!NOTES:
SQ 101: "Mittie Sparks, born about 1828; married 1846, James Durham."

.
!NOTES:
His grandfather was Garrett Sparks (820) and his grandmother was Elizabeth (Boggs) Sparks. He was a 5th ggrandson of William thru Joseph Sparks and Cora was a 6th ggranddaughter of William through William IV. Thus, Cora Lyon was his sixth cousin, once removed.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 398:

"Moses Sparks, son of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks, was born inWilkes County, North Carolina, about 1812. He had died by 1854 whenhis father made his will. In THE HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY,INDIANA (Chicago, Brant & Fuller, 1887), page 748, appears thefollowing:

"In 1834 Moses Sparks, a native of North Carolina, moved to thetownship of Rock Creek and settled a short distance southwest ofMarkle, where he located and improved a small farm." From the will ofSolomon Sparks, it would appear that Moses left two children."

*******

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September, 1971, Whole No. 75, p. 1421:

MOSES SPARKS, born 1815, died 1840

In the QUARTERLY of June 1959 (Vol. VII, No, 2, Whole No. 26) wepublished an article (page 395 and following) on Solomon Sparks, whowas born in Wilkes Co., North Carolina, about 1792 and died in WellsCo., Indiana, on April 28, 1854. He married Isabella Swaim. One of thesons of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks was Moses Sparks, born in1815 (see p. 398), At the time we published this article, we did notknow when he died nor his age at the time of his death. Recently oneof our correspondents, Marjorie Crosbie, discovered his tombstone in acemetery in Huntington Co., Indiana, near the town of Markle, (Thecemetery is located on the bank of Rock Creek, 3 miles east and 4miles south of Markle.) According to his tombstone, Moses Sparks diedNovember 11, 1840, aged 25 years & 16 days. This would mean that hewas born October 25, 1815. On this same stone are recorded the deathsof two daughters of Moses Sparks, Both died in 1845; Catherine Sparksdied September 15, 1845, aged 11 years and 6 months, and ElizabethSparks died September 2, 1845, aged 12 years and 6 months. The widowof Moses Sparks, whose name was Abigail, married Robert Roberts inWells County, Indiana, on April 21, 1841.

**********

See also THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 1601 for several dates and burialinformation.

**********
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 189, pp.5292-3:

Moses Sparks, second son of Solomon and Isabella (Swaim) Sparks, wasborn on October 25, 1815. In the History of Huntington County,Indiana, published in Chicago in 1887, it is stated (p.748): "In 1834Moses Sparks, a native of North Carolina, moved to the township [RockCreek] and settled a short distance southwest of Markle, where helocated and improved a small farm."

When he made his will on April 14, 1854, Solomon Sparks, father ofMoses, made no mention of Moses, but four days later, on reflection,he added a codicil stating: "I do hereby give and bequeath to theheirs of my son Moses Sparks. namely Albert Sparks and Mary JaneSparks, the sum of twenty dollars to be equally divided between them."

Moses Sparks had been dead fourteen years when his father wrote hiswill, and Solomon probably had little contact with Moses' children,hence his not thinking of them when he signed his will. Moses Sparkshad died on November 11, 1840, and had been buried in a cemetery inHuntington County, Indiana, located on the bank of Rock Creek, threemiles east and four miles south of the town of Markle. On hisgravestone are carved, also, the record of the deaths of two Sparkschildren, but their ages at death precludes their being children ofMoses. While we cannot identify them, we note them here:

Elizabeth Sparks died on September 2, 1845, age 12 years and 6 months;
Catherine Sparks died on September 15, 1845, age 11 years and 6months.

Many years ago Mrs. Iva Lane of Marion, Indiana, (from whom we lastheard in 1988) who descended from Moses Sparks's brother, Isaac B.Sparks, shared with us letters that had been written by Amos Reddingof Blufflon, Indiana, providing biographical and genealogicalinformation on the family of Moses Sparks. Mr. Redding was a member ofthe Redding family to which Moses' wife had belonged. We believe thathis information is accurate.

Moses Sparks was married to Abigail Redding "by David M. Steward, aPresbyterian minister" on February 20, 1838, in Rush County, Indiana.(See Rush County Marriage Book 1, p.17.) Abigail had been born onDecember 12, 1815, a daughter of Isaiah Redding.

Moses Sparks was only 25 years old when he died on November 11, 1840.His son, Albert Sparks, was still an infant, and his daughter, MaryJane, would be born posthumously. On April 21, 1841, Moses' widow wasmarried in Wells County, Indiana, to Robert Roberts, whose first wife,Nancy (Brown) Roberts, had died in 1840, as had Moses Sparks. RobertRoberts had been born on February 23, 1811, and died on February 5,1880. Abigail was the mother of five Roberts children (John, Martha,Nathan, Elizabeth, and Robert); she died on April 8, 1862.

(1) Albert Sparks, son of Moses and Abigail (Redding) Sparks, was bornon November 24, 1839, according to a biographical sketch of himappearing in the 1887 history of Huntington County cited earlier(pp.704-05). Amos Redding, mentioned above, however, gave his date ofbirth as December 24, 1838. He died on June 17, 1923. He was a farmerin Rock Creek Township in Huntington County, having inherited the farmthat his father had purchased shortly before his death. A record ofhis life and children appeared in the QUARTERLY of December 1973,Whole No.84, pp.1601-03.

A photograph of Albert Sparks and his second wife, Martha (Roberts)Sparks, taken on their 50th wedding anniversary, appears on the coverof the December 1973 issue of the QUARTERLY, pg 1599.

(2) Mary Jane Sparks, born after her father had died, did not marry,according to the records of Amos Redding.
**********

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2781: Myrtle Sparks was married twice. Her first marriag e wasto a man named Lott; her second was to a man named Everetts.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3944: Myrtle's mother, Polly Carpenter, was a widow with tw ochildren when she married Tillman Sparks. Myrtle's half-sisters we reTetsie Carpenter and Rhoda Carpenter.

!NOTES:
SQ 3795: Nancy Sparks, believed to have been a daughter of Willia mand Ann
Sparks, born ca. 1756. She was married to William Wilcockson (sometimes
spelled Wilcox and Wilcoxon). Shortly after he served as an executo rof the
estate of William Sparks, they moved to Green County, Kentucky, the nto Barren
County, Kentucky, where he died in 1828. Their children were:
(1) Thomas Wilcockson; (2) Daniel Wilcockson; (3) Mary ("Polly") Wilcockson.
She was married to John Masters; (4) George Wilcockson; (5) William Wilcockson,
Jr.; (6) Sarah ("Sally") Wilcockson. She was married to Horatio Short; (7)
Nancy Wilcockson. She was married to William Mann on April 4, 1808 ;(8) Rachel
Wilcockson. She was married to John Tibbs; (9) Martha ("Patsy") Wilcockson.
She was married to David Caldwell in 1810; (10) Isaac Wilcockson. H edied
before his father; (11) Catherine Wilcockson, born November 7, 1798 .She was
married to her first cousin William Wilcockson in 1818.

SQ 3795: Married to Alexander Smith in 1796.
**********
SQ p. 5355-6:

Nancy Sparks, eldest daughter of Matthew and Eunice Sparks, was bornabout 1777. She was
married to Alexander Smith in 1796. Their marriage bond in SurryCounty, North Carolina, was
dated July 22, 1796, with Joseph Smith serving as bondsman. We havenot succeeded in locating
any descendants of Nancy (Sparks) Smith, and cannot even be certainthat she had children.

As was noted on page 5346 of the present issue of the QUARTERLY,Matthew Sparks sold 100
acres of his land to Alexander Smith for 20 pounds in 1797. This tractadjoined land owned by
Joseph Smith who, also in 1797, sold Alexander a portion of land (130acres) that he owned
adjoining the land Alexander had purchased from his father-in-law. OnOctober 9, 1801, Alexander
sold both of his tracts to Charles Worth for 115 pounds. Both Smithand Worth were identified in the
deed as being of Surry County. (Deed Book M, pp.64-65) The witnesseswere Tristram Coggshall,
John Whitlock, and Matthew Sparks. For some reason, this deed was notrecorded officially until
August 3, 1808, when Matthew Sparks appeared before the Surry CountyCourt to swear that he
had witnessed his son- in-law sign it. This suggests that AlexanderSmith was no longer a resident
of Surry County in 1808; had he been, he would have been the one toacknowledge the deed's
validity before the Court.

Less than two weeks after Alexander Smith sold his land to CharlesWorth, Joseph Smith sold to
David Walker the remaining 117 acres that he had retained out of thetract from which he had sold
Alexander 130 acres in 1797. In this deed, dated October 20, 1801(Book K, p.79) Joseph Smith
was described as "of the County of Rowan." On October 2, 1802, "JosephSmith of Rowan County"
sold to Charles Worth for 100 pounds, 200 acres near the land he hadsold to Walker in 1801. (Surry
Co. Deed Book L, p.14)

There seems little doubt that Alexander Smith had also moved to RowanCounty after selling his land in Surry County. In fact, on May24, 1800, Alexander had obtained from the state a grant of 118 acresin Rowan County "on Cabin Creek adjoining Elisha Shamwell, EbenezerParks, Anthony Peeler, and David Cox." Cabin Creek is locatedin the part of Rowan County that was cut off to form Davidson Countyin 1822. It flows into the Yadkin River about five miles above thesouth end of Davidson County. While we cannot be certain, it isprobable that Joseph Smith was a brother of Alexander; hismarriage had takenplace in 1791. Families named Smith are difficult toresearch, but, fortunately, the fore name "Alexander" was thenfairly unusual. A possible clue for the identity of Alexander Smith is that in a Rowan County will of a James Smith dated March 11,1826, and probated in May of the same year (Rowan Co. Will BookH,p.352) reference was made to James's "natural brothers: Luis Smith, Joseph Smith, Alexander Smith, and Thomas Smith." A tax list ofSalisbury in Rowan County (Capt. Jetter's Company) taken in 1823includes the name "Alexander Smith" with one white poll (himself). (See RowanCountyRegister, August 1998, Vol. 13, p.3036)

There is also a will recorded in Rowan County for an Alexander J.Smith dated March 11, 1830, and
probated the following year. In his will this Alexander J. mentionedhis wife, Nancy, who was to serve
with Henry Smith as executors of his estate. He also mentioned havinga share in the lands of Jacob
Hartman, deceased. There is no reference to children. Our only reasonfor believing that this might
have been the Alexander Smith who had been married to Nancy Sparks in1796 is that, in his will, he
gave his wife's name as Nancy.

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

Continuation of Article on Matthew Sparks (page 5349) carried fromnotes for Eunice Nicy:

"On January 12, 1807, Matthew Sparks purchased a remarkably small plotof land comprising only five acres, for which he paid ten dollars.(Deed Book L, pp. 297-98) The deed traces this plot's ownershiphistory from the time it had been granted to David Allen by the stateon September 20, 1779; then it was described as located near "acertain iron mine pit near Thomas Yates' house." What use had beenmade of it through the years is not revealed. On January 23, 1811,Matthew sold it to his son, Matthew Sparks, Jr., for five pounds.(Book 0, p.375)

The 1810 census again provides us with a glimpse of Matthew Sparks'shousehold. Again, only the head of each household was named on thiscensus; its members were then enumerated in the same form as in 1800.Matthew and Eunice were, as in 1800, the male and female shown as overthe age of 45. The two males living with them who were between 16 and26 were probably their sons, William D. and John. Matthew Sparks, Jr.had been married to Sarah Elmore in 1808 and was shown on the 1810census, as head of his own household, which included his wife and twosmall sons.

