See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1997, Whole No. 179, p 4866:

"Isaac Newton Sparks, son of Bill and Polly (Lyon) Sparks, was born onJuly 29, 1840. He enlisted on December 29, 1861, in Company K, 5thRegiment Kentucky Mounted Infantry of the Confederate States Army andserved until he was mustered out with his company on October 20, 1862.Two days later, he enlisted in Capt. Field's Company of Partisan Rangers(later to become a part of the 10th Regiment Kentucky Infantry, C.S.A.).He served in that unit until his capture on April 25, 1864. Many yearslater, on April 5, 1917, his widow applied for a Kentucky ConfederateArmy pension based on his service.

"Isaac Sparks was married to Mary ["Polly"] Branham on January 17,1865, in Carter County. She had been born on June 1, 1840/41, in CarterCounty and was a daughter of Jonathan and Polly (Gilliam) Branham. Isaacand Polly lived near a post office called Newfoundland where he paidtaxes on 195 acres of land.

"Isaac Sparks died at Evergreen, Wisconsin, on January 23, 1916/17,and Poll died there on June 19, 1921. They were buried in the BentCemetery at Price, Wisconsin. They had nine children.

"[Editor's Note: Near the turn of the 19th century, word was receivedin the hills of Elliott County that timbermen were needed to work in theforests of upper Wisconsin. To the Elliott Countians, this was mostwelcome news. They were already skilled woodsmen, but they had run outof timber. Accordingly, they moved to Wisconsin by the dozens, and it issaid that Langlade County, Wisconsin, became a miniature Elliott County.The town of Crandon in Forest County had a population of 1500, and some800 of them were Kentuckians.]"

[JS Note:] US Census 1870, North Fork, Elliott County, KY, June 1870:
#12 Isaac Sparks 30
Mary 29
John B. 4
William H. 3

**********

The following is an email from Susan Hennessey (suesuehenhen@@aol.com) toDanny McBee dated Feb 21, 2002 in answer to his request for informationabout Isaac Newton Sparks's son Claude H.:

Danny,
Isaac Newton Sparks was my great-great grandfather. He was the son ofWilliam and Mary (Lyon) Sparks. Born on July 29,1840. He enlisted onDecember 29, 1861, in Company K, 5th Regiment Kentucky Mounted Infantryof the Confederate States Army and served until he was mustered out withhis company on October 20,1862. Two days later, he enlisted in Capt.Field's Company of Partisan Rangers (later to become a part of the 10thRegiment Kentucky Infantry, (C.S.A.). He served in that unit until hiscapture on April 25,1864. Many years later, on April 5,1917, his widowapplied for a Kentucky Confederate Army pension based on his service.

Isaac Sparks was married to Mary (Polly) Branham on Jan.17,1865 in CarterCounty, KY. She had been born on June 1, 1840/41, in Carter County andwas the daughter of Jonathan and Polly (Gilliam) Branham. Isaac and Pollylived near a post office called Newfoundland where he paid taxes on 195acres of land.

Isaac died at Evergreen,WI on Jan. 23,1916/17, and Polly died there onJune 19,1921. They were buried in the Bent Cemetery at Price, WI.

Near the turn of the 19th century, word was received in the hills ofElliot County that timbermen were needed to work in the forests of upperWI. This was most welcome news. They were already skilled woodsmen andhad run out of timber. He and his brothers and their families moved toLanglade County,WI and formed what is now the town of Crandon. Crandonhad a population of 1500 and 800 of them were Kentuckians.

Isaac Newton and Polly had 9 children. John Bunyan (1866); William Henry(1867-1881); Ida Bell (1870-1956)My great-grandma! She died two yearsbefore I was born.Sarah Alice (1872-1909); Edwin Delmus (1874-1934);Alamander A.(1876-1905); Nelson W. (1878-1902); Claude H. (1880-?); andLoucina Elizabeth (1882-?).

In an interview I did last month with my mom's older cousins, I was toldthat Isaac Newton was a mormon and had many wives. Polly was his firstand couldn't handle the situation and moved to Antigo to be with IdaBelle. Later Isaac became blind and his younger wives didn't want to takecare of him so they put him on a train to Antigo,WI. He lived with IdaBelle until he died. I haven't been able to confirm this stroy, yet, butI'm working on it.

Also in the spring we are going to look for their graves in the BentCemetary. It is about a two hour drive for us.

My mom and her cousins have mentioned both Claude and Loucina but rightnow I can't remember what they remembered. I also think I have a pictureof Loucina. I'm waiting to hear from another relative from Texas for moreinfo. and maybe some pictures.

If I can help you with anything else let me know.

Sue

**********

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1966, Whole No. 53, at p. 964:

Isaac Newton Sparks (called “Newt”), son of John and Sarah (Bowlen)Sparks, was born June 17, 1848, near Florence, Alabama. His father died afew months before he was born. He moved with his mother and brothers toTennessee, then to Arkansas and spent his adult life near Poughkeepsie inSharp County. Isaac N. Sparks married (first) Mary Street, who died atthe birth of their only child, a daughter named Mary. He married (second)Charity Victoria Goff, who Is said to have been one-quarter Indian. Shewas born September 10, 1859, and died January 30, 1927. Isaac N. Sparksdied on June 21, 1920.

By his first wife, Mary (Street) Sparks, Isaac N. Sparks had one child,Mary Sparks, who married (first) John Justice and (second) W. G. Lewsaw.By his second wife, Charity Victoria (Goff) Sparks, Isaac N. Sparks hadthe following children: ..." (See Family Group Sheet)

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

The following article about Claude E. Sparks, a great-grandson of IsaacNewton Sparks appears in THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1966, Whole No. 53,at pps. 958-9:

CLAUDE E. SPARKS

Editor andPublisher of The Franklin County Times

"On the cover of this issue of the QUARTERLY weare privileged to publish the pictures of
three distinguished gentlemen, one of whom isClaude E. Sparks, Editor and Publisher of
The Franklin County Times in Russeilville,Alabama. On February 11, 1966, at a meeting
of the Alabama Press Association in Birmingham,Fred LePell, Director of the Public
Relations Athninistration, of U.S. Steel,presented to Claude E. Sparks and Roswell
Falkenberry (Editor and Publisher of The SelmaTimes-Journal) the "Journalist of the Year"
Awards, This was the second time such awards hadbeen given. Sparks and Falkenberry
were presented plaques in recognition of theiroutstanding service to their communities,
the state, and the nation.

"A native of Jonesboro, Arkansas, Claude E.Sparks is a graduate of the University of
Missouri School of Journalism. He came toRussellville in 1953 after working for the
Jonesboro (Arkansas) Evening Sun, the Blytheville(Arkansas) Courier-News, and the
Marshall (Texas) News-Messenger.

"Without knowing it at the time, when Mr. Sparkscame to Russellville in 1953 he was
actually returning to the home of his ancestors.He had known that his greatgrandfather
had been born near Florence, Alabama, but no onein his family had maintained a family
record. In 1964, Mr. Sparks learned of theSparks Family Association, joi.ned, and soon
discovered that he was actually living withinfive miles of the spot where his great-great-
great-grandparents, John and Mollie Sparks, wereburied. The photograph of the stone
marking their graves in the Sparks FamilyCemetery near Russellville reproduced on page
962 was taken recently by Mr. Sparks,

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

-959-

as was also the stone of their son, WilliamSparks. (John and Mollie Sparks and their
descendants are the subject of the articlebeginning on page 960 of this issue of the
QUARTERLY.)

"Mr. Sparks’s great-grandfather, Isaac NewtonSparks (called Newt), was born on June 17,
1848. In early boyhood he left Alabama and movedwith his widowed mother and brothers
and sisters to Hardin County, Tennessee. Then in1860, with his mother and brothers
John, Jim, Joe, and Bob, he moved to Arkansas byox cart. Mr. Sparks has written as
follows regarding his great-grandfather:

"They stopped to live at Smithville in LawrenceCounty on Coopers Creek where they lived
during the Civil War. All of the above-namedbrothers served in the Confederate Army
except Isaac Newton, who was too young. Bob waskilled at Shiloh and Joe was shot in
the shoulder at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Hereturned home, developed gangrene and
died at Smithville. He probably is buried at OldBethel Cemetery near Denton, Arkansas.
John was a cook in the Confederate Army.

"Left behind in Hardin County, Tennessee, was asister who married a man named Hulen.
His first name is not known in my family, but itis reported that her descendants still live
near Savannah, Tennessee.

"Isaac Newton Sparks was married to Mary Streetand moved to Sharp County, Arkansas,
near Poughkeepsie. They had one daughter, Mary,who later was married to John Justice
and then to W. G. Lewsaw. She had children byboth marriages. Mary Street Sparks died
at the birth of her daughter. Isaac Newton Sparksthen married Charity Victoria Goff, who
is believed to have been one-quarter Indian. Sheand Isaac Newton are buried in the
church cemetery near their home place.Photographs were baked into the tombstones of
both and the likeness is still good today.

"To Isaac Newton and Charity Victoria Sparks wasborn Joseph Columbus Sparks on
February 16, 1880. I was the first grandson ofJoseph Columbus and was born on his
birthday, February 16, 1929. Joseph Columbus wasmarried to Etta Louella Miller,
daughter of Henry Scott Miller of Sharp County.They moved across the field, built a house
at the community sometimes called “Push,” andwere quite active in the community as
farmers. He was a fine blacksmith and his shopwas a delight to me in my childhood.

