SQ 2601 is abstract of James's pension application file. He waskilled as a result of a gunshot wound suffered in the Battle of Kenesa yMountain, GA on June 27, 1864.

The abstract follows:

JAMES SPARKS, son of William and Catherine (Huckley) Sparks, bornabout 1835 in Ohio and died on July 22, 1864. He married Sarah J . Shellon January 27, 1859, in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. He serve d inCompany D, 40th Regiment Indiana Infantry. File Designation: Wid. Cert.No. 42,600; Minor Cert. no. 68,391.

On August 2, 1864, Sarah J. Sparks, age 32, a resident of WabashTownship, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, made application for a pensionunder the 1862 Act of Congress. She stated that she was the widow ofJames Sparks who had been a private in Company D, 40th Regiment IndianaInfantry, under the command of Lieut. --- Coleman. On July 22 , 1864,James Sparks had died at Nashville, Tennessee, from a wound received inthe Battle of Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, on June 27, 1864.

Sarah Sparks stated that she and James Sparks had been married onJanuary 27, 1859, in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and that after his deathshe had remained a widow. She and her husband had one child, a daughter,Olive Celestine Sparks, who had been born on September 8, 1860, and whowas living with her. Levi J. Northcut and Page B . Severson attested tothe application which was notarized by David P . Vinton. The applicationwas accompanied by a copy of the marriage license confirming the marriageon January 27, 1859, of James Sparks and Sarah Jane Shell in TippecanoeCounty by John S. Allen, a justice of the peace.

On March 8, 1865, the Adjutant General's Office confirmed the militaryservice of James Sparks to the Bureau of Pensions. When Sparks enlistedon August 30, 1862, he was 26 years, 11 months of age; he was 5 feet 10inches tall; he had a dark complexion, dark hair and blue eyes. He was abrick mason by occupation. He died in a military hospital in Nashville,Tennessee, on July 22, 1864, from a gun-shot fracture of the inferiormaxillary. The report was made by Lt. Samuel C. Wait. The applicationof Sarah J. Sparks was approved and she was placed on the pension rollsat $8.00 per month to be paid retroactively to July 22, 1864.

On September 2, 1865, Sarah J. Sparks married Robert A. Weathers inTippecanoe County, Indiana. Three weeks later, on September 28, theCommon Pleas Court of Tippecanoe County appointed Page B. Severson theguardian of Olive Celestine Sparks, daughter of James and Sarah J.Sparks. Apparently, Severson then made an application for a pension forhis ward, for on November 10, 1865, Dr. David Jennings, a physician inLafayette, Indiana, made an affidavit that he was present professionallyat the birth of a female child, born to James and Sarah J. Sparks, onSeptermber 8, 1860, and who was afterwards named Olive Celestine Sparks.William R. Ellis, Clerk of Tippecanoe County, witnessed the affidavit.Although there is no document in the pension file of James Sparks, aMinor Certificate No. 68,391 was issued to Page B. Severson, guardian ofOlive Celestine Sparks.

On April 26, 1915, the widow of James Sparks, now Sarah Wainscott,again applied for a pension based on the service of James Sparks . Fromthe papers presented in support of this new application, we learn thatSarah had obtained a divorce from her second husband, Robert A. Weathers,on December 23, 1865, in Tippecanoe County. On March 18, 1868, she wasmarried in Tippecanoe County to her third husband, James W. Wainscott.Wainscott, who had been born on August 17, 1825, died in Coal CreekTownship, Montgomery County, Indiana, on November 15, 1914. Apparently,Sarah and her third husband had lived in Montgomery County followingtheir marriage in 1868 because the file contains statements by residentsof Montgomery County (William E. Howard and Armilda Wainscott that theyhad known Sarah since 1868. A pension of $12 per month was awarded toSarah J. Wainscott (R.R. 4, Wingate, Indiana) and was paid until herdeath on February 20, 1916.

!NOTES:
See note on James father Ephriam (228) containing reference to th edeath of
James in the civil war.

SQ p. 2169:

JAMES SPARKS, son of Truelove and Nancy (Hall) Sparks, was born about1843 in Sangamon County, Illinois. He died near Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug.6, 1864, while in the service. He served in Company B, 27th Regiment,Missouri Volunteers. File Designation: Mother's Cert. No. 207,108.

According to a statement from the Adjutant General's Office, James Sparkswas mustered into military service on Sept. 12, 1862, at Ravanna, Mo., asa private in Company B, 27th Regt. Missouri Volunteers to serve for threeyears or during the war. He was sick at Chillicothe, Mo., in Nov. 1862.He died of disease in the field hospital near Atlanta, Ga., on August 6,1864.

Truelove Sparks, father of James and a resident of Sherman, Ill., madeclaim under the Act of Congress, 1861, for bounty money and pay arrearsdue to James Sparks and these were paid on May 27, 1865. Then, under theAct of Congress of 1866, Truelove and Nancy Sparks, as parents of thedeceased soldier, made another claim for bounty money which was allowedon March 18, 1868. They stated in their claim application that their sonhad never married and had left no widow nor child. They were identifiedby Truelove Sparks, Jr. and Amos Camp.

Sometime prior to April 9, 1875, Nancy Sparks made application for aMother's Pension, but there is no application document among the papersprovided by the National Archives. The application was approved, however,and she was allowed a pension of $8.00 per month retroactive to the dateof her son's death. Among the supporting documents was an affidavit fromJacob Herriman, a resident of Mercer County, Mo., that Nancy Sparks,mother of James, was dependent upon her son for support. John Severn, aresident of Mercer County, Mo., also made an affidavit that he was amember of the same military company as James Sparks and that he knewJames had died on or about Aug. 4, 1864. Both affidavits were witnessedby D. M. King and Edward Nudgett and were notarized by Wm. M. Casteel,Clerk of the Mercer County Circuit Court.

On May 10, 1883, Nancy Sparks, now at the age of 75 and a resident ofPrinceton, Mo., made application for an increase in her pension, statingthat her husband, Truelove Sparks, was badly crippled by rheumatism andunable to support her. She said that in 1864 she had lived one mile eastof Ravanna in Mercer County, Mo., but that in August 1865 she had movedto Sherman Station in Sangamon County, Ill. then, on the last day of May1874, she moved to Crowder in Saunders County, Nebr., where she liveduntil August 1876 when she moved near Princeton in Mercer County, Mo. Shesaid there was no one who was legally required to support her, but herhusband. Her statement was witnessed by O. H. Southworth and D. Stacy andwas notarized by J. M. Alley, Clerk of the Mercer County Court. NancySparks signed her statement by making her mark.

Nancy Sparks's application for an increase in her pension was supportedby five affidavits made at various times within the next twelve months.The first of these was made on May 29, 1883, by James W. Kilgore, age 59,and John H. Thaxton, age 59, both of them residents of Sherman, Ill. Theystated that they had known Truelove and Nancy Sparks prior to 1865, andthat at the time they had left Sangamon County to go to Nebraska, theirpersonal property consisted on one horse and two acres of land. They saidthat Truelove was unable to support himself and could scarcely doone-half the work of an able-bodied man. The affidavit was notarized byB. F. Larkin, a justice of the peace.

The next supporting affidavit was made on Sept. 12, 1883, by W. B. M.Cold, a resident of Saunders County, Nebr., who said that he was wellacquainted with Nancy Sparks and her husband, Truelove Sparks, from 1871to 1873, and knew them as being very poor and living in destitutecircumstances on a Soldier's Claim which they had taken up. They stayedon the claim until the found they could not complete the requirements toget title because of the age and infirmity of Truelove Sparks and thenthey sold their claim and went to Missouri to live with relatives.Benjamin S. Hood notarized the affidavit.

***************
-2170-

JAMES SPARKS, CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION, continued:

On Sept. 26, 1883, Mrs. Jane Wright, age 75, a resident of Springfield,Ill., swore that she was well acquainted with Nancy and Truelove Sparks,whom she had known all her lifetime. She said that she had lived asneighbors to the Sparkses in Saunders County, Nebr., during 1871 to 1873and knew they were very poor. They lived on a Soldier's Claim they hadtaken up, but which they had to give up because they could not completethe requirements to perfect the title because of their age and infirmity.They had sold out and moved to Missouri to stay with relatives. Mrs.Wright made her mark which was witnessed by M. A. Crowder and J. H.Crowder and notarized by James E. Dowling at Springfield, Ill.

On Feb. 26, 1884, D. M. King, W. W. Holmes, and Jacob Herriman, all ofRavanna, Mo., appeared before L. F. Rowley, a notary public, and made anaffidavit in support of the claim of Nancy Sparks. They stated that, atthe time of the enlistment of James Sparks (1) he was about seventeenyears of age; (2) his father, Truelove Sparks, was getting to be an oldman and was broken down in health because of chronic rheumatism; and (3)the value of the property of Truelove Sparks could not have been morethan five or six hundred dollars. The affidavit further stated that afterthe death of his son, Truelove Sparks had left Mercer County, but thatabout ten years ago he had returned and was almost wholly disabled andpossessed no property. He was 84 years old and had no income at all.

The last supporting affidavit in the pension file of James Sparks wasmade on April 15, 1884, by J. M. Alley, Mercer County Court Clerk, whoswore that in 1864 the only property owned in Mercer County by Trueloveand Nancy Sparks was land assessed at $200 and personal property valuedat $100. They owned no property in that county from 1864 to 1870. Theaffidavit was witnessed by J. H. Thompson, clerk of the Mercer CountyCircuit Court, and by H. C. Miller, deputy clerk.

The application of Nancy Sparks for an increase in her pension wasapproved on June 6, 1884, but there is nothing among the papers providedby the National Archives from the file to indicate the amount nor thedate of the termination of the pension.

(Editor's Note: A record of this family appears in the current issue ofthe QUARTERLY. See page 2166 for a reference to this James Sparks, son ofTruelove and Nancy Sparks.)

SQ p 3186: "James Sparks and Stephen Sparks, sons of Billie and Sallie(Jennings) Sparks (twins) were born on March 7, 1844. They died on the
same day they were born."

For the full rendition of the following, see notes under his fatherEphriam Sparks:
Lewis Pembrook Sparks also remembered in 1954 that his father Henry ClaySparks, had two brothers, James Sparks who was a fiddler and was killedin the Civil War, and Solomon Sparks who had also fought in the Civil War. He recalled the story of how James Sparks had been killed: "It wasraining and James was behind a log and wanted to recharge his gun withdry powder ; he raised up and was shot."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3692: They had nine children: Denver, Pearl, Eunice, Darce ,Eltra, ardus, Boyle, Wilma, and Delmar.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1970, Whole No. 70, p. 1315:

"James Sparks, son of Joseph Sparks, was born about 1800. He marriedElizabeth Gilman. From census records, we know that Elizabeth was bornabout 1807 in Pennsylvania. According to a biographical sketch of hergrandson, James Harvey Sparks (see Jesse W. Weik's history of PutnamCounty., Indiana, published in 1910., P. 374), Elizabeth was a daughterof Henry Gilman who was a soldier in the Revolution under General Wayne.She died sometime after 1880. James Sparks lived on Cabin Creek in LewisCounty., Kentucky, near his father until about 1838 when he moved toPutnam County, Indiana. Subsequently, he went to Clayton County, Iowa.,where he is listed on the 1850 census.

