SQ Whole No. 43, pg 764: JEFFERSON COUNTY, KENTUCKY, MARRIAGE BONDS(1780-1875):

Fanny Sparks & Isham Wilhoite, September 29, 1823. Said Fanny beingdaughter of William Sparks, dec’d., and of Mourning Sparks, his widow.Consent proven by John Browa. Married by James Ward. (Book I, page 147)

SQ 2776:

"Felix Franklin Sparks, son of Newell Crane and Laura (Fetzer)Sparks, was born on October 24, 1891. He was married to Mary Estelle Rayon November 10, 1914, and they had five children: Lydell, Feliz Lawrence,Earl, Frances and Margaret. Felix died on September 24, 1971."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3696: He was married twice. His first marriage was to Florence McGuire by whom he had two children, Odie and Wanda. His secon dmarriage was to Gladys ---. He died about 1918.

SQ pg 3902: Fernando and Anna had six children before Anna's death:William, Goldie, John Henry, Albert, Ida May, and Charles Sparks.
Fernando and Laura had five children: Samantha, Earnest, Lester ,Nathan, and Alberta Sparks.

***************
SQ pg 1551:

ADDITIONAL SPARKS MARRIAGES IN KENTUCKY, continued:

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

Copied by Paul E. Sparks

Fernando Sparks and Annie Horn, March 22, 1900. (Book 17a, page 136) Hesingle, age 21, born Johnson County, Ky. She single, age 19, born inScioto County, Ohio. Nathan Sparks, witness.

SPARKS QUARTERLY, pp. 4730-31:

"Flora Hulette Sparks was born on November 15, 1887, in Texas. Herfirst child was named Sherwood and he was reared by her parents. (Seepage 3123 of the September 1987 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 139,for an account of the life of Sherwood Sparks.) Flora was married toHenry Lee Williams on November 27, 1911, in Lawrence County. He had beenborn in 1883 and was a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Workman) Williams,natives of West Virginia. Lee was a miner and was killed by a slate fallin 1933. He and Flora had six children: Edith Williams, Robert Williams,Roy Williams, Leo Williams, Freda Williams, and Charlotte Williams."

[JS: The family sheet for Sherwood E. Sparks is found under "othermarriages" for Flora H. Sparks]

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2615: Florence Sparks married a man whose surname was Lee a ndthey lived at Mathersville, Illinois.

SQ 3184:
"Florence Amoretta Sparks was born on September 11, 1865. She wascalled "Etta". On March 2, 1884, she was married to John Alfred Allison.He had been born on December 11, 1862, at Guelph, Canada. He died onJuly 1923 and was buried in the Memorial Cemetary at New Market, Iowa.Florence died on August 18, 1943, and was buried beside her husband."

SQ p. 3937:
(Repeats above and adds the names of their children.)

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2619: She married Horace Oakes, a native of England. The ywere both buried in Silver City, New Mexico. They had three childr en.
1. Ernestine Oakes married T. B. Saner, and in 1964 they were livi ngin South Pasadena, California. They had a son and twin daughters , oneof whom ws named Barbara.
2. Ethel Oakes married George J. Harbauer and in 1964 they were living in El Cahon, California. They had one child, Jack, who lived i nKansas.
3. Muriel Oakes married M. J. O'Boyle, and they lived in Santa Ros a,California.

SQ 4736:
Flossie Marie Sparks was born on September 13, 1910. She was marriedtwice. Her first marriage was to Campbell, and her second marriage was toStidham. She died on October 4, 1982.

SQ p. 4043:

"Frances Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Kelley) Sparks,was born in May 1751. We have learned nothing further about her."

SQ 3796: "Called 'Franky' in her father's will; she was unmarried whenher
father made his will in 1833."

SQ p 2445:

"Frances ("Fanny") Sparks, daughter of Absalom and Lydia (Elsberry)Sparks, was probably born about 1796. She may have been named for hermaternal grandmother, Francina Elsberry. On June 6, 1814, she marriedHiram Tidwell in Gallatin County, Illinois. Apparently this couplefollowed the migration of their respective families through Arkansas andinto Texas where Fanny died. She and Hiram had at least two children,William Tidwell and Wesley Tidwell. They were living in Johnson county,Texas, in 1874 when they sold their mother's share of the estate ofFanny's sister , Edy Sparks. We have no further information about thisfamily."

