James Joseph Sparks was born in Long Beach, California in 1927. Heattended parochial school through the 6th grade and public schoolsthrough high school. On August 7, 1945, shortly after graduation, whilehe was still 17 years of age, he enlisted in the navy. After testing,James was transferred to the V5 naval aviation training program and wassent to Colgate University in New York for his freshman year of collegeas an Apprentice Seaman in uniform. He attended Occidental College inPasadena, California, for his sophmore year and reported for preflighttraining at Pensacola, Florida, in September, 1947. He received hisnaval aviator's wings in July, 1949, and was commissioned an Ensign, USNin September. He joined Fighter Squadron 192 at Alameda Naval AirStation, California, flying F8F Bearcat fighters. He deployed with thesquadron in January 1950 aboard the U.S.S. Boxer, an Essex Class aircraftcarrier. His tour of the Pacific ended in mid-June, 1950, and shortlythereafter, he was discharged at Treasure Island, California.
In September, 1950, he was accepted at UCLA's School of BusinessAdministration as a junior and was graduated cum laude in finance inJune, 1952. In August, he and Ellen Mary Sherriffs, a fellow UCLAgraduate in the class of 1952 and a future elementary school teacher,were married in Westwood, California. In September of that year he beganlaw school studies, also at UCLA, and Ellen began to teach. Hegraduated from law school in 1955 with a Bachelor of Laws degree laterconverted to a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. He passed the Californiabar examination in the fall of that year, and was admitted to practicelaw in January, 1956.
Ellen and James moved to San Carlos, California, in January, 1956,where they continue to live at the present time. James practiced law inthe San Francisco bay area for 36 years, specializing in business law,wills and trusts. He served as pro-tem Judge in both the Superior andMunicipal Courts of San Mateo County. He retired in 1991 but continued toact on appointment by the Superior Court as a Special Master, Arbitrator,and Referee for several years. James served on the San Mateo CountyCivil Grand Jury in 1993. Ellen and James are the parents of threechildren, James T. Sparks, Asst. Deputy Director of the Department ofPublic Works for Los Angeles County; Timothy J. Sparks, an attorney, andSusan (Sparks) Thompson, a past Director and Vice-President of FranklinTempleton Funds in Foster City, CA. James and Ellen have ninegrandchildren ranging in age from 8 to 18 years (as of March, 2008).
The following cousins have been met through James' websitesparksfamilytree.net:

First Cousins Once Removed:

Sherry Slagle/Helen Frances Quicksell/Martha Ann Sparks/David L.Sparks (SherrySlagle@@hotmail.com)

Elizabeth (Berkholder) Harding/Virginia Mae Quicksell/Martha Ann(Sparks) Quicksell/David L. Sparks

Second Cousins Once Removed:

Diane (Sparks) Piercey/Henry Francis Sparks/John A. Sparks/SolomonSparks, Jr. (dwalspa@@aol.net)

Kathleen Dee Wathen/Thomas Wathen/George Albert Wathen/VirginiaJustine Sparks/Solomon Sparks Jr. (JordanKat@@prodigy.net)

Carolyn Mason Sparks/David Malcolm Sparks/ Benedict Joseph Sparks/Francis Marion Sparks/ Solomon Sparks, Jr. (carmsgen@@aol.com)

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

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3267: They had nine children: Nina Virginia, Elmo Davis, Guy
DeWitt, Coy Watson, Imogene, Nancy Jane, Vera Louise, Minnie Carolyn, and
Mary Rose.

SQ pg 3421: They have two children, Larry and John Alden Sparks .They live at Olive Hill (as of 1989).

According to his father, James Lincoln Sparks, Sr., James Jr. is engagedto marry Lindsey Louise Pryor on April 14, 2001.

I am grateful to James Lincoln Sparks who provided us with valuableinformation on this branch of the Sparks family. His address is 4530 EastSeminary Avenue, Richmond Virginia 23227-5006. Telephone 804 266-4687.His email dated 8 March, 2000, (JLSparksSr@@aol.com) states:

"I am the only child of John Henry and Sarah Anna (Litz) Sparks, bornJanuary 27, 1939, in Ashland, Kentucky. I was raised in Baltimore,Maryland. I attended Baltimore City Public Schools, Oliver CromwellElementary, Clifton Park Junior High, and Baltimore City College SeniorHigh, graduating in February, 1957. I then attended Towson StateTeacher's College (now Towson State University) where I earned a Bachelorof Science Degree in Elementary Education. After graduation I enteredthe US Naval Reserve and was commissioned Ensign in November, 1961.
"While at Towson I met and in 1964 married Grace Carolyn Scheidt onJune 27, 1964 at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sweetair,Baltimore County, Maryland. She is the daughter and second child of thelate Reverend Doctor Carl John Scheidt, Sr., and Grace Wilhelmina(Miller) Scheidt. Her siblings are Marianna Wilhelmina, Carl John, Jr.,Ruth Elizabeth, and Deborah Rose.
"I subsequently earned a Master of Administrative Science degree fromJohns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Grace and I have three children,Elinor Marie (born July 28, 1966), Carolyn Esther (born September 8,1968), and James Lincoln Jr., (born December 19, 1970). All were bornin Baltimore as was their mother. We have three grandchildren: CyrusJames Ditchendorf born Nov 12, 1993, Elijah Henry Ditchendorf, born June17, 1998 and Sophia Marie Staropoli, daughter of Elinor Marie Sparks andRobert Peter Staropoli, born March 22, 1998. Our Jim is not yet married;however he is engaged to Lindsey Louise Pryor of Goochland County,Virginia with a wedding date set for April 2001. " On June 14, 2002,James provided additional information concerning his inlaws andgrandchildren.

