!NOTES:
See SQ pg 2567.

See SQ p. 232 for birth information.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds(1822-1865):
Mahala A. Sparks & James L. Wheeler, - - - - 1865. (Book 5, p. 83)

SQ p. 3908:
"Mahala ["Haley"] Angeline Sparks, daughter of Daniel and Sarah(Jayne) Sparks, was born on January 15, 1841. She was married toJames Lee Wheeler on January 4, 1865, in Lawrence County, [Kentucky].He had been born on Hood Creek on November 21, 1841, and was a son ofJohn R. and Rachel (Lemasters) Wheeler. Haley died on October 17,1877, and James died on January 19, 1921. They had five children.
a. Ulysses Sherman Wheeler was born on February 23, 1866. He wasmarried twice. His first marriage was on July 6, 1891, to FrancesBrown. His second marriage was to Lennie ---. He died on March 31,1921.
b. John Harrison Wheeler was born on June 16, 1868. He was marriedto May Fannin. He died on March 27, 1907.
c. Henry Washington Wheeler was born on April 27, 1870. He wasmarried twice. His first marriage was to Cora McGuire on October 30,1890. His second marriage was to Susie Butcher. He died on August 9,1957.
d. Peter Taylor Wheeler was born on May 28, 1873. He was married toLeora Obra Aulick. He died on August 24, 1945.
e. Rachel Hilda Wheeler was born on April 25, 1875. She was marriedto George Gallion. She died in April, 1949."

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

SQ pg 3278: They had six children: James, George, Fred, Louise ,Jane, and Major Wilson Sparks.

SQ p. 1088: Malinda Sparks, believed to have been the fourth childof Jonas and Mary (Brown) Sparks, was born about 1824. She was marriedin 1846 to Jacob Lyon (Wilkes County marriage bond dated June 6, 1846,with James Durham as bondsman.)

SQ 3271: "Malinda Sparks, daughter of Jonas and Mary (Brown) Sparks,was born in January 1824 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. She
married Jacob Lyon on June 6, 1846, in Wilkes County. He was bornabout 1813. The last record we have found of this couple is theirnames on the 1850 census of Wilkes County. At that time they had nochildren."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1997, Whole No. 180, for mention ofMalinda Sparks in the 1850 US Census Mortality Schedules. It states:
Indiana -- Owen County
Malinda Sparks Died in January 1950, Age 2, Place of Birth,Indiana, Cause of death: Croup
Ill, three to five days.

"Editorial note: Malinda was a daughter of Solomon and Malinda(Caudill) Sparks who were living in Owen County, Indiana, when the1850 census was taken. (See the QUARTERLY of March 1960, Whole NO.29, p. 467.) An article about this branch of the Sparks familyappeared in the QUARTERLY of March, 1988, Whole No. 141. Malinda ismentioned on p. 3192 of that article."

Solomon and Malinda (Caudill) Sparks and family appear in the 1860census for Mercer County, Missouri, Harrison Township (Post Office:Goshen) enumerated July 6, 1860 at page 278: 1256-1256.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 2000, Whole No. 190, p. 5377:

"Malinda Ann Sparks, daughter of Matthew and Sarah (Elmore) Sparks,was born in Surry County, North Carolina, about 1831. She was notshown with her parents on the 1850 census of Cass County, Missouri,for she had been married to Aaron Lynch on March 1, 1849. She was oneof the eight heirs of her father for whom her brother, Richard Sparks,was responsible for locating and conveying to them their equal sharesof their father's uncommitted estate. Her age on the 1860 census ofYamhill County, Oregon, was given as 29. Her husband, Aaron Lynch, was32 years of age, a native of Missouri, and a farmer. No children werethen living in their household. Malinda's mother, Sarah Sparks, wasliving in her and Aaron's household in 1860, as was, also, a MartinLynch, age 22, a native of Missouri, whose occupation was given as"Farm Work." (He was doubtless the Martin Lynch, born 1841, who wasmarried to Elizabeth Holcomb in 1862 in Yamhill County.) Also livingin the household of Aaron and Malinda Lynch in 1860 was 58-year- oldElizabeth Dickey, a native of Tennessee, who may have been a sister ofAaron.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1969, Whole No. 67, p. 1257:

"Malinda Sparks, daughter of David and Permelia (Medlock) Sparks, wasborn sometime between 1812 and 1820; she married Jesse Jackson Dempseywho was born about 1812. They were the parents of seven children:(here names them.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1992, Whole No. 160, pp. 4020-24:

"SOME DESCENDANTS OF MALINDA MINERVA (SPARKS) DEMPSEY

"The photograph appearing on the cover of this issue of THE SPARKSQUARTERLY, as well as those which follow, have been furnished byChristine Brannan Sundie, 8895 W. W. 116th St., Miami, FL 33176-4337.We are pleased to be able to share these with our readers.

"The six individuals in the photograph on the cover were the childrenof Jesse Franklin and Elizabeth Manilla (Dempsey) Clark. ElizabethManilla Dempsey was a daughter of Jesse Jackson Dempsey and his wife,Malinda Minerva Sparks. Malinda Minerva Sparks was a daughter ofDavid and Mermilla (Medlock) Sparks.

"David Sparks, a great-grandfather of these [the six Clark childrenshown in the photograph on the cover of the above issue] six Clarkchildren, was born on May 19, 1794, and died on November 10, 1862. AnAbstract of David Sparks's application for bounty land, based on hisservice in the war of 1812, appeared in the QUARTERLY of September1960, (Whole No. 31) [see above]. These two children were (1) MalindaMineva Sparks, born in 1822; and (2) Abel Tomlin Sparks, born November10, 1827, died January 20, 1896. Until Mrs. Sundie sent us thephotograph of Malinda Minerva's tombstone (seen on page 4021) we hadbeen able only to gures at the year of her birth. While her and herhusband's stone is obviously newer than a stone of the 1860s, weassume that the family members who placed it on their graves werecorrect in giving her date of birth as 1822. From this and otherfamily records, it appears that Malinda Minerva Sparks was known byher middle name, Minerva.

".....Malinda Minerva Sparks, or Minerva Sparks as she was called, wasmarried to Jesse Jackson Dempsey, date not discovered. According tohis tombstone, he was born in 1817 and died in 1869. They were theparents of seven children."

Marriage recorded in Carroll County, GA., Bk G, page 164. See also the1900 US Census for Carroll County, GA., vol 9, e.d. 8, sheet 7, line8.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3695: They had fourteen children, including three sets of twins: Vida, Mahuel, Iva, Lue Edna, Huston, Jewel, Mack, George & Georgia (twins), Add & Addie (twins), Hub, and Elmer & Velma (twins).

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1996, Whole No. 173, pps. 4608-9:

"Note was mate earlier that we are certain that another son of Johnand Elizabeth Sparks, besides William and Absolom, was Malone Sparks.He was born in or about 1802. Our first record of Malone Sparks inBurke County is that of his marriage on November 16, 1822, to RachelHaney. The witness to this marriage was James Haney (he signed hisname by mark; he may have been Rachel's father.)