"His portrait appeared on the cover of the December 1959 QUARTERLY - -at that time we were uncertain of his name. He apparently died before1857, in which year his widow, Elizabeth, was living in Olmstead County,Minnesota, near her son Albert Cyrus Sparks. In 1870 she was living withher son John in the same place; when the 1880 census was taken she wasalso living with this son. Records indicate that James and ElizabethSparks were the parents of thirteen children. (See photograph in hisscrapbook.)
*********************************

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1984, Whole No. 128, pp. 2679-82:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAMILY OF JAMESSPARKS (ca.1798-1856)
OF LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY, PUTNAMCOUNTY INDIANA AND CLAYTON COUNTY, IOWA

"On pages 1315-1318 of the June 1970 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No.70, an article was published about the descendants of Joseph Sparks(ca.1777-1838) of Lewis County, Kentucky. Since the publication of thatarticle, we have received additional information about a son of JosephSparks. The son was James Albert Sparks (ca.1798-1856] who married NancyElizabeth Gilman on March 3, 1820; they were married in Adams County,Ohio, right across the Ohio River from Lewis County, Kentucky. She was adaughter of Henry Gilman. This couple continued to live in Lewis Countyuntil about 1838 when they moved to Putnam County, Indiana, where theysettled at Cloverdale. They stayed there only a few years and then movedto Clayton County, Iowa, where James died on March 6, 1856. His pictureappeared on the cover of the December 1959 issue of the QUARTERLY, WholeNo. 28.

"Shortly after the death of her husband, Nancy Elizabeth Sparks (she wentby the name of Elizabeth) moved to Olmsted County, Minnesota Territory,taking with her her two youngest children, William Sparks and MarySparks. In all probability, Elizabeth made this move to be near herdaughter, Martha (Sparks) Yates, and her sons, Joseph Sparks, and AlbertCyrus Sparks. She was living near these children when a special censuswas taken in 1857 of Olmsted County shortly before Minnesota became the32nd state in 1858.

"Elizabeth Sparks did not remain long in Minnesota, and when the 1860census was taken of Iowa, she was living at Farmersburg in ClaytonCounty. With her were three sons: William Sparks, Henry Sparks, andJohn Sparks. The following year, on May 28, 1861, her son, Henry Sparks,enlisted in Company C, 3rd Regiment Iowa Infantry. He contracted acutebronchitus in the early part of 1863, and on April 27, 1863, he receiveda medical discharge. He returned to his home at Farmersburg, Iowa, wherehe died on June 10, 1863. (See pages 2694-2696 of this issue of theQUARTERLY [copied in the notes for her son Henry Sparks] for an abstractof his pension file.)

"On August 15, 1878, Elizabeth Sparks applied for a Mother's Pension forher son's military service. She was issued Mother's Certificate No.198,491, and she was placed upon the pension roll. According toaffidavits which she made prior to her death, she sold her farm in Iowain 1866 and returned to Olmsted County. She remained there until 1881when she again returned to Iowa where she settled at McGregor. On May 2,1882, at the age of 80 years, she made her final affidavit to support herpension status. She died on September 13, 1885, in Clayton County.

"James and Elizabeth (Gilman) Sparks were the parents of thirteenchildren. All of them were listed on pages 1315-1318 of the June 1970issue of the QUARTERLY; the information presented on those pages willnot be repeated here. We shall, however, continue to use the samenumbering system we used on those pages with the added information thatwe are now able to provide. " (See notes for each child)

SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1984, Whole No. 127, p. 2663:

"James A. Sparks (the initial may have been H.), son of "Doc" and Mary(Brown) Sparks, was born
about 1852, probably in Cass County, Texas. He is probably the JamesSparks who married Allice A.
Mitchell on January 30, 1876, in Hunt County, Texas. She was born about1854 in Alabama. When the
1880 census was taken of Cooke County, Texas, they had a daughter, MaryB. Sparks, born about
1878. This family is thought to have moved to Oklahoma in later years. "

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

SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1991, Whole No. 153, pps 3724-5:

[Editor's Note: The September 1984 issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY ,Whole No. 127, contained an article about Matthew J. Sparks (RIN 52 9)(1759-1841) and some of his descendants. Since the publication of thatarticle, we have received further information about James Alfred Sparks,a great-grandson of Matthew Sparks, who was listed as "Item d" on page2663 of that issue. Our readers are asked to take appropriate action toadd this information to their copies of that issue.. .]

"James Alfred Sparks, son of Francis Marion "Doc" and Mary Catheri ne(Brown) Sparks, was born on April 21, 1851, in that portion of Cas sCounty, Texas, that became Marion County in 1860. He was married t oAlice A. Milstead on January 30, 1876, in Hunt County. She had bee nborn on December 29, 1855, in Alabama. When the 1880 census was ta ken,James and Alice were in Cooke County, Texas, with their two-year-old son,Marion B. Sparks. Also living in the household was Alice' s brother,Benjamin F. Milstead, aged 32.

"Sometime between 1886 and 1890, James and Alice moved to the OklahomaTerritory where they settled in present-day Grady County. It seems quitelikely they were accompanied there by James's cousin, James Buchanan"Buck" Sparks (RIN 4526). (See the September 1984 issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 127, pp. 2650-52.)

"James Sparks was living near Silver, Oklahoma, when he filed on a"homestead claim" on January 29, 1892. The claim was a 160-acre tract ofland located in what became Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma , that year.According to testimony given before Fred S. Goodrich, U.S. LandCommissioner, on March 21, 1900, Sparks was then 49 years old; he was anative of Texas; and his post office was McLoud, Oklahoma Territory. Hestated that he had built two log houses on his claim, one in February1892 and the other in 1898. The land was now fenced and he had a well, asmokehouse, a double barn made of logs, and an orchard. His familyconsisted of himself, his wife, and four children. (The word "wife" wasscratched out -- Alice had died only ten days earlier.)

"To other questions, Sparks replied that he had 60 acres undercultivation, but some of the land was timbered with scrub oaks. He hadseen no evidence of coal or any other minerals on the land, and he hadnot sold any portion of the claim. Commissioner goodrich approvedSparks's application, and Sparks paid the requisite fee of $240 on March27, 1900.

"As stated above, Alice (Milstead) Sparks died on March 11, 1900 . Shehad had surgery for an abdominal tumor and died from complicationsfollowing the operation. On March 28, 1901, James Sparks was married(second) to a 33 year-old widow, Norma Williams, in Pottawatomie County.He had four children still at home, and Norma brought "several" morechildren to the marriage, according to relatives.

"The marriage of James and Norma was not a successful one, and Normaleft the home sometime before January 1902. A child was born to her onJanuary 15, 1902, and although James Sparks acknowledged the child as hisown, the child grew to maturity under the name of Lester Williams. Adivorce was granted on September 22, 1903.

"On November 26, 1921, James A. Sparks, now 73 years of age, wasmarried to 53-year-old Virginia "Jennie" Page at Tecumseh, Oklahoma . Shebrought three children to the marriage. By this time, James wassuffering from cardio-vascular disease from which he never recovered andwhich finally overcame him on March 19, 1943. He was buried in PilgrimsRest Cemetery beside his first wife, Alice. It is there also, that mostof his eight children were buried."

SQ pg 2626:

"James Allen Sparks, son of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, wasborn on August 11, 1838. He served in the 105th Regiment Indiana StateMilitia for a short time in repelling the raid of the Confederat eGeneral John Hunt Morgan into Indiana and Ohio. (His abstract is below)On April 26, 1866, he was married to Mariah Wainscott in Clint onCounty. She was born on December 23, 1841, and was a daughter of L. andHulda (Bean) Wainscott, early settlers of Clinton County."

"James was reared on the old farm of his father and was educated inthe common schools. According to the biographical record referred to inthe notes of his father, he was (in 1895) "one of the leading farmers inhis township, cultivating 72 acres of land located about three miles eastof Colfax. He is a general farmer and stock-raiser and a lover of goodhorses and keeps excellent ones. He takes an active part in theRepublican party and is a member of the Masonic Order. He and his wifeare members of the United Bretheren Church. Having no children of theirown, they adopted a child, Samuel J. Gher, when he was only eight monthsold, whom they have yet, and are still fondly caring for at the age ofnineteen."

(The Samuel J. Gher referred to in the biography quoted above was anephew of James Sparks and a son of his sister, Margaret M. (Sparks)Gher. Samuel was born about 1875; his mother died shortly after hisbirth.)

James Allen Sparks died on February 26, 1917, in Clinton ClintonCounty and was buried beside his wife in the Plainview Cemetery atColfax, Indiana.

The following is an abstract if the military record of James AllenSparks copied from his widow's application for his pension benefits:

JAMES ALLEN SPARKS, son of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, wasborn about 1838 in Clinton County, Indiana. He married Mariah Wainscotton April 12, 1865, at Frankfort, Indiana. He served in Company G, 105thRegiment Indiana Infantry. File Designation: Wid. Appl. No. 1,204,464.

On April 19, 1923, Mariah Sparks, aged 81, a resident of Frankfort ,Indiana, made a declaration for a Widow's Pension under the 1916 Act ofCongress. She said she was born on December 23, 1841, in Clinto nCounty, Indiana, and that on April 12, 1865, she was married to James A.Sparks at Frankfort, Indiana, by Allen Sparks, a justice of the peace.Her husband, James A. Sparks, had served in Company G, 105t h RegimentIndiana Volunteer Infantry from July 10, 1863, to July 18, 1863. He diedFebruary 26, 1917. They had no children. Florence Tompkins and WilliamZumwalt witnessed her make her mark and the declaration was sworn tobefore Nelson W. Casner, a justice of the peace.

The Indiana State Roster (military) showed that James A. Sparks wasmustered into Company G, 105th Regiment Indiana Infantry (minute men)State Service on July 10, 1863 and mustered out on July 18, 1863.

On May 17, 1923, the declaration of Mrs. Sparks was rejected for thereason that "the organization in which her husband served, Co. G , 105thIndiana Infantry, was not mustered into the service of the United Statesduring the period of the Civil War."

A photograph of James A. Sparks and his sisters Elizabeth and Emelinetaken in their old age, appears on the cover of the September, 1988,edition of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 143, p. 3261.

SQ p. 4641:

"James Alonzo ["Jim Lon"] Sparks was born on July 20, 1880. He taughtschool for a while, but then went to college where he became a dentist.He was married to Mary ["Mollie"] Dobyns, and, according to a relative,they had at least two children. Jim Lon practiced dentistry inOklahoma. He died on October 1, 1931, at Huntington, West Virginia. Wehave no further information about him."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3944: They had seven children: Estia, Molly, Hazel, Essie ,Nancy, James, and John Sparks.

!NOTES:
SQ 2571: "He married Martha Mead on September 28, 1876, in Davies sCounty.
They had no children."

See SQ p. 332 for birth information.

See the December 1999 issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 188. pp5274-76:

JAMES BASIL SPARKS (1853-1928)

In the QUARTERLY of December 1990, Whole No. 152, we published an articleentitled "Hardy Sparks (ca.1182-ca.1855), Son of Matthew and Sarah(Thompson) Sparks," pp.3687-3703 . On page 3691 of that article, weincluded a sketch of the life of James Basil ["Baz"] Sparks, who was bornin Hickman County, Tennessee, on June 15, 1853, a son of Hale and Sarah(Clayburn) Sparks and a grandson of Hardy and Mary Sparks.

James Basil Sparks was married to Mary Frances Breedlove on September 11,1873, in Newton County, Arkansas. She had been born on August 20, 1854, adaughter of Irvin Breedlove, and she and James became the parents ofthirteen children, information about each of whom appeared in the 1990QUARTERLY cited above. He died on February 15, 1928; Mary Frances died onDecember 12, l941.

A grandson of James B. and Mary Frances (Breedlove) Sparks, Conan W.Sparks, 1102 S. Illth East Ave., Tulsa, Oklahoma (74128), has sent us acopy of the obituary of his grandfather from a local newspaper of thetime of his death, which appears below. (A son's name given in theobituary as "Ewan" has been corrected to Irvin. ) Mr. Sparks obtainedthis clipping from his cousin, Nadine Sparks Head, who is also a memberof our Association. With it is a note written by Nadine's mother,Florence (Duff) Sparks, wife of Grant B. Sparks, son of James B. and MaryFrances Sparks. This interesting note addressed to Nadine is given below,following the obituary.

