See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1983, Whole No. 122, p. 2522:

[See the cover of Whole No. 122, pg. 2519 for fine photographs ofGeorge Washington Sparks and Elizabeth Jane (Morgan) Sparks takenabout 1865.]

"George Washington Sparks, son of George and Fanny (Lindsay) Sparks,was born on February
18, 1834, in Surry County, North Carolina. He accompanied his parentsto Union County, Georgia,
and it was there that he married Elizabeth Jane Morgan on July 11,1856. She was born on April 26,
1837, in Union County. She was the daughter of Samuel Morgan andHannah (Nicholson) Morgan. When the 1860 census was taken, they wereliving in Whitfield County; their post office was given as Rural Vale.

"George Washington Sparks served in Company H, 36th regiment GeorgiaInfantry, Confederate
States Army, during the Civil War.

'Sometime between 1874 and 1878, George and Elizabeth moved theirfamily to Texas where they
settled in Falls County. George was killed in 1891 about 20 miles fromMart, a small town in
McLennan County. Nothing is known about the circumstances surroundinghis death. Elizabeth died
on July 7, 1910, and was buried at Mart. They were the parents ofeight children." (Here the article includes information on thedescendants of George Washington Sparks for which see their individualsheets.

**********

SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1988, Whole No. 144, pp 3310-3326 @ 3310:

FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING DESCENDANTS OF GEORGE SPARKS JR. (Bornabout 1805)

"George Washington Sparks, son of George and Fanny (Lindsay) Sparks,was born on February
18, 1834, in Surry County, North Carolina. He accompanied his parentsto Union County, Georgia,
and it was there that he married Elizabeth Jane Morgan on July 11,1856. She was born on April 26,
1837, in Union County. She was the daughter of Samuel Morgan andHannah (Nicholson) Morgan.When the 1860 census was taken, they wereliving in Whitfield County; their post office was given as Rural Vale

"George Washington Sparks served in Company H, 36th Regiment GeorgiaInfantry, Confederate States Army, during the Civil War. He was takenprisoner on July 4, 1863, when the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi,capitulated . On July 9, 1863, he was required to sign a documentwhich reads as follows:

Vicksburg, Mississippi July 9, 1963

To whom it may Concern, Know ye That:

I, George W. Sparks, a Private of Co. H, 36th Reg't, Geo. Vols.C.S.A.,
being a Prisoner of War, in the hands of the United States Forces, in
virtue of the Capitulation of the City of Vicksburg and its garrisonby
Lieut. Gen. John C. Pemberton, C.S.A., Commanding, on the 4th day of
July, 1863, do in pursuance of the terms of said capitulation, givethis
my solomn parole under oath - -
That I will not take up arms again against the United States, nor
serve in any military, police, or constabulary force in any Fort,Garri-
son or field work, held by the Confederate States of America, aginst
the United States of America, nor as guard of prisons, depots orstores
nor discharge any duties usually performed by Officers or soldiers,
against the Unites States of America, until duly exchanged by theproper
authorities.
[signed] George W. Sparks
Private Co H 30th Geo Regt

"George Washington Sparks apparently was exchanged because he servedin the Confederate Army through May 1864 according to witnesses whoprovided testimony when his widow, Elizabeth Jane, applied for aConfederate pension in her late years. According to their testimony,George enlisted as a private in April 1862 and served through May1864. He served under Colonel Jesse A. Glenn who described him thus:"He would weigh about 140 pounds, he was about 5 feet an[d] 7 incheshigh, he was dark complected [with] dark hair and dark eyes." W. G.Harris, who was captain of Company H. also gave a statement verysimilar to the Colonel's.

"After the Civil War, George Washington Sparks and his family lived inMurray County, Georgia. Sometime around 1874, George went to McLennanCounty, Texas, where he worked as a laborer in order to save enoughmoney to send for his family. This was about 1876, and, according tohis eldest son, John Henry Sparks, they traveled to Texas by train.George farmed for a while and then went into business with another manas a peddler. They traveled all over Central and North Texas in awagon selling their goods.

"George Washington Sparks was killed on January 15, 1891, nearMesquite, in Dallas County, Texas. There is some mystery surroundingGeorge's death. No one is sure who killed him, but it has been assumedthat he was killed by his partner. He was apparently buried in anunmarked grave somewhere near the place of his death.

"Elizabeth Jane applied for a Confederate pension in 1899, which wasapproved on February 9, 1900. [This was under a pension plan offeredby the state of Texas - - no pension provision for Confederatesoldiers and their widows was ever made by the U. S. Government.]According to the papers pertaining to her case that are preserved inthe Texas State Archives, she was in poor health when she made herapplication, and had no money. Elizabeth Jane died on July 7, 1910,and was buried at Mart, Texas, in McLennan County.

"George Washington and Elizabeth Jane (Morgan) Sparks were the parentsof eight children. [See pp 2522-24 of the QUARTERLY of June 1983,Whole No. 122, for more detailed information.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1996, Whole No. 174, pp. 4656-57:

"George Washington (Wash) Sparks, son of Wiley and Cynthia Ann(Holbrook) Sparks, was born on September 3, 1845, in Lawrence County.He served for a short time in the 68th Regiment Kentucky EnlistedMilitia of the Union Army during the civil war. (See page 4665 ofthis issue of the QUARTERLY for an abstract of his pension file"(reproduced below)) He was married to Linnie Grizzell on April 2,1873, in Carter County, Kentucky, and it was there that she died onSeptember 30, 1890. Wash survived her for nearly fifty years, dyingon April 26, 1938. He and Linnie had six children. (See page 241 ofthe September 1957 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 19, for recordsfrom the Bible of Wash Sparks.)"

Civil War Pension Application of George Washington Sparks:

"GEORGE WASHINGTON SPARKS, son of Wiley and Cynthia (Holbrook)Sparks, was born on September 3, 1845, in Lawrence County,Kentucky. He was married to Linnie Grizzell on April 2, 1873, inCarter County, Kentucky. He served in Company A, 68th RegimentEnlisted Militia. File Designation: Inv. Appl. No. 1,201,847.

"On November 22, 1897, Washington Sparks, aged 54, a resident ofMartha, Kentucky, appeared before John N. Johnson, a notary public inElliott County, Kentucky, to make a declaration for an InvalidPension. He stated that he had been enrolled on May 21, 1864, inCompany A, 68th Regiment Kentucky Enlisted Militia, commanded by Capt. D. Sturgell, and had served until he had been discharged on June 22,1864, at Louisa, Kentucky. At the time of his enlistment, he had been6 feet in height; he had a fair complexion, black hair, and blue eyes;and he was a farmer. On or about June 1, 1864, he was stricken with achronic diarrhea and piles from which he had suffered ever since, sothat he was now almost totally unfit for manual labor. He had beentreated by Dr. Hamilton Sweatman, a private physician. Since leavingthe service, he had lived in Lawrence County. He appointed T. R.Walburn, Ironton, Ohio, as his attorney, and E. E. Johnson and W. A.Dobyns, both of Stephens, Kentucky, witnessed his signature.

"On January 6, 1898, the War Department confirmed Sparks's militaryservice. He had been enrolled in Company A, 68th Regiment KentuckyInfantry Enlisted Militia on May 21, 1864, and had served until he wasmustered out on June 22, 1864. No medical records were on file forhim.

"Only one other document is contained in the "selected papers"comprising his file obtained from the National Archives. This is asummary of his military service prepared by his attorney, T. R.Walburn. Stamped across the top of the page in bold letters is theword "Abandoned."

"[Editor's Note: Washington Sparks (as he was called) was a grandsonof Levi and Sarah (Lyon) Sparks who came from Wilkes County, NorthCarolina, to Lawrence County, Kentucky, about 1821, and settled nearthe fork of Big Blaine Creek. See the December 1955 and September1957 issues of the SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole Nos. 4 and 19,respectively, for further details of this family; also pp.4656-4657 ofthe present issue of the QUARTERLY.]

George Washington "Wash" Sparks and his nephew, Thomas Jefferson"Tom" Sparks, married sisters. Tom was a son of George's sister,Nancy Sparks who was 12 years older than George. George's wife LouisaJane Creech (b.1847) was 14 years younger than her sister, Mary"Molly" Creech (b.1861).
Thus we have:
Nancy (b.1834) (brother and sister) George (b.1846)
|
Thomas (b.1857)
m. m.
Mary (b.1861) (sisters) Louisa Jane (b.1847)

See SQ p 4874: "Wash and Louisa lived on Little Fork unti about 1895when he died. Louisa then moved her family to Normal, Kentucky, whereher oldest sons could work in the lumberyards. She died there onMarch 21, 1932, and was buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Ashland,Kentucky. She and Wash had ten children, six of whom lived tomaturity."

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY for June, 1963, Whole No. 42, p 742 forElliott County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1869-1912):

George W. Sparks & Louisa Creech, November 29, 1873. (Book 1, pg 38)Witnesses: Joel Sparks and Thomas B. Sparks

SQ 3277:
"George Washington Sparks, son of Jonas J. and Polly (Hankins) Sparkswas born on April 17, 1868. He was married twice. His first marriagewas to Virginia Elizabeth "Jennie" Farris on October 19, 1887. Shewas born on December 14, 1866, and was a daughter of Major Wilson andMary Jane (Durman) Farris. Jennie and George had seven childrenbefore her death on February 28, 1914. George married (2nd) JaneWaggoner on September 13, 1921. They had no children. George died inApril 1941. His children were:

(1) Minnie Ora Sparks was born on July 29, 1888. She married WilliamT. Bandy, and they had nine children: William C., Anna M., George F.,James A., John K., Charles R., Sarah V., Shirley F., and Elmer C.

