See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1986, Whole No. 134, p 2877:

"Eady Sparks, daughter of William and Mary (Fielder) Sparks, was bornon August 15, 1810, in Clarke County, Georgia. She was undoubtedlynamed for her father's sister, Eady Sparks. Eady (daughter ofWilliam) was about a year old when her parents left Georgia to go tothe Territory of Mississippi. There she grew to womanhood and marriedJames H. Simmons on January 12, 1828, in Lawrence County. He had beenborn on February 15, 1801, in Rowan County, North Carolina, and was ason of Jesse and Charity Simmons.

"(Editor's Note: The given name of Eady (also spelled Edy or Edie) isnot uncommon among the descendants of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson)Sparks. Four sons of Matthew and Sarah named a daughter "Edy" or"Eady." It was probably a nickname originally. Some descendants claimthat it was a shortened form of Edith; others say that it was derivedfrom Idris. In all probability, the exact derivation will never beknown. In this article (and in others) we will try to use it just aswe have found it in the records.)

"The 1830 consus found the Simmons family in Yazoo County,Mississippi, but by 1831 the family was in neighboring Attala County.They were still there when the 1840 census was taken and appaarentlythey did not go with the Sparkses to Texas in 1836. It was not until1846 (after the death of Charity Simmons and the settlement of herestate) that James and Eady Simmons took their family to Texas wherethey settled in Rusk County. Shortly after they arrived there, JamesSimmons and his wife (along with others, unnamed) were named as heirsof Levi N. Sparks, who had died about 1848 without issue. They soldthe 89 acres that they had inherited in Cooke County. A footnote tothis transaction reads: "Levi N. Sparks was a son of William Sparks,Revolutionary soldier of Nacogdoches County. Mrs. Simmons was adaughter."

"The Simmons family continued to live in Rusk county until about 1861when they moved to Collin County. Three sons and a daughter weremarried by this time, and the country was on the eve of civil strife.All of the sons of James and Eady would serve in the ConfederateStates Army.

"James H. Simmons died in Collin County on April 16, 1879. His estatewas probated on May 28, 1880, with his wife serving as hisadministratrix. The inventory of his estate totaled abnout $3,140.Eady (Sparks) Simmons survived her husband nearly twenty years, dyingon March 2, 1897. She was buried beside her husband in the FitzhughCemetery in Collin County. They were the parents of ten identifiablechildren."

**********

On July 30, 2002 an email was received from Patricia Ann West, Ph.D.(wiz@websitewiz.com) to which was attached several pages of datarelating to the descendants of Edith Arminda Sparks and James H.Simmons, Sr. Notes provided by Dr. West will be prefaced with herinitials (PAW). We are grateful for her help.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4473: They had two children: Karolyn Nan and Barbara Jan Lawrence.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 2002, Whole No. 190, pp 5388-89:

"Edmond Jones Sparks (called Jones Sparks on the 1850 census), son ofWilliam D. Sparks, was born on October 4, 1837, in Surry County, NorthCarolina, and died on October 11, 1922, at Lindsay, Tulare County,California. He was married in Cooper County, Missouri, on December 25,1856, to Mary Duncan, daughter of Andrew Jackson and Sarah Jane(Fulton) Duncan.

"Mrs. Carol Hodge March whom we have quoted earlier, descends fromEdmond Jones Sparks; she is a granddaughter of Samantha Alice Sparks,born August 5, 1862, who was one of the 12 children of Edmond Jonesand Mary (Duncan) Sparks. Mrs. March has written the followingregarding her great- grandfather:

"Edmond Jones Sparks was born in Surry County, North Carolina, inOctober 1837, son of William D. and Priscilla Sparks. Before 1840 thefamily moved to Cooper County, Missouri, where his father was afarmer. In April 1852 Edmond Jones Sparks (often called "Jonas" or "E. J.") and his brothers, Richard and Martin, joined a wagon train inthe Gold Rush to California. They may have served as scouts on thewagon train on that trip west. Once there, I believe they did moreprospecting for land than they did for gold; they spent at least onesummer helping with a wheat harvest in the Capay Valley. They returnedto Missouri via the Isthmus of Panama.

"Edmond was married to Mary Eliza Duncan. in Cooper County on December25, 1856. Their first child was born in Missouri in 1858, and in 1858they started across the plains in a covered wagon and ox team forCalifornia. One account tells of the troubles they encountered enroute. While fording a stream Edmond tied his only pair of shoes ontoa horse to keep them from getting wet; however, the horse ran away andwas never caught, leaving my great-grand father to walk barefooted1,000 miles until he could purchase shoes at a trading post in Nevada! In California they settled first on the Beat River near Nicholas,Sutter County, then later purchased land on Coon Creek near Lincoln inPlacer County, where he had a very successful grain and cattle ranch,and there he built a large two-story Victorian home. He was electedSupervisor of Placer County for two terms and was active in theMasonic Orders in that county. In 1895, he sold his ranch and moved toRedlands, San Bernardino County, California, due to his wife's poorhealth. After her death in 1904, he lived with his son in Lindsay,Tulare County, California, where he died on October 11, 1922, at theage of 85.

"The names of the children of Edmond Jones and Mary (Duncan) Sparkshave been provided by Mrs. March as follows: [See the individualsheets for these children)

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4072: Edna Lee Sparks was born on March 21, 1934, and wa s atwin to Edward Sparks, next above. She was married twice. Her f irstmarriage was to James Sosbe by whom she had a daughter, Vernia L ee.Her second marriage was to Ray Trevitt. She died on May 24, 199 0.

SQ p. 1339:

"Edna Nafania Sparks, born February 10,, 1885., in Brady, Texas, diedMarch 4, 1955, in Brady. She married Chesley James Watters onDecember 8, 1907, in Brady. He was born July 1, 1883, in Bosqueville,Texas. They had one daughter, Eula May Watters, born September 27,1908, in Menard, Texas. She was married twice and by her firsthusband she had one son, Robert Eugene Wall, born March 23, 1933. Shemarried (second) Thomas Calvin Prince on June 4, 1935. He was bornJanuary 14, 1912, in Wellington, Texas. They had one son, JerryLowell Prince, born April 16, 1937, in Brady, Texas."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4072: He was married to Hilda Doris Stokes.

See UNION COUNTY, KENTUCKY GENEALOGY, VOL. 4., FHL 976.9885 D2h page120
which lists deaths of children which might be issue of Edward:
--- Sparks, s/o E S and M B Sparks, Sep 28, 1866 (sic)
Joseph, s/o E S and M B Sparks, Mar 12, 1880-Apr 10, 1880
Ruby, d/o E S and M B Sparks, Mar 18, 1883-July 9, 1884
These persons are buried in the Masonic Cemetary, Morganfield, UnionCo. KY. A book entitled UNION COUNTY KENTUCKY GENEALOGY, 976.988 5D2h located in the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utahincludes a record of burials in St. Ann's Roman Catholic Cemetary inMorganfield and lists Ed S. Sparks 1851-1926.

See also UNION COUNTY KENTUCKY DEATH RECORDS 1911-1950, FHL 976.98 85V38h at page 41:"SPARKS, Edward, (born) August 16, 1851, (died)December 16, 1926, son of Solomon and Margaret (Simms) Sparks-Catholic (St. Anns). Diane (Sparks) Arnold sent me a photocopy of thecertified copy of his death certificate which cooberates theforegoing. It lists no name for his spouse. It is probable that shepredeceased Edward.

A copy of the death certificate of Edward Sparks states that he wasborn on August 16, 1851 and died on December 16, 1926 at the age of 75years and 4 mos of cancer of the stomach. His father was SolomonSparks born in Virginia and Margaret Simms born in Virginia. He wasburied in the Catholic Cemetery (in Morganfield?) on December 18,1826. The form indicates that he was single and not widowed ordivorced. (I have no source for his stated marriage to BelleSnodgrass.)

Sparks Quarterly pg1551:

ADDITIONAL SPARKS MARRIAGES IN KENTUCKY, continued:

BOYD COUNTY, KENTUCKY, MARRIAGE BONDS (1860-1905)

E. W, Sparks and Mary L. Miller, 1905. (Book 23a, page 493) Hesingle, age 27, born in Elliott County, -Kentucky; father, G. W.Sparks, born in Kentucky; mother, Louisa J. Creech, born in Kentucky.She, single, age 15, born in Lawrence County, Ky.; father, WilliamMiller, born in Kentucky; mother, Alley Campbell, born in Kentucky.Witness, Rettie Sparks.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1989, Whole No. 148, pp. 3524-3525

Pension Application of Edwin Sparks, son of Levi and Zulima Craig(Moore) Sparks, was born on October 26, 1829, in Adams County,Ohio. He was married to Priscilla Spurgeon on March 31, 1851, atDubuque, Iowa. He served in Company C, 21st Regiment IowaInfantry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 118,653; Widows Cert.No. 576,823.

"Edwin Sparks received a Certificate of Disability for Discharge onApril 4, 1863, at Memphis, Tennessee. He was a sargeant in Capt.Jesse M. Harrison's Company C, of the 21st Regiment Iowa Infantry. Hehad enlisted in the company on August 20, 1862, at Dubuque, Iowa, toserve for three years. He had been born in Adams County, Ohio; was 32years of age; was 6 feet tall; had a fair complexion, blue eyes andlight hair; and he was a farmer. Surgeon William L. Orr certifiedthat Sparks was incapable of performing the duties of a soldierbecause of the loss of all the fingers of his right hand by amputationas the result of a gunshot wound.

"On April 17, 1871, Sparks applied for an invalid pension stating thatthe loss of his fingers prevented him from earning his support. Hesaid that he lost his fingers as the result of an accidental gunshotwound which he received while preparing to march from Houston,Missouri, to West Plains, Missouri. Since leaving the service, he hadlived at Delaware County, Iowa, and Kossuth County, Iowa. Heappointed H. S. Vaughn as his attorney, and Thomas Henderson andGillespie M. Parsons witnessed his signature.

"Invalid Certificate No. 118,653 was issued to Edwin Sparks, and hewas placed upon the pension roll. Sometime about 1875, he moved tothe state of Washington where he died at Vancouver on February 19,1891.

"On March 21, 1891, Sparks's widow, Priscilla Sparks, applied for awidow's pension. She said she was married to Sparks on March 31,1851, at Dubuque, Iowa, by Elder Mobley. She was married under hermaiden name of Priscilla Spurgeon. It was the first marriage forboth. James Snodgrass and William Cahill witnessed her make her mark.

"Apparently the pension application of Priscilla Sparks was notapproved, for on February 23, 1901, she reapplied under the provisionsof the 1900 Act of Congress. She was now 68 years of age, and still aresident of Vancouver, Washington. She appointed Milo B. Stevens &Co., Washington, D.C., as her attorneys. Sarah J. Sharp and E. M.Green witnessed her make her mark.

"On June 10, 1901, the War Department confirmed Sparks's militaryservice. He had been enrolled on August 19, 1862, in Company C, 21stRegiment Iowa Infantry and was discharged on April 9, 1863, on aSurgeon's Certificate of Disability. He had been wounded in the righthand at the Battle of Houston on January 8, 1863, and the injurynecessitated the amputation of all fingers.

"Three affidavits were made on June 7, 1901, to support PriscillaSparks's claim. Arthur H. Nichols, aged 56; Roxy Cramer, aged 70; andMary Dean, all residents of Vancouver, testified that Edwin Sparks andPriscilla Spurgeon had been married in 1851 and had lived together asman and wife until his death in 1891. Since his death, she had notre-married. On the same day. Dr. J. R. Smith testified that he wasthe family physician of Edwin Sparks and had treated him during hislast illness and that Sparks had died from a siege of grippe whichlasted about one month.

"Widow Certificate No. 576,823 was issued to Priscilla Sparks, and shewas placed upon the pension roll. When she died on January 15, 1919,she was receiving a pension of $25.00 per month.

"[Editor's Note: Edwin Sparks was a son of Levi and Zulima Craig(Moore) Sparks of Adams County, Ohio, and Dubuque County, Iowa. Hispaternal grandparents were Solomon and Catherine (Hillegas) Sparks,also of Adams County, Ohio. He was a great-grandson of George andMary Sparks of Washington County, Pennsylvania. For further detailsof these people, see the June and September 1963 issues of theQUARTERLY, Whole Nos. 42 and 43, respectively; also the issue forMarch 1971, Whole No. 73, and that for March 1984, Whole No. 125.

From other sources, we have learned that Edwin and Priscilla(Spurgeon) Sparks had twelve children. Their names, birthdates, andthe names of their spouses (if any) are given below:

1. Ella Ann Eliza Sparks, born March 16, 1852; she married CharlesE. Wheelock in 1873.
2. Walter Winfield Sparks, born December 22, 1853; he married MaryE.
Spurgeon in 1883.
3. Edwin Sparks, Jr., born November 23, 1855; he died in 1880, un-
married.
4. Marian Porter Sparks, born April 25, 1858; she married Harry C.
Dannals in 1880.
5. Marshall Rowe Sparks, born October 7, 1860; he married Alice D.Sharp
in 1884.
6. Sarah Zulima Sparks, born August 21, 1862; she married MatthiasC.
Sharp.
7. Mary Ramsey Sparks, born April 2, 1864; she married (1st) ErnestH.
Haack and (2nd) Joseph Clark.
8. Leo Charles Sparks, born February 2, 1866; he married MarianClark.
9. Catherine Emma Sparks, born January 3, 1868; died on December 5, 1879.
10. Mabel Nancy Sparks, born April 4, 1869; she married Grant Colfax Bacon in 1887.
11. John Oliver Sparks, born February 7, 1871; he married EllaProebstel
in 1893.
12. Matthias Elias Spurgeon Sparks, born April 4, 1873; died December1,
1879.

"The above information on the children of Edwin and Priscilla(Spurgeon) Sparks appears in a photostat copy of 25 hand-writtencharts prepared by Lieutenant Commander Dean Brooks. He presentedthese to the Institute of American Genealogy on November 14, 1949; hewas then living in Los Angeles. This collection of charts has thetitle "Revolutionary Veteran Solomon Sparks of Pennsylvania and Someof His Descendants to 1925." The Institute of American Genealogyceased to exist many years ago, and your editor was able to purchasethis copy of Lt. Comdr. Dean Brooks's charts when its collection ofrecords was sold.
[JS: But see SQ p. 4049 amending the source of the collection toJudge Walter Sparks, cousin of Dean Brooks.]

Following is a portion of the article on the pension application ofWilliam Henry Sparks, father of Edwin McMasters Sparks, as related byPercival "Pete" Sparks, William's grandson. It appears in the SPARKSQUARTERLY, December, 1977, Whole No. 100, p.1942:

"Pete Sparks relates that his father, Edwin McMasters Sparks, "taughtschool one year at Tollesboro (Kentucky) and lived in Sand Hill; hewalked nine miles each way, each day. He was supposed to have gotten ahouse to rent, but the deal fell through." Regarding his grandfather,Pete recalls: "Bill Henry lived in a valley, Bill Henry's brother,Thornton Sparks, lived on top of the hill (Mowery Precinct), and eachSunday Thornton would drive past Bill Henry's house on his way tochurch. Old Bill Henry would be sitting on his front porch. Thorntonwould say 'Good morning, Will' Bill Henry would nod his head andgrunt. They might not see each other for another week, when the sameexchange would take place."