Conan has also sent us the photograph of James Basil Sparks with his wifeand four of their children that appears on the following page. He alsosent us a copy of the photo of James Basil Sparks's brother, JesseSparks, son of Hale and Sarah (Clayburn) Sparks, appearing on page 5276.Jesse was born on May 11, 1841. A sketch of his life and a record of his12 children can be found on page 3690 of the December 1990 issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 152.

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

Obituary of James Basil Sparks

J. B. Sparks was born in Hickman county, Tenn. on June 15, 1853. He cameto Arkansas with his parents when a small child, and remained a residentof the state until his death, which occurred at his home near Anna'sChapel on February 16, 1928. In 1872 he was married to Miss Mary FrancisBreedlove, of Jasper, Ark. To this union were born thirteen children,all of whom are living and have families: Jim, Irwin, Henry, Frank, Sam,McKinley, Grant, all of Lamar; Sherman, of Scranton, Ark.; Mrs. SarahRobinson of Limestone Valley; Mrs. Laura Cowan, of Lena, Okla.; Mrs.
Charlcie Matthew, Mrs. Amanda Rhynes, and Mrs. Parlee Slusher, of nearLamar.

The funeral service was conducted in the church at Anna's Chapel. Alarge number of relatives and friends were present to mourn their loss.The funeral was preached by the writer, then the burial was conducted bythe Masons, of whom Mr, Sparks was a faithful member.
Mr. Sparks had lived a busy and useful life, mostly spent in the publicservice. He had been a Justice of the Peace for 48 years. He left manyfriends indebted to him for unselfish service rendered them.

He left this world with a song and prayer on his lips, and I think isstill singing something like this:

Well, wife, the storm will soon be o'er,
The victory soon be won,
The glory-land is just ahead,
Your race is nearly run.

And again--

Dear mother and children, don't fail to be ready,
For soon the stern message will come,
This Life will be waneing, while Heaven you gain,
A pleasant and peaceful home,
And I will be waiting, waiting up here,
With harps of pure gold, I'Il sing of His love
While waiting for you in Heaven above.

G. W. Galloway

Following the clipping of this obituary in Nadine's scrapbook, her motherwrote the following:

I know you won't be able to remember your grandpa Sparks because you wereonly 20 months old when he died and you had not seen him since you were14 months old. Grandpa was a mighty jolly old man. The last time he wasat our home he trotted you on his knee and talked about what a fine babyyou were. He said he always trotted his children and sang to them. And hesang to you too, an old time song with an old time tune. And it sure waspretty. Maybe you won't ever hear an old time song but I hope you willbecause I'm sure you would think it the prettiest you ever heard for theyreally are - - the way your grandpa sang them. Old Bro. Galloway - - whowrote this piece about your grandpa was a fine old man. He used to preachon the streets here as long as he was able. He always asked about you andalways came to see us when grandma came to see us. He died in July 1929.

[On page 5275 appears a photograph, beneath which is the followingcaption:]

Sitting: James Basil and Mary Francis (Breedlove) Sparks

Standing, left to right (children): Irving Hale Sparks; Grant
Bayles Sparks, Charicie Leotia Sparks; and George McKinley Sparks

(View photograph here in scrapbook)

(On page 5275 appears a photograph, beneath which is the followingcaption:]

JESSE SPARKS (1841-1922)
Son of Hale and Sarah (Clayburn)Sparks

(View photograph here in scrapbook)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1984, No. 127, p. 2653:

MATTHEW J. SPARKS (1759-1841) & HISDESCENDANTS

(Note: See cover of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1984, Whole No. 127for photo of tombstone of James Brooks Sparks, also in scrapbook.)

"James Brooks Sparks, son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks, was bornon January 31, 1809, in the Territory of Illinois; he was a two-year-oldchild when his parents decided to return to Georgia. He was named forhis maternal grandfather. He grew to manhood in Putnam and JasperCounties, Georgia, and it was in the latter county that he married MaryAnn Cook on June 20, 1830. She had been born in South Carolina onSeptember 3, 1812. She died on May 31, 1857. They were the parents ofseven children who grew to maturity.

"By 1836, James and other members of his family had settled inTallapoosa County, Alabama. Like his father and brothers, he served inthe Alabama Militia in 1836 during the Creek and Seminole Indian War as alieutenant in Webb's Battalion. He also served as a soldier during theMexican War, and he may have been in the military service when he went toTexas about 1850. He was not enumerated with his family on the 1850census of Tallapoosa County.

"Like other members of his family, James Sparks settled in thesouthwestern portion of Titus County, Texas, about 1852, in that partwhich became Franklin County in 1875. He was granted a patent for 320acres of land just north of Big Cypress Creek on October 27, 1859. Hecontinued to live in Franklin County until his death on January 3, 1899.Mary Ann had preceded him in death, dying on May 31, 1887. They wereburied in the Cypress Cemetary. A picture of his tombstone appears on thecover of this issue of the QUARTERLY.

"The children of James Brooks and Mary Ann (Cook) Sparks, were:William James Sparks; Sarah A. Sparks; John Napoleon Bonaparte Sparks;Idris Louisa Sparks; Allison Woodville Sparks; Mary M. Sparks; andAngeline C. Sparks." (See sheets for individual children.) END OF ARTICLE.

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BOUNTY LANDAPPLICATION FOR JAMES BROOKS SPARKS, SQ pg 2670:

"James Brooks Sparks, son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks, was bornon January 31, 1809, in Illinois Territory. On June 30, 1830, he marriedMary Ann Cook in Jasper County, Georgia. He served in the AlabamaMilitia during the Creek and Seminole Indian War in 1836, and in the 1stRegiment Alabama Volunteers during the war with Mexico in 1846-47. FileDesignations : Bounty Land Files: Nos 8055 and 43,522; Pension Cert. No.368.)

"On November 28, 1852, James B. Sparks, aged 45, a resident ofTallapoosa County, Alabama, applied for bounty land to which he might beentitled under the 1850 Act of Congress for performaing military serviceto the United States. He said that he has served as a 2nd sergeant inCapt. William H. House's Company of the Battalion commanded by Major JohnC. Webb in the War with the Creek Nation of Indians in 1836. He hadvolunteered at Lafayette, Alabama, on May 15, 1836, and had beendischarged on Septermber 1, 1836. His application was sworn to beforeLuke Davenport, a justice of the peace. Marcus C . Lane, Probate Judgeof Tallapoosa County, certified that Davenport was a justice of thepeace. Bounty Land Warrant No. 7295 was issued to Sparks for 40 acres ofland.

"On September 7, 1854, Sparks again applied for bounty land. He wasnow a resident of Titus County, Texas. He said that he had served as aprivate in Capt. Sumeral Dennis' Company of the 1st Regiment AlabamaSix-Months Volunteers commanded by Major Goode Bryan in the War withMexico in 1846. He had volunteered at Dadesville, Alabama, on May 21,1846. He had continued in service about fourteen days and was thenmustered out with his company by order of the War Department. Heappointed John A. Jordan, Dadesville, as his attorney. William B. Wylieand William Sparks witnessed his signature, and the application was swornto before Joseph Morris, a justice of the peace of Titus County, Texas.

" A month later, on October 9, 1854, Sumeral Dennis, a resident ofTallapoosa County, Alabama, appeared before Luke Davenport, a justice ofthe peace, and swore that James B. Sparks had served in his (Dennis')company which was a unit of the 1st Regiment Alabama Six-MonthsVolunteers in the War with Mexico in 1846. On the same day, in a letterwritten from Dadesville, Alabama , John A. Jordan asked the Commissionerof Pensions to send any allowance given to Sparks to him (Jordan) atHenderson, Texas, "to which place I am preparing to go."

"Apparently no warrant was issued to Sparks for on January 12, 1856 ,here applied for bounty land. He testified before Robert J. Holbrook, anotary public in Titus County, Texas, that he had served with Capt.Sumeral Dennis in the 1st Regiment Alabama Volunteers commanded by Maj.Good Bryant "in the war with Mexico declared on February 11, 1847, forthree months and continued in actual service for thirty days." Thos. F.Bryarly and Joel Arrington witnessed his signature. On August 14,1856, Thos. R. Hill, clerk of Titus County, Texas, certified that R. J.Holbrook was a regularly commissioned notary public. Two days later,Holbrook wrote to the Commissioner of Pensions that if necessary he wouldforward a certified copy of his commission as notary public, but hepointed out that five bounty land claims had been delayed because theTitus County Clerk had not forwarded the certificate. The delayed claimsto which he referred were made by : Jas. B. Sparks, Campbell English,William Sparks, Benjamin H. Elder, and William Spicer.

"Bounty Land Warrant No. 84,260 for 80 acres of land was issued toJames B. Sparks on October 10, 1856.

"On September 14, 1892, James B. Sparks appeared before J. J. Morris,clerk of Franklin County, Texas, and applied for a pension under theIndian War Pension Act of 1892. He was now 83 years of age and aresident of Purley, Texas. He said that he had enlisted at Lafayette (orFt. Henderson), Alabama, on June 1, 1836, in Capt. William House'sCompany of the Battalion of Alabama Infantry commanded by Arnold Seals inthe Creek Indian War of 1836 . He had been discharged at Lafayette on orabout September 1, 1836. At the time of his enlistment, he had been 27years of age; he was 5 feet, 10 inches tall; he had blue eyes, dark hair,and a light complexion; and he was a farmer. He had been born in theIllinois Territory. From 1836 to 1852 he lived in Alabama, and from 1852to the present he had lived in Texas. His wife, Mary Ann Sparks, haddied at Purley, Texas, on May 31, 1887. He had previously obtained 160acres of bounty land, but he had never applied for a pension. T. H.Turner , Sr. and J. E. Brooks witnesses his application. On January 13,1893, Certificate No. 368 was issued to Sparks and he was placed upon thepension roll at the rate of $8.00 per month. According to thecertificate, he had held the rank of 2nd Sargeant in Capt. William H .House's Company of Alabama Militia. He died on January 4, 1899."

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The following appears in the SPARKS QUARTERLY for September 1999, WholeNo. 187 pp. 5231-32 and relates to the 1860 Census of Titus County, Texas:

Post Office: Elly
Page 172. Census taken by Wm. M. S. Houghton on August 14, 1860
458-459

Name Age Sex Occupation Born
Sparks, James B. 51 (M) Merchant $6,000 - $5,720 IL
" Mary A. 46 (F) NC
" Allison W. 19 (M) Day Laborer AL
" Mary M. 17 (F) AL
" Angeline C. 14 (F) AL

Note: All three of the Sparks children were shown as attending schoolwithin the year.

James Brooks Sparks (page 5231), born on January 31, 1809, in theTerritory of Illinois, was a son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks. Hisparents had been married in Jackson County, Georgia, in 1806. John andSarah Sparks had followed John's father (Matthew Sparks) to IllinoisTerritory after the birth of their first child in 1807, and thus it wasthat their second child, James Brooks Sparks, was born there in 1809. Thefamily returned to Georgia, however, the next year, in 1810. When John'sfather, Matthew Sparks (1759-1841), made application for a RevolutionaryWar pension in 1832, in answering a question regarding a record of hisage, he responded: "My son took the Bible containing it when he movedfrom Illinois to Georgia." (See the QUARTERLY of December 1956, Whole No.16, pp.177-182, for Matthew's pension application.) The other eightchildren of John and Sarah Sparks, like their first, were all born inGeorgia. (The fact that James Brooks Sparks had been born in theTerritory of Illinois caused confusion in our early research on thisfamily.) The family moved from Georgia to Tallapoosa County, Alabama,prior to 1836, the year in which John Sparks died.