SQ 3192:

"James ["Jim"] M. Sparks, son of Solomon and Malinda (Caudill)Sparks, was born on July 17, 1852, in Mercer County, Illinois (probablyshould be Missouri). He became a cobbler. He was married twice . Hisfirst marriage was to Martha C. Nickolson in 1870. She was born onJanuary 22, 1852. They had seven children. After her death, Jim Sparksmarried a woman named Sadie ----- in 1918, and they had one child,Mildred. Jim Sparks died on December 12, 1929, at the home of adaughter, Viola. Following is a list of his eight children, all but thelast (Mildred) being children of his first wife. [For information onchildren see their file.]

See SQ p. 332 for birth information.

SQ 2774:

"James Martin Sparks, son of Hawk and Mollie (Davis) Sparks, was bornon March 30, 1888, in Bosque County, Texas. He was married to NancyDrucilla Nelson on December 9, 1908, at Oakville, Texas. She had beenborn on January 31, 1889, in Lavaca County, Texas, and was a daughter ofWilliam and Melinda (Alevine) Nelson. James died on December 10 , 1948;Nancy died on June 1, 1964. They had six children: Chearance M., ClydeR., James M., Mary Ellen, Leslie L., and Edna Alene."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1981, Whole No. 113, pp 2269-2272titled FURTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT THE FAMILY OF JOHN AND SARAH (SHORES)SPARKS by Paul E. Sparks.

"Sometime between 1850 and 1860, Solomon Sparks ("Elliott's"grand-uncle, the brother of his grandfather Robert Sparks) moved toCarter County, Kentucky, probably to be near his numerous relatives inthat area, including his brothers, George and Levi. He stayed thereabout three years, but returned to his former home near Warne, NorthCarolina. He apparently died sometime near 1860, and his widow, Judah,went to live with her son, Joel Sparks, who had married about 1853. Joelmoved to Ohio about 1865 and when the 1870 census was taken., he and hisfamily were living near Goshen in Clermont County. With him was hismother, Juda A. Sparks, now aged 66. By 1880, Joel was in ElliottCounty, Kentucky, and with him was his mother, now aged 76.

"Joel and Mary Jane (Grow) Sparks did not remain long in ElliottCounty, and shortly after the 1880 census was taken they returned toCherokee County, North Carolina. Perhaps the strongest reason for theirleaving Elliott County was the murder of their son, Solomon Sparks, in1879. Solomon was a young man about 24 years old at the time. Asdescribed by a member of the Sparks Family Association, here is how thetragic incident occurred:

"The killing of Solomon Sparks took place about 1879. Joel Sparks,who married Mary Jane Grow, had a son, Solomon, born about 1855. He wasstabbed and killed at a dance on the Little Fork of the Little SandyRiver by one of the Porter boys. The two Porters had chosen their man tokill. One was to kill Sol Sparks; the other was to kill Elliott Sparks,son of William Sparks. All lights were suddenly extinguished; Sol Sparkswas killed instantly, and Elliott Sparks was injured so badly that helived only a short time afterwards. After the murder, Joel Sparks movedhis family back to Cherokee County, North Carolina. "

"Elliott Sparks, mentioned in this account, was James Milton ElliottSparks, son of William and Mary "Polly" (Lyon) Sparks, and grandson ofRobert and Margaret (Pigg) Sparks. He was born about 1851 in LawrenceCounty, Kentucky. He married twice. His first marriage was to MaryMargaret Johnson on April 29, 1871, in Elliott County., Kentucky. Theyhad one child, a son, William Franklin Sparks. Elliott (as he wascalled) married (2nd) Nancy Ison, probably about 1879. She was born onAugust 14, 1850, and was a daughter of Martin and Nancy (Sparks) Ison,thus she and Elliott were first cousins.

"After receiving the knife wound, Elliott Sparks lingered until thespring of 1881 before he died. When he died, his wife, Nancy, waspregnant with their first child. The child was born on September 25,1881, and was named Doctor Martin Sparks. (See page 101 of the December1955 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 12.