As noted above, on the 1810 census Matthew Sparks was shown as thenowning one slave. From a bill of sale dated June 14, 1800, andrecorded in Surry County's Will Book 2, p.50+, we know that this wasthe "Negro girl, Tamer, aged five years" whom Matthew had purchasedfor $100 from Aaron Moore. The bill of sale was witnessed by ObyMartin and James Sparks, brother of Matthew. It was unusual for arecord of the purchase of slaves to be recorded in Surry County, butfor some reason a number of such sales were copied in 1810. We maywonder why little Tamer's purchase was recorded as well as whatMatthew's reason may have been for acquiring a female slave only fiveyears old. Aaron Moore lived in Stokes County, North Carolina; heowned one slave when the 1800 census was taken there.

On the Surry County tax list of 1815, Matthew was required to pay apoll tax for two slaves, and in 1816 for three. Under a North Carolinalaw then in effect, all slaves, male and female, between the ages of12 and 50, were taxed as "Black Polls." As will be noted in Matthew'swill and the settlement of his estate, his total number of slaves wassix in 1819.

It was on March 26, 1819, that Matthew Sparks made his will. He musthave known that death was fast
approaching because two days earlier, on March 24, he signed deedsgiving tracts of land to each of his five sons, "in consideration ofthe natural love and affection that a parent hath towards a child," aphrase repeated in each deed. Throughout the descriptions of the landin these deeds, he referred to the North Branch of Hunting Creeksimply as Hunting Creek.

To his son William D. Sparks (he called him simply William in thedeed) he gave 70 acres that constituted the upper northwest corner ofhis plantation, which was part of the tract on which his father had"squatted" in 1773. To his son Joel Sparks he gave 60 acres, being themiddle part of this original tract. Matthew Sparks, Jr. received 90acres that was largely part of Matthew's patent of 1800. To his sonGeorge Sparks, Matthew gave 100 acres which was essentially the westhalf of the 200-acre tract that he had purchased from Thomas Yates in1780, including the grist- mill. To his youngest son, John Sparks,Matthew gave 50 acres constituting the northeast corner of hisplantation adjoining the 60-acre tract given to Joel Sparks. Accordingto Matthew's calculations, these gifts to his sons left 352 acres thatin his will were to be held and used by his wife, Eunice Sparks,throughout her lifetime.

We know that the four oldest sons of Matthew and Eunice were presentwhen these deeds were drawn up by Thomas Wright, long a friend as wellas the sheriff of Surry County. These four sons took turns witnessingeach other's deeds. John Sparks, the youngest son, was probably alsopresent, but being then under the age of 21, he was too young to serveas a witness to a legal document.

Matthew Sparks died sometime between March 24, 1819, and the May 1819meeting of the Surry County Court in May 1819 when his will wasentered for probate.

The will of Matthew Sparks was duly recorded in Surry County's WillBook 3, pp. 140-41, but the original,
bearing Matthew's actual signature, has also been pre served at theNorth Carolina State Archives. Many years ago, William Perry John sonobtained a photostat copy of this original. Matthew's signature on hiswill is reproduced below from this negative photostat; the text of hiswill follows on page.

Matthew Sparks's Last Will and Testament, March 26, 1819.

In the Name of God, Amen. I Matthew Sparks of the County of Surry andState of North Carolina
being weak in Body but of sound mind and Memory Blessed be God, dothis 26th day of March in
the year of Our Lord 1819 make and publish this my last will &testament in manner following, that is
to say --

First I lend unto my beloved Wife Nice Sparks, the whole of my tractof land & plantation, together
with my Household furniture & plantation Tools, the whole of my stockof Every description & two
stills, also three Negros to wit, Cate, Stephen & Joan during hernatural life -- after her decease the
said Estate above mentioned to be sold and equally divided among myChildren herein named, that
is to say, Joel, George, Matthew, William, John, Nancy Smith [and]Sally Bray -- At the same time
authorising my said wife in her lifetime, if she sees cause to giveunto my Daughter Peggy West, of
the above property put in her possession such sum or sums notExceeding one Hundred dollars at
her discretion. My will and desir [sic] is that the Ballance of mynegro property not already named
shall after my decease be sold and the proceeds of such sale to beEqually divided among my
Children Above named, to wit, Joel, George, Matthew, William, John,Nancy & Sally.

I make and Ordain my Sons Joel Sparks and Matthew Sparks Executors ofthis my last Will and
testament, and I do hereby Revoke all other wills by me made andAcknowledge this only to be my
last will and Testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto sit[sic] my hand and seal the day and
date above written -- Signed, Sealed and Acknowledged in presence of--

[signed] T. Wright Jurat [Signed] Mathew Sparks Seal
" J. B. Hampton

The following statement was added at the end of the recorded copy ofthis Surry County's Will Book 3,
pp.140-41:

State of North Carolina Surry County May Session 1819

Thomas Wright one of the subscribing Witnesses to the forgoing Lastwill and testiment of Matthew
Sparks Decd Made Oath in Open Court that he saw Matthew Sparks SignPublish and Declare the
same to be his last will and Testament that he was of sound disposingmind and memory. That he
did it freely and without compulsion and that he saw John B. Hamptonat the same time, sign the
same as subscribing witness thereto whereupon it was ordered to berecorded. Recorded
accordingly.
(signed] Jo. Williams CC

In the minutes of the Surry County "P's & Q's" Court, the followingentry appears for the session of the Court for May 12, 1819:

The last will & testament ot Matthew Sparks dec'd was duly proven inopen court by the oath of Thomas B. Wright & ordered to be recorded.Joel Sparks one of the executors therein named qualifyed agreeable tolaw. Matthew Sparks the other executor refuses to qualify and it isordered to be recorded.

Why Matthew Sparks, Jr. refused to be an executor with his brother inthe probat ing of their father's estate is not known. The Court didnot appoint a replacement for him, and Joel acted as the soleexecutor. In accordance with the law, Joel proceeded to prepare aninventory of his father's estate, all of which his father's will haddirected to be retained in his widow's possession for her naturallifetime. (As seen, Matthew had called Eunice by her nickname, "Nice,"in his will)

Joel Sparks completed the inventory in time for it to be presented tothe County Court when it met for its August 1819 session. During itsmeeting on August 11, 1819, the following entry was made in itsminutes: "An inventory of the estate & account of sales of MatthewSparks dec'd was returned & ordered to be recorded." This document, inJoel Sparks's own handwriting, has been preserved. A copy was made byWilliam Perry Johnson (one of the founders of the Sparks FamilyAssociation) with the following notation: "Transcribed at Dobson,Surry Co., N.C., August, 1952, Office of Clerk of Court."

No better word-picture of Matthew and Eunice Sparks's living stylecould be found than this inventory of their possessions at the time ofMatthew's death in 1819. It is apparent from this that he was nolonger in the milling business then. He was "well off" by thestandards of the time, and Eunice could be assured of a comfortableliving during her widowhood. Matthew owed no debts when he died. Fourof his sons owed him money for which he held their notes. Three of hisslaves were on loan, also, to sons Joel, William, and George; and inaccordance with his will, they were now to be sold and the proceedsdivided among his children (except his daughter (Peggy). Two neighborsowed him money: Daniel Wilcockson $41.00 for a desk and Joshua'Hendrick for a "yoke of steers" worth $25.56.

As has been noted, Matthew had made deeds of gift to each of his fivesons before making his will. As
calculated by Joel Sparks in preparing the inventory, "the land nowremaining" comprised 300 acres, to be managed by Eunice Sparks duringher life time. From his will and the inventory, we know not only thenumber of slaves that Matthew owned when he died (six), but theirnames as well: Cate, Stephen, and Joan to be held by Eunice during herlifetime, and Caty, Fanny, and Judy on loan to sons. (Caty was alsocalled "Cit," and Fanny was called "Fann."

In presenting Joel Sparks's inventory of his father's possessionshere, some punctuation has been added for the sake of clarity, butspelling has not been corrected.

The Inventory of Matthew Sparks's Estate

Land now remaining 300 [acres]
One neagro woman named Cate
One neagro boy named Steve
One neagro girll named Jin
Two Stills & 15 Stands & 2 barrels &
3 Caggs [kegs]
Four head of horses
17 head of Cattle
27 head of hogs
11 head of Sheep
1 Book Case & Desk
1 Crunk [trunk]
1 trumpetet [sic]
1 Candle stick
1 looking glass
15 pounds of taller
1 par of Stellards
3 iron pots & hooks
2 iron ovens and leads [lids]
3 Iron Skillets
1 Spice morter & pesel
1 tea kittle & lead [lid]
2 Smothing irons
2 tin buckets
6 tin Cups & 1 tin quart & 1 tin funnel
6 Earthen Crocks
3 Earthen Jugs
1 man Saddle & Saddle bags & one
woman Saddle
3 Bridles
2 flax wheales
1 cotton wheal
l3 par of Cardes
1 Check real
6 Chears [chairs]
1 hackle
1 meal Sifter
1 par of Spoon moles
1 iron Shovel
Some spun thread
2 Small sides of Tand leather
I raw hide
1 headed hoghead
1 Cors-Cut Saw
2 hands Saws
1 foot adds & iron Squar
3 Skraw Augurs
1 Iron potrack
1 par of Sheap Shears
1 larg hous bible
1 Small bible
1 hime Book
1 Book by the name of Wesleys
works
1 Shygar canester
2 water vesels in the hous
1 Churn
1 Sithe & Cradle
2 Sithe blades
1 Cutting box & nife
3 Chopping axes
2 mattucks
1 Sprowting hough
2 plouglis & 2 Cuters & 2 irond
swingel trees
3 weading

1 Chist (chest]
2 Firer locks & one Shot bag
3 Beds & stids & firniture
2 tables1 loom & 9 Slays [?]&
two par of harnis
16 puter plates
5 puter plates
8 puter basons
1 slate
1 lantern
1 par of Candle moles
2 iren wedges
1 par of iron Stretchers & one
1 log Chain
2 par of iron gears
1 iron frow
2 drawing nives
1 par of Comperseses [7]
1 long jointer & coopers adds
1 broad chizzel
4 reap hooks.
1 bar or iron
1 Ox carte
10 barrels of corn
7 bushels of wheat
200 pounds of bacon
1 Small Coberd
3 Small cobberd
3 Small tubes [tubs]
Som ry in a small tube
3 small firkins with som fat in
all of them
20 pounds of Coton
16 pounds of wool
4 bee hives
1 grindstone
1 half bushel
20 gallons of vineger
a small parcel of roted flax
1 note of hand on George Sparks for $42.94
1 note on Joel Sparks for $50
1 note on Joel Sparks for $20
1 Note on Matthew Sparks [Jr.] for $9
1 note on Wm. D. Sparkes for $24
Joel Sparks, one neagro girl named Caty $350
William Sparks, one neagro girl named Fanny $351
George Sparks, one neagro girl named Judy $280
These last three named neagro girls to be sold that is menshend in thewill Cit & Fann & Jude
Daniel Wllcockson to one Desk $41
Joshua Hendrick to one yoke of steers $25.56

Matthew Sparks's name had appeared on the annual tax lists of SurryCounty for the last time in 1818. More information was now recordedbecause of taxes being levied on the value of land in addition to thepoll tax Matthew's plantation was valued at $1,110 in 1818. As hadbeen true since 1791, he was not taxed as a poll, but there were twoBlack polls (slaves) in his household for whom he was taxed.

As provided in his will, his wife, Eunice Sparks, was to possess whatremained of his plantation (350 acres), Matthew having given a portionof it to each of his sons before he made his will. So it was that whenthe 1819 tax lists were prepared for Surry County, "UnicySparks" waslisted (in Capt. Denney's District) as a taxable landowner for 350acres now in her name and valued at $700.00. A tract of land adjoiningeach taxpayer was recorded in 1819--Peter Mock's 310 acres to thesouth adjoined both Eunice Sparks and the land Matthew had given hisson, Matthew Sparks, Jr. As a white female, Eunice did not have to paya poll tax, but she was taxed for two "Black polls." The tax collectedin Surry County in 1819 was in accordance with the following Courtorder:

....eight cents on every hundred dollars value of land; eight cents onevery hundered dollars value of town property, and twenty five centson each and every white and black poll. [Also] to aid the fundsalready provided for erecting a jail, the sum of fifteen cents onevery hundred dollars value of land, fifteen cents on every hundreddollars value of town property, and thirty cents on every white andblack poll.