James Brooks Sparks was married to Mary Ann Cook on June 30, 1830. Afterserving in the Mexican War, he moved his family to Texas in 1850. (Seethe QUARTERLY of September 1984, Whole No. 127, pp.2670-72, for anabstract of his pension application.) James B . and Mary Ann Sparks livedin that portion of Titus County, Texas, that became Franklin County in1875. James died there in 1899; Mary Ann had died in 1887.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1996, Whole No. 176, p. 4727:

"James Buchanan Sparks, son of Hugh and Nancy (Curnutte) Sparks, wasborn on November 18, 1855, in Carter County, Kentucky. He went to WestVirginia when he was a young man, and he remained there for the rest ofhis life working in and around the coal mines. He was married threetimes. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Evans about 1875, and theyhad four children before her death, which occurred about 1882, probablyafter the birth of their fourth child. Jim was married, second, to MaryJane Taylor, and they, too, had four children before her death, whichoccurred about 1892. Jim's third marriage was to Nora Belle James onMarch 16, 1893, in Braxton County, West Virginia. She had been born onMay 20, 1874, and was a daughter of Joseph P. and Margaret (Cunningham)James. They had ten children.

"Jim Sparks died on June 7, 1941, and was buried at Cedar Grove, WestVirginia. Nora died on March 21, 1958, and was buried beside herhusband."

SQ pg 2234:

1900 census of Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

E.D. 153, sheet 35. Vol. 9
SPARKS, James B. W M stock-raiser Oct. 1858 41Texas
" May A. F wifeOct. 1873 26 "
" Nellie M F dau.Dec. 1886 13 Indian Terr.
" Lacy G. F dau.Aug. 1893 6 " "
" James C. M sonJuly 1896 3 " "
Washington, Louise F boarder May 1880 20 " "
" "
(He married 7 years; parents born in Texas. Wife, May A., mother of 2children, living. Editor's note: Census is in error: his father wasborn in Georgia, his mother was born in Illinois. James B. Sparks wasborn, we believe, in Titus County, Texas; he was a son of William andHannah (Weeks) Sparks - -see note regarding his brother, Andrew R.Sparks, on page 2233. James B. Sparks was James Buchanan "Buck" Sparks;he was born, according to a family record, on October 13, 1856 and diedDecember 7, 1932.)

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

SQ pg 2650:

"James Buchanan ("Buck") Sparks, son of William and Hannah (Weeks)Sparks, was born on October 18, 1856. He died on December 7 , 1932, atChickasha, Oklahoma. He was a well known cattleman and owned severalranches in the Oklahoma Indian Territory, the last one located just eastof Chichasha. He was married twice. His first marriage was to NonaCriner in March 1883. She was part Chickasaw Indian. She and Buck hadtwo children before her death about 1890. From her, Buck Sparksinherited land just outside the City of Chickasha which she had receivedas her tribal allotment. (But see SQ pg 3367 for a correction: "Nona(Criner) Sparks, did not die in 1890 - - that was the year she and Buckwere divorced. After the divorce, Nona went to Purcell, Oklahoma, whereshe lived for a time with her sister, Mrs. Robert Love. She apparentlytook her two daughters with her. On December 12, 1894, she was marriedto James R. Shannon, a livery stable owner. He died in Purcell on March4, 1907. Ultimately, Nona went to San Diego, California, where shedied. She was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery, probably in March,1936.")

"After the death of (divorce from?) his first wife, Buck Sparksmarried (2nd) May Dora Owen on September 1, 1892. She was born onOctober 1, 1874, at Sherman, Texas, and was a daughter of John W. andBetta (Sacra) Owen. According to a souvenir edition of the ChickashaDaily Express published in 1898, Buck and May Dora got their marriagelicense at El Reno, Oklahoma Territory, and their minister declined toperform the ceremony at Chickasha for it was in Indian Territory.Accordingly, the "party repaired to the center of the Canadian Riverwhere, with the glittering sands beneath their feet and the midnight moonand stars as silent witnesses, the marriage vows were taken. Few modernceremonies can equal such a romantic setting!" (But see SQ pg 3367 for acorrection: "Buck Sparks married his second wife, May Dora Owens, onSeptember 25, 1892, in the territorial county of Pickins, ChickasawNation, which was located in the southern part of the Nation. It isbelieved by the family that the (above) story refers to Buck Sparks'sfirst marriage and that the river referred to was the Red River whichdivided Texas from the Indian Territory, rather than the Canadian River.")

"May Dora (Owen) Sparks died on January 11, 1953. She and Buck hadfour children. Buck Sparks was thus the father of six children.

See a photograph of James and May Dora on p. 2651 and in his scrapbook.

SQ pg 2655:

"He was a physician and practiced medicine in Lamb County,Texas, wherehe died on February 23, 1930. He is said to have married three times.His first marriage was to Elizabeth Henley on Jun 5 1892, inHopkinsCounty. They had at least three childre: two daughters, Ibby andDoo lie, and a son, Tip. Elizabeth died in 1909 in Smith County, Texas ,and Buck married (2nd) Mrs Fannie Goodlet. They had no children. Buck'sthird marriage was said to have been to a woman named Willeford."

SQ p. 4636:

"James Cecil ["Jim Cecil"] Sparks was born on April 4, 1875, atMartha, Kentucky. He was graduated from the Louisville [Kentucky]College of Medicine in 1906 and began his practice of medicine atPaintsville, Kentucky. In 1924, he moved to Ashland, Kentucky, where hecontinued to practice medicine until his death in June 1954. He was aleader in the development of medical and hospital services innortheastern Kentucky, particularly in Ashland. He was a Baptist and amember of the Masonic Order.

"On April 23, 1899, Jim Cecil Sparks was married to Nora Holbrook inLawrence County. She had been born in September 1882 and was a daughterof Campbell C. and Ellen (Grimsley) Holbrook. She died in August 1951,and Jim Cecil died in June 1954. They were buried in the AshlandCemetery. They had two children, Clyde C. Sparks and Chiles E. Sparks.

A photograph of Dr. Jim Cecil Sparks appears on the following page." [JS:p. 4637]

SQ pg 2652: He was married to Ruth List on March 28, 1936.

SQ 3872:

"James Daniel Sparks was born about 1876. According to relatives, hedisappeared at Memphis, Tennessee, when he was a young man, apparently a
victim of foul play."

SQ p. 3632:

"...After his father died, his mother made her home with him until herdeath. He and Maggie had two children, Susan and Charlie."

James Earl Sparks was born on August 10, 1913, at Blue Diamond, Kentucky.He was married to Zola , and they had three daughters. He died in 1980 inPerry County, Kentucky

.

!NOTES:
SQ 2777: "James Emmett Sparks, son of Newell and Laura (Fetzer) Sparks,
was born on October 1, 1 895. He married Ruby Thelma Poulter and the yhad
children named James and June. James Emmett Sparks died on April 3 ,1936."

SQ pg 3326: Frank Sparks and his sons own the Seven-Up Ranch in FallonCounty, Montana, on Lame Jones Creek, consisting of about 4,000 acres.The spring southwest of the buildings was used by the freighters haulinghay for General Custer's horses between Camp Cook, South Dakota, andTerry, Montana. The wagon trail can still be seen in a few places on theranch. One of the horse camps and a pistol range are about six milesnorthwest of the Seven-Up headquarters.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1986, Whole No. 134, p 2875:

"James H. Sparks, son of William and Mary (Fielder) Sparks, was bornin Georgia, probably about 1809, and was an infant when he was carried byhis parents to the Territory of Mississippi. He grew to manhood thereand it was probably there that he married Massy C. Wadlington about1835. She was born about 1815 in South Carolina and may have been adaughter of Jesse Wadlington. James and Massy apparently accompanied hisfather's family to Texas in 1836, for it was there that their first childwas born in 1837.

"In the spring of 1838, James Sparks died after a brief illness. Heleft Massy with two sons, one a little over a year old, the other a newlyborn baby. He also left her with a considerable estate, both real andpersonal. The Nacogdoches County Court appointed Massy and herbrother-in-law, John Sparks, as administrators of the estate. OnDecember 7, 1843, she married her second husband, Robert F. Millard, andhe became guardian of her sons. The estate was not completely settleduntil about 1866.

"(An account of the marriage of Massy C. Sparks to Robert F. Millardappears in the diary of Adolphus Sterene who performed the ceremony. Asreported in the Southwestern Historical Review, Vol. 36, pp. 314-15, itreads: "7 December 1843. In the afternoon, Mr. R. F. Millard requestedme to go out 4 miles to the widow Sparks to marry him to the said ladywhich I accepted and at 5:00 p.m. left for the said place, performed therites of matrimony between Robert F. Millard and Mrs. Massy C. Sparksaccording to law, partook of a splendid supper and returned by 8 1/2p.m.")

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for September 2001, Whole No. 195 at pp 5582-83for the following article under the heading of
UNION SOLDIERS NAMED SPARKS, PENSIONS:

JAMES HARDY SPARKS, son of William and Nancy Sparks, was born in 1844/45in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and died in 1863 while a soldier in theUnion Army. He served in Company C, 97th Regiment Indiana Infantry. FileDesignation: Mother's Cert. No. 307,714.
On April 13, 1888, Nancy Sparks, age 69, a resident of Stanford, MonroeCounty, Indiana, applied for a Mother's Pension. She stated that shewasthe mother of James H. Sparks who had enlisted on August 10, 1862, atBuena Vista, Indiana, in Company C, 97th Regiment Indiana Infantry, Hehad died on September 1, 1863, at Camp Sherman, Mississippi, while in themilitary service. She stated that she was the widow of William Sparks whohad died on August 17, 1866, at the age of 47 years. Their son, James H.Sparks, had never married, but he had left two brothers and two sistersunder the age of sixteen years at the time of his death. They were:
Nancy H. Sparks, born February 15, 1849
Susan M. Sparks, born January 3, 1854
William M. Sparks, born August 14, 1856
John Manson Sparks, born September 21, 1861

Nancy Sparks appointed Robert H . Smith as her attorney to aid her inobtaining a pension. Solomon E. Carmichael and J. 0. McPheeters witnessedher sign (by mark) her application, which was sworn to before EnochFuller, Clerk of the Monroe County Court .

The military service of James H . Sparks was confirmed by the WarDepartment from his Regimental records . He had had the measles onNovember 16, 1862, for which he had been hospitalized at Memphis,Tennessee, for two days . In August 1863, he had been placed in theRegimental Hospital at Camp Segerman, Mississippi, where he had died onSeptember 1, 1863, of acute diarrhea.

On August 6, 1889, Calvin Sparks, brother of William Sparks and aresident of Elsie, Nebraska, stated in an affidavit that he was wellacquainted with Nancy Sparks of Stanford, Indiana, and also with her son,James Hardy Sparks, who had died while in the military service. CalvinSparks added that he had known James Hardy Sparks ever since he was bornand knew personally that he was a son of Nancy Sparks. The affidavit wasnotarized by Isaac J. Howe, a notary public of Perkins County, Nebraska.

On December 21, 1889, a copy of a marriage record for Nancy Sparks andHayden Eastgham was sent to the Bureau of Pensions by Enoch Fuller, Clerkof Monroe County, Indiana. This was Nancy Sparks's second marriage, datedDecember 13,
1875.

Among the documents sent from the pension file of James H . Sparks'smother is an undated and unsigned affidavit from Richard H. Gentry, age64, and Richard H. Baker, age 64, both of Bloomington, Indiana. Theystated that they had known Nancy Sparks, mother of James H. Sparks, forabout 45 years. The father of James H. Sparks had been William Sparks,who had died in 1866. Prior to his death, William Sparks had been in poorhealth which had prevented him from doing any manual work, and his son,James H . Sparks, had contributed to his parents' support while in theservice. In 1875, Nancy Sparks, a widow, had been remarried to HaydenEastgham, who proved to be a worthless and indolent fellow and unable tosupport his wife, and they only lived together about 18 months .