SQ 3075: "Frances Sparks, daughter of Abel and Sarah (Cochran) Sparks,was born October 27, 1803, probably in North Carolina before the familymoved to Tennessee. (Some of Frances' descendants have long believedthat she was born in Davidson County, Tennessee; we know, however, thatAbel Sparks was still in Wilkes County, NOrth Carolina, as late as 1807;furthermore, her place of birth was given as North Carolina on the 1850and 1860 censuses.) She was married to Francis Creswell Kirkpatrick onOctober 10, 1822, in Jackson County, Missouri. He had been born onFebruary 4, 1803, and died on June 3, 1877. Frances was called FrancesKirkpatrick in the papers settling the estate of her brother, SolomonSparks, in 1880, thoughs he is known to have married a man named Scott asher second husband. She died on January 19, 1881. The children ofFrances Sparks and her husband, Francis Creswell Kirkpatrick were: GeorgeA. Kirkpatrick, James Cochran Kirkpatrick, George W. Kirkpatrick, SarahJ. Kirkpatrick, William Dennis Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth A. (Kirkpatrick)Jones, Vance L. Kirkpatrick, Martha E. (Kirkpatrick) Bull, Elvira Vie(Kirkpatrick) Pauley, Frances Creswell Kirkpatrick, and Frederick C.Kirkpatrick. (Some detail is provided as to each of the above childrenand some of their issue.)

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriage informationfrom Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822- 1865):
Frances Sparks & Reuben Keesee, December 1, 1836. (Book I, p. 134)

SQ 3856: "Frances Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Martha (Edwards )Sparks, was born about 1818 in North Carolina. She was married to ReubenKozee (or Keesee) on December 1, 1836, in Lawrence County, KY. They hadfour children when the 1850 census was taken of that county. We have nofurther in formation about this family:
a. John Kozee was born about 1838.
b. Arena Kozee was born about 1840.
c. Malinda Kozee was born about 1842.
d. Lucinda Kozee was born about 1845.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 2001, Whole No. 196, p.5627:

"Frances ["Fannie"] Sparks, daughter of Isaac and Wilmoth (Noland)Sparks, was born on March 3, 1819. She was married to Thomas Knox Tysonand died on May 11, 1880. Thomas Knox Tyson had been born on November 30,1815, and died on December 4, 1879. These dates are from the tombstonesof this couple in Pebble Grove Cemetery located a few miles east ofMaysfield in Milam County, Texas. We do not know when this couple movedto Texas from Tennessee, nor have we learned anything about theirchildren.'

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3194: "Francis ["Fannie"] Sparks was born about 1858. She marr ied
James G. Absher, probably about 1879. He was born in September 185 8 and
was a son of Edmond and Katherine (Holbrook) Absher. Fannie died o n Nov-
ember 23, 1889, at Swords Creek, Virginia, shortly after their fift hchild
was born. James died on March 29, 1937, in Tazewell County, Virginia ."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3693: "Frances "Fannie" Lee Sparks was born on October 16 ,1869, in Titus County. She was married twice. Her first marriag e wasto William George Holland on September 3, 1885, in titus County . He andFanny had nine children: Eva Arelda, Neddy, Barbara Lee, M ack, Nora,Jessie, Hattie, Scott, and Sidney. William Holland died o n February 27,1909, in Fisher County, Texas, and on November 3, 1916 , Fannie wasmarried, second, to J. M. Hitt. He died on March 9, 193 8, and Fanniedied on March 25, 1958.
"Hattie Holland, named above, was married to Frank Turner, and the ywere the parents of four children: Olan, Frankie, Wannette, and Jac kie."

SQ p. 5601:

"Steven Porter has provided the following information about his ancestor,Almira Sparks, daughter of Matthew Jefferson and Mary ["Polly"] Sparks.Almira was born in Pulaski County , Arkansas , on January 9, 1830.Although she was cailed Almira in her father's will and was known asAlmira in her family, she had been named originally Frances ElmiraSparks. She was married in Saline County, Arkansas, on January 4, 1846,to Joel Turner Porter, son of Ridley and Edith (Johnson) Porter. Usuallycalled by his middle name, Turner, he had been born on June 4, 1825, anddied sometime after June 1900, in Grant County, Arkansas. During theCivil War, he served in Logan's Brigade, Captain Miller's Company, 11thCavalry Regiment of the Confederate Army . He and Almira lived nearHurricane Creek (pronounced "Hairkin Crick"), two miles east of Sheridan,Arkansas.

"Almira (Sparks) Porter died on February 18, 1896, in Grant County,Arkansas. (Grant County was not created until 1869, from portions of HotSprings, Saline, and Jefferson Counties.) A record of the eight knownchildren of Joel Turner and Almira (Sparks) Porter follows: " [JS Note:For information concerning the children of Almira (Sparks) Porter, seetheir individual sheets.]

SQ 3867: She was married to Sherman Lyon in 1894 in Lawrence Coun ty,KY.

SQ pg 2592:

(See his photograph on page 2592.)

"Francis Sparks, son of William and Catherine (Huckley) Sparks, wasborn on January 30, 1833. He was a small lad when he accompanied hisparents to Clinton County. He was about fourteen years old when hisparents moved to Tippecanoe County. It was there that he met and marriedMary Jane Lamb on May 22, 1857. She was born on May 1, 1840, in Indiana,and was a daughter of James and Elizabeth Lamb, natives of New York andOhio, respectively. Francis was a brick mason, specializing in buildingflues in houses under construction. He was a member of the UnitedBrethern Church.

