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 in BlackOak Cemetery near Memphis, Missouri, His tombstone gives his birth dateas September 6, 1839; he died on February 20, 1905. He was married toChloe A. Calhoun on December 22, 1865. She was born, according to hertombstone beside her husband’s, on May 3, 1845, and died on June 15,1902. A correspondent whose father kept a scrapbook of obituaries fromScotland County newspapers, has copied the following obituary of JohnThomson 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 bornto them, 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. In1899, 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 marriage bondthat was dated March 7, 1830, John Sparks was identified as over 21 yearsof age and consent for the marriage of Elizabeth was given by CurtisLauntz. John Thornton Sparks was sometimes listed in official records asJohn Sparks and sometimes as Thornton Sparks. He died as a relativelyyoung man in 1848 in Lewis County. Earlier, in 1834, he had signed themarriage bond of his sister, Cytha Ann Sparks, when she married JesseNash. One of his nephews remembers him as "Uncle John Thornton"; thisman also recalled an "Uncle William" Sparks and an aunt who married aScott. Elizabeth (Launtz) Sparks was born about 1805 in Maryland; shewas a daughter of Curtis Launtz and was living with her daughter, NancySarah (Sparks) Guthrie in Lewis County in 1880." (here names theirchildren for which see their individual sheets.)

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 was trainedin the mercantile business under the tutelage of his father. In 1862, heentered military service in the Quartermaster Department of the UnionArmy. After participating in the siege of Vicksburg, he returned homeand entered the grocery business at Lawrenceburgh, a business in which hewas still engaged when the above history was published in 1885. On July13, 1901, he signed a statement supporting the application of his brotherDavid'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 his wifeIda, age 27, born in GA, and daughters Gracie, age 8, and Kathleen, age3, along with mother-in-law, Amanda Williams, born May 1857, age 49, bornin GA; brother-in-law, James D. Williams, born in GA in January 1875, age25,; 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 were buriedin unmarked graves in the Little Wes Sparks Cemetery located east ofWallowhole Road. According to relatives and census records, they hadseven children. They were: Charles Sparks, Alice Sparks, Buddle Sparks,Eva Sparks, Daniel Sparks, Mary Sparks, and May Sparks."

On January 8, 1999, I received an email from Robert E. Polley(repolley@@juno.com) which stated in part "My closest Sparks relatives arefirst 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.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriage informationfrom Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822- 1865):
Wesley Sparks & Nancy Keesee, June 19, 1835. (Book I, p. 121)

US Census, 1870, Elliott County, KY:
Wesley Sparks 63, b. NC; Nancy, 50, b. KY, William, 16; Hugh, 14 ;Ruanna, 11; Wesley, 7; Reuben, 2.

SQ p 4851:
"Wesley Sparks, son of Robert and Margaret (Pigg) Sparks, was bornabout 1806 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. His full name was JohnWesley Sparks, but he was usually called Wesley or "Wes." He was probablyabout ten years old when his father died. He grew to manhood in NorthCarolina, and about 1825 he brought his mother and siblings to LawrenceCounty where he joined his uncles, Levi Sparks and George Sparks. He wasshown as head of his household when the 1830 census was taken of LawrenceCounty.

"Wesley Sparks paid taxes in Lawrence County for the first time in1831. He was married there to Nancy Kozee on August 22, 1835. Hisbrother, Reuben Sparks had been his bondsman for the marriage licensedated June 7, 1835. Nancy had been born about 1819 in Kentucky and was adaughter of Elias Kozee. She and Wes went to housekeeping on WallowholeCreek, and it was there, on October 1, 1846, that he was issued aLawrence County land warrant for 100 acres of land. (Kentucky countieswere given permission in 1835 to claim and to dispose of vacant landwithin their boundaries.) When the 1850 census was taken of LawrenceCounty, Wes and Nancy were shown with five children. Their nearestneighbor was Wes's uncle, George Sparks.

"Wes Sparks was still living in Lawrence County when the 1860 censuswas taken. Shortly thereafter, his son, Martin Sparks, was enrolled inthe 5th Regiment Kentucky Infantry, Confederate States Army. Wes's son,Richmond, joined Union forces in 1864. Wesley was issued two moreLawrence County land warrants on May 15, 1865, for tracts on WallowholeCreek consisting of 380 and 275 acres. In 1869, the portion of LawrenceCounty where he lived became a part of a newly-formed county namedElliott County. When the 1870 census was taken of Elliott County, Wesand Nancy were living near Culver, Kentucky, with their two youngestsons. (JS Note: The 1870 US Census for the North Fork of the SandyRiver in Elliott County shows Wes and Nancy (63 and 50 respectively)living with William, 16; Hugh, 14; Ruanna, 11; Wesley, 7, and Reuben, 2.)

"Nancy (Kozee) Sparks was not enumerated on the 1880 census of ElliottCounty; she had probably died by then. Wesley Sparks, age 74, was stillliving near Culver, with his two youngest sons, John Wesley Sparks andReuben Sparks. We have found no record of his death, nor the place wherehe was buried. He and Nancy had twelve children.

"(Article continues with information about children for which see theirfamily pages.)

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriage informationfrom Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822- 1865)
John W. Sparks & Almeda Green, December 21, 1845. (Book II, p. 133)Married by Elder Rufus Humphrey.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1996, Whole No. 176, pp 4720-22:

"GEORGE G. SPARKS (1796-1879),continued:

"John Wesley Sparks, son of George G. and Nancy (Short) Sparks, wasborn on November 5, 1823, in Lawrence County, Kentucky; he wasundoubtedly named for his paternal grandfather. He grew to manhood inLawrence County, and It was there that he was married to Almeda Green onDecember 21, 1845, by Rufus Humphrey, an elder in the Baptist Church.Almeda had been born on March 13, 1826, in Virginia, and was a daughterof James and Dulcena (Stallard) Green, natives of Virginia.

"John Sparks was said to have been a strong man with a short temper.The story has been handed down that he subdued a cantankerous horse bystriking it between the eyes with his fist and knocking it to theground. He was about six feet tall and weighed about 170 pounds. He hadblue eyes, dark hair, and a dark complexion. He was a member of theBaptist Church and a member of the Masonic Order.

"John and Almeda lived on Big Sinking Creek, a stream that flows fromwest to east in north-central Elliott County. He was a collier andworked at providing charcoal to make iron in one of several blastfurnaces in Carter County. He and Almeda had seven children when theCivil War broke out in the fall of 1861.

"In October 1861, John and his brother, Hugh Sparks, rode toPrestonsburg, Kentucky, where they enlisted in the 5th Regiment KentuckyInfantry, Confederate States Army, under the command of General HumphreyMarshall. John was mustered into Company C on October 28, 1861, probablyas a lieutenant.

"The Civil War activities of John W. Sparks are reflected in the illfortunes of the Confederate forces in eastern Kentucky. Probably thelargest engagement between Union and Confederate forces In that sectionof Kentucky was at Middle Creek near Prestonsburg on July 10, 1862, whichresulted in no decisive victory for either side; however, theConfederates, under General Humphrey Marshall, withdrew to Abington,Virginia. The Union general, James A. Garfield, followed them toPikeville, Kentucky, and then stopped.

"John Sparks was a part of the withdrawal to Virginia and received thepay of a first lieutenant ($90.00 per month) from January to July 1862.He was with his unit when it re-entered Kentucky in August 1862 as partof a major attempt to strike through to central Kentucky and join thearmy of General Bragg in the Bluegrass. The unplanned Battle ofPerryville on October 8, 1862, doomed this attempt, and again GeneralMarshall withdrew his troops to Virginia.

"Although the military records of John W. Sparks are scant and offerno direct proof, he apparently did not accompany his unit back toVirginia. This may have been because of the expiration of his term ofenlistment or, what is more likely, he was offered a post in a "new"military organization to be known as "Partisan Rangers." The objectiveof this unit was to harass the Federal troops by "procuring" horses andsupplies from them and then scattering in all directions to confuse thefoe. The new unit was Fields Partisan Rangers and was under the commandof Captain William J. Fields. It was also designated the 10th RegimentKentucky Infantry, C. S. A.

"This method of "procuring" horses was made a matter of record by aGrand Jury of the Carter County [Kentucky] Circuit Court, as follows:

Commonwealth of Kentucky against Preston Fields, Matthew Combs,Daniel Combs, Azel Lyon, H. Pennington, Hugh Sparks, Frank Thompson,William Thompson, John Sparks, Richard Gilliam and Elijah Jackson.