On April 10, 1889, George Carter, age 75, and James F. Carter, age 49,both residents of Stanford, Indiana, made affidavits stating that James H. Sparks had helped to support his parents prior to his military serviceand, also, while in the service until his death . Thomas B . Burch, alsoof Stanford, stated that he had known James H . Sparks from childhood andhad served with him in the same military company . He stated that Sparkshad always worked to support his family and had sent money to his parentswhile in the service. A . F. Phillips of Greene County, Indiana,supported Burch's statements about Sparks, adding that he had beenSparks's company commander and had been present at his death.

On June 16, 1890, William H. Burch, age 42, of Buena Vista, Indiana, madean affidavit to support the claim of Nancy Sparks. He stated that she hadsold her undivided interest in a farm, amounting to 79 acres, for $850.00in 1885, and she now owned no property. She had no income and had beenassisted by her children and her friends since the death of her son.

On July 8, 1890, Nancy Sparks, now age 71, made her last application fora Mother's Pension under the 1890 Act of Congress further liberalizingthe pension application rules . She restated the circumstances of herson's death, and that she was dependent upon her own manual labor and thecontributions of others who were not legally bound to help her. Sheappointed James F. Morgan of Bloomington, Indiana, as her attorney to aidher in obtaining a pension .

Her application in 1890 was successful. When she died on August 24, 1902,she was receiving a pension of $12.00 per month.

[Editor's Note: As stated in his mother's pension application, JamesHardy Sparks was a son of William and Nancy Sparks. No official record oftheir marriage has been found. Some have claimed that Nancy's maiden namehad been Tate, others believe it to have been Ranks. William Sparks hadbeen born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, on September 3, 1819, a sonof Hardy Sparks (born about 1797) and. Susannah (Brown) Sparks, who hadbeen married in Wilkes County in 1815 (their marriage bond was datedJanuary 5, 1815). William Sparks had been the third child of Hardy andSusannah (Brown) Sparks. Susannah (Brown) Sparks died in the 1830s,either shortly before or soon after Hardy moved to Monroe County,Indiana. It was also in the 1830s that Hardy Sparks was married (second)to Martha Motley.

(William Sparks, son of Hardy and Susannah (Brown) Sparks, did notaccompany his parents in their move to Indiana. He and Nancy were marriedin Wilkes County, North Carolina, about 1840. Nancy had been born onMarch 31, 1819. (The birth and death dates of both William and NancySparks are found on their grave stones in the Burch Cemetery in MonroeCounty, Indiana.) William Sparks, with Nancy and their first threechildren (Leonard G., Jehue P., and James H.).followed Hardy Sparks toIndiana in 1846. A daughter named Elizabeth J. Sparks was born to Williamand Nancy in Monroe County in or about 1847, as were their other fourchildren identified in Nancy's pension applications as having been underthe age of 16 when Wi liam Sparks died on August 17, 1866.

[An article entitled "Descendants of Hardy Sparks (born ca. 1797) ofNorth Carolina and Indiana" appeared in the QUARTERLY of March 1969,Whole No.65, in which information was given regarding the seven childrenof Hardy and Susannah Sparks and the eight children of Hardy and hissecond wife, Martha Motley . A photograph of Calvin and Mahala(Carmichael) Sparks appears on the cover of that issue, Calvin havingbeen a brother of William Sparks.]

See SQ p. 264 (Article on Family of Albert Cyrus Sparks, James's brother)contains this on p. 264:

"It would seem probable that there was a close relationship betweenAlbert Cyrus Sparks and James Harvey Sparks of Putnam County, Indiana.According to a history of Putnam County by Jesse W. Weik (1910), James R.Sparks was born in Lewis County, Kentucky, on February 8, 1826, the sonof James and Elizabeth (Gilman) Sparks. (Elizabeth Gilman was thegranddaughter of Henry Gilman, a soldier in the Revolution under GeneralWayne.) According to Mr. Weik's account, the family moved from LewisCounty, Kentucky, to Putnam County, Indiana, about 1838, locating nearMt. Meridian. It seems probable that Albert C. Sparks was a member ofthis family. James Sparks, father of James Harvey Sparks, was listed onthe 1840 census of Putnam County, Indiana, as follows:

himself, between 40 and 50 years
wife, between 30 and 40
2 sons under 5
2 sons between 5 and 10

1 son between 10 and 15
2 sons between 15 and 20

1 daughter between 5 and 10
1 daughter between 10 and 15

"Mr. Weik stated that James H. Sparks learned the blacksmith trade inGreencastle and on February 27, 1851, was married to Emily Jane Coffman,daughter of John and Mary (Williams) Coffman of Fountain County,Indiana. She died February 7, 1920 at the age of 69. James H. Sparkswas still living in 1910 and was a member of the Christian Church. Heserved in Company I, 43rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the CivilWar. On the 1850 census of Putnam County, Cloverdale Township, James H.Sparks was listed as "Harvey Sparks," which was his middle name. He wasliving with the family of Greenburg and Lucinda Lyon. Greenburg Lyon wasalso a blacksmith. The only other Sparks living in Putnam County in 1850was Elizabeth Sparks, age 22, born in Indiana, who was living with thefamily of David C. and Elizabeth A. Allen in Floyd Township.

SQ p. 1316:

"James Harvey Sparks, son of James and Elizabeth (Gilman) Sparks, wasborn February 8, 1830. According to a biographical sketch of JamesHarvey Sparks in Jesse W. Weik's history of Putnam County, Indiana,published in 1910, James H. Sparks was 12 years old when the family movedto Putnam County from Lewis County, Kentucky. They settled near Mt.Meridian. When he was 18 years old, he went to Greencastle and learnedthe trade of blacksmith. When the 1850 census was taken he was listed as"Harvey Sparks" and was living in the family of Greenburg Lyon in PutnamCounty, Jefferson Township. He served in Company I, 43rd IndianaVolunteer Infantry Regiment in the Civil War.

"On Feb. 27, 1851, he married Emily Jane Coffman, daughter of John andMary (Williams) Coffman of Fountain Co., Ind. They were natives ofKentucky. According to Weik's history, John Coffman was a soldier in theWar of 1812 under Gen. William Henry Harrison and was in the Battle ofMorgantown on the River Thames. Emily Sparks died on Feb. 7. 1902; JamesH. Sparks was still living in 1910. He was a member of the ChristianChurch and was a Mason."

SQ p. 2681:

"James Harvey Sparks, son of James and Elizabeth (Gilman) Sparks, wasborn on February 8, 1826. His biography appeared on pages 1316-1317 ofthe June 1970 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 70. In that account, hisyear of birth was given as 1830, but this was apparently an error.

See THE SPARKS FAMILY QUARTERLY, June 1985 Whole No. 130, p. 2747:

DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM SPARKS(1761-1848)

"James Hawkins ("Hawk") Sparks, son of Richard and Elizabeth (Cooper)Sparks, was born on May 28, 1815. According to information published ina HISTORY OF MCLENNAN COUNTY, TEXAS, he was married three times. Hisfirst marriage was to Penelope Mann, probably about 1833 in Mississippi.(James H. Sparks and his wife, Penelope, sold land in the town ofFranklin in Holmes County, Mississippi, on December 21, 1833.) Sheapparently died the following year. They had no children. James HawkinsSparks married (2nd) Rebecca --- by whom he had one child, also namedRebecca, who was born about 1837. (James H. Sparks and his wife,Rebecca, sold lots in the town of Franklin, Mississippi, in September1837.) The third marriage of James Hawkins Sparks was to Elizabeth E.McKnight on December 20, 1838, in Nacogdoches County, Texas. (A grandsonbelieved her name was actually Eleanor Elizabeth McKnight.) She was bornon August 20, 1822, near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and was a daughter ofJames and Susannah (Palmer) McKnight. She and "Hawk" Sparks had sevenchildren.

"James Hawkins Sparks probably did not accompany his parents to Texasduring the winter of 1833-34, and we have found no evidence that heserved during the Texas-Mexican War. He was there, however, by 1837 whenhis first child was born. He was listed on the 1840 census of theRepublic of Texas as the head of his household, and extant tax records ofNacogdoches County indicate that he paid taxes there in 1846 and 1847.

"According to a HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS, James Hawkins Sparksleft a store that he had established at Douglass, Texas, and moved toMcLennan County, Texas, about 1850. There "he established the first drugstore in Waco employing an experienced man to conduct it. He alsoengaged in general merchandising, having stores at Douglass and Marshall,Texas. During that period he made his home at Douglass but subsequentlyhe went to western Texas and settled in McLennan County where he opened ageneral mercantile store upon his farm. It was about this time that heestablished the first drug store in Waco. He had a wide acquaintancethroughout the state and was liked by all who knew him because of hisreliability in business, his genial manner, kindly disposition andinterest in the welfare of others."

"James Hawkins Sparks died on September 12, 1885, at Bosqueville ,Texas. He was a presbyterian and a member of the Masonic Fraternity. Hiswife, Elizabeth, died on February 3, 1892, also at Bosqueville. Theywere buried in the Bosqueville Cemetary. He was the father of eightchildren."

See SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1985, Whole No. 131, DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM
SPARKS, (1761-1848), pg 2772:

"James Hawkins ("Hawk") Sparks, son of Stephen and Emily (Whitaker)Sparks, was born on July 29, 1844. He was attending school atBosqueville, Texas, when the Civil War broke out, and he enlisted onSeptember 18, 1861, in Company A, 7th Regiment Texas Infantry,Confederate States Army. He
served until he was discharged in May 1865. After he returned from theservice, he was married to Mary Ann ("Mollie") Davis on December 4, 1866,in McLennan County. She had been born on September 16, 1846, atNashville, Tennessee, and was a daughter of G. W. and Eliza T. (Richey)Davis.

"Hawk Sparks was a rancher and also a farmer. He is said to havebuilt houses, and a descendant has furnished a picture of a house he isalleged to have built in Portland, Texas, which is still standing (seepg. 2773). An excellent account of the life of a rancher-farmer in thatsection of Texas in the late 1800's was given on pages 904-907 of theJune 1965 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 50, in an article entitled"Memories of a Texas Childhood." The article was based upon anautobiographical book written by Dr. John E. Sparks, a son of Hawk Sparks.

"Hawk Sparks received a Texas Confederate Pension for his serviceduring the Civil War. See pg 1286 of the December 1969 issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 68, for an abstract of his military service (whichfollows below). "Hawk Sparks died on November 20, 1923, and Mollie diedthree years later on February 22, 1927. They were buried in the SeasideCemetary at Rockport. They had nine children.

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

ABSTRACT OF MILITARY SERVICE OF JAMES HAWKINS SPARKS:

J. H. SPARKS (born about 1844)
J. H. Sparks enlisted on October 1, 1861, at Marshall, Texas, as aprivate in Capt. H. B. Granbury's Company, 7th Regiment Texas Infantry,for 3 years. He was enlisted by Capt. H. B. Granbury and his hage wasgiven as 17. He joined the company on October 2, 1861, and was enrolledby John Gregg. He traveled 210 miles to rendezvous. This company wasalso known as Company B, Bailey's Consolidated Regiment of Infantry. Itwas formed by the consolidation of Companies A , D, F and G, 7th RegimentTexas Infantry. Bailey's Consolidated Regiment of Infantry was atemporary field organization which was formed in October 1862 by order ofGen. Tilghman and consisted of eleven companies A to L. Companies A andB were composed of a remnant of the 7th Regiment Texas Infantry. Theother companies came from two other regiments.

The organization appears to have been broken up on January orFebruary 1863, and the men returned to their former commands.