"At one time in this community, Joseph ColumbusSparks and my father operated the only
repair service for automobiles in the area, soldthe gasoline, served as carpenters and
builders and performed a number of services. Myfather served as barber, both on
occasion served as rural undertaker in time ofemergency and my grandmother operated
the community’s ‘central’ telephone system. Mygrandfather was known to pull teeth in this
remote community, which was miles from a doctoror dentist during many periods of time. I
have witnessed my grandfather pull a tooth whileI was a child. He bid the sufferer 'be
seated' in a cane-bottom chair by the fireplace,took his forceps from a small trunk and
hauled out the aching tooth.

"This community is still very remote and thehomeplace was sold when Joseph Columbus
died several years ago. He and my grandmother areburied next to Isaac Newton and
Charity. My grandfather acquired some hill landand cattle, but was not a particularly good
farmer. He liked saw mills and machinery. Helived his entire life in a house 500 yards
from his birthplace." (End of Article)

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3703: Isaac Newton and Daniel Sparks were twins.

SQ 1359: "Isabella Sparks, born about 1832. She is probably theIsabella Sparks who married Henry F. Sells in Franklin County, Tennessee,on Sept. 25, 1852."

SQ pg 2749:

"Isabella ("Ellen") Sparks, daughter of James Hawkins and Elizabeth(McKnight) Sparks, was born about 1844. She married Mark M. Burgess andthey had at least four children.
(1) Walton Burgess;
(2 ) Etta Burgess married Percy C. Townsend;
(3) Callie Burgess. She died while quite young.
(4) Roy Burgess. He died at the age of ten years."

SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 152, December, 1990, pps.3688-3689:

"Isaiah Hale sparks, son of Hardy and Mary Sparks, was born about 1806in Tennessee and was probably named for his maternal grandfather. He wasmarried to Sarah Speed Clayburn, probably about 1831 in Tennessee. Shehad been born about 1812 in South Carolina. Hale (as he was calledlocally) and Sarah lived on Sugar Creek, a tributary of Duck Riverflowing mainly through Hickman County. He was a farmer.

"We have found only two land deeds involving Hale Sparks. On December10, 1825, he sold 100 acres of land on Tumbling Creek to JeremiahMatthews for $250. We have not learned how he acquired this land . Thesecond deed is dated March 7, 1854, and is for a grant of 100 acres bythe state of Tennessee.

"Isaiah Hale Sparks was the head of a household in Hickman County whenthe 1840 census was taken. He had five children under the age of 10years. When the 1850 census was taken, he and Sarah were shown witheight children. Living nearby was his uncle, Jesse Sparks, aged 77 years.

"Hale Sparks apparently went with his father to Mississippi about1835, and two of his children, Nancy and Thomas, were born there according to census records. He did not stay there, however, and hereturned to Hickman County. Sometime prior to the outbreak of the CivilWar, he moved his family to Arkansas where he settled in Newton County.Four of his sons served in the Union Army during the Civil War in anArkansas regiment. Most of his children married in Newton County.

"When the 1880 census was taken of Newton County, Hale and Mary Sparkswere shown living by themselves in Union Township. He was 79 years ofage and Mary was 67. We have found no records of their deaths whichoccurred sometime after the 1880 census was taken. According toinformation furnished by descendants, they had ten children."

SQ pg 2595:

"Israel A. Sparks, son of Francis and Mary Jane (Lamb ) Sparks, wasborn on December 28, 1872. He was a carpenter and a contractor. Hemarried Minnie Blanche Akers on September 14, 1898. She was born onJanuary 1, 1880, and was a daughter of Johnson and Mary Isabel (Maloy)Akers. Israel died on July 4, 1927, and Minnie died on August 12, 1956.They were buried in the Springvale Cemetery at Lafayette, Indiana.

Israel had a knack for designing building and then erecting them . Hebuilt the school house at Americus, Indiana, and the Widmer home nearMontmorenci, Indiana. In 1924, he was the chief architect for the MononStone at Monon, Indiana. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias andSt. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church. He and Minnie had two children."

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3187: "Israel S. Sparks was born on December 9, 1867, in Missou ri.
He married Merlena Jane Goins. He died in 1948."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3697: Her first marriage was to Wallace Seipp by whom she h adtwo children, Faye and Joyce. Her second marriage was to James Gilmore. She died in 1985.

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

"J. H. Sparks, son of Isaac and Wilmoth (Noland) Sparks, according to thelate Paul E. Sparks, was their second son, born on January 1, 1815, anddied on October 7, 1841. Paul and the present writer worked together onmaterial included in the QUARTERLY until Paul's death in 1999, and it wasPaul who recorded the above birth and death dates for J. H . Sparks anumber of years ago. While I have Paul's files, I have not found amongthem his source for these dates. Because of Paul's careful research, I amsure that they are correct, however."

.

!NOTES:
Jacob is a nephew of Solomon Sr. and cousin of Solomon Jr. He als ohad a
brother named Solomon. Jacob's father William (192) was Solomon Sr.' sbrother.
Jacob's siblings and parents are mentioned on a quilt in SQ 169 and 2 453,
all except Jacob, who had left Tennessee and moved to Va. and siste rSally Ann.
This Jacob was in Washington Co. VA in 1850 Census next to Solomon Sr .and
Solomon Jr.
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 120, pgs 2456-7 for the follow ing:
"Jacob Sparks, son of William and Rhoda (Pennington) Sparks, was b ornabout
1823 in Virginia. On December 31, 1841, he married Minerva Jay in Wh iteCounty,
Tennessee. Apparently, they went to Washington County, Virginia, immediately
afterwards, for it was there that their first child was born in 1842 ,and it was
there that the family was listed on the 185O census. Jacob's brothe rSolomon
(258) (JS: son of William) was also living in the household in 185O . By186O,
Jacob and Minerva were in Knox County, Tennessee. They were the paren tsof five
children, William, Catherine, Amanda, Adeline, and Caroline.
THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole NO. 165, p 4272 gives birthdate of
about 1811 (which seems more correct) and lists Jacob's children as William,
Catherine, Amanda, Adeline and Caroline.

!COURT RECORDS:
Register of Washington County 1852-1892, FHL 34388, line 30, 9 Sep t.1855
lists birth of child named "No name", Female

See SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4273 by PaulSparks.

"Jacob Sparks, son of Solomon and Susan Sparks, was born about 1815.He was married to Elizabeth Thomas, and apparently they had two children:Solomon and Joseph."

See Washington County Register of Marriages, Book I, pg. 424 formarriage of Jacob Sparks and Elizabeth Thomas on 18 August, 1840.Photocopy of record in possession of James J. Sparks, San Carlos,California. FHL 34389.

We have no further specific information on this couple or theirchildren. However, the 1850 census of Washington County, Virginia, listsJacob's father, Solomon, a widower, as being the head of household withsix of his children and two youngest children, Solomon, born about 1842(two years after the marriage of Jacob and Elizabeth (Thomas) Sparks),and Joseph, born about 1843, both born in North Carolina. It is probablethat the census taker assumed their place of birth as North Carolinasince the other children living in the residence were born there. It ismore likely that they were born in Virginia.

There is a line in UNION COUNTY KENTUCKY DEATH RECORDS 1911-1950 , FHL976.9885 V38h on page 38 as follows:

SPARKS, John B. (b) December 10, 1854, (d) December 13, 1925; (father)Jacob; (mother) Eliza Post b. NJ (buried) IOOF (Cemetery). Since Jacob'swife was Elizabeth Thomas, this John is not a child of Jacob (1815-).

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1997, Whole No. 178, p. 4841 for a recordof servicemen from Louisiana who served during the Civil War, taken fromAndrew B. Booth's RECORDS OF LOUISIANA CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS AND LOUISIANACONFEDERATE COMMANDS, published in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1920. Thisrecord is from Book 2, Vol. III, pp. 654-655:

"Sparks, Jacob M. Pvt. Co. C llth Battn. La. Inf. Roll March andApril, 1863 (only Roll on which borne). En[rolled] April 6, 1863,Bellewood. Roll states Present. Remarks: Entitled to bounty because ofenlistment under Conscript age. Also borne on Rolls of Co. D, Cons.Cres. Regt. La. Inf., Pvt. Roll Jan. and Feb., 1864 (only roll onfile), Present. On Hospl. Register, Admitted to C.S.A. Gen. Hospl.,Shreveport, La., May 24, 1864. Returned to duty, June 24, 1864. RollPrisoners of War, C.S.A., Paroled at Natchitoches, LA., June 9, 1865.Res. Natchitoches Parish, La. [He was probably the Jacob Sparks shown onthe 1850 census of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, as a 5-year-old son ofDaniel Sparks and Julia Sparks, natives of North Carolina and Louisiana,respectively; see p.2793 of the September 1985 issue of the Quarterly,Whole No. 131, for transcript of this census record; also p.3360 of theMarch 1985 issue of the Quarterly, No. 145..]"

