SQ p. 1552: CARTER COUNTY, KENTUCKY, MARRIAGE BONDS (1838-1910)

Copied by Paul E. Sparks

(Note: these are in addition to those recorded on pages 721-722 of theQUARTERLY for March 1963, Whole. No. 141.)

Joel W. Sparks and Dora Bear, February 9, 1903. (Book 10, page 191)His age 20; father, J. E. Sparks; mother, Elizabeth Boggs. Her age 18;mother, Rebecca Bear. Witness: Millard Sparks.

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SQ p. 3402:

"Joel Winfield Sparks, son of John Elliott and Lizzie (Boggs) Sparks,was born on August 6, 1882, in Elliott County. He married Dora Bear inCarter County on February 9, 1903. According to the marriage record,he was 20 years old, and his father was J. E. Sparks and his motherwas Elizabeth Boggs. Dora was 18 years old and her mother was RebeccaBear. The witness was Millard Sparks. Winfield (as he was called) diedon August 15, 1928. He and Dora had seven children."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Mar, 1971, Whole No. 73, pp. 1372-1381:

"JOHN SPARKS (died 1700) as person included in article entitled SPARKSFAMILIES IN KENT, TALBOT AND QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTIES, MARYLAND

"Our earliest record of John Sparks is a deed in Talbot County,Maryland (Book 7, p. 100) dated May 11, 1695, by which he acquired atract of land located on the north side of Chester River in what isnow Kent County, although either because of confusion or subsequentchanges in boundary lines, it was thought in 1695 to be in TalbotCounty (now Queen Anne's County). This tract, consisting of 100acres, was called "Buck Hill" (sometimes written "Buckshill") and JohnSparks acquired it in 1695 from John Salter in exchange for "all thoseLotts of land and all the houses upon the Same whereon the said JohnSparks now Dwelleth Scituate, lyeing in West Chester Towne in Chesterriver in Talbott Co." John sparks signed this deed by mark as "S£"(obviously intended as "SJ", the reverse of his initials, "JS". Hiswife, Elinore Sparks, also signed this deed by mark as "X". EliasRobinson and James Nicholson signed as witnesses.

"It is interesting to note that William Sparks, who died in 1709, alsosold to John Salter a lot which he owned in West Chester in 1691(Talbot Deed Book 7, p. 53). According to other records, there seemsto be little doubt that John Sparks and William Sparks were brothers.One wonders whether they may have inherited the lots in West Chester.

"We have found no other reference to "West Chester Town", although itseems probable that it was the western portion of the presentChestertown on the west side of the Chester River in what is now KentCounty. Chestertown was created officially in 1706 "in Chester Riveron a plantation of Mr. Joce's, between Mr. Wilmore's and EdwardWalvin's plantation," but it is probable that it existed unoffi-cially a few years earlier. (See Frederick Emory's Queen Anne'sCounty, Maryland, Baltimore, 1950, pp. 319-320.) John Salter was aleading citizen of the area. In 1707, he was appointed a vestryman ofSt. Paul's Parish, which included all of Queen Anne's County and aportion of Talbot. He was one of Queen Anne's County's firstrepresentatives to the Assembly and in 1715, with John Hawkins,recommended that a fine of 12 pounds be imposed upon anyone who shouldliberate a slave because such action caused other slaves to becomedissatisfied. He was a justice of the court in 1707 and was acommissioner from Queen Anne's County to purchase and lay out towns in1706.

"Our next record of John Sparks is his will dated September 2, 1699:(NOTE: This will also appears in the June, 1960, issue of theQuarterly, Whole No. 30, at page 490.)

WILL OF JOHN SPARKS OF QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND:

In the name of God amen I John Sparks being Sick and Weak in Body butof perfect Sence of mind and memory for the avoinding suits at Law orcontroversies that may happen after my Death do make and ordain anddeclare this to be my Last will and Testament herby Revoaking allwills formerly made as Vizt
1st - I bequeath my Soul into the hands of Almighty God my Saviourhopeing by his precious Blood to obtain Remission and forgiveness ofall my Sins - and my body to be Desently Buried at the Discretion ofmy Executrix hereafter named.
2ndly - I give to my Beloved wife Ellinor Sparks after my Just Debtspaid my whole & small (?) estate to her heirs or assignes.
3rdly - I give to my Sons John and George Sparks one hundred acres ofLand Called Bucks hill provided Either of them Comes to Enjoy it.
4thly - I do Constitute and appoint my wife Ellinor Sparks my wholeSole Executrix of this my Last will & Testmt
In wittness hereunto I have Sett my hand and affixed my Seale the 3day of September, 1699.
his
Jno SJ Sparks
Signd Seald and Delivrd & Declared mark
to be my Last Will & Testament in the presence of us
Jno. Salter
Thos T. Prestige
Elizab Robinson

"The will of John Sparks was copied for us by William Perry Johnson anumber of years ago from the recorded copy among the Queen Anne'sCounty records. It is apparent that this was recorded some yearsafter the death of John Sparks, because the following statementfollows the will itself: On the back of the aforegoing Will was thusWritten as follows:

Vizt Janry the 3d 1701 Couty Kent

"Then Came the within named John Salter, Thomas Prestidge, & ElizaRobinson Wittnesses to the Wthin Will and made oath upon the holyEvangelist that they Did See the within John Sparks Signe & Seale theWithin Will and Declare the Same to be his Last Will & Testamt.

"There also appears the statement that John Salter and James Smithwere appointed to make an inventory of the estate of John Sparks. Itis interesting to note that John Salter, with whom John Sparks hadtraded property in 1695, signed as a witness to his will and was alsoone of those appointed to take the inventory. Perhaps the "ElizaRobinson" who signed as witness was the wife of Elias Robinson who hadwitnessed the 1695 deed. Since the witnesses appeared in court totestify in the probate of the will on January 3, 1701, we may assumethat John Sparks died late in the year 1700. Several days or evenweeks usually passed between a person's death and the probating of hiswill.

"It should be noted that John Sparks named only two children in hiswill, sons named John and George, neither of whom was living inMaryland. To these sons he left his farm called "Buck Hill" provided"Either of them Comes to Enjoy it." A subsequent document revealsthat both of those sons were in England.

"Following the death of John Sparks, his farm called "Buck Hill" or"Buckshill" passed into the possession of a nephew of John Sparksnamed William Sparks, Jr. There can be little doubt that this WilliamSparks was actually the eldest son of William Sparks, Sr., who died in1709. William Sparks, Jr., was born about 1674 and was living in QueenAnne's County as late as 1730. On March 6, 1710, William Sparks, Jr.,and his wife Margaret sold "Buck Hill" to William Comegys of KentCounty (See Kent County Land Records JS #N, pp. 248-49). That thistract was indeed the same land mentioned by John Sparks in his will isproved by the statement in this deed of 1710 that he, William Sparks,Jr., promised that he would "for Ever defend the before grantedpremises to the said William Comegys his heirs & assigns for Everagainst the heirs & successors of John Sparks Deceased, Onckle (i.e.uncle) to the afore named William Sparks as alsoe any other person orpersons Claiming Right by heire Ship from the Said John SparksDeceased..."

"William Comegys, whose father Cornelius Comegys had brought hisfamily to Kent County from the Swedish colony on the Deleware in 1670,had good reason to require William Sparks, Jr. to agree to defend histitle to "Buck Hill," for he surely knew the provisions which JohnSparks had made in his will by which his sons could inherit theproperty. These sons, John and George Sparks back in England, didindeed still claim their right to their father's land, as is proved bya document dated October 23, 1716, written in England and recorded inKent County. (See Kent Co. Land Records BC #1, pp. 181-83.) It readsas follows:

John and George Sparks, 1717
TO ALL XPIAN PEOPLE to whom these presents shall come. John Sparks ofthe Burrough of Christchurch Twyneham in the County of Southson in theKingdom of England Butcher Eldest Son and heire and devisee of JohnSparks late of Chester River in Kent County in Maryland in Virginiadecs'd and George Sparks of the Burrough of Christchurch Twynehamaforesaid Glover one other of the Sons and devisees of the said JohnSparks deceased Send Greeting whereas the said John Sparks ...andGeorge Sparks are ... lawfully constituted to one hundred acres ofLand called Buckhill Lying in Chester River in Kent County ... andwhereas by reason of the remoteness of Said Land they ... are mindedare minded and intended to dispose of the Same Now know that (theyhave)... made constituted and appointed and in their (stead) ...theirtrue and trusty friend Hugh Arbuthnot of Weymouth in the County ofDorst in ye Kingdom of England Mariner their and either of their trueand lawful attorney ... and in their .. names act for them... to selland Dispose of to any person and persons whatsoever and for Suchconsideration and considerations as to him Shall Seem meet all andevery the Said Lands called Buckhill...and upon Such Sale.. to SignSeale and deed to deliver and also for them... to appear in ... everyproper court in Virginia afd and also to do all ... Lawfull Act ...forthe Strengthening corroborateing and confirming as well ...the Titleof the Said Land to Such Purchasors.... Signed John Sparks; GeorgeSparks.
Sealed and delivered in presence of John Lester, Esq Mayor of the Townand County of Pool in the Kingdom of England who in testimony of hathin the margin of these presence affixed the common Seale of the SaidTown and County. Signed John Lestor, Mayor

"Thus it was that John and George Sparks, residents of what is nowcalled the County of Hampshire, England, the sons of John Sparks whodied in 1700, attempted in 1716 to gain ownership of their father'sestate called "Buck Hill." They authorized their "true and trustyfriend, Hugh Arbuthnot", a sailor, to attempt to sell the land forthem. It is also interesting to note that one of the witnesses totheir drawing up this power of attorney in England was a man namedRobert Robertson, who five months later appeared before the court inKent County, Maryland, to swear that "he did See John Sparks andGeorge Sparks Signe and Seal" the document. (It should be kept inmind that under the Julian Calendar, used in England and ColonialAmerica until 1752, the new year began on March 25; thus when RobertRobertson appeared before the Hent County Court on March 19, it wasstill 1716 according to the Julian Calendar. However, other Europeancountries had long before adopted the Gregorian Calendar, with the newyear falling on January 1, and many Englishmen and Americansconsidered January 1 as New Year's Day long before 1752. Note thatthe clerk who recorded the above document on March 21, gave the yearas 1717 while two days before when Robertson appeared in cour hisstatement was dated March 19, 1716.)

"It is interesting to speculate regarding the connection of RobertRobertson with the Sparks family. He was in England when John andGeorge Sparks signed their power of attorney and he obviously carriedthe document from England to Maryland. It is known that a RobertRobertson was a warden of St. Paul's Parish, Kent County, in 1704.

"Although we have no further record of the attempt of John and GeorgeSparks to gain possession of and sell their father's farm, it can beassumed that their "lawful attorney", Hugh Arbuthnot, failed in hismission because their father, John Sparks, had made it a condition inhis will that one of his sons would actually have to come to Marylandin order to inherit "Buck Hill."

"The above document should prove an important link between this branchof the Sparks family of Maryland and their origin in England. Aprofessional genealogist, Mr. C. R. Humphrey-Smith, has done somepreliminary research for us. He reports that the Burrough ofChristchurch Twyneham, which John and George Sparks gave as theirresidence in 1716, is in fact Christchurch near Bournemouth inHampshire.

("Southson" is an abbreviation of Southamptonshire, now known asHampshire.) The mariner Hugn Arbuthnott, whose residence was given as"Weymouth in the County of Dorst," was a resident of the county ofDorset, where indeed the port of Weymouth is located. One wonders howArbuthnott became a "trusty friend" of John and George Sparks and oneis tempted to speculate that members of the Sparks family may havebeen sailors, although in 1716 John was a butcher and George was aglovemaker.

"Mr. Humphrey-Smith reports that there exist four volumes of parishregisters for Christchurch in Hampshire, but the volume covering theyears 1643 to 1681 is no longer extant. This is most unfortunatebecause this was the period during which William Sparks (who died in1709) and John Sparks (who died in 1700) were probably born. Mr.Humphrey-Smith has noted an entry in the register dated March 16,1686/87 records the death of William Sparkes, son of John Sparkes, bydrowning.

"Further research among the records of the county of Hampshire maywell reveal the origins of this branch of the Sparks family." END OFARTICLE.

See The SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1971, Whole No. 73, pg. 1389:

"Children of William and Mary Sparks:
...John Sparks, born about 1680. Prior to 1704 he married Cornelia---. He died April 19, 1737, and Cornelia died December 22, 1737 .They were the parents of ten children: William; George; John Jr. ;Millington; Absalom; Caleb; Sarah; Mary; Rachel; and Cornelia."

See The SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1974, Whole No. 88, page 1699:

HAVE WE FOUND THE PARENTS OF ELIJAH SPARKS OF EARLY INDIANA?

"The June 1973 issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY (Vol. XXI, No. 2, Who leNo. 82), pg 1556 was devoted to an article about Elijah Sparks ofearly Indiana. Part of the article was concerned with the lack ofknowledge as to the place of his birth and as to his parentage.Contemporaries had given conflicting testimony as to his place ofbirth , some saying that he was born in Queen Anne's County, Virginia(there was no such county in Virginia) while others stated that he hadbeen born in Frederick County, Virginia. None could tell who hisparents were. It now appears from data recently uncovered that ElijahSparks was born in Queen Anne's County, Maryland and that his parentswere Absolom and Elizabeth (Brown) Sparks.

"Absalom Sparks was born in the early part of the 1700's, probablyabout 1720, and was a son of John and Cornelia (---) Sparks of QueenAnne's County, Maryland, and a grandson of William and Mary Sparks whocame to Maryland about 1670, probably from County Hampshire, England.William Sparks died in 1709 in Queen Anne's County and left a will inwhich he named his children, including his son, John Sparks. (See theMarch 1971 issue of the SPARKS QUARTERLY, Vol. XIX, No . 1, Whole No.73, for a fuller account of William and Mary Sparks.]

"John Sparks, father of Absalom, was born about 1680, probably inTalbot County, Maryland. Prior to 1704, he married Cornelia ---. Hermaiden name was very probably Curtis for in 1704 she and her husband,John Sparks, acted as adminis- trators of the estate of Caleb Curtisin neighboring Kent County, Deleware. Caleb Curtis was very likelyher father or brother.

"Like his father, John Sparks was a parishoner of St. Luke's Churchlocated at Church Hill in Queen Anne's County, and it was there thatmany of the births and marriages of his family were recorded. "Byhis father's will, John Sparks inherited a tract of land which hisfather had purchased from John Hamer. John (Sparks's) father realizedthat the title to the land might prove to be faulty, so he providedfor an alternate inheritance if that proved to be the case.Undoubtedly, the title was not valid, for in March 1716, John Sparksand his brother, William Sparks, returned the land to Hamer. WilliamSparks rebought the land from Hamer at a later date.

"John Sparks was involved in three more land transactions prior to hisdeath. In 1715, he and his wife, Cornelia, were granted a tract of100 acres from Charles Carroll, agent for Charles Calvert, LordBaltimore, Proprietor of the Province of Maryland. The land was onhe south side of Southeast Branch of the Chester River about one-halfmi le above Syberry's Branch. (JS: See note under William, hisbrother) It was granted to John Sparks for his natural lifetime, orfor the natural lifetime of his wife, Cornelia, or for the naturallifetime of his son, John Sparks, Jr.

"The second transaction came in 1722 when John Sparks bought back 200acres of land which his brothers, George Sparks and Joseph Sparks, hadinherited from their father, but which they sold to Augustine Thompsonin 1719. The tracts were called "Sparks Choice" and "SparksEnclosure."

"The final land transaction was made in 1733 when John and CorneliaSparks sold a lot in Ogles Town for 565 pounds of tobacco. Ogles Townwas authorized by the Maryland Assembly in 1732 and was to be erectedon the south side of the Southeast Branch at its mouth. There is notrace of the village today. We have not learned how the lot becamethe property of John and Cornelia Sparks.

"John Sparks made his will in 1731 and after his death on April 19,1737, the will was entered into court for probate on May 24, 1737.Here is the full text:

THE LAST WILL OF JOHN SPARKS OF QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND

"In the name of God Amen. I, John Sparkes, of Queen Anne's County andProvince of Maryland, Planter, being sick and weak but of sound mindand perfect memory and not knowing how long it may please God to callme Doe make ordain & publish this to be my last Will & Testament.

"First and Principally I Bequeath my Soul to Almighty God my Creat or& merciful Redeemer and my Body to the Earth to be buried in aChristian like manner by my executors hereafter named and as for theWorldly Goods it had pleased God to bless me with I Devise Bequeathand Dispose of in manner & form following after my just debts are dulypaid.

"Item. I give and bequeath unto my five sons George, John,Millington, Absalom and Caleb my three tracts of land viz: one called"Sparkes Inclosure" containing 195 acres, "Sparkes Choice" containing100 acres & 100 acres lying in his Lordships Mannor in Queen Anne'sCounty on the southeast branch of Chester River the whole containing395 acres to be equally divided between them & their heirs and assignsforever.

"My will is that my loving wife Cornelia Sparkes have the use of mydwelling Plantation and Appurtenances thereto belonging to herWidowhood & no longer, as also the use of my Negro man Will during herlife and after her decease then my Will is that my said Negro Man be &remain to my son Caleb to him and his heirs and assigns forever.

"As for the remainder of my Personal estate I leave to be equallydivided one third to my loving wife Cornelia Sparkes and the other twothirds among my nine children viz: George, John, Millington, Absalom,Caleb, Sarah, Mary, Rachell & Cornelia to them their heirs & assignsforever.

"Item. I give and bequeath to my Granddaughter, Sarah Sparkes,daughter of my son William, deceased one featherbed two blankets & aRug to her her heirs & assigns forever.

"And Lastly I Doe consitutute Authorize and Appoint my loving wifeCornelia Sparkes my whole & sole executor of this my last Will &Testment to see this my Will performed and Doe hereby revoke annul andmake void all other Wills by me heretofor made & this only to bedeemed and taken for my last Will & Testament for witness whereof Ihave hereunto sett my seal this 28th day of Janry 1731. his
Signed Sealed Pronounced & Declared [signed] John J SSparkes
to be the last Will & Testament of mark
the said John Sparkes.
Jacob Kelley, Margt Kelley, Eliza Sparkes
(here follows deputy commissioners verification)

"Cornelia Sparks, widow of John, qualified as his executrix on May 28,1737, with George Elliott and John Merrideth as her bondsmen and herbond was fixed at 200 pounds. On June 3, 1737, she returned aninventory of the personal property of her deceased husband amountingto 158 pounds. The property had been appraised by John Earl and EdwardBrown. Two of John Sparks's sons, John, Jr., and Millington, werewitnesses to the inventory.

"Cornelia Sparks did not live long enough to complete the settlementof her husband's estate; she died on December 22, 1737. After herdeath (both her date of death and that of her husband were recorded inthe Register of St. Luke's Parish) her son, George Sparks, wasappointed Administrator de Bonis non to finish the settlement of theestates of both of his parents. He made a final accounting of theestate of his mother on December 14, 1739. After all debts weresatisfied, the estate of Cornelia Sparks amounted to 108 pounds.Representatives of Cornelia included eight of her children: GeorgeSparks, John Sparks, Millington Sparks, Absal om Sparks, Caleb Sparks,Sarah Herbert, Mary Ruth and Cornelia Alley."
END OF ARTICLE p. 1701.

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In SQ 3835-3847 is a feature article named "Millington Sparks (408)(ca1715-ca.1780) Son of John and Cornelia (Curtis) Sparks of QueenAnnes County, Maryland". Commencing on page 3835: "By the terms ofhis will, John Sparks's wife, Cornelia Sparks, was to become theexecutrix of his estate, and, following his death on April 9, 1737,she was deemed qualified for that task by the Queen Annes CountyCourt, on May 28 , 1737. A few days later, she presented to the Courtan inventory of her late husband's personal property. As recorded inInventory Boo k 22, pages 353-355, here is the inventory as presentedby Cornelia S parks. We believe that it provides an interestinginsight into the w ay of life at this time. (The three columns on theright reflect the value of each item in "Pounds", "Shillings", and"Pence.")
Queene Annes County. A Just True & perfect inventory of al l &singular the goods & Chattles Rights Debts & Credits of John Spar ksof sd Co decd appraised in Curnt [current] money by us whose hand s &seals are hereunto annexed the 3rd Day of June Anno Domi 1737.
£ S d
To his wearing apparel 2 10 0
To cash 4 8 6
To 1 Negro Man 30 0 0
To 1 best bed & bedstead & 1 Rugg 2 blankets 1 sheet 2 pillows 50 0
To 1 bed & bedstead & two blanketts & 1 rugg 4 00
To 1 bed & bolster & Trunnel bedstead 2 blankets & a rugg 315 0
To 1 old bed & old bed stead 2 0 0
To 1 bed & bedstead & two old blankts & 1 rugg 3 15 0
To 1 pair of andiron Doggs 0 12 0
To 1 fire shovel & one pair of tongs 0 5 0
To 1 oval Table & To 3 old chairs 0 17 0
To 1 pair of small stillards 6s and 1 small case with 10 bottles 0 16 0
To 1 old chest with lock & key 6s & 1 old chest 3 s 09 0
To 1 pewter Tankard 2s6 To 1 smaller Do (ditto) 1 s 0 40
To 1 small Trunk 2s6 To 1 smaller Do 1 s 0 3 6
To 44 1/2 lbs of Pewter at s 8 1 9 8
To 1 small looking glass 2s6 To 4 Doz of Candles at s 6 04 6
To 1 per Tinn candle Box s6 & 1 old brass mortar & pestle 2 s 0 2 6
To 2 Earthen Muggs & 3 Earthen dishes & 1 place 0 39
To 2 Earthen Dishes & 1 Barbers basan & 1 small earthen cup 03 2
To 1 small stone pott & 1 stone jugg 0 13
To 9 earthen milk pans s6 to 1 drinking glass s 3 00 9
To 1 pepper box to 9 wooden trenchers 0 2 9
To 1 brass skimmer s6 to 1 old pair sheep shears s 6 0 10
To 1 small Cow bell 1s To 7 bush of whest at 4 s 19 0
To 2 meal sifters 3 To 8 books at 10 0 13 0
To 1 stone jugg 2s6 To 2 small water jugs 1 s 0 36
To 1 old box iron & 2 heaters & 3 small earthen potts 1 36
To 1 old gun @ 10 To 1 cut saw @ 12 s 1 2 0
To a new falling ax and 3 old Do 0 12 0
To a parcel of Carpenters tools 0 6 0
To 1 pair of scissors @ 3 To 7 yards of Country flannel at 1s6 010 9
To 1 old razor @ 6 To 1 pair tow cards @ s 4 0 0 10
To 3 pecks of Salt 1s6 To 1 old curry comb @ 4 s 01 10
To 1 old Woolen Wheel 6s To 1 Linnen Wheel 10s 0 16 0
To 1 old linnen wheel 5s to pair wool cards @s 9 05 9
To 2 iron wedges 2s To 2 bridles 4s to 3 old bridles @ s 9 0 6 9
To 117 lb of pott iron @ 2 1/ 2 1 4 4 1/2
To 3 pair of pot hooks @ 1s per 0 3 0
To 1 flesh fork 6 To 1 iron pot rack 0 5 6
To 1 old Frying Pan @ 1s To 1 old mill stone @ 5s, To one
grindstone 0 9 0
To 1 mans saddle old 10s to 7 old dry tubs 7s 0 17 0
To 5 old Cyder Casks @ 12s To 1 old cutting knife s9 0 12 9
To 900 10 py nails @ 5s To 1 iron candlestick s 6 06 6
To 307 lbs of Bacon @ 4s l b 5 2 4
To 10 lbs of Beef @ 2s To 3 old weeding hoes @ s 1 0 48
To 2 old hilling hoes & 1 grubbing hoe 0 2 0
To 2 mares of seven years old 9 0 0
To 3 breeding sows @ 6 To 12 hoggs of 1 1/2 yr old @ 5s per31 8 0
To 11 shoats @ 2s per 1 2 0
To 4 cows & 4 yearlings @ L2/5 per 9 0 0
To 1 old cow & 1 calf 1 15 0
To 3 steers of 2 years old @ 15s per 2 5 0
To 1 heifer of 2 years old @ 18s To 1 large Bull L 1.1 0 28 0
To 19 sheep @ 6 per To 8 lambs at 3 per 6 18 0
To 17 Barrels of Indian Corn @ 8s1 1 7 1 8
To 21 Geese @ 1s per To 63 lbs of Wool unwashed 3 8 3
To 1 plow & plow tackling 16s to 9 lbs Flax 1 s 1 50
To 4 1/2 Raw hides 0 18 0
To 1 Silver Cup 0 3 8 1/2
To a small parcel of unbroke Flax 0 2 0
To 2869 lbs of Tobacco @ s2 23 18 2
To a parcel of old lumber 0 6 0
his ) Total 158 19 8
John I Sparks ) nearest
mark ) of John Earl
his ) kin Edward Brown
Millington X Sparks)
mark
Augst Thompson )
& ) Creditors
Solomon Clayton )

"August 24, 1737. Then came Cornelia Sparks Exr of the withinmentioned John Sparks, deceased and made oath on the Holy Evangeliststhat the within Inventory is a just & perfect one of all & singularthe Goods and Chattles which were of said decd that came to her handsat the time of making thereof that what hath since or shall hereaftercome to her hands or possession she will return an additionalinventory. That she knows of no concealment of any part or parcel ofsaid decd personal Estate by any person whatever and yt (that) if sheshall discover any concealment or suspect any to be she will aqqaintthe Commy General for the time being or his Deputy with such discoveryor Cause of suspicion that it may be enquired into and that she willwell & truly give an acct of all & every part of sd deceaseds personalestate that shall hereafter come to her hands possession or knowledge.