"The Grand Jury of Carter County in the name and by the authorityof the Commonwealth of Kentucky accuse (the above) of the offense ofhorse-stealing committed as follows: The said men on the lst day of April1863 in the county and circuit aforesaid did willfully and feloniouslytake, steal and run off with a certain horse, the personal property of H.Easterling of the value of more than four dollars, against the peace anddignity of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
[signed] E. P. Davis, Clk. Cir.
"The men were never brought to trial, of course.

"John Sparks was in command of a small cavalry force of "Rangers" nearGrayson in Carter County on May 9, 1863, when it collided with a squad ofUnion cavalry. The Confederate unit was badly trounced. Sparks's rolein this skirmish is not known, but shortly afterwards he wrote thefollowing letter:

"Camp Lebanon, Virginia. June 5, 1863.

"To the Hon. S. Cooper, Adj. Genl. Dear Sir: existingcircumstances Renders it necessary that I feel it to be my duty to resignthe Position which I hold as first lieut. in Capt. William J. FieldsCompany of Partisan Rangers. I do so not with the intention of leavingthe Service but to change from branch of the Service to another. ITherefore hope that you will accept my resignation for the Reasons beforementioned. I therefore with much respect remain your obedient Servant,etc.
[signed] John W. Sparks, lst Lieut.

"Captain Fields forwarded Sparks's letter of resignation with thefollowing endorsement:

"Near Lebanon. June 5th 1863. Approved. Respectfully forwardedwith the recommendation that the resignation of Lt. Sparks be accepted ashe is incompetent for the position he holds.

[signed] W. J. Fields, Capt. Com. Co.

"The resignation of John W. Sparks was accepted on June 6, 1863, byBrig. General W. Preston, at Headquarters, Preston's Brigade, Abington,Virginia, and Sparks returned to Kentucky. There, on October 16, 1863,he was captured in Magoffin County by Union troops. He was sent as aprisoner-of- war to Camp Chase, Ohio, where he was imprisoned untilNovember 14, 1863, when he was sent to Johnson's Island, Ohio. Heremained a prisoner until May 16, 1865, when he was released after takingthe Oath of Amnesty.

"A military record, written at Johnson's Island on April 24, 1865, isquite revealing, not only as to the personal feelings of John W. Sparks,but also it shows the feelings of these war-torn times. Here it is inits entirety:

"John W. Sparks, lst Lt. 10th Regt. Ky. Cav., appears on a Roll ofPrisoners of War at Johnson's Island, Ohio, Applicants for the Oath ofAmnesty. Roll dated: Office Supt. Pris. Rolls & Corresp. Johnson'sIsland, Ohio, April 24, 1865. Captured Magoffin Co., Ky., Oct. 16,1863. Remarks: "Is a native of Kentucky. Occupation: before the war acollier; entered the Rebel service in Oct. 1861 as a private in the 5thRegt. Ky. Infty; Served as such for one year; was then transferred tothe 10th Regt. Ky. Cav., and in Dec. 1862 was elected lst Lieut. of Co.A of that Regt; entered the Rebel service under the influence of thestrong excitement in his part of the state, but is not a secessionist andnever voted as such; became convinced that he was wrong, and resigned andleft the Rebel service on the 5th day of July 1863; returned home andwhile making arrangements to give bond and take the oath of allegiance,was arrested and sent to this depot. Has no sympathy with the Rebellionwhatever; desires to return to his allegiance, and live hereafter as atrue and loyal citizen of the Unites States; does not wish to beexchanged under any circumstances."

"John Wesley Sparks returned to his family in Carter County, Kentucky.(Elliott County was not formed until 1869, a political move to separatethe strong Democratic faction in southern Carter County from the equallystrong Republican faction in northern Carter County.) He and Almeda hadtwo more children. For the rest of his life, he was called "Capt." JohnSparks. He died on November 17, 1895, and Almeda died on May 1, 1900.They were buried in the Lawson-Sparks Cemetery. They had nine children."

SQ pg 2621:

"John Wesley Sparks (he was known as Wesley Sparks), son of Joseph andSarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born on August 16, 1843; he died on July 17,1917, in Long Beach, California. He became an attorney and practiced lawwith his twin brother, Thomas J. Sparks. He was married on December 31,1868, toSusan M. Ross, who was born on August 13, 1842. She died onNovember 4, 1922, in Long Beach. Both were buried in Inglewood Cemetery.They apparently had no children, but adopted Wesley's niece, SusanForbes, after the death of her mother."

See Sparks Quarterly, March 1996, Whole No. 173, p. 4593:

"John Wesley Sparks was born on November 3, 1860; he died in 1947 .He was married to Rosy Pennington and lived in the northwest part ofWhite County, Tennessee. Their children were named Mae, Lula, Luther,Lee, Claude, George, Dora, Daisy and Jewell."

SQ 3872:

John Wilbur Sparks, son of Thomas and Catherine (Jayne ) Sparks, was bornon March 18, 1846, in Johnson County, Kentucky. He was married to NancyJane Jackson on June 5, 1870, in Boyd County. She had been born on April7, 1847, and was a daughter of (---) and Elizabeth (Thompson) Jackson.According to a descendant, John Wilbur and his brother Henry, bought 400acres of timberland in Lewis County and moved there about 1870. NancyJane died there on March 31, 1905; John Wilbur died sometime after 1900.They had six children.

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

ADDITIONAL SPARKS MARRIAGES IN KENTUCKY, continued:

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

Copied by Paul E. Sparks

John Sparks and Nancy Jane Jackson, Jane 5, 1870. (Book 3a, page (420)He single, age 23, born Johnson County, Ky., father born in NorthCarolina. She single, age 27, born Russell County, Virginia, father bornin Virginia.

SQ p. 2026:
DEATH TAKES JOHN WILL SPARKS

"Once again it becomes our duty to record the death of another chartermember of the Sparks Family Association. John Will Sparks of CarterCounty, Kentucky, passed away on June 25, 1978. He was born in ElliottCounty, Kentucky, on October 13, 1896, a son of Ashby and Amanda (Mauk)Sparks and a grandson of Levi and Nancy (Lawson) Sparks. (See page 102of the December 1955 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 12, for additionalinformation about his lineage.) He was a member of the Regular BaptistChurch. He never married."

SQ p. 4745:

"John Will Sparks was born on October 13, 1896. He was a farmer. Hewas never married. He died on June 25, 1978. (See p.2026 of theSeptember 1978 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 103, for his obituary.)"

SQ p. 4733:

"...John and Anna Margaret lived at Harveytown, Kentucky, where theyreared a large family. John died there on July 4, 1949, and was buriedin the Riverside Cemetery at Walkertown, Kentucky..."

SQ 2962 states: "Jonah Sparks (sometimes written as Jonas), son ofSolomon and Rachel Sparks, was born in Pennsylvania about 1793. Heappeared on the 1830 and 1840 census of Bedford County as head of hishousehold. According to the enumeration of his family on these censuses,it seems apparent that he had married about 1818 and that he had twochildren, a son born before 1825, and a daughter born between 1820 and1825. According to information furnished by a relative, he "went toIllinois." We have found no further record of him in Bedford County."

"Jonah Sparks may have been the JohnSparks (born ca.1795 inPennsylvania) who was listed on the 1850 and 1860 censuses of Rock IslandCounty, Illinois. With him were his wife, Elizabeth (born ca.1800 inPennsylvania) and a son named Jonas Sparks (born ca.1819 inPennsylvania). This Jonas Sparks married Margaret Kirk on January 25,1857, in Hancock County, Illinois. She was born about 1826 in Tennesseeand was a daughter of Armstrong and Mary (Bolinger) Kirk. She and Jonashad four children: James M., John B., Charles W., and J. A. ["Albert"].

"Jonah Sparks apparently had died before the estate of his brother,Abraham Sparks, was finally settled. On November 23, 1866, a notationwas made on the settlement record, 'by cash, Hannah Bogges Ex JonasSparks, $55.84.11.' Perhaps Hannah Bogges was a granddaughter."

See MARYLAND MARRIAGES 1634-1777, Compiled by Robert Barnes, Baltimore,
1987, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. p. 168:
"Sparks, Jonas, 4 Aug. 1731, Mary Sinnot (sic)" citing 1 QA-38. Thecitation refers to the records of St. Luke's Parish, p. 38, Queen Annes
County, MD. These records were copied in 1904/5 at the MarylandHistorical Society.