"The record that convinces us that Malone Sparks was the son of Johnand Elizabeth Sparks is found in the surviving documents of the BurkeCounty court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions dated October 1828. Thereappears the following entry: "Malone Sparks to Elizabeth Hodge --Bill of Sale for various property therein mentioned dated September30th, 1828, proved in open court by the oath of Francis Hodge, awitness thereto."

"There can be little doubt that the Elizabeth Hodge to whom Malonemade this sale of "various property," was his mother. The witness,Francis Hodge, wat the Francis Hodge mentioned earlier as a step-sonof Elizabeth, he being a child of George Hodge by his first wife.Married women were rarely involved directly in the purchase or sale ofproperty at this time in North Carolina, and we wonder whether thistransaction may have had someting to do with Malone's inheritance fromhis father. This bill of sale was probably recorded in full in a deedbook in Burke County, but all records of this nature were lost in thecourthouse fire of 1865.

"Malone Sparks has not been found on the 1830 census of Burke County,the reason probably being that he moved away soon after making thissale of property to his mother, Elizabeth Hodge. We believe that hemoved to Habersham County, Georgia, where he appeared on the 1840census. (We have found him on no census in 1830, however.)

"From the enumeration of his household in 1840 in Habersham County, itappears that Malone Sparks was then between 30 and 40 years of age(thus born after 1800). HIs household consisted of a female(doubtless his wife) aged between 20 and 30, along with his threechildren, all girls; two of whom were between 5 and 10 years old,while the other was under 5 years. From this and family data thatwill be noted below, it appears that, although he had been married toRachel Haney in 1822 in Burke County, he had had no children (at leastnone had survived) prior to 1834. It is probable that Rachel had diedwithout leaving surviving children, and that he had been married asecond time about 1833.

"Also appearing on the 1840 census of Habersham County, Georgia, was aBarsheba Sparks, her age having been given as between 30 and 40. Inher household was a male, age 15 to 20 (thus born between 1820 and1825), and a female between 5 and 10 (born between 1820 and 1825).Barsheba Sparks was probably a widow; whether she was in any wayrelated to Malone Sparks, we do not know.

"Some thirty-five years ago, a great-granddaughter of Malone Sparks,Margaret (Sparks) Singletary of Blakely, Georgia, wrote that Malone'ssecond wife was Irene (or Irena) Branch, and that she and Malone hadbeen married in Lumpkin County, Georgia, in 1823. She could not besure of the date or place of the marriage, however. While it is truethat Malone Sparks, age 48, appeared on the 1850 census of LumplinCounty, Georgia (in the Dahlonega District), with a wife named Irene,her age was given as 38 and her place of birth as North Carolina. Ifher age was reported correctly in 1850, this would mean that she hadbeen born in or about 1812 and would thus have been only 11 years oldin 1823, the year Mrs. Singletary thought she and Malone had beenmarried. We think it more probable that they were married in or about1833.

"From the listing of the children in his household on the censuses of1850 and 1860, it appears that Malone Sparks probably did not havechildren by his first wife, Rachel Haney. The oldest of his apparentchildren by his secone wife, Irene Branch, was Rachel, who was shownas 16 on the 1850 census, thus born about 1834, in North Carolina. Itseems probable that she was named for Malone's first wife. This was afrequent way of paying tribute to a first wife in those days.

"Malone Sparks's occupation in 1850 was given by the census as a"miner." There had been a "gold rush" to the part of George whereHabersham and Lumpkin Counties are located, which is probably whatattracted him there.

"Malone was still in Lumpkin County, a farmer, when the 1860 censuswas taken. His age was given then as 58, while his wife's ageappeared as 48 -- thus each was 10 years older than they had shown in1850. Her name, however, was given as "Julia W. Sparks" in 1860. Webelieve that this must have been an error made by the census taker,because Irene Sparks did not die until 1895.

"According to Margaret Sparks Singletary, writing in 1958, MaloneSparks died in Lumpkin County, Georgia, in 1863. Shortly before hedied, he had received a letter (preserved later in his family Bible)informing him that his oldest son, Archibald Wimpey Sparks, had beenkilled in action as a soldier in the Confederate Army. He hadenlisted unter his middle name Wimpey Sparks, on March 4, 1862, inCompany E of the Infantry Battalion known as Phillips' Georgia Legion. A document compiled by Lillian Henderson, Director of ConfederatePension and Record Department, entitled "Roster of the ConfederateSoldiers of Georgia," states that the unit in which "A. W. Sparks" ofLumpkin County served was known officially as "Co. D, 52nd Regiment,Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Army of Tennessee, C.S.A." Beside hisname in this official record appears: "Private, March 4, 1862; Missingat Atlanta, Georgia, July 22, 1864." (Page 483 of Vol. 5). AnotherConfederate soldier who served in the same regiment and company fromLumpkin County has the entry: "Sparks, J. - Private, January, 1863.Sick at Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1865." This "J. Sparks" may havebeen Archibald Wimpey Sparks's brother, Joseph W. Sparks, who was bornabout 1852 according to the 1860 census.

"The letter informing Malone Sparks of his son's death indicated thatWimpey Sparks had enlisted at Dahlonega, the county seat of LumpkinCounty, Georgia, which was near where Malone Sparks lived. In 1958,Mrs. Singletary owned this letter which informed Malone Sparks that noone had made a claim for the amount of wages that had been due WimpeySparks when he was killed. His company commander had been a CaptainHamilton. The letter also mentioned the fact that Wimpey Sparks hadbeen killed in action in an engagement on the Rappahanock River inVirginia.

"Based largely on census records, it appears that Malone and Irene(Branch) Sparks were the parents of the following children: (here thearticle lists nine children for which see their information.)

!NOTES:
SQ 3796: Margaret Sparks, daughter of William and Ann Sparks, wa sborn ca.
1764. She was married to William Gibson in 1782. There is reason t obelieve
that she died young and possibly left a son who may have been reare dby her
parents.

SQ 3680: "Margaret Sparks, daughter of Charles and Margaret Sparks,signed the deed by which the heirs of Charles Sparks sold the landthat they had inherited. Margaret signed by mark as "Margret Newell."James Newell's name also appears on the deed as an heir, so there canbe no doubt that he and Margaret had been married prior to 1786. Wehave found no further information regarding them."

SQ 3795: She was married to William West in 1799.

**********
SQ pp. 5356-59:

Sparks, whose nickname was "Peggy", the second daughter of Matthewand Eunice
Sparks, was born about 1779, although her age was given as 67 on the1850 census. She was
married to William West in 1799. Their marriage bond in Surry County,North Carolina, was dated
January 4, 1799, so we may assume that the marriage took place soonthereafter. The bondsman
was Joseph Smith who was probably a brother to Alexander Smith,husband of Margaret's sister,
Nancy. Joseph Smith had been married to Elizabeth West in Surry Countyin 1791. Perhaps
Elizabeth West was a sister to Joseph and Alexander Smith. When the1850 census was taken of
the southern portion of Surry County below the Yadkin River (it wouldbecome Yadkin County shortly
after the census was taken), William West's age was given as 70,placing his birth in or about 1780;
he was shown as being a native of North Carolina, as was his wife,Margaret.