Sworn to before me James Earle Dty Commery, Queen Anns County.
[Editor's note: Under the law in Colonial Maryland, an inventory ofthe personal property of a deceased person had be be signed not onl yby the men (usually two) who conducted the inventory (in this instance John Earl and Edward Brown), but by two individuals who could bedescribed as "kin" (the spelling was usually "kinn') seems to havevaried from place to place and time to time. Relatives who were not,themselves, heirs of the deceased were sometimes preferred, whereas onother occasions, adult children who had actualy been willed propertysigned the inventory as "nearest of kin." In this instance, it willbe noted, two sons of John Sparks signed the inventory, John [ Jr.]and Millington. Both signed by mark, and the Deputy Commissary ,James Earle, who was doubtless the one who wrote their names, spelledMillington as "Millenton."

"Readers are reminded that, until quite recently when Great Britainintroduced the metric system into its currency, a pound consisted oftwenty shillings and a shilling comprised 12 pence. Where separateamounts were designated for multiple items in a single entry in theinventory of John Sparks, the word shilling was appreviated to s;where the value of the "small looking glass," for example, appears a s"2s6," this meant two shillings and six pence.

For reasons of space limitation, the notes of John Sparks arecontinued under his wife's name.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1974, Whole No. 84, p. 1702:

"John Sparks, Jr., was probably born between 1705 and 1710. Hemarried Sarah Tippins (?) about 1730 and they had about ten children.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1988, No. 142, p. 3230:

"John Sparks. Son of John Sparks. Born ca. 1705. Married SarahTippins probably ca. 1730. Names of children: Joseph, Levi, John,Mary, Sarah, Absalom, Ann, Mordecai."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Dec. 1990, No. 152, p. 3686:

"...(referring to the article on p. 3230 [above cited]...unfortunatelythe name of one of their children was omitted. He was Abner Sparks ,born ca. 1739... According to MARYLAND MARRIAGES 1634-1777, Compiledby Robert Barnes, Baltimore, 1987, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.p. 168, an Abner Sparks was married as follows:

"Sparks, Abner, 24 Aug. 1758, Mary Ann Bolton" cited at 1 QA-64 . Thecite refers to the Records of St. Luke's Church, p. 64, Queene AnnesCounty, MD copied in 1904/5 at the Maryland Historical Society.Abner, son of John Sparks Jr. and Sara Tippins would have been about19 years of age in 1758. In that same book we find the followingmarriages which may have involved the above-named children:
Reed, David, 20 Feb. 1750, Ann Sparks 1QA-57
Sparks, John, Jr., 1 Jan. 1756, Catherine Hayse 1QA-60
Wilkinson, William, 6 April 1758, Mary Sparks 1QA-63
Thompson, Thomas, 9 Aug. 1759, Sarah Sparks 1QA-65

SQ pg 3847:
"John Sparks, son of Millington and Mabel (Ruth) Sparks, was bor nabout 1750. The only record we have found of him is the tax assessment list for 1783 for Queen Annes County on which he was identifiedas "of Millington."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1956, Whole No. 12, p. 94:

"SPARKSES IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION by William Perry Johnson
(Editors note: In the following documents, capitalization andpunctuation have been modernized for the sake of clarity, but nochanges have been made in spelling or content. The file number givento the application papers of John Sparks in The National Archives isS-7580.)

REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION OF JOHN SPARKS

"State of North Carolina) SS.
County of Wilkes

"On this 30th day of October 1832 personally appeared in open Courtbefore the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions of the County of Wilkes &State of North Carolina, now setting, John Sparkes Esquire, a residentof the County of Wilkes & State of North Carolina., aged seventy-nineyears, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath,make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of theAct of Congress passed June 7th 1832.

"That he was born on the 25th day of February 1753 in the County ofRowan in the State of North Carolina, where he lived until he removedwith his father to what is now Wilkes (then Surry) County, N.C., aboutthe year 1772. He resided in Wilkes until the commencement of theRevolution, and about the year 1775 or 1776 he volunteered himselfand entered the service of the United States in Captain Jesse Walton'scompany of minute men who had volunteered for two years.

"Soon after the company was organized, they were called upon to goagainst the Scotch & Tories who were said to be committing greatdepredations in the country around Cros's Creek or Fayetteville. Atthe time the company marched, this Deponent happened to be from home,but as soon as he returned, and being informed that they had gone, hetook his horse & pursued with all speed, but did not overtake them;having heard that the Tories were suppressed and the troops on theirreturn, he immediately turned about & returned home. Soon after thishe was ordered out by Captain Walton., to take command of a scoutingparty & scour the country around through Surry & Wilkes & to suppressthe Tories or to bring in such as was supposed to be disaffected. Inthese little expeditions, he supposes he was in service two or threeweeks.

"After remaining at home some months, orders were received from Col.Martin Armstrong to repair and rendezvous at the head of the Yadkin,preparatory to marching against the Cherokee Indians. They didrendezvous at or near the head of Yadkin, and there remained untilthey built Fort Defiance where Genl. Wm. Lenoir now lives, duringwhich time this Deponent had the command of the company, Capt. Waltonhaving been appointed a Major.

"About the time the Fort was completed, orders were received fromMajor Walton for the company to return home and prepare for anexpedition against the Cherokee Indians. This Deponent and thecompany under his command did return home having been gone about amonth, and prepared with all possible dispatch to go against theIndians, and in a few days marched to headquarters at the PleasantGardens where they joined Genl.Rutherford, at which time the company,under the command of this Deponent, was attached to the company underthe command of Capt. Benj. Cleveland, and the entire commandtransferred to Capt. Cleveland.

"After organizing at headquarters, they marched immediately to theCherokee Towns of Watauga, Cowee, Oconoluftee, Hiwassee Tuckaseegie &Big Chota, with some others not recollected. This deponent wasdetailed while in the Nation, with others, to act as a spy, and on oneoccasion their party fell in with a small body of Indians on theHiwassee, with whom they had an engagement in which they killed ten &took three prisoners, without losing any men on their side.

"After this little skirmish they returned to the main army with theirprisoners and delivered them up to Genl. Rutherford. The main bodyof Indians having fled and abandoned the country, it was thoughtunnecessary to pursue them, and after burning their houses, destroyingtheir corn, and committing such other depredation upon them as theycould, they returned to North Carolina, where they were discharged andreturned home, having been gone about three months.

"Soon after the return of this Deponent, he was again called out andserved in various short expeditions against the Tories, but theparticular periods of each cannot now be recollected. About the timeLord Cornwallis was approaching North Carolina from the South, thisDeponent was again called upon and marched, under the command of Colo.Benjamin Herndon, in pursuit of Lord Cornwallis as he was on his marchfrom Cowans Ford on the Catawba to Guilford, and occasionally annoyedand kept in check his out-posts and foraging parties, one of whom theycaptured amounting to twenty or thirty men and detailed them prisonersuntil they were sent off to Virginia.

"This deponent and the troops with whom he was associated, pursuedtheir march until they reached Genl. Green's army at the high rock onHaw River, where they remained several days after which Genl. Greendischarged them, and they returned home, having been gone in thisexpedition at least one month. In a few days after their return home,this Deponent was again called out with others to march in pursuit ofLord Cornwallis who had retreated to Wilmington. They marchedimmediately and rendezvoused under Genl. Rutherford some distance onthis side of Fayetteville.

"After organizing, Genl. Rutherford detached near four hundredmounted men, of whom this Deponent was one, and placed them under thecommand of Colo. Smith & Major Graham, and ordered them to proceeddown on the south side of Deep & Cape Fear Rivers until they reachedWilmington while he (Genl. Rutherford), with the balance of thetroops, crossed the river and proceeded down on the north side.Previous to their arrival at Wilmington, they heard that Cornwallishad left the place, but that he had left a portion of the Britishtroops to keep possession of the town. Before, however, they reachedthe town, a small detachment was sent ahead to reconnoitre andascertain the situation of the place. When they returned, it wasascertained that most of the troops were on the northern side of theriver but that a small body had been left on the south to act as apiquet guard, upon whom Col. Smith marched and surprised andsucceeded in killing and taking every man without surprizing the camp.

"In a day or two, Genl. Rutherford arrived on the north side of theriver, about which time the news of the surrender of Lord Cornwalliswas received, upon which the British troops immediately evacuated thetown and made their escape down the river in the night. The small poxhaving been left in Wilmington by the British, it was deemed unsafefor the troops to enter the place, and a discretion was given to thetroops to return home or remain with Genl. Rutherford.

"Many did return home, of whom this Deponent was one, having been gonein this expedition nearly three months, (& having volunteered forthree months would have remained that length of time, but for thesmallpox breaking out as before Mentioned.) The capture of LordCornwallis being considered the closing scene of the war, thisDeponent was not again called upon to perform any other service. Hehas no documentary evidence to prove his services, nor never receiveda written discharge that he has any recollection of. He refers toCaptain Samuel Johnson as a witness who can testify to part of hisservices. And he also refersto Captain Samuel Johnson & ReubenSparkes as persons to whom he is well acquainted in his neighborhood,and who.can testify as to his character for veracity, and their beliefof his services. This Deponent has no record of his age, but theinformation herein given on that subject was derived from his mothermany years ago, and he believes it to be correct. He herebyrelinquishes every claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except thepresent, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of theagency of any state.

Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.

signed: John Sparks
signed R. Martin, Clk.
On the day and year aforesaid., personally appeared in open Courtbefore the Court aforesaid. Capt. Saml. Johnson, who being firstduly sworn according to law, deposeth & saith that he served with JohnSparkes, Esqr., the above Applicant, during the three months tourperformed under Genl. Rutherford to the Cherokee Nation, and furtherthat the said three months tour as set forth & specified in theforegoing declaration as having been performed by the said JohnSparks, Esqr., was performed by him.
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.

signed: R. Martin Clk.signed: Saml Johnson

We, Saml. Johnson & Reuben Sparkes., residents of the County of Wilkes& State of North Carolina, do hereby certify that we are wellacquainted with John Sparkes, Esqr., who has subscribed & sworn to theabove declaration--that we believe him to be seventy-nine years ofage--that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where heresides to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and that we concurin that opinion.
signed: Saml Johnson signed: Reuben Sparks

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after theinvestigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatoriesprescribed by the War Department that the above applicant was aRevolutionary soldier and served as he states. And the Court furthercertifies that it appears to them, that Capt. Saml. Johnson andReuben Sparkes who have signed the preceding certificate are residentsof the County of Wilkes and are credible persons, and that theirstatement is entitled to credit.

signed: Jno Walsh Ck Ct

Amended Declaration
State of North Carolina)
Wilkes County ) Personally appeared before me, theundersigned., a Justice of the Peace in and for the County aforesaid,John Sparkes, Esqr., who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith that byreason of old age, and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swearpositively as to the precise length of his service, but according tothe best of his recollection he served not less than the periodsmentioned below, and in the following grades: For 'Eight Months andtwenty-one days" I served as a Private, and for such service I claim apension. This deponent further saith by way of amendment to theforegoing declaration, that there is no clergyman residing in hisneighborhood nor any within a reasonable distance whose testimony hecould procure in favour of his veracity and their belief of hisservices as a soldier of the Revolution.

Sworn to & subscribed this 23d day of May 1833 before me, M. H.Wheatley, J.P.

signed: John Sparks

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1956, Whole No. 12, pp 97-104:

THE GENEALOGY OF JOHN SPARKS,REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSIONER OF WILKESCOUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA ByWilliam Perry Johnson:

"As John Sparks stated in his pension application, he was born on the25th of February 1753, near Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina,and removed with his father to what is now Wilkes (then Burry) County,North Carolina, about the year 1772. John Sparks did not identify hisfather in his application, but other records prove that his name wasSolomon Sparks. Surry County was formed from Rowan County in 1770,and the Surry tax lists for 1771 and 1772 have been preserved. On the1771 tax list, Solomon Sparks is listed, with 3 polls, and WilliamSparks, with 1 poll. In 1772 only Solomon Sparks is listed., with 3polls. The 1774 Surry tax list enumerated four Sparks families;William Sparks, with 1 poll; Will Sparks and son Matthew., 2 polls;James Sparks, 1 poll; and Solomon Sparks, with sons Joseph and John, 3polls. These four families were undoubtedly closely related, but thisaccount will be limited to the family of John Sparks, son of Solomon.(The Matthew Sparks who is listed in the 1774 tax list with hisfather, Will Sparks, was the great-great-grandfather of ourVice-President., Oral A. Sparks.)

"Solomon Sparks lived in Maryland before settling in North Carolinaand was very probably the son of Joseph Sparks who died intestate inFrederick County, Maryland, in 1749. (Note that Solomon named hiseldest son Joseph, probably for his father. Note also that theSolomon Sparks whose pension application was reproduced in the March,1955, issue of the QULRTERLY was born in Frederick County, Maryland.,in 1758.)

"On the 20th of March 1750, Solomon Sparks patented 93 acres inFrederick County, Maryland,, and gave his land the descriptive name ofCold Friday. This land was located on Beaver Dam Branch., a tributaryof Linganore Creek. On the 20th of June 1753, Solomon Sparks and wife" Sarah, sold these 93 acres for 34 Pounds, to Mathew Howard. Solomonis designated in this deed as a "farmer". If Solomon Sparks and wifeSarah were living in Frederick County, Maryland., as late as June 20,1753, as this deed would indicate, then their son John, born Feb. 25,1753, was born in Frederick County, Maryland, rather than in RowanCounty, North Carolina, and was carried to North Carolina as a babe inarms. Although we cannot be sure of the exact date, it is reasonablycertain that Solomon Sparks removed with his family sometime in 1753to near Salisbury, Rowan Co., N.C. (Rowan County was formed April 12.,1753, from Anson County.)

"The following description of Salisbury is found in a letter writtenon November 24, 1755,, by Governor Arthur Dobbs: "The Yadkin here(Trading Ford) is a large beautiful river where is a ferry. It isnear 300 yards over, it was at this time fordable scarce coming to thehorses bellies. At 6 miles distance I arrived at Salisbury the Countytown of Rowan., the town is but just laid out., the Court House builtand 7 or 8 log Houses erected." (The Colonial Records of NorthCarolina, Vol. 5, page 355.) The 1950 population of Salisbury was20.,102.

"The Sparkses settled in the Forks of the Yadkin, less than ten milesnorth of Salisbury, in what is now Davie Co, N.C. Solomon Sparksobtained a land grant in 1761, for 250 acres in Rowan County, on thewest side of the Yadkin River, opposite the mouth of Muddy Creek. In1762 he obtained a grant for 290 acres on the south side of the YadkinRiver, which adjoined his other land. In 1763 Solomon sold 130 and3/4 acres to Jonas Sparks, and 159 and 1/4 acres to ValentineVanhouser. According to the statement -.made by John Sparks in hispension application, Solomon Sparks and his family removed from RowanCounty to "what is now Wilkes (then Surry), N.C. about the year1772.11 In 1787, as residents of Surry Co., N.C., Solomon andSarahSparks sold 160 acres in Rowan County to Zephemiah Harris, and in1.788 they sold 170 (?) acres in Rowan County to Jonas Sparks.Solomon and Sarah Sparks disappear from North Carolina records after1788. Solomon does not appear on the 1790 census, and there is nowill, no intestate record, and no record of Solomon and Sarah Sparksbuying or selling land in Surry or Wilkes Counties, although when theSurry--Wilkes County Line was surveyed in 1778 it mentioned theplantation of Solomon Sparks. A full copy of this interestingdocument is given below:

"Wilkes Co., N.C., Court Minutes, 1778 - "A Return of the Proceedingsof the Commissioners who were appointed to Run the Deviding linebetween the County of Surry and Wilkes - (To Wit) Beginning on RowanCounty 'Line about half a mile below Daniel Rashes at a White OakStanding in the head of a Branch of Hunting Creek thence NorthCrossing the mulberry Field Road about half a Mile below Ha.mlin's OldStore House thence through Solomon Sparke's Plantation leaving thesaid Sparks House in Surry County thence Crossing the Brusheymountains at the head of the north fork of Swan Creek thence Crossingthe Yadkin River a little below Capt Parkes and through the Lower endof Carrols Plantation on the north side of sd River, then crossing theBig Elkin at the long sholes thence Crossing the south fork ofMitchels River about half a mile above Riggs's Road, thence CrossingMitchels River a little bellow John Scott's Crossing the Top of thePiney Knob to the main Ridge of the Mountains about Two miles west ofFisher Peak thence to the Virginia line. The above line being Runexactly Twenty Six miles west of Surry Courthouse agreeable to Act ofAssembly.'

"Thus, Solomon Sparks lived just south of the village of Swan Creek inthe western part of Surry (now Yadkin) County., North Carolina., withland in Wilkes as well as in Surry. Around 1800 the Sparkses andtheir connections awned land for several miles along the Surry (nowYadkin)-Wilkes County line, and there are still many descendants inthat area today.

"It is believed that Solomon and Sarah Sparks were both deceased by1800, or possibly by 1790. Since neither of them left a will, and nofamily Bible or other record has been located, it has been difficultto ascertain the names of the children of this couple. However, apower of attorney recorded in Wilkes County, N.C., Court Minutes, onTuesday, August 4, 1801, gives what we feel certain is a listing of atleast eight of the children of Solomon and Sarah Sparks. Thisinstrument reads as follows.- "A Letter of Attorney from John Sparks,Reuben Sparks, Solomon Sparks, Mary Jacks, Hannah Denny, SusannahJohnson, and Joseph Sparks to Abel Sparks, dated 31st July 1801, wasproven by Thomas Benge." (Susannah (Sparks) Johnson and her husband,Charles Johnson., are the great-great-great-great-grand- parents ofWilliam Perry Johnson " author of this sketch. We know that JohnSparks was born in 1753 and that Abel Sparks was born in 1767, soassuming that the eight persons named in the above power of attorneywere listed in their order of birth, which is quite possible, we wouldhave: (1) John., born 1753; (2) Reuben, born about 1755; (3) Solomon.,Jr., born about 1757; (4) Mary, born about 1759; (5) Harmah., bornabout 1761; (6) Susannah, born about 1763, married Charles Johnson inWilkes Co., N.C., in 1784; (7) Joseph, born about 1764; and (8)Abel.19 born 1767. There may have been other children of Solomon andSarah Sparks who were living far removed from this area in 1801, orothers may have been deceased. It is known that the eight named inthe power of attorney were all living in Surry (now Yadkin) and WilkesCounties, N.C., at that time. Of course, since then, branches of thefamily have scattered from coast to coast.

"John Sparks, son of Solomon and Sarah, lived in Surry County, NorthCarolina,, from the time he removed there with his father about 1771,until 1786. By 1782 John Sparks had purchased 200 acres of land inSurry, on Brushy Mountain, and was taxed with 200 acres and 1 poll, 2horses (or mules) and 6 cattle. In 1784 he was taxed with 200 acresand 1 poll; same for 1785 and 1786. He does not appear on the SurryCounty tax lists for 1787, 1788 or 1789, and he is given on the 1790census of Wilkes County, rather than Surry. There is no record inSurry of John Sparks purchasing or selling his 200 acres. (In thoseunsettled times, many, many deeds failed to get taken to the countyseat for recording.) On 17 May 1780, John Sparks entered 200 acres ofland in Wilkes County, which was issued to him 22 Sept. 1785. (LandGrant Office, Raleigh, N.C.., Book 59, page 253.) The 1790 census ofWilkes Co. lists John Sparks with a total of eight persons in hisfamily, apparently himself. his wife, four sons aged under 16, and 2daughters. (The other John Sparks on the 1790 census of Wilkes Co. isthought to be the John Sparks who married in Wilkes in 1781 MaryParmely; however, it,is possible that John, son of Solomon, was listedtwice, which happened occasionally. There was no John Sparks given onthe 1790 census of Surry County.)

"John Sparks had married in Surry County about 1777 Sarah Shores adaughter of Reuben and Susannah Shores of Surry (now Yadkin) County.Reuben Shores owned large tracts of land where Jonesville, N.C., nowstands. Sarah is named as Sarah Sparks in the will of her mother,Susannah Shores, probated in 1806 in Surry County, N.C. (SusannahShores willed her "household and kitchen furniture" to her youngestdaughter, "Nancy Rousau". The other children listed in her will., towhom she left "one shilling Sterling each," were named as follows:"William Shores John Shores, Elizabeth Westmoreland, Sarah Sparks,Reuben Shores, Simeon Shores, Rebecca Mosley, David Shores, RhodaPhilips, Abiram Shores and Levi Shores.")

"Soon after removing to Wilkes County, John Sparks became active inthe civil affairs of Trap Hill, the community where he had settled,about twenty miles north-east of Wilkesboro. He became a justice ofthe peace and performed marriages, listed taxes, and so on. On the1800 tax list of Wilkes County, he is listed as John Sparks, Esquire,with 260 acres and 1 poll. (The title of Esquire was bestowed only onthose of some standing in the community.) John Sparks was an activemember of the Old Roaring River Baptist Church in Wilkes County,having joined on January 12,, 1789 "by experience and baptism."According to the Church records, on April 10, 1790, "the church setapart Brother John Sparks to walk before the church until next meetingas deacon," and on August 12., 1790, he "set forward to do work ofdeacon." In 1790 and 1791, he was "delegate to association," and onJune 11., 1791, his wife, "Sister Sarah Sparks, was baptised. Likemost other church members of the time, John Sparks was occasionallycalled to account for failing to live up to the strict Baptist rules.For instance, in August,, 1791, he was found guilty of gameing" butwas pardoned. In 1794 he was accused of drunkenness, a charge whichJohn Sparks denied and later "gave church satisfaction."

"John Sparks was listed on the 1840 census of Wilkes County as aRevolutionary War pensioner,and at that time he was living in the homeof his son, Reuben Sparks. According to census records, John's wife,Sarah (Shores) Sparks, died sometime between 1830 and 1840. The dateof death for John Sparks is not given on the Agency Books inWashington, D.C., but the last payment of his pension was made 3rdQuarter (Sept.) 1840, so it is apparent that he died sometime betweenthen and March 1841, when the next payment fell due. His age at thetime of his death was either 87 or 88. After his death, his heirs didnot claim his pension, which amounted to $29 per year. His pensionapplication in the National Archives is the one and only applicationfrom a John Sparks who served in the Revolution from North Carolina.

"John Sparks, son of Solomon, is sometimes confused with another JohnSparks who served in the Revolutionary War from South Carolina. Thissecond John was born in 1755 (supposedly in North Carolina), and iiedin 1834 in Washington County,, Georgia. There is no record in theNational Archives of his ever having applied for a pension, yet anumber of his descendants have joined the D.A.R. through the pensionapplication of John Sparks of Wilkes County, N.C. (An article on thegenealogy of this John Sparks of South Carolina and Georgia is plannedfor a future issue of the QUARTERLY. (Note: see the issue forSeptember 1964., Vol. XII, No. 3, Whole No . 47, pp. 835-39. )

"Like his father, John Sparks of Wilkes County left no will, and hisfamily Bible cannot be located. All of his children and grandchildrenare gone, and there are but two or three of his great-grandchildrenliving. His grave, near Trap Hill, North Carolina, is marked with aRevolutionary Soldier marker, but it does not give his date of deathnor any other data that we do not already have. We have endeavored tocompile a list of the children of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks, fromliving descendants, census, court, church, and other extant records.We are fairly certain of eight children, but there may have been atotal of ten or twelve.

"The following record has been worked out by our President, Paul E.Sparks:
John Sparks, son of Solomon and Sarah Sparks born 25 Feb. 1753, inRowan County, North Carolina died 1840-41, in Wilkes County, NorthCarolina, married about 1777, in Surry County, North Carolina, toSarahShores, daughter of Reuben and Susannah Shores born about 1757 (?)place not known, died between 1830 and 1840 in Wilkes County, NorthCarolina. (Here, commencing on p. 100 are the descendants of John andSarah (Shores) Sparks.)

See more at SQ p 2269 and, concerning his status as a revolutionarysoldier, p. 4965.

Descendants of John Sparks

Generation No. 1

1. JOHN5 SPARKS (SOLOMON4, JOSEPH3, WILLIAM2, THOMAS1) was bornFebruary 25, 1753 in Rowan County, North Carolina, and died 1840 inWilkes County, North Carolina. He married SARAH SHORES Abt. 1777,daughter of REUBEN SHORES and SUSANNAH UNKNOWN. She was born Abt.1757 in North Carolina, and died October 21, 1855 in Lawrence County,Kentucky.

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

The following information was received in an email from Wanda DayDonald, a descendant of John Sparks, in January 2000. Also includedwith the following note was a great deal of information relating tothe current descendants of John Sparks. While it seems well founded,no proofs were provided.