"In 1861, Francis Sparks and his brothers, James Sparks and PeterSparks, bought an 80-acre tract of land in Tippecanoe County. On April11, 1864, James and Peter sold their shares to Francis for $1,333.33.Both James and Peter were in the military service at that time, but Jameswas killed just two months later. Francis sold the land in 1873, butreserved the right to remove his bricks, corn, and any personal propertyfrom the land.

"Mary Jane (Lamb) Sparks died on March 7, 1879, and was buried in theFink Cemetery in Tippecanoe County. Francis died on May 28, 1918, at thehome of his son George, near West Point, Indiana. He was buried atPyrmont, Indiana. He and Mary Jane had seven children, all of them bornin Tippecanoe County except the last one who was born in Missouri."

!BIRTH:
See UNION COUNTY, KENTUCKY BIRTHS 1852-1878, FHL 976.9885 V28b, pa ge61:
17 Jan 1875, Francis Lee Sparks, male, alive, born Union County, (fat her)
Francis M. Sparks, (mother) Alice Thomas, white, (father born) Virgin ia,
(mother born) Marion Co., KY, (presently reside) Union County.

!BAPTISM:
See BAPTISMAL RECORDS OF SACRED HEART CHURCH, FHL 976.9885 D2h a tpage 129.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1969, Whole No. 68, p. 1283 fo anabstract of his military record in the Civil War:

FRANCIS M. SPARKS

Our only record of Francis M. Sparks is a company muster-roll for theperiod from September 19 to
December 1863 on which he is listed as a Second Lieutenant in Company I,2d Regiment Texas
Cavalry. There is the note that he enlisted for a period of six months atCamp Buford. He was paid
$20.80 for the use of his horse and was “Elected 2d Lt. Sept. 18, 1863.”The 2d Regiment Texas
Cavalry, State Troops, was organized in 1863 with ten companies, A to K.Some of the companies
appear to have served in an organization known as the 13th BattalionTexas State Troops prior to the
formation of this regiment and some of the men subsequently served inBourland’s Regiment Texas
Cavalry and Capt. Jones’ Company Texas Cavalry.

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

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

"Francis Marion Sparks, son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks, wasborn on February 4, 1818, in Jasper County, Georgia, and was aboutfifteen years old when his parents moved to Tallapoosa County, Alabama.He had just passed his 18th birthday when he enlisted, along with hisfather and brothers, on Mary 7, 1836, in the Tallassee Guards to fight inthe Creek and Seminole Indian War. (See page 2669 for an abstract of hispension file.)

"Francis M. Sparks was a farmer. His nickname was "Doc"; however noone knows why. The nickname was later given to his first son, LawrenceJackson Sparks, but the reason remains a mystery. On November 11, 18 41,Francis M. Sparks ("Doc") was married to Rebecca J. Holman in TallapoosaCounty. Apparently she died shortly after giving birth to their onlychild in 1842; many years later, Nathan F. Sparks, brother of Doc Sparks,journeyed from Johnson County, Texas to Franklin County, Texas, to makean affidavit that he was present when Rebecca Sparks died in 1842.

"On October 30, 1845, Francis M. Sparks was married (2d) to MaryCatherine Brown in Chambers County, Alabama, by Francis ("Frank")Callaway, a Baptist minister. Actually the license was issued inChambers County, but was recorded n Tallapoosa County, indicating thatthe couple lived near the county line. Many years later, Mary (Brown)Sparks applied for bounty land based on her husband's military serviceand testified that they had lived in Chambers County until they moved toTexas in 1848. (Her application was denied because her husband hadalready received bounty land; however, she was granted a pension on July27, 1892.)

"When the 1850 census was taken of Texas, Francis ("Doc") and MarySparks were living with their family in Cass County. He was shown as 33years old and born in Georgia; she was aged 25 and born in Alabama. Withthem were Mary C. Sparks, aged 6 (daughter of the first wife); L. J.Sparks, aged 4; and William B. Sparks, aged 2. Doc was listed as a housecarpenter. In all probablility, he had a hand in building some of thebeautiful old homes which make Jefferson, Texas, a modern-day touristattraction.

"In May, 1857, Francis ("Doc") Sparks bought a 124-acre tract of landfrom his brother William Sparks, in Titus County for $1.00 per acre. Theland was located in that portion of Titus County that became a part ofFranklin County in 1875. That fall, Doc sold the land to G. S. Templetonfor $300. Two years later, he bought another tract from his brother,William, consisting of 160 acres. This tract was located on the northside of Main Cypress Creek about thirty miles southwest of Mt. Pleasantand about a file and one-half from the county line. It was in thisgeneral area that Francis M. ("Doc") Sparks spent most of his remainingdays, although he sold this particular tract of land in February, 1862 toN. S. Penn.
"Francis M. Sparks served in the Confederate States Army during theCivil War, but only one record of his service has been found in theNational Archives. It is a muster roll of his company in the 2ndRegiment of Cavalry, Texas State Troops, for the period September 18,1863, until December 21, 1863. He was elected 2nd lieutenant onSeptember 18th and was pid $20.80 for the use of his horse during theperiod. A record in the Texas Archives shows that he enlisted at CypressChurch in a military unit called the Cypress Blues. (See page 1283 ofthe December 1969 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 68, for an abstractof his military record.)