A curious reference to Eunice Sparks was entered into the minutes ofSurry County's Court of "P's & Q's" during its August 1820 session, asfollows:

Ordered by the court that the sheriff be directed to summon a jury toinquire into the state of mind of Nicey Sparks & make report to nextcourt.

We can only guess the meaning of this order for there was nosubsequent reference the matter. Was there the question in theall-male court whether an elderly woman was capable of managing aplantation? If the sheriff made such a report when the Court met thefollowing February, no note was made of it in the Court's minutes.

When the 1820 census was taken, "Unicyy Sparks" was shown as head ofher household consisting only of herself and her three slaves. She wasenumerated in the same "over 45" category as earlier.

The 1830 census provided for the enumeration of households in 13 agegroupings. On this census, Eunice Sparks was shown as between 70 and80 years old, thus born be tween 1750 and 1760. Living also in herhousehold in 1830 was a white male between 20 and 30, and two whitefemales between 30 and 40. We do not know who these individuals were.Eunice now owned six slaves according to the 1830 census, the increasein number probably having resulted from children being born to one orboth of her female slaves. The age categories for slaves differed fromthose of free white persons on census records. The six owned by Eunicein 1830 were enumerated as follows:

1 female --- 36 to 55
1 male --- 24 to 36
1 female --- 10 to 24
2 males --- under 10
1 female --- under 10

Besides paying taxes, landowners were required on occasion to form ajury to survey the route for a new road; neighbors owning land throughor near which the road had been surveyed were then required to helpbuild and maintain it. A woman was not expected, of course, to performthis kind of service herself, but if she was a land owner, she wasrequired to provide a male substitute. During the August 1831 sessionof the Surry County Court, it was determined that the road from theWilkes County line to "Hendrick's Old Field" was in need of repair.Hiram Sales, a near neighbor of Eunice, was appointed as overseer ofthe group of men whom the Court ruled should contribute to this repairwork. "Eunice Sparks' Stephen" appears in this list. Some haveassumed that Stephen was a son of Eunice, but it will be recalled thatone of Matthew's slaves given to Eunice for the period of herwidowhood was named Stephen--it was he who "contributed" EuniceSparks's share of labor for the road repair--he was doubtless theslave enumerated on the 1830 census as being in the 24 to 36 agecategory.

Eunice Sparks's name, usually spelled "Unicy," continued to appear onSurry County's tax lists for nearly twenty years following herhusband's death. Her last entry was on the list for 1837, and in herplace in 1838 appeared "M. Sparks heirs." From this we know thatEunice died either in late 1837 or early in 1838. She must have beenover 80 years of age at the time of her death. There was no probatingof her estate because in Matthew Sparks's will in 1819 he had stated:
"First I lend unto my beloved Wife Nice Sparks the whole of my tractof land & plantation.. .after her decease the said Estate.. .to besold and equally divided among my Children herein named..."
On May 28, 1839, Joel Sparks, "Exr. (Executor] of Mathew Sparks, Senr.Decd." sold to Miles Wells the land on which Joel's mother hadcontinued to live following her husband's death in 1819. Both JoelSparks and Miles Wells were identified in the deed (see Surry Co. DeedBook 3, pp.11-12) as residents of Surry County. Wells paid JoelSparks, in his role as executor of his father's estate, "Seven Hundreddollars Cash in hand" for what was described as 352 acres. The lengthydescription of this tract begins: "... at a double white oak runningthence South Sixty four poles to an old stump in the edge of thepublic road...." This was the road passing through Matthew Sparks'sland that had been surveyed by the road jury on which Matthew hadserved in 1791 and for the building of which he had been appointedoverseer. As noted above, the slave named Stephen later helped torepair the road on which his master had helped to build some twentyyears before.

Miles Wells continued to own this land until his death in 1849. In hiswill dated July 25, 1849, he referred to his "Mat. Sparks tract ofland."

Matthew and Eunice Sparks were the parents of eight children who livedto reach adulthood. Census records suggest that there may have been ason, possibly two, who died in childhood, but we have found no otherrecord to suggest this. There can be no doubt that their first threechildren were daughters named Nancy, Margaret (called Peggy), andSarah (called Sally). The births of five sons followed those of thethree daughters; they were named in Matthew's will in the order oftheir births: Joel, George, Matthew, Jr., Wiffiam D., and John. Infuture issues of the QUARTERLY we will publish in detail theinformation that we have on these sons and their descendants, but herewe note only basic information.

The dates of the marriage bonds of some of the children of Matthew andEunice help to determine their
probable dates of birth. For detailed information about marriagebonds, the reader may wish to read an article written by William PerryJohnson for the SPARKS QUARTERLY of December 1954, Whole No.8. Brieflystated, the marriage bond law in North Carolina was in effect from1741 until 1868. Under this law, the clerk of the County Court wasrequired to maintain a register of each marriage license that heissued along with a record of the marriage bond that enabled him toissue the license. To obtain a marriage bond, the prospective groomwas required to provide a bond "with sufficient security." Initially,the bond was to be in the amount of $250; later it was increased to$500, then to $2,500, and after 1837 it was set at$1,000.; Inobtaining the bond, the groom guaranteed that both he and his bridewere legally free to marry, i.e. that they were both white and oflegal age to marry (or, if under age, had written permission from aparent or guardian), and were both single. It was not sufficient forthe groom to be his own bondsman--an adult male with property wasrequired to required to fill this role--usually a close relative ofeither the groom or the bride, or a near neighbor.

The marriage ceremony could take place at any time after the issuanceof the license. Rarely do we have the exact date. If the groom couldfind no one able or willing to serve as bondsman, the couple could bemarried by the "crying of the banns." This required that a publicannouncement of the intended union be made in church on threesuccessive Sundays or be posted for the same period in public view,such as on the door of the courthouse. No license was involved in thistype of marriage, nor was any official record made of its occurrence."

[Note: Here ends the article on Matthew Sparks. Information on theirchildren can be found under their notes.]

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4274 states:
" Nancy Sparks, daughter of James Sparks, was born about 1794,probably in North Carolina, although her birthplace was given asVirginia on the 1860 census of Johnson County, Kentucky. She marriedJoshua Pennington in 1815 in Lee County, Virginia. He was born about1790 in Virginia. It seems quite probable that Joshua and Nancyfollowed her father to eastern Kentucky where they settled in thatpart of Floyd County which became a part of Johnson County in 1843.It was there that Nancy died on March 15, 1878. According to herdeath record, she was 87 years old.
"In all probability, Joshua and Nancy (Sparks) Pennington, had eightchildren, or perhaps more. We have been able to make positiveidentification of only four of them, but have included three others inthe following list whom we believe were probably theirs. (Hereprovides 7 names and info for which see notes under respective names.)

!NOTES:
SQ pg. 8O1: "Nancy Sparks, daughter of William Sparks. She marrie dWilliam
Griggs or Greggs, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, on August 1, 1822 .In the
settlement of the estate of her brother Hampton in 1865, reference was made to
Nancy Grigg's heirs. This was probably the Wiley and Nancy Griggs who were
living in Hardeman County, Tennessee, in 185O. (His age was given a s53, hers
as 45, and the birth place of each was given as North Carolina.) Living with
them was E. H. Sparks, aged 24, born in Tennessee, and by professio na "clerk".
He was probably a nephew of Mary."

.

!NOTES:
See SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 4270: "A daughter whom we have been unabl eto
identify was born about 1805. She may have been the Nancy Sparks, born
1800-10, listed on the 1830 census of Lee County, Virginia."

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, September, 1997, Whole No. 179, p 4858-9:
"Nancy Sparks, daughter of Robert (Pigg) Sparks, was born about 1809in North Carolina. She accompanied her brothers to Kentucky and itwas there, on February 19, 1830, that she was married to Martin Isonin Morgan County. He had been born in Washington County, Virginia,about 1804, and was a son of Archibald and Mary (Gilliam) Ison. Hewas a brother of Ira Ison who was married to Loucina Sparks in 1833.
"Martin and Nancy (Sparks) Ison lived near Newcombe on Ison Creek inpresent- day Elliott County. We have found no records of theirdeaths, which apparently came to Martin about 1850 and to Nancysometime after 1880. They had eight children."

!NOTES:
SQ 101: "Nancy Sparks, born about 1820; married Meredith Lyon." (T hisspouse
is same name as spouse of Nancy's sister Melinda (832)--must be error)

SQ 3206: "Nancy Sparks, youngest child of John and Elizabeth (Rose)Sparks, was born on April 27, 1824, probably in Wilkes County, NorthCarolina. (The 1850 census of Wilkes County has her birthplace asAshe County.) She married Robert Bauguess, Jr., probably about 1846.He had been born on December 23, 1823, and was a son of Robert andMary (Sparks) Bauguess ; Mary was a daughter of John and Sarah(Shores) Sparks; see pg. 101 of the December 1955 issue of the SQ,Whole No. 12.) Robert and Nancy (Sparks) Bauguess were listed on the1850 census of Wilkes County. Both were 23 years of age according tothis census, and with them was a one-year old girl, Mary Bauguess.Nancy died on March 22, 1897, and was buried in the Old Roaring RiverBaptist Church Cemetery at Traphill, North Carolina. Robert died onJune 26, 1914, and was buried beside his wife Nancy."

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
Nancy Sparks & John Hutchison, March 21, 1847. (Book II, p. 112)Consent of her father, George Sparks. His father, Peter Hutchison.Married by William Barker. Witnesses: William Green & James Mason.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
Nancy Sparks & Nelson White, January 8, 1857. (Book II, p. 106)

SQ pp 4862-3"

"Nancy Sparks, daughter of Bill and Polly (Lyon) Sparks, was born onMay 18, 1834. She may have been named for her father's sister, Nancy(Sparks) Ison. On January 8, 1857, she was married to Nelson T. Whitein Lawrence County. He had been born on October 4, 1831, in Virginia,and was a son of James Claiborne and Susan (Green) White. He servedin the 68th Regiment Kentucky Militia of the Union Army during theCivil War. He and Nancy lived on White Creek (sometimes referred to asWhites Creek), a tributary of Little Fork. Nancy died there onJanuary 18, 1908, and Nelson died there on August 29, 1912. They wereburied in the White Cemetery on White Creek. They had eightchildren."

SQ p4852:
1. Nancy Sparks, daughter of Wes and Nancy (Kozee) Sparks, was bornabout 1836 in Lawrence County. She was married to Daniel Stephens, ason of Thomas Stephens. We have no further information about thiscouple.

The 1850 census for Lawrence County, KY, does not show a Nancy Sparksbut does show a Mary Sparks, age 14 indicating a birth date about1836.

SQ 3187:

"Nancy Sparks, daughter of Solomon and Malinda (Caudill ) Sparks wasborn about 1836 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. She married JesseN. King in 1854, and they had at least three children:

John S. King,
William J. King
Mary King."

SQ 3864: Nancy "Nan" Sparks was born in May 1867. She was married to
Lincoln Sparks about 1886. (They were first cousins. Lincolns fatherSamuel
(955) and Nancy's mother Dianna (958) were brother and sister. Diannawas
married to Thomas (212) who was her 2nd cousin, both having the samegreat-
grandfather, William IV (199).

SQ 3184: "Nancy Alice Sparks was born on September 24, 1880. She wasmarried to Linton Henry Roberts on August 15, 1900. He had been bornon September 13, 1879, in Dallas Center, Iowa. Nancy died on June 26,1964, at Clarinda, Iowa, and was buried in the Old Memory Cemetary.Linton died on January 20, 1968 and was buried beside his wife."