!NOTES:
SQ 1359: "Jacob (Bud) Sparks, born Oct. 27, 1861 (?), in Arkansas ,died Oct.
3O, 1932; married Sept. 22, 188O, Eliza Sells, born March 13, 186O, d iedFeb.
21, 1836, daughter of James T. and Frances (Shipp) Sells. They had t he
following children: (a) Tom Sparks; lived in Texas; (b) Jake Sparks ,born 1883;
died June 22, 1959; married Mollie Stubblefield, daughter of Henry an dEmma
Morris Stubblefield. Children: Chester, Thomas, James, and Minnie; (c )Will
Sparks; lived in California; (d) Cynthia Sparks; married Luke Summers
(1873-1945); she was his second wife; (e) Fannie Sparks, born 1893; married
Andy Holder; (f) Ben Sparks, married Verdie Stubblefield, daughter o fHenry and
Emma Morris Stubblefield; (g) John Sparks, born 19OO; married Lucy Summers,
daughter of Bob and Callie Willis Summers."

SQ pg 3364: Jacob E. Sparks, probable son of William Sparks, was bornabout 1828 in Alabama. (When he registered to vote in Colorado County,TX , in 1867, he stated that he had been born in Alabama; had come toTexas in 1844 ; and had lived in Colorado County since 1854.) the firstrecord we have found of him is in the 1850 census of Jefferson County,Texas. At that time he was living in the household of his brother,Solomon sparks, and he was 22 years of age.

Willis Sparks, mentioned earlier, tells a most interesting story abouthis great-grandparents, Jacob and Nancy (Johnson) Sparks. He wrote:

"About 1853, Jacob Sparks was working for a freight line which ranbetween Lake Charles, Louisiana, and San Antonio, Texas, probablyfollowing a trail which is present-day U.S. Highway 90. The line usedoxen and wagons to haul supplies. It was at the village of Orange,Texas, that Jake met, courted, and married fourteen-year-old NancyJohnson. They went by the freight line to the San Bernard River inColorado County, Texas, where they started house keeping about threemiles northeast of the village of Mentz. There, they reared theirfamily. Jake died at the age of forty-three, and some descendants say hewas shot."

Jacob Sparks married Nancy Johnson about 1853. According to censusrecords she was born about 1839 in Louisiana. She and Jacob ("Jake") hadseven children.

JJS: I am grateful for information concerning the descendants of JacobEsau Sparks which was obtained in December, 1999, via the internet fromKay Gordon Wolniak from Carmichael, California. I believe she is adescendant of Eleanor Francis Hobson, of Lydia Anelie Sparks, of JacobEsau Sparks, of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks. Her internetaddress was frankay@@pacbell.net.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for March 2000, Whole No. 189, pp. 5300-02:

Jacob Esau Sparks, son of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks, was bornabout 1831 in Randolph
County, Indiana. He was a lad of about five years when his parents andsiblings moved to Huntington County, Indiana, settling near the futuresite of the town of Markle. He was married in Hamilton County on January24, 1852, to Ellen Jane McCarty, daughter of Patrick and Jane (Bennett)McCarty. She had been born in Indiana about 1837 according to censusrecords.

Jacob Sparks was shown as head of his household on the 1860 census ofRock Creek Township in Huntington County; his age was given then as 38and Ellen's as 22. Their daughter, florence, was 4 years old and theirson James was two months. Ellen's mother, Jane McCarty, age 41, who hadbeen born in Pennsylvania, and Ellen's sister, Lydia McCarty, age 7, bornin Indiana, were also living in Jacob and Ellen's family. When the 1870census was taken in Rock Creek Township, Jacob's age was given as 52 andEllen's as 33. He was a farmer with land then valued at $2,000.

When the 1880 census was taken, three of the children of Jacob Esau andIsabella (Swaim) Sparks were
still living at home: Mary, age 17; Francis (called Franklin on thiscensus) age 10; and Lydia, age 9. The
two daughters named Helen, born about 1873, and Martha, born about 1875,were not included in the
family in 1880. They had either died or, perhaps, because of theirmother's illness, were staying with
relatives.

We are indebted to two descendants of Jacob Esau and Ellen Jane (McCarty)Sparks for much of our
information regarding this family: Kay Wolniak of Carmichael, California,and Leon Keith Sparks of Grand
Junction, Colorado.

It was sometime after 1880 that Ellen Jane, ill with the dreaded diseasethen called consumption, went to
Chicago to live with a niece, Lydia Cole Nix, to seek medical treatment.Leon Sparks has an undated
clipping from a Markle newspaper telling of her death.

"Mrs. Jacob Sparks, wife of Jacob Sparks, living in Rock Creek township,left for Chicago sometime
ago, hoping to improve her health. On her return home, she stopped withfriends in Kosciusko
county, where she grew worse and finally died. The remains were broughtto this place last Monday
evening, and were interred on Tuesday following. The disease wasevidently comsumption, as the
wasted form bore evidence of that dreaded disease."

Leon K. Sparks has written as follows:

After Ellen Jane, Jacob's wife, died, he sold his farm. The twodaughters, Mary Josephine and Lydia
Anelie, moved to Chicago to be with the Peter Nix family, andJacob, with his two sons, James P.
and Francis A., moved to Upper Alton, Madison County, Illinois,to be near his sister and
brother-in-law, Albert and Rachel Draper. Apparently AlbertDraper, executor of the will of Solomon
Sparks, had preceded Jacob in migrating to Upper Alton. JamesP. Sparks was married in Sadoris,
Illinois, on January 5, 1891, and Francis A. Sparks was marriedin Ouray, Colorado, November 22,
1899. I assume that Jacob stayed in Alton for the remainder ofhis life. His sister, Rachel (Sparks)
Draper, died in Upper Alton, Illinois, on November 17, 1896

Children of Jacob Esau and Ellen Jane (McCarty) Sparks:

(1) Florence Ester Sparks, born May 29, 1856. We have nofurther informa tion about her.

(2) James Patrick Sparks was born on April 20, 1860, in Markle,Huntington County, Indiana; he
died on December 25, 1928, in Decatur, Illinois. He was marriedon January 5, 1891, to Lucinda
Craw in Sadorus, Champaign County, Illinois. She was a daughterof Edwin and Julia (Brown)
Craw. They were the parents of three children:

***********

!BAPTISM:
See reference to St. Vincent Baptismal Records in sibling notes, p age23;
sponsor --- Hagan.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, December, 1970, Whole No. 72, for an articleentitled THEJ FAMILY OF JONATHAN AND RACHEL (SWAIM) SPARKS beginning at p1355 at pp 1356-58 :

"Jacobson Sparks (called Jacob Esau in one record), son of Jonathan andRachel (Swaim) Sparks, was born about 1828; according to census records,it appears that he was born after his parents moved from North Carolinato Tennessee. He married Cynthia Champion, who was born in Tennesseeabout 1822 and died in Franklin County, Tennessee, in 191O; she was adaughter of Randolph and Martha (Wilson) Champion. About 1852 he movedwith his brother, John C. Sparks, to Dallas County, Arkansas. Accordingto Civil War records in the National Archives, Jacobson Sparks and hisbrother, John C. Sparks, both served in the Confederate Army in Company Fof Morgan' s Battalion of Arkansas Infantry; both were enrolled on June16, 1862, in Tulip , Dallas County, Arkansas, by Capt. McNeill andtraveled 7O miles to rendezvous in Little Rock on June 24. JacobsonSparks (called Jacob in these Army records) was listed as "absent, sickfurlough" in January 1863. A document is on file signed by a surgeonnamed J. N. Thompson on January 27, 1863, which states that a furloughhad been approved by various officers for Private Jacob Sparks. Hestated: "I hereby certify that I have carefully examined said soldier andfind
him incapable of performing the duties of soldier because of diarrheafollowing remet fever. I further certify that in my opinion he will notbe able to resume his duties in a less period than twenty days.Believing that it would be beneficial to his health, I recommend that afurlough for twenty days be granted to him."
"This is the last record of Jacobson Sparks in this Confederate Armyfile. However, a granddaughter of Jacobson and Cynthia Sparks, Mrs.Elizabeth Sparks Summers of Sherwood, Tennessee, has preserved a letterdated August 30, 1863, by John C. Sparks, brother of Jacobson, informinghis wife Cynthia of Jacobson's death on August 20, 1863. This letter waswritten from Camp Prince where John C. Sparks had returned following somekind of military action, probably patrol duty, in which both he and hisbrother had been engaged. Writing to his sister-in-law, whom he addressedas "Dear Sister", he informed her and her family of the tragedy. Theindividuals whom he referred to as Carter and Garner were obviouslyfellow soldiers:

" Camp Prince, Aug. 30, 1863
Dear Sister: With a heavy heart I take my pen in hand toinform you of the lamentable death of your husband which occured on the20th of this instant he (sic) Carter and Garner went to the creek afterwater, and when they had got their water they went off a few steps to theshade and was lying down, Carter and Garner said they didn't know whetherthey all went to sleep or not. When they were awakened by the treefalling. it was a dead oak and it struck in the top of the sycamore thatthey were lying under, brother Jacob had run 5 or 6 steps from where hewas lying when Garner went back. He found a limb on him nearly a footthrough and took it off of him and he never breathed or struggled. Italso hurt Carters arm pretty badly but didn't break it. we got a goodstrong coffin and buried him as decent as we could on the bank of thePorto River near where we are camping 10 miles south of Fort Smith . Thegrave is on the east side of the river at what is called the upper fordabout 20 steps from the bank under a burdock tree about 10 inchesthrough, and a large field on the left of the road as you eye from FortSmith. The grave is on the left between the corner of the fence and theford of the river. His name is cut on a stone and stands up at the headof the grave close to the tree. I didn't tell you where the limb fell onhim. It struck him across from the left hip to the right shoulder. Ithought I would describe the place so that if you wanted to send afterhim that you could find the place. I will send his clothes and money byfirst safe chance that I have. He had 100 dollars in Confederate and 21/2 in gold and 90 cents in silver, I am the worst lost that I ever wasin my life. It appears like every friend that I ever had is gone butthat is only what we all owe our maker and we should not grieve , but wecan't help it when our relations and friends fall around. I want you towrite to me as soon as you get this so I will know whether you get thisor not. I
can't give you any news at present.