(2) Stella Maude Sparks was born on October 31, 1890. She marriedOlbert Sayers. She died on August 29, 1966. She and Olbert had sixchildren: May Etta; Berniece; Olbert, Jr.; Ancil B., Virginia Mae;and George C.

(3) Virginia Blanche Sparks was born on November 28, 1894. Shemarried Charles S. Dalton, and they had three children: Virginia E.,Ora Lena, and Edward.

(4) Major Wilson Farris Sparks was born on April 12, 1898. Hemarried Ruby Avis Bowman. She was born on January 16, 1904, at SouthPoint , Ohio, and was a daughter of William C. and Ida (McKee) Bowman. Wilson Sparks died on July 13, 1932, in a coal mine accident. He andRuby had six children: James, George, Fred, Louise, Jane and MajorWilson.

(5) Mary Edna Sparks was b. on apr 29, 1902. She m. Carl E. Thompson,and they had one child, Frank.

(6) Seldon Copenhaver Sparks was born on March 12, 1902 and d. June16, 1928. He never married.

(7) George W. Sparks, Jr. was b. April 27, 1907. He d. July 3, 1929.He never married."

See the Sparks Quarterly for September, 1958, Whole No. 23 at pages322-23 for the following:

QUERY

George Washington Sparks of Plevna, Montana, wonders whether anymember of the Association can assist him in tracing his Sparksancestry. Mr. Sparks was born on July 4, 1888, in the territory whichis now Oklahoma. He was married in 1908 to Bernetta A. Berry who wasborn July 30, 1891, in Camden County, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Sparksare the parents of the following children: (1) Herbert A. Sparks, born1909; (2) Melvina
V. Sparks, born 1911, died 1951; (3) Lelli P. Sparks, born 1913; (4)Ernest L. Sparks, born 1918; (5) George A. Sparks, born 1921, killedin World War II in 1944; (6) Mary C. Sparks, born 1923; (7) James F.Sparks, born 1927; and (8) Robert E. Sparks, born 1929.

The father of George Washington Sparks was named Joseph Zac TaylorSparks; he was born August 28, 1845, somewhere in North Carolina, anddied in Petersburg, Oklahoma, about 1912; he married Melvina FrancesMcClain on August 25, 1869, probably in Georgia. She was the daughterof Tom McClain and was born December 26, 1850, in Georgia and diedDecember 25, 1931, in Tuttle, Oklahoma. Apparently Joseph Sparks andhis wife settled in Georgia after their marriage and lived in thatstate until about 1879 when they moved to Texas. When the 1880 censuswas taken, Joseph Sparks and his family were living in McLennanCounty, Texas, near Waco. The family was listed as follows:

Joseph S. Sparks (age) 30 Farmer (birth place) N.C.
Frances " 28 Wife Ga.
Fannie " 8 Daughter "
John " 6 Son "
George T. " 4 Son "
James " 2 Son "

Mr. Sparks states that there were also children named Joe, Frank,Davie, and Lillie; these were apparently born after 1880.

Mr. Sparks does not know the names of his grandparents and hopes thatsomeone can aid him in finding information regarding them. They wereprobably from North Carolina and moved to Georgia. They may have livedin Arkansas at one time. He knows that his father had a brother namedIsaac (Ike) Sparks who was in Seattle, Washington, at one time, andanother brother named Cal who operated a cotton gin in or near Waco,Texas. There was also another brother named Thomas. Three brotherswere in the Civil War.

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

Sparks Quarterly for December, 1963, Whole Number 44, pg. 779:

DEATH TAKES GEORGE WASHINGTON SPARKS OF PLEVNA, MONTANA

We regret to report the passing of George Washington Sparks on October10, 1963, in Plevna, Montana. Mr. Sparks had been a member of TheSparks Family Association since 1956. He was a son of Joseph ZachariahTaylor Sparks (born August 28, 1845, in North Carolina, died about1912) and his wife, Melvina Frances Jane (McClain) Sparks (bornDecember 26, 1850; died December 25, 1931). Joseph Z. T. Sparks andhis wife were married on August 25, 1869, probably in Georgia, whereseveral of their children were born. In 1879, however, they moved toMcLennan County, Texas, near Waco. At the time of his death in 1912,Joseph Z. T. Sparks was living in Peterburg, Oklahoma.

George Washington Sparks was born in the territory which is now theState of Oklahoma on July 4, 1888. He was married in 1908 to BernettaA. Berry, who was born July 30, 1891, in Camden County, Missouri. Herparents were Moses Grant and Sarah Ellen (Robertson) Berry. George W.and Bernetta A. (Berry) Sparks were the parents of the followingchildren: (1) Herbert A. Sparks, born 1909; (2) Melvina V. Sparks,born 1911, died 1951; (3) Lelli P. Sparks, born 1913; (4) Ernest L.Sparks, born 1918; (5) George A. Sparks, born 1921, killed in WorldWar II in 1944; (6) Mary C. Sparks, born 1923; (7) James F. Sparks,born 1927; and (8) Robert E. Sparks, born 1929.

[Here appears a photograph, beneath which is the following caption:]

Mr. and Mrs. George W. Sparks of Plevna, Montana taken in the autumnof 1929.

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

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY for December 1988, Whole No. 144, pg 3324:

"George Washington "Colonel" Sparks, son of Joseph Z. T. and Sara M.F. Jane (McClain) Sparks, was born on July 4, 1888, in Petersburg,Oklahoma (Indian Territory). He was married to Bernetta Alma Berry onMay 17, 1908, in Petersburg. Bernetta was born on July 30, 1891, inCamden County, Missouri, the eldest child of Moses Grant and MaryAngeline (Robertson) Berry. In September, 1909 "Colonel" and BernettaSparks chartered an immigrant car from Waurika, Oklahoma, to Baker,Montana where they homesteaded in the Lame Jones community,twenty-five miles south west of Baker. Three families went together:The Sparkses, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Sheffield, and the parents of Bernetta,Moses and Mary Berry. The railroad car held their household goods,plows, wagons, horses, cows, and chickens. "Colonel" Sparkshomesteaded the east half of Section 10, Township 5 North, Range 54East. Mr. and Mrs. Moses took the west half of the section. In aninterview with Mrs. Sparks about the early years in Montana, shedescribed their first home. It was built into the bank, three logshigh, and was about 28 x 40 feet. There was a shed over the door madeof boards with a window in the south side. There were shelves alongthe walls of the dugout for storage.

They also built a dougout barn, and a chicken house was built in thesame way. They went to Baker once a year by wagon or sled to getsupplies for the following year. Bernetta said she was in Montana sixyears before she went to Baker.

Ranching and farming were the main occupations of "Colonel" Sparks,but he also did some mining. He discovered coal on his land, and inthe fall and winter he sold coal to his neighbors and to the localschool. His son, Frank, still mines this coal and uses it to heat hishome and shops.

George Washington "Colonel" Sparks died on October 10, 1963, inPlevna, Montana. Bernetta died on April 18, 1983. Both were buriedin the Lame Jones Cemetary. They were the parents of eight children."

**********

Received the following email note from George Washington Sparks, Jr.(Sparky0311@aol.com) on Aug 2, 2002 in answer to a request to verifythat his uncle Fred Sparks indeed married (2nd] Marie Permelia Hallwhen he was almost 60 years of age (she was then 32) and fathered hislast child, Jackie Barbara Ann Sparks when he was 68.

"Yes, my Grand Father Fred Sparks that was born in 1891 had a muchyounger
wife and did father his youngest child when he was 68 years old. TheSparks
family association did not show Permilia at all. I remember reading inthe
books I bought from them it said Anna Wright died in NJ and it alsosaid my
Grand Dad Fred Sparks never married again. That was wrong. Permiliawas
murdered by her son in law who was married to my Aunt Nellie. His namewas
Lester Crammer. Rosalie and Nellie also died from being shot by him.All the
girls went to church and were Christians. He was a drunkard. It is along and
tragic story.
Yours Truly George Washington Sparks Jr."

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
George Sparks & Alafair Chafin, January - -, 1858. (Box 3) He born inJohnson County, Kentucky, age 22, 1st marriage. She born in LoganCounty, Virginia, age 27, third marriage. Married by H. Moore,minister, Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

SQ 3858: "George William Sparks, probable son of Joseph and Marth a(Edwards) Sparks, was born about 1835 in KY. It seems quite likelythat he was the George Sparks who was married to Alafair (---) Chaffinin January 1858 in Lawrence County. He was 22 years old; it was hisfirst marriage; and he had been born in Johnson County, Kentucky. Shewas 27 years old; it was her third marriage; and she had been born inLogan County, Virginia (now West Virginia). When the 1860 census wastaken, they were living in Wayne County, Virginia (now West Virginia). Living in their household in 1860 were four children; Margaret 10;John, 9; William H., 5; and Martha J., 2.

On September 2, 1861, George Sparks enlisted in the 5th RegimentVirginia Infantry, United States Army, and served until he was given amedical discharge on August 18, 1862. See the abstract of his pensionfile on page 3876 of the SPARKS QUARTERLY, copied below.

While we have no records to prove this statement, we believe thatGeorge Sparks and Alafair (---) Sparks were divorced about 1866. Wealso believe that he was the George Sparks who was married to RebeccaC. (Ball) Burchett on July 7, 1867, in Carter County, KY. Rebecca hadbeen born about 1837 and was a widow of James Burchett.