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
Nancy Sparks & Isaac Lester, February 4, 1858. (Book II, p. 121) Heborn in Tazewell County, Virginia, age 20 years. She 20 years old.Married at home of Garrett Sparks by Enoch Green, Baptist minister.Witnesses: R. R. Sparks & William Lyon.

SQ p. 4642:

"Nancy Artha Sparks, daughter of Garrett and Betsy (Boggs) Sparks, wasborn on June 7, 1837, in Lawrence County, Kentucky, and it was therethat she was married to Isaac Lester on February 4, 1858. He had beenborn on September 20, 1837, at Tazewell County, Virginia, and was ason of William and Rutha (Bishop) Lester, natives of Virginia. Isaacand Nancy lived on the Raccoon Branch of Hood Creek. They had threechildren when Isaac enlisted in the 68th Regiment Kentucky Infantry ofthe Union Army on May 21, 1864. Many years later, he applied for anInvalid Pension for his military service. It is from the materials inhis pension file that we have learned a great deal about him and hisfamily.

"Isaac Lester was an avid hunter and was accidentally shot and killedby his son, Lantford Lester, while they were squirrel hunting inPocahontas County, West Virginia. He died on October 12, 1908, andhis body was brought back to Lawrence County. He was buried in theBishop-Lester Cemetery near Wilbur, Kentucky. Nancy died in 1914 andwas buried beside her husband. They had six children."

SQ p. 4641:

"Nancy Bell Sparks was born on December 27, 1876. She died ininfancy."

SQ p. 3631:

"...They were buried in the Larkin Cemetery near Bold Springs,Tennessee. They had at least two children."

On Jan 20, 2002 I received an email from Donald L. Smith(ndsmith@imf.net), a grandson of Annie Ophelia Ayers Larkin, who was adaughter of Nancy Sparks Ayers. He furnished the names of the fourchildren of John and Nancy. He stated that someone earlier haderroneously changed the given name of his greatgrandfather from Johnto James.

SQ p 3903: "Nancy Emeline Sparks, daughter of Matthew and Alsey (Osburn) Sparks, was born about 1850. She was married to William J.McKenzi e on Christmas Day 1873."

See SQ p. 232 for birth information.

See SQ p. 817 for marriage information.

SQ pg 2633: She was married four times. Her first marriage ended indivorce after only three weeks. She was married (2nd) to William E.Murphy. Following his death she married a man, name not known , whodied about a year later. Her 4th husband was Walter Bailey. She hadno children.

SQ pg 2749:

"Nancy J. "Maria" Sparks, daughter of James Hawkins and Elizabeth(McKnight) Sparks, was born about 1848. She was married twice. Herfirst marriage was to a man named Williams by whom she had threechildren: Durward Williams, Elizabeth Williams, and Edgar Williams .She married (2nd) W. M. ("Jim") Cobb."

SQ 3865: Nancy J. Sparks was born on April 20, 1855. She was marriedto William DeHart on December 11, 1878, in Elliott County, KY.

Information on the ancestors of James William Dehart and of thedescendants of James William and Nancy (Sparks) Dehard was receivedfrom Margaret Ann Susan DeHart of Clifford DeHart of Benjamin HarrisonDeHart of James William DeHart in December, 2000 via email.

!NOTES:
SQ 3866: Nancy J. Sparks was born in May 1866. She was married t oWilliam
Jesse Lemaster on March 9, 1883. He had been born in April 1862 an dwas a son
of Daniel Phillip and Phoebe (Bayes) Lemaster. William and Nancy ha dat least
four children: Stelle, Linda, Genoa and Daniel.

See SQ p. 333 for birth information.

SQ 3861: Nancy Jane Sparks was born on September 15, 1853. She wasmarried to Reuben Phillips.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1969, Whole No 66, p. 1245:

DEATH TAKES NANCY JANE SPARKS SCAGGS

"We learned recently that on June 5,, 1968, death claimed anothermember of The Sparks Family Association, Mrs. Nancy Jane SparksScaggs. Mrs. Scaggs was a daughter of Levi Hansford and Nancy (Lawson)Sparks and was born in Elliott County, Kentucky, on March 9, 1878.She was united in marriage to William Scaggs on May 20, 1897. To thisunion were born: Eva, Estill, Cecil, Joseph, Alma Lee, Nellie,Earnest, and Charlie. Mrs, Seaggs's paternal grandparents were Georgeand Nancy (Short) Sparks. (See the December 1956 issue of theQUARTERLY, Vol. III, No. 4, Whole No. 12., page 102.)"

Nancy ["Nannie"] Jane Sparks was born on September 8, 1885. She wasmarried to Lyon, and they lived at Blakeley, West Virginia

See notes on her husband (and first cousin) Lincoln Sparks.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3691: They had four children: Myrta, Blane, Floyd, and Ira.

.
!NOTES:
Naomi Sparks was born about 1840. She was married to William Ambr ose
Mudd on May 29, 1861, in Fort Bend County, Texas. She was living in
Laredo, Texas, in 1900 when her father died.

CENSUS RECORD:
Queen Anne's County, Town Hundred, Census of 1776, taken from MarylandRecords, Vol. 2, pg 203, FHL 975.2 D29b:
Sparks: Nathan; 1 white male over 21; one white female over 21 ; 2white females 16-21; 3 white males 12-16; 4 white males less than 12;3 white females less than 4; total: 8 males, 6 females.

MARRIAGE:
MARYLAND MARRIAGES, 1634-1677, by Robert Barnes, GenealogicalPublishing Company, Baltimore, 1987; copied at the Maryland HistoricalSociety, Baltimore, Maryland from the records of St. Luke's Parish,Queen Anne's County, Maryland, page 64: "Sparks, Nathan, 20 Feb.1759, Elizabeth Bolton"

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1983, Whole No. 124, pp. 2562-2572@ p. 2563:

DESCENDANTS OF JAMES SPARKS (402) (BORN ABOUT 1710-15) OF QUEEN ANNESCOUNTY MARYLAND THROUGH HIS SON NATHANSPARKS (BORN ABOUT 1738)

"Nathan Sparks (683), father of Levi Sparks and Elijah Sparks, wasprobably born about 1760 in Queen Anne's County. He was a son ofNathan (676) and Eliza (Bolton) Sparks and was a grandson of James(402) and Elizabeth (675) (Barkhurst) Sparks. James Sparks wasundoubtedly a grandson of William Sparks (204) who died in QueenAnne's County in 1709.

Page 2565:

"Nathan Sparks, son of James and Elizabeth (Barkhurst) Sparks, wasprobably born about 1738 in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. It wasthere, on February 20, 1759, that he was married to Eliza Bolton.They had five children: (1) Nathan Sparks, Jr.; (2) Simon Sparks; (3)James Sparks; (4) Isaac Sparks; (5) Benjamin Sparks. All five ofthese sons were probably born between 1760 and 1775. Eliza apparentlydied about the time of the outbreak of the American Revolution, andNathan married ( 2nd) a woman named Sarah. He seems to have served insome official capacity during the Revolutionary War. Like his father,he too, made a will shortly before his death. Here it is withup-to-day changes in spelling, grammar and punctuation:

"In the name of God, Amen. The 15th day of September 1787. I,
Nathan Sparks, of Queen Anne's County and State of Maryland, farmer,
being in health and of perfect mind and memory, thanks be given toGod.
Therefore calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that
it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my
last will and testament, that is to say;
ITEM, Principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into
the hands of Almighty God that gave it, and my body I recommend to the
earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of
my Executor, and as touching such worldly estate wherewith it has
pleased God to bless me in this life, I give, demise and dispose of
the same in the following manner and form:
ITEM, First, I give and bequeath unto my son Nathan Sparks, a lot of
whereon he now lives containing one acre more or less.
ITEM, I give and bequeath to my sons, Simon Sparks and James Sparks,
all remainder of my land containing 226 acres more or less, being part
of a tract of land formerly called "Lord Baltimore's Manor" to be
equally divided between them. To begin at the line of a tract of land
formerly belonging to Edward Tilghman and to run south east to the
main road leading from Church Hill to into the Beaver Dam Causeway.
ITEM, I give and bequeath to my two sons, Isaac Sparks and Benjamin
Sparks, ten Pounds, current money, each to be applied to the use of
educating them.
ITEM, My will and desire is that my personal estate shall be equally
divided among all my children as the law directs (except my son
Nathan Sparks only.
ITEM, I give and bequeath unto my grandson, John Sparks, one young
cow.
ITEM, I likewise constitute and ordain my two sons, Simon Sparks and
James Sparks, my sole executors of this my last will and testament,
and I do hereby disallow, revoke and disannul all and every former
testaments, wills, legacies and bequests and executors by me in any
ways before named, willed and bequeathed, ratifying and confirming
this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witnesswhereof
I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above writted.
his
Signed, sealed, published, pronounced Nathan SSparks
and declared by the said Nathan Sparksmark
as his last will and testament in the
presence of us the subscribers:
Samuel Burgess, Chargles Burgess, Natl. Pence

On the back of the foregoing will was written thus:
(here appears attestation clause signed by the witnesses)
"I further certify that Sarah Sparks, the widow, and Nathan Sparks,
the heir at law to the deceased, were present at the time the abovepro-
bate was taken and that they did not object to the taking of the same.
Certified by Sol Clayton, Regr. of Wills
for Queen Anne's County

"Queen Anne's County, on the 24th of November 1787. Came SarahSparks, the widow of Nathan Sparks, late of Queen Anne's County,deceased, and quitted her claim to the several bequests and devisesmade to her in the will of her said husband, deceased, and elected, inlieu thereof, her dower, or third part of the deceased's estate, bothreal and personal.
Before Sol Clayton, Regr. of Wills for
Queen Anne's County."

"Simon Sparks and James Sparks, sons of Nathan Sparks and executors ofhis will, survived their father by only a few years. James Sparksdied prior to November 1797, and left his share of his father's estateto his brother, Simon Sparks. In all probablility, he never married."

(Commencing on page 2567, the article discusses the children of Nathanand Eliza (Bolton) Sparks and Sarah (---) Sparks and their children.)

Nathan's second marriage after 1776 to a woman named Sarah is notentered because of no additional information. See SQ pg 2565.

See SQ p. 4958, "SPARKSES WHO SERVED IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:

Nathan Sparks (ca. 1738-1878) Queen Anne's Co., MD. (1) Sarah Bolton(2) Sarah ---; Oath of Fidelity, 1778 (found in the archives ofMaryland); Intendent's Letter Book No. 10, 26 August, 1782 (see SparksQuarterly pp. 2561-72.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1995, Whole No. 172, Page 4548:

NATHAN SPARKS (1775-1 844) SON OF MATTHEW AND SARAH (THOMPSON) SPARKSOF NORTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA AND TENNESSEE And ThreeGenerations of His Descendants
By Paul E. Sparks

"[Editor's note: We have sometimes called Nathan Sparks's father "Matthew Sparks the Elder" in order to distinguish him from his son ofthe same name. He was born in Maryland about 1730 and died in 1793 .(JS: He was a brother of William Sparks IV. Thus, Nathan was a firstcousin of James Sparks 189.] An article about Matthew and his wife,Sarah, appeared in the QUARTERLY of June 1961, Whole No. 34 , pp.556-566. At the time that article was published, however, we had notdetermined Matthew's parentage. In the QUARTERLY of December 1989,Whole No. 148, pp. 3484-3501, we presented evidence that MatthewSparks was a son of William Sample Sparks, who moved from FrederickCounty, Maryland, to Rowan County, North Carolina, with other membersof the Sparks family in 1754.

"[We have learned nothing regarding the parentage of Sarah, wife ofMatthew Sparks, but a granddaughter of Nathan Sparks, Elizabeth E.Sparks, whose nickname was "Bettie," stated in a letter dated March11, 1899, that Sarah's maiden name had been Thompson. Her letterappears on page 4575 of this issue in the QUARTERLY. Sarah (Thompson) Sparks died on August 23, 1831.