Yours truly,J. C. Sparks to Cinthia Sparks and family.'

"Following the death of her husband, Cynthia Sparks moved back toFranklin County, Tennessee, with her children. Mrs. Summers owns thefamily Bible containing the births of their children. Jacobson Sparkshad placed a string at the page he had reached in reading through it andthat string still remains at the same place." (Here lists their 6children)

Note: See notes under William Sparks, eldest son of Jacobson and Cynthia(Champion) Sparks, relating to entries found in the family bible.

We have been unable to determine the parentage of James Sparks (d.1736)and thus, can not link him to William Sparks (d.1709). He is includedhere because a descendant of his granddaughter Sarah Sparks (daughter ofJames Jr.) was the grandmother of Lucinda Emmalee (Walden) McKay.Lucinda's son Rev. Henry Taylor McKay married Lavina Elizabeth Sparks,daughter of Abel Tomlin and Nancy Ann M. (Newsom) Sparks. (See SQ p.1260)

A lengthy article about James Sparks (d1736) and his children appears inthe Decemer, 1962 issue of the SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 40, pp.680-704.

SQ 3230: Married Rebecca---, Abt 1740. Children Ursula, William,others?

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1983, Whole No. 124, p. 2563, whichgives the precise birthdates of Ursula and William. (Query: Why did thearticle in Whole No. 160 provide more ambiguous dates?)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1992, Whole No. 160, pg 4036-4040:
James Sparks, probable son of George and Mary ------- Sparks, wasborn about 1713. He was married to Rebecca ----- about 1740, and,according to the register of St. Lukes Parish, they had at least twochildren. James took the Oath of Fidelity in 1778; he died sometimeafter 1778.
a. Ursula Sparks, daughter of James and Rebecca ( ----- ) Sparks,was born about 1740 and was baptized on December 13, 1741, in St. LukesChurch in Queen Annes County. She was probably named for her father'ssister, Ursula.
b. William Sparks, son of James and Rebecca Sparks, was born about1750, and was baptized on June 4, 1751, in St. Lukes Church in QueenAnnes County. He was apparently a married man with two children when thespecial 1776 census was taken of Queen Annes County; however, we have notlearned either the name of his spouse nor the names of his children. Onthat census, William was listed as "William of James."

See MARYLAND MARRIAGES 1634-1777, Compiled by Robert Barnes, Baltimore1987, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. p. 168:

"Sparks, James, 9 Feb. 1737/8, Elizabeth Barkhurst" citing 1 QA-43 .The citation refers to the records of St. Lukes Parish, Queen AnnesCounty, p. 43, copy made in 1904/5 at the Maryland Historical Society.

***************
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December, 1983, Whole No. 124, Pages 2562-2572at page 2563:

DESCENDANTS OF JAMES SPARKS (BORN ABOUT 1710-15) OF QUEEN ANNE'SCOUNTY MARYLAND.

"...James Sparks was undoubtedly a grandson of William Sparks who diedin Queen Anne's County (Maryland) in 1709.

"William Sparks (died in 1709) had four sons: William Sparks, Jr.;George Sparks; John Sparks; and Joseph Sparks; thus the James Sparks whomarried Elizabeth Barkhurst was a son of one of them. For reasons setforth below, it appears quite likely that James Sparks was a son ofWilliam Sparks Jr. (See the March 1971 issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY,Whole No. 73, for an article about William Sparks (died 1709).

"Item A. James Sparks was not a son of John Sparks, for John made awill in 1731 in which he named all of his children. There was no childnamed James. (See page 1700 of the December 1974 issue of THE SPARKSQUARTERLY, Whole No. 88, for details of will", also found in notes forJohn Sparks.)
Item B. James Sparks was not a son of George Sparks, although Georgedid have a son named James who was born about 1720. This James Sparks,however, married a woman named Rebecca and they had five children,including a daughter, Ursala, born on December 13, 1741, and a son,William, born on June 4, 1751. This James Sparks died sometime after1778.
Item C. James Sparks was not a son of Joseph Sparks, for all of hischildren were named in the settlement of his estate in Frederick County,Maryland, and there was no son named James.
Item D. For the reasons set forth in Items A, B, and C, above, itappears quite likely that James Sparks, who married Elizabeth Barkhurst,was a son of William Sparks, Jr. and his wife Margaret (Hamilton)Sparks. (See the references to William Sparks, Jr. in the March 1971issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 73.)

"James Sparks, probable son of William and Margaret (Hamilton) Sparks,was born about 1710-1715. On February 9, 1737/38, he was married toElizabeth Barkhurst in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, and they had atleast one child, Nathan Sparks. Elizabeth apparently died sometime after1740, and about
1760, James Sparks married (2nd) Juliana (---) Marydith, or Meredith , awidow with a daughter, Sarah. To this union, four children were born:John Sparks; Daniel Sparks; Henson Sparks; and a daughter whose name wehave not learned. All of these children were apparently born between1764 and 1770.

"In 1775, James Sparks became ill and on March 21st he wrote thefollowing will. (The spelling, grammar, and punctuation have been changedfrom the original will in order to make a more readable document.)

In the name of God, Amen. I, James Sparks, of Queen Annes County inthe province of Maryland, being sick and weak of body but of perfect mindand memory, thanks be to Almighty God for all his mercies, and callingto mind the uncertainty of ths life, and knowing that it is appointed toall men once to die, constitute and appoint, make and ordain this to bemy last will and testament, revoking and disannulling all other wills byme heretofore made, confirming this and this only to be my last will andtestament, that is to say, principally:
ITEM, I recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God, my Maker andRedeemer which gave it to me, and my body to the dust from whence it wastaken, to be entered in a Christian-like manner at the discretion of myexecutors, hereinafter named, and as for such worldly goods it haspleased Almighty God to bless me with, I give and dispose in manner andform following:
ITEM, I leave unto my loving wife, July Sparks, the use of my houseand fifty acres of land on His Lordship's Manor that is under lease,during her natural life or widowhood, or the lease holds good,
ITEM, I give and bequeath to my loving wife, July Sparks, two whitemares known by the names of Flower and Pleasure. I give to my lovingwife, Juley Sparks, two cows, one black and white named Blacky, the othera dark brindle with some white named Pretty. I give also to my lovingwife, Juley Sparks, one feather-bed, the tick with broad stripes, and allthe furniture there belonging. I also give to my loving wife, JuleySparks, one bag of feathers containing six or seven pounds. I give to myloving wife, Juley Sparks, one white sow and seven shoats about fourmonths old. I also give to my loving wife, Juley Sparks, seven hogsbetter than a year old.
ITEM, I give and bequeath to my loving son, John Sparks, one featherbed with a buckram tick and what furniture belonging to it.
ITEM, I give and bequeath to my loving son, Daniel Sparks, one featherbed with a plain linen tick and all the furniture belonging to it.
ITEM, I give and bequeath to my son, Henson Sparks, one middle-sizedpewter dish and six pewter plates.
ITEM, I give unto my wife, Juley Sparks, one iron pot holding sixgallons. I also give to my loving wife, Juley Sparks, six yoes and lambs.
ITEM, I give and bequeath to Sarah Marydith, daughter of Juley Sparks, an equal part of the rest of my personal estate that is to be devidedamongst all the rest of my children.
ITEM, I leave my loving wife, Juley Sparks, and my loving son, NathanSparks, my whole and sole executors of this my last will and testament.
In witness whereof I have fixed my hand and seal this 21st day ofMarch,
Anno Domini, 1775.
Signed, sealed and acknowledged in presence of his
James Roppoth, Jamima Roppoth andJames |-|- | Sparks
Caleb Sparks mark

"On the back of the foregoing will was written thus:

Queen Anne's County, the 22nd day of April 1775. James Rippoth,Jamima Rippoth and Caleb Sparks, the subscribing witnesses to the withinwill being duly and solemnly sworn on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God ,do dispose and say that they saw the testator, James Sparks, sign thesame and heard him publish and declare it to be his last will and testament; that at the time of his so-doing, he was, to the best of theirapprehensions, of sound and disposing mind and memory; that they didsubscribe their respective names as witnesses to the same will in thepresence of the said testator and at his request.
Before Th. Wright, Depy.Comr.