Pete Sparks's father, Edwin McMasters Sparks, was killed by a trainwhen Pete was only two years old, and his mother then returned to thehome of her parents, Samuel and Alice Wilson. Pete relates that "theWilsons at one time owned ten square miles in that area, given them byGeorge Washington, and my mother's mother always felt the Wilsons werebetter than the Sparkses. Like the Hatfields and the McCoys, theWilsons lived in the river bottom, the land was more tillable, andthey were more prosperous than the Sparkses who lived in the hillswhere grazing land was about all they had. Old Bill Henry had a flatarea on top of the hill back of his house, where he had a race track,to work out his harness horses.

The center of the track was the vegetable garden and one of myearliest recollections was riding; in my Uncle Willie's lap, riding,around the track, and waving to the twins (daughters of Myrtle SparksHouston) who would be pickin pole beans, or whatever, in the garden.""

* * * * *

SQ 2447:

"Edy Sparks, daughter of Absalom and Lydia (Elsberry) Sparks, was Bornabout 1806. She was undoubtedly named for her father's sister, EdySparks, who is thought to have married Randolph Traylor, probablyabout 1785, and who moved to Lawrence County, Mississippi.

"Edy Sparks may have moved to Texas with her parents, and they mayhave died there, leaving her as the head of the family. Whatever thecircumstances, in 1833 she was given a land grant in WashingtonCounty, Texas, of about 4,600 acres as the head of a family. thegrant was certified to her on March 22,
1838, after she had furnished proof that (1) she had arrived inWashington County in 1833, and (2) she was the head of a family.

"The latter statement is puzzling in view of the fact that Edy Sparksmay never have married. It is a matter of record that a license wasissued on April 21, 1838, in Washington County, Texas, by John Power,a justice of the peace, authorizing the marriage of Edy Sparks andDrury McGee. Apparently,
the license was never returned. Several years later, in 1874,affidavits were made by knowledgable persons that "Edy Sparks diedwithout children."

"Edy Sparks died prior to September 1849, and her estate was dividedamong her sisters and brothers. The administration of the estate tookseveral years, and as late at 1874 affidavits were made to prove herheirs. That year, Benjamin Polk, of Johnson County, Texas, and WillisSparks, of Bosque County Texas, swore that Edy Sparks had died withoutchildren and that her heirs were: Matthew Sparks, Willoughby Sparks,Elsberry Sparks, Lydia Boatright and Fanny Tidwell."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3409: They had five children: Jerry, Barbara, Mary, Nancy ,and Laurie Richardson.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3694:
"His first marriage was to Gennette "Nettie" Franklin on Februar y 25,1906, and they had one child, Ethel America.
"His second marriage was to Dora Frances Wright on May 10, 1916, a tCheyenne, Oklahoma. Elam and Dora had four children: Hazel Catherine, Nellie Ruth, Ruby Carol, and Johnnie Arelda."
His photograph appears with that of his cousin, Dora Sparks, on pa ge3694.

SQ p. 332 for birth information.

SQ 3797: She was married to Peter Mauk in 1818.

SQ 3859: "Eleanor "Nellie" Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Rebecc aSparks, was born on February 15, 1791, in Surry County, North Carolina. She was married to Peter Mauk on June 8, 1818, in Scott County ,Virginia. He had been born on April 14, 1781, and this marriage ma yhave been his second. He was a son of Frederick and Margaret Mauk .He and Nellie came to Kentucky shortly after their marriage and settled in that section of Lawrence County that became a part of Carte rCounty in 1838. Nellie died there in March 1858, and Peter died o nFebruary 13, 1859. They were buried in the Mauk Cemetery in what i snow Elliott County. They were the parents of eight children."

SQ p. 4637:

"Eleanor Sparks, daughter of Garrett and Betsey (Boggs) Sparks, wasborn on February 8, 1829, and was a twin of Reuben David Sparks. Shewas married to Wiliam Lyon about 1850, probably in Lawrence County.He had been born on July 4, 1825, and was a son of William "Redhead"and Sarah (Holbrook) Lyon. William and Eleanor lived for a while onKeaton Fork of Blaine Creek, but later moved to the Middle Fork of theLittle Fork of Little Sandy River about 1865. We have not been sent arecord of the death of Eleanor Lyon. William died on May 30, 1905.They had nine children according to a descendant."

!NOTES:
SQ 1359: "Eleanor Caroline Sparks, daughter of Jacobson and Cynthia
(Champion) Sparks, was born February 2O, 1854, and died September 12 ,1943; she
married Wince Carlton, born December 6, 1848."

SQ pg 2623: She went by the name Josephine. She was married toFrederick Wilson Hirst on September 13, 1875, in Fulton County, Illinois. He was born about 1848 in the state of New York to parents whowere natives of England. In the early days of the Union PacificRailroad, he was in charge of the district at Ogden, Utah. Later hetaught school. He and Josephine had three children.

* * * * *

On November 11, 2001, an email was received from C. Fred Busch(FrednBonBon@netzero.com] in which he provided information relating toEleanor Josephine Sparks, his great-grandmother and her descendants inhis line. He stated that she was:

"My Great-Grandmother: Eleanor Josephine Sparks Hirst, bornDecember 5, 1854-Died July 17, 1938 in Ogden, Utah.

Born in Praire City, Illinois and daugher of Joseph Sparks and SusanDeFord Sparks. Married Frederick Wilson Hirst in 1875 in Fulton City,Illinois. Frederick was born in 1848, in New York State, the son ofJohn Frederick HIrst and ? Wilson. Moved to Fort Bridger, Wyoming in1876 with her husband, who was a collector of specimans for theSmithsonian Institute and manager for the Union Pacific Railroad. Theymoved to Ogden Utah in 1893. He died in 1889. She started herteaching career in Iowa and continued teaching in Fort Bridger for 16years, from 1876 to 1893 when she moved to Ogden, Utah. In Utah, sheserved as both a teacher and as a Principal and was active incommunity and women's organizations up to the time of her death. Shehad two daughters, Florence Josephine and Ethel Louise Hirst.Florence married a man named ? Newcomb and lived, and died in Ogden,Utah. She was an educator, like her mother, Eleanor Josephine SparksHirst."

!NOTES:
SQ 3870: Eleanor "Nellie" Sparks was married to William Craft o nOctober
13, 1852, in Greenup County, Kentucky. He had been born about 1828 .Nellie
died on December 17, 1909. She and William had nine children:
a. Sarah Craft was born about 1854. She was married to William Riggle.
b. Ada Craft was born about 1856. She was married to Patrick Ans on.
c. Charles Smith Craft was born on July 25, 1857.
d. Mary Ellen Craft was born about 1860. She married John Reynol ds.
e. Martha A. Craft was born about 1864. She married to James Douglas.
f. Willis Craft was born about 1867. He married Belle Salyers.
g. John Craft was born about 1869. He married Sarah Crance.
h. William Ellis Craft was born about 1871 and died when he was young.
i. Henry Craft was born about 1875. He married Frances Bunch.

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

"Eli Sparks, son of Jesse and Nancy Sparks, was born on March 24, 1838, and was a twin of Eda Sparks. He was married to Rebecca Rice, andthey had seven children: Isabella, Amanda, Boone, Mary Ellen, John ,Sarah and Fleming."
On the internet, on Nov 2, 1997, I received some Email from a child ofFleming whose name was Nila Moore, 2301 W. Grecourt, Toledo, OH 43615.She sent me information on her family which has been input. I senther a copy of my book.
(Sequel Dec 19, 1998, impeachment day, Day 2 Iraq bombing: I receivedworksheets from Nila Moore which I have incorporated into the familypages of Eli Sparks.)
(Another sequel: Reviewing some old notes I found the following:

US Census Record, Martinsburg (Now Sandy Hook), Elliott County,Kentucky, 7 June, 29 June (?) 1870 (FHL 976.9255x286:
127. Alexander Sparks 34 $100 Born KY
Rebecca 36 "
Mary 9 "
Landon 6 "
Mary (sic) 5 "
John 3 "

They are living next door to Nelson (and Sarah) Sparks, his fourthcousin, once removed.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1986, Whole No. 134, p. 2889:

"Eli G. Sparks, son of William and Mary (Fielder) Sparks, was bornabout 1814 in Mississippi. He apparently went to Texas with hisparents, but did not participate in the Texas-Mexican War. Accordingto the earliest record we have found of him, he was single when hearrived in Nacogdoches County in March 1837. He was taxed there in1839 and 1840 as one poll with a saddle horse. He applied for a landgrant on June 7, 1839, and was granted 640 acres.

"On January 9, 1840, Eli G. Sparks was married to Evalina Hall inNacogdoches County. She was born on June 11, 1823, and was a daughterof John Hall, a resident of Nacogdoches County. (Some records refer toher given name as "Ebalina.11) Eli was listed on the 1840 census ofNacogdoches County, but apparently he died shortly thereafter. He andEvalina had no children. After Eli's death, Evalina married (2nd)John Thomas McDaniel.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1873, Whole No. 82, pg. 1556:
ELIJAH SPARKS (born about 1770, died 1815) OF EARLY INDIANA

"(Editor's note: We have found few Sparks men whose lives touched asmany records as did that of the Rev. Elijah Sparks. A hasty andincomplete count by the author of this article reveals that data havebeen collected from nearly fifty sources. One of the earliest andmost biographical of these sources was written by a contemporary andfellow minister, the Rev. Allen Wiley, who wrote a series of articlesentitled "Medhodism in Indiana." These articles first appeared in theTRI- WEEKLY STATE JOURNAL between August, 1845, and November, 1846.They were republished in the INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY, VolumeXXIII, 1927. )

"Although several persons have contributed data relative to thisarticle, three descendants of Elijah Sparks who have shared materialsthat they had collected and preserved over a long period of timeshould be given special notice. (Here are names and addresses ofcontributers.)

"One of the early religious and political leaders of the IndianaTerritory was Elijah Sparks, who settled in Dearborn County. In theshort period of time from his arrival in 1806 until his untimely deathin 1815, he was "one of the prominent instruments of the planting,spreading and symetry [sic] of Methodism in Indiana," according to theRev. Mr. Wiley. In addition, he was a practicing lawyer and Judge ofthe Third Circuit Court of the Territory, a most unusual combinationof talents even in those early days.

"We have been unable to learn the names of the parents of ElijahSparks. In a letter to President Madison dated February 23, 1813, inwhich he explained why some of his friends had applied to have himappointed Judge, Sparks wrote, "It was my misfortune (if it be properto call it such) to be deprived of Parents in very early life; andfrom the Law of Primogenitr & other miscarriages, I was thrown on theworld helpless and unlearned." His reference to the Law ofPrimogeniture as a miscarriage (i.e. misfortune) indicates that he hadan older brother who, under the Law of Primogeniture, had the right toinherit his parent's property. From several sources, we know thatElijah had a brother named Robert Sparks; perhaps he was the olderbrother who had inherited all of this father's real estate.

"We have been able to learn very little regarding Robert Sparks. Aswill be noted in more detail later in this sketch, Elijah Sparks diedin 1815 while on his way to visit his brother, Robert, who was thenliving on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. According to informationreceived from The Historical Society of the Eastern PennsylvaniaConference of the United Medhodist Church, records prove that "RobertSparks was a Supernumerary Preacher in the Philadelphia Conference in1808." The Delaware District and dorchester are also mentioned withhis name. His name also appears in the Philadelphia Conferencerecords in 1810, but no information is given.

"The Rev. Allen Wiley confessed that he knew nothing of Sparks'sparentage or early training, which appears quite strange since he hadapparently been well acquainted with him. Wiley was born in 1789 inFrederick County, Virginia and came to Kentucky in 1797; he then wentto Dearborn County, Indiana, in 1804. Wiley joined the MethodistChurch in 1810, became licensed to preach in 1813, and spent the restof his live in the ministry. He died in 1848.

"We are also uncertain regarding the place of birth of Elijah Sparks.The Rev. Mr. Wiley wrote that Sparks had been born in Queen Ann'sCounty, Virginia, about 1770. There was never a county by that namein Virginia, however, and Wiley's statement is further contradicted byanother contemporary and fellow minister, the Rev. Henry Boehm.According to Boehm, Elijah Sparks was born in Maryland; he alsomentions Elijah's brother, Robert Sparks, and stated that he was stillliving in Maryland at the time he wrote, which was about 1840.Boehm's ministry took him to Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, andKentucky, including all of the places where Elijah Sparks had livedand preached, so it might seem that he should have been in a positionto know his birth place. (See his REMINISCENCES OF SIXTY-FOUR YEARSIN THE MINISTRY.)

Undoubtedly, the Rev. Mr. Wiley was well acquainted with Elijah Sparksand it can be assumed that Wiley was well acquainted with the area inVirginia in which he himself grew up. Why, then, did he makereference to Queen Ann's County, Virginia, when in fact there is notand never was such a county in Virginia? Could he have meant QueenAnnes County, Maryland, where in 1778 there were twenty-seven Sparksfamilies?

Was Elijah Sparks a native of Frederick County, Virginia? In a sketchof David Sparks, Elijah's grandson, published in a HISTORY OFDEARBORN, OHIO AND SWITZERLAND COUNTIES, INDIANA in 1885, Elijah wassaid to have been born in Fredericksburgh, Virginia. Fredericksburghis in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, but it would have been a naturalerror to confuse Frederick County, with Fredericks- burgh. Inaddition, the COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHY OF PROMINENT & REPRESENTATIVEMEN OF INDIANAPOLIS & VICINITY, published in 1908, states that ElijahSparks was a native of Winchester, Virginia. This town is inFrederick County, Virginia.

It was in Frederick County, Virginia, that Elijah Sparks was marriedto Elizabeth Weaver on August 8, 1793. There were also two otherSparks marriages in Frederick County at about the same time. On March1, 1785, Ann Sparks was married to William Ross, while on august 15,1795, William Sparks was married to Mary Robinson. We also know thatthere was a Sparks family in Frederick County at an earlier date. In1754, Samuel Sparks, from Frederick County, enlisted in Colonel GeorgeWashington's regiment and was in the battle of Great Meadows. Hereenlisted in 1780 during the Revolutionary War. (See VIRGINIACOLONIAL MILITIA LISTS by Grozier, 1935, pg 36.) We also have arecord of another Sparks marriage in Frederick County many yearslater; on May 30, 1836, Maria Sparks was married to Baxter Thornton.