George and Rebecca moved to Clinton County, MO, shortly after theirmarriage. (He apparently left his children by his first marriage withtheir mother.) He made application for a Civil War Pension [seebelow] on May 19, 1877, but died on March 15, 1878, probably beforeany action could be taken on the request. Rebecca applied for awidow's pension in 1890, and it was granted. She died on January 10,1909. She and George apparently had no children.

George Sparks apparently had four children, all by his first marriage.
a. Martha J. Sparks was born about 1859.
b. George Sparks was born about 1861.
c. William Sparks was born about 1864.
d. James Sparks was born about 1866.

CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION
SQ 3876: George W. Sparks, probably a son of Joseph and Martha(Edwards) Sparks, was born about 1835 in Floyd County, Kentucky. Hewas probably the George Sparks who was married to Alafair (-------)Chaffin in 1858; his 2nd wife was Rebecca C. Burchett to whom he wasmarried in 1867 in Carter County, KY. He served in Company F, 5thRegiment Virginia Infantry. File Designations: Inv. Appl. No.236,476; Wid. Cert. No. 162,907.

On May 19, 1877, George W. Sparks, age 41, a resident of Starfield ,Clinton County, Missouri, made application for an invalid pension .He stated that he had enlisted in Company F, 5th Regiment Virgini aInfantry, at Ceredo, Wayne County, Virginia (now West Virginia), onAugust 10, 1861, and had been discharged on August 15, 1862. While inthe service, he had contracted the measles which had settled in hislungs. He also had been poisoned at Parkersburg, Virginia. He saidthat he was 6 feet tall, that he had light hair, blue eyes and a faircomplexion. He appointed William P. Hooper as his attorney. RobertBall and Henry Ball witnessed him make his mark, and the
application was sworn to before George R. Riley, clerk of the ClintonCounty Court.

The War Department confirmed Sparks's military service on July 5 ,1877. He had enlisted at Camp Anthony, Ceredo, Virginia, on September 2, 1861, in Company F, 5th Regiment Virginia Volunteers, to servefor three years and had been given a Surgeon's Certificate ofDisability at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland, on August 18, 1862.According to the Certificate of Disability, Sparks had been born inFloyd County, Kentucky, and was a farmer by occupation. His disabilitywas described as "chronic pneumonia."

George W. Sparks died on March 15, 1878, before final action was takenon his application.

On August 11, 1890, his widow, Rebecca C. Burchett, age 53, of DekalbCounty, Missouri, made application for a widow's pension. She statedthat she and Sparks had been married in Carter County, Kentucky, onJuly 7, 1867, by the Rev. John Martin. She had been married under thename Rebecca C. Burchett. She and her husband had no children underthe age of sixteen at the time of her application. She appointedWilliam P. Hooper, Plattsburg, Missouri, as her attorney. JamesGibson and Louis W. Burchett witnessed her signature. Nothing wassent by the National Archives from her pension file to indicate whataction was taken on this application.

On March 20, 1895, W. H. Mocabee, clerk of the Carter County,Kentucky, Court, certified that there was a record of the marriage ofGeorge W . Sparks and Rebecca C. Burchett on July 7, 1867, in CarterCounty. The marriage had been performed by John Martin, M.E.C.S.

In May 1896, Aaron Fluty, age 68, and John Hobbs, age 69, bothresidents of Martin County, Kentucky, made a joint affidavit thatGeorge W. Sparks had never served in any war prior to his enlistmentin 1861. At the same time, H. C. Ball, age 55, and Robert C. Ball, age49 , both residents of Starfield, Missouri, testified that they hadknown Rebecca C. Sparks all their lives, and that she had notremarried after the death of her husband , George W. Sparks.

The Bureau of Pensions issued Widow's Certificate No. 162,907 toRebecca C. Sparks. When she died on January 10, 1909, she was receiving a pension of $12.00 per month."

SQ pg 3420:
"George Winfield Sparks, son of Nelson and Peggy (Mauk) Sparks, wasborn on April 9, 1862, in that part of Carter County, Kentucky, whichbecame a part of Elliott County in 1869. As a young lad, heaccompanied his father in the fall of 1874 to the village of OliveHill where his father was shot and killed on Sunday, October 11th.George , then only 12 years old, drove the team and wagon which hauledhis father's body home late that day.

"After the death of his father, George continued to live with hismother on the home place until his marriage on September 14, 1883 , toLucinda "Cindy" Sargent in Elliott County. She was born on March 25,1862, in Ohio County, Kentucky. We have not learned the names of herparents, both of whom died when she was quite young. She had abrother named Jesse Sargent, and she had two sisters, Kate and Eliza.George Sparks was a farmer and lived on Mauk Ridge. He died onNovember 27, 1932, and was buried in the Mauk Cemetery. Lucinda diedon February 3, 1939, and was buried at Olive Hill. She and George hadsix children."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, pg 4731:

"Georgia Belle Sparks was born on October 2, 1896. She was married toGeorge William ["Buck"] Edwards on November 30, 1910, in LawrenceCounty. Buck had been born in Virginia In 1889 and was a son ofThomas and Carrie (Ziegler) Edwards. Buck was a coal miner in WestVirginia all of his working life. Georgia died on May 25, 1943, andBuck died on September 17, 1962. They had six children. They were:Clyde Edwards, Eugene Edwards, George W. Edwards, Jr., Paul Edwards,Lawrence Edwards, and Bobby Wray Edwards. (See p. 2488 of the December1982 issue of The Sparks Quarterly, Whole No. 120, for the obituary ofEugene Edwards.)

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4068: He was married to Eula Reynolds, and they had three children: Debra, Tamara, and Kathy. Gerald was married (second) to Carolyn Birch.

SQ p. 750:

"Gertrude Sparks, daughter of James S. and Alice M. (Davis) Sparks,was born July 16, 1891, at Douglas, Kansas. She is a graduate of HomeEconomics at Madison, Wisconsin. She taught in Fond du Lac, Wisconsinuntil June 1961. She is now [Sept 1963] retired and lives with hersister, Inez, at Eau Claire, Wisconsin."

.
!NOTES:
She was married to a man named Irvin.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3725: He was married to Milly Krause and they live in Portales, New Mexico.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3269: They had five children: Vernon, Zeno, Kenneth, Roland,
and Shirley Ann.

SQ p. 2652:

"Gladys Lacy Sparks, daughter of Buck and May Dora (Owen) Sparks, wasborn on August 31, 1894, at Chickasha. On December 25, 1914, she wasmarried to Zachary Taylor Fulmore, Jr. He was born on January 26,1885, at Austin, Texas, and was a son of Zachary Taylor and Luella(Robertson) Fulmore. He died on August 10, 1959, at Los Angeles. Lacydied on April 6, 1971. They had two children, Buchanan Sparks Fulmoreand Zachary Taylor Fulmore. Buchanan Sparks Fulmore has been mosthelpful in providing information about the family of his colorfulgrandfather, and he has furnished the picture of his grandparents onpage 2651."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3701: She was married to a man named Russell.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3692: They had three children: Nadene, Cynthana, and Jame sGrant.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1973, Whole No. 82, pg 1573:
Green Sparks, youngest son of Elijah and Elizabeth (Weaver) Sparks,was born about 1808 in Indiana according to the 1850 census ofDearborn County, Indiana. On May 26, 1835, he was married to SusanHunt, who was born in 1818 in Indiana.
Records indicated that Green Sparks and his brother Norval, werebusiness partners, although in 1850, Green was listed as a farmer,while brother Norval was listed as a merchant. Green Sparks waslisted as being worth $10,000 in real estate, a considerableaccumulation of wealth for a farmer at that time and in that sectionof the United States. In 1837, the two brothers sold land jointlyowned in Bartholomew County, Indiana. That same year, Green Sparkswas elected to the Lawrenceburgh Town Council.
By 1860, Green and Susan (Hunt) Sparks were living in Muscatine City(Muscatine County) Iowa, where his occupation was given on the censusof that year as "clerk"; his real estate was valued at $7,000. In1870, he was a furniture dealer in Muscatine County. With him,according to the census, were his wife, Susan, age 52, and daughters,Mary, age 32; Amanda, age 23; and Emma, age 14. We have no furtherrecord of Green Sparks.

Gregory is a mechanical engineer for Dupont Industries. His spouseJulia is an elementary education teacher for learning disadvantageschildren.

SQ p. 2620:

"Guy Leo Sparks was born on November 22, 1867, in McDonough County,Illinois. He died on
September 16, 1955, at Indianapolis, Indiana. He was married to ClaraR. Heitkam on September 4,
1889, in Arkansas City, Kansas. She was born on March 16, 1869, atArkansas City and was
a member of the Roman Catholic Church. She and Guy had four children."

SQ pg 2635: He was a businessman. His obituary appeared on page 1419of the September, 1971 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 75 . Itfollows:

"We deeply regret to report the passing of Guy Sherman Sparks ofMuncie, Indiana, on September, 1971, following a long illness. Mr.Sparks had been a member of The Sparks Family Association for manyyears . His parents were John Sherman Sparks (1863-1917) and Mary(Loveless) Sparks (1860-1951); his grandparents were Allen and Nancy(Rogers ) Sparks; his great-grandparents were James and Margaret (Ray)Sparks ; and his great-great-grandparents were William and Martha(Moore) Sparks. Mr. Sparks was born in Flora, Indiana, on July 22,1897. He was graduated from Indiana University in 1922. He was afreshman in college when his father died and he worked his way throughschool by working in the Indiana University bookstore and by managingthe bookstore at Ball State University in Muncie during the summers.