The above facts are repeated in an article entitled SPARKSES OF EARLYLAWRENCE COUNTY, KENTUCKY appearing in the September 1997 issue of THESPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 179 on p 4875 (Only a part of that article isbelow):

"James Milton Elliott Sparks, son of Bill and Polly (Lyon) Sparks, wasborn about 1851 at Halcom, Kentucky. He was called Elliott Sparks. Hewas married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Margaret James MiltonElliott Sparks, son of Bill and Polly (Lyon) Sparks, was born about 1851at Halcom, Johnson on April 29, 1871, in Elliott County, with hisbrother, Reuben R. Sparks, officiating. Another brother, Joel Sparks,was his witness. Mary Margaret was a daughter of Jesse, Jr. and Mary(Boggs) Johnson. She and Elliott had one child, William Franklin Sparks,born in 1872. Mary died sometime after her child was born.

"Elliott Sparks died tragically in the summer of 1881 from knifewounds he had received four years earlier in a fracas in Elliott County.Here is how the story of the fight has been pieced together from severalsources...."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4557: James Sparks had a civil service job in Washington, D .C.and died there.

SQ pg 2749:

"James R. Sparks, son of James Hawkins and Elizabeth (McKnight)Sparks, was born about 1850. He married Sarah Ellen Edwards, probablyabout 1875. She was born about 1855 in Texas and was a daughter of Mrs.Sarah M. Edwards. James Sparks was an attorney. Sarah Ellen died onJune 10, 1888 in Nacogdoches County. According to the 1880 census andher will, she and James had four children.

(1) Jamy E. Sparks b. ca. 1877;
(2) Edgar Thorn Sparks b. June 1880. He died in 1920 at El Paso,Texas;
(3) Richard Coke Sparks;
(4) Nellie Josephine Sparks."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3468:
"James Richard "Jim" Sparks was born on September 10, 1866, in Johnson County and was a teenager when his parents moved to Parker Count y.It was there that he was married to Laura Ida Phillips on Augus t 5,1893. She was born on September 24, 1876, in Calhoun County, Al abama,and was a daughter of William Lewis and Mary Victoria Lorind a (Gilbert)Phillips. She was only three years old when her parent s went to Texasin a wagon train. Years later, she told of havin g a playmate on thewagon train named "Segonia." She never forgot he r, and named her onlydaughter Necie Segonia Sparks.
"Jim Sparks was a kind, gentle, soft-spoken man. Ida (as she wa scalled) was a stout woman who wore her hair in a bun. Her hands to ldthat she had worked hard all her life. She was also a very strong-willed, but a good, woman. An example of her determination was he rcare and concern for her youngest child, Cecil, who became blind wh en hewas only eight months old. Ida made up her mind that he woul d receiveda good schooling so that he could take care of himself an d lead a normallife. Ultimately, her patience and concern resulte d in Cecil's musicaleducation which led him to a place in the Leon P aine Western Band, and,for a while, he had his own radio program fro m a Houson station.
"Jim Sparks was a farmer most of his life. In 1909, he moved hi sfamily to Elmore City, Oklahoma, where he stayed until about 1925 . Fromthere, he moved to Breckenridge, Texas, to operate a boardin g house, butby 1930, he was operating a dairy in Denton, Texas. H e died in Dentonon October 30, 1941. Ida survived him only a few ye ars, dying on March18, 1947. They were buried in the Hills Cemetery . They had elevenchildren. The eight oldest were born in Parker Co unty, while the threeyoungest were born in Garvin County, Oklahoma."

SQ September 1993, Whole No. 163, pg. 4189:

DEATH TAKES JAMES RICHARD SPARKS

(photograph)

We regret to report that James Richard Sparks, who joined The SparksFamily Association in 1954, died on September 30, 1993, in Columbus,Ohio; he was ninety-six years old. His generous support of ourAssociation extended over nearly four decades, and we shall miss him.

Following his retirement in 1961, James Richard Sparks made a"genealogical tour" across the United States, tracing the migration ofhis branch of the Sparks family from Maryland to North Carolina, then toMissouri, and on to Kansas. He shared his genealogical and historicalresearch with the Association, including a photograph which he found ofhis grandfather, Richard M. Sparks (1829-1893). We used this on the coverof the QUARTERLY of December 1989. (In that issue, we traced the historyof William Sample Sparks [born ca.1700, died ca.1765] who was a fourthgreat-grandfather of James Richard Sparks.)

James was born on February 21, 1897, in the large house that had beenbuilt by his grandfather, Richard M Sparks, located about one mile eastof Medicine Lodge, Kansas. His parents were Clarence G. and Clara Myrtle(Huffaker) Sparks. He was married on July 14, 1920, to Alice Bobek(1897-1960), and they were the parents of two children, Phyllis JeanSparks, born in 1905 (sic), and Richard James Sparks, born in 1910 (sic).

A photograph that James Richard Sparks shared with us is reproducedabove. Taken about 1906, it shows James Richard at about the age ofthirteen with his younger sister, Helen Jewell Sparks. It was taken inWichita, Kansas.