We have not been in touch with any descendant of William and Margaret(Sparks) West; our only
knowledge of them is through official sources, such as census records,deeds for land, and Surry
County Court records. Our earliest record pertaining to William Westin Surry County is found in a
deed dated November 19, 1805, by which he purchased from WilliamJeffery for 125 pounds a tract
of 200 acres (Deed Book L, p.296). From later records pertaining tothis land, we know that it was
located near the land of Matthew Sparks on the waters of North HuntingCreek. Jeffery had
purchased it in three different parts in 1804/05 from Benjamin andWilliam Hicks. Matthew Sparks
had been a witness to the signing of one of these deeds. A year afterWest purchased this 200-acre
tract from Jeffery, he sold it to his father-in-law, Matthew Sparks,on November 3, 1806, for 200
pounds, an amount considerably larger than the 125 pounds West hadpaid for it in 1805. (Book L,
p.240)

On February 20, 1808, William West served as the bondsman for hiswife's brother, Matthew
Sparks, Jr., to obtain a marriage bond and license to be wed to SarahElmore, daughter of
Athenatious and Susannah (Pinnix) Elmore, near neighbors to West andto members of the Sparks
family.

On July 6, 1810, which was four years after William West had sold his200-acre farm to his
father-in-law, Matthew Sparks sold back to him 170 acres of this sameland for $204. (Book N, p.80)
The 30 acres of the original 200 that Matthew did not sell back toWest bordered Matthew's own
land on the south side. It would appear that Matthew Sparks did hisson-in-law a service in
purchasing the 200-acre tract in 1806 and then selling most of it backto West in 1810.

It was also in 1810, on October 29th, that William West purchased froman extensive landowner in
Surry County named Jesse Lester a 200-acre tract for $150 located onthe waters of Deep Creek
near Piney Knob. Seven months later, however. on May 10, 1811, westsold this land to his wife's
brother, Joel Sparks, for the same amount. The witnesses to this deedwere Matthew Sparks and
Matthew's. brother, William Sparks. For some reason, this deed was notproven for registration in
the County Court until February 1832, William West then appearing toacknowledge its validity.
(Book U, p.170)

When the Surry County Court met in February 1811, Matthew Sparksappeared as a defendant
facing a charge by the State for an unspecified wrongful act. Therewas a jury trial and Matthew was
found to be innocent. A witness for the State, oddly enough, wasWilliam West, and was paid
expenses by the Court for his testimony for "1 day & 36 miles."

On May 16, 1811, there was a trial involving "Trespass" brought by theState against William West,
after which he, also, was found to be innocent by a jury. Fourwitnesses who had testified for his
defense were then paid expenses as follows:

Athenatious Elmore 1 day & 18 miles
Anny Elmore 1 day & 36 miles
Matthew Sparks 1 day & 38 miles
Benjamin Johnson 1 day & 38 miles

Athenatious Elmore, whose nickname was "Atha," was the father of SarahElmore who had been married to Matthew Sparks, Jr. in 1808. When AthaElmore made his will on October 8, 1821, William West was a witness(along with Overton Penix, and Ambrose Chappel). The Matthew Sparkswho served as a witness in this 1811 case, may have been Matthew, Jr.

A possible clue regarding West family relationships in Surry County iscontained in a reference to a County Court case noted in the minutesof the Court on February 14, 1815. William West, Isaiah West, andNathaniel West were defendants in a case brought against them byThomas Moody and James Shepard. No details of the case were recordedexcept there was a jury trial with a verdict in favor of theplaintiffs in the amount of 55 pounds. Two years later, in the Court'sminutes of May 15, 1817, note was made that William West, Isaiah West,and Nathaniel West again were defendants in another case broughtagainst them by Thomas Moody and Richard S. Cook. As in 1815, the juryfound in favor of the plaintiffs in the amount of $272.62.

Nathaniel West's name is found among various Surry County records andwhen the 1850 census was taken he and his household were living in thesame vicinity as were William and Margaret West. Nathaniel was then63; his wife, Charlotta, was 54; he was a farmer and a native of NorthCarolina, while Charlotta had been born in Maryland according to thecensus. We wonder whether William and Nathaniel might have beenbrothers.

It was doubtless in connection with the lawsuit of February 1815 thatthe following action was taken by the Surry County sheriff, JohnWright, as recorded in a deed dated May 10, 1815. (Surry Co. Deed BookN, pp.322-23) Portions of this deed are quoted below explaining itscircumstances:

.... Whereas, by virtue of an execution, issuing from the County Courtof Surry against William West for the sum of forty one pounds, sixteenshillings and six pence... delivered to the said John Wright, Esq.high sheriff.. .commanding him that of the goods and Chattels, landsand tenements of the said William West, he should cause to be made theaforesaid sum...to satisfy the said execution and costs thereon andthe said John Wright... did seize and take into his hand and custody(no goods or chattels to be found) a certain piece or parcel ofland...

The parcel of land that Sheriff Wright "seized" comprised the 170acres that Matthew Sparks had sold
back to West in 1810 from the 200 acres that West had sold to hisfather-in-law in 1806

The deed of May 10,1815, goes on to state that Wright:
... after due advertisement... did cause the said piece or parcel ofland, with all the appurtenances
thereunto belonging, to be put up at public sale to the highestbidder.. .in November 1814 ...at which time and place..Matthew Sparks, Senr. became the last and highest bidder..."

It was based on this action, according to the deed, that SheriffWright then conveyed the 170-acre tract to
Matthew Sparks for $95.31. We wonder whether there may have beenothers attending the sale who did not bid higher out of respect forMatthew Sparks in his desire to help his son-in-law. Matthew did not,however, sell the land back to West as he had done in 1810. Instead,on May 7, 1817, Matthew sold it to Philip Holcomb for $1,000, at aremarkable profit. (Book 7, p.93)

When Matthew Sparks made his will on March 26, 1819 (see p.5350 ofthis issue of the QUARTERLY for the full text), he deliberatelyomitted his daughter, Margaret ["Peggy"](Sparks) West, from among hischildren who should inherit shares of his estate upon the death oftheir mother, Eunice. He added, how ever: "At the same timeauthorizing my said wife in her lifetime, if she sees cause, to giveunto my Daughter Peggy West... such sum or sums not Exceeding oneHundred dollars..." We can only speculate that Matthew may have feltthat in his earlier land dealings on behalf of her husband, Peggy hadreceived already her proper share of his estate.

From Surry County tax lists and census records, it appears thatWilliam West never again acquired a substantial amount of land inSurry County. As a farmer, he rented other people's land for theremainder of his life. On December 23, 1828, however, he hadsufficient wealth to qualify as bondsman for a near neighbor, WilliamPettyjohn, in Pettyjohn's obtaining a marriage bond and license to wedSarah Hendrix (or Hendricks), another close neighbor.

From census records, it appears that William and Margaret (Sparks)West may have had as many as five
children, three daughters and two sons. According to the 1850 census(the first federal census to list the name, age, and birth place foreach household member), William West was a farmer, age 70, with noreal property; Margaret, his wife, was 67. Living with them was RachelWest, age 29, who may well have been a daughter. She was shown withreal estate valued at $200.