Notes for JOHN SPARKS:
John Sparks, of North Carolina, was the progenitor of a large branchof the family, members of whom migrated to and settled in EasternKentucky circa 1820. He was a Revolutionary War soldier; and on the30th day of October, 1832, he personally appeared in the Court ofPleas and Quarter Sessions of Wilkes County, North Carolina, and fileda declaration for a pension based on such service wherein he declared,among other things, that he was a resident of Wilkes County, NorthCarolina, formerly Surry County; that he enlisted in Wilkes County in1775 or 1776 in Captain Jesse Walton's Company of Minute Men; that hehad volunteered for two years' service in the Revolution; that underorders of Captain Walton, he took command of a scouting party andscoured the country around Wilkes and Surry Counties, supressing theTories or bringing in such as were supposed to be disaffected; that inthis expedition he served two or three weeks; that after remaining athome some months he was ordered by Colonel Martin Armstrong torendezvous at the head of the Yadkin River to prepare to march againstthe Cherokee Indians; that they rendzvoused at the head of the Yadkinuntil they built Fort Defiance during which time he was in command ofCaptain Walton's company, that officer having been appointed a major;that orders were received for the company to return home and preparefor an expedition against the Cherokees; that he and his companyreported at Headquarters at Pleasant Gardens where they joined GeneralRutherford and that the company he was attached to was attached to thecommand of Captain Benjamin Cleaveland; that after organizing atHeadquarters, the entire command marched to the Cherokee towns ofWatauga, Cowee, Hiwasee, Big Chota, etc., during which expedition hewas detached as a spy while in the Indian nation; that afterdestroying crops the army returned home and he was discharged afterabout three months service; that subsequently he was called out andserved in various short expeditions against the Tories; that whenCornwallis invaded North Carolina from the South, he was again calledout and joined the command under Colonel Benjamin Herndon in pursuitof Cornwallis, as he was on his march from Cowan's Ford on the Catawbato Guilford, which pursuit continued until they reached GeneralGreene's army at High Rock on the Haw River where General Greenedischarged them; and they returned home, having been gone at least onemonth. John and Sarah had twelve children.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1966, No. 53, pp 960-68::

"JOHN SPARKS (SON OF MATTHEW & SARAH [THOMPSON] SPARKS) BORN 1755,DIED 1831"

"John Sparks, son of Matthew and Sarah Sparks, was born in 1755 anddied in February 1831. (These dates are found on his tombstone in theSparks Family Cemetary several miles west of Russellville, FranklinCounty , Alabama]. He was a child of about four or five years whenhis parents moved from Maryland to Rowan County, North Carolina.

"The earliest official document which we have found containing JohnSparks's name is the 1775 tax list of Surry County, North Carolina .His father had moved from Rowan County to an area called New River inSurry County, North Carolina, shortly before the tax list for 1775 wasdrawn up. This area was included in Benjamin Cleveland's District fortax purposes, and opposite the name of "Matthew Sparks, Sr. " on this1775 list are given three "taxable polls": the father himself, and histwo eldest sons, "John Sparks" and "Matthew Sparks, Jr."

"In 1777, a new county called Wilkes was created from a portion ofSurry County and the District of Washington. The area in whichMatthew Sparks's family had settled, called New River, was nowincluded in the new Wilkes County. (In 1799, Wilkes County wasdivided and this section was included in the new Ashe County. It isstill a part of Ashe County today and is near the present site of thetown of Jefferson.)

"John Sparks had just come of age when the American Revolution began.Thus far, we have found no official document to prove that he served[JS:see below] , but in the application for a pension made by hisbrother, William Sparks , there is a reference to such service.William Sparks, who was six years younger than John, swore onSeptember 14, 1846, that about 1778 he, William Sparks,"was organizedinto a company of mounted minute men under Andrew Baker, as Captain,and my Brother John Sparks as Lieutenant." (See the March andJune1954, issues of the QUARTERLY for a transcription of WilliamSparks' s pension application.

"Our next record of John Sparks is his marriage bond recorded inWilkes County, North Carolina, and dated August 14, 1781. Hisbondsman was James Bunyard and the girl whom his bond authorized himto marry was Mary Parmely. They were probably married a day or twoafter the bond was issue. Mary Parmely, who was often called by hernickname, "Mollie", was a daughter of Giles Parmely. According to theinscription on her tombstone, she was born in 1763. Her father, GilesParmely, was born July 1, 1731, in Killingsworth, Middlesex County,Connecticut, but he was living in Essex County, New Jersey, when Marywas born. He was in Wilkes County, North Carolina, as early as 1777.

"The 1782 tax list of Wilkes County survives and, while John Sparksowned no land in 1782 according to this record, he was taxed on twohorses and five cattle. He was probably working for his father atthis time. Matthew Sparks, Sr., was taxed in the same district thatyear on 650 acres.

"In 1786 the state of North Carolina ordered that a census be taken ofall inhabitants. Fortunately, Wilkes County was one of the eighteencounties which complied (in 1787) and the family of John Sparks waslisted near that of his father-in-law Giles Parmely. Living with JohnSparks were " 3 males aged under 21 and over 60, and 2 females ofevery age." In all probability, these three males were hischildren--the reason for the census taker giving them in this agecategory was that males between 21 and 60 were required to pay thepoll tax. One of the females would have been Mollie, John' s wife,while the other was probably a daughter. Living in the same districtwas John's brother, William Sparks, who had married by 1787. Therewas also another John Sparks, who was a son of Solomon Sparks. It isbelieved that these two John Sparkses were first cousins. [Note byJames Sparks: If this other John (359) was the son of Solomon Sparks(356) who lived in the Forks of the Yadkin, the two Johns wereactually 2nd cousins, once removed.)

"Matthew Sparks, Sr., and most of his family moved from Wilkes County,North Carolina, to what is now Clarke County, Georgia, in the early1780's. Only John and William were still in North Carolina in 1786,and by 1790, William also had left to join his father. John Sparkswas listed on the 1790 census of Wilkes County; besides himself hishousehould in 1790 consisted of 4 males under 16 years and a total of3 females (one of whom was his wife). His [second] cousin [onceremoved], the other John Sparks, had exactly the same size family.(For a record of this other John Sparks, who was born in 1753, see theQUARTERLY for December, 1955, Whole No. 4, pp 94-106 .)

"By the fall of 1791, John Sparks and his family had followed hisfather and brothers to Georgia. It was in Georgia that John's son,Enoch Sparks, was born in September, 1791. By 1794, however, John hadmoved to the Greenville District, South Carolina (later calledGreenville County), where on February 17, 1794, he purchased from JohnStiles of Oglethorpe County , Georgia, two tracts of land, one of 380acres and the other of 240 acres, on "Beaverdam Creek, a branch ofTygar River." (Deed Book C , pp. 432-33.) He paid a total of 210pounds for this land.

"John Sparks probably moved to South Carolina with his brother,Matthew Sparks, Jr., (Matthew and his wife, Margaret, witnessed thedeeds by which John purchased his land in Greenville District.) Inhis pension application, Matthew Sparks, Jr., stated that after hisfather was killed in Georgia in1793 [by Indians], he "removed toGreenville District in the State of South Carolina, where he residedseven or eight years..." (See the QUARTERLY of December, 1956, WholeNo. 4, p. 179.) About the year 1800, Matthew Sparks,Jr., moved fromSouth Carolina to Jackson County, Georgia, bu t John Sparks remainedin South Carolina.

"A number of deeds for land purchased and sold by John Sparks are onrecord in Greenville District (now County), South Carolina, the lastbeing dated 1828. He was listed on the census records of the countyfrom 1800 through 1830; in 1830 he was listed as "John Sparks, Esqr."aged between 70 and 80.

"Shortly after the 1830 census was taken, John Sparks and his wife ,Mary (or Mollie), moved from South Carolina to Franklin County,Alabama, to live with their son, William Sparks, who had gone toFranklin County in 1820. Shortly after moving to Alabama, John Sparksdied, in February, 1831 . His wife lived until September, 1853. Bothare buried in the Sparks Family Cemetary, located several miles westof Russellville. One tombstone marks their graves; on one side theinscription reads "John Sparks, Sr. Born A.D. 1755, Died Feb. 1831;"on the other side the inscription reads "Mollie, wife of John Sparks,Sr. Born A.D. 1763, Died Sep. 1853." (See p. 962 for photos of thistombstone.)

"According to a record of the family of John and Mary (or Mollie )Sparks, prepared by their great-grandson, Christopher C. Sparks(1846-1923) , they were the parents of the following children: (1)William, (2) Robert , (3) Samuel, (4) Enoch, (5) Rebecca, and (6)Elizabeth. The fact that John was called Sr. on his tombstone mayindicate he had a son named John, but this may have been todistinguish him from his grandson, John Sparks, who was born in 1811and died in 1847."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY of December 1997, Whole No. 180, p 4965 forthat part of an article entitled SPARKSES WHO SERVED IN THE AMERICANREVOLUTION which states:

John Sparks (ca. 1755-1831) [spouse] Mary Parmely [service] Pvt.Capt. Andrew Baker's Co of Minute Men Surry County, NC. Source: Sonsof the Amer. Rev. Dau. of the Amer. Rev. SQ p 537 and 960.

**********

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 2001, Whole No. 196, pp 5605-5630,at p. 5607:

"John Sparks, eldest child of Matthew and Sarah Sparks, was born in1755 and died in February 1831, according to the dates on hisgravestone still standing in the Sparks Cemetery a few miles west ofRussellville, Franklin County, Alabama. The Wilkes County, NorthCarolina, marriage bond for him to be wed to Mary Parmely (1763-1853)was dated August 14, 1781. Often callled "Mollie," Mary Parmely was adaughter of Giles Parmely . A record of the lives of John and Mary(Parmely) Sparks, with the identification of their six children,appeared in the QUARTERLY of March 1966, Whole No. 53, pp.960-968. Inthat article of 1966, we speculated that John had been born inMaryland before his parents moved to North Carolina. Based on laterresearch, we now believe that his father, Matthew Sparks , had movedto North Carolina in 1754. While we cannot be certain whether Matthewand Sarah were married in Maryland or North Carolina, there can belittle doubt that John was born in what was then Rowan County, NorthCarolina. John Sparks, son of Matthew and Sarah Sparks, should not beconfused with the John Sparks (1753-1840), son of Solomon and Sarah,about whom we published an article in the QUARTERLY of December 1955,Whole No. 12."

SQ p 721, marriage records of Bourbon County, KY, see book I, page 23for John Sparks and Caty Waddel (sic).

SQ p. 5128:

"John Sparks, born ca. 1770, died 1814. He was married to CatherineWaddel in 1792. Information regarding him and his family can be foundin the QUARTERLY of September 1972, Whole No. 79, p. 1498; andDecember 1980, Whole No. 112, p. 2262." (A list of the childrenfollows on page 5129.)

- - - - - - - - - - - -

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY of September 1972, Whole No. 79, p. 1498:

NOTES ON DESCENDANTS OF JOHN AND KATHARINE (WADDELL) SPARKS

OF BOURBON AND NICHOLAS COUNTIES, KENTUCKY

By Russell E. Bidlack

A former member of the Association whom we believe is now deceased,Mrs. Edna Briggs, once reported that about 1943 she visited a Mrs.Clara Sparks, widow of John J. Sparks. Mrs. Sparks had been born onOctober 7, 1855; she was 88 years old at the time Mrs. Briggsinterviewed her. Her maiden name had been Clara Bramlett. She statedthat her husband?s father had been John Franklin Sparks (sometimescalled Franklin), The father of John Franklin Sparks was Jonas Sparks,who had a brother named William Sparks.

According to Clara Sparks, the brothers Jonas and William Sparks hadsettled in Nicholas County, Kentucky, having come there from Virginia,but originally they were from North Carolina. The two brothers ownedland together, and she remembered that the families had had troubledividing the land in Bourbon and Nicholas Counties.

There can be no doubt that these two brothers about whom Clara Sparksspoke were the WILLIAM SPARKS, born July 30, 1793, who marriedCatherine Knox, and JONAS SPARKS, born about 1799, who marriedElizabeth Knox, both of Nicholas County, Kentucky.

Actually, Jonas and William Sparks were born in Kentucky, not Virginiaas Clara Sparks believed. Their father, JOHN SPARKS, who was probablyborn about 1770 was married in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1792(marriage bond dated August 22, 1792). He married Katherine Waddell,who, according to Dr. J. S. Gallaway's Memories of Old Times in Paris,Kentucky, published in 1939, was a daughter of James Waddell. Hernickname was Katy (sometimes spelled Caty). John Sparks died inBourbon County, Kentucky, in 1814 or 1815. His wife, Katharine (orKaty), died in 1843 in Nicholas County. (The Margaret Waddell, aged83, born in Maryland, who was living with William Sparks (son of John)when the 1850 census was taken may have been the mother of Katharineand thus the grandmother of William Sparks.) John Sparks's will, datedAugust 13, 1814, in Bourbon County, left his property to his wife"Caty." Because he owned land in adjoining Nicholas County as well asBourbon County, there are deeds pertaining to his estate in NicholasCounty in which his children are named. There are also deeds thatindicate he owned land in Fleming County, Kentucky. On August 16,1808, for example, he purchased for 180 pounds a tract of 104 acres onFleming Creek in Fleming County (Book B, p. 376) from James Hendersonof Clermont County, Ohio; John Sparks was described in this deed as"of Bourbon County." He sold this tract to William Wishard on July22, 1811 (Book D, p. 411) for $800.

John Sparks was probably closely related to other Sparkses who settledin Bourbon County, Kentucky, in the late 1780's. These were:

William Sparks, Sr., paid taxes in Bourbon County as early as 1787.William Sparks, Jr., paid taxes in Bourbon County as early as 1787.
George Sparks, paid taxes in Bourbon County as early as 1787.
Joseph Sparks, paid taxes in Bourbon County as early as 1795.
Michael Sparks, paid taxes in Bourbon County as early as 1795.

John Sparks's will was dated August 13, 1814, and was probated inFebruary 1815, thus proving that he died sometime between those twodates.

On August 8, 1825, William Sparks of Nicholas County (Book G, p. 90)"did swear out a writ of tiere facie against the estate of JohnSparks, decd." This was apparently a legal step by which the landbelonging to John Sparks in Nicholas County could be advertised andsold, which was done, and William Sparks purchased said land. In thisdocument of August 8, 1825, the heirs of John Sparks were identifiedas follows:

Katharine Sparks, widow; Michael Stokes, late Michael Sparks; widowand relict of Benjamin Stokes, deceased; Mary Ann Stokes, CatharineStokes, and Harriet Stokes, heirs of the said Benjamin Stokes,deceased; Isaac Baker and Martha his wife, late Martha Sparks; JonasSparks; Susan Sparks; and Katharine Sparks, Jr. (The name Katharinewas sometimes spelled Catherine in these records.)

Katharine Sparks, widow of John Sparks, lived in Nicholas Countyfollowing her husband's death. On January 6, 1843, she made her willwhich was probated in the August 1843 court, proving that she diedbetween January and August, 1843. She described herself in the will as"aged and infirm". She divided her 36-acre farm between her daughterElizabeth and a granddaughter, Honor Sparks. She left her "bed andbedding" to a grandson named Thomas Baker.

From probate records, deeds, census records, and other documents inBourbon and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky, we know that John andKatharine (Waddell) Sparks had the following children: (See theirsheets.]

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1996, Whole No. 173, pp. 4603-4610:

JOHN SPARKS (Born ca. 1775 - Died prior to 1810)
OF SURRY AND BURKE COUNTIES, NORTH CAROLINA

The initial portion of the article pertains to the parents of JohnSparks, William Sparks, (son of William Sample Sparks) and Ann Sparksand is set forth in the notes for William (521). We pick up thearticle on page 4604:

"John Sparks, whom we believe was the was the oldest son of WilliamSparks, Jr., was probably married to Elizabeth ??? shortly before hisfather moved to Burke County. Although he would later follow hisfather there, he was still in Surry County when the census of 1800 wastaken. John's household was enumerated in 1800 as consisting of onemale (himself) aged between 26 and 45; one female (doubtless his wifeElizabeth, whose maiden surname we have not discovered) aged between16 and 26; and two boys under ten years of age.

"(A United States Census has been taken every ten years since 1790,each one providing for a more detailed enumeration of each householduntil 1850. In 1850 and thereafter, each member of each household hasbeen named, along with his/her age and place of birth.)

"We believe that John Sparks followed his father to Burke County,North Carolina, soon after 1800. Two Sparks households were shown onthe 1800 census of Burke County. One was headed by William Sparks,Jr. and the other by his brother, Jeremiah Sparks.

"Before many years passed following John Sparks's move to BurkeCounty, he died as a relatively young man, leaving Elizabeth a widowwith four young sons. She was listed as head of her household inBurke county when the 1810 census was taken. Her name appeared as"Eliza Sparks," Eliza probably being intended by the census taker asan abbreviation for Elizabeth. She was enumerated as aged between 16and 26, and her four boys were all shown as under ten. From otherrecords that will be noted further in this sketch, it would appearthat she had been born between 1775 and 1785 -- she could neither readnor write, and she likely became uncertain of her exact age in lateryears. The only record indicating her place of birth was the 1850census, which gave the state as Virginia.

"Genealogical research in Burke County, North Carolina, is extermelydifficult because in 1865 most of the county's records were burned.The exact cause of this distruction is unclear -- it happened afterthe Union Army forces had left Morganton, the county's seat ofjustice. (Burke County had been created in 1774 from a portion ofRowan County; Surry County had been created out of Rowan County in1770.)

" While Burke County's land and probate records prior to 1865 havebeen lost, (although some residents arranged to have their deedsre-recorded), some of the county's court records did survive. Fromthese, we learn that when the county court met in April 1812, it wasordered that 14-year-old William Sparks, who was described as an"orphan of John Sparks," be bound (i.e. apprenticed) to a man namedJesse Hall. (This was a common practice by which orphans could learn atrade.) At an earlier sitting of the court, in January, 1812, it hadbeen ordered that Absalom Sparks, who was identified as an orphan aged12 years, be bound to Crispin D. Gibbs. Absolom's father was notidentified in this January 1812 court entry, but there can be littledoubt that he was a brother of William Sparks, and like William, alsoan orphan son of John Sparks. Malone Sparks, born about 1802, anotherof the children of John and Elizabeth Sparks, appears, because of hisyouth when his father died, to have remained with his mother. We havefound no clue regarding the name of the apparent fourth son of Johnand Elizabeth Sparks.

"According to her own sworn statement made in 1853, which will benoted in more detail later, we know that Elizabeth Sparks, widow ofJohn Sparks, was married in Burke County, North Carolina, on October17, 1814, to George Hodge, a widower who had been born in 1761.....Thename of George Hodge's first wife has not been discovered, but fromthe 1790 census record it would appear probable that there had beendaughters by George Hodge's first wife, as well as [a] son. It seemsquite certain that two of these daughters latter were married to twoof the sons of John and Elizabeth Sparks. Among the early marriagerecords preserved for Burke county are the following:
May 2, 1819. William Sparks and Rachel Hodge. Witness: B. S.Gaither.
July 19, 1823. Absalem Sparks and Esther Hodge. Witness: Wm.Stallcups."

(The article continues with a discussion of the death of Mr. Hodge andpension applications.)

"When the 1850 census was taken, Elizabeth Hodge was shown as head ofher household in Burke County (Vol. 2, p. 730). Her age was given as73, which would place her birth in or about 1777; she was shown ashaving been born in Virginia.....

"Living very near Elizabeth, listed just one farm above her householdon the 1840 census, was that of her son William Sparks, age 57. Itwill be recalled that he had been apprenticed at age 14 in1812 toJesse Hall, and that he had been married to Rachel Hodge in 1819. Onthis 1850 census, Rachel was shown as 56 years old. Living withWilliam and Rachel Sparks in 1850 were John Sparks (aged 19) andMargaret Sparks (aged 16) who were doubtless their son and daughter.It is quite possible that the Jesse Sparks (age 23) living in thehousehold of George Hodge, Jr. as has been noted, was another son ofWilliam and Rachel. There is also the possibility that he was a sonof Absolom Sparks, brother of William.

"The household shown on this 1850 census immediately before that ofWilliam Sparks (also on page 730) was that of George Sparks, age 31,with his wife, nancy, age 32. Living with them were children namedSusannah Sparks (10), Joseph Sparks (5), and Emily Sparks (3). JamesSparks, age 24, and Erwin Sparks, age 20, both shown as miners, werealso living in the household of George and Nancy Sparks. We believethat James and Erwin were brothers of George, and that all three weresons of William and Rachel....

"William Sparks was still living in Burke County when the 1860 censuswas taken, where his age was shown as 63... His wife, Rachel (Hodge)Sparks, was shown on the mortality schedule that year -- she had diedbetween June 1, 1859, and June 1, 1860, at the age of 68. This wouldplace her year of birth at about 1792."

See SQ 2567.

John Sparks, probable son of Nathan Sparks, Jr., was probably bornabout 1780. Nathan Sparks, Sr. (father of Nathan Sparks, Jr.)mentioned "my grandson, John Sparks" in his will dated September 15,1787.

SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole Number 35, pg. 582:

SPARKSES IN THE WAR OF 1812 , BOUNTY LAND AND PENSION APPLICATIONS,

"JOHN SPARKS, born June 26, 1784, probably in North Carolina; he grewup and married in Georgia; died Oct. 18, 1836, at Tallassee, Alabama.Widow SARAH (BROOKS) SPARKS, born Oct. 16, 1788, died in the 1860's inTexas. Bounty Land Warrant File 44 943-80-55.

"On March 15, 1854, Sarah Sparks of Titus County, Texas, madeapplication for bounty land. She stated that she was 65 years of ageand that she was the widow of John Sparks who had been a volunteer inthe Georgia Militia in a company commanded by a Capt. Varner; that hevolunteered at Fort Hawkins, was mustered into service in 1813 for 6months and was honorably discharged on or about March 1, 1814, "whichdischarge has been lost from her said Sarah's possession." Shefurther stated that her husband, John Sparks, was also a volunteer inthe Alabama Militia in the Creek and Seminole Indian War of 1836 in acompany commanded by John H. Broadnax for 3 months. "Said Sarahfurther states that she was married to said John Sparks in JacksonCounty, Georgia, on the 29 th day of March A.D. 1806 by one WilliamSpencer, Justice of the Peace, and that her said husband, John Sparks,died at Tallassee Alabama on the 18th day of October AD 1836, and thatshe is still a widow." She signed her name as "Sarah Sparks" and J.A. McLauren signed as justice of the peace.

"Attached to the application of Sarah Sparks is the followingstatement by her son, Nathan F. Sparks: "Personally appeared before meF . N. Sparks & after being Sworn according to law declares that hisfather John Sparks was mustered into Service at Tallassee in 1836 forthree months & twenty-six days under Capt. John Broadnax & continuedin actual service for near that time & and was honorably discharged atthe said Tallassee. (signed) N. F. Sparks. Sworn to & Subscribedbefore me March 15th 1854 (signed) J. A. McLauren, J.P."

"In order to prove that she was the widow of John Sparks, Sarah Sparkssubmitted an affidavit signed before a justice of the peace by JamesBrooks and Paschal Brooks of Chambers County, Alabama, who swore,"that they were acquainted with John Sparks and Sarah Sparks and thatthey were present when the said John Sparks and Sarah Sparks weremarried and that said marriage took place in Jackson County and Stateof Georgia." Both parties signed their names to this document on Nov.8, 1854, before Nathan Y. Hunter, and acting justice of the peace.

"On Jan. 3, 1855, William Sparks and Francis M. Sparks, sons of Johnand Sarah (Brooks) Sparks, of Titus County, Texas, deposed that JohnSparks had volunteered for service against the Creek Indians on orabout May 1, 1836, and was mustered into service at Tallassee inTalapoosy (i.e. Tallapoosa) County, Ala., in the company of Capt. JohnH. Broadnax and that he was honorably discharged at Tallassee after 3months and 26 days; and "that they were eye witnesses to that theyhave above stated" and that each of them had already received 40 acresof bounty land for his service. They signed this document as "WmSparks" and "Francis M. Sparks"; James Cowna was the justice of thepeace before whom they swore.

"Sarah Sparks was granted 80 acres of bounty land under the act ofSeptember 28, 1850. On Feb. 19, 1856, Sarah Sparks applied foradditional bounty land under the Act of 1855. She made herapplication before R. J. Holbrook, a notary public of Titus Co.,Texas, but in her application she stated that she was a resident ofStephens County. hestated that she was 67 years old and that beforeher marriage to John Sparks her name had been Sarah Brooks. She gaveessentially the same information as she had in her earlierapplication. She signed her name as "Sarah Sparks"; the witnesseswere William Sparks and Campbell English.

"The Pension Office asked for proof of her marriage to John Sparks andon Dec. 9, 1856, Sarah Sparks wrote from Lone Star, Titus County,Texas, that she had submitted proof of her marriage with her firstapplication. Francis M. Sparks and James B. Sparks of Titus County,Texas, added a statement to her letter, stating that Sarah Sparks wasthe widow of John Sparks and that "she lived with John Sparks as hiswife and raised a large family of children." They signed their namesas "F. M. Sparks" and "James B. Sparks"; although they did not statetheir relationship to Sarah Sparks, they were actually her sons. R.J. Holbrook signed as notary public. Sarah Sparks was issued awarrant for 80 additional acres of bounty land under the Act of 1855."

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1984, Whole No. 127, p. 2646 foran article about Matthew and Sarah's grandson, John, son of Matthewand Margaret (-----) Sparks:

"MATTHEW J. SPARKS, SON OF MATTHEW AND SARAH (THOMPSON) SPARKS
AND HIS DESCENDANTS"

"John Sparks, son of Matthew and Margaret (---) Sparks, was born onJune 26, 1784, according to a Bible record kept by a descendant. Hewas only 52 years of age when he died on October 18, 1836, but duringhis short life span, he had served as a soldier in two wars; he hadlived in at least five states or territories; and he and his wife,Sarah, had reared eleven children.

"John Sparks was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, in thatportion which became Ashe County in 1799; he was a small child whenhis father moved his family to Georgia. He was about ten years oldwhen his parents moved to nearby South Carolina to escape the dread ofIndian depredations, and he was a grown man when they returned toGeorgia in 1802. There , in Jackson County, John married Sarah Brookson March 20, 1806, and it was there that their first child was bornthe following year.

"Sarah Brooks (sometimes called "Sally"), wife of John Sparks, wasborn in 1788, either on October 16th or November 16th. Her parentswereJames and Elizabeth (Traylor) Brooks who had been married in 1782in Caswell County, North Carolina. Shortly after their marriage,James and Elizabeth Brooks had moved to Georgia where Sarah was born.James Brooks is believed to have served in the Georgia Militia duringthe Revolutionary War.