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

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2594: He was a barber and lived in California. He marrie dVera Hawkins and they had one child, Mary Ann Sparks. Russell die d in1973.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, December, 1961, Whole No. 36, p 601 for the1850 census of Caldwell County, NC. This family is listed as
James Sprarks (sic) 48, born Surry County, NC, farmer, Nancy, 43, bornBurke County, NC, William 12, born Burke County, NC, Marcus, 10, bornBurke County, NC, Mary, 6, born Caldwell County, NC, Thomas, 4, bornCaldwell County, NC.

See The Sparks Quarterly, March 1969, Whole No. 65, p. 1208:
"James Sparks, son of Hardy and Susannah (Brown) Sparks, was born inNorth Carolina about 1831. He was living with the Jacob Tague family inMonroe County, Indiana, when the 1850 census was taken. He married Louisa-----, who was born in Indiana about 1836. Sometime prior to 1848 hemoved to Cazenovia Township, Woodford County, Illinois, where he wasliving when the 1860 census was taken. By 1880, however, he and hisfamily were living in Blakely Precinct in Gage County, Nebraska. Theywere the parents of 4 children."

For the 1850 Census of Monroe County, Indiana, see p. 465.

Additional information on this family was provided by Michael Burch inMay, 2001. His email address is michael.burch@@worldnet.att.net

SQ p. 749:

"James Sargent Sparks, son of Solomon S. and Isabel (Sargent) Sparkswas born March 23, 1864, and died at Antigo, Wisconsin, on December 8,1928. He was married to Alice Mary Davis on September 17, 1888, atCincinnati, Ohio. She was born Jun 16, 1865, and died February 11,1919. He was a farmer and dairyman, she was a dressmaker. Both werekind and loving parents. They moved to Kansas, then to Illinois, then toIowa where James S. Sparks ran a dairy farm in Webster City. They latermoved to Wisconsin. They were the parents of the following children:"[For information on the children, see their respective family sheets.]

SQ p.2680:

James W. Sparks, son of Allen and Sarah A. (Woodward) Sparks, was born onAugust 24, 1867, in Iowa. He died on March 24, 1913. He married MinnieWalters and they had two children: Clifford Sparks and Kenneth Sparks.

SQ p. 4749:
"...He was a coal miner. He lived near Whitesburg, Kentucky, for mostof his life."

See SQ p 4868:
"James ["Jim"] Washington Sparks was born on January 2, 1866. Helived in Sandy Hook in 1900 and was the Circuit Court Clerk of ElliottCounty. He was married twice. His first marrige was to Laura BelleGreen on april 7, 1892, in Rowan County, Kentucky. She had been born onFebruary 7, 1892, and was a daughter of James and ---- (Day) Green. Sheand Jim had one child, a daughter named Effie Sparks, when Laura died onMarch 23, 1894.
"Jim Sparks was married (second) to Florence B. Hunter on July 2,1896, in Elliott County. She had been born on February 7, 1871, and wasa daughter of Sylvester G. and Mary Jane (Holbrook) Hunter. Jim Sparksdied on January 6, 1926, and Florence died on October 4, 1937. They wereburied in the Hunter Cemetery on South Ruin Road. They had three sons.""Vester Sparks died tragically on December 13, 1913, when the ice on theLittle Sandy River on which he was skating broke, and he was drowned."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Jun 1955, Whole No. 10, p. 79:

OBITUARY OF JAMES WILLIAM SPARKS

"Once more it is our duty to report the death of a member of theAssociation -- a duty which is particularly painful since the deceasedwas the father of our President, Paul E. Sparks. On February 14, 1955,James B. (sic) Sparks, age 75, of Yatesville, Kentucky, died in theKing's Daughters' Hospital at Ashland following an illness of severalmonths. Funeral services were conducted at the Bradley Gap FreewillBaptist Church at Yatesville and burial was inthe Sparks Cemetery atYatesville. Mr. Sparks was a retired farmer. He was born January 18,1880, at Yatesville, a son of the late Colby and Martha (Chaffin)Sparks. He married Sarah Elizabeth Conley, daughter of Isaac Redmond andMartha (Sexton) Conley, on NOvember 2 1905. Mrs. Sparks died February 9,1922. Surviving are three daughters, Mrs. Fred Davis of Ashland; Mrs.Warren Murphy of Akron, Ohio; and Mrs Roy fields of Catlettsbury,Kentucky; two sons, Paul E. Sparks of Louisville, and James E. Sparks ofYatesville; four sisters, Mrs. Nora Jobe and Mrs. Frank Graham, both ofAkron; Mrs Flora Williams of Louisa, Kentucky; and Mrs Rosa Sparks ofLouisa; and thirteen grandchildren."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1996, Whole No. 176, p. 4730:

"James William ["J.B." or "Jim") Sparks was born on January 18, 1880.He grew to manhood in Lawrence County and was a young man when he went toWest Virginia to work in the coal mines. It was at Burnwell, WestVirginia, that he met and courted Sarah Elizabeth Conley. She had beenborn on March 17, 1887, at Willard, Kentucky, and was a daughter of Isaac["Red"] and Martha (Sexton) Conley. She and Jim were married on November2, 1905, in Kanawha County, West Virginia.