The family of William and Sarah Pettyjohn, for whom William West hadserved as a marriage bondsman in 1828, were living very near the Westsin 1850, as was Catharine Hendricks, age 82, a native of Maryland. Thelatter was probably the mother of Sarah. Listed in the sameneighborhood of William and Sarah West in 1850 was a Jinsey West, age35, and a native of North Carolina. She may have been a widow. Livingin her household were the following: Isaiah West, 18; Lucinda West,17; Emaline West, 12; and William J. West, 3.

We have not been able to do research in Yadkin County to determinewhether records exist there to further our knowledge of the Westfamily. Listed below, however, are West marriage bonds in SurryCounty, North Carolina, prior to 1860. These individuals weredoubtless related to William West; some may have been his andMargaret's children; the William West, Jr. who obtained a bond andlicense to marry Elizabeth Austill on February 11, 1832, was verylikely a son.

Marriage Bonds for Persons Named West, Surry County, North Corolina,1791-1860

Elizabeth West & Joseph Smith, June 21, 1791; Henry Harvey, Bondsman.

Lewis West & Mary Williams, November 30, 1795; Benjamin Williams,Bondsman.

William West & Margaret Sparks, January 4, 1799; Joseph Smith,Bondsman.

Polly West & Joseph Hendricks, January 6, 1827; Frederick Hendricks,Bondsman.

James West & Nancy Algood, February 1, 1827; William Shores, Bondsman.

Nancy West & William Marshall, April 28, 1827; E. L. Marshall,Bondsman.

Lucy West & Harden Gordon, August 21,1827; Iredel Armstrong, Bondsman

Ruthy West & James Lyle, November 30, 1831; Mathew West, Bondsman.

William West, Jr. & Elizabeth Austill, February 11, 1832; JamesArmstrong, Bondsman.

Nancy West & Jesse Morrison, April 19, 1837; James Morrison, Bondsman.

Will West & Elvira Money, June 22, 1844; Henry B. Tucker, Bondsman.

Marsy C. West & Benjamin Tucker, March 11, 1845; Isaac Shore, Bondsman.

Mary Ann West & William Nichols, April 4, 1851; married April 6, 1851,by J. A. Davis.

Sarah West & Amer Roughton, January 18, 18--; Lewis Mock, Bondsman.

**********

See SQ Pg 2456 :"Margaret ("Peggy") Sparks, daughter of William andRhoda (Pennington) Sparks was born on May 19, 1814. She died on July4, 1883, in White County, Tennessee. She married Isaac Bumbalough,probably about 1834. He was born on May 5, 1813, and was a son ofIsaac and Susannah Bumbalough. He died on August 22, 1897. He andPeggy had eight children: Susan Bumbalough, Lean Ann Bumbalough,William J. Bumbalough, Levi L. Bumbalough, Jessie Sewell Bumbalough,Elijah Bumbalough, Sylvester Bumbalough, and James Bumbalough."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4271 forarticle on the life of Peggy's grandfather, James Sparks (189) and hisdescendants.

!NOTES:
SQ 3871: Margaret Sparks was married to Henry James Craft, and the yhad at
least one child, Henry James Craft, Jr., born April 29, 1858. We have no
further information on this family.

See SQ p. 3950 for information and a photograph of William P. andMargaret (Sparks) Phillips.

See Sparks Quarterly, March 1996, Whole No. 173, p. 4594:

"Margaret ["Mag"] Sparks. She was married to W. Ashburn and isbelieved to have lived in Nashville."

SQ p. 5108:
"Margaret ["Maggie"] Caroline Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Mary Jane(Seaman) Sparks, was born on July 26, 1875. She was married toCharles ["Shack"] Albert Cox on March 16, 1896, in Lewis County. Hehad been born on October 17, 1870, in Kentucky and was a son of AlbertJ. and Virginia (Harrison) Cox. "Maggie" (Sparks) Cox died in May1953 in St. Petersburg, Florida. She and "Shack" Cox had two
children."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3409: After the death of his first wife, Minerva Jane, "Bru d"Sparks married (2nd) Clarinda Sparks, a distant relative, on Jul y 191883, in Elliott county. She was born on January 23, 1864, an d was adaughter of Thomas and Dianna (Sparks) Sparks. "Brud" and Cl arindahad two daughters before they separated and were divorced.
(JS: Because of the fact that Margaret's mother Clarinda was als o aSparks, and her mother Dianna was also a Sparks, Margaret is rela tedto her uncle, Peter Sparks (6742) in 16 different ways!)

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, pg 1977:
"Margaret Sparks, daughter of Levi Carlton and Bertha C. (Ludwig)Sparks, was born in Valentine, Nebr., on May 10, 1901, and died onOctober 27, 1975, in San Diego, Calif. She was married first toRobert B. Simpson who was killed in 1936. She married second Fred C.Smith on February 19, 1943. She attended the University of Nebraskaand the Boyles Business College in Omaha. She worked as a secretaryin New York City and Chicago, returning to Valentine in 1930 to workas bookkeeper at her mother's business, the Ludwig Lumber Yard.During her married life, she did considerable volunteer work inlibraries and schools. She had no children."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4078: She was married to Arthur Smith on August 27, 1967.

!NOTES:
SQ 3855: Margaret A. Sparks was born about 1845. She was marrie d toAndrew
Ratliff on August 22, 1861, in Pike Co. (KY).

SQ p. 1500:

Margaret Ann Sparks, daughter of Jonas and Elizabeth (Knox) Sparks,was called Margaret Jane in some records. She was born on February 11,1824, and died on March 10, 1884; she married James Addison Young onOctober 9, 1852 (Nicholas County marriage bond dated September 30,1852). He was born on May 6, 1826, and died on March 23, 1905. Theyhad a son named Benjamin Young born about 1854 and a son named WilliamYoung born about 1856 according to a manuscript written by one JamesKimble Young in 1963 entitled "The Young-Banta Family". From censusrecords, it appears that they also had children named Walter Young,born about 1861, a daughter named "Lot" Young born about 1864; andanother daughter named Mary Young born about 1867.

SQ pg 2618:

She was " married to Joseph Pickering, and they had two daughters,names not known. According to information we have received, one ofthe daughters married George Duncan, and they had sons who moved toManteca, California. Joseph Pickering served as an Indian agent inPonca City, Oklahoma, and then moved to Portland, Kansas."

!BAPTISM:
See St Vincent records cited with siblings. Margaret is on page 11.

Document entitled "Record by Martha Jenkins Stone and Mary TeresaStone Sparks" in possession of James J. Sparks, San Carlos, CA.States:
" Margaret Mary Sparks (Pincott) sixth daughter and seventh child wasborn May 1, 1899 in Henderson, KY. Was baptized in AssumptionCatholic Church in Evansville, Indiana."
Information from Joseph J. Sparks: She was known as "Roberta" and hernickname was "Gick". Her spouse was William Pincott and her lastaddress was 10346 Mildred, El Monte, California. Son was JackPincott. William was a second spouse. Name of first spouse unknown.
Social Security records indicate that Roberta Pincott SS# 496-14-6666was born May 1, 1899, and died in July, 1973. Her card was issued inMissouri and she died in California. Her last zip code was 91733,which was El Monte.