"Shortly after the birth of their first child, John and Sarah joinedhis father in the Illinois Territory where their second child (also ason) was born in 1809. By 1811, however, John and his family were ontheir way back to Georgia and a third child (another son) was born tothem in the spring in 1811 in Tennessee. In 1813, John was listedbeside his father-in-law on the Putnam County, Georgia, tax roll.

"When John Sparks left the Illinois Territory about 1810, it may havebeen the last time that he ever saw his father. Years later, MatthewSparks stated in his Revolutionary War pension application that hisson (presumedly John) had taken the family Bible with him back toGeorgia, and it could very well have been a gift made in the fullexpectation of never seeing each other again. Their separate travels(fairly well recorded) never indicate another meeting.

"After John and Sarah returned to Georgia, John volunteered hisservices during the War of 1812. According to the bounty land claimfiled in the 1850's by his widow, he had enlisted in 1813 at FortHawkins in the Georgia Militia in a company commanded by Capt. Varnerfor a term of six months; he was discharged on or about March 1, 1814. (See pages 581-82 for an abstract of his bounty claim which is copiedbelow.)

"Following his discharge from the Georgia Militia in the spring of1814, John Sparks bought a tract of land from William Hunnicut inNovember of that year. The land, consisting of 101 1/4 acres, waslocated in the 4th District of Jasper County, Georgia. The deed waswitnessed by Thomas Honeycut and Benjamin King. Apparently John andSarah moved to the newly-acquired land shortly thereafter, for whenthe 1820 census was taken, he was the head of a household in JasperCounty.

"John Sparks was listed on the 1820 census as "Senior" which is a bitmystifying since he had no son
designated as "Junior." In all probability, however, this designationwas used to distinguish him from
another John Sparks, also listed on the 1820 census, who was indeed"junior" in age to the above John
Sparks. The second John Sparks was undoubtedly a son of John Sparks(1755 -1831), brother of
Matthew Sparks and thus an uncle of John Sparks, our subject. (See theMarch 1966 issue of the
QUARTERLY, Whole No. 53, for further details of the family of JohnSparks (1755 -1831). At the time
that article was written, we were not sure that John Sparks (1755-1831) had a son named John, but we
now have ample evidence that this was the case.

"John Sparks (1784-1836) was the head of a household in Monroe County,Georgia, when the 1830 census was taken; he had probably moved acrossthe Ocmulgee River after Monroe County was formed in 1821 from Indianlands. By 1836, however, he had moved to Tallapoosa County, Alabama.That year he and his son, Francis Marion Sparks, were listed on theTallapoosa County Tax roll, and the same year he (and each of is foursons) enlisted in the Tallasee Guards of the Alabama Militia formilitary service in the Creek and Seminole Indian War. He servedalmost four months under Capt. John H. Broadnax, but, shortly afterhis discharge, he died on October 18, 1836. Neither the cause of hisdeath nor his burial place are known.

"Sarah Sparks continued to live in the area after her husband's death.She was listed near her younger brother, James Brooks, Jr., when the1840 census was taken of Chambers County, Alabama. With her werethree of her daughters. By 1850, she had moved, along with her sonWilliam, to Texas where they were both listed on the 1850 census ofTitus County. She was listed as 61 years of age and the head ofHousehold No. 445. With her were her youngest daughters, Martha, aged20, and Sarah, aged 17. Living in the next household (No. 446) washer son, William Sparks, and his family.

"As indicated above, Sarah Sparks applied for bounty land in 1854based on her husband's military service and was awarded 80 acres. Sheapplied for additional land in 1856 and received another 40 acres.When the 1860 census was taken of Titus County, she was living in thehousehold of her son-in-law, James Denny, husband of her daughter,Sarah (Sparks) Denny. She died in 1865, but the exact date is notknown. On a family record, the date is written as ---1st, 1865.Descendants
believe she was buried in a "lost" cemetary about one mile north ofpresent day Cypress Cemetary in Franklin County, Texas.

"The family record referred to in the preceding paragraph belonged toa granddaughter of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks, Mrs. Tinsy Paralee(Sparks) McClain. It was copied by a lead pencil and is now in thepossession of a granddaughter of Mrs. McClain, Mrs. Eva NelsonHalberstadt of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here is the family recordin its entirety:

John Sparks, My Grand Father, was born June 26th, 1784.
Sarah Brooks, my Grand Mother, was born November 16, 1788.
Mathew Sparks, My Great Grand Father, was born Jan. 20, 1759.
John Sparks and Sarah Brooks were Married March 27, 1806.
William Sparks was Born Jan. 24th 1807.
James Brooks Sparks was Born January 31, 1809.
Nathan Fowler Sparks was Born May 16th 1811.
Elizabeth Traylor Sparks was Born March 5th 1813.
Idris Sparks was Born Decmeber 7th 1815.
Francis Marion Sparks was Born February 4th 1818.
Alfred Sparks was Born October 23rd 1819. Died August 6th 1820
Milly B. Sparks was born June 18th 1821.
Miriam Beale Sparks was born February 10th 1824.
Martha Naomi Sparks was born June 11th 1826.
Sarah Jane Sparks was born January 4th 1830.
DEATHS
John Sparks, My Grand Father, died October 18th 1836.
Sally Sparks, My Grand Mother, died ---1st 1865.

"As shown above, John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks had eleven children,five sons and six daughters. (There follows commencing on pg. 2648 arecord of these children).

END OF ARTICLE.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1988, Whole No. 141, pp. 3177-3206:

DESCENDANTS OF REUBEN AND CASSIE (BUTTERY) SPARKS:

"John Sparks, son of Reuben and Cassie (Buttery) Sparks, was bornabout 1784, probably in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He marriedElizabeth Rose, probably about 1806 in Wilkes County. She was bornabout 1788 in North Carolina and was probably a daughter of Emanueland Mary Rose. John and Elizabeth were listed on the 1810 and 1820censuses of Wilkes County , but by 1820 they had moved to that part ofAshe County, North Carolina, which was cut off to form AlleghanyCounty in 1859. They were listed on the 1830 and 1850 censuses ofAshe County and the 1860 census of Alleghaney County . On the lattercensus, John's age was given as 77 and Elizabeth's as 74.

"Elizabeth (Rose) Smith joined the old Roaring River Baptist Church onthe second Saturday of January, 1829, and she was dismissed on theforth Saturday of November 1849 to help form a new church at Woodruff,North Carolina. She died about 1865; John died sometime between thespring and fall of 1868. His health was failing and he made his willon May 13, 1868 . It was probated at the fall term of the AlleghanyCounty Court. All of his children were named in the will. Here is thefull text of the will:

"May the 13th, Eighteen Hundred Sixty Eight. This day in bad health
but sound reason, calling to mind the mortality of my body and the
short time of life, I do make this my last will and testament a sfollows,
that is to say:
First of all, I give to my son, Emanuel Sparkes, my bed and bedclothing
clothing for his part of my estate.
Next, to my daughter, Nancy Bogues, fifteen dollars out of the debtfor
two cows that she bought at the sale for her part of my estate.
Next, I give to my daughter, Cassy Brooks, a note that I hold against
Hardin Brooks of thirteen dollars and interest for ten year s and the
against Hardin Brooks for property that he bought at the sale for
his [sic] part of my estate.
Next, I give to my son, Daniel Sparkes children twenty five dollars in
money fo their part of my estate.
Next, I give to my son, William Sparks, one dollar for his part of my
estate.
Next, I give to my son, Solomon Sparks, one dollar for his part of my
estate.
Next, I give to my daughter, Sarah Hall, one dollar for her part of my
estate.
Next, to my daughter, Polly Hollaway, children, one dollar each for
their part of my estate.
Next, to my son, R. J. Sparks, the balance of my property and accounts
for taking care of me my lifetime for his part of my estate, and make
his [sic] son, R. J. Sparks, executor to his [sic] last will andtestament.

Signed, sealed, day and date above written.
his
JOHN X SPARKS (seal)
Attest: mark
John C. Roberts
Wm. Woodruff

State of North Carolina, Alleghany County, Fall Term, 1868, SuperiorCourt
of Law:
The within will of John Sparks, Decd., is duly proven in open court by
the oath of Wm. Woodruff, one of the subscribing witnesses there toand
ordered to be recorded, whereupon, R. J. Sparks, the executorappointed
comes into court and takes the oath of executor as the law directs.
Witness: Wm. A. J. Foulkes, O.S.C."

See SQ p. 2647 mentioning the existance of this John Sparks.

SQ p. 4051:

"John Sparks was born on February 7, 1793, and died on July 19, 1819,at Natchez, Mississippi. He may have gone there on a business trip.The following notice of his death appeared in the Mississippi StateGazette of August 7, 1819: "Died. John Sparks, 30 years of age, ofbilious fever." According to the records of Judge Sparks, describedearlier, John Sparks had not been married."

John Sparks, the youngest child of Matthew and Eunice Sparks, was bornin or about 1800. We believe
that he was the male shown as under 10 years of age in his parents'household on the 1810 census of
Surry County, North Carolina.

When Matthew Sparks made a deed of gift to each of his five sons onMarch 26, 1819, "in consideration
of the natural love and affection that a parent hath to ward a child,"he gave a 50-acre tract to his son,
John. Comprising the north east corner of his plantation, with itswest side adjoining the 60-acre tract Mat
thew gave to Joel Sparks as well as a portion of the land Matthew"loaned" to his wife, John's mother,
during her lifetime. Its southern boundary was also with his mother'sland, while on the east was the
Hunting Creek, i.e., the "main" Hunting Creek, not the North Branch ofHunting Creek. John's brother,
William D. Sparks, signed this deed as a witness, writing his namesimply as "William Sparks." Thomas
Wright, Sheriff of Surry County, who drew up all five of the deeds forhis old friend, Matthew Sparks, also
signed as a witness. It is indicative of John's youth at the timethat, while his brothers took turns witnessing
each others deeds, John did not do so. It was his brother William whoappeared before the Surry County
Court to swear that he had been a witness to this deed, after which itwas duly recorded in Surry County
Deed Book 0, p.398.

No record of a marriage bond has been found for John Sparks in SurryCounty, but we believe that
he was married by the time the 1820 census was taken. He could havebeen married in another
county, but it is more probable that he and his wife were wed throughthe posting of banns for three
weeks prior to the ceremony in Surry County. It would appear that Johnwas married at a rather
young age.

When the 1820 census was taken in Surry County, John Sparks was shownas heading a
household. His name appeared on the same page as did his mother andhis four brothers. His own
age was given as between 16 and 26, i.e., he had been born between1794 and 1804; a female in
his household, who was doubtless his wife, was shown in the same agecategory. There was also
one child, a girl, under the age of 10. She was surely an infant.

Despite the fact that John Sparks was given 50 acres of land in 1819,he was not shown on the
1820 tax list, probably because he had not reached his 21st birthday.(The age at which one was
taxed as a poll in North Carolina had been changed from 16 to 21 in1784.) John's name does
appear on the 1821 and 1822 tax lists in the same district as hismother and brothers, but in neither
instance was he taxed for land--only as a poll. We have found norecord of his selling the 50 acres
given to him by his father, however. This matter remains a mystery.

There is a bill of sale recorded in Surry County Deed Book S,pp.403-04, that may help to explain
our lack of information regarding John Sparks. Dated August 26, 1825,it reveals that John sold the
inheritance that he anticipated receiving with the death of hismother, Eunice Sparks. Only with her
death could the land and other possessions of his father, MatthewSparks, be sold and the proceeds
divided in accordance with Matthew's will of 1819. A portion of thisbill of sale reads:

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
-5391-

Know all men that I John Sparks of the County of Surry . for and inconsideration of two hundred dollars in
hand paid have bargained and sold and conveyed to Ingram Agill of theCounty of Iredell.. all the right, title,
claim [and] interest which I have in the Estate my Father, MatthewSparks, died possessed of, and my
share of five Negroes of which also my Father died possessed of &their Increase to wit, a Negro man
called Stephen & a Negro Woman called Cate and also Ginny and twoNegro Children called Ransom
and Winthid [?] also my share in stock of horses, cattle and hogs andother personal propperty [sic] and all
my share and interest in any Debts or other Estates which may be dueme as my Fathers Estate...
[signed] John Sparks

Witnesses
[signed] Henry Gill
[signed] William White

It was Henry Gill who appeared before the Surry County Court inFebruary 1826 to swear that he had
witnessed the signing of this deed. Because the witness was HenryGill, we wonder whether Ingram
Agill may have been a variant spelling of the family name. We have noother information regarding
"Ingram Agill of Iredell County," although Iredell County, which hadbeen cut off from Rowan County in
1788, adjoins the south side of Yadkin County which was created in1850 from that portion of Surry
County lying south of the Yadkin River.

Although John Sparks was not shown on the 1830 census as heading ahousehold in Surry County,
we may wonder whether he might have been one of the males, age 30 to40, shown on that census
as living in the household of Eunice Sparks. She was a very old ladyat that time, and we may
wonder whether not only John but possibly William D. Sparks, her twoyoungest sons, might have
been helping her operate her large farm in 1830.

We have no further information regarding John Sparks, son of Matthewand Eunice Sparks. It would
seem that his motive for selling his inheritance in 1825 could havebeen in contemplation of moving
away from Surry County. As in many families, the name "John"has beenused frequently--there have
been many John Sparkses through the years making the tracing of oneJohn Sparks difficult.

SQ pg 804: "John Sparks, son of David and Mary (Little) Sparks, wasborn in the 179O's in Rowan County, North Carolina. He apparentlyaccompanied his father to Tennessee and was probably the John Sparkslisted on the tax roll of Madison County, Tennessee, in 1828. He wasprobably the John Sparks who married Kitty Harwood, daughter of HenryHarwood, of Rowan County, North Carolina, prior to 1819 when he andother heirs of Henry Harwood gave a power of attorney to Richard Smith(another son-in-law of Henry Harwood) to sell land in Rowan Countythat had formerly belonged to Henry Harwood in Rowan County (RowanCounty Deed Book 26, p.7). No further record."

!NOTES:
SQ pg 2922-2924 is about John and Rebecca and their nine childre n andmany
grandchildren and states: "John Sparks, son of Joseph and Elizabeth Sparks, was
born on April 4, 1799. He married Rebecca A. Wareham, probably abou t1840.
She was born on May 16, 1816. They lived in West Providence Townshi pwhere
John was a farmer. He also served as a Justice of the Peace. John died on
August 30, 1876. He had made a will just a few weeks before his death in
which he named the following: his wife, Rebecca, his sons, Joseph H., John,
Samuel B., and Abraham; and his daughters, Sarah E. and Mary C. John's wife,
Rebecca, survived him by nearly thirty years, dying on August 15, 1905.

SQ pg 2971:

"John Sparks, son of Solomon and Rachel Sparks , was born about 1799in Bedford County. He married Barbara ---, probably about 1830. Shewas born about 1810 in Pennsylvania. John and Barbara were listed onthe 1840 and 1850 census of Bedford County, and, according to theserecords, they had eight children, four sons and four daughters. Johndied about 1865 and Barbara died after 1870. Their children wereSarah, Rachel, Ann, Uriah Hughes, Eliza, William, Jonas, and JohnSparks Jr."

SQ 2769:

John Sparks, son of William and Mary (Fielder) Sparks, was born about1804 in Georgia. He was a small lad when his parents moved toMississippi. It was there, in Lawrence County, that he was married toJoanna Parkman on December 22, 1825, by Abel Stringer, a justice ofthe peace. Joanna was probably a daughter of Joseph and SusannahParkman. She apparently died sometime before 1850. John died sometimeafter 1854. They had two children.

SQ p 963:

"John Sparks, son of William and Eunice (Woodruff) Sparks was bornabout 1811 in Alabama and died in 1847 in Franklin County, Alabama.His burial place is not known, but may be in a grave with anunlettered stone in the Sparks Family Cemetary near Russellville.John Sparks married Sarah Bowlen, who was born in Georgia in 1815 anddied in Lawrence County, Arkansas, in 1887. Not long after the deathof John Sparks in 1847 , his widow and children moved to HardinCounty, Tennessee. In 1860, Sarah and several of her children movedto Arkansas by ox cart. They settled first at Smithville in LawrenceCounty on Coopers Creek, where they lived during the Civil War. Johnand Sarah (Bowlen) Sparks are believed to have had eight children,althought he names of only five are known, all sons . The other threewere probably daughters; it is known that one daughter married andremained in Hardin County, Tennessee. The five known sons were
(a) John T. Sparks
(b) James L. Sparks
(c) Robert Sparks
(d) Joseph Sparks
(e) Isaac Newton Sparks

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1987, Whole No. 138, p. 3078:
"John Sparks, son of Abel and Sarah (Cochran) Sparks, was born onMarch 25, 1814, in Tennessee. He married Mary ("Polly") AnnKirkpatrick who died on September 9, 1876; she was buried in theKIrkpatrick Cemetery in Iowa County, Wisconsin, near Rewey. She was asister of Francis C. Kirkpatrick who married Frances Sparks. He wasprobably the John Sparks shown on the 1830 census of Morgan County,Illinois, with a household of two males and one female. On the 1840Territorial census of Wisconsin, he was listed as living in GrantCounty; in 1846, he was living in adjoining Iowa County where he wasalso listed in the 1850 census (in Mifflin Township). (here listschildren)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY article printed in the March 1999, Whole No.185, pps 5106-15:

"JOHN SPARKS (1816-1899) OF LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY
"HIS LIFE AND DESCENDANTS by Paul E. Sparks"

[JS: For the introduction to this article on pp. 5107-7 relating tothe parents and siblings of John Sparks, see the notes for his fatherJoseph Sparks. We continue with the referenced article on p. 5107:]

"John Sparks, son of Joseph and Anne (Wilson) Sparks, was born onFebruary 21, 1816, in Lewis County, Kentucky. It was there that hegrew to manhood, learned the trade of blacksmith, and became a wagonmaker. He was married to Caroline ----- about 1836. She had been bornon December 27, 1818, in
Kentucky.

"John and Caroline Sparks went to housekeeping in 1848 in or near thevillage of Concord on the south bank of the Ohio River. He practicedhis trade of blacksmith, but he gradually began to make wagons. Healso made plows and was the designer of a plow known as the "Clipper." He became a member of the Concord Masonic Lodge in 1859 and waslisted as a carriage and wagon maker in the KENTUCKY STATE GAZETTE ANDBUSINESS DIRECTORY that same year. The children of John and CarolineSparks were: (see their sheets)

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3266: "John Sparks, son of Benjamin and Sarah (Jeffreys) Sparks ,was
born about 1824. He is said to have "gone west.""

SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4276 states: JohnSparks,
son of Jesse and Nancy Sparks, was born about 1824 in Kentucky. Hewas married to Lucinda Waggoner and they had ten children: Thomas,Jesse, Elizabeth, Mary, Colonel, Jane, Samuel, Fredrick, Hannah andNancy.

The family is found in the 1870 US Census for Elliott County, KY, atMoccasin as follows:
#44: John Sparks, 45, b. KY; Lucinda, 40; Mary, 15; Samuel, 12;Frederick, 9; Hannah, 8; Nancy, 6.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY September 1959, Whole No. 27, p. 418:

"John Sparks, son of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks, was born inWilkes County, NC, in 1825 and died in Wells County, IN, in 1917. Hemarried Rebecca Roberts in Wells County on July 25, 1853. She wasborn in Ohio in 1837 and died in 1926. Both were buried in the SparksCemetery in Wells County. John and Rebecca were listed on the 1870census of Huntington County, IN., with the following four children:
1. Mary Sparks, born in Indiana about 1856;
2. Lillian Sparks, born in Indiana about 1865;
3. Robert Sparks, born in Indiana about 1867;
4. Janetta Sparks, born in Indiana about 1869."

**********

See SQ p. 5298-9:

John Sparks, son of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks, was born inJanuary 1825. When the
1850 census was taken of Wells County, Indiana, John was shown asliving in the household of his father in Rock Creek Township in WellsCounty. His age was given then as 22, but we believe that this was inerror; his place of birth was given as Indiana, which, if true, meansthat his parents had made the journey from North Carolina as early as1824.

John Sparks was married in Wells County, Indiana, on July 25, 1853, toRebecca Roberts, who had been born in March 1836 in Ohio according tocensus records. He was living near Markle in Huntington County,Indiana, by 1860.

Many years ago, a member of our Association sent us a photograph of anitem in a January 1915 issue of a Markle, Indiana, weekly newspaperheaded: "John Sparks Observes Ninetieth Birthday." We do not
have the precise date of this item within the month of January 1915:

John Sparks of Markle celebrated his ninetieth birthday anniversaryFriday. The day was spent quietly, a few relatives beingentertained at this home at the dinner hour. Mr. Sparks, who is apioneer of Markle, has spent most of his life in and near Markle. Thehouse in which he now lives was built before there was a town ofMarkle. Mrs. Sparks will be seventy nine years old next March.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Sparks are enjoying fairly good health, and takemuch interest in the affairs of the town. Mr. Sparks owns a farm onthe edge of the town, but each year he has a "patch" of corn on thelot where he lives. This affords him both recreation and work duringthe summer months.

John Sparks was shown on the 1860 census as a farmer living inHuntington County, Indiana, with his wife and three children. Anumber of obvious errors were made by the census taker in listing hisfamily in 1860, but we believe that the enumeration of his family onthe 1870 and 1880 censuses was largely correct. John Sparks died onMay 24, 1917, at Markle, at the age of 92. He was buried in the SparksCemetery in Wells County, as was also his wife, who died in 1926. Fromcensus records, we judge their children to have been:
(1) Martha Sparks (called Mary on the 1860 census) was born about1854.
(2) Lillian Sparks (called Elizabeth on the 1860 census) was bornabout 1865.
(3) Robert Sparks (called Scott on the 1860 census) was born about1868.
(4) Jenette Sparks was born in October 1869.
(5) Nathan Sparks was born about 1874.

**********

See The Sparks Quarterly, March, 1969, Whole No. 65, pp. 1209-10:

"John Sparks (son of Hardy and Susannah (Brown) Sparks) lost his lifein during the famous blizzard of 1888. Mrs. E. P. Wallin has loanedus a clipping from an old scrapbook telling of this tragedy. Thisparticular account was written in 1905 on the 17th anniversary of thegreat storm. It reads:

"Yesterday was the seventeenth anniversary of THE BLIZZARD. Theterrible storm which covered the country from the north line ofthe Dakotas to central Kansas, and to as great an extent east andwest, seemed to select this section of the state, Gage County,Nebraska, as its center. Many lives were lost, thousands of cattleperished, trains were delayed, roads were blockaded, in fact we haveno record of such a storm since the first white men settled in thissection, and began to write history.

"It was during this terrible storm, which has ever been remembered asTHE BLIZZARD, since it had no equal before nor since, that Hon. JohnSparks lost his life, while trying to return from Beatrice to his homeeight miles west of this city.....

"On the fatal day, John Sparks, one of the oldest and most highlyesteemed citizens of the county, started home from Beatrice and waslost in the blinding storm. He had unhitched his team, and turnedthem loose, and they found their way home the next day. A search was instituted, and the body of Mr. Sparks was found a quarter of a milefrom home. Mr. Sparks was a man of about sixty years of age, and hadrepresented Gage county in the legislature. He made a hard fight butthe elements overcame him.

"This was the most severe storm in the history of the county, and itsanniversary is remembered by those who were here seventeen years agoyesterday."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 103: George Washington Sparks and his brother, John Spark s(sons of Reuben and Phoebe Sparks), were killed in service in 186 3 inthe Army of the Confederate States of America.

SQ p 3184: "John Sparks, son of Billie and Sallie (Jennings) Sparks,was born on October 31, 1841, in Indiana and was a young lad when hisparents moved to Iowa. When the Civil War broke out, he enrolled inthe Union Army, but was taken ill and was unable to serve. After thewar ended, he was mar-
ried to Adeline Phipps on January 1, 1870. She was a daughter ofSolomon Phipps. She died in 1871 when their first child was born.The child died also. John Sparks married (2nd) Nancy SophronaCartwright on February 14, 1877. She had been born on November 25,1858, in Pike County, Ohio, and
was a daughter of William A. and Hanna M. (Miller) Cartwright.

"John Sparks was a general farmer and stock-raiser. He also owned asaw-mill and operated a threshing machine during the harvest season.He was a member of the Masonic Lodge at Moingona, Iowa. He served asa county constable, road supervisor, and member of the school board.He and Nancy had eleven children. (See the cover of this [March 1988,Whole No. 141, page 3175] issue of the QUARTERLY for a picture of thisfamily.)"

In the March, 1977, issue of the Sparks Quarterly, Whole No. 97,appeared the following article pp1891-2:

"In 1891, a publication, The National Cyclopedia of AmericanBiography, was begun to honor and to provide biographical data on theleaders of the United States of America. The publication stated thatit would (1) be truly national, (2) be representative of every sectionof the country, and (3) embrace every period of American history.Persons whose biographies would appear would include all highgovernmental officials; the leaders in the fields of education,religion, law, literature, music, art, engineering, medicine,commerce, and industry; officials of national clubs, socialinstitutions and learned societies; and recipients of notable medalsand awards.

In the eighty-five years since the formation of this publication,seven persons named SPARKS have been
honored. The biographies of these men appearing in the Cyclopedia havebeen abstracted and appear
below......."

"Volume XXVI, 1937. Page 326. JOHN SPARKS, governor of Nevada. He wasborn in Mississippi on August 30, 1843, and waa a son of Samuel andSarah (Deal) Sparks, and a grandson of Millington Sparks, a Marylandplanter. His father moved the family to Lampasas, Texas, in 1857 whenthat country was infested with hostile Indians and as an Indian scoutand member of the Texas Rangers, young John developed a tenaciouscourage. combined with a cheerful optimism, which characterized hiswhole career. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War andmoved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1868, and from there to Reno, Nevada,in 1880. There, he built up a very large cattle business, owning70,000 head. He introduced the first pure-blooded Hereford cattle toNevada and established valuable herds of both Herefords and Durhams.The town of Sparks, Nevada, was named for him.

