel Edwards and who died before her father."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3798: His name may have been George Sparks.

.

!NOTES:
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, which states : A
daughter whom we have been unable to identify was born about 1809.

.

!NOTES:
See SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, which, at page 42 70says:
A daughter whom we have been unable to identify was born about 181 6.

.

!NOTES:
Paul Sparks' report on James Sparks (190) lists children of Solo mon(173)
and states: "A daughter whom we have been unable to identify was bor nto
Solomon and Susan, probably about 1816."

!NOTES:
SQ 3797: A son whom we have been unable to identify was born betw een1815
and 1820.

.

!NOTES:
THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4273, states " An
unidentified daughter was born to Solomon and Susan probably about 1819."

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3266: "An unnamed daughter was probably born to Benjamin and Sarah
(Jeffreys) Sparks about 1825; she probably died when quite young."

See SQ p. 232 for birth information.

SQ 5617:
A son appears to have been born to Bailey and Martha Sparks about1809. He was shown on the 1820 census as a male under the age of 10years, and on the 1830 census as between 15 and 20.
We have not learned his name.

SQ p. 5617:

A daughter was born to Bailey and Martha (Noland) Sparks about 1815.

SQ p. 5618:

"A son appears to have been born to Bailey and Martha (Noland) Sparksabout 1821. He was enumerated on the 1830 census of Carroll County,Tennessee, as between 5 and 10 years of age. We have no furtherinformation."

SQ p. 5618:

"A daughter was born to Bailey and Martha (Noland) Sparks about 1822.She may have been the Elizabeth Sparks who was married to CharlesMonney in Yalobusha County, Mississippi. Their marriage
was recorded there, but with only the information that it had beenbetween 1833 and 1846; it probably was performed about 1842."

SQ p. 5618;

"A daughter was born to Bailey and Martha (Noland) Sparks about 1824.She may have been Susan A.
Sparks who was married on November 2, 1848, to James H. W. Callaway inYalobusha County,
Mississippi, by a justice of the peace named William M. Pollan.(Recorded in Marriage Book A.)

When the 1850 census was taken of Choctaw County, Western Division,Mississippi, J. H. W. Calaway
[sic] was shown as a farmer who had been born in Georgia and was then22 years old. His wife, Susan A.
Calaway, was recorded as 27 years of age and a native of Tennessee.No children for them were
recorded. (Page 5, rev., taken October 25, 1850, family #70.) Alsoliving in their household was the family
of James M. Martin and his wife, Martha. (See below.) The family ofJames and Matilda Fields, noted on
the preceding page under the possible child of Bailey and MarthaSparks named Matilda, appears on the
same 1850 census (page 5, rev., family #73) as that of H. W. Calawayand James M. Martin (family #70)."

SQ p. 5618:

"A daughter was born to Bailey and Martha (Noland) Sparks about 1826.She may have been the
Martha Sparks who was married to James M. Martin on March 12, 1847, inYalobusha County,
Mississippi, by a justice of the peace named WIlliam M. Pollan.(Recorded in Marriage Book A.) (One
person who copied this, recorded the groom's surname as Marlin ratherthan Martin. From census
records, it appears that Martin is correct.) On the 1850 census ofChoctaw County, Mississippi, James M.
Martin was shown as 35 years old, a native of Alabama, and a farmer.Martha Martin was recorded as 24
years of age, a native of Tennessee . They were shown with one child,a son, named George L. Martin,
age 6, born In Mississippi. On this 1850 census, James M. and MarthaMartin, with their son, were
included as members of the household of J. H. W. Callaway and Susan A.Callaway. (See above.) There
can be little doubt that Martha (Sparks) Martin, Susan A. (Sparks)Callaway, and Matilda (Sparks) Fields
were sisters."

SQ p. 5620:

"A daughter was born to Bailey and Martha (Noland) Sparks about 1829.She was shown on the 1830 census as one of Bailey's children thenunder five years of age . We have no further information."

BIRTH:
See UNION COUNTY, KENTUCKY BIRTHS 1852-1878, FHL 976.9885 V28b, page46:
4 Nov, 1874, ---- Sparks, Male, Deceased, father William Sparks,mother Mary (Sic) Markwell; white, father born in Bullitt County,mother born in Union County, resides in Union County.

See SPARKS QUARTERLY p 392:
"AARON SPARKS, oldest son of George and Delila Sparks, was born about1809 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He married Huldah ---, who wasalso born in North Carolina, about 1834. Aaron Sparks was a farmer inRock Creek Township, Wells County, Indiana, and was the administratorof his father's estate. He died in Wells County in 1854. He did notleave a will; his wife Huldah was administratrix. She was probablythe same Hulda Sparks who married Jacob Roush in Huntingtion County,Indiana, on October 18, 1862 . From the 1850 census of Wells County,it would appear that Aaron and Huldah Sparks were the parents of thefollowing children.
(1) Lydia Sparks, born in Indiana about 1835. She was probably theLydia Almeda Sparks who married Noah Redding in Wells County onNovember 22, 1853.
(2) William R. Sparks, born in Indiana about 1837.
(3) Sarah Sparks, born in Indiana about 1843. She was probably theSarah Ann Sparks who married William Haflich in Wells County on March1, 1859.

See also SQ 3706

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

See SQ p. 5288:

Aaron Sparks was born April 14, 1809. He was married to Huldah Johnsonin Wayne County, Indiana, on December 18, 1831.

Aaron became a farmer in Rock Creek Township in Wells County, Indiana,and he was the administrator of his father's estate. Aaron died in1854 without leaving a will. When the 1860 census was taken of WellsCounty, Aaron's widow, Huldah, age 46, was shown as head of herhousehold in Rock Creek Township, and living with her was ElizabethJohnson, age 71, born in Virginia, whom we believe was her mother.Living in the same dwelling, but numbered as a separate household, wasWilliam Sparks, age 23, with wife, Samantha, also age 23, and theirmonth-old-daughter, Armina Sparks. William Sparks was surely the sonof Aaron and Huldah Sparks who had been married in Wells County toSamantha Brickley on June 14, 1859. Based on the 1850 census, itappears that Aaron and Huldah were also the parents of Lydia Sparks,born about 1835, and Sarah Sparks, born about 1843. There is amarriage record in Wells County for the marriage of Lydia AlmedaSparks to Noah Redding on November 22, 1853, and that of Sarah AnnSparks to William Haflich on March 1, 1859. There is a marriage recordin Huntington County, Indiana, for Huldah Sparks and Jacob Roush datedOctober 18, 1862.

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December, 1958, Whole No. 24, p. 337-8:

(NOTE: The following article contains errors which were corrected ina later issue. See NOTE in the article and below for corrections.]

DEATH TAKES GEORGE WILLIAM WAGNER

GREAT-GRANDSON OF ABEL SPARKS

It is with deep regret that we report the death of George WilliamWagner, a devoted member of The Sparks Family Association since 1955.Mr. Wagner died of a heart attack at his home in Conrad, Montana, onAugust 31, 1958. He was eighty-three years old at the time of hisdeath.

Born in Albert Lea, Minnesota, on September 18, 1874, Mr. Wagner movedwith his parents to a farm near Blue Earth, Minnesota, where heattended school. They later farmed near Guckeen, Minnesota. He marriedMinnie Gertrude Brownlee, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Gordon)Brownlee, in December, 1902, and he and his wife came to Montana in1910, homesteading twenty-eight miles east of Conrad. He lived thereuntil he retired in 1942. Mrs. Wagner died in 1956. He is survived byfour daughters: Mrs. George (Gertrude) Kovatch of Kellogg, Idaho; Mrs.Olive Harris of Conrad; Mrs. A. J. (Marian) Kovatch of Conrad; andMrs. Mae Bales of Tillamook, Oregon.

Mr. Wagner was connected with the Sparks family through his paternalgrandmother, Mary (Sparks) Wagner, daughter of Abel and Sarah Sparks.Abel Sparks, Mr. Wagner?s great-grandfather, was the son of Solomonand Sarah Sparks of Surry County, North Carolina. (See page 98 of theDecember, 1955, issue of The Sparks Quarterly.) [NOTE by scanner:This and much of the information below is erroneous. This Abel Sparkswas the grandson of Solomon and Sarah Sparks and the son of Joseph andRachel Sparks. The issue is clarified in The Sparks Quarterly forJune 1987, Whole No. 138 in an article titled Two Men Named AbelSparks, pp. 3061-3084.]

Mr. Wagner owned the family Bible in which was recorded the birth ofAbel Sparks, along with that of his wife and children. Following is atranscription of this record:

Abel Sparks was born Jan. 8th, 1767
Sarah Sparks was born May, 1767
Children:
Geo. Sparks, born Oct. 14th, 1800
Hannah Sparks, born May 9th, 1802
Frances Sparkes, born Oct. 27th, 1803
Elizabeth Sparkes, born April 13th, 1805
Ann Sparkes, born June 7th, 1808
Martha Sparkes, born April 1st, 1811
Soloman Sparkes, born Sept. 5th, 1812
John Sparkes, born March 25th, 1814
Mary Sparks, born October 25th, 1815
Sarah Sparks, born Sept. 13th, 1817
Abraham Sparks, born July 27th, 1821
Rebecca Sparkes, born Dec. 27th, 1825
Jane Sparks, born July 19th, 1827

Relatively little has been learned regarding the life of Abel Sparks.He may have been married twice, for on the 1800 census of WilkesCounty, North Carolina, he was listed with five children, two boys andthree girls, all under ten years of age. Since the Bible record givesno children born before 1800, it would seem probable that they werechildren by an earlier wife. It is possible, of course, that thesefive children were not his own and were merely living in his householdwhen the 1800 census was taken. Another problem exists regarding thebirth date of Sarah, wife of Abel. If she was born in 1767, as theBible record indicates, she would have been thirty-three years of agewhen her first child, George, was born in 1800, and sixty years oldwhen her daughter, Jane, was born in 1827. Although it is notimpossible for a woman of sixty to bear a child, it is very unusual --so unusual that, if she was the mother of all the children named, shemust have been born several years after 1767.

Several records have been found in Wilkes County, North Carolina,pertaining to Abel Sparks. The earliest of these is a tax record dated1800 on which he was taxed for 60 acres of land. A letter of attorneydated July 31, 1801, to Abel Sparks from his brothers and sisters isalso on file in Wilkes County; this appears to have involved thesettlement of the estate of Abel?s father. Although it is evident thatAbel Sparks owned land in Wilkes County by 1800, the only deedpertaining to his purchase of land is dated December 12, 1801. Itrecords the purchase by Abel Sparks from Humphrey Cockerham, both ofWilkes County, for 100 pounds, a tract of 150 acres described asfollows: ?a certain tract or parcel of land lying and being in theCounty of Wilkes beginning on the East fork of Swan Creke on TimothySisks line, running with the sd line South to a stake in James Foxesline, then East running with sd line to a white oak on the Countyithe, thence North with the County to the Long Glade Creek, thencerunning down sd crick with the various courses of the stream to thebeginning. The witnesses to this deed were Mordecoi Samuel and JamesDowell; it was recorded in the Wilkes County courthouse in February,1805.

In 1805, Abel Sparks was taxed for 100 acres of land in Wilkes County.The last record pertaining to him in the county states that he waschosen to serve on a jury on August 5, 1807. 1812 Abel Sparks hadmoved to Tennessee, but in what section he settled is not known.Sometime between 1815 and 1820 he moved to Illinois, settling in BondCounty, for he and his family were listed on the 1820 census of thatcounty as follows:
Abel Sparks
1 male over 21 years
3 males under 21 years
7 free white females

No record has been found thus far to reveal when or where Abel andSarah Sparks died. Some members of the family moved to Grant,Wisconsin, in later years. A marrlage is recorded in Bond County,Illinois, for one of Abel Sparks? children: on October 10, 1822, Fanny(Frances) Sparks married Francis Kirkpatrick. Of the other children,it is known that Elizabeth married a Jones, Sarah married WilliamDennis, and Rebecca married William Andrews.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1987, Whole No. 138, pg. 3062:

TWO MEN NAMED ABEL SPARKS: ABEL SPARKS THE ELDER .

[JS Note: This article corrects errors which first appeared in SQ337.]

"Several members of the branch of the Sparks family to which the twomen named Abel Sparks belonged were regularly taxed in Surry County,North Carolina, during the 1790s in what was called "Captain Benge 'sDistrict" (it became Captain Wilburn's District in 1795). On theWilkes County side, the district in which members of this family ownedland and were taxed was called "Captain Holloway's District" in 1795,although by 1800 it was called "Captain Johnson's District." Thesewere actually districts for the training of the local militia, butthey also served as geographical divisions for collecting taxes. Alltax records of this period have not survived, nor have we been able tomake a thorough search of all of those that are extant.

"The earliest reference that we have found to the name Abel Sparksappears on the tax list of Captain Benge's District in Surry Countyfor the year 1794. Abel was then taxed for 200 acres of land. OtherSparkses also taxed in the same district were William Sparks, Sr. (400acres); William Sparks, Jr. (350 acres); Thomas Sparks (220 acres);Reuben Sparks (300 acres); George Sparks (220].

"The tax list for Captain Benge's District for 1795 does not survive,but that for 1796 does, although it was now called Captain Wilburn'sDistrict. Abel Sparks was taxed there that year on 150 acres. He wastaxed in Captain Wilburn's District also in 1802 (poll tax only--heowned no land in 1802). We have not found him on subsequent tax listsof Surry County. We believe the reason is that he moved to Georgia in1802 or 1803. When the 1800 census was taken, he had been listed as aresident of Wilkes County. We believe that the census taker had beenunsure of the dividing line between Surry and Wilkes Counties, andthat he included Abel in Wilkes County while the tax collector hadincluded his land in Surry County.