Both Roberta and William are found as single persons in the1920 Censusfor St. Louis, Mo. William and his parents were born in England andmigrated to the US in 1907. William is a mechanic for a motorcompany. She is enumerated as 19 years of age and she mistates herfather's birthplace as West Virginia. She is living with her motherMary, 52, Joseph 17, and Catherine 16.

They are found in the 1930 census for St. Louis, MO., Roll 1245; Page32A; Enumeration district 237; Image 746.0. He is 35 and she is 30without children. He remains a mechanic for an automobile company.

SQ pg 2630:

"Margaret Minerva Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Loveless)Sparks, was born on June 18, 1848. She was married to Andrew Gher onOctober 16, 1867, in Clinton County, Indiana. He was born about 1840and was a son of David and Sarah Gher, natives of Pennsylvania.Margaret and Andrew had one child, Samuel J. Gher, born about 1875.Margaret died on October 17, 1876, and Samuel was given to herbrother, James Allen Sparks, when he was only eight months old. (SeeItem I, 1, above.)"

!COURT:
Register of Births, Washington County, VA. 1853-1892, FHL 34388.
Born 2 Feb, 1854, page 9 line 21.

.

!NOTES:
SQ 2786: "Margaret W. ("Mattie") Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Millie
(Smith) Sparks, was born in July 1869. She was married to William H.
Johnson in 1886, and they had at least nine children: Edgar, Clint, Newton,
William Fritz, Ivy Mattie, George L. ("Guy"), Sarah, Iola Lee, and Barney."

!BAPTISM:
See St. Vincent Baptismal Records referenced in sibling notes, pag e48.
Sponsor, Martha Cambron, spouse of George Cambron.

!MARRIAGE:
See St. Vincent Baptismal Records which states "On October 6, 190 8she was
married to James Logan Cambron at St. Ann's Church, Morganfield, KY."

Family Information: Baptised at St. Ann's Catholic Church,Morganfield, KY. Married a Thomas Disano or Diasano. They had twochildren, Vincent and Phillip. He was a medic in France in WW II andwas wounded three times. He succumbed to battle fatigue and he wascourt martialed and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted tofive years in prison. A senator got the sentence reduced to fiveadditional years in the service and he was ultimately given a generaldischarge. He was possibly mentally ill; a very religious person.(Bill Fornachon)

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4471: She and Red had two children, Carol Lee and Joan Paul aNewcomb.

SQ p. 751:

"Marjorie Lee Sparks, daughter of Ernest S. and Marjorie E. (Tinker)Sparks, was born June 11., 1923., at Ladysmith, Wisc. She was marriedto Gaylord Allen Howard at Merrill, Wisc. on June 14.. 1946. He wasborn Feb. 4, 1921. Marjorie teaches in Chippewa Falls,, Wisc. andGaylord works for the Unemployment Department for the State ofWisconsin."

!NOTES:
SQ 3796: "She was married to Charles Russell."

SQ 3O77: "Martha Sparks, daughter of Abel and Sarah (Cochran) Sparks,was
born on April 1, 1811, in Tennessee. A great-great-grandson of Martha(Orval
L. Woodward) has supplied information regarding her and her family .He reports
that her tombstone in Buckwheat Ridge Cemetary in Grant County,Wisconsin,
carries the inscription: "Born 1 April 1811, Died 30 June 1886." Weknow from
the papers settling the estate of Martha's brother, Solomon Sparks,that she
had married a man named Costley. Mr. Woodward informs us that hisname was
Pierson Costley, and that they were married in Crawford County,Missouri, in
1831. His parents were William and Margaret (Hunter) Costley whomoved from
Christian County, Kentucky, to Missouri, and then to Greene County,Illinois,
in 1819. Peirson Costley died in 1850 in Missouri leaving Martha witha very
large family. Word of his death was sent to her family in Wisconsinand a
brother, probably Solomon, came for her and brought her and herchildren to
Grant County. These children were: Sarah (Costley) (1st) Matheson(2nd) Wayne;
Margaret Costley; Elizabeth (Costley) Wayne; Mary (Costley) Harleoad ;William
Costley; Melissa A. (Costley) (1st) Neeley (2nd) Henderson; FrancisCostley;
Rebecca (Costley) Kinney; Joseph D. Costley; Polk "Dallas" Costley."

See SQ pp. 2679-80:

"Martha ("Patsey"] Sparks, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Gilman)Sparks, was born about 1820 in Lewis County, Kentucky. On May 18,1836, she was married in that county to Joseph L. Yates. Her fathergave his consent to the marriage. Joseph was born on December 27,1813, in Meadsville, Pennsylvania. The first child of Patsey andJoseph was born in Lewis County in 1837, but the following year,Patsey followed her parents to Putnam County, Indiana, and it wasthere that her second child was born.

"Patsey and Joseph remained in Putnam County until about 1852 whenthey moved to Marquette County, Wisconsin, and settled at Princeton.They stayed there for twoyears and then went to Olmsted County,Minnesota, in 1855. Patsey died in that county on January 16, 1895,and Joseph died there on April 5, 1900. They were buried from thePleasant Grove Christian Church of which they were members. They werethe parents of twelve children but we have learned the names of onlynine of them. (See Family Sheet for details. ]"

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 2001, Whole No. 196, p.5628:

"Martha Sparks, daughter of Isaac and Wilmoth (Noland) Sparks, wasborn in Carroll County, Tennessee, on April 8, 1826; she was married,also, in Carroll County on December 19, 1846, to John Ewing Tyson, whohad been born on March 14, 1825. They moved to Texas in 1853, settlingin Milam County, where she died on January 25, 1891; he died there onMarch 3, 1880. Their graves are in the Little River Cemetery aboutthree miles west of Maysfield, in Milam County. This writercorresponded briefly with a granddaughter of John Ewing and Martha(Sparks) Tyson many years ago. Following is a portion of a letterthat Zula Freeman wrote on January 9, 1956. In this she referred to"Clarksville" in Carroll County, Tennessee. We believe that she meantClarksburg.

My name before I was married was Zula Beatrice Tyson, born June 2,1887; married to John
Clarence Freeman on Oct. 23, 1907. My father was William WinfieldScott Tyson, born April 21,
1850, in or near Clarksville [i.e. Clarksburg], Tenn. He was a son ofJohn Ewing Tyson & Martha
(Sparks) Tyson, who was born March 14, 1825, in Tenn. My great-grandfather on the Tyson side
was Uriah Tyson . I have the history of my Tyson ancestry traced anddocumented back to the
Immigrant who settled in Virginia, then to North Carolina & Tennessee,& then toMaysfield, Milam
Co., Texas. My grandchildren are the fifth generation of my family,both father's and mother's , to live in Maysfield. Also,all generations have been members of the Maysfield Methodist Church.

My grandparents were married In Clarksville [sic], in 1848, and theycame to Texas in 1853. My
grandmother, Martha Sparks, was born in Clarksviile [sic], Tennessee,April 8, 1826, and died in
Maysfield, Milam County, Texas, on Jan. 25, 1891. She was thedaughter of Isaac Sparks; he never came to Texas.His wife was Wilmoth Knowland [sic]. I have a sister named OlaWilmoth; she is 78 years old [In 1956].