"After selling his land in Titus County in February 1862, Francis M.and Mary Sparks bought a 160-acre tract in eastern Hopkins County fromMinyard and Metita Brown. It was located on Stouts Creek of the SulphurFork of Red River about 16 miles southeast of Tarrant. They were livingthere when the 1870 census was taken, and this is where Francis M.("Doc") Sparks died on March 14, 1876. Mary Catherine survived himnearly 34 years, dying on January 18, 1910. They were buried in theCypress Cemetary. A Masonic emblem is inscribed upon his tombstone.They had ten children. (A photograph of his tombstone appears on thecover page of this issue of the QUARTERLY).

"The names of his children were Mary C. Sparks; Lawrence Jackson("Doc") Sparks; William B. Sparks; James A. Sparks; Nathan F. Sparks;Sarah J. Sparks; Francis M. ("Frank") Sparks; Martha E. Sparks; BenjaminSparks; Lucy A. Sparks; Ella Sparks." (Here follows details about thechildren and their descendants) END OF ARTICLE.

See also SQ pg 2669 for the following abstract:

"FRANCIS MARION SPARKS, son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks, wasborn on February 4, 1818, in Jasper County, Georgia. He married (1st)Rebecca Holman on November 11, 1841, in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, and(2nd) Mary Catherine Brown on October 23, 1845, in Chambers County,Alabama. He served in the Alabama Militia during the Creek and SeminoleWar in 1836. File Designations:
Bounty Land Warrants Nos. 13,385 and 149,529; Wid. Appl. No. 2504.

"On December 3, 1850, Francis M. Sparks, aged 33, a resident of CassCounty, Texas, appeared before Charles Westmoreland, a Justice of thePeace, and applied for any bounty land to which he might be entitled forgiving militaryservice to the United States. He said he had enlisted inthe early part of May 1836 for an indefinite period in Capt. JohnBroadnax's Company, known as the Tallassee Guards of the AlabamaVolunteers. He served for four months in the War of the Creek Indians andwas discharged at Tallassee, Alabama, on or about the first day ofSeptember, 1836. To the best of his remembrance, he did not receive adischarge, but if he had received one, it was now lost. (War Departmentrecords proved that he served from May 7, 1836, until September 7, 1836.) He signed the application as F. M. Sparks. Thomas J. White, Cass CountyClerk, certified that Charles Westmoreland was a justice of the peace ofCass County. Francis M. Sparks was issued a warrant for 40 acres ofbounty land.

"On May 5, 1855, Francis M. Sparks applied for additional bounty landto which he might be entitled under the 1855 Act of Congress. He was nowa resident of Hopkins County, Texas. He made the application before R.J. Holbrook, a notary public of Titus County, Texas. He signed theapplication as
"Francis M. Sparks." Thomas C. Montgomery and Thos. H. Turner witnessedhis signature. Sparks was issued 120 acres of bounty land.

"On October 27, 1892, Mary C. Sparks, aged 66, a resident of Pickton,Texas, applied for a Widow's Pension. She said she was the widow ofFrancis M. Sparks who had died ond March 14, 1876, in Franklin County,Texas. He had enlisted under the name of Francis M. (or Doc) sparks onMay 7, 1836, at Tallassee, Alabama, in Capt. John h. Broadnax's Companyof the Alabama Infantry, commanded
by Gen Jessup, in the war with the Creek Indians, and had served untll hewas discharged on August 1, 1836. At the time of his enlistment, he was18 years of age; he was 5 ft. 11 inches tall; he had blue eyes, dark hairand a light complexion; he was born in Jasper County, Georgia, and was afarmer. She had been married to Sparks on October 30, 1845, in ChambersCounty, Alabama, by the Rev. Frank Callaway. She was married under hermaiden name of Mary C . Brown. Francis M. Sparks had been previouslymarried, but his first wife had died in 1842. Mrs. Sparks went on to saythat she and her husband lived in Chambers County for two years aftertheir marriage and then had moved to Texas in 1848.

"She appointed John Wedderburn, Washington, D. C., as her attorney. J. H. King and J. T. Banister witnessed her sign her name as M. C.Sparks. In an undated affidavit, Nathan F. Sparks of Johnson County,Texas, brother of Francis M. Sparks, testified that he was wellacquainted with his brother's
first wife and was present when she died about 1842 in Dadesville,Alabama.