Records have been searched of both Queen Annes County, Maryland, andFrederick County, Virginia, for the origin of Elijah Sparks, but noconclusive evidence had been found. Until other records are uncoveredto give definite proof, his place of birth must remain a matter ofconjecture. There is one other fact, however, that would suggestVirginia as his birthplace. As noted earlier, in 1813 Elijah Sparksreferred to the "Law of Primogeniture" as having been one of thecauses of his poverty in early life. Since he was a lawyer, Sparksprobably referred to primogeniture correctly in its legal sence. Ifso, Virginia would have to have been his birthplace rather thanMaryland because in Maryland the law of primogeniture had beenrepealed in 1715, long before Elijah's birth. This law was notrepealed in Virginia, however, until early in the Revolutionary War.(See Evelyn Cecil's PRIMOGENITURE, A SHORT HISTORY OF ITS DEVELOPMENTAND ITS PRACTICAL EFFECTS, London, J. Murray, 1895, pp. 75-76.)Inherited from England and adopted in a number of the colonies as law,primogeniture is the right by which the oldest son of a family,regardless of the father's wishes, succeeds to the father's realestate in preference to, and to the absolute exclusion of, the youngersons and daughters. Thomas Jefferson, who greatly opposed the law,referred in his autobiography to its abolition in Virginia at thebeginning of the Revolution, saying that its end "removed the feudaland unnatural distinctions which made one member of every famiy richand all the rest poor." Its effect was, of course, to keep farms andplantations from being cut up into small parcels.

"The law of primogeniture was in effect for only six or eight yearsafter Elijah Sparks was born, so his father would have had to die whenElijah was very small for the law to have effected him. Note,however, that Elijah did say in his lettre to President Madison in1813 that he had been "deprived of Parents in very early life."

"Prior to his marrige to Elizabeth Weaver, Elijah Sparks had committedhimself to religious work. The Rev. Allen Wiley wrote that when he(Sparks) was about nineteen or twenty years old "he became aprofessor of religion and in 1792 became a traveling preacher." Thereis some uncertainty about his preaching assignment, but he was "ontrial" (the first step toward becoming a Methodist minister) in 1792when he is put down for the Rockingham Circuit. Rockingham Circuitundoubtedly refers to a church circuit related in some way toRockingham County, Virginia, located a little further up theShenandoah Valley from Frederick County.

"As stated earlier, Elijah Sparks was married to Elizabeth Weaver inFrederick County, Virginia, on August 8, 1793. An account of themarriage as recorded by Elizabeth Timberlake Davis in FREDERICKCOUNTY, VIRGINIA, MARRIAGES, 1771-1825, page 15, gives Elizabeth'sname as Eliza, and her father as Francis Weaver, but the latterstatement is incorrect for it was Elizabeth's mother Frances Weaver,who gave her consent. John B. Tilden wa surety for Elijah Sparks.

"According to data sent to us by Miss Firnhaber, Elizabeth Weaver wasborn on December 1, 1772, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, one ofseven children born to George and Frances (Brechbuhl) Weaver. GeorgeWeaver was born about 1733 and was a son of Jacob and Anna (Bowman)Weaver, or Weber, who come to Penn- sylvania about 1715-1730 fromSwitzerland and settled on 3,000 acres of land in Weaver Valley (WeberThal), Earle Township, Lancaster County. Jacob Weaver and brothersJohn and Henry, had acquired the land from William Penn. FrancesBrech- buhl, or Brackbill, was born about 1738, a daughter of Ulrichand Frances (Herr) Brachbuhl.

"George Weaver, father of Elizabeth (Weaver) Sparks, died in May,1782, leaving his widow with seven minor children, according toLANCASTER COUNTY MISCELLANEOUS BOOK 1782-84, page 46. Hisadministrators, John and Benjamin Brechbuhl, sold 125 acres whichGeorge had purchased from his brother, Henry, in 1763. They alsodisposed of two tracts of land comprising 230 acres, including a damand grist mill on Conestoga Creek.

"On May 14, 1787, Frances Weaver, widow of George, sold 200 acres ofland which she had inherited from her father's estate in April, 1759,and shortly thereafter moved to Middletown, Frederick County,Virginia. There, on June 8, 1790, she purchased 135 acres of land fromMartin Cartmell; however, by 1797, she had moved to nearbyStephensburgh, now Stephens City.

George and Grances (Brechbuhl) Weaver were the parents of thefollowing children:
1. Henry Weaver, born October 10, 1763; married Mary Good in 1788.
2. Ann Weaver, born December 25, 1765, married Matthias Shirk.
3. Frances Weaver, born May 10, 1768, married a Mr. Perry in 1796.
4. George Weaver, born December 20, 1770; married Mary V. Wilson inStephensburg, Virginia. They moved to Lawrenceburg, Indiana whereGeorge died in1853.
5. Elizabeth Weaver, born December 1, 1772; married Elijah Sparks,the subject of this sketch.
6. Samuel Weaver, born October 15, 1775; died October 4, 1808, inNatchez, MS.
7. John Weaver, born May 21, 1777; married Rebecca Cartmell inStephensburg,Virginia; they moved to Dearborn County, Indiana, priorto 1806, where John was a U. S. Captain of Troops commandingblockhouses in that area. He died in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in 1841.

"The will of Joseph Stephens of Frederick County, Virginia, datedFebruary 1, 1776, was witnessed by Elizabeth Sparks, Henry Weaver, andJohn McGivins. We assume that this Elizabeth Sparks was Elijah's wifeand that Henry Weaver was her oldet brother. (See Will Book 5, pg.87.)

"Following the marriage of Elijah Sparks and Elizabeth Weaver, thereare few official records to be found of them for several years.According to the HISTORY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA, Elijah Sparks andAndrew Nichols were clergymen of the Fairfax Circuit Methodist Churchin 1794. Membership consisted of 540 whites and 50 colored. A son,Hamlet Sparks, was born to Elijah and Elizabeth about 1796 (accordingto the 1850 census of Dearborn County, Indiana), which brought morefamily responsibilities to Elijah. As the Rev. Mr. Wiley wrote, "theopinion prevailed generally with preachers and people, that no youngman ought to marry and remain a travelling preacher; and if this hadnot been the opinion, the means of support were so very limited, thatnecessity would have driven such to desist from the work."

"Whatever the reason, Elijah Sparks left the active ministry and wentinto the mercantile business, according to Wiley. He did not meetwith great success, and in 1798, he moved to Kentucky with some lawbooks and commenced the study of law. In the fall of 1800, he beganthe practice of law in Campbell County, Kentucky. It was also tatthat time that he paid taxes in that county on 200 acres of land onBank Lick Creek. He also paid taxes on two blacks and one horse. Hecontinued to pay taxes on the land until 1806, but by that time he haddisposed of the slaves. On September 23, 1810, Elijah and ElizabethSparks sold the 200 acres of land to William Massie, but by that timethey were living in Dearborn County, Indiana, where two of Elizabeth'sbrothers were also living.

"Elijah Sparks continued to maintain an active interest in preachingfor, according to METHODISM IN KENTUCKY, by W. E. Arnold, published in1802, he was living and preaching in the bounds of the Salt RiverCircuit which consisted of Jefferson, Nelson, and Shelby Counties,Kentucky. This is confirmed by an entry in THE JOURNAL OF THE REV.FRANCIS ASBURY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AUGUST 7, 1771 TODECEMBER 7, 1815, which states: "Next day (September 10, 1805) Icalled on Elijah Sparks, at Newport, and baptised two of his children. ... I rejoiced to find a new circuit had been formed and there wereseveral growing societies."

"Sometime during 1806, Elijah Sparks moved his family to DearbornCounty, Indiana, and settled on Second Street in Lawrenceburgh.Dearborn County had been established on March 7, 11803, by aproclamation of William H. Harrison, Governor of the IndianaTerritory. The county was taken from Clark County, and embracedportions of what is now Fayette, Franklin, Jefferson, Ohio, Ripley,Switzerland, Union, and Wayne Counties. In all likelihood, the movewas a happy one for Elizabeth Sparks, for she now rejoined her motherand brothers, George and John.

"Elijah Sparks was apparently successful as a lawyer-politician, butit most surely must have been strenuous work. The sparseness of thepopulation and settlements required a lawyer to extend his legalknowledge and energy to places far from home. As now, the courts wereheld at the county seats, and the lawyers traveled from county tocounty. The legal circuit that included Dearborn County, Indiana,also included the counties of Franklin and Jefferson. Travel was byhorseback or carriage, and the lack of roads probably made the formerthe preferable method.

"Sparks's ability and reputation as a lawyer attracted the attentionof Governor Harrison as well as that of the Indiana Territory GeneralAssembly, and on November 27, 1810, he was appointed one of thecommissioners to fix the county seat of the newly-created county ofFranklin. Less than a month later, he was appointed the commissionerfrom Dearborn county to meet with other county commissioners to fixthe seat of government (i.e., the capital) of the Territory. Thecounty seat of Franklin County was fixed at Brookville while the firstcapital of the Territory (and of the state of Indiana) was fixed atCorydon in Harrison County. On May 11, 1811, Elijah was admitted topractice law in Franklin County, and on December 22, 1812, he wasnamed its prosecuting attorney.

"In the meantime, Elijah's friends had been at work persuadingGovernor Harrison to appoint him to the post of Attorney-General ofthe Territory, and on July 27, 1813, he received the appointment.According to Mrs. Skinner, he was sworn into office by Governor Dunn,a great-grandfather of Miss Caroline Dunn, Secretary of the IndianaPioneers Society.

"The appointment as Attorney-General to the Territory apparently wasan unrewarding one to Elijah Sparks for, in reality, the enforcementof law and regulation was still left to other officers of theTerritory. On September 27, 1813, he wrote to Governor Harrison toquestion his duties: "Does the appointment conferred upon me takefrom the Governor, the right exercised under the ordinance to appointan Attorney-General for the Territory or does it unite with theGeneral Court so far only , as I hold Federal District powers?"Whether or not he ever received an answer is not known.

"In the spring of 1814, Elijah Sparks decided to run for Congressagainst his friend (and incumbent) congressman Jonathan Jennings. Theresult of the campaign must have been disappointing to Sparks for whenthe votes were counted in August, he was soundly defeated. Accordingto a newspaper account (Vincennes Western Sun), June 11, 1814) therewere no particular issues involved. Jennings simply pointed to hisrecord of service during the four and one-half years he had been adelegate to Congress. Sparks stated that his only ambition was "toassist in raising and establishing the equal rights of men -- of allmen, above the iron grasp of tyranny, the yoak [sic] of despotism andthe drudgery of oppression."

Another account of the election is given in BIOGRAPHICAL & HISTORICALSKETCHES OF EARLY INDIANA, by William W. Woblen, 1883, which recordsthe event thusly: "In 1811, Mr. Jennings was reelected to Congress,his opponent being Waller Taylor, the same man who, two years before,had tried to provoke him to mortal combat. In 1811, he was againelected, his competitor this time being Judge Elijah Sparks, a veryworthy and popular man."

"Part of Elijah's disappointment over his defeat may have beenmitigated when he received word of his appointment, on September 14,1814, as Judge of the Third Circuit court of the Indiana Territory.The appointment had been slow in coming, but it was a popular one.In TERRITORIAL PAPERS OF THE UNITED STATES, Vols. 7 & 8, several pagesare filled with the names of persons who petitioned congress in 1813to make the appointment. His political rival, Jonathan Jennings, hadrecommended the appointment to the Secretary of State on April 25,1812, and to the President (James Madison) on March 1, 1813. Thejudgeship put to an end his appointment as Attorney General of theTerritory, however, and he wrote to President Madison on January 3,1815, to express his disappointment at being relieved of thatappointment.

"Probably the first court over which Elijah Sparks presided as aFederal Judge was at Vevay, the county seat of the newly-formedSwitzerland County. The INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY, Vol. 20, page198, reveals that the first term of the Circuit Court of SwitzerlandCounty was held on Friday, October 28, 1814, with the Hon. ElijahSparks, the circuit and presiding judge in the Third District,presiding. It was there that he also presided over what was probablyhis last Circuit Court session on March 27, 1815.

"In the Spring of 1815, according to the Rev. Mr. Wiley, Elijah Sparkswent east (to Pennsylvania) to attend to a legacy of about eight orten thousand dollars left to his wife by a relative, and also to visithis brother, Robert Sparks, who was a traveling Methodist preacher ofmany years' standing in the Philadelphia Conference, but who hadlocated in 1812 on the Eastern shore of Maryland. After attending tohis business in Pennsylvania, Elijah started to his brother' s homeand went as far as the "heart of the Elk," when he became sick andconfined, and after lingering a few days, expired far from home andwife and friends.

"The "heart of the Elk" probably is meant to be the "head of the Elk",for the Elk River has its source just east of New Hollard, LancasterCounty, Pennsylvanis, and flows southward until it empties inotChesapeake Bay in Cecil County, Maryland.

"The cause of Elijah Sparks's death is unknown; however, almost twoyears earlier, he had confessed in a letter to Governor Harrison, thathe wrote with great difficulty, "having been confined for two weeks bya pretty severe attack of the Fever." Perhaps it was a reoccurrenceof the dreaded "ague-fit" fever that overtook him in Pennsylvania onApril 30, 1815. (See INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS: HARRISONSLETTERS.)

"His death was recorded officially by the Washington (D.C.)INTELLIGENCER of June 14, 1815, as follows: "Elijah Sparks, PresidingJudge of the Third Circuit of Indiana Territory, died April 30 nearNew Hollard, Pennsylvania." On May 25, 1815, the vacancy created byhis death was filled by the appointment of James Noble.

"Elizabeth (Weaver) Sparks spent the rest of her life (nearly fiftyyears) in wodowhood and died on March 13, 1864, at Moores Hill,Indiana, at the home of her son, Hamlet Sparks. On the marriage ofElijah and Elizabeth, the Rev. Mr. Wiley wrote: "As a husband and afather, he (Elijah) was most affectionate and kind, and did all thathis means and opportunities permitted to make them wise, pious, andhappy; hence his family felt his loss in no ordinary degree."

"We are certain that Elijah and Elizabeth (Weaver) Sparks had sixchildren, three sons and three daughters, who reached maturity. Thereare indications tht there was at least one other child whodied young.The Rev. Mr. Wiley wrote: "Here is a man superior in piety, gifts andusefulness, intending to adjust his temporalities so as to devote theevening of his days to the interest of religion and God's glory; but,just when everything seemed to say, he may go abroad in the vineyardof the Lord, death overtakes him far from home, his family andfriends. While one of his children lies dead and the burial is delayedso that he might see the body of his beloved child before it isconsigned to the grave, he being expected home every minute, a letterarrives informing his wife and children that their father is no morean inhabitant of this world..." We have no other record of thischild.

"When John Weaver, Elijah's Sparks's brother-in-law andcourt-appointed administrater (Elijah left no will), appeared inDearborn County Court for the purpose of "transacting orphan'sbusines," he stated that Sparks had left six children. (See Deed BookAA, page 109, Recorded on November 7, 1719.) He also stated thatElijah did not leave enough personal estate to satisfy all of hisdebts and asked permission to sell land owned by Elijah and ElizabethSparks.