My grandmother had two brothers and two sisters that I have record ofbeing in Milam County,
Texas, and a brother who lived in Galveston, named Isaac H . Sparks.He later lived at Hicks,
across the river from us. I remember him very well . He was tall,slender & was stoop shouldered. I remember he wore a beard &had a low, husky voice, and one small foot. He always wore boots &
one had a sole on it, built up so his leg wouldn't be shorter than theother. It seemed that a log fell on it when he was a boy.I remember his wife too, she was Nan Porter before her marriage. Iknew all of their children. They were much older than I, butwe visited there often when I was a child.

Virgil Sparks [son of Isaac H. Sparks] never married but lived withhis parents at the old homestead untiltheir deaths only a few years ago. My husband & he talked to eachother at times, one on each side of the river, on their ownfarms. He grew very deaf before he died. He was more than80 years old when he died.

Also, my grandmother, Martha Sparks, had a sister named Mahala whomarried a Darlean Smith
and lived in Maysfield, Milam Co., Texas."

.

!NOTES: SQ p 3186: "Martha Sparks and Elizabeth Sparks (twin daughters)
were born to William and Sarah (Jennings) Sparks on February 28, 1845.
They died on the same day they were born."

SQ p 4878: "Martha Sparks, daughter of Reuben and Margaret (Pruitt)Sparks, was shown in her parents' household, 7 years of age, when the1860 census was taken in Washington County, Arkansas. She was notlisted in Reuben's household in Crawford County, Kansas, in either1870 or 1880, however, nor was she mentioned as a sibling of hisfather in William Reuben Sparks's letter in 1955. She probably diedin her youth, although it is possible that she had been married by1870, at which time she would have been 17 years old, based on her ageappearing on the 1860 census."

!NOTES:
SQ 1356: "Martha Sparks, born about 1854; she married James R. Sel ls,son of
William McDonald and Eleanor (Champion) Sells who was known as "Bea rJim"
because of his size. Their children were Elizabeth; James; William ;John born
1881, died 1958; Grover; Robert; and Ruth."

.
!NOTES:
See Sparks Quarterly, March 1996, Whole No. 173, p. 4594:
"Martha Sparks was born in 1877 and died in 1970 (?). She was married
to Nick S. Sewell and was living in Nashville when she died. Their
children were named Willie, Dana, Charlie, Leo, and Pearl."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2624: She married Elmer Dickinson, and they lived at Galesburg, Il.

SPARKS QUARTERLY, pg. 2748:

"Martha an ("Mattie") Sparks, daughter of James Hawkins and Elizabeth(McKnight) Sparks, was born on March 5, 1842, at Douglass, Texas. Shewas married twice. Her first marriage was to Newell Walton Crain onNovember 7, 1859, in McLannan County. He was a native of Mississippi.He served in the Confederate States Army in Joe Cobb's Scouts and waskilled at Port Gibson, Mississippi, in a skirmish. He and Mattie hadtwo children. After his death, Mattie married (2nd) John W. Steinbeckon April 3, 1867, also in McLennan County. He, too, had served in theConfederate States Army. He died on February 23, 1881. By her secondmarriage, Mattie had five children. She died on January 17, 1938 , atthe age of 95 years. She was a Presbyterian."

Family information: Baptised at St. Ann's Catholic Church,Morganfield, Kentucky. Husband's name Arthur Quicksell. She was knownas "Matt". Had five daughters. In 1920, Bill Fornachon reported hisbelief that they were in St. Louis.
\
Social Security records show Arthur Quicksell, born Nov 15, 1889 ,died November 1968. SS# 490-03-3626. Issued in Missouri, Died inCalifornia. Last known residence was in zip code 93550, which isPalmdale, CA.

Martha is shown in Social Security records as born June 26, 1889 , anddied in 1963. SS# 489-10-1304. Issued in Missouri, died inCalifornia, no zip code.

1920 US Census, St. Ferdinand, St. Luis, Missouri, Roll: T625-947;Page 22A, Enumeration District: 145, Image: 174.

SQ pg 3903: Thomas Purdy was originally married to Martha's youngersister, Virginia. Martha married Thomas following the death ofVirginia in 1918.

!NOTES:
SQ 3855: Martha Jane Sparks was born about 1842. She was marrie d to
William M. Helvy on July 19, 1856, in Pike County (KY).

!NOTES:
SQ 582 states she was married to James T. Rutledge.
SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1984, No. 127; MATTHEW SPARKS (1759-
1841) & AND HIS DESCENDANTS; pg. 2665:
"Martha Naomi Sparks, daughter of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks,
was born on June 11, 1826, in Georgia. She was married to James T.
Rutledge, probably about 1852 in Titus County. She died on March 8,
1864, and when the 1870 census was taken of Titus County her children
were living in the household of their uncle, James Brooks Sparks. All
of them were born in Texas. Martha was buried in the Cypress Cemetary.
Children were: Julia Elizabeth Rutledge; Joseph Rutledge; Charles J.
(or I.) Rutledge; Martha Rutledge." END OF ARTICLE.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1985, Whole No. 131, p. 2786

DEATH TAKES MARTHA (SPARKS) DAVIS

"We regret to report the passing of another loyal member of The SparksFamily Asso-ciation, Martha (Sparks) Davis, who died on March 15,1985, in the King's Daughters' Medical Center at Ashland, Kentucky.She had been graduated from the King's Daughters' School of Nursingthere in 1928. She is survived by her husband, Fred T. Davis; herdaughter, Mrs. Sara M. Heald; two sisters, Mrs. Eva Fields and Mrs.Dorothy Murphy; two brothers, James E. Sparks and Paul E. Sparks; andthree grandchildren.

"Martha (Sparks) Davis was born on February 3, 1907, at Burnwell, WestVirginia, and was a daughter of the late James B. and Sarah (Conley)Sparks. Her paternal grandparents were Colby and Martha (Chaffin)Sparks, and her great-grandparents were Hugh and Nancy (Curnutte)Sparks. See the December 1955 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 12,for further details of this branch of the SPARKS family.

"Martha was a most enthusiastic member of the Association and gavegenerously of her time to the promotion of its work. Her majorcontribution was her work with the 1963-1967, the 1968-1972, and the1973-79 indexes. On the latter two, she did the indexing of thesurnames almost single-handedly, while her brother, Paul E. Sparks,President of the Association, did the geographical names. She will begreatly missed for the untiring work she did for the readers of theQUARTERLY."

SQ pg 4558:

"Martin Sparks, son of Nathan and Nancy (Hancock) Sparks, was born onJanuary 25, 1809, in Tennessee. He was obviously named for hismaternal grandfather, Martin Hancock. He was married twice. Hisfirst marriage was to Rachel Marrs on December 3, 1828, in WilsonCounty, Tennessee. They were married by James Lester, a justice of thepeace; Samuel R. Comer was the bondsman. A few months later, onNovember 5, 1829, Martin's father gave him sixty acres of land inCarroll County for his "love and affection" for his son. Perhaps thegift was intended as a wedding present.