SQ 3230: "Married Mary Sinnott 4 Aug 1731. Children Jemima, Lambert,Mary Ann, others?"

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1992, Whole No. 160, pg 4036-4040:
Jonas Sparks, probable son of George and Mary ( ----- ) Sparks, wasborn about 1706. He was married to Mary Sinnott on August 4, 1731, inQueen Annes County as recorded in the register of St. Lukes Parish. Hewas listed on the Oath of Fidelity roll taken in 1778 in Queen AnnesCounty, and also on the tax list of 1783. He apparently died prior to1790. According to the register of St. Lukes Parish, he and Mary had atleast three children.
a. Lambert Sparks, son of Jonas and Mary (Sinnott) Sparks, was bornon January 7, 173-. (The fourth digit is illegible, but we judge it tohave been the numeral "3.") He was married to Deborah Wiggins about1755. She may have been a daughter of Charles Wiggins of Kent County,Maryland, who died in 1797 and named in his will, Deborah, wife ofLambert Sparks.
b. Mary Ann Sparks, daughter of Jonas and Mary (Sinnott) Sparks,was born on March 2, 1739.
c. Jemima Sparks, daughter of Jonas and Mary (Sinnott) Sparks, wasborn on November 10, 1741.
(Article ends on page 4043.)

See the cover of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1993, Whole No. 163,for a picture of a monument at Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky, honoringsome 750 persons for helping with the establishment of the fort,including Jonas Sparks.

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1964, Whole No. 45 , pg 790:

JONAS SPARKS (DIED 1805) OF ROWAN COUNTY, NORTHCAROLINA AND HIS DESCENDANTS

"Jonas Sparks was a resident of Rowan County, North Carolina, fromabout 1760 until his death in 1805. He lived in that portion of RowanCounty that became Davie County in 1836, often referred to in earlyrecords as "the forks of the Yadkin," about ten miles from Salisbury.Jonas Sparks was, in all probablility, closely related to Solomon Sparks" [JS: His brother (356)], "Matthew Sparks" [JS: His first cousin onceremoved (256)], "and William Sample Sparks" [JS: His first cousin (201)]"who moved from Frederick County, Maryland, to Rowan County, NorthCarolina, in the late 1750's and early 1760's...."

"Our earliest record of Jonas Sparks in Rowan County is the tax listof 1761 - - in Caleb Osborn's District the name of Jonas Sparks appearsalong with that of Matthew Sparks and Solomon Sparks.

"The earliest record of Jonas Sparks acquiring land in Rowan County isa deed dated January 1, 1763, by which he purchased for 20 pounds a tractof 130 3/4 acres from Solomon Sparks. (See Rowan County Deed Book 5, p.275.) This was the lower portion of a 290 acre tract of "vacant land"which Solomon Sparks had purchased on August 28, 1762, from the RightHonorable John Earl Granville. (Rowan County Deed Book 5, p. 228) Thisland was located, according to the description in the deeds, on the southside of the Yadkin River just opposite the point at which Muddy Creekflows into the Yadkin. On the same date, Solomon Sparks sold thisportion of his tract to Jonas Sparks, he sold the remaining 159 1/4 acresto Valentine Vanhouser. In 1761, Solomon Sparks had purchased a tract of250 acres on the south side of the Yadkin (Rowan County Deed Book 4, p.389) immediately below the mouth of Muddy Creek, and it was on this tractthat Solomon lived for a number of years before moving to what is nowYadkin County, then a part of Surry County, North Carolina. Thus, Jonasand Solomon lived on adjoining land for several years after 1763.

"In 1764, Jonas Sparks served on a jury in Rowan County, as did alsoSolomon Sparks and William Sample Sparks.

"Whether Jonas Sparks was married when he came to North Carolina , wehave not been able to determine, nor do we know the date of birth of hiseldest child. We know that his daughter Elizabeth was born in 1765. Itis possible that she was the oldest of his children. No record of thename of the wife of Jonas Sparks has been found. He married a secondtime in 1786, but it was his unknown first wife who was the mother of hischildren.

"A few years before the Sparkses moved from Maryland to NorthCarolina, a family that was later to become famous in American historyhad settled along the Yadkin River. This was the Boone family, SquireBoone, father of Daniel, having moved there with his family fromPennsylvania in May, 1750. another prominent family that had preceededthe Sparkses to the Yadkin River was that of Morgan Bryan who had movedthere from Virginia in 1748. (Daniel Boone, the famous frontiersman,married Rebecca Bryan, daughter of Joseph Bryan, in 1755.) [Note: Thisarticle originally stated that Rebecca was the daughter of Morgan Bryanbut this error was corrected on p. 3885.]

"These three families, the Boones, the Bryans, and the Sparkses,became close friends, and on September 25, 1773, members of all three ofthese families set out to find a new home in the wilderness of what isnow Kentucky. Daniel Boone had spent two years exploring (from May,1769, to March, 1771) and, according to his autobiography which he wrotewith the aid of John Filson in 1784, when he returned home he was"determined to bring them [his family] as soon as possible at the risk ofmy life and fortune, to reside in Kentucke, which I esteemed a secondparadise. " He then relates that he sold his farm on the Yadkin "andwhat goods we could not carry with us; and on the 25th of September,1773, we bade farewell to our friends and proceeded on our journey toKentucke, in company with five more families." The other five familieswere those of his brother Squire Boone, Jr., James Bryan, Morgan Bryan,Jr., and William Bryan , all brothers, and Jonas Sparks. Each of thesemen was accompanied by his wife and several children, some of whom wereapproaching maturity. According to Dr. J. D. Bryan, whose article onthis migration was reprinted in the QUARTERLY of September, 1953 (Vol. I,NO. 3, pp. 13-16) [and copied below], enough of the sons were old enoughto carry rifles so that there was a total of twenty armed men. The pathfollowed by this emigration party has become known in American History asthe Wilderness Trail.

"When they reached Powell's Valley, which is located near the presentborder between Western Virginia and Tennessee, they were joined by fiveother families, including forty well-armed men....... (A description ofthe trip from Dr. Bryan's article appears reproduced in its entiretybelow).

(Continuing from page 792 of the QUARTERLY:) "An Indian war nowbroke out, known as Lord Dunmore's War, and the emigrants remained intheir settlement on the Clinch River for two years. During this timeDaniel Boone served the government of Virginia in various ways, includingthe building of a fort on the Kentucky River which was calledBoonesborough. Finally, on June 14, 1775, he returned to his family andled those who wished to continue to Kentucky to the new fort.

"Jonas Sparks did not remain in Kentucky, but sometime prior to 1778he returned with his family to their old home on the Yadkin. Severalmembers of the Bryan family also returned to Rowan County. In 1778 ,Jonas Sparks was taxed in Rowan County on property valued at 4 pounds 3shillings and 6 pence. He moved back on the farm that he had purchasedoriginally from Solomon Sparks and did not acquire additional land for anumber of years. In 1784, for example, he was taxed 17 shillings on thisfarm of slightly over 130 acres.

"Sometime prior to 1786, Jonas Sparks's first wife died. Possibly shedied in Kentucky before the family returned to North Carolina. OnSeptember 5, 1786, Jonas Sparks obtained a marriage bond in Rowan Count yto marry Mary Eakle. The bond was signed by Peter Little, while HughMagoune signed as witness. Mary Eakle had been twice a widow when shemarried Jonas Sparks. Her first husband, whom she married about 1751,was Ca pt. Daniel Little (born in 1731, died December 10, 1775), who wasa prominent citizen of Salisbury in Rowan County. (He held numerous highoffices in Salisbury: Constable, Jailer, Commissioner, High Sheriff,Justice of the Peace and Captain of the Militia.) Daniel and Mary Littlehad seven children: Peter, Daniel Jr., John, Henry, James, Lewis, andMary. I n 1779, Mary, widow of Daniel Little, married as her secondhusband, Jacob Eakle (also spelled Eckle); the Rowan County marriage bondwas dated January 5, 1779, and Mary's name appeared as Anne Mary Little;the bondsman was John Lewis Beard, while the witness was William R.Davie. Jacob Eakle (or Eckle) died, date not known, and Jonas Sparksbecame Mary's third husband.