"The earliest surviving tax list for Wilkes County on which we havefound the name of Abel Sparks is that for 1800--he was taxed that yearin Captain Johnson's District for 60 acres of land in Wilkes County.Reubin Sparks (360), brother of Abel Sparks, was also taxed in thesame district in Wilkes County, whereas, like Abel, he had been taxedearlier in Surry County. The same was also true of John Sparks (359),brother of Abel and Reuben; John was taxed for 260 acres in 180. Webelieve, again, that the taxing of these men in Wilkes County ratherthan Surry resulted from confusion over the county line.

"Abel Sparks married Elizabeth Benge. She was a daughter of ThomasBenge of Wilkes County, North Carolina. (Here article details terms ofwill and names spouse and children of Thomas Benge--pg 3062).

"The identity of Elizabeth (Benge) Sparks as the wife of Abel Sparksis further proven by her own application for bounty land in 1851 andagain in 1855, based on Abel's service in the War of 1812. She statedin her application that her maiden name had been Benge and that sheand Abel Sparks had been married in Wilkes County, North Carolina,"sometime in November 1794 by one William Lewis, a Justice of thePeace." She made this statement on February 3, 1851, but on May 1,1855, when she again signed a statement regarding her marriage, shesaid she and Abel had been married on November 10, 1795, in WilkesCounty by Wm. Lewis. In her February 3, 1851 statement, she have herage at that time as 76, which would mean she was born about 1755. Inher May 1, 1855 statement, she indicated that she was now 79 yearsold. From these statements, we can probably assume that she was bornin either 1775 or 1776. We do not know how to reconcile the two datesgiven for her marriage. Since she was more precise about the date inher 1855 statement, we may speculate that she had found a writtenrecord of the event by that time.

(Article discusses census of 1800 in Wilkes County and court minutesdated February 7, 1800 directing Abel and others to "view and lay offa road").

"As we noted earlier, on July 31, 1801, Abel Sparks the elder wasgiven a power of attorney by his brothers and sisters. In allprobability, this power of attorney was intended to enable Abel totake the leadership role in settling the estate of their fatherSolomon Sparks (356). It also seems apparent that Abel was makingplans at this point to move to Georgia, and, as noted above, there isreason to believe that his mother, Sarah Sparks, would accompany him.Perhaps this power of attorney was intended to enable Able to managehis mother's financial affairs more effectively.

"Abel Sparks moved from Wilkes County, North Carolina, to ClarkeCounty, Georgia, in either 1802 or 1803. He was taxed (poll tax) inClarke County, Georgia, (Captain Reynold's District) in 1803. Heowned no land--his poll tax was 31 cents 2 1/2 mills.

"The Mars Hill Baptist Church was then located in Clarke County,Georgia. When Oconee County was cut off from Clarke County in 1875,the area in which the church was located became part of the newcounty. This Baptist Church had been constituted in 1799. Accordingto the minute book of this church, as copied for us a number of yearsago from a copy that had been placed in the D.A.R. Library inWashington, D.C., Abel Sparks was "received by Experience" as a memberof his church on March 18, 1804. (There is no mention of his wife.)There is a further refer ence to him on April 18, 1806, and on June14, 1806, he was "excluded ." This probably means that he either movedaway from the area where the Mars Hill Baptist Church was located, orperhaps he simply joined another church.

"Isaac Sparks (340) and his wife Sarah were received into the MarsHill Baptist Church "by letter" at about the same time as Abel--onApril 14, 1804. Isaac and Sarah were "dismissed by letter" on March15, 1806 (i.e. they were given a letter to present to another BaptistChurch showing that they had been in good standing at the Mars HillChurch.) However, on October 18, 1806, "Brother Isaac and wife Sarah[were] Excluded for disobeying Church. " We feel certain that thisIsaac Sparks was a son (probably the next to youngest) of Matthew(256) and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks (330) who were among the firstmembers of the Sparks family to move from Frederick County, Maryland,to Rowan County, North Carolina. (For this family see SQ 556-66[Matthew is William IV's brother]). [JS Note: See the article onIsaac Sparks which mentions Abel on pp. 5622-23.]

"A militia roster of Morgan County dated between 1808 and 1812 showsAbel Sparks as a member of Capt. Conner's District (see THEY WEREHERE, Vol. 4, June 1968, p. 676). In 1813, Abel Sparks was listed asa private in Captain Henry Lane's Company of Morgan County Militia.This militia unit was called upon to give service in the War of 1812.Abel Sparks began his service in that war on November 21, 1814, as amember of Captain Henry Lane's Volunteer Rifle Company. He reportedfor duty on November 21, 1814, at the rendezvous (later informationshown this to have been Fort Hawkins), and he was discharged there onMay 6, 1815.

"According to the military file for Abel Sparks the Elder at theNational Archives, Abel's residence
was about 60 miles from Fort Hawkins. The records show that he serveda total of 5 months and 23
days, which apparently included the eight days that it took for him totravel to and from Fort
Hawkins. These records show also that his compensation for thisservice was at the rate of $8.00
per month and that he drew a total of $46.65, including 72 cents forsubsistence. The 72 cents
appears to have consisted of nine cents a day for the eight days thatit took him to reach Fort
Hawkins and to return home. The records also indicated that he drewone "red stript" blanket which
appears to be the charge of 18 cents shown as the contract price ofrations.

"At the time that Abel Sparks the Elder lived in Georgia, MorganCounty adjoined Clarke County on
the south. Adjoining both Clarke and Morgan Counties was WaltonCounty, and it was in Walton
County that Abel and his family were living when the 1820 census wastaken. While it would appear
that Abel moved around a good deal between 1803 and 1820, thedistances were not great even
though three different counties were involved. His family wasenumerated as follows in 1820:

1 male over 45 years of age (himself)
1 female over 45 (his wife, no doubt)
2 males aged between 10 and 16 (thus born between 1804 and 1810)
3 females aged 16 to 26 (thus born between 1794 and 1804)
1 female under 10 years (thus born between 1810 and 1820)

"No other Sparks has been found on the 1820 census of Walton County,Georgia, nor was anyone
named Sparks listed on the 1820 census of Clarke County.

"In the QUARTERLY of December 1980, Whole No. 112, page 2258, wepublished a query
regarding Uriah Sparks, born about 1797 in North Carolina. He was thefather of 13 children. It is
striking that his service in the War of 1812 was exactly the same asthat of Abel Sparks, the Elder.
Furthermore, a David Sparks also served in the same unit for exactlythe same length of time. We
believe that Uriah and David were both sons of Abel - - perhaps areason for Abel serving at the
age of 47 was to look after his two sons. When the 1820 census wastaken, however, neither Uriah
nor David were living in the same county as Abel as heads ofhouseholds. David Sparks was
in Morgan County, Georgia, when the 1820 census was taken; he and hiswife had three small
children at that time, two males and one female, all under ten yearsof age. We know from the
records preserved by a descendant (Mrs. Ellen McKay George, 182 DaleDr., Apt. 102, Kent, OH,
44240) that David Sparks was born on May 19, 1794; he died on November10, 1862, in
Talladega County, Alabama, in that area that is now Clay County. Hewas married to Permelia
["Milly" ] Medlock in the 1820s; she was born on February 15, 1791, inSouth Carolina, and died on
December 3, 1876, in Delta, Clay County, Alabama. Our informationregarding David Sparks's
family is quite limited, but we know that he had at least twochildren: (1) Abel Tomlin Sparks, born
November 10, 1827, who married Nancy Ann M. Newsom on December 12,1850, and (2) Malinda
Sparks, born in 1833 who married Jesse Jackson Dempsey.

"Uriah Sparks, whom we believe also to have been a son of Abel Sparks,the Elder, was born in
1797 in North Carolina. As noted above, we have not found him on the1820 census of Georgia,
but we think it likely that he was the Uriah Sparks who married PollyPinhinter on July 4, 1821, in
Montgomery County, Alabama. He was living in Newton County, Georgia,in 1830 and
in Carroll County, Georgia, in 1840 and 1850. It was in Newton Countythat he was married to his
second wife on December 8, 1831; she was Sarah Whatley, daughter ofSolomon and Polly
(McLendon) Whatley. She was born in 1807 and died in 1850. Uriah'sthird wife was named
Mahala Browning. He had four children by his first wife and nine byhis second. Their names were:
(1) George W. Sparks, born ca. 1822; (2) Green Sparks, born between1820 and 1835; (3)
William Sparks, born ca. 1826; (4) an unidentified son, born ca.1825-30; (5) Mary Sparks, born
June 6, 1833; (6) Martha Sparks, born ca. 1835; (7) Simeon Sparks,born ca. 1837; (8) Sarah
Sparks, born ca. 1839; (9) C. Napoleon Sparks, born ca. 1841; (10)Joseph Sparks, born ca.
1843; (11) Andrew Sparks, born ca. 1844; (12) Dennis M. Sparks, bornNovember 1844; and (13)
Nancy Sparks, born March 4, 1850. More detailed information regardingthese thirteen children
was given in the query noted at the top of this page, in the December1980 issue of the
QUARTERLY, Whole No. 112, page 2258.

"In 1821 Georgia's fourth land lottery was conducted. As notedearlier, records have been
preserved naming all participants in only the first lottery of 1805;in subsequent drawings (1807,
1820, 1821, 1827, and 1832), only the names of the winners have beenpreserved. Among the
winners in 1821 was Abel Sparks of Walton County-3n, fact, he won lotswith both of his draws
(2021 acres in each), one being in the 6th District of Houston Countyand the other in the 12th
District of Henry County.

"On July 24, 1822, Abel Sparks, the Elder, still of Walton County,sold for $275 to Hinche Mitchell,
also of Walton County, the lot (No. 153) that he had won in the 12thDistrict of Henry County located on Paris Creek (Deed Book 1, p. 236).Elijah Shaw and John Campbell witnessed the deed.

"When Elizabeth (Benge) Sparks applied for bounty land initially onFebruary 3, 1851, she stated
that her husband, Abel Sparks, had died in Henry County, Georgia, onJune 18, 1824. In her
second application (for additional land under a new federal law) onMay 1, 1855, she stated that
her husband had died on June 25, 1823. We have found no record fromany other source to verify
which of these dates is correct. Henry County had been created in 1821from a portion of Walton
County along with Indian lands. It was in Henry County, as notedabove, that Abel Sparks had won
one of his tracts of land in 1821, but he sold it the following yearto Hinche Mitchell. Abel and his
family may have lived in that portion of Walton County that becameHenry County, or they may have
moved there in 1822 or 1823.

"When Elizabeth, widow of Abel, applied for bounty land in 1851 andagain in 1855, she was a
resident of Fayette County, Georgia, which then adjoined Henry County.Although a search has
been made of the 1850 census of the state of Georgia, ElizabethSparks's name has not been
found. Ten years earlier, when the 1840 census was taken (listing justthe name of the head of each
household), Marberry Sparks, believed to have been a son of Abel andElizabeth, appeared on the
census of Coweta County. Coweta County is located west of HenryCounty, with Fayette County
lying between Henry and Coweta. Marberry Sparks's age category wasgiven as 30 to 40 (thus
born between 1800 and 1810) as was also that of his wife. Two malechildren between the ages of
five and ten were enumerated, along with a female child aged ten tofifteen and two other female
children under five. Also enumerated was a female aged between 60 and70. We believe that this
was probably Elizabeth, widow of Abel.

"When Elizabeth (Benge) Sparks applied for bounty land in 1851, shedid so with the assistance of
a justice of the peace named Franklin Landrum--she signed herapplication by mark. A man
named Archibald McEachran testified that he knew that Abel andElizabeth Sparks had lived
together as husband and wife. Elizabeth was still a resident ofFayette County when she applied for
additional bounty land in 1855 (she had obtained 80 acres with herfirst application). On March 3,
1855, Marberry Sparks and Thomas Sparks witnessed her signature (bymark) and testified to the
fact that she was the widow of Abel Sparks. William Watson and WilliamM. Landrum also signed
an affidavit to the effect that they had known Elizabeth Sparks forthe past twenty years and that
they knew also that she was the widow of Abel Sparks.

"We feel certain that Marberry Sparks (spelled "Marbry" on the 1850census of Fayette County) was
a son of Abel and Elizabeth (Benge) Sparks. His age on the 1850 censuswas given as 45 (thus
born about 1804-05) and his place of birth was given as Georgia. Hiswife, Sarah Sparks, was 49,
and she also was a native of Georgia. Living with them were thefollowing, doubtless their children:
(1) Melissa Sparks, born ca. 1830; (2) James Sparks, born ca. 1831;(3) Thomas Sparks, born ca.
1832; (4) Frances Sparks, born ca. 1834; and (5) Adaline Sparks, bornca. 1838. All were born in
Georgia. Twenty years later when the 1870 census was taken, MarberrySparks, aged 65, was
living in Fayette County, Georgia, a "farm laborer." His wife Sarahwas listed as 69. Living with
them were two of their daughters, Melissa Sparks, age 40, and FrancesSparks, age 36.

"We have records of three Sparks marriages in Fayette County, Georgia,in the 1820s. These may
have been children of Abel and Elizabeth (Benge) Sparks:

Sarah Sparks to David L. Wilkins, May 18, 1823
Elizabeth Sparks to John Dent, July 15, 1825 ,
Ettiene Sparks to Elizabeth Lyle December 24, 1826

Another son of Abel Sparks, the Elder may have been named Matthew. AMatthew Sparks was
listed on the 1840 census of Coweta County, Georgia, and was livingvery near Marberry Sparks.
Born between 1800 and 1810, this Matthew Sparks headed a householdconsisting of a female in
the same age category as himself (doubtless his wife), along with sixchildren: 2 males under 5
years; 1 male between 5 and 10; 1 female between 10 and 15; and 2females between 5 and 10. There was also a male between 20 and 30,perhaps he was a hired man or he may have been a relative of Matthewor his wife. (Could this have been the Matthew Sparks who marriedNancy Sparks in Newton County, Georgia, on March 11, 1828?) We havenot identified this Matthew Sparks on any 1850 census."
END OF ARTICLE

- - - - - - - - - -

[See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1992, Whole No. 160, pp. 4020-23for an article entitled SOME DESCENDANTS OF MALINDA MINERVA (SPARKS)DEMPSEY, who was the daughter of David Sparks, who was a son of AbelSparks. This article is reproduced under the notes for Minerva.]