"Jim continued to live on his father's farm in Lawrence County, but hewould farm in the spring and summer and then go to the coal mines inneighboring counties to work during the fall and winter. He ran for theoffice of Lawrence County Clerk twice, but was defeated both times.After the end of World War 1, Sarah persuaded him to leave the hazardouscoal mines and move to Akron, Ohio, where the automobile tire industrywas growing rapidly. They moved there in 1919. Sarah gave birth totheir sixth child in January 1922; she died from childbirthcomplications. She was brought back to Lawrence County and was buried inthe family cemetery on Morgans Creek.

"Jim was married two more times after Sarah's death. His secondmarriage was to Gertrude Kidwell, a spinster, in 1927 at Akron, Ohio.The marriage ended in divorce a few years later. Jim's third marriagewas to Mary Boyers, a widow, in Lexington, Kentucky. It, too, ended indivorce. Jim then returned to Akron where he worked in a war-related jobuntil the end of World War II. He then returned to Kentucky where hedied on February 14, 1955. He was buried in in the Sparks Cemetery onMorgans Creek beside his first wife, Sarah. He and Sarah had sixchildren: Martha Sparks, Paul E. Sparks, Eva Sparks, James E. Sparks,Hettie C. Sparks, and Dorothy Sparks. (See p. 78 of the June 1955 issueof the Quarterly, Whole No. 10, for Jim's obituary [Reproduced below].See p. 2786 of the September 1985 issue, Whole No. 131, for the obituaryof Martha [Sparks] Davis." [Reproduced in her notes.)
***************

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1999,Whole No. 188, pp. 5270-74:

JAMES AND SARAH (CONLEY) SPARKS OF LAWRENCECOUNTY, KENTUCKY

By PaulE. Sparks

[Editor's Note: In 1989, Paul E. Sparks, co-founder and late President ofthe Sparks Family Association, wrote an article about his parents, Jamesand Sarah (Conley) Sparks. He did not consider it worthy of publicationin the QUARTERLY, but because of several queries that we have receivedfollowing Paul's death on March 4, 1999, we have decided to publish it atthis time. Paul prepared an interesting article about his grandfather,Colby Sparks, for the QUARTERLY of June 1969 (Whole No. 66), pp. 1242-45.A photograph of Colby Sparks (1857-1951) with his wife, Martha (Chaffin)Sparks, and their eldest child, James William Sparks, Paul's father,appeared on the cover of the QUARTERLY for December 1991, Whole No, 156.This was followed by Paul's "Further Thoughts on the Fate of Hugh S.Sparks," his great-grandfather who served in the Confederate Army in theCivil War and whose disappearance after his return home from a Federalprison camp has long been a family mystery.]

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

"Like most people, I have assumed that the hardest part of assembhnga family history would be the collection of information about theearliest generations. For this reason, I have spent a great deal of timeduring the past 40 years gathering data about the generations long sincedeparted, and have simply assumed that I could write the biographies ofmy parents and grandparents quite easily because I knew them first-hand.I now find this to be quite erroneous!

The account of the activities of my father which follows ishard-fact proof that I cannot make a sequential report of his life. Icannot establish dates; events tumble over each other in disorder; nameslong ago quite familiar have vanished from my memory; and (worst of all)I have no one to turn to - they (like my memory) are gone! I hope myreaders will accept this excuse if they find errors, omissions, etc.

James William Sparks, better known as "Jim" or "J.B.", was born nearFallsburg, Kentucky, on January 18, 1880, son of Colby and Martha(Chaffin) Sparks; he was a 7-year-old boy when his parents moved to Texasin August 1887 to grow cotton. The family went by train from Louisa,Kentucky, to Dallas, Texas, and then by wagons to a cotton farm nearForney, about 20 miles east of Dallas. There they endured consecutivecrop failures in 1888 and 1889, but in 1890, their crop was looking finewhen Jim's mother took sick in June.

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

-5271-

By August her plight was desperate and her doctor warned her husbandthat she could not continue to live in that climate. The family returnedby covered wagon to Lawrence County, Kentucky, arriving at Morgans Creekin January 1891, just a week before Jim celebrated his 11th birthday.(The story of this trip is told in the June 1969 issue of THE SPARKSQUARTERLY, Whole No. 66.)

Jim continued to attend the one-room school at Morgans Creek, and itwas there that he changed his given names. His teacher was a maternaluncle, William James Chaffin, just nine years older than he. Thesimilarity of their given names caused some degree of confusion at times,and so they agreed to use the diminutives, or nicknames, "Jim" and"Bill," and so James William Sparks became Jim Bill Sparks and WilliamJames Chaffin became Bill Jim Chaffin. Soon these became J. B. Sparksand B. J. Chaffin, names they used for the rest of their lives.