"Reference was made earlier in this article to a letter that ElijahSparks wrote to President Madison on February 23, 1813. This waspublished in the TERRITORIAL PAPERS OF THE UNITED STATES, Vol. VIII,TERRITORY OF INDIANA, 1810-1816, pp. 240-41. Because this letter isquite revealing in regard to Elijah's personality and outlook on life,it is reproduced below:
Lawrenceburgh 23d February, 1813
VENERABLE SIR, Unbend your mind for a few Moments, from national, andvastly more interesting considerations; and look over a candidaddress, from a former acquaintance. The acquaintance being verypartial, as to personaltity, is now without doubt, in every trace,effaced from your recollection. A knowledge of your own candour,induces me to write, for which I have a Claim on your goodness, forPardon. This I shall obtain, when it is understoo, that I thus act,in justice to myself. Every man owes a degree of justice to himself.My friends have twice laid my name before you, as a Successor, to thelate Judge Vanderburg of this Territory. While that appointment wasin suspense, I was not at liberty to say a word to you on the Subject;but as that appointment is confered upon another (as it is said) therestraint is removed, and I am free to explain the motives whichinfluenced many of my friends to Solicit for me, and myself to acceptthe place if bestowed. These motives were a little out of fashion,--they were not popular, and lucrative. If Popularity was the object, amuch more wide and certain Path, hath been opened, in which I mighthave walked; -- and if Richers, the Barr would not be exchanged forthe Bench.

For many years past, I have thought it my duty to Preach the Gospel ofGod. This I have done, & still do at all opportunities, withoutpecuniary fee or reward; and I believe not in vain. Many think thatthe Practice of Law, & Preaching the Gospel, are incompatible -- I amnot one of those; but there is this inconvenience, they interfere inPoint of time, & attention; the former requiring too large a portion,for the Latter -- It was thought that the Bench, would in somemeasure, remove the inconvenience -- I practice Law from necessity, toProcure a competency (a competency is all I covet) for a Lady who putherself under my protection some years ago, in the county ofFrederick, Virg. and a rising family -- it was my misfortune (if it beproper to call it such) to be depriced of Parents in very early life;and from the Law of primogenture & other miscarriges, I was thrown onthe world helpless & unlearned. I turned my attention to Science,devoted every spare, & prudent Moment, by day & by night, until Iacquired a sufficient degree to Commence the Study of Law -- I havebeen as successful in the profession, as ordinary -- I have not soughtto be known, much beyond my sphere of exercise -- I am content inobscurity -- With Politicks I concern, nothing more than I think everygood Citizen should do." (Out of space; continued under notes forhis wife, Elizabeth Weaver.)

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September, 1969, Whole No. 67, p. 1256:

THE FAMILY BIBLE OF ELIJAH SPARKS, born July 28, 1778

Recently we learned that a family Bible that had once been theproperty of Elijah Sparks (born 1778) had been owned at a later timeby a man named Samuel Clark of Linwood, New Jersey. A letter addressedto Samuel Clark happily fell into the hands of Miss Emma Clark of 318Poplar Avenue, Linwood, New Jersey. Miss Clark is a granddaughter ofSamuel Clark, to whom we had written. Samuel Clark, we learned, hasbeen dead for many years.

Upon receiving our letter, Miss Clark called her aunt, Mae Babcock ofPleasantville, New Jersey, to inquire whether she had ever heard of aSparks family Bible. Mrs. Babcock had not only heard of such a Bible,but reported that she now owned it. Miss Clark very kindly examinedthis old Bible and in the process determined that Elijah Sparks, whohad once owned it, was her great-great-grandfather.

From the entries in the Bible, copied for us by Miss Clark, it isapparent that Elijah Sparks, who was born in 1778, married twice. Hisfirst wife was named Nancy and died between 1811 and 1815. His secondwife was named Rebecca. The oldest daughter of Elijah Sparks, whosenamed was Mahala, married William Clark. The births of the children ofWilliam and Mahala (Sparks) Clark are also recorded in this Bible.

At this time, our knowledge of Elijah Sparks is limited to theinformation contained in the Bible which he once owned. We assume thathe lived in New Jersey. Following is the record as copied for us byMiss Clark:

This Bible belongs to Elijah Sparks, born 28th July 1778.
Mahala Sparks, daughter of Elijah and Nancy Sparks - born March 17,1797.

Mary Ann Sparks, daughter of Elijah and Nancy Sparks - born 1811.

Sally Ann Sparks, daughter of Elijah and Rebecca Sparks - born May 30,1815.

John Merret Sparks, son of Elijah and Rebecca Sparks - born Feb. 23,1818.

John Clark, son of William and Mahala Clark, born Sept. 22, 1823.

George Clark, son of William and Mahala Clark, born April 7, 1827.

William Clark, son of William and Mahala Clark, born August 1832.

Susanna Clark, daughter of William and Mahala Clark, born March 26,1835.

Samuel Clark, son of William and Mahala Clark, born June 19, 1829.

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

See SQ 2567 for mention of this man and his marriages:

"Elijah Sparks, son of Nathan Sparks, Jr., was born between 1775 and1794, according to the 1820 census of Queen Annes County, Maryland,and we place his year of birth as close to 1780. He was born at ornear the village of Church Hill. Most of the information that we haveabout him comes from letters written by his son, Clinton C. Sparks. Inthe letters, Clinton mentioned three marriages of his father, butapparently he was married a fourth time. (See the Editor's Note at thebeginning of this article.)The name of the first wife of Elijah Sparkswas unknown to Clinton Sparks; however, she may have been Nancy Hinds,an heir of Isaac Hinds. She was named as the wife of Elijah Sparks inthe
disposition of land in Queen Annes County in 1802. The marriageprobably took place about 1801, and
only one child was born to this union....

"Elijah Sparks married, second, ----- Davis, probably about 1812. Tothis union three children were born, two daughters and one son....

"The third marriage of Elijah Sparks was to Elizabeth Davis, probablyabout 1820. She was a sister of his second wife and the mother of hisson, Clinton Sparks, mentioned above. Four children were born to thismarriage, the oldest being Clinton....

"Elijah Sparks married Henrietta Davis on May 15, 1828, in Queen AnnesCounty. This was probably his fourth marriage. We have not learnedwhether Henrietta was related to his other wives who had the nameDavis. Elijah probably died sometime during the 1830's."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1995, Whole No. 172, p. 4581:

NEW INSIGHT INTO THE LIVES OF SOME DESCENDANTS OF ELIJAH SPARKS(1778-ca.1830+)
OF QUEEN ANNES COUNTY, MARYLAND

"[Editor's Note: Information about Elijah Sparks (1778-ca.1830+) ofQueen Annes County, Maryland, has been published earlier in two issuesof the QUARTERLY. The first information was on page 1256 of theSeptember 1969 issue, Whole No. 69, and consisted of records from aBible that Elijah had owned. The second piece of information was onpages 2567-68 of the December 1983 issue, Whole No. 124, and was anaccount of Elijah and his family.

"[As noted below, Elijah Sparks was born in Queen Annes County,Maryland, on July 28, 1778. He was a son of Nathan Sparks, Jr. whohad been born about 1760, also in Queen Annes County. The parents ofNathan Sparks, Jr. were Nathan, Sr. and Eliza (Bolton) Sparks. NathanSparks, Sr. was a son of James and Elizabeth (Barkhurst) Sparks.James Sparks, who had been born about 1710-1715, and ElizabethBarkhurst were married in Queen Annes County on February 9, 1737. AsPaul E. Sparks pointed out in his article in the QUARTERLY of December1983, cited above, there can be little doubt that James, who made hiswill in Queen Annes County on March 21, 1775, and died shortlythereafter, was a grandson of William Sparks who died in Queen AnnesCounty in 1709. Circumstantial evidence points strongly to JamesSparks having been a son of William Sparks, Jr. and his wife, MargaretHamilton. Readers interested in this Sparks line are urged to reviewthe articles cited above, as well as articles regarding William Sparks(died 1709) and his family appearing in the QUARTERLY of March 1971,Whole No. 73, and that of December 1992, Whole No. 160.

"[Now, thanks to the keen interest and careful reading of theevidence, Mary Lee Konz, a relative of Elijah Sparks (1778-ca.1830+),we are able to add to the earlier information that we have of thisman. For the sake of uniformity, we have retained the samealpha-numeric outline used in the earlier articles.]

"Elijah Sparks, son of Nathan Sparks, Jr., was born in Queen AnnesCounty, Maryland, on July 28, 1778. Apparently, he was married fourtimes. His first marriage was to Nancy Hinds about 1796, probably inthe county of his birth. She was an heir of Isaac Hinds; in fact, shemay well have been his daughter. According to the Bible record citedabove, she and Elijah had two daughters, Mahala and Mary Ann....."

"The second marriage of Elijah Sparks was to Rebecca Davis about 1814. They had three children: Sarah, Elmina, and John Merritt....."

"The third marriage of Elijah Sparks was performed about 1820 when hewas married to Elizabeth Davis. She was a sister of Rebecca Davis,the second wife of Elijah Sparks. She and Elijah had fourchildren...."

"Elijah's fourth marriage was to Henrietta Davis on May 15, 1828, inQueen Annes County. The Rev. Walton performed the marriage ceremony.We have no further information regarding this couple."

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

See SQ pp. 226-7 for a copy of the Johnson County, Kentucky - 1850Census showing Elijah and Sarah (Evans) Sparks and 8 of theirchildren.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds(1822-1865):
Elijah Sparks & Sarah Evans, October 19, 1832. (Box 3) Consent of herfather, Wesley Evans. Witnesses: Daniel Sparks & E. E. Stikes.

SQ 3797: He was married in 1832 to Sarah Evans.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1992, Whole No. 148, pg 3945:
"Elijah Sparks, son of Thomas and Dianah (Wilcox) Sparks, was bornabout 1811 in North Carolina and was about ten years old when hisparents arrived in Lawrence County, Kentucky. It was there that hewas married to Sarah "Sally" Evans on October 19, 1832, with WesleyEvans, father of Sally, giving his consent. Daniel Sparks, brother ofElijah, was a witness along with E. E. Stikes. Sally had been born inVirginia on September 14, 1811. She and Elijah lived on the PuncheonFork of Hood Creek in northwest Johnson County where they reared ninechildren. Elijah died between 1870 and 1880. Sally died on October 4,1891."

See SQ p. 232 for birth information and p. 946 for marriageinformation.

SQ pg 2632:

"Elijah Rogers Sparks, son of Allen and Nancy (Rogers) Sparks, wasborn on November 6, 1843, near Colfax, Indiana. He was obviously namedfor his maternal grandfather. He was a farmer, a teacher, and also anattorney. He served in the 3rd and 8th Regiments, Indiana Cavalry inthe Civil War. (See page 2637 of this issue of the QUARTERLY for anabstract of his pension file.) He was married twice. His firstmarriage was to Elizabeth Barker on April 19, 1866, in Boone County,Indiana. She was born on December 20, 1846, and was a daughter ofJacob and Elizabeth (White) Barker, natives of North Carolina. Shedied on November 5, 1887.

"Elijah Sparks was elected a justice of the peace of Clinton County,Indiana, in 1876. He was apparently licensed to practice law about1880. As noted in his father's obituary, Elijah specialized inassisting Civil War veterans in preparing their applications for thepensions provided by the U.S. government. He was a member of theMethodist Church and in his politics, he was a Republican.

"On March 18, 1891, Elijah married (2nd) Jennie Jordan in TippecanoeCounty, Indiana. She was born about 1851. They had no children.

"Elijah died on January 14, 1916, in the Indiana State Soldiers' Homeat Lafayette, Indiana. According to records known as the "RogersIndex," which are housed in The Filson Club, Louisville, Kentucky, andalso from a copy of the Bible record of the births of his childrenkept by Elijah Sparks that has been provided us by Irma (Cory) We lls,Elijah and Elizabeth (Barker) Sparks were the parents of eightchildren."

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

See SQ pps 2637-8 for the abstract of his pension file:

"ELIJAH ROGERS SPARKS, son of Allen and Nancy (Rogers) Sparks. H eserved in Company H and Company M, 3rd Regiment Indiana Cavalry an dCompany M, 8th Regiment Indiana Calvary. File designations: Inv. Cert. No. 489,980; Wid. Cert. No. 816,397.

It is known that Elijah Rogers Sparks filed an application for aninvalid pension with the Bureau of Pensions on June 7, 1889; however,no copy of the application was sent from his pension file in thepacket of materials supplied us by the National Archives. Hismilitary service was confirmed by the War Department on November 30,1889 . He was enrolled in Company H, 3rd Regiment Indiana Calvary onAugust 27, 1862. He was transferred to Company M, same regiment, onSeptember 1, 1864, and to Company M, 8th Regiment Indiana Cavalry onMay 1, 1865. He was captured near Fayetteville, North Carolina, onMarch 10, 1865, and confined at Richmond, Virginia, on March 28, 1865. He was paroled at Boulware Hoxis Wharf, Virginia, on March 30,1865, and sent to Camp Chase, Ohio, on April 2, 1865. He was musteredout on June 9, 1865.

Invalid Certificate No. 489,980 was issued to Elijah Sparks, and hewas placed upon the pension roll.

On March 6, 1899, Sparks responded to a questionnaire from the Bureauof Pensions. He stated that (here follows his marital information andthe names and birthdates of his children).

On May 28, 1912, Elijah Sparks, now aged 68 and a resident ofLafayette, Indiana, applied for an increase in his pension under anAct of Congress of 1912. He said that he had enrolled in Company H,3rd Regiment Indiana Cavalry on August 27, 1862, at Indianapolis,Indania, and had served until he was mustered out at Columbus, Ohio,on June 9, 1865. At the time of his enlistment he had been 5 feet, 10inches tall; he had a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark hair, andhe was a farmer. He had been born on November 6, 1843, near Colfax,Indiana. Clarence Booth and C. P. White witnessed his signature. Hispension was increased from $24 to $30 per month. Elijah Sparks diedon January 14, 1916, at the Indiana State Soldiers Home, Lafayette,Indiana. He was described on the death certificate as "retiredpension attorney." The name of his father was given as Allen Sparks.

On January 26, 1916, Jennie J. Sparks, aged 60, applied for a Widow'sPension. She stated that she had been married to Elijah Sparks onMarch 18, 1891, at West Lafayette, Indiana. It was her firstmarriage, but her husband had been married previously. John Tankerleyand James N. Hughes witnessed her signature. She was issued WidowCertificate No. 816,397 by the Bureau of Pensions and placed upon thepension roll."