I, Nathan Sparks, one of the executors appointed in the last will andtestament of James Sparks, late of Queen Anne's County, deceased , dohereby refuse to act as executor of said will by virtue of suchappointment and do therefore renounce all my right, title and claim tosaid executorship accordingly. Witness my hand this 22nd April 1775.

his
Taken before Th. Wright Nathan S Sparks

mark
"Juliana Sparks accepted the responsibilities of executor of the willof her husband, James Sparks, and made an "Inventory Report" of hisestate for the Queen Anne's County Court on March 15, 1776. The value ofthe estate amounted to a little over 150 pounds. Shortly thereafter,Juliana married a relative of her late husband, Thomas Sparks, son ofGeorge and Elizabeth (Ricketts) Sparks, who had been born on January 8,1736.

"We can only conjecture about the reason that Nathan Sparks refused toact as co-executor with his step-mother; however, it seems logical thathe was not pleased with the terms of his father's will. We do know thathe signed the inventory of his father's estate as "Nearest Kin" alongwith John Sparks. We also know that he ultimately became the possessorof the 226 acres of land called "Lord Baltimore's Manor" which hadbelonged to his father."

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

SQ 3230: Married (1st) Elizabeth Barkhurst on 9 Feb 1737, and (2nd )Juliana --- Meredith ca.1763. Names of children: Daniel, Henson, John andNathan.

The James Sparks referred to in this census is not this one and hisidentity is unknown.
Queen Anne's County, Town Hundred, Census of 1776:
Sparks, James F. (sic): 1 white male over 21; 1 white female over 21;1 white male 12-16; 3 white males less than 12; 1 white female less than12; 4 males total; 2 females total.

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

(See below the conclusion of the article about William Sample Sparks at###)

SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1989, No. 148; WILLIAM SAMPLE SPARKS, c a.
1700-1765, p. 3500:
"The third son of William Sample Sparks whose name was James, wasborn about 1747. It is interesting to note that, when, on December 16,1760, the tract of land purchased by his brother, Matthew Sparks, in theForks of the Yadkin was surveyed, James Sparks was one of the chaincarriers for the surveyor--this was a task frequently assigned to boysand young men. We know that James paid a poll tax in Rowan County in1768; he would have had to have been at least 21 to be counted as a pollat that time. By 1774, James Sparks had followed his brothers to whatwas then Surry County. He lived on Deep Creek in what is now YadkinCounty, just a few miles north of the line dividing Davie County fromYadkin County. (He was mentioned as a resident on Deep Creek inconnection with the description of a tract of land granted to ReubenShores on September 11, 1778.) In the Revolutionary Was pensionapplication made by a son of Matthew Sparks (his name was William (333))dated September 14, 1846, he recalled that in 1778, while camped on theFrench Broad River near the modern border between North Carolina andTennessee, he saw his "Uncle James Sparks" on two occasions; he notedthat James was then a member of a foot company from Wilkes County. (SQJune 1954, No. 6, p. 36).

(### Here continues and concludes the article on William Sample Sparks,Sparks Quarterly, Dec 1949, Whole No. 148, pps 3484-3500) which wasstarted on William's notes, and continued to his wife's (Rachael's) notes:
"The term "ordinary" in this instance was interchangeable with inn ortavern.
It was a place where a traveller could expect to obtain lodging not onlyfor himself and his family, but for his horses as well, and he could alsoexpect to find food and drink. Not only was a license required tooperate an ordinary, but the county court set the prices that theproprietor might charge. Furthermore, the proprietor of such anestablishment was required to arrange for two citizens of substantialmeans to serve as his securities. One of the men who agreed to serve inthis capacity for William Sample Sparks was his neighbor, William Giles,who was, himself, a justice of the court approving the license. Gileshad come to the Forks of the Yadkin from New Kent County, Virginia, atabout the same time that the Sparkses arrived. The other security wasBenjamin Milner who lived on Barsheby Creek and had been sheriff of RowanCounty since 1759.

"While our first record of Sparks obtaining a license for his ordinarywas dated January 1762, we suspect that he had been operating it prior tothis time either without a license or with one which had not beenrecorded in the extant court records.

"On April 15, 1764, William Sample Sparks again served on a RowanCounty jury. In this instance, his name was recorded in full by theclerk keeping the minutes. Jonas Sparks, his first cousin, also servedon the same jury, which involved a case brought by Peter Johnson againstJohn Brandon. (See p. 25 of Vol. II of Mrs. Linn's abstracts of thesecourt records, 1763-1774.)

"On October 13, 1764, the court agreed to renew William SampleSparks's license to keep an ordinary. In this instance, it was notedthat he maintained his ordinary "at his Own Dwelling House." (Vol. II,p. 554) On this occasion, his securities were Jacob Aaron (or Arrant) andHugh Montgomery. Jacob Aaron was a German immigrant who also operated atavern "at his own dwelling house." Hugh Montgomery was a merchant fromPhiladelphia who had bought a lot in Salisbury in 1756 and operated anordinary there.

"As was mentioned above, it was customary throughout the Americancolonies for the prices charged by proprietors of ordinaries, taverns,and inns to be regulated, usually by the county court. Theseestablishments existed primarily to serve travellers and immigrants whowere either passing through or looking for a place to settle. Whenlocated in towns, particularly county seat towns, they served areacitizens who had business or court obligations there. Since WilliamSample Sparks's ordinary was probably located on his son's farm, he musthave served travellers primarily. Hannals River Ferry was locatedthere. At a meeting of the Rowan County Court of Pleas and QuarterSessions held on July 25, 1762, the following rates were set for allordinaries within the county. (Recorded in Mrs. Linn's abstracts, Vol. 1,p. 152; these prices were given in shillings and pence, there being 20shillings in a pound and 12 pence in a shilling.)

Medaira Wine per gallon & sold in proportion 10 shillings
Claret per gallon & sold in proportion 16 "
English Cyder per quart 1 "
Home Cyder per quart 6 pence

Home Brewd Beer per quart 4 "
Whisky & Peach Brandy per gallon and sold in
proportion 8 shillings
Dinner with 2 dishes of flesh meat hot with a
pint of Cyder or Beer 1 "
Breakfast or Supper 8 pence
Stablage for 24 Hours with good Indian fodder
or good Hay 6 "
24 Hours Pasturage 4 "
Indian Corn or Oates per gallon & sold in proportion 6 "
Lodging in a good bed 2 "
Rum punch with 1/2 pint of Rum & Loaf Sugar I shilling & 4 "
Rum Toddy with 1/2 pint of Rum & Brown Sugar 1 "
Whiskey Toddy with I pint of Whiskey & good
Sugar, per gallon & so in proportion 10 shillings

As we have noted earlier, William Sparks, whom we are certain was theoldest son of William Sample Sparks, had remained in Frederick County,Maryland, when his father and brothers moved to North Carolina in 1754.During the next decade, William (whose wife's name was Ann) had, throughfive different transactions, become the owner of 283 acres of land. OnApril 26, 1764, he and his wife sold this entire 283-acre tract to aGerman settler named Christian Newswanger for 400 pounds. On the sameday that he signed this deed (by mark), William appeared with his wife,Ann, before the Frederick County Court to declare the validity of thedeed. (See Frederick County Land Records, Liber J, Folios 305-06.)

The reason that William and Ann Sparks sold their valuable farm in 1764was that they were about to follow William's father and brothers to NorthCarolina. We can only speculate regarding the communication that hadexisted between William and his father and brothers during the decadefrom 1754 to 1764, but there must have been an exchange of information inorder for William and Ann to know that they should go to the Forks of theYadkin to find them.

We assume that William and Ann, with their children, set out for NorthCarolina shortly after selling their Frederick County land. It islogical to assume that, on their arrival, they took lodging withWilliam's brother, Matthew Sparks. It was on Matthew's 372-acre tract ofland that we believe William Sample Sparks also had his home.

According to the Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions forRowan County, on October 11, 1764, the justices appointed William Sparksto be overseer of the road that had been laid out from John Howard'sferry "up the Forks in Boones Roade & that all the Inhabatence withinthat District Worke under him." John Howard's Ferry was located on theSouth Yadkin River just above the northwestern corner of Matthew Sparks'sland and about two miles above the point where the two rivers join. Tojoin Boone's Road, this new road was only about half a mile in length,running northeast from Howard's Ferry.

We believe that this court order refers to William Sparks, son ofWilliam Sample Sparks. The latter was now about 65 years old, andprobably because of his age and his lame leg he was not required to pay apoll tax. It would seem highly unlikely that he would have been assignedsuch a physically demanding task as road building and maintenance.Furthermore, now that his son was also living in Rowan County, the elderWilliam Sparks's name was recorded in official records as William SampleSparks. (This court record is to be found in Vol. 11, page 545, of theoriginal; abstracts of these court records have been prepared andpublished by Jo White Linn, an authority on Rowan County history andgenealogy.)

"By 1764, the best land in the Forks of the Yadkin had already beenclaimed, though not necessarily purchased, which may account for the factthat William Sparks (IV) purchased from his brother, Matthew , 200 of the372 acres which Matthew had obtained from the Earl of Granville in 1761.On April 10, 1765, William paid his brother 50 pounds for these 200acres. The witnesses were Thomas and William Frohock . (See Rowan CountyDeed Book 6, p. 139.) These 200 acres were at the very southern tip ofwhat is now Davie County, and thus included the land between the SouthYadkin and the Yadkin (or North Yadkin) at the very point where theformer flows into the latter. These 200 acres extended up the sides ofboth rivers to a point, as stated in the deed, "on the Bank of the southside of the Main River at the Fish Dam ." This was the "Fish Dam" whichMatthew had built and which would now serve the needs of both brothers.(Today the county on the other side of the Yadkin is Davidson County,while that below and to the west of where the two rivers join remains inRowan County.)