(The practice of bestowing two given names on newly-born childrendid not become common in the United States until the mid 1800s, and ledimmediately to another practice, namely, that of using both of the givennames when speaking to or of the name bearer. This custom wasparticularly true of persons living in the southern part of our countrywhere, even today., we frequently encounter "Mary Sue," "Martha Belle,"etc . Nor were male children exempt . from this practice, thus the sonsof Jim and Sarah Sparks were called "Paul Emerson" and "James Edison"until adulthood.)

The period of Jim Sparks's life from about 1895 to 1905 remainssomewhat of a mystery to me. I never heard him refer to theSpanish-American War, although his life time friend, Landon Bradley,volunteered to serve in that conflict. He did go to East Liverpool, Ohio,probably about 1903, where he worked in a ceramic manufacturing plant.

In 1905, Jim was in Burnwell, West Virginia, where he had a job inthe coal mines. It was there that he met and courted Sarah ElizabethConley, daughter of Isaac R. and Martha (Sexton) Conley. They weremarried in Kanawha County on November 2, 1905. Their first child, Martha,was born on February 3, 1907, at Burnwell. It was also at Burnwell thathe joined the Knights of Pythias. His sword, a part of his officialregalia, hung on the upstairs wall of our farmhouse until long after Iwas grown.

By the time Jim Sparks reached adulthood, he was nearly six feettall, and he weighed close to 190 pounds. He was inclined to be fleshyand was a hearty eater. He never drank anything with alcohol in it, andhe always said that he had promised our mother that he would refrain fromdrinking if she would marry him. He was addicted to the use of chewingtobacco, and he liked to smoke an occasional cigar or a pipe. He hadbrown eyes, a fair complexion, and, until he lost his hair, it was brownand curly. He was a good baseball player, and he liked to watch baseballgames and prize fights .

Jim took his family to Morgans Creek soon after Martha's birth.Here, he used the money he had saved to attend a business school inLexington, Kentucky, and he received a diploma from the Wilbur R. SmithBusiness College, successor to the Commercial college of the KentuckyUniversity, on March 5, 1909. His first son, Paul Emerson Sparks(myself), was born in the following January, one day before Jim became30 years of age.

The next few years saw no major changes in the lives of Jim andSarah . They lived in a small, log cabin just a few hundred yardsdownstream from his parents . They attended the Morgans Creek MethodistChurch where Jim sang in the choir. He continued to work with his fatheron the farm during the spring and summer and to work in the coal mines ofneighboring counties during the winter. His children went to the sameone-room school he had attended. Martha began school in 1915 and Paul in1916. Another daughter, Eva, was born in 1912, and another son, JamesEdison, was born in 1916.

In 1913 and again ln 1917, Jim ran for the office of Lawrence CountyCourt Clerk, but was defeated in the primary election. He ran on theDemocratic ticket. After his last defeat, he persuaded Sarah to leaveLawrence County and go with him to a mining camp at Hardy, Kentucky, inPike County . He was a mine foreman when World War I ended in November1918. Shortly afterwards, he was released ("fired" would be a more exactterm) for sympathizing with his fellow employees about their workingconditions. Again, the family returned to Morgans Creek.

The Sparks homeplace on Morgans Creek occupied a very special placein the life and heart of Jim Sparks. It was just an ordinary, 164-acrehillside farm in Lawrence County, and only a subsistence kind of livingcould be earned on it, but during his lifetime it represented securityfor him . It had been acquired by his father, Colby Sparks, about thetime that Jim had been born, and it became a haven for all of Colby'schildren, and for many of his grandchildren. Time after time, during his93-year life span, Colby welcomed the return of his children andgrandchildren. Jim returned there several times during his lifetime.

World War I had caused a boom in the rubber industry at Akron, Ohio,and two of Jim's sisters lived there, so Sarah persuaded him to leavecoal mining with all of its hazards and to try his hand at rubbermanufacturing. He went to Akron in the spring of 1919 and got a job withthe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He lived with his sister, Nora, andfamily until he could send for Sarah and the children. Another child,Hettie Conley Sparks, arrived that spring.

The years of 1920 and 1921 were pleasant and productive ones for Jimand Sarah. They bought a small, two-room house quite near his sister,Nora, and Jim proceeded to make it into a modest, two-story home byworking on it during weekends. The children attended Thomastown School(grades 1-8). During the summer of 1921, Jim's parents visited them forseveral days.

Tragedy hit the family in February 1922 when Sarah gave birth totheir sixth child, Dorothy, and birth complications caused Sarah's deathon February 9th. She had not reached her 35th birthday. Jim brought herback to Morgans Creek where she was buried in the Sparks Cemetery on acold, miserable day . He returned to Akron, scarcely knowing what to do.

The family broke up. Five of the children, including the baby, wentto live with Jim's parents and his sister, Rose. Daughter Eve went tolive with her maternal grandparents and her aunt, Bertha Conley. Jimpersuaded his sister, Dewey, and her husband to come to live with him. Hecontinued to work for Goodyear.