"Mr. Sparks was associated with Marshall Field and Company for 16years before coming to Muncie in 1938 to become personnel manager forMoore Co. and Hager Manufacturing Co. for the next 18 years. He spent11 years with the Indiana Employment Security Division as assistantmanager. He was a member and past president of the Foremans Club,Eastern Indiana Personnel and Industrial Relations Association and theExchange Club. He also served as president of the Visiting NurseAssociation Board for three years and served seven years as a boardmember. He was a 50 year member of the Flora Masonic Lodge 605, F&AM.

"Mr. Sparks is survived by his wife, Gertrude (Dietz) Sparks and byone daughter, Sara Jean Sparks Balch of Indianapolis, wife of CharlesGuthrie Balch. Their children are Susan Marie Balch, 11 years of age,and Sandra Ann Balch, who is 8 years old."

SQ 2776:

"Halcyon ("Hallie") sparks, daughter of Newell Crane and Laura(Fetzer) Sparks, was born on March 30, 1885. She married Alex Z.Harrison and they had four children: Leslie, Annie Laurie, Richard,and
Eugene. Hallie died on May 19, 1969."

SQ; p. 4729

Hallie ["Billie"] Marie Sparks was born on June 19, 1914, at ThreeMile, West Virginia. She was married to Willard Carter Estep onSeptember 12, 1934, and they lived at Kimberly, West Virginia. AfterBillie's sister, Roetta (Sparks) White, died, Billie took care of herthree children.

See The Sparks Quarterly, June, 1973, Whole No. 82, pg 1563:
"Hamlet Sparks, eldest child of Elijah and Elizabeth (Weaver) Sparks,was born about 1796 in Virginia according to the 1850 census ofDearborn County, IN. He was married to Elizabeth Toplis Cheesman, orChisman, about 1819. She, too, was a native of Virginia. Hamlet wasa member of the early Methodist Church of Lawrenceburgh, Indiana. In1819, he was commissioned a captain of the 15th Indiana Regiment. In1850, when the census was taken, he was living at Moores HIll,Indiana, and was listed as a farmer. It is believed that he diedabout 1876 at the home of his son, illiam Palmer Sparks, at GrantCity, Missouri. Hamlet and Elizabeth (Cheesman) Sparks are believedto have had nine children.

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 169, p. 4446 for the followingcensus record:

Dearborn County,Indiana -- 1860 Census

Township of Sparta (No post office recorded; probably also Sparta.)
Page 189. Census taken by James D. English on June 26, 1860
236-236

Last Name First name Age Sex Occupation Property values Born
Sparks Hamlett 64 (M) Farmer $300 - $100 VA
" E.Y. 63 (F) VA
" N.G. 22 (M) IN
C.B. 20 (M) IN
Wm. 17 (M) IN
L. 29 (F) IN
Americk 26 (F) IN

(Note: On the 1850 census of Dearborn County [see the QUARTERLY ofMarch 1985, Whole No. 129, page 2725] Hamlett's wife's name appears asElizabeth T.; the son named here as N . G. was given as Novel, i.e.,Norval In 1850; the son named as C.B. was given as Charles B.; thedaughter shown as L. Sparks was Liberty; and the daughter called"Americk" was shown as America.)

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1997, Whole No. 180, p 4906:
"Hamlet Sparks, born September 11, 1795. He died on January 30 1878;his obituary also appeared in the WESTERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, the textof which begins here: (See her notes for the obituary of Hamlet'ssecond wife, Elizabeth L. (Chrisman) Sparks, who died in 1872.)

Hamlet Sparks (1795-1876)

` [Issue for Wednesday, February 16, 1876, p. 55, col. 3]

Hamlet Sparks, Esq., was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, September11, 1795, and died in Moore's Hill, Indiana, January 30, 1876. In1806, he removed to Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and grew up amid thehardships incident to early pioneer life, part of his time being spentin the blockhouse, with rifle in hand, assisting to repel the thenfrequent attacks of the Indians. In 1817, he united with the Church,and thenceforward lived a strictly religious life a period of aboutsixty years. In 1818, brother Sparks was united in marriage to HannaCobb, who shortly afterward died. In 1819, he was married to ElizabethChrisman, who is the widow of the Lamented Rev. E. W. Burruss, of theSoutheastern Indiana Conference. When the summons came to him to crossthe stream of death, he was "ready," and, without a murmur, passedfrom his earthly to his heavenly home.
NO AUTHOR GIVEN

SQ 799:
"Hampton Sparks, son of William Sparks, was born about 1790 in RowanCounty, North Carolina, and died about 1865 in Oldham County,Kentucky. He married Sarah Blake in Stokes County, North Carolina, in1809 (marriage bond dated January 14, 1809). She was a daughter ofJohn and Mary Blake; she mas born about 1785 and died July 19, 1858,in Oldham County. When the estate of Hampton Sparks was settled in1865, his property was divided among his brothers and sisters, ortheir hairs., indicating that he had no children.

SQ p. 5315:

b. Hampton Sparks, son of Joseph and Sabra (Demmit) Sparks, was bornon August 30,
1825, in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He was a lad of about 7 yearswhen he accompanied
his parents in their move to Indiana. He was living with his parentsin Kirkland Township,
Adams County, Indiana, when the 1850 census was taken that spring.Like his brother,
Ransom, Hampton Sparks purchased 40 acres of land from his parents onSeptember 10,
1851. The autumn before he had gone to Champaign County, Illinois, tobe married on
September 30, 1850, to Germima Ann Blue. The ceremony was conducted bya minister of
the Gospel named Jesse Goddard. Jemima, as her name was usuallyspelled, was probably
related in some manner to the 18-year-old Benjamin Blue, a native ofOhio, who was living in
the Sparks household when the 1850 census was taken. Perhaps Hamptonhad known
Jemima earlier in Adams County. Hampton obviously brought his brideback to Adams
County, but on February 1, 1854, Hampton and "Jemima Ann his wife"sold to Jacob Steele
the 40 acres he had bought from his parents three years earlier.

Where Hampton and Jemima Sparks lived after 1854 is not known, butJemima died in or
about 1859 following the birth of her daughter, Nancy E. Sparks, whowas born that year.
Hampton was in Champaign County, Illinois, on October 12, 1860, whenhe was married there
to his second wife, Nancy C. Allison. We can conjecture that he hadknown Nancy earlier and
that he was anxious to find a suitable stepmother for his children.

By 1865, Hampton Sparks was in Kosciusko County, Indiana. A ratherunusual document was
drawn up there on January 9, 1865, by which Hampton Sparks wasappointed guardian of
three of his children who were described as "minor Heirs of JemimaSparks, Decd." It seems
odd that Hampton should be appointed guardian of his own children, butwe may conjection
that this was related to their inheritance of property of theirmother. These three children were
identified in this court document as: "John D. Sparks, aged 11 years;William J. Sparks, aged
9 years; and Nancy E. Sparks, aged 6 years." We believe that there wasan older daughter,
Ella Sparks, who was not named in this document. A bond was set at$200 by which Hampton
Sparks was bound by the county court to this appointment; RichardFerguson signed as his
security.

Hampton Sparks, age 52, appeared as head of his family in PrairieTownship, Kosciusko
County, on the 1880 census. This census provided for the relationshipof each family member
to the head. Nancy Sparks, age 49, a native of Ohio, was identifiedas Hampton's wife. Their
six children, all of whom had been born in Indiana, were listed as:Charles W. Sparks, 18;
Jennie Sparks, 16; Dica Sparks, 14; Isa Sparks, 12; Allie Sparks, 10;and Joseph Sparks, 13.
None of the children of Hampton by his first wife appears on thiscensus.

Hampton Sparks died on March 3, 1911, at Warsaw, Indiana, according tohis death
certificate on file there, the county seat of Kosciusko County . Hisdate of birth is given on this
record as August 30, 1825, and his age as 85 years, 5 months, and 4days. He was described
as being married to Nancy Sparks and was a "retired farmer." His placeof birth was recorded
incorrectly as in South Carolina--we know that he was born in WilkesCounty, North Carolina.
He was buried in the Pleasant View Cemetery in Prairie Township,Kosciusko County. Nancy
Sparks, second wife of Hampton, died on July 2, 1913, at the age of 81years according to her
gravestone in the same cemetery. The children of Hampton Sparks byboth wives were:

**********

!NOTES:
SQ 3797: She may have been married to -----Mauk.
SQ 3855: Hannah Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Rebecca Sparks, wa sborn
about 1788 in Surry County, North Carolina. Relatives say that she was married
to a man named Mauk. We have no further information on her.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2961 states: "Hanna Sparks, daughter of Solomon and Rachel Sparks, was
born about 1785. She married Solomon Hollar, apparently sometime between 1810
and 1820. She died prior to November 1867. They had at least five children:
Philip, Susan, Rachel, Rebecca, and Hannah."
SQ pg 3349: "Hanna Sparks, daughter of Solomon and Rachel (Weimer)
Sparks, was born on November 21, 1788, according to the Hollar Bible .Her
birth was probably in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and it was probably
there that she was married to Solomon Hollar about 1819. He was bor non
February 7, 1792, and was a son of Valentine and Susqanna (Ott) Hollar. He
served in the War of 1812 in the 2nd Regiment of Pensylvania Rifleme nas a
member of the company of Capt. Solomon Sparks, his future father-in-law.
He was also one of the first elders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church at
Everett, Pennsylvania, which he helped to organize in 1842. He die don
April 3, 1856. Hannah died two years later on May 28, 1858. They were
buried in the Everett Cemetary. They had seven children, but apparently
one child (unnamed) died in infancy. The birth records of the othe rsix
came from the Hollar family Bible. [Names are above plus John Andre wHollar.
See SQ pgs 3349 and 3350 for additional information.]

SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1984, No. 127; pg. 2668:

"Hannah Sparks, daughter of Matthew and Margaret (---) Sparks, wasborn about 1792 in South Carolina. She married a man named Arnett,probably a brother or close relative of the Nathan Arnett who marriedHannah's sister, Margaret Sparks. When the 1850 census was taken ofTwelve Mile Prairie Township, St. Clari County, Illinois, HannahArnett was 58 years of age and living in the household of Nathan andMargaret (Sparks) Arnett. We have no further information about her."

We are grateful for additional information relating to the descendantsof ??? and Hanna (Sparks) Arnett provided via the internet by PollyanaKing Brown (pollyanab@hotmail.com) in February, 2000. There was nosubstantiation provided however. Ms. Brown has Hanna as being bornabout 1782.

SQ 3074:

"Hannah Sparks, daughter of Abel and Sarah (Cochran) Sparks, was bornMay 9, 18O2, probably in North Carolina before the family moved toTennessee. In the list of heirs of Solomon Sparks prepared in 1880,his sister, Hannah, was identified as being deceased, her married namehaving been Glenn. (here lists 11 children: William Carroll Glen,George W. Glenn, Jonathan S. Glenn, Nancy J. (Glenn) Johnstone, SarahE. (Glenn) Johnson, Julia Ann (Glenn) Harris, John B. E. Glenn, MarthaA. (Glenn) Sullenger, James B. Glenn, Taylor Glenn, and Louisa Jane(Glenn) Harris.

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3266: "Hannah Sparks, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Jeffreys )Sparks,
was born about 1821. She married John Felts and, according to relatives,
they "went west.""

SQ p. 3632:

"...They were buried in the Murphree Cemetery at Only, Tennessee."

.

!NOTES:
SQ p 3184: Hannah Alice Sparks was born on March 9, 1879, in Boone
County, Iowa. On December 23, 1903, she was married to Albert Rinehart.
He had been born on July 20, 1867, in Carroll County, Illinois. Albert
and Alice (as she was called) had eight children including two who died
in infancy. They were:
(a) Effie A. Rinehart was born on March 28, 1905.
(b) An unnamed child was born on June 7, 1906, and died two days later.
(c) Geneva Mae Rinehart was born on July 11, 1907. She was marrie dto
Forest Joy Shadle on September 5, 1928, at Waterloo, Iowa. H e was
born on September 11, 1901, in Boone County, Iowa, and was a s on of
Grant and Anna (McClain) Shadle. Geneva Mae Shadle has been m ost
helpful in the preparation of this article and has furnished t he
picture of the family of John and Nancy Sparks with their fami ly on
the cover of this [the March 1988, Whole No. 141] issue of the
QUARTERLY. She and Forrest have two children, Gary F. and Ron ald D.
(d) Forest O. Rinehart, son of Albert and Hannah Alice (Sparks) Ri ne-
hart, was born on June 12, 1909. He died on april 16, 1963.
(e) Wesley P. Rinehart, son of Albert and Hannah Alice (Sparks) Ri ne-
hart, was born on December 21, 1911. He died on December 12 , 1953.
(f) Doyle M. Rinehart, son of Albert and Hannah Alice (Sparks) Rin e-
hart, was born on August 11, 1913. He died on September 6, 1 963.
(g) Donald A. Rinehart, son of Albert and Hannah Alice (Sparks) Ri ne-
hart, was born on May 11, 1915. He died on April 14, 1961.
(h) An unnamed child was born to Albert and Hannah Alice (Sparks )Rine-
hert on June 12, 1917, and died the same day."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1990, No. 152; pps 3687-3703:

HARDY SPARKS (ca.1782-1855) SON OF MATTHEW AND SARAH (THOMPSON) SPARKS

[Editor's Note: Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks of early Maryland, North Carolina, and Georgia, had eleven sons and two daughters .Articles about five of their sons (John, Absalom, Matthew, William ,and Jesse) have been published in earlier issues of the QUARTERLY .Here we present information about another son, Hardy Sparks, and someof his descendants. For further details regarding Matthew and Sa rah(Thompson) Sparks, Hardy's parents, see the June 1961 issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 34.]

"Hardy Sparks, probably the youngest of the thirteen children ofMatthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks, ws born about 1782 in WilkesCounty, North Carolina. He was born just about the time that hisparents left Wilkes County to move to the Oconee River Valley innortheast Georgia where they settled near the present-day town ofAthens. He was probably carried as a baby on that journey.

"After the death of his father in November 1793 (he was killed byhostile Indians), Hardy probably made his home with one of hisbrothers. He grew to manhood in Georgia, and it was probably therethat he was married to Mary --- about 1805. She was born about 1790in North Carolina and was quite likely a daughter of Isaiah Hale, aRevolutionary War soldier and an early settler in Hickman County,Tennessee.

"Shortly after their marriage, Hardy and Mary, probably in the companyof his brothers Jesse Sparks, Isaac Sparks, Bailey Sparks, and NathanSparks, moved westward to middle Tennessee where the newly-marriedcouple settled on Boles Fork of Tumbling Creek, a tributary of DuckRiver in Hickman County. It was there that their first child (a son)was born about 1806. They named him Isaiah Hale Sparks, probably forhis maternal grandfather.

"On January 27, 1814, Hardy Sparks bought a portion of a 640-acretract of land on Tumbling Creek which was owned by the heirs of JohnAtkins. (Tumbling Creek flows generally southwest from its source inDickson County, through a portion of Hickman County and then to itsmouth in Humphreys County.) On November 9, 1824, Sparks was grantedtwo tracts of land in Hickman County consisting of a total of 140acres. Then, in the fall of 1836, he was granted 300 acres of landlocated on Boles Fork of Tumbling Creek adjacent to land belonging tohis brother, Isaac Sparks, in Humphreys County. He also paid taxes on100 acres of land in Henry County in 1828, but he sold this land inMarch 1834 to Zachariah Noel.

"When the 1820 census was taken, Hardy Sparks was shown as head of hishousehold in Hickman County. His family consisted of himself , hiswife, three sons, and two daughters. The 1830 census found him inCarroll County, Tennessee. By this time, another son and twodaughters had been added to his family.

"Other records left by Hardy Sparks in Hickman County include hisappointment as a captain in the Hickman County Militia in 1817. OnDecember 15, 1829, he was appointed as an overseer on the road fromHuntingdon to Paris. He was commissioned as a magistrate by theHickman County Court in 1831.

"In September 1828, Hardy joined his mother, Sarah Sparks, and hisbrothers, Isaac Sparks and Bailey Sparks, in granting a power ofattorney to two other brothers, Jesse Sparks and Nathan Sparks, to askthe government to reimburse them for the loss of certain propertyduring the Oconee War in Georgia during the period of 1784 to 1796.The account of their petition and the delays which caused it to dragout until 1835 was given on pages 561-65 of the June 1961 issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 34.

"Hardy Sparks left his name on three documents as a witness. Thefirst of these was a deed, dated December 17, 1817, by which IsaiahHale (probably his father-in-law) conveyed 400 acres of land, known asMcCalls Land, to John May for $900. Hardy also witnessed two deeds onNovember 5, 1829, which were made by his brother, Nathan Sparks.Nathan had acquired a 100-acre tract of land in Carroll County in 1827which he gave to his sons, Isaac Sparks, Jr. and Martin Sparks .Isaac, Jr. received 40 acres and Martin received 60 acres.

"A third document which Hardy Sparks witnessed was also a deed made byhis brother, Jesse Sparks, on February 18, 1833. Eady (Sparks ) Hale,daughter of Jesse, was newly-widowed, and the estate of her deceasedhusband, John Hale, was sold at auction. Jesse Sparks bought thehousehold furniture and two cows and returned them to his daughter.

"Hardy Sparks moved his family to Lafayette County, Mississippi, about 1835. By this time his older children had married or had lefthome. When the 1840 census was taken, his household consisted ofhimself, born 1780-1790; his wife, born 1790-1800; one son, born1810-182 0; one son and one daughter, both born 1820-1825; and onedaughter, born 1825-1830. He owned no slaves.

"Hardy did not remain in Mississippi for very long, and by 1850 he wasliving in Scott County, Arkansas. When the 1850 census was taken, heand his wife, Mary, were the only members of his household in WashburnTownship. His age was given as 67 years, and Mary's as 61 . Bothwere shown as having been born in North Carolina. His occupation wasgiven as cabinet-maker. Living nearby was his son, William G. Sparks,with his family.

"We have found no record of the deaths of Hardy Sparks and his wife,Mary, which probably occurred between 1850 and 1860 in Arkansas.Descendants have no knowledge of their buriel places. From censusrecords, it appears that they had eight children, four sons and fourdaughters. Thus far, we had succeeded in identifying by name onlythree of them. (Can any of our readers identify others?)"

The SQ p. 3688 last located Hardy Sparks in Scott County, Arkansas in1850. According to the INDIANA SOURCE BOOK, Indiana HistoricalSociety, Vol. 3 p. 308, the death of a Hardy Sparks in Aug 1865/Aug1866 was " Recorded in the minutes of the White River Association ofThe Primitive Baptist Church, 1857-1878." He lived in either Monroe,Greene, Lawrence or Owen Counties, Indiana. We have no way of tellingif this was Hardy , son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks thoughit is unlikely that he would have moved east in his last years.