"On September 17, 1767, Matthew Sparks sold the remaining portionofhis original tract to William Haden for 150 pounds. (Deed Book 6 , p.482) Since he earlier had sold the 200-acre portion to William Sparks for50 pounds two years earlier, it would appear that he had ch arged hisbrother considerably less than he might have received from someone else.(In each of these sales, the pounds were in "proclamation money," andwere of much less value than pounds sterling.)

"Following his sale of his Rowan County land to his brother and t oWilliam Haden, Matthew Sparks moved northwest to that part of RowanCounty which would later become Surry County in 1770. He settled in thatpart of Surry which would later be cut off to form Wilkes County in 1777and which in 1799 would again be cut off to Ashe County . Ashe Countytoday lies on the southerly boundary of Virginia, across from GraysonCounty in that state.

"William Sparks did not live on his 220-acre tract at the Forks of theYadkin for more than four years, at which point he followed his brothertowhat would become Surry County, but not in the same neighborhood.William Sparks was taxed for one white poll (himself) in 1771. OnJanuary 27, 1773, William sold his 200 acres in the Forks of the Yadkinto William Frohock for 150 pounds in "proclamation money ." WilliamSparks lived in that part of Surry County which was cut off in 1850 toform Yadkin County; he gradually came to own a rather extensive amount ofland in the Brushy Mountains area near North Hunting Creek. This is inthe northeast corner of today's Yadkin County , near the boundary ofWilkes County on the west and Surry County on the north.

"If we are correct in believing that William Sample lived with or nearhis son Matthew, in the Forks of the Yadkin, it is quite possible that,with the arrival of his son William in 1764, William Sample thereafterlived with or near him. We have no record of William Sample Sparks,however, after October 13, 1764, when his license to operate his ordinarywas renewed. There is nothing in the Rowan County Court records toindicate that it was ever renewed again, nor did he again serve on anyRowan County jury after his last service in this regard on April 15, 1764.

"It is probable that he died in the Forks of the Yadkin sometime after1764, at which time his age at death would have been in the late 60s.While we are convinced that we have identified three of the sons ofWilliam Sample Sparks (William, Matthew and James), there may have beenothers. We assume that William Sample Sparks probably also haddaughters, but we have not identified any of them if he did.
(This ends the article on William Sample Sparks in Sparks Quarterly,Whole No. 148.)

**********

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 200, Whole No. 192, pp. 5443-61:

A MYSTERYSOLVED!

WHERE DID WILLIAM SAMPLE SPARKS GET HIS MIDDLE NAME?

FROM HISMATERNAL GRANDFATHER, WILLIAM SAMPLE (DIED 1682)

By Russell E. Bidlack

We begin this article with grateful acknowledgement to Joyce Bastasch, along-time member of our Association, who lives in Palos Verdes Estates,California. It was Mrs. Bastasch who discovered and called this writer'sattention to information contained in the published court records ofearly New Castle County, Delaware, thus enabling us to solve a mysterythat has long mystified descendants of William Sample Sparks(ca.1700-ca.1765), son of William, Jr. and Margaret Sparks. An articleabout William Sample Sparks was published in the QUARTERLY of December1989, Whole No. 148, to which further details regarding his life wereadded in the QUARTERLY of June 1997, Whole No. 178, as part of an articledevoted' to his daughter, Rachel (Sparks) Bicknell. The mystery haspertained to the source of the middle name of William Sample Sparks. Therecord noted by Mrs. Bastasch is the will of William Sample father ofMargaret Sample, the future wife of William Sparks, Jr. Dated December11, 1682, William Sample's will was probated three weeks later, onJanuary 1, 1683. (The old Julian Calendar was then in use, so these datesare slightly different under our Gregorian Calendar used since 1752.) Thefull text of the will of William Sample will appear later in this article.

The balance of this long article on William Sample Sparks and the originof his middle name appears under the notes for the wife of James paternalgrandfather's first wife, Anne ???.

SQ pps 2924-2928:
"James Sparks, son of Joseph (428 ) and Mary (McDaniel) Sparks, wasprobably born about 1755 in Maryland. He grew to manhood in FrederickCounty, and when he was about nineteen years of age, he accompanied hisbrothers, Joseph (494) and Solomon (586), to Bedford County, PA. He mayhave served in the Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolutionary War, butwe have found no record of his service. He probably returned toFrederick County after the war ended, and he is probably the James Sparkswho was appointed as an ensign in the Frederick County Militia on June 18, 1794. It is also quite likely that he married Nancy ("Ann") Rogersthere about 1795. She was born about 1765 and was a native of FrederickCounty.

"By 1800, James and Nancy (Rogers) Sparks were in Bedford County wherethey
appeared on that year's US census. James was also listed as the head ofhis
household on the 1810, 1820, 1830, and 1840 censuses of that county . Heentered 250 acres of land there on June 20, 1792. He added nearly 600acres of land to his farm in the mid-1830's and at his death he ownednearly 1 ,000 acres of land in Bedford County.

"According to A HISTORY OF BEDFORD COUNTY published in 1884, the earlysettlers placed only a slight value upon their land. The story is toldthat James Sparks and one of his brothers decided to divide a tract ofland which they held jointly. When the question arose as to who shouldhave the upper or more valuable part, they settled it by taking a stickand "choosing up" after the manner of boys playing baseball.

"Nancy (Rogers) Sparks died about 1835. According to census recordsshe and
James were the parents of six children. James died sometime between May1841
and March 1842. He made a will on May 22, 1841, and it was probated onMarch
3, 1842. Here is an abstract.
Item. The 800 acres of land which I acquired by three patents inthe 1830's shall be so divided into 200 acre tracts between my foursons: William, Absalom, Daniel, and David, that the shares ofWilliam, Absalom, and David shall include the land on which they nowreside, and Daniells share shall be taken from the north end of the 800acres.

Item. The 190 acre tract which I obtained from James Hamilton in
1833 shall be equally divided between my sons, Daniel and David.Both shall have equal access to the sawmill on the said tract.

Item. To daughter, Elizabeth Sparks, now intermarried withWilson L. Weeks, I give $300.

Item. To daughter, Mary Sparks, now intermarried with JamesSparks (blacksmith), I give one silk dress to be given one year aftermy decease.

Item. To son, Daniel Sparks, one good horse, one cow and fivesheep; to son, David Sparks, one good horse, one cow and four sheepand six hogs, to make them equal with the rest.

Item. I have money due and coming to me from Frederick County, Maryland, which shall be divided equally among my four sons,William, Absalom, Daniel, and David, and my daughter, Elizabeth Weeks.

Item. My sons, Daniel and David, shall be my executors.

his
James O Sparks
seal
Witnesses:
Benjamin Martin
John Nagle

James Sparks is the 3rd Great-grandfather of James Joseph Sparks.

Lawrence County, Kentucky, Court Book 1, January 16, 1826, pgs 177 -178;record of Pension Application of James Sparks. Carter County, Kentucky,Records of the Clerk of the Court dated June 8, 1846; Application ofSiblings of James Sparks, Jr. for Bounty Land.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1991, Whole No. 154, p. 3796:

WILLIAM SPARKS, ca. 1725-1801

"James Sparks, son of William and Ann Sparks, was probably born inFrederick County, Maryland, about 1762, and would have been about twoyears old when his parents moved to North Carolina. He served in theAmerican Revolution. His wife's name was Mary ---. He lived in AsheCounty, North Carolina, then Lee County, Virginia. He and his brother,Thomas Sparks, took their families to eastern Kentucky soon after the1820 census was taken, settling in what became Lawrence County in 1821.He died there about 1826. His children were: (here lists children)."

From a letter from Dr.Paul Sparks, President of THE SPARKS FAMILYASSOCIATION to James Joseph Sparks dated December 1, 1990: "1810 AsheCo. N.C., Rev. War Pension Application, 1826, Lawrence Co. KY. Paidtaxes: Grayson Co. VA 1804, 1805; Washington Co. VA. 1806, 1807, 1809;Lee Co. VA. 1811-1814. Paid taxes Surry Co. NC: 1785, 1792-1800. ToLawrence Co. KY ca 1821; Pd Taxes there in 1824 & 1825. Rebecca may havebeen a stepdaughter. SEE THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1961, Whole No. 33,pps. 542-543.

"Paul Sparks letter, op.cit. : "First of all, there is no doubt in mymind that the father of Solomon Sparks, born ca. 1788, was James Sparks,born ca. 1762, probably in Maryland. James Sparks was a son of Williamand Ann Sparks who came to North Carolina from Frederick County Maryland,ca. 1764 and settled in the Rowan-Surry-Wilkes Cos. area. A list ofloyalists (to North Carolina) in Surry County include the entry : "JamesSparks, Son of William Sparks." [JJS: I think Paul Sparks refers to alist of persons who took an oath of allegiance in North Carolina. Seebelow and the comment on p. 3796 in article on his father that Jamesfought in Revolution. Also see inclusion in article cited below ofSparkses who served in the Revolution.]