[JS NOTE: See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1958, Whole No. 24, pp.337-337 for the following article which was later corrected in theJune 1987 issue of the QUARTERLY at pp. 3061-3084, reproduced below.This Abel Sparks, said in the following article to be the son ofSolomon and (Sarah -----] Sparks, was actually their grandson and theson of Joseph Sparks.]

DEATH TAKES GEORGE WILLIAM WAGNER

GREAT-GRANDSON OF ABEL SPARKS

"It is with deep regret that we report the death of George WilliamWagner, a devoted member of The Sparks Family Association since 1955.Mr. Wagner died of a heart attack at his home in Conrad, Montana, onAugust 31, 1958. He was eighty-three years old at the time of hisdeath.

Born in Albert Lea, Minnesota, on September 18, 1874, Mr. Wagner movedwith his parents to a farm near Blue Earth, Minnesota, where heattended school. They later farmed near Guckeen, Minnesota. He marriedMinnie Gertrude Brownlee, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Gordon)Brownlee, in December, 1902, and he and his wife came to Montana in1910, homesteading twenty-eight miles east of Conrad. He lived thereuntil he retired in 1942. Mrs. Wagner died in 1956. He is survived byfour daughters: Mrs. George (Gertrude) Kovatch of Kellogg, Idaho; Mrs.Olive Harris of Conrad; Mrs. A. J. (Marian) Kovatch of Conrad; andMrs. Mae Bales of Tillamook, Oregon.

Mr. Wagner was connected with the Sparks family through his paternalgrandmother, Mary (Sparks) Wagner, daughter of Abel and Sarah Sparks.Abel Sparks, Mr. Wagner?s great-grandfather, was the son of Solomonand Sarah Sparks of Surry County, North Carolina [Note: later foundincorrect; see top of page]. (See page 98 of the December, 1955, issueof The Sparks Quarterly, Whole No. 12.)

Mr. Wagner owned the family Bible in which was recorded the birth ofAbel Sparks, along with that of his wife and children. Following is atranscription of this record:

Abel Sparks was born Jan. 8th, 1767
Sarah Sparks was born May, 1767
Children:
Geo. Sparks, born Oct. 14th, 1800
Hannah Sparks, born May 9th, 1802
Frances Sparkes, born Oct. 27th, 1803
Elizabeth Sparkes, born April 13th, 1805
Ann Sparkes, born June 7th, 1808
Martha Sparkes, born April 1st, 1811
Soloman Sparkes, born Sept. 5th, 1812
John Sparkes, born March 25th, 1814
Mary Sparks, born October 25th, 1815
Sarah Sparks, born Sept. 13th, 1817
Abraham Sparks, born July 27th, 1821
Rebecca Sparkes, born Dec. 27th, 1825
Jane Sparks, born July 19th, 1827

Relatively little has been learned regarding the life of Abel Sparks.He may have been married twice, for on the 1800 census of WilkesCounty, North Carolina, he was listed with five children, two boys andthree girls, all under ten years of age. Since the Bible record givesno children born before 1800, it would seem probable that they werechildren by an earlier wife. It is possible, of course, that thesefive children were not his own and were merely living in his householdwhen the 1800 census was taken. Another problem exists regarding thebirth date of Sarah, wife of Abel. If she was born in 1767, as theBible record indicates, she would have been thirty-three years of agewhen her first child, George, was born in 1800, and sixty years oldwhen her daughter, Jane, was born in 1827. Although it is notimpossible for a woman of sixty to bear a child, it is very unusual -- so unusual that, if she was the mother of all the children named,she must have been born several years after 1767.

Several records have been found in Wilkes County, North Carolina,pertaining to Abel Sparks. The earliest of these is a tax record dated1800 on which he was taxed for 60 acres of land. A letter of attorneydated July 31, 1801, to Abel Sparks from his brotiers and sisters isalso on file in Wilkes County; this appears to have involved thesettlement of the estate of Abel?s father. Although it is evident thatAbel Sparks owned land in Wilkes County by 1800, the only deedpertaining to his purchase of land is dated December 12, 1801. Itrecords the purchase by Abel Sparks from Humphrey Cockerham, both ofWilkes County, for 100 pounds, a tract of 150 acres described asfollows: ?a certain tract or parcel of land lying and being in theCounty of Wilkes beginning on the East fork of Swan Creke on TimothySisks line, running with the sd line South to a stake in James Foxesline, then East running with sd line to a white oak on the Countyithe, thence North with the County to the Long Glade Creek, thencerunning down sd crick with the various courses of the stream to thebeginning.? The witnesses to this deed were Mordecoi Samuel and JamesDowell; it was recorded in the Wilkes County courthouse in February,1805.

In 1805, Abel Sparks was taxed for 100 acres of land in Wilkes County.The last record pertaining to him in the county states that he waschosen to serve on a jury on August 5, 1807.

By 1812 Abel Sparks had moved to Tennessee, but in what section hesettled is not known. Sometime between 1815 and 1820 he moved toIllinois, settling in Bond County, for he and his family were listedon the 1820 census of that county as follows:
Abel Sparks
1 male over 21 years
3 males under 21 years
7 free white females

No record has been found thus far to reveal when or where Abel andSarah Sparks died. Some members of the family moved to Grant,Wisconsin, in later years. A marrlage is recorded in Bond County,Illinois, for one of Abel Sparks? children: on October 10, 1822, Fanny(Frances) Sparks married Francis Kirkpatrick. Of the other children,it is known that Elizabeth married a Jones, Sarah married WilliamDennis, and Rebecca married William Andrews.

Mary Sparks, daughter of Abel, was Mr. Wagner?s grandmother. She wasborn while her parents were living in Tennessee, and died on May 10,1879, in Hampton, Franklin County, Iowa. She was married twice, herfirst husband being Jacob Wagner, who was born in Palatine, New York,August 24, 1807. He was a farmer living in Grant County, Wisconsin,when, about 1844, he was killed by a neighbor who struck him on thehead with a fence post. It was winter and there was lots of snow;Jacob Wagner had taken down this man?s fence in order to take ashortcut home. The children of Jacob and Mary (Sparks) Wagner were asfollows:

(1) Elizabeth Wagner, born Jan. 22, 1832, died Mar. 17, 1923; marriedSamuel Wanamaker.
(2) George Wagner, born May 1, 1833, died Mar. 9, 1863; nevermarried.
(3) Sarah Jane Wagner, born May 22, 1834; married Jake Wire.
(4) Jesse William Wagner, born June 28, 1835; died June 1, 1922;never married.
(5) Emdine Catherine Wagner, born Jan. 9, 1837, died Feb. 1, 1929;married Scott Vincent.
(6) Solomon Wagner, born Aug. 20, 1838, died Jan. 20, 1924; he wasmarried five times. His first wife?s maiden name was Sullivan;he married 2nd Mrs. Pricella Ice Ward. Solomon is buried atStockton, California.
(7) Jasper Newton Wagner, born Nov. 4, 1839; never married; he waslost in a storm on a wagon train going West.
(8) Jacob Harrison Wagner, born Feb. 28, 1841; died Feb. 25, 1929;married Margaret Eirning.

Mary (Sparks] Wagner married, as her second husband, Joseph Brown whowas born about 1810 and died about 1860. He was a Quaker, born inPennsylvania, but lived in Grant
County, Wisconsin. They had the following children:

(1) Apame Ann Brown, born March 25, 1845; died May, 1909; marriedBentley Wheeler.
(2) Minerva Brown, born Nov. 14, 1846; died June, 1921; marriedCharles Humphrey.
(3) John Brown, born July 23, 1848; died Aug. 24, 1920; married MaryAnn Gullickson.
[4) Dave Brown, born Aug. 20, 1850; died Feb., 1914; married EvelynMedley.
(5) Marques De Lafayette (Mark) Brown, born June 14, 1852; died Dec.26, 1899; married Agnes Nowell.
(6) Pheobe Brown, born July 9, 1854; died June 4, 1855.
(7) Mary Idell Brown, born Feb. 21, 1858; died Dec. 18, 1933; marriedDr. John Pride.

The above information on Mary (Sparks) Wagner Brown has been suppliedby Mr. Wagner?s daughter, Mrs. Olive M. W. Harris, who has been anactive supporter of the Association for the past several years.

Should anyone have further information on Abel Sparks or hisdescendants, your editor would be very pleased to hear from him."

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1987, pp. 3069-3084:

TWO MEN NAMED ABEL SPARKS
(continued:)

ABEL SPARKS, THE YOUNGER
SON OF JOSEPH SPARKS

"When the younger Abel Sparks died in 1872, his age, as given on histombstone, was 94. When his wife, Sarah Sparks, died in 1853, her agewas given as 74. If these ages at the times of their deaths arecorrect, Abel was born in 1778 (possibly 1777 or 1779) and Sarah, hiswife, was born in 1779 (possibly 1778 or 1780). Census records confirmthe near correctness of these dates.

As noted earlier in this article, we are quite certain that this AbelSparks, whom we have called "the Younger" in order to distinguish himfrom his uncle, Abel Sparks, the Elder, was a son of Joseph Sparks, abiographical sketch of whom appears on pages 3057-60 of the presentissue of the QUARTERLY. We believe this in part because the age ofAbel Sparks, the Younger matches the age of a son of Joseph Sparksenumerated on the 1800 census of Surry County, North Carolina. Noother man named Sparks living in Surry or Wilkes Counties of NorthCarolina had a son born in or about 1778 whom we cannot otherwiseaccount for.

"Abel and Sarah Sparks were married in Surry or Wilkes County, NorthCarolina, about 1799. While we have found no record of their marriage,there can be little doubt but that Sarah?s maiden name was Cochran.Descendants have always believed that this was her name. (Cochran wasspelled in a variety of ways in the Wilkes County records, including"Cockerham.") We believe that it is significant that on December 12,1801, Abel Sparks purchased a tract of 150 acres of land in WilkesCounty, North Carolina, from Humphrey Cochran. (Deed Book E, p. 703)While in this deed, Humphrey?s name was spelled "Cockerham," his nameappears in some Wilkes County records as Cochran (also Cockran). Adaughter of Abel and Sarah (Cochran) Sparks, Frances Sparks, whomarried Francis Creswell Kirkpatrick, named her first son JamesCochran. Kirkpatrick. This may suggest that Sarah?s father was namedJames Cochran, though no one of that name has been found in WilkesCounty records.

"In the QUARTERLY of December 1958 (Whole No. 24, p. 337) we publisheda record of the children of Abel and Sarah (Cochran) Sparks from afamily Bible then owned by the family of George William Wagner (whodied in 1955). George William Wagner descended from a daughter of Abeland Sarah named Mary. This record pertains to Abel Sparks, theYounger, although at the time (1958) that we published the record wedid not realize that there were two different men named Abel Sparksliving in the Surry-Wilkes Counties area in the 1790s and early 1800s.In transcribing this Bible record for the QUARTERLY from a hand-copiedsheet sent by a member of the Wagner family, we noted that the datesof birth given for Abel and Sarah Sparks (both being 1767) seemedstrange in relationship to the dates of birth of their thirteenchildren; if born in 1767, both Abel and Sarah would have been 33years old when their first child was born in 1800, and both would havebeen 60 years old when their last child was born in 1827. Rarely, ifever, has a woman borne a child at the age of 60.

We assumed in the 1958 article that this was the same Abel Sparksknown to have been a son of Solomon and Sarah, as noted earlier. Sincethat time, however, evidence has been found to prove that the birthdate (1767) given for the younger Abel Sparks and his wife Sarah waswrong (see the records given above for their ages at their deathsappearing on their tombstones). Rather than being a son of Solomon andSarah Sparks, Abel Sparks (whom we call "the Younger? here" was agrandson of Solomon and Sarah.

Since the publication of the 1958 article, we have obtained aphotostatic copy of the family record in the Wagner Bible. From thisit is clear that the names and dates of birth of Abel and SarahSparks, along with those of their thirteen children, were all writtenin the same hand and at the same time, that is, this record was copiedfrom an earlier record. Perhaps it was taken from a family Bible oncebelonging to Abel Sparks, himself. What is especially interesting isthe fact that the birth dates of Abel and Sarah were written orginallyin the Wagner Bible as follows:

"Abel Sparkes was born january 8th Anno Domini 1789
Sarah Sparkes was born May 1th Anno Domini 1789."

"At a later date, in a different hand, the following was written inthe Wagner Bible record above the entry for the birth of Abel Sparks:"corrected Born 1767" and above the entry for Sarah Sparkes waswritten simply "1767." Why was this correction made? We can speculatethat someone, at some point, must have realized that if Abel and Sarahhad been born in 1789, as originally written in the Wagner Bible, theywould have been only 11 years old in 1800 when their first child wasborn. While the date "1789" was obviously wrong, subsequent events(e.g. their ages given on census records and their ages at death ontheir tombstones, as well as the fact that no woman could bear a childat age 60) prove that "1767" was likewise wrong.

"Where did the date "1767" come from? Since this seems to be verynearly the date of birth of the elder Abel Sparks (son of Solomon andSarah), we wonder whether the person who made the change in the WagnerBible record may have had access to the record of the births of thechildren of Solomon and Sarah Sparks and assumed, as did we in 1958,that there had been but one Abel Sparks.

"In our earlier discussion of the elder Abel Sparks, reference wasmade to the 1800 entry in the Wilkes County Court Minutes for an AbelSparks being one of a group of men charged with laying out a road"from Brooks road at Surry County line into the road that leads downthe Yadkin on the south side." While we cannot be certain, we think itprobable that this referred to the younger Abel Sparks. (It isinteresting that in this list of men charged with building this road,the name of Humphrey Cockerham (or Cochran) immediately precedes thatof Abel Sparks.)