J. H. Sparks was listed as Present in a company muster roll forOctober 1, 1861, to August 1, 1862. He was captured with his company onFebruary 16, 1862, and was listed as one of 1021 prisoners of war sentfrom Camp Douglas, Illinois, to Vicksburg to be exchanged on September 3,1862. On October 31, 1862, he was listed on a company muster roll forthe Consolidated Company B of the 7th Regiment Texas Infantry. He waslisted as having been last paid on July 31, 1862 . Another record in hisfile indicates "Discharged & final statement given Nov. 23, 1862."

The last record states: "Discharged Dec. 1, 1862; Not paid hisbounty."

Note: Joe Neal Garrett shows that James Hawkins Sparks died in Portland,San Patricio County, TX.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1986, Whole No. 135, p. 2926:

"James Henry Sparks, son of Absalom and Mahala (Grubb) Sparks, wasborn on Jun 2, 1841. He served in Company K, 208th Regiment PennsylvaniaInfantry during the Civil War. (See the December 1985 issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 132, [and below] for an abstract of his pensionfile.) He married Elizabeth Gibson on April 12, 1864, in Bedford County,Pennsylvania. She was born on December 18, 1840, and was a daughter ofGeorge Gibson, Sr. James Henry Sparks died on October 13, 1917, andElizabeth died on January 3, 1927. They had three children: (for whichsee the family page.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1985, Whole No. 132, pp.2816-17:

CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION FOR:

JAMES H. SPARKS,
son of Absalom and Mahala (Grubb) Sparks, wasborn on June 2,
1841, at Everett, Pennsylvania. He marriedElizabeth Gibson on April
12, 1864, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.Heserved in Company
K,133rd Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry and inCompany K, 208th
Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry. FileDesignations: Inv. Cert. No.
419,679; Wid. Cert. No. 840,153.

"On March 26, 1879, James H. Sparks, aged 35, a resident of WestProvidence Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania, applied for an invalidpension. He said that he had been enrolled on August 18, 1864, inCompany K, 208th Regiment Pennsyl- vania Infantry and had served until hewas mustered out with his company on June 1, 1865, at Alexandria,Virginia. He was 5 feet, 6 inches tall; he had a fair complexion, sandyhair and blue eyes; and he was a farmer when he entered the Union Army.

"Sparks went on to state that on December 11, 1864, while stationed atPetersburg, Virginia, he had contracted rheumatism from exposure to thecold and wet weather. His command made frequent marches during the nightand on one occasion he had been so tired from supporting a comrade thathe went to sleep in the mud and nearly froze to death. As a result ofthis exposure, his left leg was now "drawn up and much shorter than myright leg." He had remained with his company on light duty which hepreferred rather than going to the Regimental Hospital. He said he hadalso served in Company K, 133rd Regiment Pennsylvania lnfantry, but thathe had been discharged on May 26, 1863. He appointed D. Stewart Elliott,of Everett, Pennsyl- vania, as his attorney. J. N. Alsip and Joe W. Tatewitnessed him make his mark.

"On June 29, 1882, Sparks made an affidavit that he had enlisted inCompany K, 133rd Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry on August 29, 1862, andthat his name had appeared on the roll of that company without the secondinitial letter, but simply as "James Sparks." After his discharge on May26, 1863, he had afterwards reenlisted in Company K, 208th RegimentPennsylvania Infantry, but had been carried on the roll of that companyas "James H. Sparks" since there had been another James Sparks in thatsaid company. [This other James Sparks was the one whose pension papershave been abstracted beginning on page 2815 of this issue of theQUARTERLY.] It was while he was a member of the latter company that hehad incurred his disability.

"On December 11, 1882, the War Department sent a report to the Bureauof Pensions which obviously confused the military service of the twoJames Sparkses in Company K, 208th Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry. Bothmen had been enrolled at Bloody Run, Pennsylvania; both had similarphysical descriptions; and both had been stationed at Petersburg,Virginia. Apparently because of the confusion of the two records, noaction was taken on the application of James H. Sparks.

"On January 5, 1885, Joseph Williams, aged 55, and a resident ofEverett, Pennsyl- vania, testified that as a former comrade of Sparks inCompany K, 208th Regiment, he had been present when Sparks contractedrheumatism in his left hip. Sparks had been lame until he had beenmustered out of the service, but his injury was much worse now.

"Williams was supported by testimony from James W. South, aged 46, anda resident of Masonville, Iowa. South said Sparks had been so severelyaffected by the forced marches that he had had great difficulty in simplywalking around the company area.

"Apparently the testimony of Sparks's comrades was successful, forInvalid Certificate No. 419,679 was issued to him and he was placed uponthe pension roll.

"Sparks returned a questionnaire to the Bureau of Pensions on December30, 1897.
He said that he had been married on April 12, 1864, to Elizabeth Gibsonby the
Rev. Pollsgrove in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. They had had threechildren:

1. Mary A. Sparks, born June 3, 1867.
2. Sarah J. Sparks, born August 2, 1869.
3. Curtis G. Sparks, born September 21, 1873.

"James H. Sparks was receiving a pension of $30.00 per month when hedied on October 13, 1917, at Everett, Pennsylvania. According to theCertificate of Death filed by Alice M. Leonard, he had been born on June2, 1841, and was a son of Absalom and Mahala (Grubb) Sparks. He wasburied in the Sparks Graveyard at Everett, Pennsylvania. It was alsostated that he was "widowed," but this was an error.

"On October 17, 1917, Elizabeth Sparks applied for a widow's pension.She stated that she had been born on December 18, 1840, in BedfordCounty, Pennsylvania, and that she had been married to James H. Sparks onApril 12, 1864, in Bedford County by the Rev. J. B. Polsgrove. It hadbeen the first marriage for both. She asked for the accrued pension ofher late husband and for a pension as his widow. Frank D. Leonard andHarry E. Leonard, both residents of Everett, Pennsylvania, witnessed hermake her mark.

"On October 24, 1917, Jacob Gogley, aged 75, William W. Whisel, aged77, George W. Gibson, aged 62, and L. H. Peck, aged 73, all residents ofEverett ' Pennsylvania, made affidavits that they had been present whenJames H. Sparks and Elizabeth Gibson were married, and that they hadlived together as man and wife until his death on October 13, 1917.

"On January 28, 1918, Robert J. Allen, pastor of the Everett MethodistEpiscopal
Church, sent the Bureau of Pensions a church record showing that on April12, 1864, James Sparks of West Providence Township and Elizabeth Gibson,Snake Spring Township, had been married in the bride's home by the Rev.J. B. Polsgrove. Witnesses had been George Gibson, Sr. and ElizabethAmick.

"Widow Certificate No. 840,153 was issued to Elizabeth Sparks, and shewas placed upon the pension roll. When she died on January 3, 1927, shewas receiving a pension of $50.00 per month.

(Editor's Note: James H. Sparks was a grandson of James and Nancy(Rogers) Sparks. See pages 584-7 of the September 1961 issue of THESPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 35, for further details about this branch ofthe Sparks family.)

SQ pg 3727: He was a soldier in World War I and was killed in actionwhile fighting in the Argonne Forest in France. His death occurred onNovember 11, 1918, after the truce had been signed to cease fighting, butbefore the news had reached his sector. He was buried in France.

SQ p. 2157:

James J. Sparks, son of Thomas and Sarah (McClister) Sparks, was born onJuly 15, 1826, in Adair County. He was married to Sarah Ann Taylor onJanuary 5, 1859, in Wayne County, Kentucky. Sarah Ann was born about 1840in Lee County, Virginia, and was probably a daughter of James A. Taylor.James and Sarah Ann (Taylor) Sparks lived near Glens Fork.

James J. Sparks died on April 6, 1862, apparently without issue. He isburied in the Sparks Cemetery on Crocus Creek. He died without leaving awill and his widow relinquished her right to administer his estate. Thecourt appointed William Hill, a brother-in-law of James J. Sparks, as theadministrator, with Josiah A. Sparks and James McClister as his sureties.The account was settled at the February 1867 term of court.

See SQ p. 332 for birth information. This records gives his date ofbirth as 20 Oct., 1861.

SQ pg 3940: James J. Sparks was born on October 2, 1861, just a fewdays before his father enlisted in the Union Army. According to adescendant, he was married to Elizabeth Caudill about 1880. She had beenborn in October 1862. When the 1900 census was taken of Johnson County,James and Elizabeth were shown with six children: Kenis, Thurman, Sarah,Stella , William and Martha Sparks.

SQ pg 4482: They had ten children. (In addition to the six namedabove) The other four children were Hobart, Viola, Bessie, and Walter.

SQ pg 4545: Our earlier information about this family indicated thatthey had ten children, but the names of only six of them were known atthat time. Thanks to Nancy (Sparks) Phillips, a great-grandaughter ofJames and Elizabeth (Caudill) Sparks, we now have the full names anddates of birth and death for seven of these children, and, for the fivewho survived to adulthood, the names of their spouses. These seven were(see family group sheet).

SQ 3865:

"James Jarvis "Jay" Sparks, son of Daniel Sparks (959) and Elizabeth(Sparks) Sparks (217) was born on March 25, 1869. He was married toMargaret Sparks on January 25, 1892, in Elliott County, KY. She had beenborn on May 30, 1868, and was a daughter of Solomon Sparks (209) andHelen (Birchfield) Sparks and a granddaughter of Jesse (196) and Nancy(---) Sparks. (JS note: James was also a grandson of Jesse and Nancy.)

[Sparks Note: James Jarvis is descended from William Sparks IV (199)through both parents. Here are the family trees:

William Sparks (ca1725-ca1801)
¦
ThomasSparks_________________________¦_________________James Sparks
¦ ¦
Allen Jesse
¦ ___________________ ¦____________________
¦ ¦ ¦
Daniel Elizabeth Solomon & Helen
¦________________M__________________¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
James----------------------------------------------M--------------------------- ------------------Margaret

James Jarvis (990) Daniel (959), Allen (541), Thomas(536), William (199)
Elizabeth (217), Jesse (196), James (189),William (199)
Margaret (10420), Solomon (209), Jesse(196), James (189), William (199)

(Summary: James' parents were second cousins and James and Margaret werefirst cousins i.e. James' mother and Margaret's father were brother andsister. They were also third cousins i.e. James' father and Margaret'smother were second cousins.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1968, Whole No. 62, at page 1158 for thefollowing article:

QUERY

ARE THEREDESCENDANTS OF JAMES JEFFERSON SPARKS (born 1808)

OFPERRY AND HUMPHREYS COUNTIES, TENNESSEE?

Bill R. Linder, 1370 Bryan Ave., Salt Lake City, Utah (84105) would liketo get in touch with descendants of James Jefferson Sparks, who was bornin Georgia on April 14, 1808. He was a son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Jones)Sparks and a grandson of Matthew and Sarah Sparks. (See the QUARTERLY ofJune 1961, Whole No. 34, Vol. IX, No. 2, pp. 556-566, and also ofSeptember 1966, Whole No. 55, Vol. XIV, No. 3, p. 1017.)

James Jefferson Sparks came with his parents to Hickman County,Tennessee, about 1810. He married Rhoda Murphree of Hickman County,Tennessee. She was born on December 19, 1813, and was a daughter ofDaniel and Elizabeth (Brown) Murphree.

When the 1850 census was taken, James Jefferson Sparks was living inHumphreys County, Tennessee. From this census record, it appears that heand his wife, Rhoda, had the following children by 1850, all born inTennessee:

1. Martha Sparks, born about 1834.
2. Mary Sparks, born about 1837.
3. Daniel Sparks, born about 1840.
4. Jesse Sparks, born about 1841.
5. Sarah Sparks, born about 1845.
6. James Sparks, born about 1847.

Both your editor and Mr. Linder would be very pleased to obtain a morecomplete record of the family of James Jefferson and Rhoda (Murphree)Sparks.