"According to a tradition among the descendants of Jonas Sparks' s sonDavid, this second wife was a "Dutch woman," (that is German), and David, who would have been about eighteen years old at the time, stronglyobjected to his father marrying her. Later, however, David married the"Dutch woman's" pretty daughter, whose name was Mary. A descendant whocould remember Mary recalled many years ago that she had a Germanaccent. Daniel little is said to have come to Rowan County fromPennsylvania about 1750. Without doubt, both he and Mary, he wife, werePennsylvania Dutch.

"On May 3, 1788, Jonas Sparks again purchased land from SolomonSparks, who had moved by this time to Surry County, North Carolina (thatpart which became Yadkin County). On this date, for 150 pounds, Solomondeeded to Jonas 82 1/2 acres on the south side of the Yadkin Riveropposite the mouth of Muddy Creek, just below and adjoining his earlierpurchase from Solomon. This was a portion of the tract of 250 acrespurchased by Solomon i n 1761. The deed (see Rowan County Deed Book 11,p. 436) was signed by mark b y Solomon and his wife, Sarah, and waswitnessed by two of Solomon's son s (Solomon Sparks, Jr., and JosephSparks) and by Jonas's son, David. One year earlier, Solomon and Sarahhad sold the lower portion of this tract , comprising some 160 acres, toZephemiah Harris (Rowan County Deed Book 1 1, p. 271). Alson in 1788,Jonas Sparks purchased from James Lindsey for 80 pounds a tract of 330acres "in the Forks of the Yadkin" (Rowan Count y Deed Book 11, p. 630),and the following year sold to Roland Jones for 3 5 pounds a portion ofthis land comprising 111 acres (Rowan County Deed Book 1 1, p. 747). OnOctober 29, 1789, Jonas Sparks sold to his son William Sparks, for 40pounds, the tract of 82 1/2 acres on the Yadkin River that he had boughtfrom Solomon Sparks in 1788. (See Rowan County Deed Book 11 , p. 835.)

"The 1790 census of Rowan County, North Carolina, lists three Sparksesliving in the Salisbury District as follows:
Jonas Sparks: 2 males over 16, 3 males under 16, 3 females;
David Sparks: 1 male over 16, 2 males under 16, 1 female;
William Sparks: 1 male over 16, 2 males under 16, 3 females.

"The extra male over 16 years of age living with Jonas Sparks was hisson Jonas, Jr., who did not marry until 1796. Perhaps the three malesunder 16 were his wife's children by one of her previous marriages, sinceJonas's will makes it clear he had only three sons. David and Williamwere his other two sons, both of whom had married and had children priorto 1790.

"On August 17, 1804, Jonas Sparks sold to Lewis Little, his step-son,a tract of 100 acres for 100 pounds (Rowan County Deed Book 19, p. 194). Then on May 3, 1805, just a few days before writing his will, JonasSparks sold 120 3/4 additional acres of his land on the Yadkin River tohis son W illiam for 600 pounds.

"On May 11, 1805, Jonas Sparks made his will. He described himself as"very weak in body' and he apparently died soon afterward. He signedwith his mark, probably because of his illness. It reads as follows:(See Rowan County 'Will Book D, p. 50.)

In the name of God, Amen, the llth of May 1805. I Jonas Sparks, ofRowan being very weak in body but of perfect mind and memory, thanx be toGod for it, therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body andknowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordainthis my last will and testament, that is to say principally and first ofall I give & recommend my soul unto the hands of God who gave it & for mybody I recomend it to the earth to be buried in a descent and Christianlike maner at the discretion of my executors nothing doubting, but at thegeneral resurrection, I shall receive the same again, by the mighty powerof God and as touching such worldly estate, where with it had pleased Godto bless me with in this ''life, I give, devise and dispose in thefollowing manner and form -
I give & bequeath unto my well beloved wife Mary Sparks, thedwelling house where I now live and a sufficient maintenance of theplantation during widowhood or lifetime, one desk, a bay mare & sixpewter plates & two pewter basons one flax wheel, one bottle, onepot, one old small pot, one looking glass, one coffee mill, one cornercuberd, one grddel, pare of dogs, one old coper kettel, one stillard.
I give & bequeath unto my son Jonas Sparks, junr., deceased widow, Anna Sparks during her widowhood the land & plantation where she nowlives.
Item I give & bequeath unto my grand son Joseph Sparks, son ofJonas Sparks, Jun. & his heirsJonas Sparks Junr dec: Widow Anna Sparksduring her widowhood the land & plantation where she now lives.
Item I give & bequeath unto my grand son Jsseph Sparks son ofJonas Sparks Jun: & his heirs forever all the land & plantation andpremisses with all the pertanning their unto where I now live.
Item I give & bequeath unto my daughter Rachel Griggs one silverdollar & no more
Item I give & bequeath unto my daughter Easter Caton one silverDollar & no more
Item I give & bequeath unto my daughter Elizabeth Bryant one silverdollar & no more
Item I give & bequeath unto my son William Sparks one silver dollar& onehalf of the waggon which we have now in use between us for the useof both the plantation and one third of the fishery.
Item I give & bequeath unto my Son David Sparks one silver dollar &one third of the fishery.
Item I give & bequeath unto my three grand children my son JonasSparks['s] children Elizabeth Sparks, Jamimah Sparks and Joseph Sparks,the balance of all my stock of every kind with the ballance of my household furniture & plantation utintinals to be equeally davided betweenthem three children.

And further I do by this present constitute and appoint my son David Sparks & Josuah Caton my whole & sole executors and administrators &I do utterly disallow, revoke & disanull every other former testaments,wills legacies & executors by me in any way before this time named willed& bequeathed ratify & confirming this & no other to be my last will &testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this day& year above written.his
Jonas X Sparks(Seal)
[Witnesses] mark
Rowland Jones
Jacob Hill

"As was noted earlier, the wife named Mary whom Jonas Sparks named inhis will, was his second wife, and he had no children by her. We mayassume that he named all of his living children in his will, as well ashis deceased son, Jonas, Jr. It is possible, however, that there was adaughter omitted, perhaps because she had died and his wife Mary (whobecame Jonas Sparks's second wife), is known to have married a TabithaSparks. Since there was this family connection and because Jonas Sparkssold land to Lewis Little in 1804, it is possible that Tabitha wasanother daughter to Jonas; perhaps she died prior to 1805."

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1953, Whole No. 3: DANIEL BOONE AND THESPARKS FAMILY, pages 13-16.

"The following account of the BOONES, BRYANS and SPARKS, was writtenby J. D. Bryan whose great-grandfather Bryan's sister, Rebecca was thewife of Daniel Boone. Dr. Bryan read this article before the KentuckyHistorical Society some years before its publication. It was firstprinted in the REGISTER OF THE KENTUCKY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, September1905, Volume 3, Number 9, pages 81-92. Dr. Bryan was described as acareful historian and the Society pointed out that he had made a carefuland exhaustive search for data concerning his own people. Subsequent tothe first publication, the article was reprinted in THE KENTUCKYHISTORICAL SOCIETY MAGAZINE, July 1930, Volume 28, Number 84, pages244-260. In the reprinting, JONAS SPARKS is erroneously called JAMESSPARKS -- a mistake which has set several Sparks family genealogists on afalse trail. Jonas Sparks did not remain in Kentucky, but soon took hisfamily back to Rowan County, North Carolina. Some of the Bryans alsoreturned to North Carolina. In 1786, Rowan County, North Carolina (andnot in Kentucky, as Dr. Bryan states), Henry Bryan, a brother of Dr.Bryan's paternal grandfather, was married to Elizabeth Sparks, daughterof Jonas. They later settled in Missouri....Here follow pertinentexcerpts from Dr. Boone's article:

"Squire Boone, Daniel's father, and his family left Exeter (now BerksCounty, Pennsylvania) on the first day of May, 1750, and moved to NorthCarolina. Squire Boone settled on the Yadkin River at Alleman's Ford,also since called Boone's Ford. This was in the same community whereMorgan Bryan then lived...

"Morgan Bryan, father of James, William and Morgan, Jr., had sold hisinterests in Virginia, and in the fall of 1748 he had moved his family toNorth Carolina and settled in the forks of the Yadkin River, which wasthen in Anson County, but in 1753, Rowan County was set off from Anson,thus they were in Rowan County. Thus we see that Morgan Bryan had beenliving on the Yadkin River when Squire Boone came from Pennsylvania andsettled on the Yadkin River and became a near neighbor to him. HereDaniel Boone and Rebecca Bryan became acquainted and in 1755 weremarried. William Bryan (son of Morgan and uncle of Rebecca) also marriedMary Boone (sister of Daniel) the same year.