"It was on December 12, 1801, that Abel Spanks purchased from HumphreyCockenham (or Cochran) a tract of land in Wilkes County consisting of150 acres. (Book E, p. 703) Both Humphrey Cockerham and Abel Sparkswere identified in the deed as residents of Wilkes County. Abel Sparkspaid Cockerham "One Hundred Pounds Courantcy." The tract wasdescribed in the deed as follows:
"... lying and being in the County of Wilkes beginning on the Eastfork of Swan Creke on Timothy Sisks line running with the sd lineSouth to a stake in James Foxes line then East running with sd line toa white oak on the County line thence North with the County to theLong Glade Creek thence running down sd crick with the various Coursesof the stream to the beginning." The witnesses to this deed wereMordecoi Samuel and James Dowell. Though signed on December 12, 1801,this deed was not recorded in the Wilkes County Courthouse untilFebruary 1805.

"Unfortunately, no tax lists are available for Wilkes County between1800 and 1805. Abel Sparks was taxed for 100 acres of land in CaptainJohn Martin?s District in Wilkes County in 1805. Since the elder AbelSparks had been in Georgia for at least two years when this tax listwas prepared, we have no doubt that this refers to Abel Sparks, theYounger.

"While the Wagner Bible record quoted earlier regarding the family ofAbel and Sarah (Cochran) Spanks was obviously in error regarding thedates of birth of both Abel and Sarah, the record of the births oftheir children seems to be accurate, according to descendants. Thisrecord reads as follows:

1. George Sparkes, born October 14, 1800
2. Hannah Sparkes, born May 9, 1802
3. Frances Sparkes, born Octobr 27, 1803
4. Elizabeth Sparkes, born April 13, 1805
5. Ann Sparkes, bonn June 7, 1808
6. Martha Sparkes, born April 1, 1811
7. Solomon Sparkes, born September 5, 1812
8. John Sparkes, born March 25, 1814
9. Mary Sparkes, born October 25, 1815
10. Sarah Spankes, born September 13, 1817
11. Abraham Sparkes, born July 27, 1821
12. Rebecca Sparkes, born December 27, 1825
13. Jane Sparkes, born July 19, 1827

"Our last record of Abel Sparks, the Younger that we have found inNorth Carolina is dated 1807. The Wilkes County court records indicatethat Abel served on a jury there on August 5, 1807. He again served ona jury in Wilkes County on September 21, 1807. (See the Winter 1982issue of the quarterly publication of the Wilkes GenealogicalSociety, Vol. 16, No. 4, p. 10.)

"Abel Sparks, the Younger moved with his family to Tennessee sometimeafter September 1807, where they remained until at least 1815. He wastaxed in Franklin County, Tennessee, in 1812. (See Index to EarlyTennessee Tax Records by Byron & Barbara Sistler, published inEvanston, IL in 1977.) By 1820, however, Abel Sparks had again movedhis family, this time to the new state of Illinois, settling in BondCounty according to the federal census of that year. Abel Sparks didnot appear on the 1830 census of Illinois, however, because by thattime he had taken his family to Crawford County, Missouri. In fact,the move to Missouri probably came no later than the summer of 1827because Abel?s youngest daughter, Jane, who was born July 19, 1827,gave her place of birth in later years as Missouri.

"Abel Sparks, the Younger made one more major move in his lifetime --sometime before 1840. In this instance, however, he may have simplyaccompanied a son in his attempt to better himself. Abel?s son Johnwas living in Grant County, Wisconsin Territory, when the 1840 censuswas taken, while his son George was in Iowa County of WisconsinTerritory. From the enumeration of the household of George Sparks onthe 1840 census, it appears that his parents were then living withhim.

"When the 1850 census was taken of Grant County, Wisconsin, Abel andSarah Sparks were listed (on November 2, 1850) as living with theirson Solomon Sparks, near the town of Lima. (The 1850 federal censuswas the first to list each member of each household by name.) SolomonSparks, son of Abel and Sarah, was identified as a farmer, 40 yearsold, with real estate valued at $1,200. His place of birth was givenas Tennessee. Abel and Sarah, both shown as born in North Carolina,were listed as 70 years of age. Also listed in the same household ofSolomon Sparks (who never married) was 23-year old Lucinda Sparks(thus born about 1827) whose place of birth was given as Missouri. Webelieve that this was intended for Jane Sparks (born July 19, 1827),the youngest daughter of Abel and Sarah Sparks--perhaps her middlename was Lucinda, or the census taker may simply have misunderstoodher name. Also living in the household of Solomon Sparks were threemales who were probably hired men or boarders. They were: WilliamWagner, age 15, laborer; Jesse Crow, age 27, miner; and JasperWilkerl, age 20, laborer. (JS Note: See SQ p. 2608 for this census.)

"In 1853, Sarah (Cochran) Sparks, wife of Abel, died. She was buriedin Grant County, Wisconsin, about one mile south of the hamlet calledArthur. Located on land owned by a McReynolds family today, thecemetery is called the McReynolds Cemetery. (Two daughters of Abel andSarah Sparks married men named McReynolds, Nancy and Jane.) Theinscription on Sarah?s tombstone reads:"Sarah, wife of Abel Sparks,Died August 12, 1853, Aged 74 years."

"When the 1860 census was taken, Abel Sparks, 82 years old, was againlisted by the census taker as living with his bachelor son, SolomonSparks, in Grant County, Wisconsin. The census taker, however,mistakenly wrote his name as "Abraham"; in the column for occupation,he wrote "Gentleman." In 1870, Abel Sparks was again listed by thecensus taker as living with his son Solomon; he was now 92, and underoccupation this time the census taker wrote "keeping house."

"According to the inscription on his tombstone in the Mc ReynoldsCemetery, Abel Sparks died on December 27, 1872, at the age of 94. Hewas buried beside his wife, Sarah.

"When Solomon Sparks, son of Abel and Sarah (Cochran) Sparks, died in1880 without issue and without leaving a will, his brother, AbrahamSparks, requested the county probate judge to appoint Thomas Watson asadministrator of the estate. A man named George Clementson wasdirected to identify the heirs of Solomon Sparks. His report containshelpful data regarding the descendants of Abel and Sarah, as will benoted below." (For balance of article see notes for each child.)

See SQ p. 393: ABEL SPARKS, son of George and Delila Sparks, was bornin Wilkes County, North Carolina, about 1828. He married ElizabethDouglass in Wells County, Indiana, on May 4, 1850.

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

The following article was taken from the March, 1977, issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 97, p 1890:

"In the June 1959 issue of the QUARTERLY (Vol. VII, No. 2, Whole No.26), we devoted several pages to the history of the descendants ofSolomon Sparks, Jr. (died 1817) and his wife, Charity, of WilkesCounty, North Carolina. A son of Solomon Sparks, Jr., was GeorgeSparks (born ca. 1788) who married Delila - - - - about 1806 and movedto Randolph County, Indiana, about 1830. He moved to Wells County,Indiana, about 1836 and died there in 1843.

One of the sons of George and Delila Sparks was Abel Sparks who wasborn in Wilkes County, North
Carolina, about 1828; he married Elizabeth Douglass in Wells County,Indiana, on May 4, 1850. This is the only information that we hadregarding Abel Sparks when the above mentioned article appeared. Mrs.Bertha J. Davis, 1700 Harrison Blvd., Boise, Idaho (83702) has learneda little more about him, but hopes that someone reading this may beable to report even further.

When the 1850 census was taken of Huntington County Indiana, thefamily of Abel Sparks was listed as
consisting of himself (aged 22, and his wife, Elizabeth, aged 19.Elizabeth's birth place was given as
Pennsylvania. Abel's mother, Delila Sparks (aged 62, born in NorthCarolina), was living with him, as was his sister, Mary Sparks (aged16, born in Indiana).

According to family records found by Mrs. Davis, Abel and Elizabeth(Douglass) Sparks had a daughter, Mary Sparks, who was born on April16, 1851, in Bluffton, Wells County, Indiana. It is not known whetherthere were other children.

Sometime in the 1850's, after the birth of Mary, Abel Sparks, with hiswife and daughter, joined a wagon train going to Oregon. Abel Sparksdied enroute - - where or when is not known. It is known that his wifemarried again, but it is not known to whom or when.

On May 12, 1869, Mary Sparks, daughter of Abel and Elizabeth(Douglass) Sparks, was married to John
Joseph Brown, son of Charles Arthur Brown. Their first two children,names and dates unknown, were born in Cottage Grove, Lane County,Oregon. Mary and John later moved to Gilliam County, Oregon, where ason, Charles Arthur Brown, was born on March 11, 1876, in Rock Creek.Charles Arthur Brown was married on December 1, 1901, in Condon,Gilliam County, Oregon, to Missouri Pearl Fitzwater.

Mary (Sparks) Brown died in Condon, Gilliam County, Oregon, on August29, 1931. Her son, Charles Arthur Brown, died on September 12, 1960,in Pleasant Valley, Baker County, Oregon, and his wife, Missouri Pearl(Fitzwater) Brown, died on February 9, 1969, in Oak Harbor, IslandCounty, Washington."

***************
Also see SQ p. 3706.

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

See SQ p. 5289:

Abel Sparks was born in May 1827. He was married to Elizabeth Douglason May 4, 1850, in Wells
County, Indiana. A great-granddaughter of Abel Sparks (Doris Cornett[Brown[ Macomber), reported
many years ago that early in 1852 Abel Sparks and his wife, Elizabeth,with their infant daughter, Mary
Sparks, joined a wagon train to Oregon. Most of Elizabeth's family,including her parents, were members
of this train. Abel Sparks died of cholera somewhere along the PlatteRiver on June 13, 1852. Elizabeth
and her daughter continued with the train and settled with herrelatives in Lane County, Oregon. There, on
May 23, 1854, she was married (2nd) to James Richard Phillips.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1969, Whole No. 67, p. 1258:

DESCENDANTS OF DAVID SPARKS (BORN MAY 19, 1794, DIED NOV. 10, 1862)

"II. Abel Tomlin Sparks, son of David and Permelia (Medlock) Sparks,was born on November 10, 1827, in Georgia, and died on January 20,1896, in Clay County, Alabama. He was married in Talladega County,Alabama, on December 12, 1850, to Nancy ann M. Newsom, who was born in1827 (February 12) in Coweta County, Georgia, and died on May 21,1912, in Clay County, Alabama; she was a daughter of Silas and NancyLavina (Peoples) Newsom, both of whom were natives of Georgia.

"Soon after his marriage in 1850, Abel Tomlin Sparks built a log cabinfor his bride in Clay County, Alabama. A photograph of this earlySparks home has been provided by Mrs. Mars and appears below: (p.1258).

"Mrs. Mars recalls that her father used to repeat a family story ofhow Abel Sparks "hauled the sandstones to make the chimneys andfireplace by ox-cart from the rock quarry near the mountain. It was atwo-day journey and there was no alternative but to leave his newbride,Nancy (Newsom) Sparks alone. There were many Indians in thearea. Luckily, they were not hostile, but they were hungry 'all thetime' and they would come begging for food and liquor. Since shecooked on the fireplace, she kept a kettle of boiling water and a hotpoker in the ashes at her disposal at all times so she could 'run themout of there'."

"In the QUARTERLY for September 1967 (Vol. XV, No. 3, Whole No. 59,pp. 1097-1098) we published abstracts of the papers on file in theNational Archives in support of a pension application which AbelTomlin Sparks filed in 1889 to secure a pension for his service in theCivil War. In presenting those papers in the QUARTERLY, we werepuzzled because it was apparent that he had served first in theConfederate Army, then, following his capture, on the Union side.Mrs. Mars has explained the situation by recalling the followingfamily account:
"At the beginning of the Civil War, Abel Sparks owned slaves. Hefreed them. As the war progressed, the Confederate Government beganconscripting men for military service. Since Abel Sparks did notbelieve in the Southern cause, he had no desire to serve in theConfederate Army, a fact known to the officials who would comesearching for him regularly at the farm and his home. He would hidein a cave near the house, and Lavina Sparks, his daughter who was thenabout eight years old, would bring him food which she had hidden inthe pockets of her pantaloons under her skirts. She would playaround, then suddenly disappear and take the food to her father in thecave. This worked for a while, but eventually they caught up with himand he was forced to 'volunteer' as a private in Company G, 28thAlabama Infantry, on December 28, 1864."

"A muster roll dated February 29, 1864, for Company G lists Abel T.Sparks as "missing since November 23/63 supposed to be a prisoner ofWar." He had been captured by the North at Missionary Ridge during theBattle of Chattanooga.

"Abel T. Sparks was taken as a prisoner of war to Rock Island,Illinois, where he convinced his captors that his sympathies reallylay with the Northern side, and on May 24, 1864, he enlisted to servein the Northern Navy. He served on the warship New Hampshire untilJuly 15, 1864, then on the Wabash from July 16, 1864, to January 27,1865, then on the Hunchback from January 28 to June 12, 1865, then onthe Vermont from June 13 to June 26, 1865, when he was discharged as a"paroled prisoner." In his application for a pension twenty-four yearslater, Abel T. Sparks stated that he had been discharged at theBrooklyn Navy Yards. He described himself at the time of his serviceas being six feet tall, with a light complexion, dark hair, and blueeyes. He stated that while on duty at Fort Fisher in North Carolinaon or about December 24., 1864, he "was jared by the reports of thecannons to such an extent that his hearing became impaired in bothears.'

"Jesse McKay, a grandson of Abel T. Sparks, recalled hearing a familystory of how Abel, following his discharge from the Union Navy, walkedback to his home in Alabama. "He came by his sister's home in Rome,Georgia, and spent a night. She had one small piece of bread for themall; he walked home from there without anything to eat, but whatapples he could get on the way. The dogs would run him away and hewould hide out in the daytime so as to hide the uniform. He wasalmost starved when he reached home, and was allowed to eat only alittle for awhile until he got used to it."

"Abel Tomlin and Nancy Ann M. (Newsom) Sparks were the parents of onlyone child, a daughter, named Lavina Elizabeth Sparks, who was born May24, 1852, at Lineville, Clay County, Alabama. She died on December 8,1934, at Ashland, Clay County, Ala.