Sparks became interested in politics and served as a countycommissioner and in both houses of the Nevada legislature. In 1902, hewas elected governor of Nevada and he was reelected in 1906. Hishigh-minded integrity and loyalty to duty won for him the nickname"Honest John" Sparks. During his administrations, the legislatureenacted an irrigation law; established an eight-hour day for miners;created a state railroad commission; and enacted law embodying theprinciple of employer's liability. A spectacular feature of hisadministration was a strike in the Goldfield mine territory whichinvolved the federal government. The International Workers of theWorld Union called the strike and local authorities appeared unable orunwilling to stop the trouble, so Sparks requested President TheodoreRoosevelt to send federal troops to Goldfield to restore order.

Governor Sparks was a Baptist. His warm and friendly nature, plus hishigh standard of personal honor,
brought him a host of friends, both personal and political. He was amember of the Masons, Elks, Eagles and Odd Fellows. He was marriedtwice: (1) in June 1872 to Rachel, daughter of Dr. David ForknerKnight, by whom he had a daughter, Maud, wife of A. J. McKinzie, and(2) to Nancy Ellenora Knight, half-sister of his first wife. By thesecond marriage, he had three children: Benton Hackney, Charles, andLeland. He died near Reno, Nevada, on May 22, 1908."

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

SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1995, Whole No. 170, pps 4473-4477:
"John Sparks, son of Sam and Sarah (Deal) Sparks, was born on August30, 1843, in Winston County, Mississippi, where his father was acotton farmer. Shortly after John's birth, Sam Sparks moved hisfamily to Ashley County, Arkansas, where the family was enumerated onthe 1850 census, living near the village of Fountain Hill. John was ateenage boy when his father made his last move, this time to newly-formed Lampasas County, Texas, where he settled on the Salt Fork(later Sulfur Fork) of the Lampasas River in Lampasas County. It washere that John Sparks attained manhood.

"Lampasas County is located on the eastern fringe of the well-knownTexas "cattle country," and John Sparks became involved in cattleraising at an early age. As a young lad, he learned to ride horses,rope steers, and shoot "varmints." He also learned cattle raisingfrom weaning and branding to the final sale at a cattle market.

"Sparks became a large man physically. Estimates of his height varyfrom six feet, two inches, to six feet, five inches, and apparently hehad great muscular strength as well. A contemporary described him as"like a grizzly bear in strength." He was also described as "warm andfriendly," "courageous and fearless," "sincere and honest," and"gentle and generous." Apparently he was also a "joiner," and he heldmemberships in the Odd Fellows, Masons, Elks, and Eagles. He was alsoa Baptist.

"The Civil War service of John Sparks is not too clear. In 1855 , hedictated a modest account of his military service as follows: " I,being about 14 years of age (1857) remained on my father's farm untilthe breaking out of the civil War between the North and South wh en Ijoined what was known as the Home Texas Rangers and was attache d toNorris's Regiment State Troops. (We were detailed to guard the whitesand citizen inhabitants agains the Comanche Indians, they being verytroublesome at this time. In this important service, I remainednearly four years and until the close of the war, when I once (again)actively engaged in the cattle business.)"

"Many years later, on May 2, 1930, Sparks's widow, Nancy Elnora(Knight) Sparks, applied for a Texas Confederate States Army Pension .She stated that her husband had served in Capt. J. M. Callan's Company, Texas Frontier Regiment from December 13, 1862, until sometimein 1864. The service was confirmed a few days later by the Texas Adjutant General's Office which stated: "John Sparks was a private inCapt. J. J. Callan's Company, Texas Frontier Regiment. He wasenrolled on December 13, 1862, at Camp Colorado, Texas, and was paidfor his service through December 31, 1863. The Regiment was acceptedinto the Confederacy in the early part of 1864." Mrs. Sparks's application was approved on May 8, 1930. Certificate No. 46,500 was issuedto her, and she was placed on the Texas pension Roll.

"John Sparks participated in several cattle drives as a young cowboy.In the main, these drives were from Texas northward to new ranges inNebraska, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and Montana where the cattle wereturned loose to fatten before they were shipped east to markets . Onedrive took him from Texas to Virginia. He was finally able to acquirehis own herds.

"In 1866, Sparks took a herd of cattle to the area where Nebraska andWyoming join. He remained in this area nearly three years beforereturning to Texas. It was there, in the spring of 1872, that he wasmarried to Rachel Knight. She had been born on November 20, 18 53,and was a daughter of Dr. David and Susannah Knight. She accompaniedher husband when he returned to Wyoming where they lived at Cheyenne.He bought a ranch in the Chugwater River valley in 1873.

"During the next quarter of a century, the story of the life of JohnSparks can best be told by following his business deals involving thebuying and selling of land and cattle. Each of his transactionsseemed to be larger than the one before and finally reached a peakwhen he and his partner, John Tinnin, owned nearly 80,000 head ofcattle scattered over land that equalled in size the states ofConnecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, and half of the state of NewJersey. During the harsh winter of 1889-1890, they lost at least35,000 head o f cattle through freezing and starvation.

"John Sparks also had lost his wife, Rachel, a decade earlier, duringthe winter of 1878-1879. She was only twenty-six years old whe n shedied on February 14, 1879. John was left with two small daughters,ages four and two. He turned to his sister-in-law, Nancy Elnora("Nora") Knight for help, and they were married on January 25, 1880 .Rachel was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery at Georgetown, Texas.

During this time, Sparks had not lost interest in his Texasupbringing, and in 1878 he had built a home in Georgetown. He alsoacquired about 10,000 acres of land south of Taylor, Texas, inWilliamson County and became half-owner of the Steele & Sparks Bank inGeorgetown.

After his second marriage, John Sparks took his bride to Elko County,Nevada, where they lived for a time at the Rancho Grande ranch onGoose Creek in the extreme northeast corner of the county, but by1885, he had moved his family across the state to the town of Reno.There, he purchased a 1,640-acre tract of land that he named "TheAlamo." It became a showcase ranch and was the center of a mostsuccessful cattle-breeding operation. It also became the center ofthe community's social life where John and Nora gave barbecue parties,entertaining their neighbors and guests. Guest lists contained thenames of several prominent persons at the national level, includingLeland Stanford, Edward Harriman, and Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1891, Sparks and Jasper Harrell formed a new cattle company thatbecame quite successful. He sold his share to Harrell in 1901 . Ayear later, Sparks had an opportunity to buy the Wedekind gold minejust a few miles north of Reno. The mine turned out to be a fraud,but Sparks learned of this only after he had built a thirty-ton mill,with a store, machine shop, assay office, and boarding facilities .It is said that he lost over $150,000 on the deal.

In 1902, John Sparks was persuaded to become a candidate for governorot Nevada on the Fusion Party ticket (actually a combination ofDemocrats and Republicans). He was victorious, and he was reelectedto the office four years later. During his terms of office,legislation was enacted to (1) establish much needed irrigationpolicies; (2 ) establish an eight-hour work day for miners and abolish"company stores," and (3) establish an employer's liability law.Sparks was responsible, also, for improving the relationship betweenNevada and the federal government with respect to the cattle industry,the use of water, and the use of public lands. He became known as"Honest John" because of his fights for the rights of his fellow men.

In 1904, John Sparks had a newly-built town in Nevada named for him.The Central Pacific Railroad, completed in 1868, served the entirenorthern part of the state and had repair shops near Reno. In 1901 ,changes in the Railroad's route caused a need to relocate the repai rshops and a "new" town was built for that purpose. It was named forthe Governor and became officially known as Sparks, Nevada, on May 27,1904.

Governor Sparks suffered for several years from chronic Bright'sDisease, and in the spring of 1908, the malady began to take a heaviertoll, probably due to the problems and stress of his office. Shortlyafter arbitrating a bitter dispute in the mining camp of Goldfield ,Nevada, Sparks died at his home, "The Alamo," on May 22, 1908, at theage of sixty years. His death brought forth a period of intensemourning across the state.

The body of Governor Sparks lay in state in Nevada's capitol building,and hundreds of people filed by his bier to pay their last respects.The Hon. Frank H. Norcross, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court,delivered the eulogy at the funeral on May 25, 1908. He ended hisaddress with the following words:

"His work on earth is ended. He has gone to his reward. A kind anddevoted husband and father; a true and steadfast friend; a noblecitizen; a faithful, honest and conscientious public official; a realgentleman, comprises in brief the sum and substance of the life ofJohn Sparks."

John Sparks was buried in Reno, Nevada. A tall, white marble shaftwith a bronze bust of him on the top was erected at his grave in theMasonic Memorial Cemetery in Reno. The bust was sculptured bySparks's daughter, Maud (Sparks) McKenzie.

In 1958, Sparks was honored by the Oklahoma Western Hall of Fame forhis role as a cattleman and a public official. A plaque testifying tohis place of leadership in the cattle industry was placed on the wallof the Western Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. cited were: (1 ) hisownership of one of the biggest ranches in the west; (2) his twoelections to the position of governor of Nevada; and (3) his steadyinginfluence in the fight between federal and state governments overtheir respective roles in the use of western land.

According to census records and information given by relatives, JohnSparks had six children. By his first marriage he had two daughters,and by his second marriage, he had four sons. Efforts to find information about these children and their descendants have not beenvery successful."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1986, Whole No. 135, pp 2947-2948:

UNION SOLDIERS NAMED SPARKS WHO APPLIED OR WHOSE HEIRS APPLIED
FOR PENSIONS FOR SERVICE IN THE CIVIL WAR

"JOHN SPARKS, son of John and Barbara (--?--) Sparks, was bornabout 1847
Bedford County, Pennsylvania. He married (lst) Rebecca J. Sleighterand (2nd) Annie E. McFarland. He served in Co. 1, 194th Regt.Pennsylvania Infantry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 899,175;Minor Cert. No. 749,045.

"On May 6, 1892, John Sparks, aged 45, a resident of Tatesville,Pennsylvania, made a declaration for an invalid pension. He statedthat he had enlisted on July 12, 1864, in Company I, 194th RegimentPennsylvania Infantry and had served until he was discharged onNovember 5, 1864, at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was now sufferingfrom diseases of the stomach and kidneys caused by his militaryservice, and was unable to make a living. D. B. Ott and Geo. E.Stailey witnessed his signature.

"The War Department confirmed Sparks's military service on June 16,1892, as he had stated it to be on his application. The Bureau ofPensions issued him Invalid Certificate No. 899,175, and he was placedon the pension roll. On September 16, 1896, the amount of the pensionwas increased to $10 per month.

"John Sparks responded to a questionnaire from the Bureau of Pensionson July 4, 1898. He stated that he had been married to Annie E.McFarland on July 24, 1892, near Tatesville, Pennsylvania, by G. W.Richey, a justice of the peace. Prior to this marriage, he had beenmarried to Rebecca J. Sleighter who had died on February 24, 1892. Byhis first wife, he had four children, and by his second wife he hadhad two children, as follows:

"Children of John Sparks:
1. Joseph W. Sparks, born February 5, 1876
2. Harry A. Sparks, born August 18, 1877
3. Samuel E. Sparks, born February 3, 1880
4. Minnie M. Sparks, born July 19, 1883
5. Bertha Blanch Sparks, born May 3, 1893
6. Barbara E. Sparks, born August 26, 1897

"John Sparks died on January 23, 1900, and on January 29, 1900, hiswidow, Annie E. Sparks, applied for a widow's pension. She was then28 years of age and a resident of Tatesville, Pennsylvania. She saidthat she was without any other means of support except her dailylabor. Joseph McFarland and J. A. Fletcher witnessed her signature.Apparently no Widow's Certificate was ever issued to Annie Sparks.

"On March 19, 1905, Annie Sparks married (second) a man namedShowalter. On January 30, 19H, she applied for a minor pension for herdaughter, Barbara E. Sparks, under the provisions of the 1890 Act ofCongress. She appointed Robt. J. Strong & Co., Washington, D.C., asher attorney. She gave her address as the Arandale Hotel, Bedford,Pennsylvania. Alvin L. Little and Jos. T. Alsip witnessed hersignature.

"On April 6, 1911, William Sparks, aged 69, a resident of Portage,Pennsylvania, made an affidavit,to support the pension claim of theminor children of John Sparks. He said that John Sparks first marriedRebecca J. Sleighter. After her death on February 24, 1892, JohnSparks married Annie E. McFarland (now Annie E. Showalter) by whom hehad two children, Bertha B. Sparks and Barbara E. Sparks, who survivedhim when he died on January 23, 1900. William Sparks went on to saythat he knew this because he was a brother of John Sparks with whom hewas intimately acquainted. Two days later, Jonas Sparks made asimilar statement. He was 64 years of age and a resident of Everett,Pennsylvania. He said that he knew John and Annie Sparks quiteintimately since he was a brother to John. He repeated the sameevidence as had been given by William Sparks.

"On April 8, 1911, Annie E. Showalter (late Sparks) applied for theaccrued pension of her late husband, John Sparks, under the provisionsof Invalid Certificate No. 899,175. She appointed E. C. Strong,Washington, D.C., as her attorney. Jonas Sparks and Thomas Crockerwitnessed her signature.

"On April 8, 1911, four affidavits were made to support the claim ofMinnie E. Showalter for a pension for her minor child, Barbara E.Sparks. Fanny Richey, aged 35, a resident of Tatesville; Mary Batzel,aged 32, a resident of Everett; Jonas Sparks, aged 64, a resident ofEverett; and Elizabeth Simmons, aged 63, a resident of Tatesville, alltestified that they had known Annie E. Showalter (late Sparks) priorto her marriage to John Sparks on July 24, 1892, and that she hadnever been married before. She and John Sparks had had two children,Bertha B. Sparks, born in 1893, and Barbara E. Sparks, born in 1897.Both children were still living and under the care of their mother whowas also their guardian.

"Minor Certificate No. 749,045 was issued to Barbara E. Sparks, andshe was placed upon the pension roll at the rate of $12 per month.She was removed from the pension roll on August 25, 1913, when shereached her sixteenth birthday."

See The SPARKS QUARTERLY, September, 1989, Whole No. 147, pg 3471:
"John Sparks, son of Willoughby and Polly Sparks, was born about 1848in Tennessee. He served in Company D (Lt. Spruell's Company) 35thRegiment Texas Cavalry, Confederate States Army during the Civil War,and after his death, his widow received a pension from the state ofTexas for his service.
After returning from the military service, John Sparks married RebeccaA. ["Becky"] Brown on December 29, 1871, in Limestone County, Texas.She was born on November 25, 1855, in Bienvielle Parish, Louisiana.John died on December 13, 1925, in Limestone County, and Becky died onMarch 6, 1953. According to the 1880 census of Limestone County, theyhad four children; there may have been other children born to themlater."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1999, Whole No. 185, p. 5110:

"John Sparks was born November 2, 1865, in Lewis County. He became ablacksmith, but he is best remembered as a most capable baseballplayer. According to his obituary in the LEWIS COUNTY COURIER, he wasgiven a personal tryout i the 1890s by Wylie Pyatt, a star pitcher forthe Philadelphia Phillies. Pyatt was unable to strike Sparks out andoffered to take him to the spring training camp. Sparks declined theinvitation.

"Sparks was also remembered as a staunch Republican who would travel afar distance to attend a rally. He was one of the mourners atPresident Harding's funeral.

"John Sparks was married to Elizabeth Belle Essex on September 14,1884, in Lewis County. She had been born in April 1865 and was adaughter of Amaziah and Sarah (Frazee) Essex. Belle (as she wascalled) died on October 22, 1942, and John died on October 18, 1952.They were buried in the Concord Cemetery. Photographs of them appearon the following page (p. 5111). John and Elizabeth Belle (Essex)Sparks were the parents of twelve children."

SQ pg 3940: John Sparks was an enterprising man and was electedjailor of Johnson County during the 1920s. They were the parents ofthirteen children: Mollie, Olma, William, Oakley, Roosevelt, Jarvie,Wonnie, Alma, Chester, Mona, Martha, James, and Maxie Sparks.
John and Missouri, his spouse, were second cousins.

MARRIAGE:
The marriage bond of John A. Sparks and Angha C. Hancock is dated atMorganfield, Union County, Kentucky, the 28th day of February, 1882 .The bondsmen are John A. Sparks, Solomon Sparks and W. M. Hancock .Solomon is referred to in the bond as "S. S. Sparks" and the signatureis "Solom Sparks." John's occupation on the certificate is given as"Blacksmith". It states that he was born in Virginia, his father wasborn in Virginia, and his mother was born in Tennessee. Her name isnot given.

DEATH:
UNION COUNTY KENTUCKY, DEATH RECORDS 1911-1950, FHL 976.9885 V38h , pg35:
"John A. Sparks, - (b.) April 19, 1862- (d.) Feb 11, 1924; Father:Solomon Sparks; Mother Margaret - - .
(sic) Sparks b. VA. - (buried)IOOF."
A certified copy of his death certificate (photocopy) is in the file.It includes his birth and death date. Father, Solomon Sparks, bornVirginia; Mother Margaret ---, born Virginia. He died of apoplexy(internal bleeding). Via the internet, I received the followinginformation from Kay Sloan whose mother is a sister of Harry A.Sparks: "Diane", (Diane [Sparks] Arnold) "is very anxious to learn ofthe history of her father's family. Her line: Father: Harry F. Sparksmarried Lottie Wallace; Grandparents: John A. Sparks married AnghaHancock. According to the "Union County Kentucky Newspaper ObituaryAbstracts 1924-1927" by Ruth Heffington: "John A. Sparks died Dec1924, age 62. Born Abbington, Washington County, Virginia; Moved toMorganfield in 1872. Married in 1882 to Angha Hancock who surviveshim . Children: Harry Sparks and Mrs. J. N. Martin. Brothers:Edward, Frank, George and Vance. Buried Odd Fellows Cemetery,Morganfield."

Great grandfather: Solomon Sparks married Margaret Seimes? Kay Sloanstates "According to the death certificate of John, and two of hisbrothers, their father was Solomon Sparks and their mother's name wasMargaret what looks to be Seimes although it is difficult to read."(I have a certified copy of the death certificate and Margaret'smaiden name does not appear.]

SQ 1659-60: "John C. Sparks, son of Jonathan and Rachel (Swaim)Sparks, was born about 1838. He moved to Dallas County, Arkansas inthe 1850's . His age was given as 24 at the time of his enlistment inthe Confederate Army in 1862.

When the 1860 census was taken of Dallas County, John C. Sparks waslisted as a farmer with real estate valued at $840 and personalproperty valued at $180. He was apparently unmarried and was living inthe household of A. P . Henderson. His age was given as 29, but otherrecords would seem to indicate that this was an error and that he wasactually 22.

Like his brother, Jacobson Sparks, he was enrolled by Capt. McNeill inTulip, Dallas County, Arkansas, in Company F, Morgan's Battalion ofthe 26th Arkansas Infantry, and they both travelled 7O miles torendezvous with their company in Little Rock on June 24, 1862. He waslisted on his company roll as present regularly until March 14, 1865 ,when he
was hospitalized in Shreveport, La., with the disease "rubecola." (JS: This was probably "rubella" or German Measles; no "rubecola" is inthe dict.) He was released from the hospital on March 21, 1865. Wemay assume that he was
discharged soon after this date.

(John C. Sparks's middle name may have been Crockett--a descendant ofhis brother Solomon, named W. P. Drake, wrote in 1940 that Solomon hada brother named Crockett Sparks. A Crocket Sparks was living withwife Martha in Dorsey County, Arkansas, in 188O, as was also a SolomonSparks.) John C. Sparks married Martha --- in the late 186O's. In1870, when his family was given on the 1870 census of Dallas County,Arkansas, he and Martha had a nine-month-old son named Jacob E.Sparks, obviously named for his brother who had been killed during theCivil War."

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3200: "John Calton Sparks, son of Isaiah S. and Charity (Willey)
Sparks, was born on February 4, 1875. He was married to Margaret Virginia
"Jennie" Edwards on September 7, 1897. She had been born on July 2 ,1877,
and was a daughter of Andrew Mack and Eliza (Richardson) Edwards. She died
on April 13, 1935; John on December 24, 1961. They had 7 children:
Stella Clide, James A., Dewey Israel, Tressie May, Elmer Ray, Eliza Hazel,
and John L."
A picture of John Calton Sparks, Jennie (Edwards) Sparks, Dewey Sparks, James Sparks, Stella Sparks, and Tressie Sparks is found on Page 4937 of the Sparks Quarterly.

SQ p. 5434:

"John Calvin Sparks, born July 21, 1843, was the only one of the foursons of Thomas and Catherine (Swaim) Sparks who survived the period ofthe Civil War. He was only 18 years old when, with his brother,William Ashley Sparks, he enlisted in Company H of the 12th InfantryRegiment of South Carolina. Like his brother, he was severely woundedat the battle called "Second Manassas" by the Confederates, but called"Second Bull Run" by the Federals. Shot in the left knee on August 29,1862, he was discharged, and, according to family accounts, he wasbrought home in a wagon."

"John Calvin was living with his widowed mother in York County, SouthCarolina, when the 1870 census was taken, but by 1873 he had beenmarried to Nancy Dulsina Allison. On the census taken in 1900 ofCatawba, York County, Nancy's date of birth was given as May 1845 inSouth Carolina; she was shown on that census as having had fourchildren, three of whom were then living. These three are known tohave been Martha M. Sparks, born ca. 1874; John Thomas Sparks, bornNovember 1, 1876; and William Franklin Sparks, born July 16, 1881.(Further information on these children of John Calvin Sparks is givenbelow.)

"According to Reports and Resolutions of General Assembly of SouthCarolina, Vol. 1, 1903, in 1902, John C. Sparks applied to the statefor an artificial leg, stating that he had been "shot through left legand has since used a crutch." The state had set up an "artificialfund" for its Civil War veterans, and John stated that he had "notheretofore participated in [the] artificial fund." His application wasrejected, probably because he had not actually lost his leg.

"John Calvin Sparks died a tragic death on December 2, 1902, havingbeen shot accidentally by his 15-year-old grandson, Thomas CalvinCollins, whose nickname was Cally. Ms. Pettus has provided us with atranscript of the detailed account of the incident and of the inquestthat followed, as they appeared in The Record, a newspaper publishedin Rock Hill, South Carolina, on December 5, 1902. The inquestresulted in

'a verdict by the jury that the deceased came to his death at thehands of Cally Collins as the result of
criminal carelessness in the handling of a pistol.... Collins indefault of a $1,000 bond was placed in
the city lock-up pending efforts to secure the bond or have itreduced. It was signed Thursday.'

In reporting the incident, The Record of December 2, 1902, haddescribed John Calvin Sparks as "a leading Friendship farmer, 59 yearsold," adding that the accident had occurred "at the home of hisson-in-law, J. J. Collins, in White Street near the LaurelwoodCemetery." In the issue of December 5, 1902, the paper quoted thetestimony of Martha M. (Sparks) Collins, Cally's mother:

/She said that the family were at the table eating supper, alllaughing and talking and in a "good
humor." The father had threatened to whip the boy during the day.Cally had finished eating and
arose from the table and was in the act of showing his father how hewould trip him off his feet if he
should attempt to whip him when the pistol dropped from his pocket andfired.'

Nancy Dulcina (Allison) Sparks, widow of John Calvin Sparks, liveduntil 1909. She was buried in the Old
Friendship Cemetery near Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The three children of John Calvin and Nancy Dulcina (Allison) Sparksto survive childhood were:
(For information on these children see their individual sheets.)

SQ: pg 743, Elliott County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1869-1912):John C. Sparks and Mary E. Green, December 30, 1883 (Book 1, page 116)Witnesses: Isaac W. Sparks and Robert M. Green.

SQ: p. 4649:

"John Calvin Sparks was born on November 23, 1865. Calvin (as he wascalled) was married to Mary Elizabeth Green on December 30, 1883, inElliott County, Kentucky. She had been born about 1865 and was adaughter of James Madison and Mary Elizabeth (Mason) Green; thus shewas a sister of Robert Martin Green who was married to Calvin'ssister, Sena Sparks. (See Item C, 2, c, above.) Calvin and MaryElizabeth had four children: Sarah Rebecca Sparks, Marinda J. Sparks,Virgie T. Sparks, and Bert L. Sparks. (Virgle T. Sparks, was marriedto Charles F. Sparks. See pp. 1306-1307 of the March 1970 issue ofthe QUARTERLY, Whole No. 69. Bert L. Sparks was married to CarrieSparks. See also Item C, 5, a, below. Both Bert Sparks and VirgieSparks are in the cover picture of this issue of the QUARTERLY.)

The following article was sent by Pamela Wagoner (email address:wagonerp@ohsu.edu] on March 6, 2000. It was taken from THE HISTORY OFJOHNSON COUNTY, MISSOURI, Biographies for Jackson Township, Pages931-947, Kansas City Historical Co., 1881.

"JOHN C. SPARKS,: P.O. Chapel Hill, Mo. Among the enterprising andsuccessful farmers of Jackson township, may be mentioned Mr. John C.Sparks, who was born in Surry county, North Carolina, June 5, 1815.His father, Joel Sparks, and his mother were both natives of NorthCarolina. John C., the subject of this notice, went from his nativestate to Indiana in 1836; then to Missouri in 1842, stopping inLafayette county. He was married July 9, to Miss Sarah M. Cobb,daughter of Maurice Cobb of this county. She was born, April 30, 1831,in Surry county, N.C. Mr. Sparks continued to reside in Lafayettecounty, until 1871, when he moved to this county, and settled inJackson township.