"On September 25, 1773, Daniel Boone, Squire Boone (brothers), James(Bryan), Morgan (Bryan) Jr., and William Bryan (brothers), and JonasSparks, all with large families of children, many of said childrenapproaching maturity, started from North Carolina to settle on theKentucky River.

" 'Kaintuckee' is a Shawnee word and signified 'at the head of theriver' it never meant 'dark and bloody ground', as is generally stated.These men with their sons, old enough to be efficient with the rifle,formed quite a respectable force, as they could certainly muster sometwenty rifles. They proceeded without incident worthy of note until theyreached Powell's Valley where they were joined by five other families and'forty well-armed men'.

"Their daily order of march was for the armed men to take the lead,then came the women and children on horseback, then the cattle and youngstock driven by the older boys and young men, who thus brought up therear, and acted as a rear guard. In this order they took their dailymarch, and proceeded without incident worth of note until October 10t h,(1773) when they were crossing Powell's River for the last time, as theyapproached 'Cumberland Gap'. While moving, the cavalcade would stretchout on the road for a mile or so. The armed men had forded the river andwere halted and formed in line to protect the company, expecting attack,if at all, from the front. While the main force were thus on guard,other men were helping the women and children to ford the river. Thetime comsumed in fording the river had brought the rear guard up towithin half a mile or less of the river. While some of the women andchildren were still in the midst of the stream the entire company wasstartled by a sudden and heavy firing in the rear. Some of the armed menhastily mounted and rushed back across the river, and as they got fairlyon the bank, met one of the young men, wounded, dashing up, who reportedthat they had been fired on from ambush. The men soon came upon theIndians, and after a sharp fight drove them off, to find the other sixyoung men dead. All had received fatal wounds at the first fire, showingthe Indians had lain in the thicket at the roadside, and, as the companywas too strong for them, they had allowed the cavalcade to pass by, butwhen the seven young men came up, it was too tempting for Indian enmityto resist. They evidently each picked his man, took deliberate aim, andbut one, sent their bullets but too true, killing outright the six andwounding the seventh.

"Daniel Boone's oldest son, James, was among the slain. Fearing ageneral attack the company at once went into camp and remained under armsthe rest of that day and night. This caused them, after burying th edead, to retreat to the settlements on the Clinch River, Virginia, fortymiles back the road they had come.

"Here they erected cabins for their protection and comfort and wentinto winter quarters to await the following spring to renew theirjourney. The next spring an Indian War broke out known as Dunmore's War.Boone was commissioned Captain in the Virginia militia and placed incommand of three contiguous forts, part of a system of forts from thePotomac to the south line. The emigrants remained in their cabins on theClinch River during the war, which was concluded by the Battle of PointPleasant, October 1774, after which the militia was disbanded. Boonereturned to the camp on the Clinch River. An impetus was now given tothe settlement of Kentucky because of the bounty lands given the soldiersby Virginia.

"Among many others, Colonel Richard Henderson organized a company withthe purpose of purchasing the rights of the Cherokee Indians (whateverthat right might be) to all land bounded by the Ohio, Kentucky, andCumber land Rivers. (Kentucky River was originally called LouisianaRiver.) Because of his influence with the Indians, Captain Boone wasengaged and went with Colonel Henderson to attend a treaty with theCherokees at Fort Wautauga, situated on a branch of the Holston River,March 17, 1775, where the right of the Cherokees to the above statedlands was purchased by this company. Then it was important to takepossession of this territory. Captain Boone was engaged to do this. Heraised a company of well- armed men (nodoubt his own people formed agood part of it) and proceeded to the Kentucky River. They proceededwith such dispatch as to begin April 1st the erection of the 'StockadeFort' which, in honor of Boone, was called 'Boone's Borough', on theKentucky River at the mouth of Otter Creek. The fort was completed the14th of the following June. As soon as the fort was completed, Boonestarted for the Clinch settlement for his family, leaving a small guardin the fort. The old company, William, James , and Morgan Bryan, Jr.,Squire Boone and Jonas Sparks and families -- and now that the danger wastrifling, other families joined the caravan -- in September or October,just two years from their first start, crossed Powell's River and thistime proceeded to the Kentucky River without incident. " "

A HISTORY OF THE DANIEL BOONE NATIONAL FOREST, 1770-1970 by Robert
F. Collins, 1975; 976.9C at page 33:

"Throughout his life Daniel Boone demonstrated a certain quality ofleadership and an adventurous spirit which always attracted followers. Inthis case, it was his wife's relatives, the Bryans, who still lived onthe Yadkin that joined him. In addition, five other families agreed toaccompany him to Kentucky, all agreeing to rendezvous in Powell' s Valleyjust short of Cumberland Gap and to travel to Kentucky together.

"As Boone and his companions well knew, this was a dangerous adventure.
Basically, it was in violation of British policy, as thr Royal Government had forbidden western settlement. The Royal Governors of Virginiaand North Carolina were already concerned at the whole violation of thi sRoyal Edict, and were considering legal measures against the violaters.In addition, no agreement had been reached with the Indians who were sureto object, as Boone's previous experience in Kentucky had demonstrated .The Cherokee nation claimed ownership of that portion of Kentucky wheresettlement was contemplated, and all legal rights supported this claim.With the usual disregard for the niceties of the law, Daniel Boone andhis companions were determined to go ahead. In later years, Daniel Boonetold John Filson, "I returned home to my family with a determination tobring them as soon as possible to live in Kentucky, which I esteemed asecond paradise, at the risk of my life and fortune." On September 25,1773 , the group of settlers started their travel to the land ofKentucky. At that time, the group consisted of six families from theYadkin and an additional 40 men who had joined the party at PowellsValley, which lay approximately 150 miles from their destination inKentucky. In his book, KENTUCKY , Dr. Thomas D. Clark reminds us that inlater years, the folk artist, Caleb Bingham, "Was to portray Daniel Booneas an optimistic frontier Moses, leading his domestic band throughCumberland Gap to the promised land beyond."

" As this caravan got underway, it certainly set the pattern forAmerica's concept of the settlement of the successive frontiers duringthe nex t 100 years. Like nomads, they drove their livestock with them,milk cows , young cattle, and swine, which were to form the nucleus ofthe livestock herds they planned to develop in their new location. Thecountry beyond Cumberland Gap through which this party must travel wassuch as to have discouraged any but truly frontier people. Since therewere no roads, wagons were out of the question. Horses and pack horseswere the only transportation.Those without horses were compelled towalk. Not only were there no roads, but there were no cleared orwell-marked trails. This little column would be compelled to wind in andout among the trees and over rough terrain, following hunter trailswherever these existed and seeking game trails through thick under- brushand cane patches. One can imagine the difficulties of driving cattle andswine on such a trip as this. Add to this the constant danger of Indianattack and we cannot help but wonder, in this modern day, how anyone,much less families, would be induced to undertake such a trip. Truly,the desire for new land and the freedom of a new country must have beenstrong in these people to fortify them against the rigors of the trail,the thrests of Indians, and the work, dangers and privations ofestablishing themselves in a wilderness country.

"As the Boone settlement party left their assembly area in Powell sValley and moved slowly toward Cumberland Gap, no one anticipated Indiantrouble, particularly before passing throught the Gap into Kentucky .Travelers returning from that area had encountered no difficulty with theIndians. They had found both the Shawnees and the Delewares friendlyenough.

"After a few day's travel, Daniel Boone decided that he needed moreflour and farm tools and sent his oldest son, James, back to CaptainWilliam Russell's place to get them. Since the party was still fairlynear the settlements, the boy rode off alone without thought of danger.He contacted Russell, procured the needed supplies and equipment, andstarted back to rejoin the column accompanied by Russell's son, Henry, aboy of about 17, two slaves, and a couple of white workmen. Having failedto catch up with the column at the end of the day, they camped the nightof October 10, 1773, on Walden's Creek at a spot only three miles behindthe main body. Being experienced woodsmen, they spread their blanketsand went to sleep unconcerned by the normal night noises of thewilderness around them. Just before dawn, a party of Indians fired intothem shooting Henry Russell and James Boone through the hips and killingmost of the others. One man of the party escaped to the woods and wasnever seen again, although a skeleton reported to be his was ultimatelyfound some distance from the scene. He had probably died of his woundsalone in the forest. One of the Negro slaves managed to slip into a pileof driftwood by the river where he lay concealed and witnessed thehorrors that followed with abject terror.