"On February 27, 1893, V. C. Black and E. B. Cowan testified that theyknew Francis M. Sparks had died on March 14, 1876, because they attendedhis funeral. His widow had not remarried. The Bureau of Pensionsapproved the claim of Mary C. Sparks on July 17, 1895, and she was placedupon the pension roll at the rate of $8.00 per month. This amount wasincreased to $12.00 per month on April 19, 1901.

"On April 29, 1910, W. B. Sparks informed the Bureau of Pensions thathis mother, Mary C. Sparks, had died on January 18, 1910, and had beenburied in the Cypress Church Cemetery in Franklin County, Texas."

CHURCH:
Baptism Register of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church inMorgantown,
Union County, KY., for the year 1867 states: "July 18, Baptized FrancisMarion Sparks son of Solomon Sparks, Margaret A. Brim, Sponsor John B.Wathen. 24 years old. (signed) E. J. Durbin (priest)." Photocopy inpossession of James J. Sparks, San Carlos, Ca. FHL 571711.

DEATH:
Photocopy of Certified Copy of Death Certificate of Francis M. Sparkswho died May 10, 1925, in Union County, KY. His birth date is blurredand looks like May 9, 184?; the certificate states that he was 82 years 1day old on the date of his death which would confirm a birthdate of May9, 1843. It states that he was born in Virginia, the son of SolomonSparks, born Virginia, and Margaret Simes (blurred) of Virginia. Thename of the informant is blank. He was buried May 12, 1925 in theCatholic Cemetery (St. Ann's) in Morganfield.

TAX LIST:
Records of Union County, KY., town of Morganfield: 1868, 1869, (FH L8253); 1870-74, (FHL 8254)

CENSUS:
United States Census for 1870, Union County, KY. Entry #1419.SPARKS, Francis, 26, Male, White, Farmer, born Virginia, wife Alice, 20,Female, White, Housekeeper, born Kentucky; Children: William, 1, MaleWhite, born Kentucky.

DEEDS:
1891 Many deeds are recorded from Francis Marion Sparks and Mary AliceSparks in Union County, KY. (FHL 562129)

COURT RECORDS:
See notes for Solomon Sparks, Jr. (28) showing the appointment ofFrancis Marion Sparks as Administrator of his estate, 11 March, 1889.

MISC. RECORDS:
Book UNION COUNTY KENTUCKY GENEALOGY, 976.9885 D2h, Family HistoryLibrary, Salt Lake City, Utah; lists persons buried in St. Ann'sCemetery, Morganfield, KY and includes, Sparks, Francis M. 1843-1925.
See also UNION COUNTY KENTUCKY DEATH RECORDS 1911-1950, FHL 976.98 85V38h at page 38. Gives mother's name as Margaret Givens.
See "An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Henderson and Union Counties,Kentucky, published by D. J. Lake & Co., 1880, Philadelphia, Pa., at page36: Included under the list of patrons for Union County in theMorganfield Precinct we see "Sparks, F. M. (No. of Acres) 12; (PostOffice) Morganfield; (Occupation) Blacksmith; (Nativity) WashingtonCounty, Virginia; (Date of Settlement) 1865. Also found is anadvertisement stating "F. M. Sparks, Proprietor of (blurred) and Dealerin Plows and Farm Impliments. Repairs of all kinds promptly attended to.Shop 2 1/2 miles on Henderson Road."

CIVIL WAR:
See UNION COUNTY, KENTUCKY IN THE CIVIL WAR 1861-1865 by HEADY, FHL976.9885 M2h. On page 129 under the title Confederate PensionApplications it states SPARKS, FRANCIS M. (Application Date July 15,1912, Pension No. 1917.) There were many Francis Marions in the war andwe have no assurance that this is our Francis.

In the SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1966, Whole No. 55, p. 1004, there isa listing of all men who served in the Confederate Army. There is alisting as follows:
There is an entry involving a Marion Sparks, Pvt. who was enrolled inthe Confederate Army 12 Sept, 1863, mustered in 13 September, 1863 atKnoxville, Tenn for 3 years, mustered out 30 Sept 1865 at Louisville, KY,on page 1004, Sparks Quarterly, In the same issue at p. 100 is an entryinvolving a Francis. M. Sparks, Private, enrolled in the Union Army 9Dec. 1863, mustered in 19 September, 1863 at Camp Nelson, Ky. for oneyear. Mustered out 26 Dec. 1864 at Lexington, Ky. It is probable thatMarion was in the Confederate Army in view of his leaving the areaimmediately after the war. See note below.

See HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY by LewisPreston Summers, Originally published, Richmond, VA., 1903, Reprinted1966, 1971, 1979. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. FHL 975.5h2slp.Commencing at page 543:

"The Federal troops continued their march to the Lead Mines in WytheCounty which they destroyed, and from that point they returned toSeven-Mile Ford and thence to the right to Saltville . When they reachedSaltville, some slight resistance was offered by a number of Confederatesoldiers and reserves who were at the place at that time, but the townwas easily captured and the works destroyed (December 1864)."