See SQ p. 227 for a copy of the Johnson County, Kentucky - 1850 Censusshowing Elisha and Susanna (Pridemore) Sparks and 8 children.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865): Elisha Sparks & Susannah Pridemore, December 16, 1833. (Box 3)Consent of her father, John Pridemore, of Floyd County. Bondsmen:Daniel Sparks, Saul Sparks, and David Sparks.

SQ pg 3797: He was married in 1833 to Susanna Pridemore.

**********

SQ pg 3938:
"Elisha Sparks, son of Thomas and Dinah (Wilcock) Sparks, was bornabout 1809 in North Carolina. He was married to Susanna Pridemore onDecember 16, 1833, in Lawrence County, Kentucky, by Walter Osborne.His bondsmen were Daniel Sparks, Saul Sparks, and David Sparks .Susanna had been born about 1810 in Floyd County, Kentucky, and was adaughter of John Pridemore who gave his consent to the marriage ,since she was then not of age. Elisha and Susannah lived on a roadbetween the communities of Flat Gap and Paintsville near theheadwaters of Hood Creek. It was there that they lived for the restof their lives. Susanna died on July 2, 1889, and Elisha died onDecember 26, 1893. They were buried in a small cemetery not far fromtheir home. They had thirteen children."

"[Mrs. Jean (Sloan) McCarty, a great-great-granddaughter of Elisha andSusanna (Pridemore) Sparks, has shared with us a description of two ofthe Sparks cemeteries where her ancestors were buried. We are pleasedto include here a portion of her observations.]

" 'A few years ago,' Mrs. McCarty wrote, 'We visited the small andunnamed cemetery where Elisha and Susanna were buried. It is onKentucky State Road 1092, about one-half mile off Kentucky State Road201. It is across the road and up a small hill from the KerzEnterprise Baptist Church and is still being used occasionally.Elisha and Susanna have field stone markers onto which names and dateshave been carved; however, the stones are beginning to crumble.Elisha's son, Benjamin, is also buried there.' "

SQ pg 3942 for family members.

SQ pg 3965 for abstract of Elisha Sparks' pension file as follows:

ELISHA SPARKS, JR. son of Elisha and Susanna (Pridemore) Sparks, wasborn about 1841 in Lawrence County, Kentucky. He died on February 12, 1863. He served in Company D, 14th Regiment Kentucky Infantry. FileDesignations: Mother Cert. No. 144,771; Father Cert. No. 275,403.

"On September 3, 1866, Elisha Sparks, aged 55, a resident of JohnsonCounty, Kentucky, made application for a "Father's Pension." Hestated that he was the father of Elisha Sparks who had been a privatein Company D, 14th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regimentcommanded by Capt. ---; the regiment had been commanded by Col. GeorgeW . Gallup. His son had died while in the service on February 12,1863 , at Ashland, Kentucky. Sparks said that he had been dependentupon his son for support. His son had never married and had nodependents. Sparks stated that he lived on the road between Flat Gapand Paintsville, about 10 miles from the latter. He appointed W. D.B. Morrill, Louisville, Kentucky, as his attorney. B. F. Salyer andTillman Craft, both of Hoods Fork [now Hoods Creek], Kentucky,witnessed him make his mark, and the application was sworn to beforeHiram C. Conley, Johnson County Judge.

"John W. Witten and G. W. Rice made a joint affidavit to supportSparks's application. They said that from about 1855 until his deathi n 1863, Elisha Sparks, Jr., had contributed about $10 per month tothe support of his father by "working out from home for meat, breadand other necessaries." They also stated that Elisha Sparks, Sr.,lived on about five acres of land in a house which was worth no morethan $250, including the household goods.

"Apparently the claim of Elisha Sparks, Sr., was not allowed, for onJuly 5, 1870, Susanna Sparks, mother of Elisha Sparks, Jr., deceased,made an application for a "Mother's Pension." She stated that she hadbeen almost wholly dependent upon her deceased son to support her.Prior to his death in 1863, her son, Elisha Sparks, had given herabout $100 per year. She appointed J. F. Stewart, Paintsville,Kentucky, as her attorney. John W. Witten and Samuel Murray witnessedher make her mark, and the application was sworn to before James Ramey, deputy clerk of Johnson County, Kentucky.

"On September 2, 1870, Mother's Certificate No. 275,403 was issued toSusanna Sparks, and she was placed on the pension roll. She died onJuly 1, 1889, in Johnson County, Kentucky. On August 24, 1889 ,Elisha Sparks, Sr., again applied for a "Father's Pension," claimingdependency upon his deceased son. He stated that he had been marriedto the mother of Elisha Sparks, Jr., on December 25, 1833, by WalterOsborne. She had received a "Mother's Pension" until her death . Heappointed B. H. Harris, Flat Gap, Kentucky, as his attorney. H . P.McKenzie and J. F. Pruit witnessed him make his mark.

"In the spring of 1890, Franklin Salyer, Ben Stambaugh, EphriamSalyer, Lavinia Pack, G. W. Rice, and Dr. N. P'Simer made affidavitsto support the claim of Elisha Sparks. Father Certificate No. 275,403was issued to him, and he was placed on the pension rolls. He died onDecember 26, 1893."

See SQ p. 3948

See the Sparks Quarterly, March, 1969, Whole No. 65, p. 1205:
"Elisha (or Eli) Sparks, son of Allen and Polly (Weaver) Sparks, wasborn about 1847; he died on August 9, 1910, in Monroe County, Indiana.His will dated August 5, 1910, and probated August 12, 1910, names hischildren:
John, Samuel, Orpha, Mary, James, Grace, Anna, Hubert, Osia, Hila,Roy, Frank, and Pearl.

For marriage record source see SQ p. 4183.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1973, Whole No. 18, pps 1567-69: (fora photograph of her see page 1568)
Eliza Ann Sparks , eldest daughter of Elijah and Elizabeth (Weaver)Sparks, was born on April 3, 1803, in Kentucky. On November 2, 1828,she was married to William S. Durban in Dearborn County, Indiana. (SeeMarriage Book I, p. 216). She died on October 30, 1862, at NewPhiladelphia, Washington County, Indiana. Miss Firnhaber, agreat-granddaughter of Eliza Ann (Sparks) Durban, has a newspaperclipping, without a date and without the name of the paper, which waspasted in the family bible, probably by her grandfather, John WeaverDurbin. It reads: "Mrs. Eliza Ann Durban, wife of Wm. S. Durban,Esq., and daughter of the Rev. Elijah and Elizabeth Sparks, was bornApril 3, 1803, married Nov. 2, 1828, and died in great peace in NewPhiladelphia, Washington County, Indiana, October 30, 1862, age 59years, 7 mos. Thus passed away from earth one of the brightest andsweetest spirits of Indiana Methodism. In early life she received theintellectual and religious culture from her long since departed butsainted father who was a pioneer judge as well as a pioneer preacher.Eight sons and three daus."
Elizabeth Ann Sparks and her sister, America Sparks, married brothers;Eliza Ann married William S. Durbin and America married Hosier J.Durbin. According to records gathered by Miss firnhaber, the Durbanbrothers descended from Daniel Durbin who was born in BaltimoreCounty, Maryland (that portion that is now Harford County) on December1 1741, and died in 1827 in Harrison County, Kentucky. Daniel Durbinmarried Molly Johns and they had seven children. Their second son,born in 1778, was named Nathaniel Giles Hosier Durbin. He marriedElizabeth Nunn and the were the parents of five sons, includingWilliam S., born about 1806, and Hosier J., born about 1812. Theother sons were: John Price Durbin, born about 1800; Samuel S.Durbin; and Edmund N. Durbin. Nathaniel Giles Hosier Durbin diedsuddenly in March, 1813, leaving his widow with five sons. William S.was then about seven years old, while Hosier was probably still aninfant.
William Sappington Durbin (the name of Sappington probably came fromRichard Sappington, a Revolutionary War surgeon who married CassandraDurbin, a sister of Nathaniel Giles Hosier Durbin) became a tanner atBrookville, Indiana, but subsequently opened his own tannery atlawrenceburgh. In 1850, he went to New Philadelphia, Indiana, wherehe operated a tannery for a number of years. (See lithograph ofWilliam Durbin's tannery on page 1569, The Sparks Quarterly.)
After the death of his first wife, Eliza Ann (Sparks) Durbin, in 1862,William S. Durban married Virginia A. Vosler. She died on December12, 1890. He died in 1891 at Greenville, Indiana.
Eliza Ann (Sparks) Durbin and William S. Durban were the parents ofeleven children, eight sons and three daughters. Seven of the sonsserved in the Union forces during the Civil War. One of them becameGovernor of Indiana.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
Lizy A. Sparks & Peter T. Burgess, 1860. (Box I)

SQ p. 3907: "Eliza Ann Sparks, daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Jayne)Sparks, was born on March 20, 1838. she was married to Peter
Taylor Burgess about 1860. He had been born on June 29, 1838, and wasa son of Sylvester W. and Jane (Stafford) Burgess. According todescendants, Peter and Eliza Ann lived on Brushy Fork in LawrenceCount y where they reared four children.
a. Sarah Jane Burgess was born about 1862. She was married to LewisM. Spencer on March 24, 1887. He had been born on May 17,1862, at Charley, Kentucky. He and Sarah Jane had at least one child, Bertha ["Bird"], born on June 5, 1888.
b. Benjamin Franklin Burgess was born on November 22, 1864. He wasmarried to Mary Rosetta Davis on April 12, 1888, and they hadat least one child, Tera, born on June 8, 1889.
c. Milton Burgess was born in March 1875.
d. Alfred Burgess"

SQ pg 4481: Additional information concerning Benjamin FranklinBurgess:
His marriage was in Lawrence County, Kentucky. Mary Rosetta Davis wasborn about 1872 and was a daughter of John Buell and Larue B.(Nickell) Davis of Davisville, Kentucky. Ben and Rosetta had fourchildren: Tera Burgess, Mary Burgess, Lena Burgess, and BensonBurgess.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 2000, Whole No. 190, p. 5376:

"Eliza Narcissus Sparks, daughter of Matthew and Sarah (Elmore)Sparks, was born in Surry County, North Carolina, about 1827. On anOregon land claim record pertaining to her husband, John Lynch, it isstated that they were married on November 16, 1848. There is also thestatement that John Lynch had been born in Lafayette County, Missouri,on January 1, 1827, and that they had come to Oregon from Missouri in1851. This suggests that they crossed the plains with Eliza's parents.Eliza's mother, Sarah Sparks, was living with Eliza and John Lynchwhen she died in June 1880, although when the 1860 census had beentaken, she was living with her daughter, Malinda, and her husband,Aaron Lynch. She was with Lucinda and husband, David Lynch in 1870, aswas also, Eliza's brother, Richard Sparks.

The newspaper obituary for Sarah Sparks indicates that John and Elizawere then (1880) living near Sheridan, on Mill Creek, in YamhillCounty. It was apparently Eliza who procured the tombstone for hermother in the Union Baptist Church Cemetery there, for the inscriptionincludes: "Mother of Eliza N. Lynch." The obituary for Sarah includesthe statement: "One of her daughters, Mrs. John Lynch, living on MillCreek, has 16 children, all living but one."

When the 1870 census of Yamhill County was taken, John Lynch (age 48,a native of Missouri, farmer) and Eliza (age 43, a native of NorthCarolina) were shown with 12 children, ranging in age from 20 to 2years. The oldest of these was named Elizabeth Lynch, age 20, and anative of Missouri. The rest, beginning with their 19-year-old son,John Lynch, Jr., were all shown as having been born in Oregon. Thechildren of John and Eliza N. (Sparks) Lynch listed on the 1870 censusof Yamhill County, Oregon, were: Elizabeth, 20; John, 19; William, 17;Maelinda, 16; Albert (Elbert ?), 14; Ellison, 13; Isaac, 12; Francis,8; Colla, 6; Mary, 5; George, 4; and Lilly, 2.

John Lynch died at Salem, Marion County, Oregon, on October 7, 1907,according to his land claim record.
***************

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1992, Whole No. 160, pg 4036-4040:
Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of George and Elizabeth (Ricketts) Sparks,was born on August 9, 17--. (The year of her birth is now illegible,but we place her birth as about 1730.) She was married to John Sinnoton October 28, 1755, in St. Lukes Church. A few days later, herfather was married there also, indicating that perhaps she had beenkeeping house for him after her mother's death. We have learnednothing further about her.
However, the IGI for Maryland as of March, 1992, at page 12,451, showsGeorge Sparks and Eliz. having a daughter, Elizabeth, on 7 Apr, 1732,at Church Hill, Queen Annes, MD. See Batch/Film No. 7230711/ 10. Hermarriage to John Sinnot on October 28, 1755 is also entered ,Batch/Film No. 7230711/52.

SQ p. 4042:

"Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Kelley) Sparks,was "of age" in 1764, and we place her year of birth as 1739. She wasmarried to a man named Russell. She attested as "nearest of kin" theaccount of her brother, Arthur Sparks, in 1766."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1964, Whole No. 75, p. 796

"Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Jonas Sparks, was born February 5,1765, and died June 25, 1863, at the age of 98 in Missouri. She wasmarried in 1786 (Rowan County marriage bond dated February 11, 1786)to Henry Bryan, who was born January 15, 1761, and died August 20,1820. He was a son of James and Rebecca (Knox) Bryan. Elizabeth wasnine years of age when the family left North Carolina for Kentucky.She and her husband, Henry Bryan, were the parents of the followingchildren according to a genealogy published in the Sunday editions ofthe Lexington Herald between February 27 and May 29, 1927, by J. R.Cooper of Lexington."
(1) Joseph Bryan, married Parthenia Bryan, daughter of Jonathan Bryan;
(2) Susanna Bryan, married to John Davis;
(3) Joanna Bryan, born 1790, married Chester Wheeler;
(4) Rebecca Bryan, married Joseph Johnson;
(5) Elizabeth Bryan, married Luke Holder;
(6 ) Mary Bryan, married David Reed;
(7) Cynthia Bryan, married Alonzo Fourtelatt;
(8) James Bryan, died single;
(9) Esther Bryan, born May 20, 18O6, died A pril 15, 1860; marriedSamuel Morris who was born September 28, 1791, and died February 15,1885;
(10) John Wesley Bryan, jockey; married Verlinda Callaway,granddaughter of Daniel Boone; moved to Texas."

See a reference to the marriage of Elizabeth Sparks and Henry Bryan inTHE BOONE FAMILY, by Hazel Aterbury Spraker, Genealogical PublishingCo. , 1922, 1993, at page 511. Henry's mother, Rebecca Enocks, diedwhen the children were quite young, and they were raised by RebeccaBoone, niece of Henry' s father James. Rebecca was the the daughterof Joseph Boone, James's brother, and she was the wife of Daniel Booneas, according to an account in The Boone Family, Henry's sistersSusan, Mary and Rebecca Bryan were all married in "uncle" DanielBoone's house.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1998, Whole No. 184, pp. 5063-5072:

On the cover of the referenced issue is a photograph described asfollows:

GRAVESTONE OF ELIZABETH (SPARKS) BRYAN
Old Methodist Cemetery Near Marthasville, Warren County, Missouri
ELIZABETH
wife of
HENRY BRYAN
DIED
June 25, 1863
AGED
97 yrs. 11 mos.
20 ds.