"The two boys had been rendered helpless by their wounds and wereunable to move. The Indians proceeded, with great pleasure, to torturethem to death.

"James Boone had immediately recognized one of the Indians, a Shawneeknown as "Big Jim" who had often visited at his father's cabin. Thehidden slave, from his concealment in the pile of driftwood, distinctlyheard James Boone repeatedly beg his father's friend to spare his life.The Indians were intent on torture and were not about to forfeit thepleasure. The hidden slave heard James Boone screaming for mercy timeafter time begging that he be tomahawked at once and allowed to diequickly. Again, the Indians refused and the torture lasted until at lastthe two boys died with their nails torn out, their palms squashed intheir futile efforts to turn the blades of the Indian knives aside withtheir bare hands, and their bodies slashed to ribbons. It had beenpremeditated and prolonged torture of the most painful kind.

"Early the next morning a deserter from the main body, slipping backalong the trail, came upon the scene of the torture just after theIndians left. As he stared speech- less, Captain Russell came up fromthe other direction on his way to join Boone's party. The party withCaptain Russell started immediately to dig graves, sending one man aheadto warn Boone of what had happened and of the presence of Indians.

(This article is continued under the notes for his spouse, ElizabethSparks.)

SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1967, Whole No. 59, 1082-1089 at p. 1086:

DESCENDANTS OF SOLOMON AND SARA SPARKS, OF MARYLAND AND NORTH CAROLINATHROUGH THEIR SON, REUBEN SPARKS (ca. 1755-1840),

"Jonas Sparks, son of Reuben and Cassie (Buttery) Sparks, was bornabout 1794 in Wilkes or Surry County, North Carolina. In 1817 he wasmarried to Mary Brown, a daughter of John Brown of Wilkes County. Themarriage bond is dated September 27, 1817 and John Brown was the bondsman.

"On the cover of this issue of THE QUARTERLY appears a photograph ofMary (Brown) Sparks, wife of Jonas Sparks. It has been provided by MaryEtta Sayers Bostic, a great-great-grandaughter of Jonas and Mary (Brown)Sparks. Mary (Brown) Sparks, daughter of John Brown, was born about1801. It is believed that she was still living as late as 1875; thispicture was probably taken sometime in the 1870's.

"Jonas and Mary (Brown) Sparks were listed as members of the SouthFork of Roaring River Baptist Church in 1829. In 1835, Jonas purchased70 acres of his father's home place in Wilkes County, North Carolina,while his brother William R. Sparks, purchased 100 acres. Earlier, onApril 5, 1821, Jonas Sparks had purchased a tract of 30 acres adjoininghis father's land in Wilkes County from Noel Wadill (Wilkes Deed Book1841-51, page 24); this tract was described as lying on "the East Side ofRoaring River." On Mar 13, 1835, Jonas Sparks purchased for $5.00 atract of twenty-five acres from the State of North Carolina. This tractwas described as follows: "Beginning on his own North west Corner at abunch of kornbeans on the bank of Roaring River and running West CrossingRoaring River with William R. Sparkse line fourteen poles to a Stake thenNorth ninety five poles to a Chestnut and Maple in Browns line then Eastwith sd. line Thirty two poles to a Chestnut then South With Browns lineCrossing the river Sixty poles to a poplar at or near to Browns Cornerthen East with Browns line Thirty five poles to a pine in his own linethen west with sd. line forty six poles to the beginning." ( WilkesCounty Deed Book 1841-51, p. 34). The reference to an adjoining tractbelonging to a man named Brown suggest that Mary Brown may have lived ona farm adjoining the Sparks family.

"In 1848, Jonas Sparks moved with his family to Tazewell County, Virginia, and settled in an area called Baptist Valley. Jonas Sparks isbelived to have died there in 1875.

"Jonas and Mary (Brown) Sparks are believed to have been the parentsof ten children. In John Newton Harman's ANNALS OF TAZEWELL COUNTY,VIRGINIA, published in Richmond in 1925, three of their sons areidentified: Jonas J. Sparks, Joshua W. Sparks, and Joseph Sparks. Fromother records, we believe that we can identify most of the other, but wecan not be certain. ( Here follows information on their children, forwhich see their individual files.)"

SQ 3269: "Jonas Sparks, son of Reuben and Cassie (Buttery) Sparks,was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, on June 2, 1793. It was therethat he married Mary Brown in 1817. (The marriage bond was datedSeptember 27, 1817, and they were doubtless married shortly thereafter.)Mary was born on September 21, 1800, and was a daughter of John Brown.Jonas Sparks died on January 18, 1875, in Tazewell county, Virginia, andMary died there in June 1890. They had nine children. (For furtherinformation about this couple, the reader is referred to the September1967 issue of THE QUARTERLY , Whole No. 59, pp. 1086-88.)

SQ p. 1500:

3. Jonas Sparks, son of John and Katharine (Waddell) Sparks, born about1799; he died in 1855 in Nicholas County, Kentucky. He married ElizabethKnox (called Betsey) in 1821 (Nicholas County marriage bond dated October30, 1821). She was born about 1802, (She may have been a sister ofCatherine Knox who married William Sparks, brother of Jonas.) As noted inthe sketch of William Sparks, Jonas and William owned a number of tractsof land in Nicholas County in partnership. In his will, dated October 26,1855, Jonas Sparks mentioned his wife, Elizabeth, and the following threechildren: John, Samuel, and Margaret Ann.

WILLS OF PERSONS NAMED SPARKS IN NICHOLAS COUNTY, KENTUCKY, 1800-1896

Abstracted by Paul E. Sparks

Book G. Jonas Sparks to wife, Elizabeth, one-third of the land andhousehold goods. To sons, John Sparks and Samuel Sparks, balance ofproperty and land. Sons to pay daughter, Margaret Ann Young, $1500.Signed, 26 October 1855. Witnesses: David Knox and James Huffstetter.Will probated in December term of Court, 1855.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Mar 1964, Whole No. 45, p. 804:

"Jonas Sparks, son of David and Mary Little Sparks, was born about1800 in Rowan County, North Carolina. His name appears on the tax listsof Madison County, Tennessee, of 1827, 1828, and 1829. In 1840 he wasliving in Shelby County, Tennessee, but by 1850 he had moved to TippahCounty, Mississippi, just over the line from Hardeman County, Tennessee,and near his cousin, Ephriam Sparks (786). His age in 1850 was given as49, that of his wife, Rebecca, as 44. Both were born in North Carolina.Their children, as listed on the 1850 census were: (there were probablyothers born after this date but the family had moved from the area ofTippah County by 1860 ) [here lists 6 children]."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1986, Whole No. 135, p. 2944:

"QUERY - FAMILY OF JONAS SPARKS, BORN ABOUT 1800.

"Larose Adams Wynn (1368 Wrenwood, Memphis, TN 38122) would like tocorrespond with descendants of Jonas Sparks, who was born in that part ofRowan County, North Carolina, that was cut off to form Davie County in1836 . He was a son of David and Mary (Little) Sparks. David Sparks wasborn about 1868 in Rowan County and was a son of a Jonas Sparks who diedthere in 1805 . (Article
cites above article pgs. 790-807)

"By 1846, Jonas and Rebecca Sparks were living in Tippah County,Mississippi, with six children. Tippah County adjoins the county ofHardeman in Tennessee on the north. The 1850 census of Tippah County,Mississippi, indicates that Jonas' first four children, born betweenabout 1830 and about 1841, had been born in Tennessee, while the othertwo had been born in Mississippi between about 1846 and 1848. Whetheradditional children were born after 1850 we do not know.

"Jonas Sparks has not been found on the 1860 census of Tippah County,Mississippi, nor anywhere else, although we have only scattered data fromthe 1860 census of the U.S. at this time. Jonas Sparks had apparentlydied prior to 1870, for in that year, his widow, Rebecca, age 60, wasliving in Arkansas County, Arkansas (in Crockett Township). Her nearestpost office was Mt. Adams.

"Based on census records as well as family records for the daughterAmanda and the son Jonas H., we believe that Jonas and Rebecca Sparks hadthe following children born prior to 185O. It is possible that otherswere born after 1850."(For identity and information concerningdescendants, see family pages.)