And on page 545 "The close of the war found the people of this countyin as deplorable a condition as could be imagined -- without money,credit, clothing or the wherewithal to eat, with hundreds of wounded anddisabled soldiers, their farm houses, fences, and farming utensilsdestroyed, and with grave apprehensions as to the future."

Since Francis Marion Sparks is known to have settled in Morganfield,Union County, Kentucky, in 1865, it is presumed that the conditions inWashington County, Virginia, at that time were such that this 22 year oldblacksmith preferred to leave his family and make a fresh start over 400miles away in the northwestern corner of Kentucky. His family was tofollow him shortly thereafter. We cannot locate the family in the 1870census of either Virginia or Kentucky though Francis is in Morgantown.By 1872 his father, Solomon Sparks, appears in the tax records of UnionCounty in the Morgantown area. Francis' youngest brother, David LilburnSparks, was about 7 years old at this time.

See SQ p 4873: "They were buried in the Nashville [Wisconsin] Cemetery.We have not learned whether they had any children."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3692: They had eight children: Kermit, Quinton, Leota, Vel ma,Illene (sic), Reba, Lucille, and Lavern.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2594: He married Emma Hannell in 1916. She was a sister o fCharles Hannell (who married his sister Lena May Sparks [above]).

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2652: He was married to Luvena Smith on December 23, 1933.

SQ pg 2630:

"Franklin Sparks (?), son of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, mayhave been born about 1852,
although it is possible that he has been confused with Benjamin FranklinSparks (4, above). He should
not be confused with Frank Sparks, son of Francis Sparks, and grandson ofWilliam Sparks. (See Item
D, 3, e, on page 2595 of the March 1984 QUARTERLY, Whole No. 125.)"

SQ p. 4729:

"Fred Lee Sparks was born on April 22, 1909, at Blakeley, WestVirginia. He was married to Ethel Lena Newcomer about 1934. She hadbeen born on January 23, 1915. They lived in West Virginia until 1953when they moved to New Mexico. They lived there for 29 years and thenmoved to Salem, Oregon. Fred was living there in 1991. He and Ethel hadfour children: (here named)."

SQ p. 2573:

DEATH TAKES FRED W. SPARKS

It is with deep regret that we record the death of Dr. Fred WinchellSparks who died on February 15,
1982, at Claremont, California. He was born on November 13, 1891, inGeorgetown, Texas, and grew
up in Lampasas, Texas. He was a son of Lloyd R. and Lucy Belle (Eubank)Sparks and a grandson of
Martin Van Buren and Susan Louisa (Bull) Sparks. The father of Martin VanBuren Sparks was Samuel
Wyatt Sparks, born July 7, 1803, in Queen Annes County, Maryland, son ofWilliam Millington Sparks,
born about 1775 in Queen Annes County.

Dr. Sparks graduated from Southwestern University and received hisdoctoral degree from the
University of Chicago. He taught mathematics and was the author andco-author of several textbooks in
advanced mathematics. The last 35 years of his teaching career were spentat Texas Technological
College. He retired in 1961 and moved to California. He and his wife, theformer Mary Elizabeth
Romans, have one daughter, Mary Romans Sparks, who married Kermit DeanMatthews. The
Matthews' have two children, Fred K. Matthews and Mary Lois Matthews.

(In all probability, Dr. Sparks was a descendant of Millington Sparks, ason of John and Cornelia Sparks
of early Queen Annes County, Maryland. See the March 1971 issue of THESPARKS QUARTERLY,
Whole No. 73, page 1389.)

***************
SQ pps 4465-6:

He became a teacher when he was nineteen years old , and he madeteaching his professional career. HIs teaching experiences ranged fromthe elementary grades to graduate school. He wa s a full professor atTexas Technological college from 1926 to 1961. He earned his Ph.D. inmathematics at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Sparks was best known as the quthor of a series of mathematicstextbooks published by McGraw, Hill & Company. He was honored by manyprofessional organizations, including membership in Sigma Xi.

Fred Sparks served in the United States Army during World War I andwas in France for nine months. When he returned from military service,he was married to Mary Elizabeth "Madge" Romans on January 13, 1921. Shewas a daughter of William M. A. and Ellie E. (Kelly) Romans ; she hadbeen born on May 14, 1894, in Austin, Texas.

Fred Sparks died on February 15, 1982, at La Verne, California. Madge died just two months later, on April 15, 1982. They were burie d atPomona, California. They had one child, Mary Romans Sparks. She wasmarried to Kermit D. Matthews, and they have two children, Fred K.Matthews and Mary Lois Matthews.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1983, Whole No. 123 beginning at page2549 for a family history provided by a granddaughter of Frederick BryantSparks Flossie Marie Sparks, daughter of David Grove Sparks. [Aphotograph of Frederick and Mary (Speer) Sparks appears on page 2549.)