**********

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 2001, Whole No. 196, pp 5605-5630,p. 5610:

"Hardy Sparks, youngest child of Matthew and Sarah Sparks, was born onMay 23, 1783, in what was then Wilkes County, North Carolina, but isnow Ashe County. He died between 1850 and 1860 in Arkansas, probablyin Scott County, where he and his wife were living when the 1850census was taken. He was a babe in arms when his parents moved toGeorgia. He was married about 1805 to Mary Hale (also spelled Halesand Hailes). We believe that she was a daughter of Isaiah Hale , forwhom their first son was named; Isaiah Hale, born 1763/64, applied fora Revolutionary War pension from Hickman County, Tennessee, in 1832.Census records suggest that they were the parents of eight children,four sons and four daughters, but we have been able to identify onlythree sons . An article devoted to Hardy Sparks and these three sonsappeared in the QUARTERLY of December 1990, Whole No. 152,pp.3687-3703. (We did not have Hardy's date of birth when that articlewas written, and we were then under the impression that he was one ofeleven sons of Matthew and Sarah Sparks. We are quite certain to daythat there were only 10 sons, and two daughters.)"

See Sparks Quarterly, September, 1955, Whole No. 11, pg. 86:

"The great-grandfather of William G. Sparks was Hardy Sparks who was anative of North Carolina. He moved to Indiana, settling in MonroeCounty, probably in the 1820's. It is believed that he was the HardySparks who married Susannah Brown in Wilkes County, N.C., in 1815(marriage bond dated Jan. 5, 1815) and who appears on the 1820 censusof Wilkes county with two sons (under ten years), and himself (betweentwenty-six and forty-five years), and wife (between sixteen andtwenty-six years). He may also bave been the Hardy Sparks whoobtained a land grant in Ashe County, N.C., in 1824. A grandson ofHardy Sparks (Thomas W. Sparks) stated in a volume published in 1884(History of Morgan, Monroe & Brown Counties, Indiana, Chicago, F. A.Battey & Co., p. 651) that his grandfather, Hardy Sparks, served inthe War of 1812. According to records in the National Archives inWashington, the Hardy Sparks from Wilkes County, N. C., did serve inthat war."

See Sparks Quarterly, March, 1969, Whole No. 65, pg 1204:

"In the September 1955 issue of the Quarterly, we published some dataon this family, noting that the parents of Calvin Sparks were Hardyand Susannah (Brown) Sparks. Hardy Sparks was living in WilkesCounty, North Carolina, when he was married to Susannah Brown in 1815(the marriage bond was dated January 5, 1815, and they were probablymarried on that day or one or two days later). Hardy Sparks was bornabout 1797 in North Carolina. He doubtless belonged to the branch ofthe Sparks family which moved from Frederick County, Maryland, toWilkes County, North Carolina, in the 1760's, but we have notsucceeded in proving his parentage as yet. Hardy Sparks served in theWar of 1812 from Wilkes County.

"Hardy Sparks and his family were still living in Wilkes County, NorthCarolina, when the 1820 census was taken, by which time he had twosons listed as under ten years of age. He may have been the HardySparks who obtained a land grant in Ashe County, North Carolina, in1824. He settled in Monroe County, Indiana, probably in the 1830's,later apparently moving over the line into Greene County.

"Hardy Sparks's first wife died in the 1830's and he married as hissecond wife Martha Motley. He was still living when the 1860 censuswas taken in Green County, Indiana. Hardy Sparks was the father ofseven children by his first wife and eight by his second wife. Thefollowing record of these children is based on information supplied bya great-granddaughter. (Mrs. Jessie Sparks Conder of Stanford,Indiana, in 1954) and supplemented from census and other officialrecords: (here follows information concerning the descendants forwhich see their records here.)

See The Sparks Quarterly, June, 1998, Whole No. 182, pps. 5000-5002:
"Hardy Sparks, probable son of James Sparks, was born November 30,1796, in North Carolina. (see previous articles above).

"We have found no definite proof that Hardy Sparks was a son of JamesSparks; however, several bits of information tend to support thatrelationship. Because the given name of Hardy is a bit unusual, it isalso fairly easy to trace. We know, for example, that James Sparkshad a brother named Hardy sparks, and it is easy to imagine that Jamesnamed a son for his brother. In addition, as was pointed out above,James Sparks acted as bondsman for Hardy Sparks to obtain a marriagebond, or license, an action which would support a close relationship.Hardy Sparks, also, named a son James Sparks, perhaps for the baby'sgrandfather.

"The most compelling evidence of the lineage of Hardy Sparks, however,has been handed down by one of his granddaughters, Elizabeth("Lizzie") Sparks, a daughter of Hardy's son, Calvin Sparks. Lizziewas born in 1860 and was a six-year-old girl when her grandfather,Calvin Sparks, died. She was married to James A. Thompson in 1881,and they had seven children. She lived to be 100 years old andapparently enjoyed telling stories of the 'olden days.' Fortunately,she had a grandniece, Alice Sparks, who made notes of her grandaunt'sremembrances and handed them down to other family members. Here ishow her notes were recorded:

" 'My father, Guy Sparks, lived with Aunt Lizzie and Uncle JimThompson at different times in his life, from the age of ten yearsonward to adulthood, and looked upon them as second parents. Iremember visiting with them many times as I was growing up. Dad (GuySparks) loved to hear Aunt Lizzie's stories about the "olden days."She spoke of "Granddaddy Matthew Sparks," referring to him as hergrandfather's granddaddy and relating stories of his hard life 'in thesouth,' and his experiences with the howling "Cree" Indians who raidedand stole and destroyed. They'd only get things "put to rights" andhere they'd come again. They felt lucky to save their skins, forthose Indians wanted to stay where they were and didn't want any whiteneighbors shooting the game and using the land.

" 'Aunt Lizzie spoke also of a "Granddaddy" James, saying that he hadthe same name as her father, Uncle Jim. I don't remember anyhairraising stories about him and the Indians, unless he was one ofthe "they" who considered themselves lucky to save their skins! AuntLizzie referred to Hardy Sparks as "Grandaddy" also, so evidently[she] called them all "Granddaddy," whether it was her grandfather orgreat-grandfather, or whatever, when she was telling about the "olddays."

" 'When she [aunt Lizzie] spoke of Matthew, she referred to SouthCarolinie and Georgie. All of the other Sparkses I ever knew had tishabit of adding and 'ie," thus my father's brother, Ira, was called"Irie," and his brother, Noah, was "Noahie," and Elizabeth was"Lizzie."

" 'Aunt Lizzie was an intelligent woman, very much a lady. She wasthe female counterpart of an "Uncle Billie," the person everyone cameto for advice and comfort, and lots of good food. She was slender andhandsome, with the dark hair and blue eyes typical of so manySparks[es]' appearance, as my father [Guy Sparks] for instance.

" ' I visited Aunt Lizzie when she was in her nineties. I asked herif she remembered telling Dad [Guy Sparks] about her "granddaddies"and the south and the Indians. She said, Yes. She said that Dad wasthe one who always wanted to hear her tell about those old times. Shesaid, and i quote: "Poor Grandaddy, the Indians finally killed him,after all his hard times."

" 'Aunt Lizzie's description of the Sparks clan as a whole was thatmost were fairly tall, dark-haired and blue eyed. She, herself, hadpiercing blue eyes and dark hair, and so did my Dad, my uncles and myaunts. I remember my Grandfather's (Joseph Hardy Sparks) blue eyesand big mustache, but that's all that I can remember about him.(signed) Alice Sparks.'

"[Editor's note: The notes made by Alice Sparks from "Aunt Lizzie'sstories" appear to be quite authentic. (Lizzie's father was CalvinSparks, son of Hardy Sparks.) It is obvious that she had grown upwith family members who knew about their ancestors and who werewilling to talk about them. Her statement that "poor granddaddy, theIndians finally killed him," is quite correct regarding the fate ofMatthew Sparks, father of James; Matthew was killed by Indians inGeorgia in 1793. (See the Quarterly of June 1961, Whole No. 34, foran account of Matthew Sparks's life and death, pp. 556-66.) It isinteresting that Lizzie remembered no stories of James Sparks and theIndians. In fact, this was because James had not accompanied hisparents and siblings to Georgia.

"[We believe that these notes, quoted above, present strong evidencethat Hardy Sparks was a son of James Sparks and a grandson of Matthewand Sarah (Thompson) Sparks.]

"We will not repeat here the information regarding the family of HardySparks that appeared in the Quarterly of March 1969 (see above),except to note that it was sometime in the 1830s that he moved hisfamily from North Carolina to Monroe County, Indiana. Later, he movedover the line into Greene County, Indiana. As noted above, he wasmarried to Susannah Brown in 1815 in Wilkes County, North Carolina,and Susannah was the mother of seven children. Following her deathabout 1831, Hardy Sparks was married (second) to Martha Motley inNorth Carolina about 1832. Martha had eight children. Hardy Sparkswas thus the father of fifteen children and dozens of grandchildren.(here follows a brief lisiting of these children.)

SQ pps 2595-96:

"Harley Francis Sparks was born on March 27, 1901 . He married MayBlinn Herr in January 1922. He spent 38 years in Cuba working for theUnited States Fruit Company as a supervisor of their sugar canedivision. In 1958, he was kidnapped by the rebels led by FidelCastro, and he was held until he was released in 1960. He and Maelive near Frankfort, Indiana."

SQ pg 3413: They lived in Ashland, Kentucky, where they had fourchildren: Betty Irene, Janet Sue, William H., and Mary Ann Sparks.