"James Sparks had 4 other sons: William Sparks, Ephriam Sparks, JesseSparks and James Sparks, Jr. He also had two daughters: Nancy Sparks andLela Sparks. It was the early bound-land law that gave us therelationships of these Sparkses. James Sparks Jr. served in the UnitedStates Army during the War of 1812 and died in the service in 1816.Thirty years later, his brother, Jesse Sparks, a resident of CarterCounty , Kentucky, applied for bounty land, naming as the heirs of JamesSparks, Jr., his siblings. See pages 542-543 of the SQ. Named were:

1. Ephriam Sparks (now a resident ot Owaley County, KY)
2. William Sparks (now a resident of White County, TN)
3. Solomon Sparks (now a resident of Washington County, VA)
4. Nancy Sparks (now the wife of Joshua Pennington and livingin Johnson County, KY.)
5. Jesse Sparks, the applicant, a resident of Carter County,KY.
6. Lela Sparks (we have found no records of her.)
7. Rebecca Sparks (I believe she was a half-sister, probablyof the wife of James Sparks by an earlier marriage who went by the name of Sparks.)"

**********

"See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1994, Whole No . 165, pp. 4265-4276,for an article written by Paul E. Sparks, titled:

"JAMES SPARKS (ca. 1762-ca. 1827) OF NORTH CAROLINA,VIRGINIA AND KENTUCKY"
(Doubtless a son of WilliamSparks [ca.1725-1801/02] )

"Two early Kentucky court records reveal a considerable amount ofinformation about the life of James Sparks (ca 1762-ca. 1827) who livedin North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. The first record was writtenin Lawrence County, Kentucky, Court Book I, on January 16, 1826. Here isthe document as it was recorded by the County Clerk on pages 177-178:

" "James Sparks, an old Revolutionary soldier, proferred on oath astatement and declaratory relative to his services, praying to be placedon the pension list of the United States with an affidavit of his beingin indigent circumstances accompanying the same, all of which are orderedto be recorded and certified to the Secretary of War, which is in thewords and figures following, to wit:

"State of Kentucky, Lawrence County. On the 16th day of January 1826,personally appeared in open court, it being a court of records; it beingmade so by the laws of the state; it being solemnly adjudged so to be bythe other tribunals of this state for the county aforesaid; James Sparks,a resident in said county, aged sixty-four years, who being first swornin according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration inorder to obtain the provisions made by the Act of Congress of the 18th ofMarch, 1818, as the first of May, 1820:

"That he, the said James Sparks, enlisted for the term of eighteenmonths on the __day of June 1780 in the state of North Carolina in acompany commanded by Captain Gordon, in the regiment commanded by Col.Lewis, in the line of the state of North Carolina on the Continentalestablishment; that he continued to serve in said corps until December1781 when he was discharged from the service in Surry County in the stateof North Carolina; that he hereby relinquishes every claim whatsoever toa pension except the present; that his name is not on the roll of anystate except Kentucky; and the following are the reasons for not makingan earlier application for a pension, viz.:

'I have always lived in a new part of the country which was therebyuninhabited and a considerable distance from any county seat and neverbefore this time for ten years past have been at any court where I couldget my business done and never knew what way to proceed to get myselfenrolled on the pension list, and was always too poor to employ counselto act for me.

"In pursuance of the Act of Congress of the 1st of May 1820 , I dosolemnly swear that I was a resident citizen of the United States on the18th day of March 1818, and that I have not since that time, by gift,sale or in any other manner disposed of my property or any part there of,with the intent thereby to diminish it as to bring myself with in theprovisions of the Act of Congress entitled, 'An Act to Provide CertainPersons Engaged in the Land and Naval Service of the United States Duringthe Revolutionary War,' passed on the 18th of March, 1818.

"And that I have not, nor any persons in trust for me, any property orsecurities, contracts or debts due to me, nor have I any income otherthan what is contained in the schedule hereto annexed and by mesubscribed, to wit:
Two cows, worth not more than seven dollars each.....$14. 00
One yearling, worth not more than three dollars...... $3. 00
Three calves, worth not more than two dollars each... $6. 00
Nine hogs and 11 pigs worth in all................... $20. 00
Total$43. 00

Signed: James Sparks

"That since the 18th day of March 1818, the following changeshave been made in my property: At that time I had three cows which arethe same over above mentioned and calves and yearlings above mentionedare the increase of those cows; that one of the cows not long since diedon the range; that I have sold none since that time; that the hogs I havenow are the increases of above three sows and pigs that I had at thattime. They have had some pigs occasionally since which I have raised andkilled for meat for my family, the number not now recollected; that Ihave sold none; that I have lived on a small piece of rented land andmade use of all the profits except the rents for the support of my family; that my occupation is ------------ (sic) but from age and infirmity, Iam unable to pursue; that my family consists of myself and wife, agedsixty-four years, named Mary; that I have no children living with me."

Signed: JamesSparks '

"Sworn to and declared on in open court on this 16th day of January1826, before us the Justices of the Peace for Lawrence County, who, byvirtue of our said offices, do hold and constitute this court, and thatthis court does certify that it is the opinion of this court that thevalue of the property continued in the foregoing schedule does not exceed$ 43.00, and that this court is satisfied from the evidence before usthat the applicant has rendered the services to his country in hisdeclaration set forth and that it is the opinion of this court that fromthe indigent circumstances of the said James Sparks that he does stand inneed of the assistance of his country for support: All of which isordered to be received and certified to the Secretary of War.
Signed: Thomas Thomson - Lewis Wellman - JoelStratton "

"[Editor's Note: As stated by the Lawrence County Clerk, James Sparksapplied for a pension under two Acts of Congress, that of March 18, 1818,and that of May 1, 1820. The Act of 1818 had provided pensions forRevolutionary War veterans who had served in a Continental militaryorganization (as opposed to local militia units), for at least ninemonths or until the war's end. Veterans who could prove their servicecould apply even though they had suffered no disabilities, but consideredthemselves to be in need of financial assistance. Many more veteransapplied for, and were granted, pensions under this 1818 Act than Congresshad anticipated, and it came to be widely believed that a large number ofthese pensioners were not actually in need of financial aid from thefederal government. The Act of 1820 was passed by Congress, therefore,in an effort to eliminate non-deserving veterans from the pension rollsas well as to prevent others from applying. The 1820 Act requiredeveryone who had been approved for a pension under the 1818 law now tojustify his pension by submitting to the Secretary of War a certifiedlist of his possessions as well as a statement regarding his annualincome to prove his poverty . A large number of veterans who had begunreceiving pensions under the 1818 law were removed from the pension rollsas a result of the 1820 law. New applicants, such as James Sparks, wererequired, of course, to submit this information. This explains why JamesSparks described his financial situation in such detail.]

"It appears that the application of James Sparks for a pension formilitary service in the Revolutionary War was never acted upon, orperhaps it was never actually sent to the Secretary of War, whose officewas then in charge of military pensions. The National Archives can findno evidence of the service of James Sparks. It may have been discoveredthat the military unit with which he had served consisted only ofmilitiamen and thus not "of the Continental establishment" , or he mayhave died shortly after completing his application. When the 1830 censuswas taken of Lawrence County, James Sparks was not there, nor was heenumerated as a member of the household of his son, Jesse Sparks who wasthen living in Lawrence County. He did not appear on the tax roll ofLawrence County after 1825.

"The second court record which pertains to James Sparks was writtentwenty years later, on June 8, 1846, by the clerk of the Carter County(Kentucky) Court, for the purpose of obtaining bounty land for the heirsof James Sparks, Jr., of Lee County, Virginia. James Sparks , Jr. son ofJames Sparks (ca.1762-ca.1827) had served in the United States Army from1812 until his death on July 17, 1816. James Sparks, Jr. apparently hadno children (he probably never married), and his heirs, who becameentitled to bounty land based on his service in the War of 1812, were hissiblings. Named as heirs of James Sparks, Jr. in this court of record of1846 were his brothers, Ephriam Sparks, William Sparks, Solomon Sparksand Jesse Sparks; his sisters, Lela Sparks and Nancy Sparks; and hishalf-sister, Rebecca Sparks. Pertinent portions of the bounty land fileidentifying these siblings of James Sparks were abstracted and publishedin the March 1961 issue of the Sparks Quarterly, Whole No. 33, pp. 542-43(JS Note: which may be seen above).

"There can be little doubt that James Sparks (ca.1762-ca.1827),subject of this article, was a son of William and Ann Sparks who went toNorth Carolina about 1764 from Frederick County, Maryland. They settledin Rowan County where William Sparks bought a 200 acre tract of land inthe forks of the Yadkin River (now Davie County], North Carolina , fromhis brother, Matthew Sparks, on April 12, 1765. (Matthew and othermembers of the Sparks family had gone from Fredrick County, Maryland, tothe Forks of the Yadkin a decade earlier.)

"William Sparks lived there until January 1773 when he moved withseveral of his children to Surry County, North Carolina. There hesettled on Hunting Creek, and it was there that he lived for theremainder of his life. He died during the winter of 1801-1802. Ann, hiswife, survived him, but we have no information regarding the date of herdeath. Among their ten children was James Sparks, born about 1762. (Forfurther details regarding the family of William and Ann Sparks, see theDecember 1989 and the June 1991 issues of the QUARTERLY, Whole Nos. 148and 154, respectively.)