"Although Martin Sparks was married in Wilson County, he and Rachelapparently went to house- keeping on the land that his father hadgiven to him in Carroll County. He was appointed as a road overseerby the Carroll County Court in September 1834. He did not stay inCarroll County very long, however. On June 21, 1836, he sold the landthat he had been given by his father to his cousin, Bailey N. Sparks,a son of Isaac Sparks, Sr. The consideration was $435.

"Apparently, Martin and Rachel Sparks went to Illinois where a son,Benjamin W. Sparks, was born to them in 1837. They returned toTennessee shortly thereafter, and a daughter, Eliza Sparks, was bornto them there in 1839. It may have been there that Rachel died,perhaps when Eliza was born.

"Around 1840, Martin Sparks moved his family to Arkansas, but hishousehold apparently was missed by the census taker of the 1840census. It may have been in Arkansas that he was married (second) toMartha ----- about 1842. She had been born about 1815 in Alabama.When the 1850 census was taken of Ouachita County, Arkansas, Martinand Martha were living near the village of Locust Bayou with eightchildren. Also living in their household was Lafayette Brigance whowas shown as twenty years old. He was a cousin of Martin."

"Martin Sparks had moved his family a few miles further west toHempstead County before the 1860 census was taken. His wife, MarthaSparks, was not listed as a member of the household; she had probablydied. We have found no further record of Martin. A descendant statesthat he was a Cumberland Presbterian minister. He was the father often children."

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
Martin Sparks & Nancy Colyer, October 20, 1865. (Box 3) His father,Wesley Sparks.

See SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1997, Whole No. 179, p4853:

"Martin Sparks, son of Wes and Nancy (Kozee) Sparks, was born about1845 in Lawrence County. On December 29, 1861, he was enrolled inCompany G, 5th Regiment, Confederate States Army. He probably servedin that unit until it was defeated in the spring of 1862, when hereturned home. Then, on December 27, 1863, he enlisted at Grayson,Kentucky, in Company C, 40th Regiment Kentucky Infantry of the UnionArmy to serve for one year. He served until December 30, 1864, whenhe was mustered out with his company. (See page 4880 of this issue[and below] of the QUARTERLY for an abstract of his pension file.)

After returning from the service, Martin Sparks was married to NancyCollier on October 25, 1865, in Lawrence County. (The license wasissued on October 23, 1864.) Nancy had been born about 1842. She andMartin lived near Fielden, Kentucky, where they had six childrenbefore Martin's death on May 18, 1879, at the age of 34 years. AfterMartin's death, Nancy was married (second) to Martin Gambill onJanuary 2, 1889.

Following an abstract of the pension file of Martin Sparks:

"MARTIN SPARKS, son of John Wesley and Nancy (Kozee) Sparks, was bornabout 1845 in Lawrence County, Kentucky. He died on May 18, 1879, atFielden, Kentucky. He was married to Nancy Collier on October 25,1865, in Lawrence County, Kentucky. Martin Sparks served in CompanyC, 40th Regiment Kentucky Infantry. File Designation: Wid. Appl.No. 623,083.

"On October 7, 1895, Nancy Gambill, aged 53, a resident of Blaine,Kentucky, applied for a widow's pension. She stated that she was thewidow of Martin Sparks who had enlisted at Lexington, Kentucky, onJanuary 1, 1864, in Company C, 40th Regiment Kentucky Volunteers. Herhusband had contracted a disease while in service, from which he haddied on May 18, 1879, at Fielden, Kentucky. She had been married toSparks on October 25, 1865, by Walter Osburne. Children born to themarriage, who were under sixteen years of age at the time of the deathof their father, were:

Richmond Sparks, born October 5, 1866
Robert Sparks, born August 28, 1868
Polly Sparks, born August 26, 1870
Rena Sparks, born February 2, 1872
Allen Sparks, born July 3, 1874
Margaret Sparks, born January 5, 1876

"Mrs. Gambill went on to state that she had filed an application for awidow's pension seven or eight years earlier, but she could notremember the number. She appointed C. D. Pennebaker & Son,Washington, D.C., as her attorneys. Henry Griffiths and NathanielSlone witnessed her make her mark, and the application was sworn tobefore G. W. Griffiths, a notary public.

"On December 7, 1895, the War Department confirmed the militaryservice of Martin Sparks. He had been mustered into Company C, 40thRegiment Kentucky Mounted Infantry on December 27, 1863, at Grayson,Kentucky, to serve for one year. He had been 18 years of age; 5 feet,9 inches in height; had a fair complexion, light hair, and black eyes;and he had been a farmer. He had been present for duty until December30, 1864, when he was mustered out with his company at Catlettsburg,Kentucky.

"On January 6, 1896, Robert Dixon, clerk of Lawrence County, Kentucky,sent a copy of the marriage record of Martin Sparks and Nancy Colliershowing that they had been married on October 23, 1865. He also senta copy of the marriage record of Nancy Sparks and Martin Gambill,showing that they had been married on January 3, 1889.

"During the early part of 1896, four of the neighbors of NancyGambill, formerly Nancy Sparks, testified on her behalf. They were:G. W. Stephens, age 58; William Stephens, age 30; J. W. Sparks, age31; and Daniel Sparks, age 30; all of them residents of Fielden,Kentucky. They stated that (1) Martin Sparks and Nancy (Collier)Sparks had lived together as man and wife from the time of theirmarriage until his death on May 18, 1879, and (2) that Martin Sparkshad been sick when he came out of the service and complained that hisback and his eyes hurt him continually.

"On March 2, 1896, Nancy Gambill swore that she was unable to furnishmedical evidence of the treatment of her late husband, Martin Sparks,had received while in the service. She said that Dr. N. T. Rice hadalready testified as to her husband's physical condition when he cameout of the service.

"On July 29, 1896, two men who had served in the same military companywith Martin Sparks made affidavits to support the claim of his widow.They were: George Fraley, age 58, of Isonville, Kentucky, and James H.Sexton, age 52, a resident of Cherokee, Kentucky. Both men statedthat they knew that Martin Sparks had been hospitalized at Mt.Sterling, Kentucky, during December 1864 with a fever, after whichtime he had complained of pains in his eyes and back. In spite ofthese affidavits, no Widow Certificate for a pension was ever issuedto Nancy Gambill, widow of Martin Sparks, probably because of herremarriage."

The family of Martin Sparks is found in the 1870 US Census of ElliottCounty, Little Fork, KY., living next to his brother Richmond, asfollows:
#55: Martin Sparks, 24, b. Ky; Nancy, 25; Richmond, 5; Robbin, 2.

See SQ p4852:
"Martin Van Buren Sparks was born on March 30, 1864. He was marriedto Missouri ["Zue"] Prince on January 20, 1884, in Elliott County.She had been born on June 27, 1868. When the 1900 census was taken ofLawrence County, Zue and Martin were living on the East Fork of LittleSandy River. Zue died on February 24, 1907, and was buried in theHensley Cemetery near Webbville, Kentucky. We have not learned thedate of the death of Martin. He and Zue had nine children. Theywere: Rena Bell Sparks, Serilda J. Sparks, Julia D. Sparks, Sarah O.Sparks, Walter Van Sparks, Virgie J. Sparks, James Logan Sparks,Daniel H. Sparks, and Mary L. Sparks.