Copy of the death certificate in possession of James J. Sparks showsthe following (copy is difficult to read):

Place of death: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.
Place of residence: 1401 Jefferson St., Paducah, Ky.
Social Security No: 406-20-1367
Name of Spouse: Lottie, age 41
Date of Birth: June 11, 1903
Age at death: 43 years 8 mos 27 days
Birthplace: Virginia
Occupation: Rodman for the Illinois Central RR Co.
Father's name: John A. Sparks
Place: Virginia
Mothers name: Angha Hancock
Birthplace: Canada
Place of removal: Riverside Cemetery, Hopkinsville, Christian County,KY (on the Tennessee border south of Henderson County, KY)
Date of death: March 9, 1947
Cause of death: Cancer of the stomach.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1996, Whole No. 176, pp. 4734-36:

"...Sam was a lineman for a telephone company and he and Elizabethlived in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. They had a son, William GeraldHines, who had been born on February 10, 1924, in Knox County,Tennessee, and Elizabeth was expecting another child in the summer of1925.

"Elizabeth's first marriage ended tragically. On March 18, 1925, sheand her baby son met her husband at the railroad station in Knoxville,Tennessee. After the usual greetings, Sam went to get a taxi to takehis little family to his room and stepped on a high tension wire thathad been blown down by high winds, and he was killed. After thefuneral, Elizabeth went to the home of her brother, Robert LawrenceSparks, at Williamsburg, Kentucky, and it was there that her secondson, Samuel Kenneth Hines, was born posthumously on July 12, 1925.

"Elizabeth scarecely knew which way to turn, according to adescendant. She was without any means of support although Sam had anarmy insurance policy that would give her nearly $1,600. She did notreceive the money, however, until a year after his death. She thenwent to Knoxville, Tennessee, where she worked as a maid in a "babyhome." There she was bilked out of the insurance money by a man whohad promised to marry her. She fled north in an effort to find him,leaving her two sons in the children's home in Knoxville.

"Elizabeth met her second husband, Milburn Roscoe Bayless, inCincinnati, Ohio, and they were married in Campbell County, Kentucky,on October 17, 1927. She then returned to Knoxville, Tennessee, forher sons, but she found that the younger of the two, Samuel KennethHines, had been placed in a foster home. She was unable to find him.Ultimately, he was adopted by his foster parents. (See below.)

"Elizabeth and Milburn Bayless had three children, Ralph Bayless,Mildred Delores Bayless, and Clarence Roy Bayless.

"Elizabeth's third marriage was to William S. Leggett, and her fourthmarriage was to William Grater. She died on October 25, 1989, inPinellas County, Florida.

"(The story of the finding of Samuel Kenneth Hines, and theidentification of his biological parents, is a most interesting one.Told briefly, it is as follows: After his death in 1990, his daughter,Kathy Brown, knowing only that her father's surname had been Hines andthat he had been adopted, began a search for his original name and thenames of his biological parents. She persuaded the Knox County[Tennessee] Juvenile Count to open her father's adoption file. Shefound the information therein to be badly garbled. According to therecords in his file, her father had been placed in the TennesseeChildren's Home Finding Society under his middle name, Kenneth Heins,on July 29, 1927. The reason given was that his father was dead andthat his mother could not be found. He had been placed in the home ofMr. and Mrs. John W. Anderson for adoption.

"(In 1942, Kenneth Anderson had needed a birth certificate formilitary purposes, and his foster parents had requested one from theOffice of Vital Records of Tennessee. On January 27, 1943, a"Certificate of Live Birth" had been issued by the TennesseeDepartment of Health. [A "delayed" or "live birth certificate" is onethat Is prepared, in the absence of an original birth certificate,based on information provided by parents or other relatives.] ThisCertificate of Live Birth gave the child's name as "Paul KennethAnderson," born on October 19, 1924, at Knoxville, Tennessee. Hisfather's name appeared as John William Anderson and his mother'smaiden name as Annie Mary Lanier. The document had obviously beenfabricated.

"(As noted above, Mrs. Brown, when she began her search for herfather's biological parents following his death in 1990, had tried tofind his original birth certificate, knowing only that his surname hadbeen Hines, not Anderson, and that he had been born, apparently, in orsomewhere near Knox County, Tennessee. Furthermore, Hines is spelledin many ways: Heins, Hains, etc. After exhausting her search inTennessee, she contacted the Kentucky Department of Health and wassent a "Certificate of Birth" for Samuel Kenneth Hines, which provedto be her father's true name. The certificate had been filed onJanuary 7, 1926, by Dr. J. D. Adkins who certified that he hadattended the birth of Samuel Kenneth Hines on July 12, 1925, atWilliamsburg, Kentucky. This was, of course, the town of residence ofRobert Lawrence Sparks, brother of Elizabeth (Sparks) Hines, where shehad gone following her husband's death. The birth certificateidentified the father of Samuel Kenneth Hines as Samuel P. Hines, age27, and his mother's maiden name as Elizabeth Sparks, age 20. It alsoindicated that Samuel Kenneth Hines had been her second child.

"(Mrs. Brown continued her search by sending letters to nearly onehundred persons named Sparks in the general area of Tennessee andKentucky. One of the recipients of her letters suggested that Mrs.Brown contact the Sparks Family Association. She did so, and hersearch was then over.

"(A final note: Mrs. Brown's father, Samuel Kenneth Hines, was asecond cousin of the Association's president, Paul E. Sparks.)"

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4068: She was married to Jack Franklin Bundy, and they had three children: Jack Jr., Billie Jo, and Patricia.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3404: They had seven children: Eva, Collin, Gary, Pamela ,Lois, Michael, and Branda Phillips.

SQ 4734: Hazel Bird Sparks was born on July 29, 1897, In Knox County,Kentucky. She was married to Thomas C. Donaldson on March 21, 1913, atSt. Louis, Missouri. He had been born on April 9, 1884, at London,Kentucky, and was a son of James Thomas Donaldson. Tom and HazelDonaldson lived at Herrin, Illinois, where Tom died on July 1, 1965.Hazel died on December 11, 1981. They had four children:
Homer A. Donaldson, Edward A. Donaldson, George R. Donaldson, and LilaJane Donaldson.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4469: She was married to Bolin W. Stephens on June 17, 1919.

See SQ, pg 1972:
"Helen (or Lucy) Sparks, born about 1845. While descendants of herbrothers recall her name as Helen, it was given as Lucy on the 1850census. A nephew stated a number of years ago that his Aunt Helen hadbeen a teacher and had moved to Chicago soon after 1870. When the1870 census of Buchanan Township, Berrien County was taken, she wasagain listed as Lucy Sparks, age 25, with the occupation of "Teacher"and living in the family of Joseph Sparks. She did not marry. Aphotograph of her has been preserved in the family of her brother,Allen Sparks."
(See photo on page 1972.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1978, Whole No. 101, pp. 1976-7:

"Helen Sparks, born March 24, 1893, in Valentine, Nebraska. She waseducated at the University of Nebraska, Colorado State TeachersCollege, Greeley Teachers College in Colorado, and Columbia Universityin New York City. She taught for many years, in Cherry County," inthe Valentine City Schools, in Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, and inWinnetka, Illinois. During World War I, she worked at Camp Cody inNew Mexico in the YWCA Canteen and in New York City with the SalvationArmy, on the docks meeting returning service men and serving thefamous Salvation Army doughnuts to welcome the men home. After hermother's death, she moved to Los Angeles and worked for the LosAngeles Board of Education until her retirement. Then she worked forthe Los Angeles County Court for about two years. In 1967 she movedto La Jolla, Calif., a suburb of San Diego. Since her retirement, shehas done a great deal of volunteer work. Ms. Sparks has been mostgenerous not only in her continued support of the SPARKS FAMILYASSOCIATION, but she has supplied much of the data for this articleand a number of the photographs."

See also her photograph and the following additional article in theQUARTERLY on p. 4073 on the occasion of her 100th birthday:

HELEN SPARKS CELEBRATES 100TH BIRTHDAY

(View photograph)

Helen Sparks was born to Levi Carlton and Bertha Crum (Ludwig) Sparkson March 24, 1893, at Valentine, Nebraska. She was educated at theUniversity of Nebraska, Colorado State Teachers College, and ColumbiaUniversity. She taught for many years in the Valentine City Schoolsand in the Winnetka (Illinois) City Schools. She also taught in thestates of Virginia, Colorado, and New Mexico.

During World War I, Helen worked in the YWCA Canteen at Camp Cody, NewMexico, and then went to New York City where she worked for theSalvation Army on the docks. There, she was a part of the welcominggroup to the returning service men and served them the famousSalvation Army doughnuts.

After the death of her mother, Helen moved to Los Angeles and workedfor the Los Angeles Board of Education until her retirement. She thenturned to the Los Angeles County Court where she worked for two years.In 1967, she moved to La Jolla, California, where she becamewell-known for her volunteer work. Currently, she fives at VictoriaSpecial Care Center, 654 South Anza Street, El Cajon, California,92020. Helen Sparks has been a member of the Sparks FamilyAssociation almost from its founding (she joined in 1954), and she hasbeen one of its most ardent supporters.

Her branch of the Sparks farnily has been the subject of severalarticles in the Quarterly, including major
articles in the issues of March 1964, Whole No. 45, pp. 790-807("Jonas Sparks, Died 1805, of Rowan County, North Carolina, and HisDescendants") and March 1978, Whole No. 101, pp. 1965 -1984("Ancestors and Descendants of Cornelius Sparks, 1789 -1862").

Many happy returns of the day, Helen!

**********

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1995, Whole No. 171, pg 4513:

DEATH TAKES HELEN SPARKS AT AGE 101

It is with a degree of personal sadness that we report the death ofone of our Association's charter members, Helen Sparks, who passedaway on February 11, 1995, at the Victoria Special Care Home in ElCajon, California. She was 101 years of age! Her survivors include anephew, James Sparks, and a niece, Helen Stutzman.