Note on page 1265: "Although Abel Tomlin Sparks had only one child,he had twelve grandchildren, and ninety-three great-grandchildren."

See MARYLAND MARRIAGES 1634-1777, Compiled by Robert Barnes,Baltimore, 1987, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. p. 168:

"Lippings (sic), Henry, 18 May 1737, Abigail Sparks" citing 1 QA-43.The citation refers to the records of St. Lukes Church, Queen Annes County, 1728-1850, p. 45, which records were copied in 1904/5 at theMaryland Historical Society.

SQ 3229 married Henry Tippins 18 May 1737; children unknown.

"Abner Sparks, son of Solomon and Catherine (Hillegas) Sparks, wasborn on August 17, 1812, in Adams County, Ohio, and died at Humboldt,Illinois, on August 31, 1881. He was a farmer and merchant. He wasmarried on May 14, 1861, at Yankee Town, Ohio, to Lucinda Woodburn whohad been born on Feb-February 13, 1832, at Amanda, Ohio. She died onApril 5, 1918. Children:

a. Mary Catherine Sparks, born February 3, 1863.
b. George Sherman Sparks, born June 7, 1864.
c. Delilah Isabel Sparks, born June 21, 1865.
d. John Oliver Sparks, born June 27, 1869.
e. Nancy Ann Sparks, born March 21, 1871; died in infancy.
f. Elizabeth Jane Sparks, born March 22, 1872; died at age of oneyear.
g. Florence Jeanette Sparks, born June 23, 1875.-

SQ 2961 states: "Abraham Sparks, son of Solomon and Rachel Sparks, wasborn
on February 8, 1788, in Bedford County, PA. He served in the War of1812 as a
soldier in Capt. Solomon Sparks's Company organized in Bedford County,
according to the Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. 7, pages 737-738. Afterthe death
of his father in 1838, he headed a household composed of his sisters ,Sarah and
Rachel, his nephew William Latta and grand-niece Jane Latta. On the1850
census of Bedford County, he was listed as an inn-keeper and farmerwith real
estate valued at $15,000. He apparently never married.
A considerable portion of the real estate owned by Abraham Sparks was
located in Bureau County, Illinois, and this may have been a reasonwhy his
brother, Joseph S. Sparks, migrated there in 1851. When AbrahamSparks died,
intestate, on November 28, 1854, it was natural that the Bureau CountyCourt
should appoint Joseph S. Sparks to administer the settlement of theestate."

Heirs Date Amount
Hannah Bogges, Exec of Jonas Sparks 23 Nov. 1866 $55.84
Philip Hollar, Admin of Hannah Hollar 25 Nov. 1867 53.24
Delilah Hughs 25 Nov. 1856 53.24
Julia Manspeaker, heir of Sarah Sparks 20 Dec. 1864 53.24
Mary Morgert 20 Sept.1864 53.24
Rachel Kennard 1 Jan. 1861 55.50
--------, executor of Solomon Sparks 5 Aug. 1867 53.24
William States, guardian of heirs of
John Sparks 22July 1867 53.24
J. S. Sparks 27July 1867 42.46

SQ 3084: "Abraham Sparks (he was also called "Abram"), son of Abel andSarah (Cochran) Sparks, was born on July 27, 1821, in Bond County,Illinois . He married Susannah Caroline (Kirkpatrick) Mundon, widowof Frederick Mundon. She had been born about 1811 in Georgia,according to census records. From Census records it appears thatAbraham and Susannah were in Iowa County, Wisconsin, in 1850 at whichtime they had one child, James Sparks, born about 1849 . Whetherthere were additional children we do not know. Abraham was stillliving in 1880 when his brother's (Solomon's) estate was settled."

See SQ 2968:

"Abraham J. Sparks, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Naill) Sparks, wasborn on December 3, 1830, in Bedford County. He accompanied hisparents to Bureau County, IL, where he married Eleanor R.Frankenberger on June 10, 1855. They lived at Wyanet, IL. Abrahamserved as a captain in Company H, 146th Regiment Illinois Infantryduring the Civil War. (See Whole No . 59, and below, for an abstractof his pension file.) He died on January 1, 1881, at DelNorte,Colorado. Eleanor died in 1913. They were the parents of fivechildren:
Alice L., Jennie Elizabeth, Cora B., Clarissa Irene and Edgar SSparks."

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

SPARKS QUARTERLY, SEPTEMBER 1967, WHOLE NO. 59, pps. 1098-99:

CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION

ABRAHAM J. SPARKS, born on December 3, 1830, in Bedford County,Pennsylvania; died January 1, 1881, at Del Norte, Colorado; hemarried Ellen R. Frankenberger in Bureau County, Illinois, on June 10,1855; served as Captain of Company H of the 146th Illinois Infantry.File designation: WC 346597.

"On April 25, 1908, Ellen R. Sparks, a resident of Wyanet, BureauCounty, Illinois, made application for a pension. She stated that shewas the widow of Abram J. Sparks who had been commissioned a captainof Company H of the 146th Illinois Infantry at Wyonet, Illinois, onSeptember 17, 1864, and was honorably discharged on July 8, 1865. Shestated that Abraham Sparks had died on January 1, 1881, at Del Norte,Colorado. She signed her application as Ellen R. Sparks, and ParkerH. Bimm and C. H. Hamrick signed as witnesses.

"Ellen R. Sparks submitted with her application a copy of her marriagecertificate which states that Abraham J. Sparks and Miss ElanorFrankenburger were married by the Rev. Joseph 0. Gilbert on June 10,,1855, in Bureau County, Illinois. Although her name was given asElanor Frankenburger on this certificate she stated in her applicationthat her maiden name had been Ellen R. Frankenberger.

"With her application, Mrs. Sparks also submitted a sworn statement bya notary public named James P. Hall to the effect that he had made atrue copy of the family record in the Bible owned by Ellen R. Sparksand that the births of the children of Abraham and Ellen R. Sparkswere mritten in the Bible as follows:

Alice L. Sparks, born March 20, 1856
Jennie E. Sparks, born May 31, 1858
Cora B. Sparks, born October 14, 1860
Clarrissa I. Sparks, born October 26, 1865
Edgar S. Sparks, born April 17, 1870

"James P. Hall added that "there does not appear of record in the saidBible the death of any of the above named children.' He stated thatthe "Bible bears date of being printed in the year A.D. 1856 andjudging from the appearance of the -writing, I believe the entriescopied to have been made about the dates given." Mr. Hall dated hissworn statement February 18, 1892.

"The only other record sent by the National Archives from this file isa notice dated July 15, 1913, that the postmaster at Wyanet,,Illinois,had reported the death of Ellen R. Sparks and that her pension of$12.00 per month had been last paid to April 4. 1913.

"From records previously published in the Quarterly, we know thatAbraham J. Sparks was born on December 3. 1830, and was a son ofJoseph S. and Elizabeth (Naill) Sparks who moved to Bureau County,Illinois, from Bedford County, Pennsylvania, between 1851 and 1855.Joseph S. Sparks (1794-1868) was a son of Solomon and Rachel Sparks;Solomon Sparks (1760-1838) was a son of Joseph Sparks (who died in1809). Joseph Sparks had moved with his family from Frederick County,Maryland, to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, about 1778.

For additional information on this family, see the Quarterly of March1955 (Vol. III, No. 1. 'Whole No. 9, pp. 59-61); also the Quarterlyof September 1961 (Vol. IX, No. 3,, Whole No. 35, pp. 585-87); alsothe Quarterly of June 1965 (Vol. XIII, No. 2, Whole No. 50, pp.912-13).

!NOTES:
SQ pg 2924 states: "Abram Wareham Sparks was born on September 29 ,1886. On
January 1, 1908, he married Edna Virginia (Krouse) Davis. She was born on April
26, 1888 and was a daughter of Mary Davis. Abram died on May 5, 1935. He and
Edna had five children: Charles E., Roy S., Robert W., Constance R. ,and Mary
E."

SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1974, No. 84, 1699-1704:

"HAVE WE FOUND THE PARENTS OF ELIJAH SPARKS OF EARLY INDIANA?"

"The June 1973 issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY (Vol. XXI, No. 2, WholeNo. 82) was devoted to an article about Elijah Sparks of earlyIndiana. Part of the article was concerned with the lack of knowledgeas to his place of birth and as to his parentage. Contemporaries hadgiven conflicting testimony as to the place of his birth, some sayingthat he was born in Queen Annes County, Virginia (there was no suchcounty in Virginia) while others stated that he had been born inFrederick County, Virginia. None could tell who his parents were. Itnow appears from data recently uncovered that Elijah Sparks was bornin Queen Annes County, Maryland, and that his parents were Absalom andElizabeth (Brown) Sparks.

"Absalom Sparks was born in the early part of the 1700's, probablyabout 1720, and was a son of John and Cornelia (- - - -] Sparks ofQueen Annes County, Maryland, and a grandson of William and MarySparks who came to Maryland about 1670, probably from CountyHampshire, England. William Sparks died in 1709 in Queen Annes Countyand left a will in which he named his children, including his son,John Sparks. (See the March 1971 issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Vol.XIX, No. 1, Whole No. 73, for a fuller account of William and MarySparks.) (The referenced article discusses the parents of Absalom,John and Cornelia (- - - -) Sparks from pages 1699 to 1702 where wecontinue:)

"We have found only a few records pertaining to Absalom Sparks. Webelieve he was one of the younger children of John and Cornelia,probably the youngest. In 1744 he bought from his brothers, Caleb andMillington, the shares of "Sparks Choice" and "Sparks Enclosure" whichthey had inherited from their father. Absalom sold these tracts ofland the following year to John Earle for 7,000 pounds of tobacco and20 pounds in money.

"There are two records pertaining to Absalom Sparks dated 1748. Oneof these is a record of his service in the Provincial Militia in theCompany of Captain William Hopper. The other record is that of hismarriage to Elizabeth Brown on November 17, 1748, as recorded in theRegister of St. Luke's Parish (Queen Anne's County, Maryland) [atp.55. See MARYLAND MARRIAGES 1634-1777, Compiled by Robert Barnes,Baltimore, 1987, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. p. 168.]

"Elizabeth was a daughter of Edward and Mary Brown. Edward Brown diedin 1763 and named (among other children) his daughter, Elizabeth, wifeof Absolom Sparks.

"A few months after his marriage, Absalom Sparks bought a tract ofland called "Tullys Delight" which was located near Back Creek, atributary of Southeast Branch of Chester River. In 1752, along withcertain of the other heirs of John and Cornelia Sparks, Absalom Sparksand his wife, Elizabeth, sold their interest in "Sparks Choice," butsince there was no consideration in the transaction, this could havebeen just a confirmation of an earlier sale. In 1758, Absalom boughta quantity of household goods from his sister, Cornelia, and herhusband, Peter Alley.

"Elizabeth (Brown) Sparks, wife of Absalom, apparently died about1765-1770, and Absolom married (second) Ruth ---. (For a reference to Ruth's later marriage to William Tippins, see SPARKS QUARTERLY,September, 1 993, Whole No. 163, p. 4183: Date, ca. 1775; Spouse,William Tippins, Remarks, W id. of Absalom Sparks; p. 1702 TSQ, QueenAnnes Accounts, 72/39.) Then, in the latter part of 1771, AbsalomSparks died. He left no will and his widow , Ruth Sparks, wasappointed administrator of his estate. On January 21, 17 72, shebrought into court an inventory of his property which had beenappraised by Benj. Chaires and James Finley. Witnesses to theappraisal were Absalom's brothers: John Sparks, C. Sparks, andMillington Sparks.

(The C. Sparks was Caleb Sparks.) Absalom's nephew, Levi Sparks, wasalso a witness. The inventory amounted to over 209 pounds andincluded in the list of articles were three small bibles appraised ateight shillings.

"In 1774, Ruth Sparks, widow of Absalom, married William Tippins andtogether they presented to the court the record of the final Balances,and also the record of the final Account of the estate of Absalom Sparks on August 11, 1774. The Balances record showed that after all ofAbsalom's debts and other obligations had been settled, the estateamounted to 130 pounds. One-third of the estate was given to hiswidow, Ruth Tippins, while the residue was equally divided among hisseven children. Named in the final account as representatives of thedeceased (in addition to his widow, Ruth Tippins) were his sevenchildren: Eliza, of age and wif e of Henry Thompson; Robert Sparks;Brown Sparks; Mary Sparks; Absalom Sparks Jr.; Elijah Sparks; andAthaliah Sparks. All except Eliza were identified as "under age."

"If we may assume that Eliza, wife of Henry Thompson, had just reachedthe age of 21 in 1774, and that the son Robert was very nearly 21years old, and, further, that the children were named in this documentdated August 11, 1774, in the order of their birth, whe can thenfairly well arrange the probable dates of birth of the children ofAbsalom and Elizabeth Brown Sparks. It should be kept in mind thatthey were married in 1748 and that Elizabeth died in the late 1760's.

1. Eliza Sparks was probably born about 1750; she had married---Thompson prior to August 11, 1774. (See reference to marriage inSQ Sept. 1993, Whole No. 163, p. 4183.)
2. Robert Sparks was probably born about 1753-1754.
3. Brown Sparks was probably born about 1756.
4. Mary Sparks was probably born about 1758-1759.
5. Absalom Sparks, Jr., was probably born about 1762.
6. Elijah Sparks was probably born abut 1765.
7. Athaliah Sparks was probably born about 1767.

"Robert Sparks, oldest son of Absalom and Elizabeth (Brown) Sparks,apparently took charge of handling the business of the family, and by1776 he had bought and sold property. It is this particular activit yon his part that provided us the clue which led us to believe that theElijah Sparks of early Indiana was quite probably the same ElijahSparks who was a son of Absalom and Elizabeth (Brown) Sparks. Ourreaders will recall that Elijah Sparks (of early Indiana) hadcomplained mildly in a letter written to President James Madison in1813 that "It was my misfortune ...to be deprived of Parents in veryearly life and from the Law of primogenitr & other misfortunes, I wasthrown on the world, helpless and unlearned." This reference to theLaw of Primogeniture indicates that he had an older brother who hadbeen favored in some way in the settling of their parents' estates.