"[William Sample Sparks, father of Matthew, was a son of WilliamSparks, Jr. and a grandson of William Sparks, Sr., who died in QueenAnnes County, Maryland, in 1709. (See the QUARTERLY of March 1971,Who le No. 73, and that of December 1992, Whole No. 160.)

"[We have published articles on the lives of six of Nathan Sparks' sbrothers, as follows: John Sparks, March 1966, Whole No. 53; AbsalomSparks, September 1982, Whole No. 119; Matthew J. Sparks, September1984, Whole No. 127; William Sparks, June 1985, Whole No. 130,September 1985, Whole No. 131, and June 1986, Whole No. 134; JesseSparks , March 1990, Whole No. 149, and September 1990, Whole No. 151;and Hardy Sparks, December 1990, Whole No. 152.

"[A family bible was found, published in 1816, which contains a recordof the births of Nathan Sparks and his siblings, all being thechildren of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks. This Bible hadapparently been the property of Nathan Sparks, and someone had copiedtherein these birth records, perhaps from a bible that had belonged toMatthew and Sarah. One of the entries copied is the date of death ofSarah (Thompson) Sparks -- August 23, 1831.

"[This 1816 bible had doubtless become worn and fragile, and Mr.Thompson found it impossible to decipher at least six of the forenamesof children born between 1757 and 1768. He was able, however, to copythe birth dates of Nathan (October 23, 1775); James (April 14, 1778);Isaac (July 15, 1780); Hardy (May 23, 1783); and Bailey (May 3 ,1788). While we are confident that the dates given for Nathan, Isaac,and Hardy are correct, we are doubtful that those for James and Baileyare entirely accurate. Each time a date is copied, there isopportunity for error, of course, and old handwriting can be difficultto interpret."

(Continued on SQ pg 4550:)

"Nathan Sparks, son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks, was bornon October 29, 1775, according to the information copied from thefamily bible published in 1816. Nathan was born in Rowan County,North Carolina, and was probably just an infant when his parents movedto Surry County, North Carolina. There, they settled near the villageof Jefferson on New River in present day Ashe County. He was a youngman when he accompanied his parents to Franklin County, Georgia,following the American Revolution, where his father was killed byhostile Indians in the fall of 1793.

"The first official record we have found of Nathan Sparks is thelicense for him to be married to Sarah "Sally" Elsberry on March 10,18 00, in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. She had been born about 1780and was a daughter of Benjamin and Francina Elsberry. It was also inOglethorpe County that Nathan participated in Georgia's "First LandLottery." Registration for the drawing was made in May 1803, andNathan was entitled to one draw. The actual drawing did not takeplace until 1805, however. Nathan was not one of the winners.

"Sally (Elsberry) Sparks, wife of Nathan, died, apparently, soon aftertheir marriage. It seems highly probable that she died in Georgia;however, no record has been found indicating the date or place of herdeath. Nathan was married (second) to Nancy Hancock on September 2,1802, probably in Georgia. She had been born on September 17 , 1782,and was a daughter of Martin Hancock. According to a descendant, shewas a first cousin of General Winfield Scott Hancock, born on February14, 1824, in Pennsylvania, who was a Union officer during the CivilWar; he was the Democratic candidate for the United States Presidencyin 1880.

"Nathan Sparks moved his family to Tennessee sometime between 1805 and1809. (His son Isaac was born in Georgia in 1805; his son Martin wasborn in Tennessee in 1809.) It is quite likely that Nathan wasaccompanied to Tennessee by his brothers, Jesse Sparks, Bailey Sparks,Isaac Sparks, and Hardy Sparks, as well as by his mother, SarahSparks. Apparently, the five families settled first in HumphreysCounty.

"Nathan Sparks did not stay very long in Humphreys County, and onFebruary 15, 1812, he bought 208 acres of land from Charles Hayes inWilson County. He paid $500 for the tract that was located on SpringCreek. Martin Hancock and Joan Doak witnessed the deed. Nathanremained in Wilson County for the rest of his life; he and hishousehold were enumerated there on the 1820, 1830, and 1840 censuses.

"Nathan Sparks bought 100 acres of land in Carroll County, Tennessee,on April 16, 1827, from William P. Anderson and Edward Gwin for $3 00.Two years later, on November 5, 1829, Sparks gave 60 acres of thetract to his son, Martin Sparks, and the remaining 40 acres to hisson, Isaac Sparks. The consideration was for his "love & affectionfor his sons." Nathan's brothers, Bailey Sparks and Hardy Sparks,witnessed the transfer of the property.

"An account of the efforts of the Sparks brothers to obtain recompensefor the property loss suffered by their father, Matthew Sparks, duringthe Indian raids in Georgia, has been told in an earlier issue of theQUARTERLY and will not be retold here. Nathan Sparks played a majorrole in these activities, including a journey back to Baldwin County,Georgia, in 1828. Apparently, these efforts were successful. (Seepages 561-565 of the June 1961 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 34,[included here in the notes for Nathan's father, Matthew] for adetailed and thorough account of this episode.)

"In 1832, a new post office was created at Rock Springs in WilsonCounty, Tennessee, and was named "Sparks" in honor of Nathan Sparks .He was appointed its first postmaster on September 20, 1832. Sparks,Tennessee, was located on a star route running from Lebanon toColumbia, and was about nine miles south of Lebanon. In 1835, Sparksreported that he had collected $15.96 in postal fees. Hiscompensation for the period September 30, 1841, to September 30, 1843,was $24.70. He held the office until his death.

"Nathan Sparks was said to have been a "cripple." (Today we would say"physically challenged.") We have learned nothing about the nature ofhis disability, however. Because of his handicap, he is said to haveused a large chair with a special writing desk attached to it . Thechair was handed down to a grand-daughter who retained it until herdeath. We have no further information regarding it.

"On September 3, 1835, Nathan and Nancy (Hancock) Sparks, who wereamong the heirs of Martin Hancock, deceased, gave a deed for theirportion of 160 acres of land that had been owned by Hancock, locatedon Bartons Creek, to Samuel and Hope Hannah.

"Nathan Sparks died on September 4, 1844, in Wilson County, and hisson, Jesse H. Sparks, was appointed as the administrator of hisestate. At the November 1844 term of the Wilson County Court, Jessepresented the following inventory of his father's personal estate:

One negro boy, Anthony, aged about 18 years; 6 head of horses ; oneyoke of oxen; 7 head of cattle, 16 head of sheep; 23 hea d of hogs; 60geese.
One wheat fan; one cutting knife; 4 ploughs & one plough hoe ; 7 setsof gear; one scythe; 7 old blades; 3 pole axes; one frow; one drawingknife; one croze & pointer; one handsaw; one hammer; one auger; onelog chain; one cotton needle; 2 smoothing irons; one flax hackle; onegrubbing hoe; two weeding hoes; one gun & stone; one pair steelyards ;one ox cart; 7 single trees, clevis & pins; one pr. stretchers.
5 feather beds & furniture; one china press; one clock; 12 chairs; onechest; one slate; one Bible; one dining table & table furniture ; onedressing table; one lot castings; one loom; one lot pails and churns;
2 spinning wheels; one saddle; one pr. saddle bags. One note for$2.00 on George W. Carrell given December 6, 1843 , and due December8, 1843; a credit of 25 cents insolvent; a claim on Wm . S. New,amount not certain & uncertain whether it can be collected.

"At the same term of the Wilson County Court, November 1844, SpecialCommissioners Thomas E. Spain, E. M. Booker, and Stephen H. Hearnreported that one year's provisions had been alloted to the widow andfamily of Nathan Sparks. Included in the provisions were thefollowing items: 60 barrels of corn; 2,000 bundles of oars, fodder,and hay; twelve head of hogs, 20 bushels of wheat; one small beef; 5pigs ; 10 pounds of wool and 50 pounds of seed cotton. The widowwould have to furnish her own sugar, coffee, salt, etc.

"At the October 1945 term of court, Jesse H. Sparks was permitted toresign his administration of his father's estate, and Henry Edwardswas "approved to close the business." Edwards had been married toMildred Sparks and was a son-in-law of Nathan Sparks.

"Nancy (Hancock) Sparks survived her husband by a dozen years, dyingon April 15, 1856. James R. Green was appointed to administer herestate. He had been married to Priscilla Sparks in 1845 and was ason-in-law of Nancy Sparks. He made an inventory return at theSeptember 1856 term of the Wilson County Court and a final settlementof her estate at the march 1857 term. Each of her eight heirsreceived a share of her estate in the amount of $41.37. According tothe records sent to us by a descendant, Nathan Sparks had ninechildren." (here named but see their individual sheets.)

* * * * * * * * * *

**********

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 2001, Whole No. 196, pp 5605-5630,p. 5610:

"Nathan Sparks, son of Matthew and Sarah Sparks, was born on October23, 1775, in the part of Surry
County, North Carolina, that was cut off in 1778 to form Wilkes County. The area in which his father settled was, many years later (1799),cut off from Wilkes County to form Ashe County. He was a lad of eightor nine years when he accompanied his parents on their move toGeorgia. He remained there after his father was killed by the Indiansin 1793, and it was in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, that he was married(first) to Sarah ("Sally") Elsberry, daughter of Benjamin and FrancinaElsberry, on March 10, 1800. She was a sister of the wife of hisbrother, Absolom Sparks . Sarah died soon after their marriage , andon September 2, 1802, Nathan was married (second) to Nancy Hancock(1782-1856), a daughter of Martin Hancock. Nathan Sparks died onSeptember 4, 1844, in Wilson County , Tennessee . He was physicallyhandicapped , apparently unable to walk. For an article about him andhis nine children, see the QUARTERLY of December 1995, Whole No. 172,pp.4548-4574."

SQ p. 3631:

"Nathan Sparks, son of Jesse and Susan (May) Sparks, was born onAugust 28, 1819, in Hickman County, Tennessee. He was probably namedfor his uncle, Nathan Sparks. Young Nathan was married to MarthaCannon about 1839. She had been born about 1823 in Tennessee and wasa daughter of Dennis Cannon. (Martha and Nathan Sparks were among theheirs named in the will of Dennis Cannon on August 12, 1853, accordingto Will Book H of the Humphreys County Court.)

"On January 5, 1846, Nathan Sparks bought 61 acres of alnd on BigHurricane Creek, a tributary of Duck River, from Lewis W. Bryant for$75.00. He sold the land in 1853 and he and his family apparentlymoved from Tennessee. According to the 1850 census of Humphrey'sCounty, he and Martha had four children, and they may have had otherswho were born to them later. We have no further information aboutthis family.

1. Nancy Sparks was born about 1840.
2. Hannah Sparks was born about 1843.
3. James Sparks was born about 1847.
4. Jesse Sparks was born about 1849."

SQ p. 4559:

"Nathan Sparks, son of Martin and Rachel (Marrs) Sparks, was bornabout 1832 in Tennessee. He served in Company C, 24th RegimentArkansas Infantry of the Confederate States Army in the Civil War. Wehave no further information about him."

SQ 2570:

"Nathan Sparks, son of Levi Sparks, was born on November 20, 1838, inDaviess County, Indiana. He, like his brother, Thomas, went toJeffersonville to live with his brother after the death of theirfather, and he also became a clerk in Levi's store. After the deathof Levi Sparks, Jr. , Nathan and Thomas became owners of the store,and operated it for several years. Nathan was active in theJeffersonville City Council, the Masonic Lodge, and the MethodistChurch. On October 21, 1879, he was married to Fannie Belle Pile. Shewas born on April 7, 1854, and was a daughter of Burdette Clifton andMary Ann (Cunningham) Pile. Nathan Sparks died on August 30, 1924,and Fannie died on August 28, 1933." (Photographs of Nathan and Fannieare on the cover of Whole No. 124, pg 2561.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1992, Whole No. 157, p. 3901:

"Nathan Sparks, son of Matthew and Alsey (Osburn) Sparks , was born onJanuary 22, 1840. He was married to Elizabeth Craft on June 1, 1961,in Johnson County (Kentucky). [See SQ p. 817] She had been born inNovember 1842 and was a daughter of Tillman and Sarah (Sparks) Craft(826), natives of North Carolina. She and Nathan lived near Flat Gap,Kentucky.