"James Sparks (ca.1762-ca.1827) was born in Frederick County,Maryland, and carried as a baby to Rowan County, North Carolina, by hisparents , William and Ann Sparks. He was about eleven years old when hemoved with his parents from The Forks of the Yadkin, still then a part ofRowan County, to Surry County, in 1773. When the Revolutionary War brokeout, he was one of many young men who took an oath of allegiance to NorthCarolina, marking its separation from the British Empire. On a list thathas been preserved of those taking this oath, there is the followingentry: "James Sparks , son of William Sparks." (See North CarolinaArchives File No. 92.701.11 ) It was also at about this time that heapparently married Mary ---. She may have been a widow with a youngdaughter.

"James Sparks (ca.1762-ca.1827) apparently lived near the boundaryline between Wilkes and Surry Counties, and he paid taxes at times inboth counties. He paid taxes in Wilkes County from 1782 to 1786 and inSurry County from 1792 to 1800; however he was not listed on the 1790 or1800 census in either county. On July 23, 1787, the Wilkes County Courtordered him, along with fourteen of his neighbors, to "view " [i.e. workon the road] "from where Oar Road crosses the Surry County line nearHunting Creek to the Salisbury Road below the Old Store and along saidroad to the county line; likewise the road where new runs at HuntingCreek above Peter Goods to said road between said Goods and the OldStore." When the Wilkes County Court met on April 19 , 1788, JamesSparks was one of sixteen men ordered "to view road through land [of]Thomas Dickson on New River instead of present road."

"When the Surry County Court met on May 12, 1791, James Sparks was oneof eighteen men "to view, mark and lay off a road the nearest and bestway from the end of the Fox Knob to Wm T. Lewis' Mill on Spence's Creekfrom thence into whats called Mine Hole Road and from said mill to theIron Works and make report thereof to next court." Also serving on thisdetail was James's father, "Wm Sparks Senr.," and two of his brothers,William Sparks, Jr. and Thomas Sparks. They made their report to thecourt on August 10, 1791.

"By 1804, James had moved his family to Grayson County, Virginia,where he paid a personal property tax. He also paid taxes there thefollowing year, but by 1806, he was in the Upper District of WashingtonCounty, Virginia. He paid taxes there from 1806 to 1809.

"On August 1, 1808, James Sparks bought 30 acres of land on the NorthFork of New River in Ashe County, North Carolina, from James Hurley.Hurley was described in the deed as "of Sullivan County, Tennessee,"while Sparks was described as "of Washington County, Virginia." Theconsideration was $30.00. Sparks apparently moved to the newly-acquiredland, for he was listed on the 1810 census of Ashe County. He was shownin the "over 45" age category; his wife was enumerated as between 26-45.Living in the household were two males, both aged between 16 and 26 (JSNote: probably Solomon Sr., 22 & James Jr., 20), and one male (probablyJesse 13) and one female (probably Nancy 16), 10-16. Living nearby wasW. Sparks, aged 16 to 26, with his household.

"James Sparks (ca.1762-ca.1826), the subject of this article, shouldnot be confused with two of his contemporaries, also named James Sparks,who lived in this same section of North Carolina. One of them was hisuncle, James Sparks, (355) who had probably been born about 1735 inMaryland who had moved to the Forks of the Yadkin about 1754. He servedon the May 1756 court in Salisbury, North Carolina. He was a chainbearer on a survey of a tract of land granted to his brother, MatthewSparks, on December 16, 1760, in Rowan County. He paid taxes in RowanCounty in 1768 and 1772, and in Surry County in 1774 and 1776. This JamesSparks also served in the Revolutionary War according to testimony givenby his nephew, William Sparks, in 1846. ( See the June 1954 issue of SQ,Whole No. 2, pp. 36-38). He probably died shortly after his militaryservice."

"The other James Sparks with whom our present subject should not beconfused was the James (332) born about 1767 who died about 1835 and whowas a son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks; thus he was a firstcousin of James Sparks (ca.1762-ca.1827), subject of this article. Wehave found few records pertaining to James Sparks, son of Matthew andSarah Sparks. He was born about 1767, probably in Rowan County, NorthCarolina. He was married about 1791, but we have not learned the name ofhis wife . He paid taxes on 100 acres of land in Surry County in 1792,1793 and 1794 and was listed on the 1800 census of Surry County as thehead of his household. He appeared on the 1810 census of Wilkes Count ybut in 1820 and 1830 he was in Burke County, North Carolina. Accordingto these censuses, he had eight children, five daughters and three sons.There is some evidence that his sons were named Hardy, Allen, andAbsalom. He probably died about 1835 in Burke County.

"By 1811, James Sparks (ca.1762-ca.1826), the subject of the presentarticle, now designated as Senior, had returned to Virginia and was inLee County where he paid a personal property tax. There were otherpersons named Sparks who also paid taxes there that year. They wereJames Sparks , Jr., William Sparks and Absalom Sparks. It was in thefollowing year, 1812, that James Sparks, Jr. enlisted in the UnitedStates Army to serve five years. As noted earlier, he died in service onJuly 17, 1816.

"We have found few records of James Sparks (ca.1762-ca.1827), or ofhis family in Lee County, Virginia. He paid personal property taxesthere from 1811 to 1814. His son, Ephriam, paid personal property taxesthere in 1813 and 1814, and his son William, paid taxes there in 1811 and1812. We have found no records of marriages, wills or admininistrationsof persons named Sparks in early Lee County, and there are only two landtransactions recorded involving persons named Sparks. The deeds involveWilliam Sparks, son of James, who bought 100 acres of land in 1816 andsold the tract three years later.

"The last record we have found in Virginia of James Sparks is the 1820census of Lee County. By the time the census was taken, his son, JesseSparks, had been married and had brought his bride into his parent'shome. He was listed as the head of the household. In the meantime, abrother of James Sparks, Thomas Sparks, (born ca. 1766), had moved to LeeCounty and Thomas' family was enumerated on the 1820 census . It wasalso about this time that the brothers made plans to move to the BigSandy River region of eastern Kentucky, a move which they made thefollowing year. They settled in the newly-formed Lawrence County. (Forbiographical material on Thomas Sparks, see the QUARTERLY of December1991, Whole No. 156, beginning on page 3853).

"When James Sparks, Sr., left Lee County, Virginia, and moved with hisson Jesse, to Lawrence County, Kentucky, he was probably accompanied byhis daughter Nancy, and her husband Joshua Pennington. His son, JamesJr., had died in the army in 1816, as noted above. Rebecca Sparks, namedas a half-sister of James Sparks, Jr., left no records as far as we havebeen able to determine, and she may have been a step-daughter, ratherthan a daughter, of James Sparks, Sr. Ephriam Sparks, eldest son ofJames Sparks, Sr., remained in Virginia until about 1832 when he moved toPerry County, Kentucky. William Sparks, son of James, continued to livein Virginia until about 1825 when he moved to White County, Tennessee.

"Solomon Sparks, son of James, apparently remained in WashingtonCounty, Virginia, for the rest of his life. No records have been foundof Lela Sparks, daughter of James Sparks, Sr." (Here, p. 4269, beginsrecords of each child of James Sparks for which see their family sheet.)END OF ARTICLE.

See SQ p 4964 for an article entitled SPARKSES WHO SERVED IN THE AMERICANREVOLUTION which includes the following:
James Sparks (Spouse) Mary ------ Pvt.Capt. Gordon's Co.
(ca. 1762-ca.1825) Col. Lewis Regt. NC Militia
Surry County, NC Source NC Archives 92-701-11

See Sparks Quarterly, June 1998, Whole No. 182, pgs 4998-4999:

"James Sparks, son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks, who is thesubject of the present article, was born in Rowan County, North Carolina,on April 14, 1778, according to a record in the Bible which wasapparently owned by his brother, Nathan Sparks; however, we believe thatthe year was transcribed erroneously, and that he was actually born in1768. The year 1768 for his birth is also concurred in by census and taxrecords. (See page 4549 of the December 1995 issue of the QUARTERLY,Whole No. 172).

"James Sparks was a young boy when his parents moved to Surry County,North Carolina about 1773. The family settled in that part of SurryCounty that would become Wilkes County in 1777, then Ashe County in1799. James was a grown man when his parents decided to move to Georgiaabout 1787. As stated above, it appears that he did not accompany themon this move.

"Perhaps James Sparks was planning to get married at about the timehis parents, Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks, moved to Georgia, andfor that reason did not accompany them. He was probably married about1790, but we have found nothing about his wife except that she was bornabout 1774. They were not enumerated on the 1790 census as a household,but when the 1800 census was taken, James was shown as head of hishousehold in Surry County. It consisted of himself, his wife, twodaughters and two sons. The children had been born between 1790 and 1800.

"James Sparks paid taxes in Surry County, North Carolina, from 1792until 1800. He was in Capt. Benge's District from 1792 to 1794, but hewas in Capt. Kilburn's District from 1795 to 1800. He was a witness tothe purchase of a five-year-old slave girl named Tamar by his cousin,Mat