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

See SQ 3550-3552, Whole No. 149, for details on this family: 7 childrenand many grandchildren.

SQ p. 3551: He was married to Julia (Kelly) Lewis on November 221893...James died on October 19, 1902, after being shot by hisstepfather-in-law (JS: His wife's step- father?) on October 16, 1902.Julia died on January 20, 1948. She and James had five children,including a child who has not been identified.

James Joseph Sparks was born in Long Beach, California in 1927. Heattended parochial school through the 6th grade and public schoolsthrough high school. Before his 18th birthday he enlisted in the navy.After testing, James was transferred to the V5 naval aviation trainingprogram and was sent to Colgate University in New York for his freshmanyear of college as an Apprentice Seaman in uniform. He attendedOccidental College in Pasadena, California for his sophmore year andreported for preflight training at Pensacola, Florida, in September,1947. He received his naval aviator's wings in July 1949 at CorpusChristi, Texas, and was commissioned an Ensign, USN. He joined FighterSquadron 192 at Alameda Naval Air Station, California, flying F8F Bearcatfighters. The squadron deployed in January 1950 aboard the U.S.S. Boxer,an Essex Class aircraft carrier. The ship's tour of the Pacific ended inmid-June, 1950, and shortly thereafter, he received an honorabledischarge at Treasure Island, California.

In September, 1950, he entered UCLA's School of BusinessAdministration as a junior and was graduated cum laude in finance inJune, 1952. In August, he and Ellen Mary Sherriffs, a fellow UCLAgraduate in the class of 1952 and a future elementary school teacher,were married in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California. In Septemberof that year he began law school studies, also at UCLA, and Ellen beganto teach. He graduated from law school in 1955 with a Bachelor of Lawsdegree later converted to a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. He passedthe California bar examination in the fall of that year, and was admittedto practice law in January, 1956.

Ellen and James moved to San Carlos, San Mateo County, California,in January, 1956, where they continue to live at the present time. Jamespracticed law in the San Francisco bay area for 36 years, specializing infamily and business law, wills and trusts. He served as pro-tem Judge inboth the Superior and Municipal Courts of San Mateo County. He retired in1991 but continued to act on appointment by the Superior Court as aSpecial Master, Arbitrator, and Referee for several years. James servedon the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury in 1993. Ellen and James arethe parents of three children, James T. Sparks, Asst. Deputy Director ofthe Department of Public Works for Los Angeles County; Timothy J. Sparks,an attorney, and Susan (Sparks) Thompson, a past Director andVice-President of Franklin Templeton Funds in Foster City, CA. James andEllen have nine grandchildren ranging in age from 8 to 18 years (as of2008). (A photo of James appears in the Sparks Quarterly at page 4542. Aletter relating to the Sparks Coat of Arms is on pp 5253-54.)

The following cousins have been met through James' websitesparksfamilytree.net:

First Cousins Once Removed:

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

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

Second Cousins Once Removed:

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

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

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

Volumes Completed:

8, 9, 10

See the December 1962 issue of the SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 40, pp.680-704.

JAMES SPARKS, JR.

James Sparks, Jr., was probably the oldest son of James Sparks who diedin 1736, since he appears to have been in charge of settling his father’sestate. More information has been found on James Sparks, Jr., amongSpotsylvania County records than on any other member of the family.

James Sparks, Jr., was probably born about 1700. Our earliest recordpertaining to him is dated July 4, 1733, on which occasion he sued ThomasGlover for 550 pounds of tobacco. (See Order Book 1730-1738, page 231.)This case was dismissed, but on April 3, 1734, the Court noted that JamesSparks (he was not called “Junior” on this occasion) had obtained anattachment against the estate of Thomas Glover. As was noted earlier, theCourt then ordered Thomas Jones, who owed Glover 500 pounds of tobacco,to pay this amount to James Sparks. (See Order Book 1730-1738, page 301.)

Following the death of James Sparks, Sr., in 1736, James, Jr., seems tohave handled the settling of the estate. He was involved in a number oflaw suits during the next several years. In October, 1737, he suedWilliam Hullot for 50 pounds sterling - - the case was settled out ofCourt. (Order Book 1730-1738, page 519.) In 1741, he successfullydefended himself against a suit brought by Thomas Corbin, Gentleman. “for50 pds. current money damage.” According to the Court record, “thedefendant appeared and moved for a non-suit, the plaintiff having notfiled a Declaration one day before the Court-- The law is with theDefendant--said Corbin to pay said Sparks a non-suit with costs, etc.”(See Order Book 1730-1738, page 120.)

On February 5, 1744, the Court “ordered that James Sparks serve asConstable of the Town of Fredericksburg in room of William Potter andthat he be sworn before some Magistrate of this County according to law.”(Order Book 1738-1749, page 297.) To receive such an appointment, JamesSparks, Jr., must have been a man of ability and some degree ofeducation. Other court records reveal that, by occupation, he was aninn-keeper. On June 5, 1750, for example, the County Court noted:“Petition of James Sparks to have his Ordinary [inn] Lycense renewed,being expired, is granted on his giving Bond and paying the Governor’sDue as the law directs.” (Order Book 1749 -1755, page 62.)

On September 3, 1745, James Sparks, Jr., witnessed a deed by which JohnDurritt sold land in Spotsylvania County to Henry True and Martin True.Benjamin Davis and Alexander Hawkins were also witnesses. (By this time,of course, James had stopped adding”Junior” to his signature,since hisfather was dead.) On June 2, 1747, another James Sparks signed by mark aswitness to a mortgage between Joseph Venable and John Minor. As will benoted later, when James Sparks, Jr., died in 1758, the administrator ofhis estate was this same James Sparks who signed his name by mark. Therecan be no doubt but that the James who signed by mark was closely relatedto James, Jr., but he does not seem to have been a son. Probably he was anephew, a son of Henry, Thomas, or John Sparks.

On January 10, 1749, James Sparks, Jr., signed his name as witness to thewill of John Fox of Fredericksburg. Other witnesses were M. Battaley,John Sutherland, and Richard Tutt.

***************
-685-

Two very important documents pertaining to James Sparks, Jr., are datedSeptember 1, 1752. (See Will Book B, 1749-1759, pp. 132-33.) Thesedocuments identify two of James’s sons, Daniel Sparks and Charles Sparks.They also provide an interesting illustration of how our Colonialancestors often provided training for their children through the systemof apprenticeship. The first agreement reads as follows:

This Indenture made the first Day of September one thousand sevenhundred and fifty two Between James Sparks of St. George Parish in theCounty of Spotsylvania of the one Part, and Charles Sebastian of theParish Brunswick in King George County of the other Part the said JamesSparks Doth put and bind his son Daniel Sparks an apprentice to the saidCharles Sebastion for and During the term of six years & seven Monthsfully Compleat and ended & the said Charles Sebastian shall teach orCause to be taught or Instructed the said Apprentice in the full art ormistery of a Joyner and house Carpenter and also shall give to the saidapprentice a full years Schooling and also During the said Term shallfind to his said apprentice Good and Convenient meat, Drink, washing andLodging and apparrel and at the Expiration of the said term shall giveunto his said apprentice such Dues as by Act of Assembly is appointed tobe given to Imported Servants and Likewise at the Expiration of the saidterm to Give to his said Apprentice a Set of Carpenters tools. In witnesswhereof the Parties to these Indentures have set their hands and affixedtheir seals the Day, month, and year first above written.

[signed] James Sparks(seal)

CharlesSebastian (seal)
Both James Sparks, Jr., and Charles Sebastian appeared before theSpotsylvania County Court on September 2, 1752, and acknowledged theabove indenture.

A similar agreement was signed by James Sparks, Jr., and Charles Sebasionon the same day, September 1, 1752, placing James’s son, Charles Sparks,also as an apprentice to learn to be “a Joyner and house Carpenter .“However, instead of the term of six years and seven months, Charles wasbound until he should reach the age of twenty-one years.

On February 7, 1753, James Sparks, Jr., was summoned before the CountyCourt “to answer a complaint against him made, for keeping a disorderlyhouse [inn], and bringing up his children in pilfering, stealing, andother ill practices.” This was a serious charge to be brought against aman of James’s position--it required no little influence to be appointeda constable and to have a license to operate an inn in Colonial Virginia.Apparently, James had an enemy who wished to cause him embarrassment. TheCourt listened to his defense and ordered “that the said complaint bedismissed.” (See Order Book 1749-1755, entry for Feb. 7, 1753.) A fewdays after this, James Sparks, Jr., was granted a new license to operatehis inn for another year, a further vindication of his character.

Early in 1758, James Sparks, Jr., died. The earliest document whichmentions his death is an agreement dated March 7, 1758, by which “DanielSparks, son of Jas. Sparks, decsd. of the County of Spotsylvania dothwith the Consent & approbation of the Court ... put himself apprentice toJames Frasher of the County aforesaid Carpenter & Joyner, to learn hisArt & mystery ...“ (See Will Book B, 1749-59, pp. 349-50.) Daniel Sparksagreed to serve as apprentice to Frasher until he reached the age oftwenty-one. Apparently, with the death of James Sparks, Jr., theagreement with Charles Sebastian was terminated. From other records, weknow that Daniel Sparks was born in 1740 and was thus eighteen when thisagreement with Frasher was signed. Daniel Sparks and James Frasher bothsigned this agreement. (of course, the recorded copy, which is oursource, does not bear their actual signatures.)

***************
-686-

On February 5, 1760, Samuel Sparks, another son of James Sparks, Jr.,bound himself, as had his brother Daniel; to James Frasher. This was donewith the approval of the Court since, according to the agreement, Samuelwas only “about the age of 15 years.” He agreed to serve as an apprenticefor six years “to be taught and instructed in the Art or Mystery of acarpenter and joyner.” (See Will Book B, 1749-59, page 439.)

Unfortunately, from the viewpoint of genealogical research, James Sparksdid not leave a will. On August 2, 1758, the Spotsylvania County Courtrecorded in its Minute Book (page 123) that Sarah Sparks, widow of JamesSparks, Jr., had refused to serve as administratrix of her husband’sestate. (Thus we know that the wife of James Sparks, Jr., was namedSarah.) The County Court then appointed another administrator whose namewas also James Sparks. This other James Sparks signed his name by mark onthe bond he was required to post as administrator. There is no indicationof his relationship to the deceased, but the fact that he signed by markindicates that he was probably the same James Sparks who signed by markthe mortgage between Joseph Venable and John Minor on June 2, 1747, asmentioned earlier. He was probably a nephew of James Sparks, Jr., a sonof Henry, Thomas, or John Sparks. The administrator’s bond (see Will BookB, 1749-59, page 382) was dated August 2, 1758; William Lewis and BlandBallard signed as securities in the amount of “Three Hundred Pounds CurrtMoney.” (Ballard signed by mark.)

On October 3, 1758, at “a Court held for Spotsylvania County,” JohnBattaley, Thomas Colson, and William Houston submitted an inventory whichthey had taken of “the Estate of James Sparks decd.” This inventoryprovides an interesting picture of life in the village of Fredericksburgtwo centuries ago. (The articles were valued in “current money,” that is,in English pounds, shillings, and pence. (See Will Book B, 1749-59, page385.)

In Obedience to an Order of Spotsylvania Court we the Subscribershave Valued & appraised the Estate of James
Sparks deced. in Current Money as followeth -- Viz.