See MARYLAND MARRIAGES 1634-1777, Compiled by Robert Barnes,Baltimore, 1987, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. p. 168.

SPARKS QUARTERLY, Dec 1990, Whole No. 152, pp 3674-3681 @ 3677:

"Absalom Sparks was probably born about 1753 in Frederick County,Maryland, and was almost grown when his father died. As noted above,[referring to notes included under his father Charles sheet] he wasinvolved in a lawsuit in what was then Ohio County, Virginia, in 1778and appeared before the justices on March 3 and 4. The case was thendecided in his favor, a witness on his behalf being Henry Nelson, hisstep-father. As has been noted, from 1776 to 1780, the Virginia countyof Ohio included what later became Washington County, Pennsylvania,and there can be no doubtthat Absalom was living there in 1778.

"In 1777, the General Assembly of Virginia had directed that all whitemales over the age of 21 living in Virginia be required to take anoath of allegiance to the Commonwealth. William Scott, one of thejustices of the Ohio county Court, was charged with administering thisoath and recording the names. Scott's record for Ohio County survivesand was published in the GENEALOGICAL REFERENCE BUILDERS NEWSLETTER,Whole No. 32, dated Febru ary 1971. According to his listing, AbsalomSparks took this oath on November 5 , 1777. Four other men did so onthe same day, which may suggest that they were close neighbors; theywere Robert Cavin, Ezekiel Boggs, Samuel Taylor and William Boggs.

"The fact that Charles Sparks, Jr.'s name does not appear on this listmay suggest that he had not reached the age of 21 by 1777. GeorgeSparks, uncle of Absalom Sparks, and Henry Nelson, his step-father,took the oath on October 6, 1777. There were some men, however, whorefused to take the oath--they were called "recusants." WilliamSparks, the other uncle of Absalom was one of nine men listed as"recusants" in Ohio County. It may mean that these "recusants,"including William Sparks, were expressing their loyalty to King GeorgeIII when they refused to take this oath. Another possibility is thatthey considered themselves to be citizens of Pennsylvania rather thanVirginia.

"William Scott was not only a justice of the Ohio County Court, butafter the settlement of the boundary line between Pennsylvania andVirginia , he became a captain of a company of militia in WashingtonCounty following its organization as a Pennsylvania county in 1781. Areturn of Capt. Scott's company, which was part of the FourthBattalion of Washington County Militia, shows Absalom Sparks as amember of the 7th Class in the Company in 1782. (See the 6th Series ofthe PENNSYLVANIA ARCHIVES, Vol II, pp. 158-9.)

"Among the papers of THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, 1774-1789, there is adocument dated October 30, 1784, listing "Inhabitants near the OhioRiver."Among those listed are Absalom Sparks and his uncle WilliamSparks. also among these papers is a petition to the President of theC ontinental Congress dated April 11, 1785, from "Inhabitants of theOld Northwest." Among the names appearing on this petition is that ofAbsalom Sparks as well as his brother Charles.

"The last reference to Absalom Sparks found thus far amongPennsylvania records is the need of November 23, 1786 noted earlier."While we have not found positive documentary proof, we believe thatit is highly probable that, following the settlement of their father'sestate in 1786, Absalom Sparks and his brother Charles moved fromWashington County, Pennsylvania, southward to the general area wherepresent-day Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee meet. If thisassumption is correct, their move may have been influenced by theirknowledge that two of their father's brother's, Solomon Sparks andJonas Sparks, along with some cousins, had
settled in this general area some 30 years earlier. We know forcertain that there was an Absalom Sparks, whom we have been unableotherwise to identify, living in Washington County, Virginia, from1799 to 1805. Likewise, there was a Charles Sparks whom we have beenotherwise unable to identify, who was living in Wilkes County, NorthCarolina from 1789 to 1806.

"Among the very few early marriage records preserved in WashingtonCounty, Virginia, is that of Absalom Sparks and Elizabeth McQuann onJanuary 5, 1801. Considering that the Absalom Sparks who was a son ofCharles Sparks was born about 1753, it would seem probable, IF he wasthe same person as the Absalom who married Elizabeth McQuann (type??)in Wilkes County, North Carolina, this would have represented a secondmarriage for him.

"Absalom Sparks paid taxes in Washington County, Virginia, in 1799 ,1800, 1805, and then in Lee County, Virginia, in 1811. He moved toKnox County, Kentucky, in 1819 and settled in that part of the countythat was cut off the same year to form Harlan County. He was taxed inHarlan County , Kentucky, from 1820 to 1829. He died, apparently,about 1829.

"There were three households in Harlan County shown on the 1830 censusas headed by men named Sparks. Whether there was a relationship amongthese individuals to Absalom Sparks is not known. They were: (1)James Sparks who was one of the two males enumerated opposite his nameas aged between 20 and 30; also comprising his household were fourfemales aged 20 t o 30, one male under 5 and two females under 5; (2)William Sparks was shown as aged between 60 and 70, 2 females aged 20to 30, one female aged 10 to 15, one male aged 5 to 10, one male under5, and one female under 5; and (3) William Sparks, Jr., who whas shownas aged 20 to 30; comprising his household was one female also aged 20to 30, and one male under 5 years. ( See SQ of Sept 1959, Whole No.27, pp. 419-422, for a full listing of Sparkses shown on the 1830census of Kentucky.)

See The Sparks Quarterly, June, 1998, Whole No. 182, pg 5002:
"Absalom Sparks, probable son of James Sparks, was born between 1790and 1800; he may have been named for an uncle, Absalom Sparks. Hewas married, apparently, about 1815, and when the 1830 census wastaken of Burke County, North Carolina, he and a woman whom we assumeto have been his wife, were enumerated there, on page 136. His agewas given as between 30 and 40, while that of his wife was reported asbetween 20 and 30. Living in their householdwas a girl under 5 yearsand a boy between 5 and 10, whom we assume to have been theirchildren.

SQ p. 4607:

"Absolom Sparks, the son of John and Elizabeth Sparks was born in orabout 1799, who had been apprenticed, at age 12, in January 1812, toCrispin D. Gibbs, and who had been married to Esther Hodge in 1823,was shown on the 1830 and 1840 censuses of Burke County. Judging fromthe enumeration ofhis household in 1840, it appears that he then hadseven children, three boys and four girls. By 1850, however, AbsolomSparks had moved west to Buncombe County, North Carolina, where he andhis family appeared on the census for that year. He was shown as 50years old in 1850. His wife, age 45, was called Margaret on thatcensus, indicating, do doubt, that his first wife, Esther Hodge, haddied, and that he had remarried. Living in their household in 1850were Sidney Sparks, age 18; John Sparks, age 15; and Cate Sparks, age12. We have not traced Absolom's descendants further."

!NOTES:
SQ pg 2926 states: "Absalom Sparks, son of James and Nancy (Rogers )Sparks, was born about 1804. He married Mahala Grubb, probably abo ut1835. She was born about 1813 in Pennsylvania. She died sometim eafter 1880. Absalom died in June 1862. He made a will on June 2 ,1862, which was proven on June 24, 1862. In it, he named his wife ,Mahala, and his eldest son, David, and referred to other children whom he did not name. He and Mahala had three children."

SQ p. 3631:

"Absalom Sparks, son of Jesse and Susan (May) Sparks, was born onApril 25, 1822. He was probably named for his uncle, Absalom Sparks.He was a blacksmith. He was married to Malinda Boles, probably in1845. She had been born on November 5, 1822. Absalom died in June1894. After his death, Malinda made her home with their son, James E.Sparks. She died on May 27, 1910. She and Absalom were probablyburied in the family cemetery on their farm in Humphreys County. Theyhad eight children."

SQ p 2448:

"Absolom Sparks, Jr., son of Absalom and Lydia (Elsberry) Sparks, wasprobably born about 1810, in Illinois. He accompanied his parents toArkansas where, in 1825, he joined his father and brothers in
signing a petition to the President and to Congress. He signed asAbsalom Sparks, Jr. His father signed as Absalom Sparks, Sr. Whenthe 1830 census was taken of Arkansas, he was listed as the head ofhis family in Pope County. He was born between 1810 and 1815. Withhim in the household were three
females: one born 1815-20/ one born 1810-15; and one born 1770-80.

"Absalom Sparks, Jr. may have been the Absalom Sparks who marriedEmaline Thomason in Sevier County, Arkansas, in 1840. According to arecord we have received from Marriage Book B-1, p 7, they were marriedon May 21, 1840, by John R. McCown, a justice of the peace, at thehome of Nancy Boucher. The record indicates that Absalom was livingin the home of George T. Borings while Emaline lived with MaryBoucher."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY September 1982, No. 119, pp. 2443-48:"INFORMATION SOUGHT REGARDING THE DESCENDANTS OF ABSALOM SPARKS(ca.1771-ca.1830."

"Absalom Sparks was born about 1771 in Rowan County, North Carolina.He was a son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks who probablymigrated from Frederick County, Maryland, to North Carolina about 1758and settled in Rowan County. About 1774, Matthew Sparks moved toSurry County, North Carolina, settling in that portion which wouldbecome a part of Wilkes County in 1777. He remained there until about1784, when he moved his family to the Franklin Washington Countiesarea of Georgia. There, in November 1793, Matthew Sparks was killedby Indians.

"Absalom, son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks, married Lydia(or Mary?) Elsberry, probably about 1790. She was born about 1774 andwas a daughter of Benjamin and Francina Elsberry. The marriage mayhave taken place in District 96, of South Carolina, and the couple mayhave lived there for several years, but by 1802, Absalom Sparks was inClarke County , Georgia. There he made a deposition about his propertywhich had been stolen by the Indians about 1793.

"Absalom Sparks continued to live in Clarke County until about 1807when he (probably with his brother, Matthew Sparks) moved westward tothe Illinois Territory settling at the Big Creek Settlement inGallatin County in what is now Pope County, Illinois. There, onDecember 6, 1812, Absalom and two of his sons, Elsberry Sparks andBenjamin Sparks, signed a petition to the President and Congressseeking permission to settle west of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.It was also in Gallatin County that four of his children were marriedin 1813 and 1814, and two of his sons saw military service during thewar of 1812.

"The Territory of Arkansas was formed in 1819 and Absalom Sparks ,with other members of his family, went there and settled in MillerCounty . (Miller County was established in 1820 and embraced portionsof present-day Texas and Oklahoma. It was absorbed by Texas in 1836,but was returned to Arkansas and re-established in 1874.) It was inMiller County, in 1821, that Absalom Sparks, along with his sons,Benjamin Sparks, Elsberry Sparks, and Matthew Sparks, petitioned thePresident and Congress to modify a proposed treaty with the Indianswhich would deprive them (the white settlers) of their homes withoutremuneration. A similar petition was sent on October 26, 1825, to thePresident. Among the signers were Absalom Sparks and his sons,Absalom Sparks, Jr., Elsberry Sparks, Matthew Sparks and WilloughbySparks. (See TERRITORITARIAL PAPERS OF THE UNITED STATES, ed. byClarence Edwin Carter, Vol . XIX, Arkansas Territory, 1819-1825, pp.140-141.)

"Absalom Sparks may have died in Arkansas between 1825 and 1830 for,when the 1830 census was taken of Pope County, his son Absalom Sparks,Jr. , was listed as the head of a household which included a female,aged 50-60 . This was the age category into which his mother Lydia(?) (Elsberry) Sparks would fit, and she may have been this female andwidow. On the other hand , Absalom Sparks may have taken hisdwindling family to Texas and may have died there, leaving hisdaughter, Edy Sparks, as head of the family. In all probability, wemay never learn when and where he died. (JS: See note belowregarding the place of his death and the "Claim of Heirs".)

"We do know, however, that Absalom Sparks left no will, nor have wefound any records of the administration of his estate. In spite ofthe lack of records, we believe we can name most, if not all, of hischildren, in part because of the extant records settling the estate ofhis daughter, Edy Sparks. Here is what we have learned about each ofthem. We do not know the order of their births." [Here followsinformation on each child for which see their individual sheets.)

**********

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 2001, Whole No. 196, pp 5605-5630,p. 5609:

"Absolom Sparks, sometimes spelled Absolem , son of Matthew and SarahSparks, was born in or about 1771 in what is now Davie County, NorthCarolina, although the Forks of the Yadkin, where Matthew's land waslocated , was then part of Rowan County. Absolom accompanied hisparents in their move to Georgia in 1783/84; he was then aboutthirteen years old. He remained in Georgia following his father'sdeath in 1793, having earlier been married to a daughter of Benjaminand Francine Elsberry, whose name was either Lydia or Mary Elsberry.She was a sister of Sarah ("Sally") Elsberry who was married inOglethorpe County, Georgia, to Absolom's brother, Nathan Sparks, onMay 10, 1800. It appears that Absolom and his family moved with hisbrother, Matthew Sparks , Jr. , from Georgia to Illinois Territoryabout 1807, then to Arkansas about 1820. He was the father of tenchildren. For an article about Absolom and his family, see theQUARTERLY of September 1982, Whole No. 119, pp. 2443-48. (In thisarticle, we stated that his parents, Matthew and Sarah Sparks hadmigrated from Maryland to North Carolina about 1758; we are nowcertain that Matthew had come to North Carolina with other members ofthe Sparks family in 1754; whether he and Sarah were married inMaryland or North Carolina, we cannot be sure. In the QUARTERLY ofSeptember 1989, Whole No. 147, pp.3463-72, we published an articleabout Absolom's son named Willoughby Sparks, born in 1802.)"