"He has 257 acres of land, of which 165 acres are in cultivation, withgood residence, barn and out buildings. He received his education atsubscription schools in North Carolina. He commenced his career withno fortune except an untiring energy, and a pair of willing hands, andhas never received any legacy. He (John C.) is father of thirteenchildren, all living, viz: Martha M., Maurice E., Arminda E., Joel W.,Sarah C., Mira J., John R., Mary E., Hattie A., Rosa B., Samuel N.,Charley W. and Walter W.

Sarah C. was married March 3, 1875, to Frank Brannock. Mira J. wasmarried Dec. 13, 1874, to Edward Hampton. Arminda A. was marriedMarch 4, 1880, to Frank Buelle. Hattie A. was married August 1, 1880,to David Sisk. Martha M. was married in the fall of 1865, to AaronCollins. Maurice E. was married in 1875, to Miss Amanda Brooks. JoelW. was married in 1877, to Miss -----. John R. was married in 1879,to Miss Cassie Alambaw. Mr. John C. and wife are both members of theM.E. church."

Pamela Wagoner states, "II have cited Joel Sparks as:

1820 census- Surry county, page 674, no township, North Carolina
(census index only)
1830 census- Surry county, page 091, township L, North Carolina
(census index only)
1840 census- Wilkes county, page 085, Spicers, North Carolina (census
index only)
1850 census-District 46, Being, Lafayette, MO, age 62

"There appears to be only one Joel in North Carolina during this timeperiod, if the indexes are to be believed. The Joel Sparks in 1850Missouri, which I do have a photocopy of the census sheet, does show awife by the name of Mary, and I think he is the Joel Sparks buried inCobb cemetery, Johnson county, Missouri with a date contradiction onhis tombstone. He is buried next to a Mira Sparks, who must have beenMary.

"I don?t have my notebook with me ... so I can?t give you exactdocumentation.... If I remember correctly he had 2 small children in1850; Mary was about 26 years of age and if Mary was Mira, she died in1852....

I requested a death certificate on John C. from the Missouri archives,but the problem is if he died in Lafayette county, no records until1910; but if he died in Johnson county, there just might be. Thesefolks lived right on the county line, so it?s a crap shoot. If oneexists, then some questions just might be answered, although I kindasuspect that someone else would have come up with one before to answerthose questions although you said that it was thought that Joel diedin Bates county."

* * * * *
See The SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1979, Whole No. 105, for thefollowing article at pg. 2093:

THE JOHN C. SPARKS FAMILY REUNION

Roy Sparks of 622 Sylvan, Emporia, Kansas (66801) has asked that weannounce that the golden anniversary of the John C. Sparks FamilyReunion will be held on September 9th at Dyer Park in Odessa,Missouri. Much hard work and cooperation from the entire family havemade this reunion a symbol of what family respect and love should be.

John C. Sparks was born on June 5, 1815, in Surry County, NorthCarolina, and died on October 24, 1896, in Johnson County, Missouri.He and his wife, Sarah (Cobb) Sparks, were buried in the Cobb Cemeterynear Odessa, Missouri. John C. Sparks was a son of Joel Sparks, Sr.,who was born in Surry County, North Carolina; he moved to LafayetteCounty, Missouri, prior to 1850, where he died about 1861. Theapplication of Joel Sparks, Sr. for bounty land based on his servicein the War of 1812 was abstracted in the QUARTERLY of September 1961(Vol. IX, No. 3, Whole No. 35, pp. 579-80.) He was a son of Matthewand Eunice Sparks of Surry County, North Carolina, and a grandson ofWilliam Sparks who moved from Frederick County, Maryland, to NorthCarolina, about 1760.

All descendants of this family, including those of the brother of JohnC. Sparks, Joel Sparks, Jr., who was mortally wounded at the Battle ofLone Jack during the Civil War, are invited to this reunion. RoySparks urges, "Bring a covered dish and spend the day with aremarkable and friendly family."

* * * * *

SQ 2922-2923 states: "John Clay Sparks, son of John and Rebecca(Wareham)
Sparks, was born on April 25, 1844. He served in Company K, 133rdRegiment
Pennsylvania Infantry with his brother, Joseph, during the Civil Warand
received a pension in later years for his service. He never married .He died
on November 24, 1924. (See SQ Whole No. 132, p. 2818, for an abstractof his pension
file which follows next.)"

JOHN CLAY SPARKS, CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION:

JOHN CLAY SPARKS,
son of John and Rebecca (Wareham) Sparks, was born on April
25, 1844, at Indian Springs, Pennsylvania. He served in Company
K, 133rd Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry; in Company I, 194th
Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry; and in Company C, 82nd
Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry. File Designation: Inv. Cert. No.
856,575.

"On August 2, 1890, John C. Sparks, aged 46, a resident of Everett,Pennsylvania, applied for an invalid pension. He stated that he hadenlisted on August 29, 1862, in Company K, 133rd Regiment PennsylvaniaInfantry and had served until he was discharged at Harrisburg,Pennsylvania, on May 26, 1863. He was now unable to earn his supportbecause of rheumatism and a disease of the eyes caused by his militaryservice. Lewis M. Piper and W. W. McDaniel witnessed his signature.

"The War Department confirmed Sparks's military service on February20, 1891, exactly as he had stated.on his application, however, nopension certificate was issued.

"On July 15, 1892, Sparks made a general affidavit to support hispension claim. He stated that in addition to his military servicefrom August 1862 until May 1863, he had served in Company I, 194thRegiment Pennsylvania Infantry from July 1864, until November 1864 fora term of 100 days and was then discharged. He had also served inCompany C, 82nd Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry from November 1864until July 13, 1865, when he had been discharged by the general orderfrom the War Department at the end of the war.

"On April 26, 1897, the War Department again confirmed Sparks'smilitary service as he had stated it to be. The Bureau of Pensionsissued Invalid Certificate No. 856,575, and he was placed upon thepension roll.

"John C. Sparks applied for increased pension benefits on February 18,1907, under the 1907 Act of Congress. He said that he had been bornon April 25, 1844, at Indian Springs, Pennsylvania. He had been 5feet, 10 inches tall, with a fair complexion, dark eyes and blackhair, and that he had been a farmer when he entered the Union Army.He stated that he had never been married. Since he left the service,he had lived in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, except for a period(1876 to 1882) when he had lived in Butte County, California. J. M.VanHorn and L. M. VanHorn witnessed his signature.

"When John C. Sparks died on November 24, 1924, at Everett,Pennsylvania, he was receiving a pension of $50.00 per month.

(Editor's Note: John C. Sparks [relatives say that the "C" was for"Clay"] was a son of John and Rebecca (Wareham) Sparks who appeared onthe 1850 and 1870 censuses of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. He was agrandson of Joseph, Jr. and Elizabeth (----) Sparks and agreat-grandson of Joseph, Sr. and Mary (McDaniel) Sparks. See pages529-30 of the March 1961 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 33, andpages 585-7 of the September 1961 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole. No.36.)

See SQ 2969-2970 which includes a picture of John and states:

"John Ecker Naill Sparks, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Naill) Sparks,was born on August 26, 1839, in Bedford County, PA. He was a younglad when his parents moved to Bureau County, Il. He served in the57th and 151st Regiments of the Illinois Infantry during the Civil Warand received a pension for his service . (SeeWhole No. 133 for anabstract of his pension file[copied below]). On May 13, 1862 , hemarried Anna E. Barber at Geneseo, Henry County, IL. She was born onJuly 16, 1842, and Batavia, NY, and was a daughter of Joel and RowenaFay Barber.

"After their marriage, John and Anna continued to live in BureauCounty until
1873 when they moved to Gordon, Nebraska. They stayed there until1894 when
they moved to Montrose, MO. They left Missouri in 1900 and moved toPagosa Springs, Colorado. John died there on August 31, 1912. Anndied on November
15, 1921. They were the parents of ten children: Nellie Maria,Franklin Ernest, Anna Blanche, Grace Rowena, Harry Lysinger, JohnVolney, Volney Leroy, Forrest Herbert, Edna Elizabeth and Earl GrantSparks."

*****

See SQ 2860-2861 for the following:

CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE

JOHN ECKER NAILL SPARKS, son of Joseph S. and Elizabeth (Naill)Sparks, was born on August 26, 1839, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.He married Anna E. Barber on May 13, 1862, in Bureau County, Illinois. He served in the 57th Regiment Illinois Infantry and in Company F,151st Regiment Illinois Infantry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No.730,813; Wid. Cert. No. 751,093.

"John E. N. Sparks applied for an invalid pension on August 9, 1890.He was 51 years of age and a resident of Gordon, Nebraska. He statedthat he was enrolled on October 1, 1861, in the Band of the 57thRegiment Illinois Infantry and had served until he was discharged onMarch 20, 1862. He said that during his military service he hadcontracted a catarrh which affected his back, he eyes and ears and hadcaused him to lose his teeth. He appointed James Tanner, Washington,D.C., as his attorney. S. W. Lysinger and Frank S. Sow witnessed hissignature.

"The War Department confirmed Sparks's military service on May 19,1891. He was enrolled as a musician in the 57th Regiment IllinoisInfantry on October 1, 1861, and had served until he was mustered outon March 20, 1862. In addition, he was enrolled on February 21, 1865,as a lst lieutenant in Company F, 151st Regiment Illinois Infantry andhad served until he was mustered out with his company on January 24,1866.

"Invalid Certificate No. 730,813 was issued to Sparks, and he wasplaced upon the pension roll.

"On July 7, 1898, Sparks responded to a questionnaire from the Bureauof Pensions. He was a resident of Montrose, Missouri. He said he wasmarried to Anna E. Barber on May 13, 1862, at Geneseo, Illinois, bythe Rev. Cook; however, the license was issued in Bureau County,Illinois. They had seven children.

Frank E. Sparks, born May 29, 1867
Grace R. Sparks, born March 26, 1872
Harry L. Sparks, born June 5, 1874
Polney L. Sparks, born May 20, 1878
Forrest H. Sparks, born January 16, 1880
Edna E. Sparks, born July 19, 1882
Earl G. Sparks, born May 19, 1885

"On February 19, 1907, John E. N. Sparks, aged 67, a resident ofPagosa Springs, Colorado, applied for increased pension benefits underthe 1907 Act of Congress. He said he was enrolled at Quincy,Illinois, on February 21, 1865, as a lst lieutenant in Company F,151st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry and had served until he wasmustered out with his company on February 8, 1866. He had also servedas a musician in the 57th Regiment Illinois Infantry from October 1,1861, until March 20, 1862. He was 5 feet, 9 inches tall; he had adark complexion, hazel eyes and dark hair; and he was a merchant. Hewas born on August 26, 1839, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Sinceleaving the service, he lived in Illinois until 1873, in Nebraskauntil 1894, in Missouri until 1900, and in Colorado until the presenttime. E. W. Lacy and M. J. Bayles witnessed his signature and thedeclaration was sworn to before Ephraim K. Caldwell, Judge ofArchuleta County, Colorado.

"John E. N. Sparks died on August 31, 1912, and on September 18, 1912,his widow, Anne E. Sparks, applied for a widow's pension. She statedthat she and Sparks were married on May 13, 1862. It was the firstmarriage for both. She appointed Edgar T. Gaddis, Washington, D.C.,as her attorney. Edna E. Sparks and Harry L. Sparks witnessed hersignature.

"On October 3, 1912, James Fletcher, Clerk of Bureau County, Illinois,sent the Bureau of Pensions a copy of the marriage record of John E.N. Sparks and Anna E. Barber. They were married on May 13, 1862, byJ. T. Cook, Congll. Pastor.

"Widow Certificate No. 751,093 was issued to Anna E. Sparks, and shewas placed upon the pension roll.

"On September 25, 1916, Anna E. Sparks applied for increased pensionbenefits stating that she was born on July 16, 1842, at Batavia, NewYork.

"On February 8, 1922, Earl G. Sparks, son of Anna E. Sparks andproprietor of the O.K. Feed and Fuel Company, Pagosa Springs,Colorado, notified the Bureau of Pensions of the death of his motheron November 15, 1921. At the time of her death, she was receiving apension of $30.00 per month.

(Editor's Note: John E. N. Sparks was a grandson of Solomon Sparks(17601832) of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. For further details ofthis family, see pages 585-587 of the September 1961 issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 35, and pages 912-913 of the June 1965 issue ofthe QUARTERLY, Whole No. 50.)

SQ 2774: John Edgar Sparks, son of Hawk and Mollie (Davis) Sparks ,was born on September 1, 1877. He was a physician in Floresville,Texas, and wrote an autobiographical book entitled, AN M. D. THE HARDWAY. Paragraphs from this book formed the article mentioned earlierthat appeared in the June 1965 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 50.(See below.) Dr. Sparks was married to Tennie Madray on September 7,1898. She was a daughter of Obadiah and Narcissus (Davis) Madray. Dr.Sparks died on March 9, 1960. He and Tennie had four children: Alma,August E., Lola, and Virgil Davis."

Excerpts from book:

MEMORIES OF A TEXAS CHILDHOOD

From the Autobiography of Dr. John E. Sparks

Editor's Note: The following paragraphs are taken from a copy of abook called An M.D. the Hard Way by Dr. John E. Sparks, which wasloaned to the editor by Mr. E. F. Smith of Floresville, Texas. It waspublished by The Naylor Company in San Antonio, Texas, in 1955. Dr.Sparks, the author, was born on September 1, 1877, near Waco, Texas.His father was James Hawkins Sparks, born July 29, 1844, atNacogdoches, Texas. His mother was Mary Ann Davis, born September 16,1846. His parents were married on December 4, 1866. Dr. Sparks'spaternal grandfather was Stephen Franklin Sparks, who was born inYazoo County, Mississippi, on April 7, 1819., and died at Rockport,Texas, on May 12, 1908. Stephen Franklin Sparks emigrated to Texaswith his parents, Richard and Elizabeth (Cooper) Sparks, in 1834 andlocated in what is now San Augustine County. He married Emily B.'Whitaker on October 6, 1836. She died in McClellan County inJanuary, 1855. He married, second, Jane M. Journey in December, 1856. When he died in 1908, Stephen F. Sparks was the last hero of thefamous Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836. RichardSparks, father of Stephen F., was born about 1793 and was a son ofWilliam Sparks, whose application for a pension for his service in theAmerican Revolution appeared in the Quarterly of March and June, 1954. William Sparks was born April 3, 1761, near Salisbury, NorthCarolina. He was a son of Matthew and Sarah Sparks, about whom wepublished a long article in the June, 1961, issue of the Quarterly.)

"I saw the light for the first time September 1, 1877, in a log cabintwenty-five miles north of Waco, Texas, in Bosque County, where myparents were ranching. Our closest town was Valley Mills, nine milesfrom the ranch. When I was about one and a half years old I had asevere spell of sickness, and no one thought I would ever live throughit--not even the family physician, who came horseback to see me everyday for one year. I guess I was too tough for them; after one year Ibegan to recuperate. I was about four years old when the log cabinwas torn down and replaced by my father with a typical ranch house.

"I was one of nine children, having five sisters and three brothers.Our closest neighbor on the ranch was five miles away and ourtransportation was the horse. Some people had buggies. When I wassix years old my father gave me a thousand sheep to herd. On foot wewould travel five to ten miles from home every day. He gave me ashepherd or collie dog that had been trained to help me manage thesheep. We had no fences those days. A few people fenced their land.but those who did not have land cut the fences down to let their stockhave the free and open range. One day a wolf ran into my flock andkilled three sheep before the dog and I could stop him. Myresponsibility was very great for a boy of six years.

"We had about three or four months of school a year, and I was veryglad when school opened so I could get loose from those sheep. I hadto walk four miles to school and Mother would fix me a lunch, usuallyof the finest sausage and big biscuits. Mother rolled the biscuitsout by hand.

"My father talked himself into trouble at church on one Sundaymorning. Father said, "I don't have a fence, but I had just as soonhave my barn set on fire as to have a fence cut." That same night,his barn was set on fire and 1,000 bushels of corn were destroyed, andwe came very near losing a lot of the sheep. After that fire, twelveranch men over the county paid a visit to all who they suspected ofcutting fences and starting fires and notified them that if anotherfence was cut or a barn or anything set on fire, they would swing bythe neck until dead. All of this had a rather bad effect on me.

"My father did some farming on the ranch. He grew corn, oats, wheatand some cotton. The cotton seed was hauled off and dumped or put onthe farm for fertilizer. The people thought the seed was poisonousfor stock and had no value of any kind. I did not like to herd sheepand did not like farming, especially when I had to take the down rowgathering corn.

"I had a little pony named Joe, and while I was only six years of age,I had to ride many nights to Valley Mills to get a doctor when someonewas sick, and some of us were sick very often. Going after the doctorin the middle of the night was a lonely job, but for some cause oranother it always fell to my lot to go for him. Between the ranch andValley Mills, where the doctor lived, was the river. There was nobridge, and it seemed to me that river got up a great deal. However,we had one place to cross it. It was considered fairly safe, but nottoo safe, evidently, because quite a few people drowned at thatcrossing.

"One night when I was going after the doctor, the moon was shiningbright as day. I met a man -- on horseback, of course -- about amile before I got to the river. He stopped me and asked me if I wasfamiliar with the crossing. I told him I had been, but that I hadn'tcrossed the river in a week or two and if it had changed any, I didn'tknow about it. He wondered where the crossing was. He said, "Well,the river is up, but not so much that you can't cross it withouthaving to swim your horse. But only if you cross it just right. Ifyou don't cross just right, there is a good deal of danger of yougetting drowned there." He tried to tell me how to cross it, andfinally said, "I think I had better go back with you and show you howto cross it." He did go back and show me exactly how, and I had notrouble. Unfortunately, I didn't get this gentleman's name and untilthis day I don't know who he was.

"I found the doctor at home that night. I didn't always find himthere, because he frequently was up the river or down the river on acase, and maybe you couldn't get him. But he was home that night. Hesaddled his old black single-footing horse and we were off. He askedme about the river before we left, and I told him it was up some. Ithad come up to my pony's side nearly to the saddle--way above thestirrups I told him. He said, "Well, I will tell you. I will take myleg off now, and then I won't have to take it off down at the river."He had a cork leg. He had lost his own leg when a team had run awayseveral years before. So he swung that cork leg around his neck. Theleg would have been ruined if it had got wet--soaking wet, at least.After we crossed the stream, he put his leg back on and we rode to theranch.

"I was very much pleased when I could find the doctor home, as then Iwould have company back. I was very fond of the doctor and evidentlyhe was pretty fond of me after having treated me for a whole year. Hetalked to me a great deal, when we had the chance, about my becoming adoctor. I guess he instilled that into me and I never recovered fromit.

"We didn't have a bridge across this river, but we did have a foot-logwhere we could cross afoot when the river wasn't up. When the riverwas up, you just didn't cross unless you took a chance of having toswim, and it was very swift.

"My father finally built a fence on the ranch. He put me to diggingsore post holes. I guess I was about seven years of age then, and wehad to dig the holes in almost solid rock. He gave me some fuse thatwe called dynamite fuse. The fuse was in sticks about one foot long,and he told me to drill a hole down the middle of the post hole a fewinches deep and put one end of the fuse down there and tamp it goodand hard. Then I was to light the other and and run like the dickens.And that is what I did. It would blow out maybe three or four inchesof rock, and I would dig that out. Then we would go through the sameprocedure again. Some days I dug two post holes, but most days I dugonly one and part of another. That was a hard job for a big, strongmen; for a kid seven years old it was almost impossible. However, Iplugged away and got some post holes dug.

"Things went along on the ranch about as they do on most ranches, Isuppose. There were not very many changes made the next year or two.One of my brothers, three year my senior, had a curvature of thespine. It didn't cripple him, but he was not as strong as I was andever since I could remember I could throw him down, out-run him orout-jump him. Since he was three years older than I, you ordinarilywould have expected him to be able to handle me, but he couldn't. Wewere not together a great deal, however, because I -was doing one kindof work on the ranch and he was doing another.

"Once, as I remember, somebody had taken the sheep herding job off ourhands and Daddy told this brother and me that we could go down in thewoods and chop up some stove wood. It was raining or had been rainingor was cold or something. We knew all about cutting wood., so we didgo there and cut some wood. Then I had an accident; I cut my foot. Icut a vessel and lost a lot of blood. At the time, I was thirty orforty yards away from my brother, and I hollered at him to come overto me. My foot was bleeding so profusely that he became frightened.Nevertheless, he took his handkerchief--or both our handkerchiefs--andtied the foot up the best he could. Then he carried me most of theway back to the house. I don't know how he managed to do that, but hedid.

"I was laid up quite a while with a bad foot. My parents didn't calla doctor; they didn't call him as a rule until they needed him badly.They treated my injury themselves. The foot finally got all right,but I was laid up with it for a long while. I still have a scar onthat foot and will always have.

"My father had a pair of old tooth forceps--rusty most of the time. Hepulled all our teeth while we were kids out there on the ranch.Whenever a tooth would start bothering us, Pa would get those oldrusty, filthy forcepts off a plate or some- where. They had beenlaying there catching dust for weeks and months, but he pulled a toothout alright with them. I don't know how badly our teeth were infectedat times, but we didn't die from the infection. We didn't have adentist in those days, and the family doctors never filled a tooth.If he did anything for you, he pulled a bad tooth out. I can rememberthat these doctors didn't inject anything into the gum before pullingteeth. They didn't have anything to inject. Later they had cocaine,but it was so toxic that they seldom used it.

"I never saw my paternal grandmother cemily B. (Whitaker) Sparks, Shepassed away a long time before I was born. My grandfather StephenFranklin Sparks, married again several years after that, and Iremember my step-grandmother Jane M. (Journey) Sparks. of course, verywell. She was almost -- well, she was a wonderful woman; and we allthought a great deal of her, too. But she didn't live with us like mymaternal grandmother did; so, naturally, we didn't have theopportunity to be with her as much. My grandfather married when hischildren were quite young, and she took that family in charge, in areal motherly mamer, and they were all very fond of her. She wasprobably thirty-five or forty years of age when she married mygrandfather. She had never married until then. But she knew aboutchildren. She took those children, with the youngest just a baby--Ithink his mother passed away when he was born--brought them up tomanhood and womanhood.

"My paternal grandfather was in the battle of Goliad and he was a SanJacinto veteran. He was not at the Alamo, but he was known throughoutTexas on account of being a veteran of San Jacinto and having foughtthe Goliad War. He used to tell us children great things about hiswar days, about the reason they could kill most of the Mexicans beforethey even started shooting at them. The Mexicans smoked "cigaritos"he said, and the Texans would see the fire on the end of their"cigaritos." They would shoot at the spark and down would come theMexican. His grandchildren would sit up for hours until midnight ormore to hear him tell about his experiences. It was pretty wonderful.... When he came to Texas he preempted quite a bit of land. I haveheard my grandfather say that they could buy a section of land for apair of boots. I said, "Granddaddy, why didn't you buy up a lot ofit?" He said, "Son, I didn't have the boots."

"That's right, they had hardly anything. They didn't have any money.One year my grandfather made a crop, and the only money he had was$1.75. They could trade dressed turkeys and deer skins for groceriesthey couldn't raise themselves, such as sugar and coffee. I rememberhe said he and my grandmother went to church after he was married oneSunday. There was another lady there who had a new hat, a bomet it wascalled then, and my grandmother fell in love with that hat and wishedthat she had one. It was so beautiful, that she was beside herselfnearly. Well, Grand-father found out that the lady's husband had paidfor the hat by killing some wild turkeys and dressing them and sendingthem into town. So my grandfather, first thing Monday morning, wentturkey hunting. From what he said, you could go anyplace nearly andkill as many turkeys as you wanted. I don't know how many he killed,but he found out how many it took to get a bonnet.

"They lived twenty miles from town. They had some slaves, and he puta Negro boy on a horse with the dressed turkeys the same day he killedthem, and sent them to town. It took the boy almost all day to getthere, and he didn't get home that night. But he got home the nextday, and he had the bonnet. Men, back there, all had a hard time, butfrom what history we can get, most of them were good to theirfamilies. They were just as good as they could be. Of course,circumstances were such that they couldn't be very good. They didn'thave much to be good with.

"My grandfather was also a missionary preacher. He traveled in abuggy with a double team all over the country preaching the gospel.He didn't charge anything for it. I don't know whether hiscongregations took up a collection or not, but not very likely. Ifthey put anything in the hat, it might have been a turkey. Theycertainly didn't have any money. I went with him many a time on thesetrips. I couldn't have been over five years of age. Sundays,especially, he would go fifteen or twenty miles to preach in a certainplace. They didn't have any church houses. There were some schoolhouses scattered about, and I think that is where he preached. Hetook me along to open gates. At least., that is the way I figuredit....
(End of segment.)

.

!NOTES:
SQ p 3180: "John Edward Sparks was born on March 26, 1859, at Woodward,
(Dallas County) Iowa. He was married to Rebecca Miller on June 14, 1878, in
Boone County, Iowa. She was born on February 25, 1861, in Boone County
and was a daughter of James and Sarah (Stumbo) Miller. John Sparks died
on October 19, 1939, at Ogden, Iowa; Rebecca died at Armour, South Dakota,
on April 7, 1950. They were the parents of seven children, includin gone
who died at birth. The five who survived were:
(a) Edward J. Sparks was born on December 14, 1879. He died on December
9, 1960. He was married to Ella Fuhlendorf on September 23, 1 903,
and they had at least one child named Verna.
(b) Harry Herbert Sparks was born on August 30, 1881. He was marri edto
Minnie Belle Clabaugh on January 22, 1902. She was born on No vember
7, 1881, at Everett, Pennsylvania, and was a daughter of Ephri am and
Mary (Felton) Clabaugh. Harry and Minnie had seven children : Lloyd,
Roy, Ciola, Clyde, Dorothy, Dale and Ruth.
(c) Grover Cleve Sparks was born on October 12, 1884. He died o n May
25, 1977. He married Katherine E. Hansen on May 9, 1904, and t hey
had four children: Mamie, LeRoy, Hazel and Archie.
(d) Harvey Sparks was born on January 12, 1890. He died on Januar y26,
1970.
(e) Mae Sparks was born on May 6, 1903. She died on November 10 ,1959.
She married Julius Scherbarth on March 6, 1923, and they had t wochildren: Virginia and Elzie.