"Frederick Bryant Sparks was born on February 4, 1833, in Oldham County,Kentucky; he was a son of
David C. and Mary B. Sparks. He was married to Mary Elizabeth (Speer)Ashby on August 16, 1855, in
Oldham County, Kentucky. She had been born on May 20, 1834, and was adaughter of Dr. John Grove
Speer, M.D. Her birthplace was Decatur, Illinois. Frederick Bryant andMary Elizabeth Sparks lived in
Oldham County for awhile following their marriage, then moved to DaviessCounty and lived on the farm
with Mary Elizabeth's father for a year or more. They then moved toMasonville, then back to Oldham
County, Kentucky, where Frederick took charge of his Uncle HamptonSparks's farm. Sometime after
this, he went to Baxter Springs, Missouri, but not liking it there, thefamily moved to Moultrie County,
Illinois, then to Kansas. He was a good farmer, worked faithfully, andknew how to carry on that
business.

The names and birthdates of the children of Frederick B. and Mary E.(Speer) Sparks were as follows:

(1) Ida B. Sparks, born February 25, 1857, in Oldham County,Kentucky.
(2) Eugene L. Sparks, born August 26, 1859, in Daviess County,Kentucky.
(3) David Grove Sparks, born August 2, 1861, in Oldham County,Kentucky.
(4) Lucilla M. Sparks, born August 26, 1862, in Oldham County,Kentucky.
(5) William Hampton Sparks, born March 26, 1864, in Oldham County,Kentucky.
(6) Alberta C. Sparks, born March 26, 1866, in Oldham County,Kentucky.
(7) Henry M. Sparks, born August 18, 1868, in Oldham County,Kentucky.
(8) Bettie Ann Sparks, born April 5, 1870, in Oldham County,Kentucky.
(9) Rose Belle Sparks, born March 4, 1872, in Oldham County,Kentucky.
(10) Leonie F. Sparks, born November 26, 1875, in Moultrie County,Illinois.

Mary Elizabeth Speer Ashby Sparks, wife of Frederick Bryant Sparks, was adaughter of Dr. John
Grove Speer, M.D., and Sarah Eddings Snyder Speer. Dr. Speer wrote a bookpublished in 1900 by
the Blue Grass Printing Company entitled The Speer Book which containsinformation on his daughter,
Mary Elizabeth.

Mary Elizabeth Speer was married first to Richard L. Ashby who was bornon December 14, 1831, and
died on July 6, 1854. One daughter was born to them on July 4, 1853,named Sarah Jane. On
December 22, 1875, this Sarah Jane Ashby was married to Jessie DanielOglesby who was born on
January 11, 1855, and was a son of John A. and Lucy A. Oglesby. Accordingto my records, Sarah
Jane lived to be past 85 years of age and died in 1938 or 1939. Herhusband had died earlier. Both are
buried in Ballardsville, Kentucky.

Mary Elizabeth (Speer) Sparks died on December 16, 1904, at Coffeyville,Kansas. Frederick Bryant
Sparks died on February 26, 1919, at the home of his daughter, Ida White,in Kansas City, Missouri.
Both were buried in Fairview Cemetery, Coffeyville, Kansas.

[JS Note: At this juncture, Flossie M. Welsch provides information onthe children named above, for which see their individual notes. She thencontinues on SQ page 2551 relating her years living in the home of hermaternal grandfather, Mahlon Homer Minton. This story is included in thenotes for her father, David Grove Sparks, a son of Frederick BryanSparks.]

SQ pps 3409-11:

"Frederick "Fred" Mauk Sparks, son of Nelson and Peggy (Mauk) Spar ks,was born on May 1, 1853, in Carter County. On January 21, 1875 , he wasmarried to Elizabeth Catherine Kegley in Elliott County. It was thefirst marriage for both. Catherine (as she was called) was born on April20, 1855, in Wythe County, Virginia, and was a daughter of Joel andDelilah (Hounshel) Kegley, natives of Wythe County. When the 1880 censuswas taken of Elliott County, Fred and Catherine were shown as havingthree children, two sons and one daughter.

"Sometime in the 1890s, Fred Sparks joined the Christian Church,probably during a revival meeting, and his wife persuaded him to leaveElliott County and the temptations set before him by his friends anddrinking companions. Accordingly, in 1897, he bought land at Rice,Kentucky, in Greenup County. (The post office no longer exists. ) Therehe built a log house, and in the late fall he moved his family fromGimlet, Kentucky, to the newly-built home. It was there, on November 2,1897, that the picture was taken of the entire family which is reproducedbelow (see page 3410).

"Frederick Mauk Sparks was a good man in every sense of the phrase .An interesting biographical account of him was written by a granddaughterAnna Musser Bradley (a daughter of Laura Belle Sparks), and she has givenus permission to use it here. She wrote:

"All I know of Grandpa Sparks is what my mother and her two youngersisters told me and, naturally, they praised him highly. He died when Iwas just a year old. He was converted during a revival meeting inElliott County, shortly after his marriage, and he joined the ChristianChurch before he moved to Greenup County. Ultimately, he was ordained aminister of the Christian Church, and it is told that he preached sermonsin the grove near the Sparks Cemetery. This area is now called HappyRidge because the Sparks family sang the oldtime gospel songs with such afine spirit that the neighbors would gather in and sing and rejoice withthem.