SQ 3270: "Jonas Sparks was born February 1842 in North Carolina . Hemarried Lucinda "Lucy" Harrison on February 10, 1865, in Tazewell County,Virginia. She was born in January 1849. According to the records of the1880 and 1900 censuses of Tazewell County, Lucy and Jonas had elevenchildren:
(1) Martha b. ca. 1866.
(2) Joseph b. ca. 1868
(3) John b. ca. 1870.
(4) Lydia b. Aug 1871.
(5) Mary B. b. September 1873.
(6) Rachel b. ca. 1875.
(7) Harriet b. March 1877.
(8) Nancy "Nannie" b. June 1878.
(9) Elias b August 1880.
(10) Jonas Jr. b. April 1882.
(11) William b. February 1884."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, pp. 2945-46:

"Jonas Harris Sparks, son of Jonas and Rebecca Sparks, was born onOctober 8, 1840, in Tennessee. He was married on December 23, 1866, inArkansas County, Arkansas, to Olivia Anne Hudson. She had been born onAugust 27, 1850, in Mississippi; she died on October 20 1926, in Celina,Denton County, Texas. They moved from Arkansas to Texas after 1882.Jonas H. Sparks was a farmer, a Baptist, and he served in the Civil Waras a private in Company E, 18th Arkansas Regiment under Colonel H.Crockett. He died in Hunt County, Texas, on January 28 1887; he and hiswife are buried in the McWright Cemetery there. Following her husband'sdeath, Olivia married (2nd) David Jones Hynds in December 1888, and theyhad two daughters, Lucy Lee Hynds, born August 18, 1890, and Winnie DavisHynds, born August 7, 1893. A family record in the handwriting of D. J.Hynds, which has been copied for us by J. C. Perkins of Grand Prarie,Texas, a grandson of David Jones and Olivia Anne (Hudson) Hynds, thechildren of Jonas Harris and Olivia Anne (Hudson) Sparks [her firstmarriage] were born on the dates shown [on their family pages], all atGolden, Arkansas County, Arkansas. The information following these dateshas been provided by Mr. Perkins; his mother was Winnie Davis Hynds."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1967, Whole No.59, page 1088:

Jonas J. Sparks, son of Jonas and Mary (Brown)Sparks, was born in Wilkes County,
N.C., on October 23, 1833, and died in TazewellCo., Va., on November 8, 1911. He was
married on August 19, 1851, to Polly Hankins,daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Mitchell)
Hankins. She was born in Virginia on December 25,1829, and died on February 14,
1904. Jonas J. Sparks served in the ConfederateArmy in the Civil War in Captain Elias
Harman’s Company of Rangers. Jonas J. and Polly(Hankins) Sparks were the parents of
the following children: (1) Joseph A. Sparks,married Hannah Mary Whitt; (2) Mary Sparks,
married the Rev. John Ezra Linkous; (3) Jonas R.Sparks, married Patsy Hankins and
moved to Oklahoma; (4) Robert M. Sparks, marriedMartha Maxwell; (5) Samuel B.
Sparks, married Emma Griffith; and (6) George W.Sparks, born April 27, 1868, married
Mary Elizabeth Virginia Faris.

SQ 3274:

"Jonas J. Sparks, son of William and Cynthia (Hankins) Sparks, wasborn about 1853. He married Ellen Ball about 1873, and they had threechildren when the 1880 census was taken of Tazewell County,
Virginia. There may have been other children born to this couple:

(1) Charlotte Sparks b. ca. 1875
(2) Jonathan Sparks b. ca. 1876
(3) Jonas sparks b. ca. 1879

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1964, Whole No. 45, p. 794:

JONAS SPARKS (DIED 1805]:

"Jonas Sparks, Jr. Although mentioned first in his father's will, it isdoubtful that he was the oldest son. He was married in 1796, so we mayguess that he was born in the early 1770's, perhaps while his family wasseeking a new home in Kentucky, or perhaps he was the baby brother thatElizabeth was carrying on her horse when the Indians attacked [referringto the trip on the Wilderness Trail into Kentucky with Daniel Boone in1773] . It was on October 15, 1796, that Jonas Sparks, Jr., obtained amarriage bond to marry Anna Caton (spelled Anney Katon on the marriagebond). John Hill was his bondsman; the witness was John Rogers. In18O2, Jonas Sparks, Jr., was taxed in Capt. Phillip's District of RowanCounty for 1OO acres of land. Between this date and the making of hisfather's will in May, 18O5, he died. " (Here article lists children andprovides details and issue of each)

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3276: "Jonas R. Sparks was born on July 21, 1856, in Virginia . He
m. Martha "Patsy" Hankins on May 4, 1876, in Tazewell County. She wa sborn
in April 1859 and was a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Quicksall) Hankins.
Jonas Sparks was a minister of the Christian Church. He was listed o nthe
1900 census of Tazewell County, Virginia, but about 1901 he moved t oOkla-
homa and died there in February 1912. He and Patsy had ten children:
(1) James Matthew Sparks b Apr 1879. He m. Mattie Robinson.
(2) Margaret "Maggie" Sparks b. Dec 1880. She m. Charles Johnson.
(3) Elizabeth Olivia Sparks b. Dec 1882. She m. Montgomery Johnson.
(4) Rachel R. Sparks was b. Feb 1885. She m. J. N. Dugger.
(5) Jay Gould Sparks b. Dec 1886. He m. Cora Maude Dorton on Jun e 28,
1908, in Russell Co. VA.
(6) Lucy Violet Sparks was b. in Aug 1888. She m. Thomas Woosley on
March 17, 1913, in Russell Co. VA.
(7) John Robert Sparks b. Apr 1891.
(8) Hattie May Sparks b. Jan 1894.
(9) Ernest J. Sparks b. Mar 1899. He m. Dorothy Robinson.
(10) Wilford Elmore Sparks was b. ca. 1900.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1959, Whole No. 26, p. 386:

"JONATHAN SPARKS. Jonathan Sparks (395), fifth son of Solomon andCharity Sparks, appears to have been living at home and single when hisfather died in 1817, judging from the wording of the nuncupative will. AJonathan Sparks (383) who married Rachel Swaim in November, 1817, inSurry County, North Carolina (marriage bond dated November 26, 1817;William Sparks, bondsman) and was living in Surry County when the 1820census was taken., aged 26 to 45, with his wife who was between 16 and26, with two sons and one daughter under 10. Another Jonathan Sparks waslisted on the 1820 census of Wilkes County, North Carolina, aged 18 to26, with his wife, aged 16 to 18, and one son under 10. This Jonathanmust have married about 1819. These two Jonathan Sparkses were probablyfirst cousins. Which one was the son of Solomon and Charity is difficultto determine, although probably it was the one in Wilkes County. Whatbecame of him is not known--he was not listed on the subsequent WilkesCounty records.
"The Jonathan Sparks who married Rachel Swaim was probably a son ofJohn and Sarah (Shores) Sparks. By 1840 this Jonathan Sparks had movedto Franklin County, Tennessee and was still there in 1850. On the 1850census of Franklin County, a Solomon Sparks, aged 60, with his wifeSusan, aged 48, and family, is listed as living near Jonathan and SarahSparks. This Solomon Sparks was probably also a son of John and Sarah(Shores) Sparks; his children, as listed on the 1850 census were: MaryE., George, John, Hannah, Carroll, Peter, Jane, Alfred, and Lucinda.
"By 1860, Jonathan Sparks had moved from Franklin County, Tennessee,to Dallas County, Arkansas.. and on the census of that year gave his ageas 68 (thus born about 1792). From the census records of 1850 and 1860,it would appear that Jonathan and Rachel (Swaim) Sparks had the followingchildren born between 1828 and 1843: Jacob, Cynthia, Isabella, Jane, JohnC., Edward, and Sarah F. There were doubtless older children who had lefthome by 1850, born between 1817 and 1828."

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See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December, 1970, Whole No. 72, for thearticle titled THE FAMILY OF JONATHAN AND RACHEL (SWAIM) SPARKS OF SURRYCOUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, AND FRANKLIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE pp 1355-1360:

"(Editors Note: Most of the information on Jonathan Sparks and hisfamily has been compiled for us by Mr. J. W. Willis of 521 Talley Road,Chattanooga, Tenn. Mr. Willis has made a hobby of tracing the earlyfamilies of Franklin County, Tennessee. We are very grateful for hisassistance.)