**********

On July 22, 2005 I received an email from Janet Newell(newell@surewest.net) that contained the title page of a bookpublished by the Picton Press of Rockport Maine entitled "The Settlersof Lovely County and Miller County, Arkansas Territory, 1820-1830" byMelinda Blanchard Crawford and Don L. Crawford. Commencing on page153 is the following article appearing in the chapter entitledDepositions from the Helena Land Office:
(We are grateful to Janet Newell for her information relating to thedeath of Abasalom Sparks no herefofore known.)

CERTIFICATE #23; CLAIM #156: HEIRS OF ABSALOM SPARKS

Claim of Heirs of Absalom Sparks deceased
Copy of testimony taken before Hartwell Boswell and John Redman lateRegister and Receiver of the Land Office at Batesville A. T. viz:

Josiah Jenkins of lawful age being duly sworn deposeth and saith thathe has no interest in the claim of said Absalom Sparks, deceased, andat and previous to the 24th day of May 1828 was at the head of afamily with a wife and some children and at & previous to the dateaforesaid upwards of one year resided upon the lands appropriated tothe Cherokee Indians and on the Salisaw Creek. The deponent statesthat the claimant is the father of Williby Sparks, Matthew Sparks andJeremiah Sparks - Credibility of Witness established.

Richard Johnson of lawful age being duly sworn deposeth and saith thatthe above named Sparks referred to by the Witness J. Jenkins made animprovement on the Salisaw [sic] of something like six acres or moreupon which he had erected a cabin and other houses around a stock ofhorses etc. the deponent further states that the claimant left hissaid settlement and as he understood believes went with his family &effects to Mulberry Creek east of the lands now owned by the CherokeeIndians - Credibiity of witness established - Thomas Moore of lawfulage being duly sworn deposeth and saith that the person who JosiahJenkins refers to in his evidence has departed this life and that thefamily and effects of said Absalom Sparks [were] on Mulberry Creekease of said Cherokee line - Credibility of Witness established.

Miranda Marrs of lawful age being duly sworn deposeth and saith thatAbsalom Sparks the claimant departed this life in the year 1829 andthat the famiy of said Sparks are residing on Horse head Bayou andfurther saith not - James Ball of lawful age being duly sworn deposethand saith that the claimant Absalom Sparks removed from the Salasaw[sic] Creek in 1828 and settled on Mulberry Creek as he understood andafterwards removed to horse head Bayou.

Land Office at Batesville
Claim of the heirs of } May 20 1830
Absalom Sparks }

Archibald Sparks of lawful age being duly sworn deposeth and saiththat [he] was well acquainted with Absalom Sparks now deceased andthat he was living on the Salasaw [sic] Creek and in Loveley [sic]County on May 28 1828 and that he was at the head of a family having awife and three children living at home with him and that he removedEast of the now western limits of Arkansas Territory and on MulberryCreek in the fall of 1828 and that he departed this life in February1829.
Registers office Batesville, A.T.
March 3rd 1835
I do hereby certify that the foregoing is a full copy of the testimonytaken in the claim of the Heirs of Absolom Sparks decd. To a Donationclaim.
Townsend Dickinson
Register

Territory of Arkansas } Personally came before
County of Crawford } me AHenderson an
acting Justice of the Peace within & for said county & Territory AllenMiller of lawful age who being duly sworn deposeth & sayeth That thenames of the heirs of Absalom Sparks Dr Deceased are as follows to witElizbury Sparks, Louis Boatwright & Sarah, his wife in right of hiswife - - Fanny Tidwell, Matthew Sparks, Allen Miller & Polly his wifein right of his wife - - Williby Sparks, Lydia (JS: Lydia is linedthrough) Friend Boatwright & Lydia his wife in right of his wife - -and all of the heirs of Absalom Sparks Sr Deceased with the exceptionof three children heirs of Benjamin Sparks deceased to wit (JS: to witis lined through) Further this deponent sayeth not. Sworn to &Subscribed before me this 26th day of November AD 1834.
his
Allen + Miller
mark
Compiler's note:
Witnesses were Josiah Jenkins, Richard Johnson, Thomas Moore, MirandaMarrs, James Ball, Archibald Sparks, and Allen Miller.

**********

SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4276 states: EdaSparks, daughter of Jesse and Nancy Sparks, was born on 24 March,1838. She had four children: Sabra, Sarah, Eliza and Andrew.

SQ 2775:

"Ada Sparks was born on July 11, 1877. She was married to James DavidKring on December 29, 1897, and they had seven children:

Newell, Nora, Everett, Louise, Woodrow, Jack, and Ruth.

"Ada died on November 22, 1953."

SQ p. 4749: "Ada Sparks lived at Whitesburg, Kentucky."

SQ pg 2619:

"She homesteaded a ranch near Pecos, New Mexico, as early as 1891, andsold the land in 1897. She invested in property in Las Vegas, NewMexico. She never married, and in her later life made her home withher nephew, Waldo Hainlen. She died in 1964."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4458: They had four children: Gail, Louise, Preston and Fay e.

From the "Record by Martha Jenkins Stone and Mary Teresa StoneSparks", we learn that Agnes Gertrude Sparks, the third child of Marywas Baptised at St. Ann's Catholic Church, Morganfield, KY. and thather husband's surname was Bowling. In her Last Will and Testamentdated January 15, 1945, her name appears as Agnes G. Baroling. I wasunable to locate an Agnes Baroling or Bowling in the 1920 or 1930census for Missouri or Kentucky.

Information supplied by the grandson of Agnes Gertrude Sparks on July5, 2010, Harry Hegger, Jr.:

"Sometime after my mother, Kathleen Hegger was born, John C. Bowling(who always used the first name of Clarence) brought the entire familyto St. Louis - - reasons unknown. Apparently, his wife Agnes was veryill and was being treated for "Chronic Pulmonary Tuberculosis" fromNovember 18, 1927 until her death on February 4, 1928. I recentlydiscovered she is buried in an unmarked grave in Calvary Cemetery inSt. Louis; Interment #154376, Lot OOON, Section 005. Her husband isburied next to her, also in an unmarked grave (Interment #154375).Clarence died from "Cirrhosis of the Liver." ---

"Very soon after the detah of Agnes, John Clarence Bowling took all ofthe children to St. Vincent's Orphanage (in St. Louis County) andessentially dumped them on the front steps. The 1930 Census confirmsall of the children as "inmates" at a facility (the orphanage) inNormandy, MO....."

.

!NOTES:
SQ 2783: "Albinia Sparks was born on August 20, 1873. She was married
to Simeon M. High on December 8, 1891, in the Caledonia Baptist Church at
Gholson, Texas. He was born on September 9, 1869, and died Februar y12,
1918. Albinia died on December 12, 1967. They were buried at Gholson.
They had four children: Laura, James T., Jesse W., and Clarence H."

SQ p. 332: For birth information.

SQ pg 2620:

"He became a physician and practiced his profession in his hometown ofIndianapolis until his death on October 18, 1978 . He was a strongsupporter of the Sparks Family Association. On September 10, 1930, hewas married to Mary Jane Wilcox, and they had two sons, Robert J.Sparks and Richard Sparks."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 398:

"Albert Sparks, born about 1839. On the 1850 census of Wells County,he was listed as being 11 years old and living with the family ofRobert and Abigail Roberts. (Abigail was probably his mother, thewidow of Moses Sparks; on april 21, 1841, Abigail married RobertRoberts in Wells County.) Albert Sparks married Mary Ann Roberts inHuntington County, Indiana, on February 10, 1860. She died September30, 1860, aged 18 years and 5 months, according to the inscription onher tombstone. Albert Sparks married, second, Martha Roberts inHuntington County, Indiana, on June 25, 1861. She died March 7 1915,aged 70 years, 9 months, and 9 days. Albert Sparks died June 17,1923, aged 84 years, 6 months, and 23 days. Albert Sparks and bothhis wives were buried in the Sparks Cemetery in Wells County."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 1601:
"In a biographical sketch of Albert Sparks, son of Moses and Abigail(Redding) Sparks that appeared in a HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY,Indiana (Chicago, Brant & Fuller, 1887), pp. 704-05, it was statedthat Mary Jane Sparks, daughter of Moses and Abigail (Redding) Sparks,died unmarried.

"Albert Sparks, son of Moses and Abigail (Redding) Sparks, was born onNovember 24, 1839, according to the published biographical sketchmentioned above. However, Mr. Amos Redding (a descendant) gaveAlbert's birth as December 24, 1838. Albert Sparks died June 17,1923. He was a farmer in Rock Creek Township, Huntington County,Indiana, having inherited the farm that his father had purchasedshortly before his death. The sketch mentioned above contains thefollowing: " After his marriage, Mr. Sparks began farming on hispresent place, twenty-seven acres being ready for the plow. Theirfirst house was made of hewed logs, the room being eighteen bytwenty-four feet. He worked hard to improve his home, and the firstlog rolling held in Rock Creek township was on his farm. After a fewyears he built his present comfortable house and barn, and carries ongeneral farming. He has one hundred acres of tillable land andfifty-eight acres of rough, uncleared ground, which furnishesexcellent pasture for his stock. He had been reasonably sucessful inlife, and has laid up a competency which will insure him againstfuture want. He is a man of strict integrity whose every act willbear the searchlight of truth, his endeavor having been to live up tothe teachings of the Christian church of which he is a member. Inpolitics he is a Democrat." (Note that this was published in 1887.)

"Albert Sparks was married twice. He was married to his first wife,Mary Ann Roberts of Grant County, Indiana, on February 10, 1860. Shewas also called Mara and Mariette; she was born in 1842 and died onSeptember 30, 1860, in childbirth; her infant also died. Albert wasmarried on June 25, 1861, in Huntington County, Indiana, to his secondwife, Martha Roberts, who was born on November 7, 1831, and died onMarch 7, 1915. She was a sister of his first wife. Albert and both ofhis wives are buried in the Sparks Cemetery in Wells County, Indiana.

"Albert and Martha (Roberts) Sparks were the parents of the followingchildren: (The data that follow have been taken from the notes of Mr.Amos Redding) [for which see their family sheets.

SQ pg 3357: "Albert Sparks, son of John and Malinda (Jones) Sparks,was born on March 21, 1841. He served in Likens Battalion TexasVolunteers, Confederate States Army. This unit was reorganized andchanged to A . W. Spaights Battalion Texas Volunteers. Albert Sparksdied while on a military
campaign in 1865.

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

See the December 1969 issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 68, pg.1280, for a record of his military service:

ALBERT SPARKS (born about 1841)

Albert, Sparks enlisted for the duration of the war at Sabine Pass onSeptember 20, 1861 by S. B. Davis, as a private. On October 1, 1861,he joined and was enrolled in Capt. J. N. Blair?s Company of what wasinitially called Capt. J. M. Blair ?s Company in Likens' BattalionTexas Volunteers. He gave his age as 20 years. This companysubsequently became Company A, 11th Battalion Texas Volunteers. AlbertSparks?s name appears on the company?s muster roll from Septemberthrough December 1862, The official history of this battalion reads asfollows:

This battalion was organized in the latter part of 1861, with onecavalry, one artillery and two infantry companies and known in thatfield as Likens? Battalion Texas Volunteers. Early in 1862 an infantrycompany and a cavalry company were added and it was designated the 6thBattalion Texas Infantry. It was reorganized June 17, 1862, and knownin the field as A. W. Spaight ?s Battalion Texas Volunteers. Thebattalion was broken up November 20, 186)4, and all but Company B wereassigned to the 21st Regiment Texas Infantry as Companies A, E, H, B,F and K.

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

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3941: They had at least three children: Goldie, Nova and Darwin Sparks.

SQ p 2869: He lived at Three Rivers, Texas.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1957, Whole No. 20, pp. 264-66:

"FAMILY OF ALBERT CYRUS SPARKS, 1830-1915"

"Ruth Ely Porter (Mrs. Milby Porter) of 3112 Wheeler Ave., Houston 4,Texas, is (written in December 1957) seeking information regarding theancestry of her grandfather, ALBERT CYRUS SPARKS. He was born inLewis County, Kentucky, on January 8, 1830, and died at Fort Scott,Kansas, on March 22., 1915 (buried in the Chapel Grove Cemetery). Itis known that the Christian name of Albert Cyrus Sparks's mother wasElizabeth, but the name of his father has not been proved, althoughthere is some reason to believe that it was James Sparks. Mrs. Porterhas a picture (tin-type) of Albert Cyrus Sparks's father; he isbelieved to have had English ancestry.

"Albert C. Sparks is known to have had at least two brothers, HarrySparks and John Sparks, of the vicinity of Cloverdale, Putnam County,Indiana. There was also an "Aunt Eliza Sparks," but whether she was asister or a sister-in-law of Albert C. Sparks is unknown. Albert C.Sparks was a member of the Campbellite, or Christian, Church. Itappears that in his youth he lived in Indiana, probably Putnam County,and was married in Indiana, date unknown, to Sarah Jane Collins, whowas born on Jan. 20 (or 30). 1836, in Putnam County, Indiana; she diedon August 29, 1876, near Webb City, Missouri. Sarah Jane was thedaughter of John Collins, whose tombstone in Evergreen Cemetery,Pleasant Grove, Minnesota, indicates that he was born on August 1.1806, and died on August 25, 1886. (The eldest child of John Collinswas Betsy Ann Collins Burgan who was born at Somerset., Kentucky, onFebruary 27, 1827; died at 87 years in 1911, at Pleasant Grove,Minnesota. Sarah Jane's brothers, William H. Sparks (JS: Should be"Collins"?) (whose farm is still owned and cultivated by hisdescendants) and John Collins served in the Indian Wars and in theCivil War, from August, 1862, to August, 1865. William Collinsenlisted, at 32 years of age, John at 31. Both are buried at PleasantGrove.)