"(Sarah Sparks, mother of Elizabeth Craft, was a daughter of Levi (378) and Sarah (Lyon) Sparks (822). See the December 1955 issue ofTHE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 12, for further details of this branchof the Sparks family.)"

[JS Note: Thus, Nathan and Elizabeth Craft were fifth cousins. Theircommon ancestor William Sparks (204) as follows:
William (204)
William (202) brothers Joseph (344)
William Sample (201) 1st cousins Solomon (356)
William IV (199) 2nd cousins John (359)
Thomas (536) 3rd cousins Levi (378)
Matthew (545) 4th cousins Sarah (826)
Nathan (2383) 5th cousins Elizabeth (6082) ]

"Shortly after his marriage, Nathan Sparks enlisted in the 14thRegiment Kentucky Infantry of the Union Army and served until theCivil War ended. He died in the Home for Disabled Veterans of Ohio onAugust 30, 1919. (See abstract of his pension file on page 3929, SQ,copied below.) Elizabeth died sometime shortly after 1900, probably inBoyd County, Kentucky. She and Nathan were the parents of tenchildren.

a. William H. Sparks was born on March 18, 1863. He was married toMary J. ---, probably about 1881. She had been born in October 1861.According to the 1900 census of Johnson County, she and William hadfive children: Mascom, John, Cornelius, Arlie, and Luella.

b. Amanda J. Sparks was born on March 18, 1865.

c. Sarah Alice Sparks was born on March 15, 1867. She was married toa man named Young, and they had at least one child, Goldie.

d. Jesse Sparks was born on May 18, 1869.

e. Rose A. Sparks was born on February 8, 1871.

f. Melvin H. Sparks was born about 1873.

g. Levi sparks was born about 1875.

h. Fernando Sparks was born on December 18 (or 23), 1879, near FlatGap, Kentucky. He was married twice. His first marriage was to AnnaHorn on March 2, 1900, in Boyd County, Kentucky. She had been bornabout 1881 in Scioto County, Ohio. She and Fernando lived in Greenupounty, Kentucky, where they had six children befor e Anna's death onNovember 20, 1915. They were William, Goldie, John Henry, Albert, IdaMay, and Charles. Fernando Sparks was married (2nd) to Laura Hoganon January 28 , 1918, in Boyd County. She had been born on September2, 1899, in Boyd County, and was a daughter of Ison and Samanta(Fuller) Hogan. She and Fernando had five children: Samantha, Earnest, Lester, Nathan and Alberta. Laura (Hogan) Sparks die d onSeptember 3, 1931, and Fernando died on April 27, 1940.

i. Mary Etta Sparks was born on June 20, 1881. She had died priorto1915.

j. U. S. Sparks was born on June 14, 1883. He had died by 1915.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Whole No. 157, March 1992, p 3929:

"CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION:

"NATHAN SPARKS, son of Matthew and Alsey (Osburn) Sparks, was born onJanuary 22, 1840, in Lawrence County, Kentucky. He died on August 31,1919. He was married to Elizabeth Craft on June 1, 1861. He served inCompany B, 14th Regiment Kentucky Infantry. File Designation: Inv.Cert. No. 639,537.

"Nathan Sparks made an application for an invalid pension on November1, 1869. He was then 28 years of age and a resident of Hood Creek,Johnson County, Kentucky. He said he had enlisted in Company B, 14thRegiment Kentucky Infantry, commanded by Capt. J. M. Atkinson, onAugust 5, 1863, at Louisa, Kentucky, and had served until he wasmustered out with his company on September 15, 1865, at Louisville,Kentucky. He said that while on duty in Georgia, he had contractedhepatitis which had rendered him incapable of doing any work exceptthat of light labor on the farm. He appointed A. Hart & Co.,Washington, D. C. as his attorneys. Tillman Craft and James M. Greenwitnessed him make his mark.

"Apparently Sparks was not issued a pension at once for the WarDepartment
did not confirm his military records until September 3, 1877. He hadenlisted in Company D, 14th Regiment Kentucky Infantry on August 30 ,1863, to serve for three years, according to the War Department, andhe had been present for duty until he had been mustered out onSeptember 15, 1865.

"On September 1, 1883, Jaun Caudill, age 69, a resident of Flat Gap ,Johnson County, Kentucky, made an affidavit on behalf of Sparks'sclaim. He said that prior to going into the service, Sparks had been astrong, healthy man, but that after he returned home, he complained oftrouble with his liver and kidneys, and had been unable to do a fullday's work. Two months later, on November 20, 1883, another neighborof Sparks, George M. Murry, made a similar statement on his behalf.

"Nothing was included in the "selected papers" from Nathan Sparks'sfile by
the National Archives to show what effect these affidavits had uponhis claim, but by January 29, 1894, he was receiving pension benefitsunder Invalid Certificate No. 639,537. He was then living atLowmansville, Lawrence County, Kentucky.

"On February 1, 1915, Nathan Sparks asked for increased pensionbenefits
under the 1912 Act of Congress. He was now 75 years of age and livednear
Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky. He said that he had been born onJanuary 22,
1840; and at the time of his enlistment, he had been 5 feet, 7 inchestall; he had a dark complexion, blue eyes, and dark hair; and he was afarmer by occupation. After leaving the service, he had lived inJohnson, Lawrence, and Boyd Counties, Kentucky. John W. Woods andNellie Donta witnessed him make his mark.

"Sparks answered a questionnaire from the Bureau of Pensions on April14,
1915. He said that he had been married to Elizabeth Craft on June 1 ,1861, at the home of Tillman Craft, near Flat Gap, Kentucky, by theRev. Dan Lewis. It had been the first marriage for both and to thismarriage ten children had been born. (see above)

"Of these ten children, Nathan Sparks said that six of them were deadat the time he completed the questionaire (April 14, 1915). They wereJesse, Rose, Melvin, Levi, Mary Etta, and U. S. Sparks.

"On December 10, 1917, Sparks entered the National Home for DisabledVeterans, at National Military Home, Ohio. He died on August 30,1919. On October 21, 1919, his son, Fernando Sparks, a resident ofAshland, Kentucky, applied for reimbursement for his father's funeralexpenses, which amounted to $124.00. J. F. Stewart and Sam Rothchildwitnessed his signature, and the application was sworn to before KitC. Elswick, a notary public."

See SQ p. 2661:

Nathan F. Sparks was born in November 1871. He was married to RosettaH. -----, probably about 1887. When the 1900 census was taken of theChoctaw Indian Nation in the Oklahoma Territory, Nathan and Rosettahad six children; they may have others born to them later. Thoselisted on the census were: Rube P. Sparks; Annie B. Sparks; Myrtie M.Sparks; Mary 0. Sparks; John T. Sparks; and Dora E. Sparks. (See page2238 of the September 1980 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 111, fora transcript of this census record.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1962, Whole No. 38, pp. 644-45:

An Abstract of his bounty land application file:

NATHAN F. SPARKS, born about 1810 in Tennessee; resident of TallapoosaCounty, Alabama, before 1836 and until death removal to AndersonCounty, Texas, between 1850 and 1855; a resident of Johnson County,Texas, in later years. Bounty Land Warrant File 52 454-120-55.

On May 28, 1851, Nathan F. Sparks, a resident of Tallapoosa County,Alabama, appeared before a justice of the peace named Luke Davenport,to make application for bounty land under the act of September 28,1850. He stated that he was 40 years old and that he had served as"4th corporal in a Company commanded by Capt. John H. Brodnax, anIndependant Volunteer Horse Company know: as the Tallassee Guards inthe War with the Creek Tribe of Indians in the year A.D. 1836." Hestated that he had volunteered in Tallapoosa County sometime betweenMay 4th and 27th, 1836, for 3 months and was discharged at Tallasseein Tallapoosa County on or about the last day of July 1836; that hedid not receive a written discharge. (War Department records provedthat he served from May 4 to Aug. 6, 1836.) He signed his applicationas "Nathan F. Sparks." He appointed John A. Jordan,an attorney ofDadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, as his attorney. He was issueda warrant for 40 acres of
bounty land.

On April 25, 1855, Nathan F. Sparks applied for additional bounty landunder the act of March 3, 1855. He was now a resident of AndersonCounty, Texas, and he made application for bounty land before ajustice of the peace named Morris R. Reagan. He gave no additionalinformation regarding his service. He signed as "Nathan F. Sparks";Wiley H. Bowen and John L. Bailey signed as witnesses. He was issued awarrant for 120 additional acres of bounty land.

(Editor's Note: Nathan F. Sparks was born in Tennessee about 1810, andwas a son of John Sparks (1784-1836) and his wife, Sarah (Brooks)Sparks (born 1788, died in the 1860's). John Sparks had served in thesame company as his son, Nathan F., in the Indian War of 1836 and in1854 Nathan made a statement in support of his mother's claim forbounty land (see the QUARTERLY of September, 1961, Vol. IX, No. 3, p.581 [Whole No. 35]). Nathan F, Sparks was married to Elizabeth Tayloron March 16, 1836, in Montgomery County, Alabama. Elizabeth apparentlydied, because his wife's name on the 1850 census of Tallapoosa Countywas given as "Sarah E. A." aged 28 (see the QUARTERLY of March, 1959,Vol. VII, No. 1, p. 378 [Whole No. 25]). Three children were listedwith Nathan F. Sparks in 1850: Virginia T. Sparks, aged 13; Frances D.Sparks, aged 10; and Nathan F. Sparks, aged 4. Virginia and Franceswere probably daughters by his first wife. By 1870, Nathan F. Sparkswas living in Johnson County, Texas, and one other child was listed, ason named John T. Sparks, born about 1859. Nathan F. Sparks was stillliving in 1880--he was listed on the Johnson County, Texas, census ofthat year as a hotel keeper and farmer in Alvarado Village; he gavehis age as 67 while his wife, Sallie C.
Sparks, was listed as 50 years old. Their son, John T. Sparks, aged21, was still living at home, as was an "adopted daughter" namedZellah Lee, aged 14.)

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

SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1984, No. 127. p. 2657:

MATTHEW J. SPARKS (1759-1841) & HIS DESCENDANTS

"Nathan Fowler Sparks, son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks, was bornon May 16, 1811, in Bedford County, Tennessee, according to statementshe made many years later in applying for bounty land for his militaryservice. His parents had apparently stopped in this section ofTennessee to visit relatives on their way back to rejoin his mother'sparents in Georgia, and Nathan was born in the Duck River area,probably in Bedford County. (Actually, Bedford County was written inparentheses in his application indicating, perhaps, some degree ofuncertainty about the exact place where he was born; however, thisarea of Tennessee is where five of John Sparks's uncles settled in theearly 1800's.)

"The earliest record we have found of Nathan Sparks is that of hisfirst marriage. On March 16, 1836, he applied for a license to marryMiss Sarah Elizabeth Taylor in Montgomery County, Alabama. They weremarried a week later, on March 24th, by L. F. Taylor, a justice of thepeace. Elizabeth (she went by her middle name) was born about 1822 inAlabama. Shortly after their marriage, Nathan volunteered formilitary service in the Creek and Seminole Indian War, enlisting,along with his father and brothers, in Capt. John N. Broadnax'scompany of Tallassee Guards. Nathan Sparks was mustered into serviceon May 4, 1836, and was mustered out on August 6, 1836. At the timeof his enlistment, he was 25 years old; he was 5 feet 10 inches tall;he had blue eyes, light or sandy hair, and a light complexion; and hewas a mechanic. (See pages 644-645 of the June 1962 issue of theQUARTERLY, Whole No. 38, for an abstract of his bounty landapplication file.)