SQ pps 3400-01:

"John Elliott Sparks, son of Nelson and Peggy (Mauk) Sparks, was bornon June 22, 1847, in Carter County. He was about 5 feet, 6 inchestall; he weighed about 175 pounds; and he had brown hair and eyes.During his lifetime, he was a school teacher, a surveyor, and afarmer. He was a Republican in politics and was elected as a justiceof the peace in Elliott County. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge.

"According to the family Bible (now in the possession of agranddaughter, Blanche Holmberg), John Elliott Sparks marriedElizabeth "Lizzie" Boggs on March 18, 1873, at the home of her parentsin Elliott County. She was born on December 1, 1852, in Carter Countyand was a daughter of Hugh and Louisa (Whitt) Boggs, natives ofVirginia . Witnesses to the marriage were Leander C. Sparks and DockBoggs.

"John Elliott Sparks, son of Nelson and Peggy (Mauk) Sparks, died onFebruary 17, 1910. Lizzie, his wife, died on May 22, 1944. They wereburied in the Sparks Cemetery on Big Gimlet Creek. They had ninechildren, including an unnamed son who lived only three days."

John E. Sparks is found in the 1870 US Census for Little Fork, ElliottCounty, KY, living next door to the family of his brother Peter P.Sparks. He is shown as 23 years of age born in Kentucky, livingalone. It is interesting to note that he and his siblings aredescended from William Sparks of England, both through Joseph on theirfather's side and through William on their mother's side. They areone generation closer to William I through their father.

See SQ p. 754:

"John F. Sparks, son of Ezra and Mahala (Shriver) Sparks, was bornabout 1825 at Winchester, Ohio. He never married. He was a surveyor.The date of his death is not known, but he was buried in Troy,MIssouri."

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY for June, 1962, Whole No. 42, pg 743:ELLIOTT COUNTY, KENTUCKY, MARRIAGE BONDS (1869-1912):
John F. Sparks & Lynne (sic) Waddle, June 22, 1883. (Book 1, pg 114)Witness: Leborn Sparks; married at home of Susan Waddell. Married byLevi H. Sparks, minister.

John Floyd Sparks, son of Levi and Nancy Jane (Lawson) Sparks, wasborn on May 2, 1862. He was married to Laura Belle Waddell on June 22,1883, in Elliott County, with his father, the Rev. Levi Sparks,performing the marriage ceremony. Belle (as she was called) had beenborn on May 5, 1865; she was a daughter of Jordan S. and Frances Susan(Pennington) Waddell. She and John had four children before heruntimely death on April 6, 1890, probably when their fourth child wasborn. She was buried in the Sparks-Lawson Cemetery near Ibex,Kentucky.

SQ p. 1501:

John Franklin Sparks, son of Jonas and Elizabeth (Knox) Sparks, wasborn about 1827. He was married to Cyntha Bradshaw in 1849 (marriagebond in Nicholas County dated August 23, 1849). John Franklin Sparkswas still living in 1880 when he was listed on the census of NicholasCounty as 54 years old, By November 1885, however, he had died, Onthat date, corncommissioners met in Nicholas County to determine howhis land should be divided among his heirs, and the actual divisionwas made during the February term of Court, 1886. Named in thedivision of his estate (Nicholas County Inventories and AppeasementBook 1, p. 588) his heirs were named as Cynthia A. Sparks, widow;Jonas A. Sparks; Samuel G. Sparks; John J. Sparks; David W. Sparks;Josephine Alexander; Ida M. Sparks; and Margaret M. Sparks. Fromcensus records it appears that John Franklin and Cyntha (Bradahaw)Sparks were the parents of the following children: [See family groupsheet.]

.

!NOTES:
SQ pg 3357: "...He is quite likely to have been the J. F. Spark s who
enlisted at Sabine Pass, Texas, on May 8, 1864, in A. W. Spaights Battalion
Texas Volunteers, Confederate States Army. (See the December 1969 issue of the
QUARTERLY, Whole No. 68, pg 1281, for a record of his military service."

SQ 2782:

"John Franklin ("Frank") Sparks, son of Thomas and Milly (Smith)Sparks, was born on March 23, 1851. He married Mary Lucy Ann ---,probably about 1872. Mary Lucy Ann was born in Alabama on September8, 1855 . When the 1880 census was taken of McLennan County, Frankand Mary had three children. Relatives say that they had six morechildren born to them later. Frank died on April 19, 1931, and Marydied on September 4, 1939. They are believed to have had thefollowing nine children:

(1) Lelia Sparks was born about 1872. She married a man named Dawson; they lived at Iredell, Texas.
(2) Andrew Jackson ("Jack") Sparks was born about 1877. He lived atFort Worth, Texas.
(3) William C. Sparks was born on January 21, 1880. He married InaChatham. She was born on January 4, 1881. William died on February14, 1905, and after his death, Ina married a man named Dawson.She died in 1948.
(4) Nora Sparks married Bud Smith.
(5) Myrtle Sparks was married twice. Her first marriage was to a mannamed Lott; her second was to a man named Everetts.
(6) Ella May Sparks married Bill Davis.
(7) Ola Sparks is said to have never married.
(8) Thomas Benton Sparks lived at Dublin, Texas.
(9) Oran Sparks lived at Iredell, Texas.

NOTE: There is a picture of John Franklin and Mary Lucy Ann sparks inTHE SPARKS QUARTERLY at page 2781.

SQ 1087: John Henry Sparks, without doubt the oldest son of Jonas andMary (Brown) Sparks, was born about 1818. He was married three times.His first wife was Matilda Holloway, who died on May 25 or 26, 1854,upon the birth of a son. John Henry Sparks was married to RebeccaMitchell, his second wife, on April 23, 1855. His third wife wasSallie Pruett. By his first wife, John Henry Sparks is believed tohave had the following children:

(1) Jonas Sparks, born about 1842; he married Lucy Harrison inTazewell
County in 1865;
(2) William Sparks, born about 1844;
(3) Martha Sparks, born about 1848;
(4) Joseph Sparks, born about 1851, and
(5) John Henry Sparks, Jr., born February 25, 1854; he was reared byhis
grandparents and married Lucinda Asbury. By his second wife
(Rebecca Mitchell) John Henry Sparks had a daughter named Melissa,
born about 1857. There were probably other children born after 1860.

SQ 3269:

"John Henry Sparks, son of Jonas and Mary (Brown) Sparks , was bornabout 1819 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He was married threetimes. His first marriage was to Sarah Matilda Hankins, probably about1840 in North Carolina. She was a daughter of James Hankins. Shedied on February 25, 1854, in Tazewell County, Virginia. On April 23,1855, John Henry Sparks married (2nd) Rebecca Mitchell in TazewellCounty. She was born about 1820 and was a daughter to John and Sarah(Hankins) Mitchell. She apparently died about 1871, and John Henrymarried (3rd) Sarah A. Pruitt on September 21, 1871, in TazewellCounty. He died on February 9, 1888. He had eight children. Thoseby his first marriage were: Jonas, William, Martha, Joseph, and JohnHenry, Jr. By his second marriage he had: Melissa, Reuben and Rebecca. He had no children by his last marriage."

SQ p. 2630:

"John Henry Sparks, son of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, wasprobably born about 1854.
He was not listed in the household of his father when the 1860 censuswas taken, so he may have died
when quite young."

SQ 2523: "John Henry Sparks, son of George and Elizabeth (Morgan )Sparks, was born on January 27, 1859, in Georgia. He married Mary DeLila (Mollie) Lane on May 26, 1881, in McLennan County, Texas. Theywere married by the Rev. T. M. L. Duncan, M.G. Mollie was born onDecember 24, 1865, and was a daughter of Robert R. and Jemnia M.(Connor) Lane. John Henry died on June 26, 1935, in Fort Worth, Texas. Mollie died there also on June 29, 1956. They had fivechildren..(all of whom appear in a photograph on SQ pg 2523.)"

Other photographs of John Henry Sparks and Mary DeLila (Lane) Sparks
appear on pages 3309 and 3314 of the Quarterly.

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

SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1988, Whole No. 144, p 3314-3315:

"John Henry Sparks, son of George and Elizabeth (Morgan) Sparks, wasborn on January 27, 1859, in Georgia. He was married to Mary DeLila"Mollie" Lane on May 26, 1881, in McLennan County, Texas. They weremarried by the Rev.T. M. L. Duncan, M.G. Mollie was born on December24, 1865, and was the daughter of Robert R. and Jemima Menefee(Connor) Lane. After their marriage, John farmed for several yearsand then went into the construction business. His company was activein helping build railroads in the early part of the century.Primarily they built railroad beds. They also did other work, such asroads, dams, bridges, etc. They worked in Arkansas, Louisiana,Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma Indian Territory, and all overTexas. (See the cover of the December 1988 issue, Whole No. 144, fora photograph of a company work site.]

"During these years, they lived in tents in "camp" wherever their jobstook them. They moved between jobs by wagon when they were nearby,and by train when they were far apart. The children were taught bytutors in camp; none of them attended formal schools.

"About 1915, John moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and made his permanenthome. All of his children and most of his grandchildren also madeFort Worth their home as well. Two projects in the city are visiblereminders to John 's descendants. He helped to build Exchange Avenue,a brick street in the historic
Stockyards area of Fort Worth. He also did the grading, leveling, andlayout of Rose Hill Cemetary. He also was a policeman in Niles City,a small incorporated area which is now a part of Fort Worth.

"John Henry Sparks died on June 26, 1935, in Fort Worth, Texas. Molliedied there also, on June 29, 1956. Both were buried in Mount OlivetCemetary in Fort Worth. They had twelve children, but only five ofthem lived to adulthood. They were [details on pps 3315-18]"

Baby Boy Sparks, John Henry Sparks, Jr., William Oscar Sparks, EdnaEarl Sparks, Theophilus Sparks, George Robert Sparks, Claude Sparks,Infant Sparks, Byron Sparks, Mary D. Lila Sparks, Benjamin FranklinCharlie Taylor " Ben" Sparks, and Hazle Dell Sparks."

See notes of his father regarding John Henry Sparks and his sonWilliam D. Sparks.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3470: His children were Robert Lee and Ethyl.

SQ pg 4071: He was married to Dora Fannin. They had no children.

**********

See p. 2175 of the December, 1979 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No.108

FAMILY OF JOHN HENRY SPARKS, JR., 1854-1936

In the QUARTERLY of September 1967, Vol. XV, No. 3, Whole No. 59, wepublished an article
on the Descendants of Solomon and Sarah Sparks, of Maryland and NorthCarolina, through
their son, Reuben Sparks (ca.1755-1810). On page 1087 of this article,we noted that John
Henry Sparks, born about 1818, was a son of Jonas and Mary (Brown)Sparks and a grandson
of Reuben and Cassie (Buttery) Sparks. This John Henry Sparks and hisfirst wife, whose name
was given as Matilda Holloway, had a son named John Henry Sparks, Jr.born February 25,
1854.

A descendant of John Henry Sparks, Jr. is Fielden K. Mitchell of Rt.2, Airville, Pa. (17302). He
has provided us with a list of John Henry Sparks, Jr.'s children. Mr.Mitchell also gives SARAH
MATILDA HANKINS as the first wife of John Henry Sparks, Sr. ratherthan Matilda Holloway as
stated in the article.

John Henry Sparks, Jr. was born in Tazewell County, Virginia, on Feb.25, 1854. He was married on August 28, 1873, to Lucinda (or Lucy)Asbury, daughter of Fielding Kirk and Martha (Harrison) Asbury, whowas born in Tazewell County on March 4, 1855, He died on Sept. 27,1936, at Stony Ridge, Tazewell County, Va. She died there one daylater, on Sept. 28, 1936. They were the parents of 13 children, allborn at Dry Fork, Tazewell County, Va.:

1. Fielding Kirk Sparks, born Dec. 1, 1874 and died in May 1955. Hemarried Victoria Shrader.
2. Launa Almeda Sparks, born March 20, 1876, died May 13, 1948, inPylesville, Harford County, Md. She married in 1895 Thomas P.Beavers.
3. Mary M. Sparks, born June 3, 1877, died Oct. 7, 1936. She marriedHugh Shrader.
4. Martha Elizabeth Sparks, born Aug. 19, 1879, died Oct. 10, 1961.She married James Beavers.
5. Walter Thomas Sparks, born April 14, 1882, died Oct. 11, 1936. Hemarried (1st) Fannie Cameron and (2d) Jennie Miller.
6. Hannah Jane Sparks, born March 20, 1884, died March 20, 1927. Shemarried Zachariah T. Mitchell.
7. Laura Miller Sparks, born July 6, 1887, died Oct. 17, 1955, atBluefield, Mercer Co., W. Va. She married Milton Landan Hankins.
8. Carrie Caroline Sparks (twin of Laura), born July 6, 1887, diedJune 22, 1967. She married Ezra Whitt.
9. Polly Amanda Sparks, born Jan. 25, 1890, died June 25, 1973, inCedar Bluff, Va. She married in 1909 Monroe Boothe.
10. Malicia Rebecca Sparks, born August 22, 1891, died May 9, 1919.She married James Crouse.
11. Columbus M. Sparks, born August 22, 1893. He married PattieHarrison.
12. Charles W. Sparks, born Oct. 24, 1895, died Sept. 18, 1962. Hemarried Julia Mae
Whitt.
13. Oliver Eugene Sparks, born July 27, 1898, died Oct. 19, 1963, inCleveland,
Ohio. He married Effie Cameron.

[Scanner's note: The above correction and a note have been placed inWhole No.
59.]

SQ 3270: "John Henry Sparks, Jr. was born on February 25, 1854, inTazewell County, Virginia. It was there that he married Lucinda"Lucy" Asbury on August 28, 1873. She was born on March 4, 1855, andwas a daughter of Fielding Kirk and Martha (Harrison) Asbury. JohnHenry died on September 27, 1936, at Stony Ridge, Virginia. Lucy diedthe following day. They were the parents of thirteen children. (Seealso p. 2175 of the December, 1979 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No.108, for other information
about the family of this couple). (JS Note: See note about theirdeath in notes for Mary Matilda Sparks Shrader.)

(1) Fielding Kirk Sparks b. Dec 1, 1874; d. May 1955. m. VictoriaShrader.
(2) Launa Almeda Sparks b. Mar 20 1876. d. May 13, 1948, inPylesville,
Maryland. She m. Thomas P. Beavers in 1895.
(3) Mary M. Sparks b. Jun 3 1877. d. Oct 10 1961. She married HughShrader.
(4) Martha Elizabeth Sparks b. Aug 19, 1879. d. Oct 10, 1961. m. James
Beavers.
(5) Walter Thomas Sparks v. Apr 14, 1882. d. Oct 11, 1936. He married(1st)
Fannie Cameron and (2nd) Jennie Miller.
(6) Hannah Jane Sparks b Mar 20 1884. d Mar 20 1927. She MarriedZachariah
T. Mitchell.
(7) Laura Miller Sparks b Jul 6 1887. d. Oct 17 1955 at Bluefield WV.She
married Milton Landan Hankins.
(8) Carrie Caroline Sparks (twin of Laura) b Jul 6, 1887. d Jun 22 ,1967.
She married Ezra Whitt.
(9) Polly Amanda Sparks b. Jan 25 1890. d. Jun 25, 1973 at CedarBluff, VA.
She married Monroe Boothe in 1909.
(10) Malicia Rebecca Sparks b Aug 22 1891. d. May 9, 1919. Shemarried
James Crouse.
(11) Columbus M. Sparks b. Aug 22 1891. He married Pattie Harrison.
(12) Charles W. Sparks b. Oct 24 1895. d. Sept 18, 1962. m. Julia MaeWhitt.
(13) Oliver Eugene Sparks b. Jul 27, 1898. d. Oct 19 1963 inCleveland, Ohio.
He married Effie Cameron."

The following information concerning Sherman Sparks was received byemail from Daryll Sparks dsparky@insightbb.com on July 23, 2004. Ihave no other source for this data.

John Jackson Sparks
July 9, 1864 - Nov 25, 1923

John Jackson was a farmer by trade; one of 15 children born to SolomonSparks and Helen Birchfield. He married Sarah Rebecca Cox on October11, 1887 and their first of six children born was Sherman Sparks onJune 7, 1888, died on June 16, 1944; Everett born on 1890, died on1971 and other siblings Jane, Lucy and Viola I am unsure of theirbirth dates. Eddie, who was the last child, was born on April 25,1900, and died on Dec 11, 1964. Shortly after the birth of Eddie,Sarah died that same year. Some time after the turn of the century,John Jackson married again to a Margaret Benion and they may have hadas many as seven children between them. His obituary gives their namesalong with his children from his first marriage to Sarah. JohnJackson's death record lists him at the time of his death as awidower. When reading his obituary, it states that he was a veryhonest and kind gentleman and he suffered eight months withtuberculosis and died at the home of his son-in-law. He is buried inSugar Creek Cemetery in Ironton, Ohio and he has no gravestone ormarker. Sugar Creek Cemetery has no records showing where he is buriedsince it is a small country cemetery.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3469: He married Ester Sisemore in 1925 and they had five sons: Edgar, Truett, Wylie, Kenneth, and Gerald Sparks.

See SQ 102 for record of John Sparks Jr., his marriage to Mary Fieldsin 1816 and the birth of their 8 children. He served in the 10thCompany of the North Carolina Militia as a rifleman in the War of1812.

SQ 100: "John L. Sparks, born about 1820; married Mary Hays."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1993, Whole No. 161, pp 4065-4074:

JOHN L . SPARKS (ca. 1820-1893) SON OF LEVI AND SARAH (LYON) SPARKS

"[Editor's Note: Recent articles in the QUARTERLY dealing with theguerilla warfare which pervaded Kentucky during and after the CivilWar have provoked quite a bit of interest among our readers. Another"story" has now come to us about guerilla activities in LawrenceCounty, Kentucky, and involves John L. Sparks, the youngest son ofLevi and Sarah (Lyon) Sparks. In retelling this word-of-mouth tale,we have also added information about John L. Sparks and his family. I

"John L. Sparks, son of Levi and Sarah (Lyon) Sparks, was born about1820 in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and was carried as a baby toLawrence County where his parents settled on the headwaters of BigBlaine Creek about 1821. He grew to maturity in the home of hisparents and when fully grown, he was a tall, thin man. He was marriedto Mary ["Polly"] Hay about 1850. She had been born about 1822 andwas a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Johnson) Hay. John L. andPolly lived on what is referred to today as the "Calvin Dobyns farm"on upper Blaine Creek. His neighbors included his brothers, CalvinSparks and Wiley Sparks.

"The family of John L. and Polly Sparks expanded rapidly during the1850-1860 decade. When the 1860 census was taken, they had threechildren living in their household: Sarrilda, Elizabeth, and Wilburn.Children who had been born to them, but who had died shortly afterbirth were: James, Levi, and Sarah. John L. Sparks's parents had alsodied during the decade; Levi Sparks in 1851 and Sarah (Lyon) Sparks in1855.

"Levi Sparks, father of John L. Sparks, had been born on October 2,1778, and was a son of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks; see theQUARTERLY of December 1955, Whole No. 12, pp. 93-104, and theQUARTERLY of March 1981, Whole No. 113, pp. 2269-2272, for articles onthe family of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks, along with references toother articles on this branch of the Sparks family.

"The political activities of Congress involving slavery were debatedin the little communities all across the nation, and citizens began totake positions for and against the right of a state to act against thefederal government. The Sparkses of Lawrence County also took sides,and by 1861 it was apparent that most of sons and grandsons of LeviSparks were on the side of the federal government. A notableexception was his son, John L. Sparks, and it came as no surprisethat, when the two factions declared open warfare, he joined the sideof the states' rights supporters.

"On October 25, 1861, John L. Sparks, along with some of his relativesand neighbors, rode to nearby Prestonsburg, Kentucky, where heenlisted as a private in Company D, 5th Regiment Kentucky Infantry(Mounted), Confederate States Army. His term of service was fortwelve months.

"Confederate forces fared poorly in eastern Kentucky, and by thesummer of 1862 they had been driven to the headwaters of the Big SandyRiver in southwestern Virginia. Many of the men left their militaryunits and returned home. Others joined loosely-knit organizationscalled "Partisan Rangers" or "Home Guards," whose duties involvedprotecting the local citizens. These organizations also providedopportunities for personal grievances to become military objectives;thus the vicious guerilla warfare, or "bush-whacking," becameestablished, a practice which continued several years after the CivilWar was over.

"For some reason, John L. Sparks fell out with his half-brother,Garrett Sparks. As the story was handed down, John L. went toGarrett's house to find something (unnamed) and ransacked the rooms,even ripping the feather beds apart. Perhaps this incident provokedfurther violence. On April 24, 1865, John L. Sparks (accompanied byother members of his organization) is alleged to have ambushed HughBoggs and Jim Boggs (ex-Union soldiers and nephews of the wife ofGarrett Sparks) while they were working in a field near the mouth ofCollier Creek. Both men were killed.

"After the shooting, John L. Sparks fled to Scott County, Virginia,where Jesse Boggs, brother of the slain Hugh Boggs, caught up withhim. Boggs shot Sparks and left him for dead, but, somehow, Sparkssurvived. He remained in Virginia, however, for the rest of his life,and even his close relatives apparently had little contact with him.

"Little more is known about the life of John L. Sparks after he leftKentucky. He was rejoined by his family, and a son was born to himand Polly in Virginia in 1868. He began the practice of medicinethere and was generally known as "Doctor Sparks." He died in 1893according to descendants. Polly continued to live in Virginia anddied there about 1900. They were the parents of ten children, butapparently only five of them reached maturity.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1987, Whole No. 138, pps 3078-9:
"John M. Sparks, born March 11, 1843; he died on January 8, 1873, nearCorrectionville, Iowa, during a blizzard -- he and a neighbor who hadgone after wood became lost. He served in Company E of the 30thRegiment Wisconsin Volunteers in the Civil War. He married CarolineHake in Grant County, Wisconsin, on March 8, 1866. She was stillliving in 1929 when, at the age of 87 and a resident of Pierre, SouthDakota, she applied for a pension based on her husband's service inthe Civil War. She named her children."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1989, Whole No. 146, pps 3434-5:

Abstract of the Pension Records for John M Sparks:
JOHN M. SPARKS, son of John and Mary "Polly" (Kirkpatrick) Sparks ,was
born on March 11, 1843, in Wisconsin. On March 8 , 1866, he wasmarried to Caroline Hake in Grant County , Wisconsin. He served inCompany E, 30th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteers. He died onJanuary 8, 1873, in Woodbury
County, Iowa. File Designation: Wid App No. 1,642,128.

On August 16, 1865, John M. Sparks, a private in Company E, commandedby Capt. D. D. Chappell, of the 30th Regiment Wisconsin Infantr yVolunteers, was given a Certificate of Disability for Discharge at thePost Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. Capt. Chappell stated thatSparks had enrolled at Mineral Point, Wisconsin, on August 3, 1862, toserve for three years. Sparks was 19 years of age; he was 5 feet, 81/2 inches in height; he had a dark complexion, hazel eyes, and lighthair; and he was a farmer. For the past 60 days, he had been unfitfor duty because of a valvular disease of the heart, history unknown.Sparks's address was Washburn, Grant Co., Wisconsin.

On May 1, 1929, Caroline Sparks, aged 87 years, a resident of Pierre,South Dakota, applied for a widow's pension under the 1920 Act ofCongress. She said that she was the widow of John M. Sparks who hadserved in Company E, 30th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteers from August13, 1862, until August 16, 1865. Sparks had died on January 8, 1873,at Correctionville, Iowa. She and Sparks had been married on March 8,1866, at Lisbon, Grant County, Wisconsin, by John Williams, a justiceof the peace. She was married under her maiden name of Caroline Hake. It was the first marriage for both. Children born to this unionwere:
Wesley B. Sparks, born January 18, 1867
William L. Sparks, born April 7, 1868
Nellie E. Sparks, born November 6, 1871
John E. Sparks, born September 28, 1872

Mrs. Sparks appointed John J. O'Brien, Washington, D.C., as herattorney, Samuel A. McGuffee and James W. Cox witnessed her signature.

On July 2, 1929, Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Sparks, residents of Pierre, SouthDakota, wrote a letter to Charles Hannon and asked for his support inobtaining a pension for Caroline Sparks. They wrote:

Grandma was married to Father Sparks in 1866. They had four children,the youngest one was six months old when Father Spark s was frozen todeath in a blizzard 56 years ago. Father Sp arks and another man wentafter wood on a lovely morning . A blizzard started before they gothome and they were lost . Grandma raised her children and kept theplace on which they lived. After the children were grown up, theyoungest one about 13, she married again. This marriage was of shortduration, not quite a year, when she left him.

Mr. and Mrs. Sparks went on to inform Mr. Hannon that Caroline Sparksapplied for a divorce from her second husband, John Prosser, after hedeserted her. Her attorney was a man named Blodgett, and sinceProsser did not appear in court, the divorce was granted and sheresumed her name of Caroline Sparks. She had never applied for apension since she thought she was not eligible. Now she was old andfeeble and needed help. The Sparkses ended their letter by statingthat they hoped to see Hannon soon or hear from him.