"THE FAMILY OF ELIZABETH (SPARKS) BRYAN (1765-1863)

"On the cover of the present issue of the QUARTERLY we are using aphotograph of the tombstone of Elizabeth (Sparks) Bryan (1765-1863)who was a daughter of Jonas Sparks. A lengthy article about JonasSparks, who died in Rowan County, North Carolina, in 1805, waspublished in the QUARTERLY of March 1964 (pp. 790-94) [JS: See aboveand notes for Jonas Sparks). We had not then discovered, however,that Jonas was a son of Joseph Sparks, who had died in 1749 inFrederick County, Maryland. Joseph Sparks (died 1749), father ofJonas, had been the youngest son of William Sparks who had died inQueen Annes County, Maryland, in 1709. Two articles have appeared inthe QUARTERLY devoted to William Sparks (died 1709): the March 1971issue, Whole No. 73, pp. 1425-34; and that for December 1992,Whole No.160, pp. 4025-34. This William Sparks (died 1709) was thus thegrandfather of Jonas Sparks. He had been born in Hampshire County,England, ca. 1640 and is the immigrant Sparks ancestor of hundreds, ifnot thousands, of individuals living today.

"When Jonas Sparks was about twenty years old in, we believe, thespring of 1754, he accompanied a number of his Sparks relatives intheir move from Frederick County, Maryland, to the Forks of the Yadkinin North Carolina. Rowan County then included the large area known asthe Forks of the Yadkin, but the part of Rowan County where Jonasacquired land was cut off from Rowan in 1822 to form Davidson County.

"The Sparks families migration from Maryland to the Yadkin River areaof North Carolina was described in the QUARTERLY of December 1989(Whole No. 148, pp. 3483-3501) in an article devoted to William SampleSparks, a first cousin of Jonas Sparks. Additional information aboutJonas Sparks appears in an article devoted to Rachel (Sparks) Griggs,an older sister of Elizabeth (Sparks) Bryan, in the June 1997 issue ofthe QUARTERLY, Whole No. 178, pp. 4829-37.

"The first wife of Jonas Sparks, and the mother of his children, hadthe forename Elizabeth, but we have not discovered her maiden name.It is probable that they were married after Jonas came to NorthCarolina. Their daughter, named Elizabeth, was probably named for hermother.

"In the autumn of 1773, when Elizabeth was eight years old, JonasSparks and his family joined the famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone,then a near neighbor of the Sparkses, in Boone's plan to establish asettlement in what would become the state of Kentucky. In hisexplorations, Boone had found a "promised land" to which he would leadfamilies seeking a new home. Jonas Sparks and his family agreed toaccompany Boone along with four other families on the "WildernessTrail" to this "promised land." The heads of these other four wereDaniel Boone's brother, Squire Boone, and three brothers named Bryan,James, Morgan, Jr., and William. (Daniel Boone's wife was RebeccaBryan.)

"Among these six families, there were about forty males old,enough tocarry rifles, and it was they who took the lead on the party's dailymarch. The women and small children followed on horseback, whileyoungsters driving a herd of cattle brought up the rear.

"Although there was concern that they might encounter hostile Indians,all went well until October 10, 1773, as they were approaching theCumberland Gap. Here they had to ford the Powell River. The armedmen and boys crossed first to form a line to protect the women andchildren as they crossed, assuming that if Indians should attack, theywould do so at the front of the party. Instead, there was an ambush,with the attack from the rear. During the ensuing battle, six youngmen ,were killed, including Daniel Boone's oldest son. No one in theSparks family was killed. In Daniel Boone's autobiography, completedin 1784, he recalled: "Though we repulsed the enemy, yet this unhappyaffair scattered our cattle, brought us into extreme difficulty, andso discouraged the whole company, that we retreated forty miles to thesettlement on the Clinch River." [JS: This account of the adventurediffers substantially from the one written by Robert F. Collins whichhas been included in the notes for Jonas Sparks.]

"Based on Bryan family memories and records, a great-grandnephew ofDaniel Boone, a Dr. J. D. Bryan, wrote an article entitled "TheBoone-Bryan History" that was published in the 1905 Register of theKentucky State Historical Society (Vol. 5, No. 9). Later this waspublished in the form of a booklet. In this, page 17, appears thefollowing interesting reference to eight-year-old Elizabeth Sparks:

... at the time of the attack by the Indians, the company was fordingPowell's River. Elizabeth Sparks, [a member of] one of the...familiesfrom North Carolina, then about nine years old, was riding a gentlehorse and carrying a baby brother before her. She was in the midst ofthe river when the Indians fired on the rear guard. My great uncle[i.e., grand uncle] Henry Bryan, at a later date, married thisElizabeth Sparks in Kentucky, and they afterwards came to Missouri,where they lived until their death. She lived to be nearly onehundred years old. I have seen and heard her talk often. She finallydied at my oldest sister's house after I was grown.

"An Indian War, known as Lord Dunmore's War, broke out not long afterthe Boone company's retreat, and two years passed before the journeywas begun again. It appears that Jonas Sparks and his family hadreturned to their old home on the Yadkin River in North Carolina wellbefore June 1775 when Daniel Boone again began his Kentucky venture.He and his followers successfully reached the site on the KentuckyRiver where they built Fort Boonsborough and founded the dreamed-ofsettlement, but Jonas Sparks and his family were not among them.Although Dr. Bryan stated in his account (p. 15) that Jonas Sparks(whom he mistakenly called "James" Sparks) had accompanied Boone in1775, this is, almost certainly, not true.

"On the cover of the QUARTERLY of September 1993, Whole No. 163, wepublished a photograph of a marble stone, some fifteen feet tall, atthe entrance of the re-constructed Fort Boonesborough in MadisonCounty, Kentucky, on the four sides of which have been carved 750names of persons credited with helping to establish this settlement.The name of Jonas Sparks is included among the founders, and we soreported in the caption for this photograph. When something is carvedin stone, one tends to accept it as fact. The inclusion of Jonas onthis monument as a founder, we have learned, was based solely on Dr.Bryan's account. There can be little doubt, based on official recordsin North Carolina, however, that Jonas Sparks was again paying taxesand farming his land back in Rowan County on the Yadkin River as earlyas 1774.

"Dr. J. D. Bryan was also mistaken in stating that his grand uncle,Henry Bryan, had been married to Elizabeth Sparks in Kentucky. Theirmarriage bond had been obtained back in Rowan County, North Carolina,on February 11, 1786, with a relative named Thomas Enochs serving asbondsman. The marriage doubtless took place a few days later. A weekearlier, on February 5, 1786, Elizabeth's father, Jonas Sparks, hadobtained a Rowan County marriage bond to be married to his secondwife, a widow named Mary Eakle (bondsman, Peter Little). Jonas Sparkswas actually Mary Eakle's third husband, her first husband having beenDaniel Little, who had died in Rowan County in 1775. She had thenbeen married to Jacob Eakle in 1779, but he died in Rowan County in1783. By her first husband, Mary (whose full name was Anne Mary) hada daughter named Mary Little who would become the wife of DavidSparks, a son of Jonas. (See the QUARTERLY of March 1978, Whole No.101, pp. 1965-84.)

"Elizabeth (Sparks) Bryan's younger sister, Esther Sparks, was marriedin 1787 to Jesse Caton in Rowan County (marriage bond dated January20, 1787, with Charles Caton as bondsman).

"As noted above, Elizabeth Sparks was married to Henry Bryan in 1786.Born on January 27, 1761, Henry Bryan was a son of James and Rebecca(Enochs) Bryan. James Bryan was an uncle of Rebecca (Bryan) Boone,and after the death of his wife in 1767 or 1768, his six smallchildren were taken by Rebecca and Daniel Boone to rear, includingsix-year-old Henry. Henry Bryan had been 12 years old when heaccompanied the Boones on their 1773 attempt to migrate to Kentucky.

"Whereas Jonas Sparks and his family, including his daughter,Elizabeth, had returned to their North Carolina home following theBoone party's retreat to the Clinch River in the autumn of 1773, HenryBryan had remained with the Daniel Boone family and was a member oftheir successful migration to Boonsborough in 1775. When it was thatHenry Bryan returned to the Forks of the Yadkin, we do not know, butas noted earlier, he was there in February 1786 when he and ElizabethSparks were married. Within a year or two, however, they were livingin Clark County, Kentucky, where most of their ten children were born.

"Henry and Elizabeth's association with the family of Daniel Boonecontinued, and when Daniel's venturesome spirit prompted him and hisfamily to be pioneers again in an area that is today in St. Charlesand Warren Counties, Missouri, Henry and Elizabeth soon followed.Other friends and relatives did, likewise, including Elizabeth'ssister and her husband, Esther and Jesse Caton. They obtained landgrants from the Spanish government, Spain then ruling the area. KenKamper, Historian of the Daniel Boone and Frontier Families ResearchAssociation, has given us permission to quote from his "A Fact or Twoon Early Missouri History" that appeared in the April 1991 issue ofthe Boone-Duden Historical Review (Vol. 6, No. 2).

"In the area around present day Marthasville [in Warren County,Missouri], we can still relate to a lot of Boone history. The SpanishLand Grants of David Bryan, James Bryan, William Lamme, and PhilipMiller are located in the area amongst earlier Spanish Land Grantswhich had been obtained by French settlers. James Bryan, born,according to current thinking, in 1723 in Chester Co., Pennsylvania,was Rebecca Boone's uncle. He had married Rebecca Enochs, daughter ofJohn Ecochson and Margaret Van Nummer, who died in 1767 or 68, leavingJames with three boys and three girls between the ages of one and ten. Rebecca and Daniel Boone took over the raising of the children, whileJames remained close by, no doubt providing support. They were withthe Boones on the first attempt to settle in Kentucky in 1773. Onthis attempt the group turned back after some were killed by Indians,including the Boones' son James. With the Boone group was the JonasSparks family, including 8 year old Elizabeth. Some ten years laterElizabeth married Henry Bryan, son of James.

"The Boones came to Missouri in 1799. Soon after, James Bryan, hissons David, Jonathan, and Henry, and their families followed theBoones. The grave of Elizabeth (Sparks) Bryan is (south) across thestreet from the U.C.C. Church in Marthasville. The sister ofElizabeth, Esther Sparks, married Jesse Caton, Sr., who brought hisfamily to the Marthasville area in 1811.

"Mr. Kamper has also noted information provided by Nadine WilliamsBritton showing that Henry Bryan operated a tanning yard on TuqueCreek not far from Alarthasville. Also appearing in the samepublication as the above quotation, is a drawing made by Mr. Kamper in1991. showing the area where Henry and Elizabeth (Sparks) Bryansettled, including the site of Elizabeth's grave where the photographwas taken by Mr. Kamper that appears on the cover of this issue of theQUARTERLY. He has given us permission to reproduce his map on thefollowing page.

"According to Mr. Kamper, the gravestone of Elizabeth (Sparks) Bryanis to be found in the Old Methodist Cemetery of Marthasville, acrossthe street from the present United Church of Christ. He has added:"No doubt there were many more burials in this cemetery years ago,however, only a half-dozen remain, and no record remains of thepersons buried there." [JS: Map not reproduced]

"Henry Bryan died on August 20, 1820, in that part of MontgomeryCounty, Missouri, that became Warren County in 1833. Elizabeth hadthus been a widow for nearly 43 years when she died. (Daniel Boonedied on September 26, 1820, and was buried close to where the Bryanslived in Warren County.

"Our record of the children of Henry and Elizabeth (Sparks) Bryan isfar from complete. They are believed to have had ten children; mostwere born in Kentucky. Dr. J. D. Bryan, whom we have quoted above, isknown to have compiled a Bryan "family tree," a portion of which agenealogist named J. H. Cooper included in the seventh part of anarticle published in the Sunday edition of the LEXINGTON HERALD in thesummer of 1927. We have used this information, along with thatcompiled by one of our members, Natine Williams Britton, in thecompilation of the following record. Mrs. Britton lives at 715Sequoia Dr., Exeter, California 93221-1324. She descends from thedaughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Sparks) Bryan named Rebecca, born onApril 8, 1790, in Clark County, Kentucky. Other data on the family ofHenry and Elizabeth have been found in Lillian Hays Oliver's SOMEBOONE DESCENDANTS AND KINDRED OF THE ST. CHARLES DISTRICT (MISSOURI)."

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

[JS NOTE: In May, 2001, I received an email from Leland Garton(moviegar47@earthlink.net) who was a descendant of Henry and Elizabeth(Sparks) Bryan. His line was as follows:
Henry m. Elizabeth (Sparks) Bryan
Mary Bryan m. David Reed
Samual Bryan Reed m. Permelia Shackelford
Mary Melinda Reed m. Charles Blackburn Huddleston
John Samuel Huddleston m. Myra Jennie Beaver
Vernal Mae Huddleston m. William Smith Garton
Leland Garton was born of this marriage.
Mr. Garton provided a good deal of information as to the descendantsof David and Mary (Bryan) Reed for which I am grateful.]

SQ 2921: "Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Sparks,
was born on June 24, 1787, according to the instription on hertombstone in the
Indian Springs Cemetary near Everett, Pennsylvania. She nevermarried. She
died on July 28, 1858. Her will was recorded on Page 267 of Will Book4 in the
Bedford County Courthouse. She left her estate to her brother, JosephSparks
(595), and to her nephew, Joseph H. H. Sparks.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September, 1972, Whole No. 79, pp. 1501-02:

Elizabeth Sparks, who was born about 1800, is believed to have been adaughter of John and Katharine (Waddell) Sparks. There is no referenceto a daughter named Elizabeth in the 1825 deed (Nicholas County, BookG, p. 90) where the other heirs of John Sparks were listed. However,Katharine Sparks, widow of John, who made her will on January 6, 1843,mentioned (in Book C of Willis of Nicholas County, 1800-1896) thethirty-six-acre farm "where I live with my daughter, Elizabeth."Earlier, on April 23, 1835, Katharine Sparks and Elizabeth Sparks hadpurchased a 33-acre tract on Hinkaton Creek in Nicholas County for tendollars from Drusilla Thornburgh (Book L, p. 15). On March 9, 1836,Katharine and Elizabeth Sparks sold 35 acres of land for $1.00 to aman named Alvin Branch (Book L, p. 156). On November 19, 1838,Elizabeth Sparks purchased a tract of 36 acres in Nicholas County for$333.33 from Pratt Hughes and his wife Sarah (Book L, p. 5147). Shesold this to E, H. Wilson for $610 on May 21, 1853 (Book P, p. 550).