Helen was born on March 24, 1893, in Valentine, Nebraska. She was adaughter of Levi Carlton and Bertha C . (Ludwig) Sparks and agranddaughter of Joseph and Caroline (Flanegin) Sparks .Great-grandparents were Cornelius and Susannah (Stevens) Sparks,pioneer settlers of Berrien County, Michigan. (See the March 1964 andMarch 1978 issues of the QUARTERLY, Nos. 45 and 101, respectively, forfurther details of thIs branch of the Sparks family.) A specialarticle and photograph appeared In the March 1993 issue of theQUARTERLY on Helen's 100th birthday.

We extend our sympathy to Helen's nephew and niece and to othermembers of her family.

SQ p. 5376:

"Henry Sparks, son of Matthew and Sarah (Elmore) Sparks, was born inSurry County, North Carolina, about 1826. He was shown in his parents'household in Cass County, Missouri, when the 1850 census was taken;his age was given then as 24. He signed a receipt for his share of hisfather's estate in 1856, indicating that he was living in Oregon,probably in or near Polk County. We have no further information abouthim."

See the Sparks Quarterly, March 1969, Whole No. 65, p. 1308:
"Henry Sparks, son of Hardy and Susannah (Brown) Sparks, was born onApril 19, 1829, in North Carolina, and died in Monroe County, Indiana,on October 10, 1905. According to Geroge Blanchard's history of THECOUNTIES OF MORGAN, MONROE, AND BROWN, INDIANA, published in 1884, hesettled in Greene County, Indiana, in 1842. When the 1850 census ofGreene County was taken he was listed as living with his brother AllenSparks. Henry Sparks married Sarah J. Holder in Greene County,Indiana, in March, 1851 (marriage bond dated March 10, 1851, Book E.p. 247). She was born in 1833 and died on August 21, 1911. They had(5) children.

.

!NOTES:
THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, page 4273: "Henr ySparks,
son of Solomon and Susan Sparks, was born about 1833 in North Carolina. We
have no further information about him."

SQ p. 2682:

"Henry Sparks, son of James and Elizabeth (Oilman) Sparks, was bornabout 1836 in Lewis County, Kentucky. He served in Company C, 3rdRogiment Iowa Infantry and died on June 10, 1863, from acutebronchitus, which he contracted during his military service and forwhich he received a medicaJ discharge. (See pages 2695 -2696 of thisissue of the QUARTERLY [copied below] for an abstract of the pensionfile by which his mother received a Mother?s Pension.)

UNION SOLDIERS NAMED SPARKS WHO APPLIED FOR, OR WHOSE HEIRS APPLIEDFOR

PENSIONS FOR SERVICE IN THE CIVIL WAR

(Editor?s Note: For a number of years we have been publishingabstracts of the pension files of Union soldiers who served in theCivil War. Readers are referred to page 2110 of the June 1979 issue ofthe QUARTERLY, Whole No. 106, for a detailed explanation of theseabstracts. It should be noted that they are not based on anexamination of the total file of papers preserved in the NationalArchives in Washington, D.C., for each of the pensioners (or theirheirs) concerned, but rather on those documents judged by a researcherat the Archives to have genealogical significance. Xerox copiessupplied by the Archives of these selected papers have been the basisof the abstracts given here.

HENRY SPARKS, son of James and Nancy Elizabeth (Gilman) Sparks, wasborn about 1836 in Lewis County, Kentucky. He died on June10, 1863, in Clayton County, Iowa. He served in Company C, 3rdRegt. Iowa Infantry. File Designation: Mother?s Certificate No.198,691.

Henry Sparks received a Certificate of Disability for Discharge onApril 27, 1863, at Memphis, Tennessee. He had enlisted on May 28,1861, at McGregor, Iowa, in Capt. S. R. Sladden?s Company C of the 3rdRegiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry to serve for three years. HenrySparks was born in Lewis County, Kentucky; he was 25 years of age atthe time of his enlistment and was 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He had adark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair; and he was a farmer. Hebecame ill on October 7, 1861, and was hospitalized at Quincey,Illinois, but was sent to the hospital at St. Louis on November 20,1861. He rejoined his company on March 6. 1862. He was left sick onboard a transport at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, on March 20, 1862,and was sent to Evansville, Indiana; he rejoined his regiment on June8, 1862. He was hospitalized at Memphis, Tennessee, on March 8, 1863;was returned to his regiment on April 2, 1863; but went back to theMemphis Regimental Hospital with a severe cough and severe pain in hisright side. Surgeon B. F. Keables certified that Sparks had chronicbronchitis caused by exposure, and stated that if his life was to beprolonged, he should be discharged. The certificate was signed by Col.Aaron Brown, Commanding Officer.

Henry Sparks returned to his home at Farmersburg, Iowa, where he dieda short time later, on June 10, 1863, of acute pneumonia.

On August 15, 1878, Nancy Sparks, aged 75, a resident of PleasantGrove, Minnesota, applied for a Mother?s Pension. She said she was thewidow of James Sparks, and the mother of Henry Sparks who had servedin Company C, 3rd Regiment Iowa Infantry. Her son had died on June 10,1863, from disease incurred while in the service. She had beendependent upon him for support. She had been married to James Sparkson March 3, 1820, and he had died on March 6, 1852, leaving herdependent upon her son, Henry. She appointed William E. Preston,Cleveland, Ohio, as her attorney. J. D. Parks and John Collinswitnessed her make her mark.

John Collins and Ellinor Burgan, residents of Pleasant Grove,Minnesota, testified on November 26, 1878, that they had been presentwhen James Sparks, late husband of Nancy Sparks, had died at Giard,Iowa, in 1852. Nancy Sparks had moved to Minnesota in 1868. She hadremained a widow. On the same day, John Sparks and Mary Stowe, bothresidents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, testified that Henry Sparks,late son of Nancy Sparks, had contributed to her support after shebecame a widow and that while he was in the service, he had sent moneyto her by fellow soldiers who were on furlough.

On February 13, 1879, the War Department confirmed Sparks?s militaryservice just as it was stated on his Certificate of Discharge.

On June 15, 1880, J. M. Leach, Auditor of Clayton County, Iowa,certified that between 1863 and 1865, Elizabeth Sparks, widow of JamesSparks, had sold land in Clayton County for $769. (it is apparent thatNancy Elizabeth Sparks was sometimes called Elizabeth.)

Mrs. Nancy Elizabeth Sparks returned to Clayton County, Iowa, in 1881where she settled at McGregor. She was now 80 years old. On May 2,1882, she made an affidavit to support her claim for a pension Hereare pertinent portions from the affidavit:

"I, Elizabeth Sparks, will here testify that I am the mother of HenrySparks who was a member of Co. C, 3rd Iowa Infantry. I have been awidow for 30 years. My actual residence in 1863 was Parmersburg, Iowa.I sold my little place in 1866 and moved to Olmsted, Minnesota. Iremained there until a year ago, when I came back to Iowa. Mypostoffice since my return has been McGregor. I had at the time of myson Henry?s death 12 children.

"My oldest daughter?s name is Mrs. Patsey Yates. Her age in 1863 was43 years. My next youngone was Allen Sparks who was married at thattime. His age in 1863 was 41 years. He was a member of Co. C, 3rd IowaVols. The next one is Barton Sparks. He was also married. His age was39 in 1863. James H. Sparks is next. He was a member of an Indianaregiment. Next is Cyrus Sparks. His age in 1863 was 33 years. He wasmarried. The next one was Joseph Sparks, who was also married. In1863, his age was 31 years. He was a member of a Minnesota regiment.He died while in the service at Helena, Arkansas in the year 1863.Next who died in the year 1856 was Mrs. Rebecca Moore. Her age in 1863would have been 29 years.

"The next in order was Henry Sparks who was a member of Co. C, ThirdIowa Infantry Vols. His age when his death occurred in the year 1863was 27 years. He was not married. Next is William Sparks whose age in1863 was 25 years. He was not married. He was an invalid. He wasafflicted with the white swelling in one leg which rendered him almosthelpless. The next is Mrs. Mary Stowe. Her age in 1863 was 23 years.Next is Mrs. Elizabeth Kirk. Her age in 1863 was 21 years. Next isJohn Sparks whose age in 1863 was 19 years. He was an invalid also. Hehad white swelling in his ankle which made him almost helpless. He ismy youngest child.

"I further state that no person has been legally bound to support mesince the death of my son, Henry Sparks. He was my main support for hewas the only able-bodied son, unmarried. I sold my little piece ofland in 1866 to Horace Bagley. I received $500 for it. That smallamount was used up in a short time."

"Mrs. Sparks signed the affidavit as "Elizabeth Sparks" and her markwas witnessed by Isaac Matthews and Estella Sparks.

"On April 21, 1882, Dr. Elias Hollingsworth, aged 53, and a residentof Clayton County, Iowa, testified that Henry Sparks had died of quickconsumption.

"Mother?s Certificate No. 198,391 was issued to Nancy ElizabethSparks, and she was placed upon the pension roll.

(Editor?s Note: The reader is referred to page 2679 of this issue ofthe QUARTERLY for further information on the family of James and NancyElizabeth (Gilman) Sparks. Specific reference to Henry Sparks, forwhose service his mother received a pension, is made on page 2682.Additional information on this family has appeared in the followingprevious issues of the QUARTERLY:
December 1957, Whole No. 20-----Family of Albert Cyrus Sparks(1830-1915)
December 1959, Whole No. 28-----Picture of James Sparks (ca.l798-1852)
June 1970, Whole No. 70 -----------Joseph Sparks (ea.1777-l838) ofLewis County, Kentucky.
December 1970, Whole No. 72-----Pension file of Allen Sparks(1822-1907)