"Nathan Sparks appears to have been a building contractor, as well asa carpenter, during his youthful years. In 1841, according to adocument in the Tallapoosa County courthouse, he contracted to buildanew Methodist Church at Dadesville. For the sum of $275, he was toconstruct a building 44 feet long, 36 feet wide, with a 14-foot pitch. The contract also included 38 seats to be made, 30 of which were tohave solid backs. Sixteen seats were to be seven feet long andfourteen of the remainder were to be fourteen feet long. Plans alsocalled for eleven windows, the necessary number of doors, and theowners were to furnish the lumber and other materials.

"By this time, Nathan was investing in land. In 1840, he bought somelots in Dadesville, and in 1842 he bought some acreage in TallapoosaCounty. Apparently, farming was not to his taste, however, and thefollowing year he sold the acreage to his brother, James BrooksSparks, for a Negro boy valued at $400. By the time the 1840 censuswas taken of Tallapoosa County, he was listed as the owner of a tavernor hotel, an occupation which he followd when he went to Texas someyears later.

"Nathan Sparks was the last member of his family to uproot himselffrom Alabama and move to Texas. He was still in Tallapoosa County in1851 when he applied for bounty land, but by 1853 he had moved toTexas where he stopped in Titus County, probably to visit with othermembers of his family. By 1855, he had moved southward to AndersonCounty where he made a second application for bounty land under a newAct of Congress. He received a warrant for 40 acres by his firstapplication, and by his second he recieved a warrant for 120 acres.These warrants were sold since they could not be used for land inTexas. (Texas retained its own system of disbursing land when itentered the Union in 1845.)

"Elizabeth (Taylor) Sparks, wife of Nathan, died at Palestine, inAnderson County, Texas, on December 3, 1857, and on January 14, 1861,Nathan married Sarah ("Sallie") C. Swing in Dallas, Texas. She wasborn on October 7, 1819, in Salem County, New Jersey. She and Nathanmoved to Cleburne, Texas, where they kept the Cleburne Hotel. In anarticle written by J. B. Baillio in 1908, it was stated that the hotelwas one of the best houses in that community and was built of post oaklogs. He also referred to Nathan as "Major Sparks," but that titlewas probably an honorary one.

"Nathan Sparks soon moved a few miles eastward in Johnson County tothe village of Alvarado where he lived until his death on July 13,1900, at the age of 89 years. His will, dated November 12, 1892,followed by several codicils, gives a gread deal of information abouthis descendants. He and Elizabeth, his first wife, had four childrenwho lived to maturity. He had no children by his second marriage.His widow, Sallie (Swing) Sparks, died on October 24, 1906. Hischildren were Virginia Alice Sparks; Frances D. Sparks; Nathan FowlerSparks, Jr.; John Taylor Sparks." (Here follows some details aboutthose children for which see their individual sheets).

END OF ARTICLE

THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1983, Whole No. 124, pp. 2562-72 at p.2567:

DESCENDANTS OF JAMES SPARKS (BORN ABOUT 1710-15) OF QUEEN ANNESCOUNTY, MARYLAND THROUGH HIS SON, NATHAN SPARKS (BORN ABOUT 1738):

"Nathan Sparks was the only child of Nathan Sparks, Sr. to head ahousehold when the 1800 census was taken of Queen Anne's County. Inaddition to himself and spouse (both born between 1755 and 1774),there were fifteen other persons in his household. Their ageenumeration suggests that , in addition to his own family, he was alsotaking care of the families of his deceased brothers. On the 1810census, he and his spouse, born prior to 1765) were in a householdconsisting of two males who were born between 1794 and 1800 and a maleand a female who were born between 1800 and 1810. Also living in thehousehold were fourteen free, white taxables with unspecificied ageenumerations.

"In all probability, Nathan Sparks married about 1780. We have notlearned the name of his wife, nor do we know the number of childrenthey had. It appears likely that their oldest child was a son, JohnSparks, who was named in his grandfather's will. According todescendants and relatives, other sons were: Elijah Sparks, LeviSparks, George Sparks, and Robert Sparks. Here is what we havelearned about them:"

(Here follows details on children).

SQ p. 4563:

"Nathan Matthew Sparks, son of Nathan and Nancy (Hancock) Sparks, wasborn on September 8, 1813, in Tennessee and grew to manhood in WilsonCounty. The first official record we have found of him is hisappointment on August 11, 1841, by the Wilson County Court, to build abridge. According to a Bible record, he was married to Eliza C.Thomasson on December 1, 1844, probably in Wilson County. She hadbeen born on May 10, 1825, in Alabama.

"Shortly after their marriage, Nathan and Eliza moved to Arkansaswhere they settled near the boundary between Ouachita and HempsteadCounties. Nathan paid a poll tax in Ouachita County until 1853, butafter he bought a 200 acre tract of land in Hempstead County thatyear,he paid taxes in Hempstead County.

"Nathan Sparks became a Cumberland Presbyterian minister and accordingto a history of Nevada County, in 1857 he led the community inbuilding the Mount Moriah Church about ten miles south of the town ofPrescott. He was also called to be its first minister and assumed thatposition on March 22, 1857. He died in the fall of 1858, perhaps ashort time after reaching his forty-fifth birthday. The cause of hisdeath may never be known.

"The Hempstead County Court appointed John Thadeus W. Gill as theadministrator of the estate of Nathan Matthew Sparks. Gill gave anaccounting of an inventory to the court at its February 1859 term.Among the several dozen items listed on the inventory were: stock,consisting of five horses, seven cows, fifteen hogs, and eight sheep;250 bushels of corn and 500 shocks of fodder; books, including anencyclopedia and four histories of religion. Gill assured the courtthat the inventory consisted of Nathan Sparks's property, except forproperty reserved to Eliza A. Sparks, his widow.

"(Why was John Thadeus W. Gill appointed as the administrator of theestate of Nathan Sparks? Gill had been born in 1831 in South Carolinaand had come to Arkansas in 1851 where he finally settled in HempsteadCounty in 1856. He was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Churchand a highly successful farmer. We have found no clues to anyrelationship between him and Nathan, although Nathan did name hisyoungest child Jane Gill Sparks. Perhaps one of our readers may beable to tell us about a relationship.)

"Few other records of the family of Nathan and Eliza (Thomasson)Sparks have been found. The 1860 census of Hempstead County indicatesthat the family broke up after Nathan's death, and only three of hischildren appeared on that census. They were: Nancy T. Sparks, 14;Mary A. Sparks, 12; and Eliza T. Sparks, 10. They were living in thehousehold of Charles Reynolds, age 33, who had been born inConnecticut. Nathan's widow, Eliza C. (Thomasson) Sparks may have beenthe Mrs. Elizabeth Sparks who was married to Thomas M. Wilson on June6, 1875, in Hempstead County.

"Nathan M. and Eliza C. (Thomasson) Sparks had six children, accordingto the records in the Bible belonging to Nathan Sparks, Sr."

Nathan Michael Sparks is buried in the Orchard Mesa Cemetery in GrandJunction, CO.

SQ pg 3937: Nathan Oscar Sparks was born on September 29, 1867. Hewas married to Nellie Bly Timberlake on April 3, 1895, in TaylorCounty, Iowa. She had been born on October 19, 1870, in Alpha,Illinois, and was a daughter of Robert D. and Amanda (Gamble)Timberlake. Nathan died on September 30, 1933, at Clarinda, Iowa, andNellie died on August 2, 1954, at Dubuque, Iowa. They had threechildren: Carl K. Sparks, Faith T. Sparks, and Elizabeth Sparks.Carl K. Sparks was married to Florence Eva Jones on May 14, 1920, andthey were the parents of Marlan Frank Sparks.

SQ p. 4562:

"Nathan Robert ("Bob") Sparks, son of Jesse and Susan (Cornell)Sparks, was born on March 15, 1845/46 in Wilson County, Tennessee. Heaccompanied his parents to Texas where he was married to Margery EllenMaxwell on December 9 1873. She had been born on October 2, 1856, atBeechgrove, Tennessee, and was a daughter of Andrew and Louisa D.(Watterson) Maxwell.

"Bob Sparks, as he was called, was a cattleman and took part in someof the early cattle drives over the old Chisholm Trail. Later on, heowned his own ranch where he branded his cattle with (JS: Here isdrawn the cattle brand of Bob Sparks) the letter "P" superimposed on{the bottom half} of the "S." He and Margery lived near Gainesville,Texas, until about 1890 when they moved to Oklahoma Territory wherethey settled near the town of Purcell. Bob participated in theOklahoma "Run of 1892," but he failed to stake a claim because hestopped to help rescue a family caught in quicksand in the SouthCanadian River.

"Bob died on June 26, 1906, in Beckham County, Oklahoma. Margerysurvived him nearly thirty years, dying on April 5, 1934, at Amarillo,Texas. She and Bob had nine children, the first six of whom were bornnear Gainesville, Texas, and the last three were born near Purcell,Oklahoma."

SQ pp. 4562-3:

"A descendant says that they drove to the county fair in their buggyand stood beside it for the wedding ceremony. In return, theyreceived household furnishings for drawing a crowd to the fair thatday."

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3470: They had three children: Bervel, Melvin and Herbert Pritchett.

SQ 2651-2: Nellie Sparks...died on January 26, 1904, at the age of 19years while attending the William Woods College for Women in Missouri.Her grief-stricken father donated twenty acres of his Indian allotmentla nd to the Oklahoma College For Women in her memory, so that Oklahoma girls might be educated nearer home. When the first dormitory waserected, it was named Nellie Sparks Hall.

SQ 3367: Nellie M. Sparks died on January 25, 1904, evidently atschool, although the William Woods School at Fulton, Missouri, has norecord of her ever attending that school. The obituary and funeralinformation in the Purcell, Oklahoma, Register states that Mrs. NonaShannon and her sisters, Mrs. R. J. Love and Mrs. C. M. McClain, wentover to Chickash a "to attend the funeral of Miss Nellie Sparks,daughter of Mrs. Shannon, who has been making her home with relativesin that city and died suddenly while at school."

The land donated by Buck Sparks for Chickasha College was from theIndian Allotment of his daughter, Nellie Sparks. Land records showthat Nona (Criner) Shannon deeded her interest in her daughter'sestate to Buck Sparks on July 15, 1907. Although Buck Sparks gainedcitizenship in the Chickasaw Nation on his wife, he did not loose itafter the divorce.

For information concerning the murder of Nellie by her husband, seethe note for George Washington Sparks, Jr. of George WashingtonSparks, brother of Nellie Gray Sparks.

SPARKS QUARTERLY, pg 100: "Nelson Sparks, born about 1818; married1843, Margaret Mauk."

SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1989, Whole No. 146, pps 3396-3423:

"DESCENDANTS OF NELSON SPARKS (ca.1818-1874) OF CARTER COUNTY,KENTUCKY."

"Editor's Note: In 1821, a number of families from the Surry-WilkesCounties area of North Carolina joined relatives and friends from theLee-Scott Counties area of Virginia and moved to Lawrence County,Kentucky. Among these families was that of Levi Sparks of WilkesCounty, North Carolina. He was accompanied by his five sons. Here wepresent the family of his son, Nelson Sparks, and Nelson'sdescendants. For further background of this branch of the SPARKSfamily , see the December 1955 issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, WholeNo. 12.)

"Nelson Sparks, son of Levi and Sarah (Lyon) Sparks, was born about1818 in Wilkes county, North Carolina, and was only three years oldwhen his parents moved to Lawrence county, Kentucky. There he grew tomanhood, on the headwaters of Big Blaine Creek. On March 14, 1843, hewas married to Margaret "Peggy" Mauk by Daniel Carroll, a minister ofthe Baptist Church. The wedding took place at the bride's home inCarter County, Kentucky.