Two weeks later, on July 15, 1929, Caroline Sparks made a generalaffidavit to support her application. She stated that she was marriedto John Sparks on March 8, 1866, at Mifflin, Wisconsin, by JohnWilliams, a justice of the peace, in the presence of Mary Williams andAbbie Lyscom. Four children were born to this marriage before thedeath of John Sparks on January 8, 1873, at the age of 29 years, 9months, and 27 days. She had married John Prosser on September 10,1883, at Ida Grove, Iowa, but he deserted her about two years later,and she obtained a divorce from him in 1885, and resumed her formername of Caroline Sparks. She had continued to live atCorrectionville, Iowa, until 1899, when she moved to Hughes County,South Dakota, to live with her son, William L. Sparks. She had livedever since then with William except for such periods of time as shewould visit with her son, Wesley Sparks. Her affidavit was witnessedby W. L . Sparks and Elva E. Sparks.

Copies of the county record of Caroline Sparks's marriage to JohnSparks at Mifflin, Wisconsin, and of her marriage to John Prosser atIda Grove, Iowa, were filed with the Bureau of Pensions on July 31 ,1929.

Despite the testimony concerning Caroline Sparks's need for a pension,none was ever approved for her. Perhaps she died before one could begranted.

For his siblings and ancestors see SQ pg 2786 and before.

For an article entitled THE SPARKS HOUSE OF NACOGDOCHES,TEXAS(Originally the Home of Dr. John Marion Sparks)", See THE SPARKSQUARTERLY, September, 1978, Whole No. 103, pps 2020-22 (see hisphotograph on page 2021 and in the scrapbook herein) :

"On September 18, 1976, the Historical Commission of NacogdochesCounty, Texas, dedicated THE SPARKS HOUSE as a Texas State HistoricalLandmark. The house was originally built sometime between 1839 and1851, however, there is no specific documentation which eitherpinpoints the date of its construction or the name of its builder.The house is presently owned and occupied by Captain and Mrs. CharlesK. Phillips who moved it from its original location about five milesnorth of Nacogdoches to their tree plantation, "Llano Grande," aboutthree miles south of Nacogdoches, just off the Press Road.

"The Sparks House was owned and occupied from about 1851 until 1909 byDr. John Marion Sparks, and after his death in 1909 the ownership andoccupancy passed to his heirs. In 1971, Captain (USN) Phillipspurchased it and began its restoration which took nearly five years .Most of the work of restoration was done by the Phillipses, and theonly contract work was for the plumbing, air-conditioning, wall-papering, and chimneys.

"The house is typical of the better constructed houses of the 1840-1850 period of East Texas. It consisted originally of two identicalfirst-floor rooms (18' by 18') separated by a 12' open center hall ordog-trot. Each room had a fireplace in the end wall. The secondfloor was a half-story with the walls slightly over four feet high .The fireplaces were built of stone and the chimneys were made ofhandmade bricks. The windows were long and narrow with nine panes inthe top over six panes in the bottom section.

"In 1884, Dr. Sparks made several changes in the house, adding threerooms as a wing to the rear of the house. All of these rooms had highceilings which was fashionable for that period of time. ThePhillipses have furnished the house with appropriate period pieces,many of which were made by Nacogdoches cabinet makers. Since November1, 1976, the house has been the Phillipses' private home.

"Designation of the house as a Texas Historical Landmark was madebecause of its age, construction features, and because of thecontributions of the Sparks family to the Republic, the state, and tothe community during their formative years.

(Editor's note: John Marion Sparks was born on June 26, 1831 inLawrence County (sic), Mississippi. He was a son of Richard andElizabeth (Cooper) Sparks; a grandson of William and Mary "Polly"(Fielder) Sparks; and a great-grandson of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson)Sparks.)

"John Marion Sparks was about two years old when he was taken to Texasby his parents in January 1834. His father stopped first at SanAugustine, but that fall he moved his family to what is nowNacogdoches County, where, in November 1835, he bought a league (about4440 acres) of land. There he and his brother, James Sparks, built astockade which became known as the "Sparks Settlement." It was aboutthis time that the settlers began preparing to revolt against thedictatorship of General Santa Anna, an action which was successful thefo llowing April. At that time, Richard Sparks was the alcalde, ormayor, of Nacogdoches; thus when Texas became a Republic he was thelast alcalde of that community. He was killed by Indians in April1838 while surveying land in what is now Navarro County. It appearsquite likely that his brother, James Sparks, was also killed at thesame time in the general Indian uprising.

"John Marion Sparks grew to maturity while his mother was stillliving, but he was not quite seventeen years of age when she died onJanuary 1, 1848. The following year, John became an apprentice to anEnglish physician who lived in nearby Douglass, and after serving himfor two years, he became a doctor. For the remainder of his life hepracticed medicine, although he was also successful in managing theland which he had inherited from his parents.

"On September 18 , 1851, John married Martha Ann Crain. She was bornon August 23, 1832, in Tennessee and was an orphan daughter of Williamand Nancy Eason (Whitaker) Crain of Hudsonville, Mississippi. MarthaAnn lived with her uncle, Ambrose Crain, just a few miles from the"Sparks Settlement." Two children were born to this marriage, WilliamM. and Idora May.

"With the outbreak of the Civil War, John Marion Sparks joined theConfederate States Army, serving in Company C, 2nd Regiment, 3rd TexasBrigade. He is said to have inoculated the first volunteers formilitary duty at the old Nacogdoches University Building. He returnedto his medical practice at the close of the war.

"Martha Ann (Crain) Sparks died on January 5, 1883, and on April 8,1884, John Marion Sparks married Elizabeth "Betty" Whitlow Hazle .She was born on February 7, 1861. Three children were born to thisunion: Johnnie May, Ethel Elizabeth, and Jewell.

"In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Sparks had at least twobusiness ventures. He established a company that manufactured andbottled a hair tonic which he had developed and had named "Dr. Sparks'Hair Vigor." This business was so successful that it lasted severalyears after his death under the management of a daughter, Mrs. JohnnieMay Wyres. The other business venture was the acquisition of afranchise for the manufacture and sale of a water pump which wa sknown as the "Direct Force Acting Pump."

"In 1893, Dr. Sparks gave ten acres of land to the Old North Churchfor a Church, school and burying ground. He did this in order tocarry out his father's wishes when, many years earlier, in 1837, hisfather had permitted the church to build on is land. The Old NorthChurch is one of the oldest Protestant churches in Texas. Originallyit was a non-denominational church, but eventually it became theMissionary Baptist Church.

"Dr. Sparks died on April 17, 1909. His wife Betty, died on October9, 1935. He and his wives are buried in the Old North ChurchCemetery."

SQ p. 4581:

"John Merritt Sparks was born on February 23, 1818. He was married toAnn ----- about 1842, probably in Kent County, Delaware. He was atinner. When the 1850 census was taken of Kent Couty, Delaware,Merritt (as he was called) and his wife, Ann, had a son named WilliamS. Sparks, aged 7. Also living in their household in 1850 were MaryF. Casles, aged 17, born in Maryland, and John Bryant, age 14, born inNew York. William S. Sparks, son of Merrit and Ann Sparks, served inthe 4th Regiment Delaware Infantry during the Civil War and received apension for his service. (See page 1917 of the June 1977 issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 98, for an abstract of his pension file at theNational Archives.)" The pension file is copied in the notes forWilliam S. Sparks.

John Mitchell Sparks was born on March 8, 1903. He was killed in amining accident in 1922.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3902: He was married to Millie Osburn.

SQ pg 2655:

"John Napoleon "Butch" Sparks was a lad of fourteen when he went withhis family to Texas. At the outbreak of the Civil War, in the springof 1861, he joined a company called the Titus Greys, later to be knownas Company I, 9th Regiment, Texas Cavalry. He was appointed assergeant. (See page 2672-3
for an abstract of his Texas Confederate Pension file.)

"After the war ended, Butch Sparks returned to Titus County where hewas married to Sara May Penn on March 15, 1866. She had been born onAugust 7, 1848, at Duck Springs, Alabama, and was a daughter of NathanS. and Lura (Horton) Penn. The first three children of Butch andSarah were born in Titus County, but by 1880 Butch and his brother,Allison, had moved their families west to Clay County, Texas. Hestayed there for some time, but eventually moved his family backeastward to Hopkins County where he died on February 10, 1916. Sarahsurvived him nearly twenty years, dying on April 13, 1935. They wereburied in the Weaver Cemetery in Hopkins County. They had ninechildren."

***************
SQ p. 2674:

A TEXAS PENSION FOR SERVICE IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY

"Soldiers who served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War werenever permitted by the
Congress to receive pensions based on that service from the federalgovernment. A number of
Southern states, however, provided funding for this purpose.

"On June 10, 1930, Sarah Sparks, born August 7, 1848, and a residentof Weaver, Texas, applied for a
Confederate pension from the state of Texas. In her application, shestated that she had been married
to John Napoleon Sparks on March 15, 1866, in Titus County, Texas. Hehad died on February 10,
1916, in Hopkins County, Texas. He had served in Company I, 9thRegiment Texas Cavalry, C.S.A.,
for four years. He had never drawn a pension for his service. John M.Biggerstaff, R. Teer, Clarence
Wood, B. M. Camp, and J. A. Butler witnessed the application which wassworn to before J. J. Murray,
Judge of Hopkins County.

"The War Department confirmed the military service of John N. Sparkson July 9, 1930 He had been 25
years old when he enlisted on October 14, 1861, in Grayson County,Texas, as a private in Capt. L. D
King's Company, Simms Regiment Texas Volunteers, an organization whichsubsequently became
Company G, 9th Regiment Texas Cavalry, Confederate States Army. He wastransferred to Company I,
same regiment, on December 31, 1861. He was promoted to 2nd Corporalon June 20, 1862, and later
to 2nd Sergeant. He was captured on June 10, 1864, at Garvin's Ferryon Sunflower River, Mississippi,
and exchanged near Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 13, 1865.

"Sarah Sparks was placed upon the Texas Pension Roll, effective August1, 1930. She died on April 23,
1935?

(Editor's Note: For further information regarding John NapoleonBonaparte Sparks see...page 2655.)

See SQ p. 332 for birth information.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3404: They lived at Mansfield, Ohio. They had at least on echild, but we have no further information about them.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1997, Whole No. 178, pg. 4808:(Pictures of John Richard Sparks and his family appear on the cover ofthe June 1997 issue of the QUARTERLY and on page 4807.)
"An obituary of John Richard sparks appeared in a local newspaperfollowing his death near Valera in Coleman County, Texas, in September1939. This reads:
Funeral Held Saturday for John R. Sparks
Funeral Services for Mr. John R. Sparks were held at the ValeraMethodist Church Saturday afternoon, Sept. 23, Rev. A. W. Ferrillofficiating. Interment in Valera Cemetery.
Mr. Sparks was born at Matchacha Springs, near Austin, in 1860. Forover thirty years he has been living near Valera. He is survived byone brother, J. H. Sparks of Lometa; two sisters, Mrs. Bell Knightof Quanah and Mrs. Ida Moore of Port Arthur; three sons, Reubenand Emmitt of Valera and Preston of Brownwood, two daughters, Mrs.J. B. Sleuder and Mrs. L. E. Maracle of Valera, and a host ofrelatives and friends.]
Friends were shocked to hear that Mr. Sparks had died of a heartattack about 11 on Friday morning. He held a place of highesteem in Valera. At one time he was a trail-driver and madeseveral trips up the Old Chisholm Trail. He was a member of theChristian Church.
Millie Ann (Joyner) Sparks was born on April 15, 1855, and died onSeptember 25, 1935. Both she and her husband were buried in theValera Cemetery. (Here the article provides supplemental informationabout their children which is included on the family page.)

SQ 3059:

"John Sparks, probable son of Joseph Sparks, was listed on the 1812tax list of Franklin County, Tennessee. He was probably named for hisuncle, John Sparks. We have no further record of him."

SQ 3356:

"John S. Sparks, probable son of William Sparks, was born on March 26,1811, in Tennessee. It was probably there that he was married toMalinda Jones about 1834. She was born on March 1, 1819, inTennessee. Two children were born to John and Malinda before they leftTennessee with their ox team and wagon and moved to the Texas borderwhere the Sabine and Neches Rivers meet on the north shore of LakeSabine. There John worked in a mill that made cypress shingles byusing drawing knives. Later he established a ferry on Taylors Bayouand managed to buy 160 acres of land fronting on Lake Sabine on whichhe built his home. Here he was joined by his brother, Solomon, andothers, and the site became known as "Sparks Settlement." The namewas changed to Aurora about 1856, and it finally became the site ofthe town of Port Arthur in 1895.

"John Sparks was joined by his brother, Solomon Sparks, about 1847,and, according to information given in the HISTORY AND PROGRESS OFJEFFERS ON COUNTY, TEXAS by Lorecia East, the two families lived justa few hundred feet from each other. They cultivated the land andrdaised their own food as well as much of their clothing for theyraised sheep and carded and spun their own wool. It was John Sparkswho established a family buriel ground quite close to his home. Thecemetery filled gradually, and as the surrounding property became moredesirable, it became necessary to move the graves. They were moved toForest Lawn Cemetery in Beaumont, Texas.

"John Sparks died sometime between 1860 and 1870. Malinda diedsometime after the 1880 census was taken of Jefferson County. She andJohn were the parents of twelve children, ten of whom we have beenable to identify . (Here lists details of children]."

SQ 3189:

"John S. Sparks, son of Solomon and Malinda (Caudill) Sparks, was bornon May 15, 1840, in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Like his brother,William, he joined the Union Army during the Civil War, enlisting inCompany H, 4th Regiment Missouri Militia. (See below for an abstractof his pension file.) After leaving the service, he married NancyJane Sexton on February 18, 1864, in Marcer County. She had been bornin 1845 in Indiana. John Sparks died on November 3, 1909, and NancyJane died on July 30 , 1916. They had nine children."

SQ 3208:

"JOHN S. SPARKS, CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION":

JOHN S. SPARKS, son of Solomon and Malinda Ann (Caudill) Sparks, was
born on May 15, 1840, in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
He married Nancy J. Sexton on February 18, 1864, in Mercer
County, Missouri. He served in Company H, 4th Regiment
Provisional Missouri Militia. File Designations : Inv.
Cert. No. 1,099,338; Wid. Cert. No. 694,270.

"On april 29, 1904, John Sparks, age 63, a resident of Rt. 1,Cainesville, Missouri, made a declaration for an invalid pension. Hestated tha the had enrolled on May 18, 1863, in Company H, 4thRegiment Provisional Missouri Militia and had served until he wasdischarged at Missouri City, Missouri, on
October 10, 1863. He said he had suffered a rupture on his left sideby being struck by a plow beam, and a foot injury caused by steppingon a nail . He also suffered from a disease of the kidneys. He saidthat because of his advanced age, he was no longer able to earn hissupport. He appointed J. B. Ormsby, Princeton, Missouri, as hisattorney. H. R. Spencer and W. W. Braffet witnessed his signature.

"The Bureau of Pensions asked Sparks to respond to a questionnaire onMay 19, 1904. He responded by stating that he had been born on May15, 1840 , in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He had enlisted inCompany H, 4th Regiment Provisional Missouri Militia on May 18, 1863,at Princeton, Missouri, and had been discharged on October 10, 1863,at Hamilton, Missouri. At his enlistment, he was 6 feet, 1 inch tall;he weighed 170 pounds; he had hazel eyes, sandy hair and a faircomplexion; and he was a farmer.

"Two months later,on July 21st, the Bureau of Pensions again askedSparks to answer a questionnaire. He stated that he had been marriedon February 18, 1864, in Mercer County, Missouri, by the Rev. StephenSexton. It had been his first marriage. He had eight livingchildren.

W. T. Sparks, born January 15, 1865
Malinda E. Sparks, born September 24, 1866
Martha A. Sparks, born September 14, 1868
R. E. Sparks, born January 16, 1871
E. R. Sparks, born March 25, 1873
Lanora L. Sparks, born February 27, 1882
Sherman Sparks, born May 20, 1884
Frank T. Sparks, born April 22, 1887.

"On September 28, 1904, Sparks advised the Bureau of Pensions that hiscorrect name was John S. Sparks.

"Invalid Certificate No. 1,099,338 was issued to Sparks, and he wasplaced upon the pension roll. When he died on November 3, 1909, hewas receiving a pension of $10 per month.

"On November 9, 1909, Nancy J. Sparks, aged 64, a resident of Rt. 1 ,Cainesville, Missouri, applied for a widow's pension. She stated thatshe had been married to John S. Sparks under her maiden name of NancyJ. Sexton on February 18, 1864. He had died on November 3, 1909.They had no children under the age of sixteen at the time of herapplication. She appointed J. B. Ormsby as her attorney. W. T.Sparks and Lanora L. Foster witnessed her make her mark.

"On November 29, 1909, Nancy J. Sparks asked the Bureau of Pensions toaccept the testimony of witnesses in lieu of a public record of hermarriage to John S. Sparks. She sent affidavits from the followingneighbors: Isaac Sexton, aged 62; J. G. Odd, aged 68; Richard Carin,aged 81; Peter Hart, aged 78; Elizabeth Sexton, aged 64; W. H. Harper,aged 78; and W. P. H. Hart, aged 63. All of them testified that theywere present when Nancy J. Sexton and John S. Sparks were married andthat they knew that they had lived together as man and wife until hisdeath.

"Widow Certificate No. 694,270 was issued to Nancy J. Sparks, and shewas placed upon the pension roll. When she died on July 30, 1916, shewas receiving a pension of $12 per month.

SQ 2923 provides the following: "John Sherman Sparks was born onApril 14, 1878. He married Dora Belle Amick on April 10, 1901, inBedford County. She was born on November 14, 1883, at Clearville, PA,and was a daughter of George Washington Amick and Jane Elizabeth(Sparks) Amick. (Jane Elizabeth Sparks was a daughter of Solomon andSusan (Black) Sparks. See pg 2973 for her family.) John and Dora(Amick) Sparks were the grandparents of John R. Akers , H. C. Smith,and Mrs. Marion Rinard. John and Dora (Amick) Sparks had sevenchildren: Mabel Rebecca, Samuel George, Mary Kathryn, Nellie Grace,Evelyn Gertrude, Albert Vaughn and Helen Elizabeth. (A photograph ofthis family appears on the cover of Whole Number 135, p. 2913.

SQ p. 963:

"John T. Sparks, son of John and Sarah (Bowlen) Sparks, was born inFranklin County, Alabama, on February 8, 1843. He moved with hismother and brothers to Hardin Count, Tennessee, then to LawrenceCounty, Arkansas, and finally to Sharp County, Arkansas. He was afarmer and was still living in 1899 when the BIOGRAPHICAL ANDHISTORICAL MEMOIRS OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS was published by Goodspeed.

"He was married in 1859 to Susan Webb, who was born in Polk County,Missouri, in 1845; she died in 1871. In 1872, John T. Sparks married(second) Alvira Hill, who was born in Lawrence County, Arkansas, in1850, daughter of Daniel and Delia Hill. John T. Sparks served in theConfederate Army from 1862 to 1865 under a Captain Huddleson in acavalry unit. It is said that he was in every battle west of theMississippi River. By his first wife, susan (Webb) Sparks, John T.Sparks had a daughter named Mary J. Sparks, born in 1868, who marriedJames Wheeler, and a son named William N. Sparks, born about 1870. Byhis second wife, Alvira (Hill) Sparks, John T. Sparks had thefollowing children: Josephine Sparks, born about 1872, who apparentlydied in youth; Ellen O. Sparks, born about 1875; Causette Sparks,Edward B. Sparks; and one other child who died in youth."

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3189: "John Thomas Sparks, son of William James and Sarah Jane
(Smith) Sparks, was born on January 5, 1874. He married Stella M. -----.
He died in 1956."

SQ p. 5436:

"John Thomas Sparks, son of John Calvin and Nancy Dulcina (Allison)Sparks, was born on November
1, 1876. He was married on February 10, 1904, to Nancy Bell Snider,daughter of Fred W. and Sallie
(Enloe) Snider. She had been born on November 23, 1881, at Bethany,near Clover, York County, South
Carolina. An item in The Record of Rock Hill dated February 12, 1904,pertains to their marriage:

J. T. Sparks of Roddeys married Miss Nannie Snider of Clover. Spentnight with Mrs. S. S. Collins,
sister of groom on W. White St., Rock Hill. Will make home in Roddeys.[Mrs. S. J. Collins was
Martha Sparks, see a., above.]

John Thomas Sparks died on December 23, 1953 , and was buried in theGrandview Cemetery at Rock
Hill. Nancy Bell died on November 9, 1958. A clipping, undated, foundby Ms. Pettus, gives a brief obituary for John T. Sparks. He wasdescribed as a "retired railroad clerk and he operated a smallgrocery." It was noted that his brother, W. F. Sparks, of Rock Hillsurvived him. His children were identified as follows: Mrs. Guy P.Steele, Rock Hill; Mrs. T. M. Anderson, Monroe, North Carolina; Mrs.Jason Radisill, Buffalo, New York; Mrs. James 1. Dozier, Charlotte;Miss Louise Sparks; and his son, John T. Sparks, of Rock Hill. It wasnoted that there were 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

A photograph of John Thomas Sparks taken in his youth, along with asnapshot of him with his wife and their son, John Thomas Sparks, Jr.,taken in later years, appear on the following page. The six childrenof John Thomas and Nancy Bell (Snider) Sparks were: (See theirindividual sheets.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1972, Whole No. 78, p. 1487:

(The article begins with information concerining the parents of JohnThompson Sparks and continues as follows:)

"In the same article, we listed John Thomson as a son of Joseph andIsabella (Ellis) Sparks, and his picture appeared on the cover of theSeptember 1971 issue with his brothers Ephraim B. Sparks and ThomasMarshall Sparks. Like his parents, John Thomson Sparks is buried inBlack Oak Cemetery near Memphis, Missouri, His tombstone gives hisbirth date as September 6, 1839; he died on February 20, 1905. He wasmarried to Chloe A. Calhoun on December 22, 1865. She was born,according to her tombstone beside her husband?s, on May 3, 1845, anddied on June 15, 1902. A correspondent whose father kept a scrapbookof obituaries from Scotland County newspapers, has copied thefollowing obituary of John Thomson Sparks for us:

"Another one of Scotland County ?a best citizens passed away at hishome just west of
Granger, Feb. 20, 1905. John T, Sparks was born in Lewis County,Kentucky, Sept, 6, 1839,
moved to Missouri in October 1853, where he resided until his death.He was united in
marriage to Chloe A, Calhoun Dec. 22, 1865. Two children were born tothem, Bertie and
Lutie, who were with him in his last hours. He leaves besides twochildren to mourn his death
two grandchildren, one brother and four sisters and a host ofrelatives and friends. He was a
good man, honored, loved and respected by all who knew him. In 1899,in October, he had a
stroke of paralysis from which he never recovered. For years he hasbeen an earnest
Christian and a devoted member of the Christian Church.

SQ p. 1319:
"John Thornton Sparks, born about 1809; he was married to ElizabethLauntz in Lewis County, Kentucky, on April 1, 1830. On the marriagebond that was dated March 7, 1830, John Sparks was identified as over21 years of age and consent for the marriage of Elizabeth was given byCurtis Launtz. John Thornton Sparks was sometimes listed in officialrecords as John Sparks and sometimes as Thornton Sparks. He died as arelatively young man in 1848 in Lewis County. Earlier, in 1834, hehad signed the marriage bond of his sister, Cytha Ann Sparks, when shemarried Jesse Nash. One of his nephews remembers him as "Uncle JohnThornton"; this man also recalled an "Uncle William" Sparks and anaunt who married a Scott. Elizabeth (Launtz) Sparks was born about1805 in Maryland; she was a daughter of Curtis Launtz and was livingwith her daughter, Nancy Sarah (Sparks) Guthrie in Lewis County in1880." (here names their children for which see their individualsheets.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1973, Whole No. 82, pg 1567:
John W. Sparks, son of Norval and Jane (Johnston) Sparks, was born in1840 according to the HISTORY OF DEARBORN, OHIO, AND SWITZERLANDCOUNTIES, INDIANA. He was educated in the public schools and wastrained in the mercantile business under the tutelage of his father.In 1862, he entered military service in the Quartermaster Departmentof the Union Army. After participating in the siege of Vicksburg, hereturned home and entered the grocery business at Lawrenceburgh, abusiness in which he was still engaged when the above history waspublished in 1885. On July 13, 1901, he signed a statement supportingthe application of his brother David's widow for a pension.

See the 1900 census for Carroll County, GA, vol 9, e.d. 7, sheet 31,line 5, where John W. Sparks, age 30, born in GA is listed with hiswife Ida, age 27, born in GA, and daughters Gracie, age 8, andKathleen, age 3, along with mother-in-law, Amanda Williams, born May1857, age 49, born in GA; brother-in-law, James D. Williams, born inGA in January 1875, age 25,; and nephew, Edward L. Lassiter, age 18,born April 1882, in GA.

See SQ p4853:
"John Wesley ["Little Wes"] Sparks was born posthumously on October25, 1878. He was married to Lucinda Jane Ramey in 1898 in LawrenceCounty. She had been born in April 1879 and was a daughter of DanielRamey. She and "Little Wes" lived on Wallowhole Creek. They wereburied in unmarked graves in the Little Wes Sparks Cemetery locatedeast of Wallowhole Road. According to relatives and census records,they had seven children. They were: Charles Sparks, Alice Sparks,Buddle Sparks, Eva Sparks, Daniel Sparks, Mary Sparks, and MaySparks."

On January 8, 1999, I received an email from Robert E. Polley(repolley@juno.com) which stated in part "My closest Sparks relativesare first cousins, my mother's sister Ruth Steele, m. Russell LeonardSparks. They had seven children. Russell was the son of John Wesley"Little Wes" and Lucinda Jane Ramey Sparks.
His address is 258 David Ave, Lehigh Acres, FL 33972.