"It would seem probable that there was a close relationship betweenAlbert Cyrus Sparks and James Harvey Sparks of Putnam County, Indiana.According to a history of Putnam County by Jesse W. Weik (1910), JamesR. Sparks was born in Lewis County, Kentucky, on February 8, 1826, theson of James and Elizabeth (Gilman) Sparks. (Elizabeth Gilman was thegranddaughter of Henry Gilman, a soldier in the Revolution underGeneral Wayne.) According to Mr. Weik's account, the family moved fromLewis County, Kentucky, to Putnam County, Indiana, about 1838,locating near Mt. Meridian. It seems probable that Albert C. Sparkswas a member of this family. James Sparks, father of James HarveySparks, was listed on the 1840 census of Putnam County, Indiana, asfollows:

himself, between 40 and 50 years
wife, between 30 and 40
2 sons under 5
2 sons between 5 and 10
1 son between 10 and 15
2 sons between 15 and 20
1 daughter between 5 and 10
1 daughter between 10 and 15

"Mr. Weik stated that James H. Sparks learned the blacksmith trade inGreencastle and on February 27, 1851, was married to Emily JaneCoffman, daughter of John and Mary (Williams) Coffman of FountainCounty, Indiana. She died February 7, 1920 at the age of 69. JamesH. Sparks was still living in 1910 and was a member of the ChristianChurch. He served in Company I, 43rd Indiana Volunteer Infantryduring the Civil War. On the 1850 census of Putnam County, CloverdaleTownship, James H. Sparks was listed as "Harvey Sparks," which was hismiddle name. He was living with the family of Greenburg and LucindaLyon. Greenburg Lyon was also a blacksmith. The only other Sparksliving in Putnam County in 1850 was Elizabeth Sparks, age 22, born inIndiana, who was living with the family of David C. and Elizabeth A.Allen in Floyd Township.

"Albert Cyrus Sparks moved to Minnesota as a young man and settlednear Pleasant Grove in Olmstead County. The exact date on which hemoved is unknown, but it was sometime prior to the summer of 1856 forin August of that year his oldest child was born in Minnesota. Thefirst census of Minnesota was taken in 1857. Albert C. Sparks waslisted in Olmstead County as 28 years old, a farmer, born in Kentucky,with his wife and first child. He was living in "Town 105, Range 13." Living next to Albert C. Sparks was the family of Elizabeth Sparks,54 years old, born in Pennsylvania. With-out doubt, this was themother of Albert C. Sparks. Living with her were William Sparks, age18, and Mary Sparks, age 16, both born in Indiana; these weredoubtless younger children of Elizabeth. Also living with her were E.R. Tubbs., age 5, born in Iowa.9 and L. J. Tubbs., age 3, born inMinnesota. Perhaps these were grandchildren. Living with the familyof Allen and Alice Dice nearby was John Sparks, age 11, born inIndiana. Perhaps he was also a son of Elizabeth. Also living inOlmstead County in 1857, only a few houses from Albert C. Sparks, wasJoseph Sparks, age 25, farmer, born in Indiana, and his wife, ArmelaSparks, age 18, also born in Indiana.

"On the 1860 census of Olmstead County, Minnesota, Albert C. Sparkswas listed with his wife and two children, but also living with himwere two nephews, Winfield Sparks who was born February 20, 1852, andBenjamin Sparks, born October 3, 1857; both were born in Iowa.Elizabeth Sparks was not listed in the 1860 census of Olmstead County-- perhaps she had died between 1857 and 1860, or she may have movedback to Indiana. Living next-door to Albert C. Sparks in 1860 was Jas. Sparks, age 27, farmer, born in Kentucky, with his wife Sarah (age21, born in Indiana)., and two children, Angeline, age 2, and James,age 1 month, both born in Minnesota. Living with them was a JosephineSparks, age 7, born in Iowa.

"Following the Civil war, Albert C. Sparks and his family moved fromMinnesota to Missouri, later to Kansas, where he operated a saw mill.Albert Cyrus and Sarah Jane (Collins) Sparks were the parents of thefollowing children

1. Hester Ann Sparks, born Aug. 27, 1856, at Pleasant Grove, Minn.;died April 21, 1945, at Fort Scott, Kansas. She married FrancisMarion Gross on July 3, 1876. They were the parents of four children:(1) Jesse Gross; (2) Norman Gross; (3) Orville Gross; and (4) NellieMatilda Gross.

2. Charles Sparks, born July 7, 1858, at Pleasant Grove, Minn.; diedon Dec. 10, 1951, in Colorado Springs, Colo. He married, first, OtieRosetta Lee, who was born in Fredonia, Kansas, and died in Chandler,Okla., on Aug. 20, 1895. They were the parents of two children: (1)Albert Sparks, born Jan. 28, 1891, at Fredonia; and (2) Syble Sparks,born Aug. 20, 1893. Charles Sparks married, second, at Chandler,Okla., on Dec. 28, 1898, Madge Evelyn Funk, who was born Aug. 8, 1874,in Stark County, Illinois. They were the parents of the followingchildren: (3) Phyllis Sparks; (4) Jennie Sparks; and (5) Isaac Sparks.(Madge Evelyn (Funk) Sparks, second wife of Charles Sparks, was thedaughter of Edgar Mortimer Funk, born Sept. 23, 1848, near Peoria,Ill., and Jennie Sharer, born near Laceyville, Penna., on Feb. 26,1849. They were married at Toulon, Stark Co., Ill., on Sept. 23,1869; both died near Vernon, Colo., and were buried in Chandler, Okla. Edgar Mortimer Funk was the son of Jesse Funk, born in FayetteCounty, Ohio, and his wife, Cynthia (Hanes) Funk, born in BrooksCounty, Va., near Natural Bridge. Jennie (Sharer) Funk was thedaughter of Samuel Sharer, born in the state of New York, a Baptistminister, who died in Ewart, Iowa, and his wife, Jerusha (Smith)Sharer who was born in Pennsylvania, a school teacher, of the QuakerFaith.)

3. James Madison Sparks, born October 17, 1860, at Pleasant Grove,Minn.; died April 30, 1937, at Los Angeles, Calif.; buried inWestminster Memorial Park Cemetery.

4. Matilda Jane Sparks, born May 15, 1862, at Pleasant Grove,Mirm.; died Aug. 8, 1905, at Palmyra, Missouri. She married AlphonsoEthelbert Mills Ely at Ft. Scott, Kansas, on March 26, 1883. They werethe parents of the following children: (1) Ruth Ely (Mrs. MilbyPorter, author of this query); (2) Drusilla Ely; and (3) A.E.M. Ely.

5. Albert Sparks, born Jan. 27, 1864, at Pleasant Grove, Minn.;died Aug., 1891, in a silver mine accident at Lamertine, Cob.; buriedin Idaho Cemetery, close to Cripple Creek.

6. Aletha Sparks, born June 22, 1866, at Pleasant Grove, Minn.;married Napoleon B. Simonds on Aug. 27, 1885. They had an appleorchard at Doniphan, Kansas.They were the parents of three children:(1) Lula Simonds; (2) Earl Simonds; (3) Walter Simonds. (One of theboys died at Camp Funston while in training for World War I.)

7. Flora Sparks, born May 15, 1868, at Pleasant Grove, Minn.; diedJune 3, 1869.

8. Luella May Sparks, born June 27, 1870, near Webb City,Missouri; died August 10, 1871.

9. Stella May Sparks (twin), born June 27, 1870, near Webb City,Missouri; died in childhood.

10. Cora Sparks, born Oct. 21, 1871, at Boonvilbe, Missouri; diedMay 6, 1952, at Atchison, Kansas. She married Ira Jett in August,1895, at Doniphan, Kansas. He was born March 3, 1870, at Doniphan,Kansas, and died May 28, 1929, at Atchison, Kansas.

11. Nora Sparks, born Dec., 1874; died August 11, 1876.

SQ p. 4656:

"Albert L. Sparks was born on October 26, 1864, in Lawrence County,and it was there that he was married to Emily Ann Hay in 1883. Shehad been born on August 16, 1860, and was a daughter of Thomas Hay.She and Albert lived on Whites Creek. She died on March 24, 1906.Albert died on May 26, 1945. They were buried in the Hay Cemetery.They had four children when the 1900 census was taken of ElliottCounty, and there may have been other children born to them later.The children on the census were: Alvin Sparks, Alma Sparks, EvaSparks, and Dewey Sparks"

!NOTES:
SQ 1358: "Albert Sidney Sparks, born Dec 18, 1871, died March 7, 1970, at Normandy, Tennessee. He married (1st) Sallie Summers on Jan.5, 187 5 (she was born in Aug. 2, 1856 and died Mar. 25, 1897). Theyhad one child, Foster Sparks, born Mar. 25, 1897, died Aug. 8, 1964.Albert S. Sparks married (2nd) Sarah Crimpshire (no children); hemarried (3rd) ---Donaldson, by who m he had three children: (1) LomaSparks, born Mar. 24, 1924; (2) Mabel Sparks , born Oct. 28, 1928; and(3) Herbert Sparks, born Dec. 7, 193O."

SQ pg 3470: Mike had seven children: Virginia, Albert, Lynn, Glen,Wayne, Judy, and James Richard Sparks.

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!NOTES:
SQ pg 3411: They had eight children: Loretta, Jeanetta, Juanita ,Viola, Harold, Lillian, Beatrice, and Amaryllis Gilliam.

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!NOTES:
SQ pg 2594: Aletha Mae Sparks, daughter of William Francis and Mar yAnn (Fishpaugh) Sparks, was born on May 29, 1890, at Buck Creek, Indiana. She married Charles Alberding and they have seven children :Olive, Wilbur, Irene, Ralph, Estella, Kenneth, and Ardella. Estel laAlberding married LeRoy Tetzloff.

See SQ p. 332 for birth information.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
Alfred Sparks & Mary Ann Green, December 30, 1852. (Book II, p. 53) Heborn on head of Big Blane Creek; she in Scott County, Virginia. He 21years old; she 14 years old.

SQ pp. 4647-48:

"Alford Sparks, son of Calvin and Sally (Lyon) Sparks, was born onFebruary 22, 1831, in Lawrence County, Kentucky. His given name wasspelled Alford on early records; however, descendants graduallychanged the spelling to Alfred. He was married to Mary "Polly" AnnGreen on December 30, 1852, in Lawrence County. According to themarriage license, he had been born "at the head of Blaine Creek" whileshe had been born in Scott County, Virginia, on September 12, 1838.She was a daughter of William Wellington and Sally (Hutchison) Green.

"Alford and Polly Ann lived on the Little Fork of Little Sandy Riverdear the post office, Fielden, in that portion of Lawrence County thatbecame part of Elliott County in 1896. He served for a short periodof time in Company A, 68th Regiment Kentucky Infantry during the CivilWar. He was the first coroner of Elliott County.

"Alford Sparks died on April 13, 1899. His wife, Polly (Green)Sparks, survived him nearly twenty-five years, dying on April 12,1923. They were buried in the J. S. Sparks Cemetery on Little ForkRoad. They had nine children." [A photograph of Alford and Polly Ann(Green) Sparks appears on p. 4648, SQ.]

SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1984, No. 127; MATTHEW J. SPARKS (1759-
1841) & HIS DESCENDANTS; pg 2665:

"Alfred Sparks, son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks was born onOctober 23, 1819. He died the following year on August 6th."

Alfred Sparks and his family are included in the 1860 census for GreenCounty, Indiana. See SQ p. 4450.

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!NOTES:
SQ pg 4067: He was married to Zella Sexton and they had one child ,Josephine.

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!NOTES:
SQ pg 4476: Alfred Sparks was married twice. His first marriag e wasto Barbara Jones. His second marriage was to Marjorie ---.

SQ p. 3908: "Alfred Daniel Sparks, son of Daniel and Ellender(Cordial) Sparks, was born in March 1860. According to relatives, hewas married to Mary Ann Green, and they had five children.
a. Elma Sparks was born in August 1880. She was married to Amos C.Caudill.
b. Rosa Sparks
c. Nelson Sparks was born in January 1884.
d. Mary Sparks
e. Jesse Sparks."

[JS Note: I am suspicious of the conclusion that Alfred Sparks wasmarried to Mary Ann Green. The following record appears in the SparksQuarterly: "See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the followingmarriage information from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds(1822- 1865):Alfred Sparks & Mary Ann Green, December 30, 1852. (BookII, p. 53) He born on head of Big Blane Creek; she in Scott County,Virginia. He 21 years old; she 14 years old."
This record may have given rise to the assumption mentioned. However,this refers to Alford Sparks, son of Calvin and Sarah (Lyon) Sparks,who married Mary Ann Green. Note that the marriage record states thatshe was 14 years of age in 1852 which would have given her a birthyear of about 1838. His age is given as 21 which would give him abirthdate of 1831, not 1860. Perhaps there were two Alfred and MaryAnn (Green] Sparkses, but it is not likely.]

See The Sparks Quarterly, June 1998, Whole No. 182, pps 5000-5001 fornotes taken by Alice Sparks of conversations she had with hergrandaunt "Lizzie Sparks", daughter of Hardy Sparks, under whose notesAlice's comments appear.

SQ pg 3409: They had five children: Paul, Terry, Roger, Edward , andKathy Frederick.

SQ pg 2633:

"She marjried Edward J. Moore and they had a son named Raymond Moorewho was living in Steger, Illinois, in 1953."

SQ pg 2522: "Alice Irene Sparks, daughter of George and Elizabeth(Morgan) Sparks, was born on April 30, 1857, in Georgia. On December18, 1879 , she was married to Marlin Wilder in Falls County, Texas.He was born in 1857 . Alice died in 1892; Marlin died in 1940. Theyhad five children:

(1) Bertha Wilder married Tyne W. Smith and they had six children :Alice, Violet, G. Cook, John, Tyne, Jr., and Birdie Ruth.

(2) Clarence R. Wilder married May --- and they had six children :Ceicle, Clarence, Annie, Lucilla, Thomas and Alice.

(3) Virgile H. (Jack) Wilder married Lennie Mayo and they had fivechildren: Marice, Mary F., Ruby, Buster, and Jackie Sue.

(4) Hebard Wilder

(5) Thurman Wilder married Birdie Reynolds (his first cousin, daughterof his mother's sister Birdie Sparks Reynolds)

A picture of Alice Irene (Sparks) Wilder appears on page 3312 of theQUARTERLY.