Tragedy struck Jim's family again in the summer of 1924 when hisdaughter, Hettie Conley Sparks, died from typhoid fever. She was buriedin the Sparks Cemetery on a hot July afternoon.

Jim remarried in the summer of 1927. His wife was Gertrude Kidwell,a spinster. They purchased a house in Akron and brought Jim's son, Paul,and his daughter, Eve, to live with them. The marriage did not survive,probably because of the economic depression which began in 1929, andduring which Jim lost his job with Goodyear. Again he returned toMorgans Creek and rejoined his father and sister in the home place. Hismother had died in 1929.

In 1933, Jim was elected to the Lawrence County Board of Education,a position he held until he ran for the State Legislature in 1937 asrepresentative. He was defeated. He resigned from the Board of Educationand went to Lexington, Kentucky, where he got a job at the Central StateHospital. It was there that he met his third wife, Mary Boyers, a widow.This marriage, too, did not last. World War II was on the horizon, andmore lucrative jobs beckoned and were available, even to a 60-year-oldman, so he and Mary separated.

For a time, Jim managed an apartment building in Logan, WestVirginia, but then he went back to Akron where he worked until the end ofthe war in a war-related industry. He then returned to the old homeplace on Morgans Creek.

Colby Sparks died in June 1951 and at his funeral, Jim's childrencould notice an unnatural swelling in their father's neck and throat.Several weeks earlier, he had had a chronic lip sore removed, but notbefore it had dropped cancer cells into his lymphatic system. Theswelling of the lymph nodes on both sides of his throat testified to thetardiness of the operation and gave ample proof that he should have anoperation immediately.

He came to Louisville, Kentucky, where he had two separateoperations for the removal of the cancer.

Jim returned to Morgans Creek, but he never regained his usualvigor, nor his appetite. He went to Akron to visit his youngest daughterin January 1955 and became critically ill. He asked to be returned toKentucky and was brought by train to Ashland, Kentucky, on February 14,1955. He went into a coma and was taken to the hospital. He neverregained consciousness. He was buried beside his beloved Sarah in theSparks Family Cemetery. He had returned home for the last time ."

Jim and Sarah were the parents of six children:

1. Martha Washington Sparks was born on February 3, 1907, atBurnwell, West Virginia. She was married to Fred T. Davis on October 16,1934, and they had one child, Sara Margaret. Martha died on March 15,1985, and Fred died on February 17, 1987.

2. Paul Emerson Sparks was born on January 17, 1910, on MorgansCreek, Kentucky. He was married to Mary Sue Miller on November 9, 1933,and they had one child, Robert, [Paul died on March 4, 1999, and Mary Suedied the following day.]

3. Eva Virginia Sparks was born on November 12, 1912, on MorgansCreek. She was married to Roy C. Fields on June 9, 1934, and they havesix children: Pauline; Rita Ann; Kay; James; Roy, Jr.; and David.Roy, Sr. died on April 14, 1980.

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

SQ pp. 2619-20:

"James Wilson Sparks, son of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, wasborn on March 5, 1841, at Colfax, Indiana. He attended the Rush MedicalSchool in Chicago and became a practicing physician. He was married toMargaret Amanda Morgan on March 22, 1866, in Fulton County, Illinois. Shewas born on March 21, 1849, at Marietta, Illinois. James died on January3, 1921, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Margaret survived him by nearly twenty-five years, dying on February 5,1945, also in Indianapolis
where both were buried. They had three children."

[JS Note: A photograph of James Wilson Sparks appears on page 2620.)

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3726: He was married to Gladys Baldwin, and they had a daughter named Sue.

SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1984, No. 127; MATTHEW J. SPARKS (1759-
1841) & HIS DESCENDANTS; pg 2666:

"Jane Sparks, daughter of Matthew and Margaret (---) Sparks, was bornabout 1787 in North Carolina and was a grown woman when she went with herparents to St. Clair County, Illinois Territory, about 1810. It wasprobably there that she met and married William Steele about 1811. Hewas born on December 8, 1788, in Virginia and was a son of John andCatherine (Jarvis) Steele, natives of Virginia. In all likelihood,William and Jane lived in the portion of St. Clair County that became apart of Washington County in 1818 and Clinton County in 1824. Here theylived for the rest of their lives.

"In October 1840, William Steele went to Carroll County, Tennessee,and brought his father-in-law, Matthew Sparks (then 81 years of age) backto Clinton County to live with the Steele family. William certified twoyears later (on December 31, 1842) that he had taken this action. Thiswas in connection with the settlement of Matthew's estate and with thefinal payment of his military pension. Matthew Sparks died shortly aftermaking the trip from Tennessee to Illinois.