"Peggy (Mauk) Sparks was born on June 8, 1820, in Virginia and was adaughter of Peter and Eleanor "Nellie" (Sparks) Mauk, natives of NorthCarolina. (See her picture on the cover of the present issue of theQUARTERLY [pg 3395]).

"(Nellie Sparks, mother of Peggy Mauk, was a daughter of Thomas andRebecca Sparks. She was born on February 5, 1791, in Scott County ,Virginia. Thomas Sparks, father of Nellie, was a son of William andAnn Sparks, natives of Maryland, who moved to North Carolina abou t1765.)

"Nelson and Peggy Sparks settled down to housekeeping on the CaneyFork of the Little Sandy River, but about a year later they moved toBig Gimlet Creek where Nelson bought 314 acres of land on Septembe r12, 1845, from his father-in-law, Peter Mauk. He bought another tractof land on December 21, 1847, from William Thomas. On July 12, 1 856,Nelson and Peggy sold 200 acres of land to her brother, FrederickMauk.

"The outbreak of the Civil War tore the Levi Sparks family apart , asit did many other families in Kentucky. On October 22, 1861, Nelsonand his 17-year-old son, Peter Sparks, went to the town of Grays onwhere they both enlisted in Company H of the 22nd Regiment KentuckyInfantry of the Union Army. Three days later, Nelson's brother, JohnL. Sparks, traveled to Prestonburg, Kentucky, where he enlisted inCompany S of the 5th Regiment Kentucky Mounted Infantry of theConfederate States Army. The bitter feelings these actions createdendured long after the war ended.

"Nelson Sparks served in the Union Army until May 18, 1864, when hereceived a Certificate of Discharge at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hereturned to his home on Big Gimlet Creek and was listed with hisfamily on the first census of newly-formed Elliott County when it wastaken in June 1870. He was appointed one of the first justices of thepeace for the new county on May 25, 1869.

"On October 11, 1874, Nelson Sparks and his 12-year-old son, GeorgeW., went to the town of Olive Hill on business. There he met an oldfriend, Calvin Scott, and they had several drinks together at a liverystable where Nelson's horses were fed. For some reason which willprobably never be known, Scott shot Nelson Sparks fatally during theirvisit. It is said that as soon as he pulled the trigger, heexclaimed, "I've shot my best friend!" George drove the team, withhis dead father lying in the wagon bed, back to Elliott County whereNelson was buried in the Mauk Ridge Cemetery.

"Peggy (Mauk) Sparks was left with several small children, but shekept them together. The older children rallied around her, and in1890 she applied for a Widow's Pension based on her husband's militaryservice. She received the pension until her death, which occurred onJanuary 14, 1897. she was buried beside her husband in the Mauk RidgeCemetery. She and Nelson had ten children, nine of whom reachedmaturity."

ABSTRACT OF THE PENSION RECORDS OF NELSON SPARKS, SQ pps 3426-27:

NELSON SPARKS, son of Levi and Sarah (Lyon) Sparks, was born about1819 in North Carolina. He died on October 11, 1874, in CarterCounty, Kentucky. He married Margaret Mauk on March 1 6, 1843. Heserved in Company H, 22nd Regiment Kentucky Infantry. FileDesignation: Wid Cert. No. 292,410.

"On August 8, 1890, Margaret Sparks, 70 years of age, and a residentof Gimlet, Elliott County, Kentucky, made an application for a Widow'spension. She stated that her husband, Nelson Sparks, had enlisted asa private in Company H, 22nd Regiment Kentucky Infantry Volunteers onOctober 22, 1861, at Grayson, Kentucky, and was discharged in 1864.He died on October 11, 1874. She said she was married to Sparks underher maiden name of Margaret Mauk on March 16, 1843, in Carter County,Kentucky, by Daniel Carroll. She had not remarried since the death ofher husband, nor did she have any children under the age of sixteenyears. She appointed H. D. Phillips of Washington, D.C. , as herattorney. Elizabeth Sparks and Ida E. Sparks witnessed her make hermark.

"Margaret Sparks supported her claim by sending the Bureau of Pensionsher husband's Certificate of Discharge which had been given to him onMay 18, 1864, by Col. George W. Monroe. Sparks had enrolled incompany H, 22nd Regiment Kentucky Infantry Volunteers, commanded byCapt. Stephen Nethercutt, on October 16, 1861, to serve for three years, and he was discharged at Baton Rouge, Louisana, by reason of disability. At the time the certificate was issued, he was 45 years o fage. He had been born in North Carolina; he was 5 feet, 11 inche stall; he had a fair complexion, black eyes, and dark hair; and he w asa farmer by occupation. His mustering-out pay had been $228.05 .Margaret Sparks also had the Clerk of Carter County, J. W. Thornton,send a copy of her marriage record to the Bureau of Pensions.

"On January 15, 1891, William Rose, age 45, and James McFarland, age31, both residents of Gimlet, Kentucky, made an affidavit that, beingclose neighbors of Nelson Sparks, they knew that when he died, he lefttwo children under the age of sixteen, namely, Martha F. Spark s andGeorge W. Sparks. F. M. Mauk and Jacob McDowell witnessed theirsignatures, and the affidavit was sworn to before J. E. Sparks, anotary public of Elliott County.

"On January 21, 1891, Dr. J. H. Steele of Olive Hill, Carter County ,Kentucky, made a physician's affidavit. He said that he had practicedmedicine for 35 years and had been well acquainted with Nelson Sparkssince 1856, and he knew that he was shot and killed on October 11,1874, for he was present at his death. The affidavit was sworn tobefore C. M. Erwin, a notary public of Carter County.

"The War Department confirmed the military service of Nelson Sparks onFebruary 16, 1891, and the Bureau of Pensions issued Widow'sCertificate No. 292,410 on May 21, 1891, to Margaret Sparks entitlingher to a pension of $8.00 per month, retroactive to August 28, 1890.She continued to receive the pension until her death on January 14,1897."

The 1870 census of Elliott County, Kentucky (FHL 976.9255x28b), no.128 shows Nelson Sparks, 51; Sarah (sic) 50; Margaret, 20; Leander,19; Frederick, 16; Louisa, 13; Martha, 10; George, 9.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
Nelson Sparks & Surrilda Holbrook, December 15, 1864. (Book 5, p. 55)He 19 years old. She 15 years old. Witnesses: Jno. J. Gambill &William Boggs, Jr.

SQ p. 4650:
"Nelson Sparks, son of Calvin and Sally (Lyon) Sparks, was born onJune 1, 1845. He was a merchant. He was married twice. His firstmarriage was to Sarrilda Holbrook on December 15, 1863, in LawrenceCounty. She had been born on March 4, 1849. She and Nelson had threechildren. She died on December 18, 1920. Nelson's second marriagewas to Mrs. Mary M. Holbrook in 1925. He died on February 26, 1932."

(JS: The reference to Nelson Sparks's second marriage to Mary M.Holbrook is possibly an error. In the QUARTERLY for December 1991,Whole No. 156, at p. 3869, it states that Nelson Sparks, son ofWilliam Jayne and Elizabeth (Hager) Sparks, married (3rd) Mary M.Holbrook in Lawrence County, Kentucky in 1925. The particular NelsonSparks who married Mary Holbrook is uncertain.)

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1991, Whole No. 156, p. 3869:

"Nelson Sparks was married three times. His first marriage was toCalista Ward about 1883. She had been born in January 1862 and diedsometime between 1900 and 1910. Nelson was married (2nd) to TeliaBurgess in 1911 in Lawrence County. His third marriage was to Mary M.Holbrook in 1925 in Lawrence County. He died on December 30, 1932, atThealka, Kentucky . By his first marriage, he had six children:Paulina, Charles C., Fred, Thom as J., Sarah, and Hulda.

[JS editorial comment: An inconsistancy appears in the QUARTERLY asto the third marriage of this Nelson Sparks to Mary M. Holbrook in1925. A later article in the QUARTERLY for June 1996, Whole No. 174,p. 4650, states that Nelson Sparks, son of Calvin and Sally (Lyon)Sparks and grandson of Levi and Sarah (Lyon) Sparks, married Mary M.Holbrook in Lawrence County, Kentucky, in 1925. Since his first wifewas named Sarrilda Holbrook, it seems more likely that Nelson, son ofCalvin Sparks, married Mary M. Holbrook, not this Nelson, son ofWilliam Jayne Sparks.]

SQ 3864: Nelson Sparks was born on January 26, 1863. He was marriedto Hannah Leadingham about 1864. She had been born on February 15,1861 . They lived at Gimlet, Kentucky, where they reared ninechildren. Nelson died on June 30, 1921, and Hannah died on September29, 1940. They were buried in the Nelson Sparks Cemetary in ElliottCounty. Their children were: Clarinda,
Maude, Minta, Mary, Alex, Jerry, Melvin, Jesse, and Lee.

See SQ p 4867: He served in the 2nd U.S. Infantry during theSpanish-American War. After returning home he was married to EmmaJohnson on February 25, 1902. She was a daughter of Alfred Johnson.She and Nelson went to Wisconsin where he died in Langlade County onMay 14, 1902.

SQ pg 2775:

"Newel Crane Sparks, son of Stephen and Emily (Whitaker) Sparks, wasborn on January 21, 1855. He was named for the Rev. Newell W. Crane,a Baptist preacher, who was a close friend of his father. (See
also note under RIN 1451). On August 31, 1876, Newell Sparks wasmarried to Laura Fetzer in McLennan County. She had been born onApril 3, 1856, and was a daughter of Enoch and Sarah (Martin) Fetzer.She died on November 21, 1902. Newell died on March 14, 1926, in SanPatricio County, Texas.
He and Laura had nine children."

They are buried in the Thomas Mathis Cemetery, Mathis, San PatricioCounty, Texas.

Note: Joe Neal Garrett has him dying in Poteet, Atascosa County,Texas. So has Mary Francis (Kring) Stim by email (ancseeker9@aol.com).Mary Stimm provided a great deal of information concerning thedescendants of Stephen Franklin Sparks, particularly those of NewellCrain Sparks. Her line is Matthew and Sarah (Shores) Sparks, William,Richard, Stephen Franklin, Newell Crain, Ada, John Paul & Mary.
I am very grateful for her help.

See SQ p. 226 for a copy of the Johnson County, Kentucky - 1850 Censusshowing Nicholas and Dorcas (Ross) Sparks and 8 of their children.

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriageinformation from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822-1865):
Nicholas Sparks & Dorcas Ross, December 21, 1837. (Box 3) Bondsman:Robert Ross.

SQ 3797: He was married in 1837 to Dorcas Ross.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1992, Whole No. 158, p. 3949:
"Nicholas Sparks, son of Thomas and Nianah (Wilcox) Sparks, was bornabout 1812 in North Carolina and was a young lad when he came toLawrence County, Kentucky, with his parents in 1821. It was therethat he was married to Dorcas Ross on December 21, 1837. She had beenborn about 1817 in Scott County, Virginia, and was a daughter of DavidRoss who gave his consent to her marriage. Nicholas and Dorcas livedin the Flat Gap area of Johnson County, Kentucky, where they rearedtwelve children. Nicholas died there sometime between 1870 and 1880,and Dorcas died sometime after 1880."

.

!CENSUS:
1860 US Census, Knoxville, Knox Co., TN, 3nd dist. age 24, a coope r.
page 136, line 129. FHL 805259.

!NOTES:
THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4273:
"Nicholas Sparks, son of Solomon and Susan Sparks, was born abou t1830
in North Carolina. In 186O, he was living next door to his brother James
Sparks, in Knox County, Tennessee. We have no further knowledge of him."
As was stated earlier in the notes for his brother James, I believe that
Nicholas Sparks was born about 1836 per the 1960 census, not 1830. Also
it would seem that he was born in Virginia, not North Carolina, though the
census is silent on that point (or I failed to copy it down.)

SQ p. 817 for marriage information.

This is Nila Sparks who has furnished a good deal of information aboutthis branch of the Sparks family.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3404: She was killed in an automobile accident.