SQ p. 4639:

"Martin Lantford ["Lant"] Sparks was born on April 4, 1863. He wasgraduated from the College of Medicine at Louisville, Kentucky. Hewas married to Elvessie Alice Rice in 1886. She had been born onOctober 29, 1869, and was a daughter of Nelson T. Rice and ElizabethFerguson, according to relatives. Lant practiced medicine at Denton,Kentucky, until about 1910 when he moved his family to Nebraska wherehe settled at Bloomington. He died there on February 10, 1948, andElvessie died in 1957. They had six children: Roy A. Sparks, HerbertR. Sparks, Alonzo Earl Sparks, Henry W. Sparks, Sarah ElizabethSparks, and Hillman Taft Sparks."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 2002, Whole No. 190, pp. 5387-88:

"Martin Van Buren Sparks, son of William D. Sparks, was born inSeptember 1833 according to the 1900 census (which asked the month andyear of each person's birth) in Surry County, North Carolina; he diedin 1909 in Placer County, California. He was married in Cooper County,Missouri, on April 5, 1859, to Sarah S. Judy. She had been born in1843 and died in 1916. He had gone with his brothers. Richard andEdmond, to California in 1852, but he re turned to Cooper County,Missouri, before 1859 to be married to Sarah J. Judy. They then wentback to California. They were living near Oakland, Alameda County,California, when the 1880 census was taken. He was shown on thatcensus as 47 years old, a native of North Carolina, and a farmer.Sarah, his wife, was then 36 years old, a native of Missouri. Fourchildren were living with them in 1880, all born in California:
Richard A. Sparks, age 15; Ralph E. Sparks, age 10; Sallie Sparks, age8; and Thomas A. Sparks,
age 6.

"Mrs. March has written as follows regarding Martin Van Buren Sparks:

The California Death Index shows he died in Alameda County,California, on August 12, 1909. He was buried in the Sparks plot inManzanita Cemetery, just outside Lincoln, Placer County, California.Martin and his young bride had been in the same wagon train as hisbrother, Edmond Jones Sparks and his family, when they came to settlein California in the spring of 1859. Through hard work and intelligentpurchases, Martin Sparks acquired large land holdings in Placer,Solano, and Yolo Counties, and he established a large home in what isnow downtown Oakland, Alameda County. In 1906 he sold 730.45 acres ofhis land adjoining Davisville in Solano and Yolo County for theestablishment of a college of agriculture. That land is now part ofthe University of California at Davis.

" At the Daughters of the American Revolution Library in Washington,D. C., there are typewritten transcriptions made by Mrs. L. G. Shaveland Mrs. Milton Hogle in 1939 from gravestones in the ManzanitaCemetery. These two women stated in their transcriptions that therewas then "a monument on the ground & too heavy to move--could not seeif other side contained records." They copied the following from theside that they could see:

M. V. Sparks 1832-1909 Native of North Carolina
Sarah J. Sparks, 1843-1916 Native of Maryland
Martin V. Sparks, son of M.V. & Sarah J. Sparks,
d. June 1, 1865 aged 2 years, 3 mo., 23 da.

"Another gravestone in the same cemetery has the followinginscriptions:

Arthur V. Sparks d. July 15, 1872, age 12 y., 8 mo., 25 d.
Luella V. Sparks d. July 19, 1872, age 6 y., 6 da.
Children of M. V. and Sarah J. Sparks

"Perhaps a descendant of Martin Van Buren Sparks will see the aboverecords and provide us with addtional information regarding hisfamily."

SPARKS QUARTERLY, pps 4462-4:

"Martin Van Buren "Van" Sparks, son of Sam and Sarah (Deal) Sparks ,was born on March 4, 1837, in Winston County, Mississippi, on the daythat Martin Van Buren was inaugrated as eighth President of the UnitedStates, and was named for the president. He was just a small boy whenhis parents moved to Fountain Hill in Ashley County, Arkansas .There, he grew to manhood, and in 1859 he was a teacher in theFountain Hill Academy.

"Van Sparks served in the Confederate States Army during the CivilWar. He entered into service at Camp Terry in Capt. Hillary Ryan' sCompany of Allen's Regiment, Texas Infantry. This companysubsequently became Company D, 17th Regiment, Texas Infantry. Hisincomplete military record on file in the National Archives shows thaton August 6, 1863, he "resigned office of 4rd Sgt.; pay due him asSgt., April 30 to Aug. 6, 1862." From April 17 to May 28, 1864, hewas in the C.S.A. General Hospital, Shreveport, Louisiana. He wasdischarged as a sergeant on April 30, 1865.

"A grandson of Martin Van Buren Sparks recalls that in reminiscing asan old man, his grandfather said that his greatest concern during hisarmy life had been for the safety of his younger brother, Tom Sparks,who served in the same military unit -- Company D, 17th Regiment,Texas Infantry. This regiment served in Texas, Louisiana, andArkansas.

"Sometime near the end of the Civil War, Van Sparks was married toSusan "Susie" Leonora Bull. She had been born on September 26, 1842,in Yazoo County, Mississippi, and was a daughter of Ambrose and Sarah(Maxwell) Bull. Van and Susie started housekeeping in the village ofSan Saba, Texas, where Van taught school for one year. Their firstchild was born there in 1866. They returned to Lampasas Countyshortly thereafter, and it was there that Susie died on March 22, 1870, of typhoid fever. She left Van with three small children.

"On October 6, 1875, Van was married (2nd) to Mary Elizabeth "Betty"Newton in Lampasas County. She had been born in 1839 in WalkerCounty, Texas. She and Van had one child. Van died on December 12,1914, in Lampasas County, and Betty died on April 11, 1926, inMcCulloch County, Texas. They were buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery inLampas as County.

"Fred Winchell Sparks wrote the following description of hisgrandfather, Martin Van Buren Sparks:

'M.V.B. Sparks was elected a justice of the peace in Lampasas Countyin1873, and in 1876 he was elected the district clerk of Lampasas. Hethen was elected Presiding Justice, the same as county judge, to servefrom 1886 to 1888.

'After retiring from politics, he was briefly in the mercantilebusiness and then opened a fire insurance office in partnership withan other man. This business continued until 1899 when his son, LloydSparks, bought out the partner, and from then on until his death thebusiness was titled "M.V.B. Sparks and Son.'

'Van was a faithful member of the First Baptist Church and served aschurch deacon, although he was a silent parishioner. He did not singor lead in public prayer and seldom took part in testimonial sessions. As a man, he was stern, serious, stoical, and silent. He seldomlaughed and rarely let his feelings be known, either by word of mouthor facial expression. He was highly respected as a citizen and as achurchman, but few people really knew him. He detested hypocracy,flattery, and ostentation.

'Frontier conditions, financial stringency, and the scarcity ofschools had limited him to a very rudimentary formal education, but hesupplemented what he had by his reading and private studies. He wasparticularly fond of history and biography, and he read everything hecould get his hands on. He took great pride in his handwriting .During his youth, all legal documents and court records were done inpen and ink, and he aspired to become a recorder.'"