"Jonathan Sparks (383) was born in North Carolina about 1792. Thereseems little doubt that he was a son of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks(see the QUARTERLY of December 1955, Vol. III., No. 4, Whole No. 12, PP.97-104 quoted above). [This assumption is later proven WRONG; see belowarticle from the QUARTERLY of March, 1981, Whole No. 113]. John Sparks,who was born on February 25, 1753, was a son of Solomon and Sarah Sparkswho had moved from Frederick County, Maryland., to Rowan County, NorthCarolina, in 1753. John Sparks had moved with his parents to what is nowWilkes County, North Carolina (then Surry County) about 1772. JohnSparks married Sarah Shores, daughter of Reuben and Susannah Shores inSurry County, North Carolina, about 1777. John Sparks served as asoldier in the Revolutionary War and received a pension for his servicesin later years. He died in Wilkes County, North Carolina., about 1840.

"Our first official record of Jonathan Sparks is his name on the SurryCounty tax list of 1815 when he was taxed in Captain Martinis Districtfor 220 acres valued at $300,, located on Beaver Dam Creek adjoining theland of J. Edwards. He was taxed regularly for this land until 1821,when his name appears on the tax list for the last time. The owners ofland adjoining Jonathan Sparks in 1820 and 1821 were William Rose, JohnRose, Jr., Benjamin Sparks, James Parks, Sr., and John Parks. We havefound no record of Jonathan Sparks either purchasing or selling thistract of land-- perhaps he inherited it.

"Jonathan Sparks was married to Rachel Swaim in Surry County, NorthCarolina, in 1817. The marriage bond was dated November 26, 1817, andWilliam Sparks served as bondsman while James Parks served as witness.The marriage was probably performed a few days after November 26. It isbelieved that Jonathan Sparks had an older brother named William Sparks(see the article cited above., page 101).

"Another Jonathan Sparks (395), this one of Wilkes County, NorthCarolina,, can easily be confused with the subject of this sketch. ThisJonathan of Wilkes County was a son of Solomon Sparks, Jr., and his wifeCharity (see the QUARTERLY of June 1956, Vol. VII, No. 2, Whole No. 262Pp. 381-387). This latter Jonathan was a number of years younger thanthe Jonathan who was a son of John and Sarah Sparks and was unmarried atthe time that his father, Solomon (361), made his will in December 1817.

"Jonathan Sparks, son of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks, was listed onthe 1820 census of Surry County, his age being given as between 26 and45., thus born between 1775 and 1794. His wife's age was given as 16 to26 (born between 1794 and 1804). By 1820 they had had three children,two sons and one daughter.

"Jonathan Sparks was not listed on the 1830 census of Surry County,North Carolina. Apparently he had moved away, perhaps as early as 1821,but his name did not appear on the 1830 census of Franklin County,Tennessee. He was listed there on the 1840 census, however, and from thebirth places of his children in subsequent census records it appears thathe was living somewhere in Tennessee in the late 1820's. "(Explains thatthis Jonathan (383) is not to be confused with Jonathan (395) who was theson of Solomon Jr. (361)."

"Jonathan and Rachel Sparks were still living in 1850; we have nolater record of them. From census records and other research performedby Mr. J. W. Willis, we have been able to assemble the following recordof their children and grandchildren. It is believed that Jonathan andRachel (Swaim) Sparks had ten children. (On page 1356 appearsinformation on their children for which see their family page.)

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SPARKS QUARTERLY December 1974, No. 84, p. 1704: PARENTAGE OF RACHELSWAIM WHO MARRIED JONATHAN SPARKS:
"In the QUARTERLY of December 1970 (Vol. XVIII, No. 4, Whole No. 72,we published (pp. 1355-1361) a record of the family of Jonathan Sparkswho was born about 1792. We believe that Jonathan was a son of John andSarah (Shores) Sparks of Surry County, North Carolina. [WRONG. Seebelow.] Jonathan Sparks was married to Rachel Swaim in Surry County in1817 (marriage bond dated November 26, 1817). The last record that wehave of Jonathan Sparks is the 1840 census, at which time he was livingin Franklin County, Tennessee.
"It is believed that he died there. Mrs. Ted K. Clifton of Fort Wayne, Indiana, believes that Rachael was the Rachel Swaim born August 15,1802, to Quaker parents named Elihu and Sarah (Mills) Swaim. This familycame to Guilford County, North Carolina, about 1773 from Nantucket.There were also other Swaims who moved to Franklin County, Tennessee, asdid Jonathan and Rachel (Swaim) Sparks. Mrs. Clifton's source for thisinformation is the Hinshaw Quaker Records."

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See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1981, Whole No. 113, pp 2270 for anarticle entitled FURTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT THE FAMILY OF JOHN AND SARAH(SHORES) SPARKS:

"Jonathan Sparks. About 1821, a fairly large group of families leftthe Surry-Wilkes Counties area of North Carolina and moved to LawrenceCounty, Kentucky. Among these were the families of George Sparks, LeviSparks, Jesse Sparks, Jonathan Sparks, and Thomas Sparks. George Sparksand Levi Sparks were brothers, sons of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks,and the other Sparkses were cousins of varying degrees of George and Levi.

"On August 21, 1826, Jonathan Sparks (395) appeared before theLawrence County Clerk and gave a power-of-attorney to his brother, GeorgeSparks, to act for him (Jonathan) in Surry County, North Carolina. Forobvious reasons, I have assumed through the years that the George Sparksreferred to in the Powerof-Attorney document was the George Sparks whowas my 2nd-great-grandfather, and thus I have spent many hoursfruitlessly attempting to reconcile my thinking with the census datawhich we had found for John and Sarah. I am now convinced that theGeorge Sparks who was a brother of Jonathan Sparks was not my 2nd-great-grandfather. I am further convinced that the powerof-attorney given byJonathan Sparks was carried to Surry County and was there given to hisbrother, George Sparks. George Sparks then used the document in settlingthe estate of his parents, Solomon and Charity Sparks. (Further detailsof the settlement of their estate can be found on page 385 of the June1959 issue of the QUARTERLY [reproduced above].

"Jonathan Sparks (395), son of Solomon and Charity Sparks, was bornabout 1797 in Wilkes County. He married Elizabeth Chappel, probablyabout 1818. She had witnessed the will of Jonathan's father, SolomonSparks, and had proved the will before the February 1818 term of theWilkes County Court. When the 1820 census was taken of Wilkes County,Jonathan and Elizabeth had one child, a son.

"As stated above, about 1821 Jonathan moved to Lawrence County,Kentucky, where he bought land on Big Blaine Creek in August 1822 andagain in 1826. He sold this land on August 15, 1828, and returned toWilkes County. There, on May 6, 1829, he and his brother, Joseph, actedas security for their brother, Samuel Sparks, who was administering theestate of their parents.

"Jonathan Sparks did not appear on the 1830 census of Wilkes County,nor have we found him on any other 1830 census record. By 1836,according to a descendant, he had moved to Tazewell County, Virginia,where he died in 1846. He left five children, three sons and twodaughters.

"Jonathan Sparks (395), son of Solomon and Charity Sparks, should notbe confused with his cousin, [THIS] Jonathan Sparks, who was probably ason of Joseph Sparks. Joseph Sparks was a son of Solomon and SarahSparks who had moved from Frederick County, Maryland, about 1755-1760 andwho had finally settled in Surry County, North Carolina. JonathanSparks, probable son of Joseph, was born about 1792 in Surry County andit was there that he married Rachel Swaim on November 26, 1817. When the1820 census was taken of that county, they had three children, two sonsand one daughter.

"Jonathan Sparks, probable son of Joseph, paid taxes on 220 acres ofland on Beaverdan Creek in Surry County from 1815 to 1822, but by 1830 hewas in Jackson County, Alabama. Four more children had now been born toJonathan and Rachel, two sons and two daughters. Sometime between 1830and 1840, Jonathan moved to Franklin County, Tennessee where he appearedon the 1840 and 1850 censuses. From census records, it appears that heand Rachel had twelve children, six sons and six daughters. for furtherdetails about this family, see pages 1355-1360 of the December, 1970issue of the QUARTERLY [duplicated above]."

SQ 3060: "Jonathan Sparks, probable son of Joseph Sparks, was bornabout 1792. He appeared on the 1820 census of Surry County, NorthCarolina ; on the 1830 census of Jackson County, Alabama; and on the 1840and 1850 censuses of
Franklin County, Tennessee. (Here article explains earlier confusion withthe children of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks--see brother Solomon's(900) notes for page numbers)." (JS: We are warned that this Jonathanshould not be confused with his cousin Jonathan (395), son of Solomon andCharity Sparks.