"When the 1850 census was taken of Clinton County, Illinois, Williamand Jane (Sparks) Steele were listed as Family 808. Living with themwere their four youngest children, Nancy, William, Nathan, and
Fielding. Jane died on June 17, 1852, and William died on February 22,1858. They were the parents of ten children, all of whom were born inClinton County, Illinois. (Here lists information about children)

END OF ARTICLE

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY p. 399:

"JANE SPARKS, daughter of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks, wasborn about 1819. She married Nathan W. Rogers in Wells County, Indiana,on April 20, 1839. She died July 3, 1850, and was buried on her father'sfarm in the spot which became the Sparks Cemetery as set aside inSolomon's will. As named in the will of Solomon Sparks, Nathan W. andJane (Sparks) Rogers had three children.
(1) James Culver Rogers.
(2) Philo Rogers.
(3) Leroy Rogers, born September 14, 1845.

.

!NOTES:
See SQ p. 3706 for mention of Jane.

!NOTES:
SQ 3084: "Jane Sparks, daughter of Abel and Sarah (Cochran) Sparks ,was born
on July 19, 1827, in Missouri. She was married to Hugh W. McReynold sand was
still living at the time of the settlement of her brother, Solomon's ,estate in
188O.
"The following brief sketch appears in a HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY, WISCONSIN,
published by the Western Historical Company, Chicago, 1881, page 925 :"H. W. Mc
Reynolds, dealer in general store; was born in Bond Co. Ill., in 1825 ;came to
Wisconsin when quite small with his parents, who are both dead; whe n old
enough, he worked in the mines; then went to Grant Co. in business; t hento
Rewey in October, 188O; he owns 16O acres of land in Sect. 31, finel yimproved;
his wife, Jane Sparks, was born in Wisconsin, in 1845, daughter of a n old
settler; they married in 1861, and have five children: Celiste, Ulyss es,Eva,
James, Syrina; a member of I.O.O.F. and A., F.& A.M." (Editors note : Wecannot
account for the date of birth of Jane Sparks and the date of her marriage given
in this sketch; these dates must be in error unless this is a differe ntJane
Sparks.)

On Jan 24 2002 I received an email from Jane Engbrock(jengbrock@@yahoo.com] advising me that her her grandfather, Deryl PerrySparks, died while her mother, Deryl Jean, was a small child. Hergrandmother, whose identity is unknown, abandoned Deryl Jean to the careof Deryl's grandmother, Effie Cranford Sparks, who raised her.

See SQ p. 2973:

"Jane Elizabeth [Jenny] Sparks, daughter of Solomon and Susan (Black)Sparks, was born on June 16, 1844, at Clear Ridge, Pennsylvania. Shemarried George Washington Amick on November 30, 1865. He was born onOctober 8, 1837, at Bedford, Pennsylvania and was a son of David andHanna (Robertson) Amick. Jenny Amick died on april 24, 1898, and Georgedied in November 1913. They were the parents of eleven children."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4459: They had two children; however, we have learned th ename of only one of them.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriage informationfrom Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822- 1865):
Gemima Sparks & John Green, March 2, 1865. (Book 3A, p. 30) His father,Thomas Green. Married by Enoch Green, Baptist minister.

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1995, Whole No. 170, p. 4481:

Jemima ("Mima"] Sparks, daughter of Daniel Sparks, was born about1845 in Johnson County, Kentucky. She was married to John Green on March2, 1865, in Lawrence County, Kentucky. He had been born on December 22,1836, in Lewis County, Virginia (now West Virginia) and was a son ofGiles and Catherine (Chandler) Green. (He may have been the John Greenwho served in Company 0, 14th Regiment Kentucky Infantry from 1861 to1865 during the Civil War.) John and Mima (Sparks) Green had six children.

Children of John and Mima (Sparks) Green:
a. William P. Green was born about 1866.
b. Mahala A. Green was born about 1868.
c. Cynthia S. Green was born about 1870.
d.. Eliza Ann Green was born about 1872.
e. Nancy E. Green was born in April 1875. She died on June 15, 1875
f. John M. Green was born in 1879.

SQ 795: "Jemima Summers Sparks, daughter of Jonas Sparks, Jr., and hiswife, Anna (Caton) Sparks, was born between 1797 and 18O5. On May 7,18O7 , her uncle David Sparks, was appointed her guardian. On February16, 1815, Samuel Jones was appointed guardian to take the place of DavidSparks, who was about to move to Tennessee. It was probably this JemimaSummers Sparks who married Daniel
Fults (or Felts) in 1816 (Rowan County marriage bond dated September 2,1816; James Orrell, bondsman; Thomas Hampton, witness."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4472: They had three children: Forrest Paul, Arthur Charles ,and Alice Jene Cook.

SQ 3798: Jeremiah Sparks, youngest child of William and Ann Sparks,was born ca.1772. By 1800, he had moved from Surry County to BurkeCounty, North Carolina. He was married ca.1801/1802 to ---- Bell. Theylived on Bear Creek,in that part of Burke County which became MitchellCounty in 1861. His name did not appear on the 1840 census; he hadprobably died by that