£ S d

1 Bed and Furniture 3 10 0
l Ditto 2 0 0
1 Ovel Table 0 15 0
1 Old Ditto 0 5 0
1 pr Iron Doggs 0 12 0
1 pr fire Tongs 0 1 0
1 Old Bed Rugg & Blanket, 1 Old Ditto, Lot 4 0 0
A parcel of Tanned Leather 0 5 0
1 Old Spinning Wheel 0 1 6
l SquareTable 0 3 0
1 Fiddle 0 7 6
A parcel of Old Peuter 0 17 0
2 Tin Funnel and one old Cullendar 0 2 6
1 Cupboard 0 12 6
1 Bed and Furniture 2 10 0
1 Rum Case & 6 Bottles 0 7 6
1 Earthern Jugg 0 3 0
1 Gallon, 1 Quart, 1 Pint, I half pint & 1 Jill, Lott 0 1 0
4 Iron Candle sticks, 1 hammer & Pinchers 0 3 0
1 Tin Sugar Box 1/6 1 Skillett 1/6 0 3 0
A parcel of old Knives & forks, 1 Old Pepper Box 0 2 6
1 pr Old money scales 2 Old Iron Wedges & two flatt Irons 0 5 0
1 Old safe 10/ 1 Old Rum Case 1/3 0 11 3
1 Gun 20/ 1 chest 5/ 1 Old Chair 1/ 1 6 0
1 Desk 2 10 0
1 Bay horse 4 10 0
3 Pails, 1 Washing Tub 0 4 0
4 Old Iron Potts 0 12 0
2 Iron pot Racks and hooks 0 12 6
1 Old Tea kettle 5/ 1 frying pan, Griddle and Ladle 4/ 0 9 0
1 Ruin Cock 2/6 1 Chamber pott 1/ 0 3 0
2 pr Iron Traces & haines, 1 Cart & saddle 4 0 0
2 Old Axes 2/6 1 Old Looking Glass 2/ 0 4 6
l GrindStone 0 2 6
l Horse 5 0 6

£ 38 5 3

[signed] Jn° Battaley
Thoms Colson
Wm Houston
Att a Court held for Spotsylvania County on Tuesday October the3rd 1758 This Inventory and appraisement of the
Estate of James Sparks Deced being Returned in Court it isOrdered to be Recorded.

Test. W: Waller Cl.Crt.

Our only knowledge of the wife of James Sparks, Jr., is the fact that hername was Sarah. She was, without doubt, the Sarah Sparks who married, ashis second wife, Anthony Foster. Anthony Foster was a prominent man inSpotsylvania County; he was sheriff of the county in the 1740’s and in1753 was commissioned by the Governor as "Inspector of Tobacco atFredericksburg Warehouse." His first wife's name was Martha, by whom hehad several children, including a daughter named Elizabeth who marriedJames Frasher. As was noted above, it was to James Frasher that Danieland Samuel Sparks bound themselves as apprentices. In his will datedFebruary 4, 1763, he provided for his wife, Sarah, and bequeathed "to mywife's daughter, Sarah Sparks, one cow and calf to her and her heirsforever." This was the Sarah Sparks, daughter of James Sparks, Jr., whomarried Alexander Walden.

The late William B. Newman who was quoted in the June, 1956, issue of theQuarterly, stated that the Sarah Sparks who married Anthony Foster as hissecond wife was the widow of Zachary Sparks of Orange County, Virginia.There can be little doubt now that Mr. Newman was mistaken, and membersof the Association should note this on page 138 of the June, 1956, issue(Vol. IV, No. 2) [Whole No. 14].

On November 9, 1752, the Spotsylvania County Court made record of a suitbrought by Jane Sparks against Anthony Foster, but it was dismissedbecause an agreement had been reached out of Court. This was probably themother of James Sparks, Jr., (widow of James Sparks who died in 1736),and the suit may have involved property connected with the marriage ofher daughter-in-law, Sarah, to Anthony Foster.

From the above mentioned records in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, andlater records in South Carolina and North Carolina that will be cited,below, we know that James Sparks, Jr., who died in 1758, had at leastfour sons, Daniel, Charles, Samuel, and Harry. We know also that he hadat least one daughter, Sarah, who married Alexander Walden. He may alsohave been the father of Eleanor Sparks who married Edlyne Willoughby.Following are brief sketches of these children; more detailed records oftheir descendants appear on subsequent pages:

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

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

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

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

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

SQ 3192:

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

See SQ p. 332 for birth information.

SQ 2774:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SQ June 2001, Whole No. 194, p. 5545:

Sparks Deaths Contained in theIndiana Mortality Schedules for 1860 (June 1, 1859, to May 31, 1860)

James Sparks died in Rock Creek Township in Huntington County, Indiana,during the month of April 1860, from typhoid fever following an illnessof 12 days. He had been born in Indiana and was 13 years old when hedied. [Editor's Note: He was the James R. Sparks shown as 4 years old onthe 1850 census of Huntington County, a son of William and Hester(Miller) Sparks. See the QUARTERLY of December 1959, Whole No.28, p.444(misnumbered 345). William and Hester Sparks were shown on the 1860census of Rock Creek Township in Hntington County; see the QUARTERLY ofJune 1995, Whole No.170, p.4487. See also the QUARTERLY of March 2000,Whole No.189, p.5292 for biographical data on William Sparks, who was ason of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks.]

SQ pg 2749:

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

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

SQ pg 3468:
"James Richard "Jim" Sparks was born on September 10, 1866, in JohnsonCounty and was a teenager when his parents moved to Parker Count y. Itwas there that he was married to Laura Ida Phillips on August 5, 1893.She was born on September 24, 1876, in Calhoun County, Alabama, and was adaughter of William Lewis and Mary Victoria Lorind a (Gilbert) Phillips.She was only three years old when her parents went to Texas in a wagontrain. Years later, she told of havin g a playmate on the wagon trainnamed "Segonia." She never forgot her, and named her only daughter NecieSegonia Sparks.
"Jim Sparks was a kind, gentle, soft-spoken man. Ida (as she wa scalled) was a stout woman who wore her hair in a bun. Her hands toldthat she had worked hard all her life. She was also a very strong-willed, but a good, woman. An example of her determination was her careand concern for her youngest child, Cecil, who became blind when he wasonly eight months old. Ida made up her mind that he would received agood schooling so that he could take care of himself and lead a normallife. Ultimately, her patience and concern resulted in Cecil's musicaleducation which led him to a place in the Leon Paine Western Band, and,for a while, he had his own radio program from a Houson station.
"Jim Sparks was a farmer most of his life. In 1909, he moved hisfamily to Elmore City, Oklahoma, where he stayed until about 1925 . Fromthere, he moved to Breckenridge, Texas, to operate a boarding house, butby 1930, he was operating a dairy in Denton, Texas. H e died in Dentonon October 30, 1941. Ida survived him only a few years, dying on March18, 1947. They were buried in the Hills Cemetery . They had elevenchildren. The eight oldest were born in Parker County, while the threeyoungest were born in Garvin County, Oklahoma."

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

DEATH TAKES JAMES RICHARD SPARKS

(photograph)

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

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

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

A photograph that James Richard Sparks shared with us is reproduced above(see scrapbook). Taken about 1906, it shows James Richard at about theage of thirteen with his younger sister, Helen Jewell Sparks. It wastaken in Wichita, Kansas.

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

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 2002, Whole No. 198, pp 5695-6:

There was another James Sparks living in Burke County in the 1830s and1840s, however, who can easily be confused with James, son of Benjamin.Some six years younger, this was James S. Sparks, born about 1808. He wasa son of James Sparks, [Sr.] and was a second cousin of James, born about1802. (See the QUARTERLY of June 1998, No. 182, for a sketch of the lifeof this elder James Sparks beginning on page 4998.) The lines of descentof James Sparks and James S. Sparks from William Sample Sparks were asfollows:

William Sample Sparks
Born ca.1705, died after 1764
(See the QUARTERLY of December 1987, No. 184 December2000, No. 192. )
|
William Sparks Brothers MatthewSparks
Born ca. 1725 Born ca. 1730
Died 1801/02 Died 1793
| |
Benjamin Sparks First Cousins JamesSparks
Born ca.1769/70 Born 1768
Died 1850 Died ca. 1835
| |
James Sparks Second Cousins James S.Sparks
Born ca.1802 Born 1808

Although most of the records in the Burke County, North Carolina,courthouse in 1865 were destroyed in the fire of that year, a fewmarriage bonds survived, one of which, dated June 11, 1838, was for JamesS. Sparks (born ca.1808), to be married to Nancy Largent, with B. S.Gaither serving as bondsman. By 1860, James S. and Nancy (Largent) Sparkshad moved to Blount County, Tennessee, where they appeared on the 1860census (in the "1st District Brick Mill.") To help clarify thedistinction between this James S. Sparks (son of James Sparks [1768-ca.1835 ] and James Sparks (son of Benjamin), we give here the 1860census record of the family of James S. Sparks from the census of BlountCounty, Tennessee, of that year (page 145) :

Sparks, James S. (age) 52 b. N. C. Laborer
" Nancy " 43 "
" Margaret M. " 17 "
" Hannah L. " 15 "
" James M. " 13 "
" Nancy J. " 11 "
" Huldah M. " 7 "
" Martha J. " 5 "
" William H. " 3 "
" Alice H. M. " 6mo Tenn.

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

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

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

SQ p. 749:

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

James Terence Sparks, formerly Terence Morgan Sparks, graduated from UCLAwith a degree in civil engineering in 1981. For the past 25 years he hasbeen employed by the Public Utilities District for Los Angeles County,California rising to the position of Deputy Director. His wife Linda isan engineering graduate from the University of Minnesota.

SQ p.2680:

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

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

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

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

OBITUARY OF JAMES WILLIAM SPARKS

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

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

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

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

"Jim continued to live on his father's farm in Lawrence County, but hewould farm in the spring and summer and then go to the coal mines inneighboring counties to work during the fall and winter. He ran for theoffice of Lawrence County Clerk twice, but was defeated both times. Afterthe end of World War 1, Sarah persuaded him to leave the hazardous coalmines and move to Akron, Ohio, where the automobile tire industry wasgrowing rapidly. They moved there in 1919. Sarah gave birth to theirsixth child in January 1922; she died from childbirth complications. Shewas brought back to Lawrence County and was buried in the family cemeteryon Morgans Creek.

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

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

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

JAMES AND SARAH (CONLEY) SPARKS OFLAWRENCE COUNTY, KENTUCKY

By Paul E. Sparks

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

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

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

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

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

-5271-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jim and Sarah were the parents of six children:

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

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

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

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

SQ pp. 2619-20:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

END OF ARTICLE

SQ p. 2154:

Jane Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Sarah (McClister) Sparks, was bornabout 1818 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. On January 19, 1842, shemarried Michael Loy in Adair County. Her father was named on the marriagerecord. Michael Loy was born about 1819 in Orange County, North Carolina.Michael and Jane (Sparks) Loy lived on the road from Glens Fork to Crocuswhere they reared nine children:

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY p. 399:

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

.

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

SQ 3084: "Jane Sparks, daughter of Abel and Sarah (Cochran) Sparks ,was born on July 19, 1827, in Missouri. She was married to Hugh W.McReynolds and was still living at the time of the settlement of herbrother, Solomon's , estate in 1880.

"The following brief sketch appears in a HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY,WISCONSIN, published by the Western Historical Company, Chicago, 1881,page 925 :

"H. W. McReynolds, dealer in general store; was born in Bond Co. Ill., in1825 ; came to Wisconsin when quite small with his parents, who are bothdead; when old enough, he worked in the mines; then went to Grant Co. inbusiness; then to Rewey in October, 1880; he owns 160 acres of land inSect. 31, finely improved; his wife, Jane Sparks, was born in Wisconsin,in 1845, daughter of an old settler; they married in 1861, and have fivechildren: Celiste, Ulysses, Eva, James, Syrina; a member of I.O.O.F. andA., F.& A.M." (Editors note : We cannot account for the date of birth ofJane Sparks and the date of her marriage given in this sketch; thesedates must be in error unless this is a different Jane Sparks.)