"Grandpa was an industrious farmer, and he planted an orchard. Healso could do all sorts of handy work and had a blacksmith shop. He keptseasoned hand-planed walnut boards in the loft of the shop which he usedto make homemade coffins, and Grandma kept suitable cloth materials tocover, pad, line, and decorate the coffins for friends , neighbors, andrelatives.

"Grandpa also donated land for a cemetery. He was a good hand to waiton the sick and help the needy, and he was a good father as well. Hisgrave was the second one prepared in the cemetery for which he gave theland. He died on May 20, 1906, just a few days after he reached his 53rdbirthday."

After the death of her husband, Catherine Sparks continued to live atHappy Ridge. Most of her children were married, or would soon marry,with families of their own, but she and the youngest children kept thehome place together. (They had 78 grandchildren). She survived herhusband for over forty years, dying on December 23, 1946. She was buriedbeside him in the Sparks Cemetery at Happy Ridge. She and Fred hadeleven children, including an unnamed daughter who died at birth."

SQ 100: "Garrett Sparks, (spelled Jarett on his marriage bond) born 15Sept. 1802; married, 1825, Elizabeth Boggs."

See the December 1955 issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, whole no. 12 , pg93, for further details of this branch of the Sparks family. [JS: Agrandson, Morton Emerson Sparks 6021, married another Sparks descendant,Cora Elizabeth Lyon (6020). See SQ pg 3898.]

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1993, Whole No. 161, pp 4065-4073,which is an article about Garrett's half-brother John L. Sparks who, as amember of a guerilla gang of southern soldiers, killed Hugh Boggs and JimBoggs , who were ex-union soldiers and brothers of Elizabeth Boggs, wifeof Garrett Sparks. For revenge, their brother Jesse Boggs followed JohnL. Sparks to Virginia where Jesse shot John and left him for dead. Johnsurvived and spent the rest of his live in Virginia away from the othermembers of his family.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1996, Whole No. 174, p. 4634:

"Garrett Sparks, son of Levi and ----- (Walsh) Sparks, was born onSeptember 15, 1802, in Wilkes County, North Carolina. (His name was alsospelled Jarrett, Jared, Gared, etc.) He had reached maturity when heaccompanied his father to Lawrence County, Kentucky, in 1821. The firstofficial record we have found of him is a Kentucky Land Warrant, datedMay 10, 1824, for 50 acres of land on the right fork of Big BlaineCreek. He probably bought the land in preparation for his marriage toElizabeth ["Betsy"] Boggs. They were married on September 22, 1825, bythe Rev. Stephen Wheeler, a Baptist minister. (The license was issued onSeptember 19, 1825.) Betsy had been born on December 27, 1808, inVirginia and was a daughter of John 0. and Nancy (Wells) Boggs. Soonafter their marriage, Garrett and Betsy united with the Big BlaineBaptist Church.

"During the period from 1825 to 1850, Garrett Sparks was involved inover a dozen transactions involving the purchase and sale of land onBlaine Creek. On the 1860 census, he was listed with real estate valuedat $1,000 and personal property valued at $500.

"The Civil War had a major impact on the family of Garrett Sparks.Three of his sons served in the Union forces. Garrett's youngestbrother, John L. Sparks, served in the Confederate forces and was quitelikely involved in the ransacking of Garrett's house during the war. (Seethe March 1993 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 161, beginning on page4065.) [JS: Copied in the notes of his half-brother John L. Sparks.]

"Garrett Sparks died on September 25, 1873, in Lawrence County. Betsydied there on December 21, 1873. They were buried in the Morton SparksCemetery that is located on Kentucky Route 32 between the Forks of Blaineand the mouth of Collier Creek. They had sixteen children according tocensus records and information given by descendants."

See World Family Tree, Vol 2, File 5319 for more generations, probablytaken from the Sparks Family Quarterly.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Mar 1991, Whole No. 153, pp. 3927-28 for anarticle on the death of John J. Kitchen on December 28, 1991. John was agreat-grandchild of Garrett Melvin and Mary (Miller) Sparks.
"Melvin and Mary lived near the Forks of the Big Blaine Creek wherethey became the parents of eight children." Photograph of Melvin andMary with four of their children on page 3927.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3421: They live in (1989) Wilmington, Ohio, where Gary is employed by the Frigidaire Corporation. They have two children: Debr aand Jennifer Sparks.

SQ pg 3404: He served in the Navy during World War II. (JS: But,unless he fabricated his age on enlistment, not for long since he turnedeighteen on 22 Sept, 1945, one month after the war ended!) He worked fora manufacturing company in Mansfield , Ohio. He was a member of thefirst Wesleyan Church.