This same Elizabeth Sparks made her will on December 6, 1867, whichwas probated at the February 1869 meeting of the Court in NicholasCounty (thus we know that she died between December 1867 and February1869). In her will, Elizabeth Sparks named her children as HonorSparks, Sally Varner, and Kitty H. Wilson. (This will is recorded inBook H, in Nicholas County.) Katharine Sparks, widow of John Sparks,not only called Elizabeth her daughter in her own will of 1843, butshe also left one-third of her 36-acre farm to her "granddaughter,Honor Sparks."

One might speculate that Elizabeth Sparks was a daughter of Katharine(Waddell) Sparks by a previous marriage. Since she was listed on the1850 census as fifty years of age, however, this is unlikely sinceJohn and Katharine were married in 1792. It is possible that she wasactually the daughter-in-law of Katharine and was thus the widow of anunknown son, but this again seems highly unlikely. On the censusrecords from 1810 to 1840, a female is enumerated in the family ofJohn and Katharine Sparks whose age fits that of Elizabeth,
while no son is so enumerated.

We know from the will of Elizabeth Sparks that she had threedaughters. Who was her husband? Was her maiden name Sparks, and didshe marry a man named Sparks, or were her three children illegitimate?If the latter is the case, we can speculate that her father may havedisowned her and omitted her from the division of his property, whileher mother later brought her into her own home, Perhaps someday adescendant will be able to provide us with the truth. Following is theinformation we have been able to gather regarding Elizabeth?s
three children: (See notes for children.)

WILLS OF PERSONS NAMED SPARKS IN NICHOLAS COUNTY, KENTUCKY, 1800-1896

Abstracted by Paul E. Sparks

Book H. Elizabeth Sparks, to daughters: Honor Sparks, Sally Varner,and Kitty H. Wilson. Signed 6 December 1867. Probated in the February1869 term of Court.

SQ 795: "Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Jonas Sparks, Jr., and his wifeAnna (Caton) Sparks, was born between 1797 and 18O5. On May 7, 18O7,her uncle, David Sparks, was appointed her guardian; she was called"Betsey Sparks" on this record. On February 16, 1815, Samuel Joneswas made her guardian in place of David Sparks, who was about to moveto Tennessee. It was probably this Elizabeth Sparks who marriedBenjamin Dulin in 1815 (Rowan County marriage bond dated December 9,1815; David Call, bondsman; John Marsh, Sr., witness)"

SQ p. 4052: "Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Solomon and Catherine(Hillegas) Sparks, was born on July 20, 1800, and died on May 5, 1832,at Winchester, Ohio. She was married to Samuel Cornelius on July 20,1820. Judge Sparks could find no further information regarding her,nor have we."

!NOTES:
SQ pg 807: "Elizabeth (or Betsey) Sparks, daughter of David and Ma ry
(Little) Sparks, was probably born in Rowan County, North Carolina .All that
is known of her is that she married a man named Jarvis."

SQ 3547-3548 re this family.

!NOTES:
SQ 3O76-7: "Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Abel and Sarah (Cochran )Sparks,
was born on April 13, 18O5, probably in North Carolina. She marrie dJohn
McMannus (or McManus) in Washington County, MO, on April 24, 1828 (o r1829).
She had died prior to the settlement of her brother's estate in 188O .Three
surviving children were identified in those estate papers: Charles McMannus,
Ann McMannus and Ellen (McMannus) Rose.

See SQ 392: Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Geroge and Delila Sparks,married Mordecai Samuels.
See SQ 3706.

See SQ p. 5288:

Elizabeth ["Betsy"] Sparks was born on January 10, 1811. She wasmarried to Mordecai Samuels.
According to a descendant, he had been born around 1810 in NorthCarolina, and they had the following children:

(1) Lucinda Samuels, born 1829, married George Wilcoxson.
(2) Susan Samuels, born 1834, married Daniel Wilcoxson.
(3) William R. Samuels.
(4) Sarah Samuels.
(5) Nancy Samuels.
(6) Delilah Samuels, born 1846; she was married to James C. Wilcoxson.
(7) James Samuels.

!NOTES:
SQ pg 2928 contains short paragraph on Elizabeth, her marriage t oWilson L.
Weeks, and their only child, David Weeks.

.

!NOTES:
SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4276 states: Elizabeth
Sparks, daughter of Jesse and Nancy Sparks, was born about 1833. Sh ewas
married to Daniel Sparks and they had ten children:
Allen Jesse, Nancy, Bruce, Rachel, Eli, Sarah, Louisa, James, Joh nand
Henry.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2649: She was living with her father with the 1850 census w astaken of Titus County, Texas, but not further record of her has be enfound.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4462: Shadrach was a captain in Company D, 17th Regiment Te xasInfantry, Confederate States Army, during the Civil War. He serv edas sheriff of Lampasas County, Texas, from 1870 to 1874. He and Betty had six children, including an unamed child who died at birth .Betty died on July 21, 1861, just a few days after the birth of he rsixth child.

SQ p. 2626:

"Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Loveless)Sparks, was born on October 13, 1840. She was married to John FranklinCrick on January 2, 1862, in Clinton County. He was born on December23, 1837, in Rockbridge County, Virginia, and was a son of John andAnna Catherine (Clenuner) Crick. John was a soldier in the Unionforces during the Civil War. He died on October 31, 1910, and Lizziedied on May 4, 1912. They were buried in the Bunnell Cemetery atFrankfort, Indiana. They had seven children."

See her photograph on the cover of Whole No. 143 of the SPARKSQUARTERLY.

SQ p. 817 for marriage information.

SQ 3902: "Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Matthew and Alsey (Osburn )Sparks, was born about 1842. She was married to James McDowell onFebruary 1 4, 1874, at the home of her father in Johnson County[Kentucky]. Witnesses were her brothers, Henry Sparks and NathanSparks. According to relatives, James and Elizabeth McDowell had atleast two children, Mathis L. and Jemima E."

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3192: "Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Solomon and Malinda (Caudi ll)
Sparks, was born about 1846 in North Carolina. She was married to Isaac
Sexton, probably about 1864. She died in 1924 and was buried in th eZoar
Cemetery at Cainsville, Missouri. According to the 1880 census of Mercer
County, Missouri, she and Isaac had ten children: Joseph W., James A.,
Mary J., John W., Isaac N., Laura H., Sarah E., Frank J., Lillie Mae ,and
Kateslea."

!NOTES:
SQ 3863: Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Dianna (and --- Kozee), wa sborn on November 9, 1847, in Johnson County. She was married to James H. Clark, and they had seven children: Alec, Robert, Thomas, Oscar, Ad, Dianna and Almedia.

SQ 3273: "Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of William and Cynthia (Hawkins)Sparks was born on February 17, 1851, in Tazewell County, Virginia .It was there that she married John Tyler Sparks on July 9, 1867. Hewas born on July 6, 1841, in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and was ason of Richmond and Sarah (Pruitt) Sparks who had moved from WilkesCounty to Tazewell County about 1865. (John Tyler Sparks was agreat-grandson of John Sparks (359), brother of Reuben Sparks (360),subject of this article; thus he and Elizabeth were third cousins.See the December 1955 issue of SQ, Whole No. 12, for furtherinformation about the lineage of John Tyler Sparks. See also ANNALSOF TAZEWELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1925.
"John Tyler Sparks died on February 21, 1906; Elizabeth died onDecember 4, 1920. They were the parents of 10 children.
(1) Cynthia Sparks b. June 11, 1868. She m. Robert Lee Linkous, ca.1886. They had nine children: Otis E.; Bessie Lee; Fred; Frank;Clarence; John T., Jr.; Cavie; William; and Thomas.
(2) Sarah Sparks was born on January 22, 1871. She married Thomas H.Dillon and they had three children: Robert, Mollie, and Pearl.
(3) William J. Sparks was born on Marcy 18, 1873. On December 23 ,1986, he m. Maude Christian in Tazewell County, Virginia. She wasborn on June 1, 1876, and was a daughter of Crockett and Betty(Harrison) Christian. She died on May 15, 1900; William died onDecember 25, 1952. They were members of the Salem Primitive BaptistChurch at Dry Fork, Virginia. They had two children: Myrtle M. andVivian.
(4) Mary J. Sparks was born on August 7, 1875. She married Andrew J.Harman and they had three children: William, Graham, and Violet.
(5) Rebecca Sparks was born on May 14, 1878. She married JohnFranklin Beavers on april 9, 1902. He was born on March 12, 1877.Rebecca died on March 10, 1950. She and John had four children:Theresa, Willeta, Clarence, and Lawrence.
(6) Tacie Sparks was born on May 14, 1880. She married Augustus W.Griffiths on January 11, 1906. He was born on November 19, 1864. Heand Tacie had two children: Myrtle and Daisy.
(7) John L. Sparks was born on November 21, 1872. He died when quiteyoung.
(8) Nancy "Nannie" Sparks was b. May 1, 1885.
(9) Lily Cavie Sparks was born on April 2, 1888. She died when quiteyoung.
(10) Bessie D. Sparks was b. July 4, 1891. She married Frank Pruett,and they had two children: Gussie and Willie."

SQ 332: See Record of Births in Kentucky, 1852-1862 for location ofElizabeth's birth.

SQ 3861: Elizabeth "Bim" Sparks was born on May 28, 1855. She wasmarried to George Kozee, a son of Benjamin Kozee. Bim died about1900, and George died about 1925. They had six children: Charles,Lewis, Frank, Ida, Nickie, and Minnie Belle.

SQ pg. 332 for birth information.

SQ pg 4067:

"Elizabeth ("Betsey") Sparks, daughter of John L. and Polly (Hay)Sparks, was born on December 29, 1855. When the 1880 census wastaken, she was shown in the household of her mother, Mary ( i.e.Polly) Sparks, in Scott County, Virginia. She was listed as ElizabethSparks, aged 23, born in Kentucky. Also in the household were twograndchildren of Mary Sparks, Ava V. Sparks, aged 3, and CharlieSparks, aged 2, both shown as having been born in Virginia. Perhapsthey were children of Elizabeth. We have found no further record ofher."

SQ 3873:

"Elizabeth "Lizzie" Sparks was married to Jesse Monroe Riggs, a son ofHenry and Julia Riggs. They had two children, William and Howard."

!NOTES:
SQ 1358: "Elizabeth Sparks, born Aug. 3O, 1893; married Cam Summer s,born
1888. They had (1) Elsie J. Summers, born Sept. 24, 1925; and (2) Ethel Jean
Summers, born Sept. 26, 1927."

!NOTES:
SQ pg. 8O1: "Elizabeth (Betsey) Sparks, daughter of William. Sh emarried
John Boulwar or Boulvare in Rowan County, North Carolina, in 18O1. She had
apparently died prior to 1865 when her brother Hampton's estate was settled,
for reference was made simply to B. Boulvare's heirs."

SQ 1981: "Elizabeth Sparks (called Betsy), daughter of Cornelius an dSusannah
(Stevens) Sparks, was born July 26, 1821, in Wayne County, Indiana, and died on
April 25, 1896. She was married to Burton Jarvis on January 2, 184O .He was a
son of Zadock and Lucy (Owens) Jarvis and was born in Rowan County, North
Carolina on September 6, 1816. He died on January 2, 19O2. When th eestate of
Burton Jarvis was settled in 1903, it was stated that "Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis died
without issue and without a will." (JS: Must have meant 'without issue
surviving.') However, census records would seem to indicated that they had as
many as five children, but all but have died young. These were:
(1) John Jarvis, born about 1845; listed as 15 on the 185O census.
(2) Lucy Jarvis, born about 1843; listed as 17 on the 185O census.
(3) Zadok (or Zed) Jarvis, born about 1848; listed as 12 in 186O.
(4) Susy E. Jarvis, born about 185O; listed as 10 on the 186O cens us.
(5) Joseph A. Jarvis, born about 1851; listed as 9 on the 1860 census.
When the 187O census was taken, no children were listed as living with Burton
and Elizabeth (Sparks) Jarvis.

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1985, Whole No. 130, p. 2751;

DESCENDANTS F WILLIAM SPARKS (1761-1848)

"Elizabeth C. Sparks, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth (Cooper)Sparks was born about 1818 in Lawrence County, Mississippi. She wentwith her parents to Yazoo County, Mississippi, about 1826 where theysettled in an area that would become Holmes County in 1833. It wasprobably there that she was married to Samuel Everett Rogers about1834. He had been born about 1809 in Tennessee. Shortly after theirmarriage, Sam and Elizabeth moved to Texas where their first child wasborn on September 18, 1835. Just two weeks earlier, Sam had beengranted a "League and Labor" of land by the Mexican Government. Theland was located in what would become Montgomery County in 1837.

"Sam Rogers fought in the Texas-Mexican War and after the war ended,he moved his family to his land in Montgomery County. They stayedthere until the spring of 1841 when they sold the land and returned toNacogdoches County. Three years later, Sam purchased land northeast ofTyler in Smith County. Here he was elected as one of the countycommissioners and it was here that the family was listed on the 1850census.

"Elizabeth (Sparks) Rogers died about 1851, probably at the time theiryoungest child was born, and the family broke up. Some of thechildren went to live with their mother's relatives and in 1860, FrankRogers, 16, and his sister, Mary Rogers, 11, were living in thehousehold of their uncle, Stephen Franklin Sparks, in McLennan County. Living nearby was their brother , William Rogers, 18, in thehousehold of their uncle, James Hawkins Sparks.

"By June 1854, Samuel Rogers was again living in Nacogdoches Count y.With him were his sons, William E. Rogers and Joseph F. Rogers. In1858 , Sam was in Erath County living in the home of his son, JamesCarroll Rogers , who had married two years earlier and was living on aranch. Both Sam and his son were members of the Erath County Malitiawhich had been organized to protect the inhabitants from Indian raids.

"The military service of Sam Rogers was probably the cause of hisdeath on May 3, 1863. He had been asked to guard a neighbor's housewhile the neighbor was away, and on his way back to his home thefollowing day, Sam Rogers was attacked and killed by roving Indians.His daughter-in-law, Mrs. James C. Rogers, later rescued his body, andhe was buried on his son's ranch with rocks marking the site of thegrave. Many years later, his grandson and namesake, James EverettRogers, placed a bronze plaque at the grave, and other descendantsenclosed the grave with a chain link fence.

"The grave site of Elizabeth (Sparks) Rogers is unknown; however, atleast one descendant believes there is a possiblity that she wasburied in Nacogdoches County. There is a spot that old-timers call"The Sparks Cemetary" which is located within the Sparks Survey. Thisis a piece of land that Richard Sparks sold to his brother JamesSparks, and to his sister, Sarah McAnulty, and is located near thewater tower, northwest of the town of Nacogdoches. Samuel Everett andElizabeth (Sparks) Rogers had six children.

(1) James Carroll Rogers, b. September 18, 1835 in Nacogdoches Co.,Texas and died on December 13, 1912, at Clinton, Oklahoma. He and hiswife Nancy Elizabeth Howard, had sixteen children.

(2) William Everett Rogers, b. November 27, 1841, in Nacogdoches Co. ,Texas and died December 25, 1909 at Midland, Texas. He and his wifeVirginia Amazon Purtell had nine children.

(3) Joseph Franklin "Frank" Rogers b. February 27, 1844 and died in1929. He and his wife Susie E. Davis had three children.

(4) Thomas M. Rogers was born ca. 1846 and died in 1864 in the CSA.

(5) John Marion Rogers was born February 17, 1848 and died January 1,1926. He and his wife Lavinia Jane Smith had nine children.

(6) Mary Ann Elizabeth Rogers was b. ca. 1850.

(More details of their children and their decendants may be found inthe SQ from pages 2752 to 2756)

SQ p. 2681:

"Elizabeth C. Sparks was born in December 1852. She married Reuben J.Allen an November 5, 1868, in Carroll Ccunty, Missouri. They had atleast nine children: William J. Allen, Marion Ely Allen, Susie V.Allen, Mary J. Allen, Oliver Allen, Annie Allen, Leora A. Allen,Christine Allen, and Penelope Allen.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1995, Whole No. 172, pp. 4574-77:

"The 1899 Letter Written by Bettie C. Smith -- With Notes

"On page 4555 of the present issue of the QUARTERLY, we noted that adaughter of Isaac and Orpha (Thompson) Sparks was named Elizabeth E.Sparks; her nickname was Bettie. When the 1850 census was taken ofCarroll County, Tennessee, she was shown as living in the home of herfather and her step-mother, Isaac and Jane L. (Donnell) Sparks.Bettie's age appeared as twenty-two on this 1850 census, placing herbirth year at or about 1828.

"Elizabeth ["Bettie"] Sparks was married twice, first, about 1851, toWill Carson, and, second, to a man named Smith. On the one occasionwhere we have a record of her signature (in 1899), she signed her nameas "Bettie C. Smith." We believe that she used the letter 'IC" as theinitial for her first married name, Carson.

"The letter written by Bettie C. Smith in 1899, the contents of whichhave been preserved, provides interesting family history, and it hasbeen used by a number of descendants of Mrs. Smith's great-grandparents in attempting to trace their Sparks lineage. Many yearsago, we published this letter in the QUARTERLY (the June 1961 issue,Whole No. 34, pp. 556-57), but, because we have included its authoramong the descendants of Nathan Sparks in the present issue, we areprinting it again.

"This letter, dated March 11, 1899, was addressed to Bettie Smith'snephew, Samuel ["Sammie"] T. Sparks, son of her brother, WilliamMatthew Sparks (see pp. 4556-57). "Sammie" Sparks, then thirty-fouryears old, was living in the town of McKenzie in Carroll County,Tennessee, in 1899. As Mrs. Smith hoped, he saved her letter, and in1937, Vera Runmons of Centerville, Tennessee, made a copy of it for alawyer in Centerville named William Levi Pinkerton. Pinkerton was agrandson of Hannah Sparks (1824-1893), wife of Levi G. Murphree(1820-1892). Hannah (Sparks) Murphree was a daughter of Jesse Sparks(1773-1848) who was a brother of Nathan Sparks. At some point, thePinkerton copy of this letter became part of a collection ofgenealogical material in the Tennessee State Library known as the"Hickman Co., Tenn., Bible, Family and Tombstone Records." JesseSparks (1773-1848) had lived in Hickman County and had carefullypreserved various Sparks family documents. A copy was made of BettieSmith's letter for us by William P. Johnson in 1948.

"Bettie Smith wrote this letter to her nephew with the hope that hewould preserve it. She wanted to record what she remembered havingbeen told many years earlier regarding her Sparks ancestors,particularly as related by her granduncle, Matthew J. Sparks(1759-1841). Unfortunately, Mrs. Smith made a serious error in herletter that has caused a great deal of confusion among Sparks familyhistorians. When she mentioned her great-grandfather, Matthew Sparks,who died in 1793, she erroneously gave his name as "John." The factthat Matthew had a son named John as well as a son named Matthew, mayhave caused this confusion, or she may also simply have made a slip ofthe pen. In reproducing her letter here, we have substituted thecorrect name for Bettie Smith's great--grandfather, in brackets,rather than to perpetuate this mistake. Additional notes follow thetext of this letter.

'Sammie:
The older ones are, or will soon be all gone; when you get to beolder, you will want to know more than now, who was your ancestors.When I was a child old Uncle Matthew Sparks made his home with hisbrother, Issac, but spent much of his time with Father and Mamma. Ilearned of him more than from anyone else. His Father was named[Matthew], his Mother was Sarah Thompson (Sally Tyson, was named forher), he crossed the waters, I never have known where he was raised;Sally Tyson thought he came from Wales. I do not know where hemarried. He went out to kill a turkey one morning, and was shot byIndians. He left eleven children, nine red-headed boys and two girls. Here are the names of the boys: David, James, William, Mathew,Absolom, Jessie, Nathan, Baily, Hardy, & Isaac. The girls names wereEady and Ann, one of them married a Trayler.

'Mathew fought in the Revolution, don't know how many more. Theyfought the Tories for all they were worth. John, Captain, and Mathew,Lieutenant. They got up one morning, horses all gone but one, (Iguess that was in Georgia) they sit Granny, and a bed for her, andstarted for the fort twenty-five miles bare-headed; there they stayedseven years. Uncle Isaac was five years old, and brother & sisterswung by his arm all the way. Old Grandma buried at Old PleasantGrove; the piece of shirt the ball went through when her husband waskilled, was buried with her. I do not know so much of Thompson kin;Grandma Thompson was Elizabeth Suduth; Grandma Sparks was NancyHancock. My notion is that if we have any mean streaks in us, it didnot come through the Sparks, while many of them have becomeadulterated; but the good ones were sure enough good. You may not careto ever read this, but I don't care, I am going to send it anyway. March llth, 1899

Bettie C. Smith'

"As shown on page 4555, the writer of this letter, Bettie C. Smith(Elizabeth E. Sparks), was the mother of two children by her firsthusband, Will Carson, but we have not succeeded in locating any oftheir descendants.

"The "old Uncle Mathew Sparks" mentioned early in her letter, wasMatthew J. Sparks (1759-1841), sometimes called Matthew Sparks, Jr. Hewas Bettie Smith's granduncle, he being a brother of her grandfather,Nathan Sparks. (See the QUARTERLY of September 1984, Whole No. 127,pp. 2644-69, for a record of the life and descendants of Matthew J.Sparks.) The Isaac Sparks, brother of Matthew J. Sparks, with whomMatthew made his home when Mrs. Smith was a little girl, lived inCarroll County, Tennessee, as did Mrs. Smith's father, who was alsonamed Isaac, son of Nathan Sparks. Isaac, son of Nathan, was called"Isaac Sparks, Jr." in order to distinguish him from his uncle of thesame name. The elder Isaac Sparks, son of Matthew and Sarah(Thompson) Sparks, had been born about 1780; he died in 1869. Hiswife's name was Wilmoth Noland (or Knowland).

"Matthew J. Sparks (or Matthew Sparks, Jr.) had served in the AmericanRevolution, and during his old age, he was granted a pension for thatservice. (See the QUARTERLY of December 1956, Whole No. 16, pp.179-182, for transcripts of his pension file.) From his pension paperspreserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and from datafound in census records, we know that his wife, Margaret Sparks, haddied prior to 1830 and that in 1831, Matthew J. Sparks moved fromArkansas to Carroll County, Tennessee, to live with his brother, IsaacSparks, Sr. and to be near his nephew, Isaac Sparks, Jr. He was stillliving with his brother when the 1840 census was taken, but bySeptember of that year, he had moved to Clinton County, Illinois, tolive with his daughter, Jane (Sparks) Steele. It was there that hedied on August 14, 1841. Thus, we know that Bettie Smith had knownher granduncle during the time between 1831 and 1840, when she wasbetween the ages of about three and twelve. It is not surprising thatshe erred in her memory of certain details in recounting stories shehad heard as a child from Matthew J. Sparks.

"In the QUARTERLY of June 1961, Whole No. 34, we provided biographicalinformation on the elder Matthew Sparks, who was killed by Indians inNovember 1793 when he went out to kill a wild turkey. There we alsogave the texts of several court documents of later date by which SarahSparks and several of her sons attempted (with some success) to obtaincompensation from the U.S. Congress for their many losses of propertyto the Creek Indians. From these, we know that the Sparks family'sretreat from their Georgia land holdings to the fort, as described byMrs. Smith, occurred after the elder Matthew's death in November 1793. From these documents, we learn, also, that the fort in FranklinCounty to which they fled was called "Sparks Fort."

"Bettie Smith's "Father and Mamma," in whose home Mathew J. Sparks wasa frequent visitor, were, of course, Isaac Sparks, Jr. (1805-1878) andhis first wife, Orpha (Thompson) Sparks (1806-1842). After Orphalsdeath, Isaac had been married to Jane L. Donnell.

"Sally Tyson, whom Bettie Smith noted had been named for Sarah(Thompson) Sparks, Sally's grandmother, was a daughter of Isaac, Sr.and Wilmoth (Noland) Sparks. She had been born about 1821 so was onlya few years older than her cousin's daughter, Bettie Smith. SallyTyson was married to Samuel Tyson in Carroll County, Tennessee, onJanuary 8, 1845. Samuel Tyson apparently died before 1850, and Sally,along with her son, Isaac S. Tyson, who had been born in or about1846, were shown on both the 1850 and 1860 censuses of Carroll Countyas living with Sally's parents. As Mrs. Smith indicated, Sally Tysonhad also heard the stories told by Matthew J. Sparks.

"Bettie Smith's statement that her great-grandfather, Matthew Sparks,had "crossed the waters," and her statement that Sally Tyson hadthought he had come from Wales, are both false. It is a truism ingenealogical research that the identity of a family's immigrantancestor is often thought to be that of one of his/her descendants.There is ample evidence that the immigrant ancestor of this branch ofthe Sparks family had been Matthew Sparks's great-grandfather, WilliamSparks, who had died in Queen Annes County, Maryland, in 1709.Matthew Sparks's migration had been from Maryland to North Carolinaand, finally, to Georgia. (See the QUARTERLY of December 1989, WholeNo. 148, pp. 3484-3501, and that of June 1961, Whole No. 34, pp.556-566.)

"It was in or about 1784 that Matthew Sparks had moved, with most ofthe members of his large family, from their residence on New River inwhat is now Ashe County, North Carolina (then still part of WilkesCounty), to land located east of the Oconee River in Franklin County,Georgia. Prior to the Revolution, these lands had been occupied bythe Creek Indians.

"The Creek Indians strongly protested the loss of their Georgia land,and under their able leader, Alexander McGillivroy, a half-breed withScottish ancestry, they kept up for several years, in that irregular,desultory manner so common to Indian warfare, a series of depredationson the white settlements along the Georgia frontier. Spain alsoclaimed this land and signed a treaty with McGillivroy in 1784 underwhich the Spanish gave the Indians aid and encouragement. Thisstruggle, which lasted twelve years, is called the Oconee War.

"Bettie Smith's statement that "they sit Granny and a bed," probablymeans that a wagon, pulled by their one remaining horse, was used totransport at least a portion of the family's possessions, including abed on which "Granny" sat. "Granny" refers to Sarah (Thompson)Sparks, widow of Matthew, who had been killed earlier. Sarah survivedthis ordeal, living until August 23, 1831.

"It is not surprising that in 1899 Bettie Smith had difficultyrecalling the number and names of the children of hergreat-grandparents, Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks. Statingthat, at his death, Matthew had left eleven children, including ninesons and two daughters, she then named ten sons. There were actuallyeleven sons, however, including John, whom she omitted from the list.Her omission was a slip of the pen, however, because later she statedthat John had been a captain in the Revolutionary War while Matthew J.had been a lieutenant. We believe, however, that John's rank wasnever above that of lieutenant, while Matthew J. Sparks was not anofficer. (It is not uncommon for descendants of Revolutionary Warsoldiers to promote them to a higher military rank than they hadenjoyed in real life.) Bettie Smith would have had no personalknowledge of John Sparks, who had been born in 1755 and was one ofMatthew and Sarah's oldest sons, because some two years before hisfather was killed, John had moved to South Carolina. (See theQUARTERLY of March 1966, Whole No. 53, p. 961.)

"Bettie Smith was correct in stating that one of the daughters ofMatthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks had been married to a "Trayler."This was Eady (or Edy) Sparks who been married to Randolph Traylor;they were living in Clark County, Georgia, in 1807. Mrs. Smith wasalso correct in stating that Matthew J. Sparks and his brother, John,had "fought the Tories." Matthew's pension papers form an importantsource of information on this branch of the Sparks family. (See theQUARTERLY of Decembr 1956, Whole No. 16, pp. 179-182, for a transcriptof these papers.)

"In her statement that "Grandma Thompson was Elizabeth Suduth," Mrs.Smith referred to her maternal grandmother. Orpha (Thompson) Sparks,Bettie Smith's mother, had been a daughter of Moses and Elizabeth(Suddeth) Thompson. The "Grandma Sparks" to whom Mrs. Smith referredwas Nancy (Hancock) Sparks, second wife of Nathan Sparks; Nancy hadbeen born in 1782 and was a daughter of Martin Hancock. (See page 4550of the present issue of the QUARTERLY.)

"Bettie Smith provides our only source for the maiden name of hergreat-grand-mother, Sarah (Thompson) Sparks. The name Thompson isvery common, and we seriously doubt that there was any relationshipbetween Sarah (Thompson) Sparks, who died in 1831, and Orpha(Thompson) Sparks (1806-1842), Bettie's mother."

See SQ p. 3951.

SPARKS QUARTERLY September 1984, No. 127; p. 2659:

MATTHEW J. SPARKS (1759-1841) AND HIS DESCENDANTS

"Elizabeth Traylor Sparks, daughter of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks,was born on March 5, 1813, in Georgia. She married Samuel Coleman onMarch 1, 1836, in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. We have found nofurther information regarding this couple."

See SQ p. 4669 for a photo of Ellen and three brothers.

The following appeared in the September, 1969 issue of the SPARKSQUARTERLY, Whole No. 67, at page 1255:

DEATH TAKES MRS. ELLA SPARKS NORRIS

The Sparks Family Association lost another charter member on July 6,1969, with the death of Mrs. Ella Sparks Norris, of Lake Charles,Louisiana. Mrs. Norris was a daughter of the late John Willis and AnnaMargaret (Meier) Sparks. She was a granddaughter of George Graham andElizabeth (Painter) Sparks, and a great-granddaughter of Hugh S. andNancy (Carnutte) Sparks. (See page 102 of the QUARTERLY.)

Mrs. Norris was born in Whitley County, Kentucky, on March 25, 1910.She was graduated from Berea College Hospital School of Nursing in1931 and worked as a registered nurse all of her professional life. Ather death, she was a supervisor at Charity Hospital at Lake Charles.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2782: Ella May Sparks married Bill Davis.