SQ pg 2775:

See photograph of Newel Crane Sparks and Laura Fetzer Sparks on p. 1775and in his scrapbook.

"Newel Crane Sparks, son of Stephen and Emily (Whitaker) Sparks, wasborn on January 21, 1855. He was named for the Rev. Newell W. Crane, aBaptist preacher, who was a close friend of his father. (See also noteunder RIN 1451). On August 31, 1876, Newell Sparks was married to LauraFetzer in McLennan County. She had been born on April 3, 1856, and was adaughter of Enoch and Sarah (Martin) Fetzer. She died on November 21,1902. Newell died on March 14, 1926, in San Patricio County, Texas. Heand 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 marriage informationfrom 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 to LawrenceCounty, Kentucky, with his parents in 1821. It was there that he wasmarried to Dorcas Ross on December 21, 1837. She had been born about1817 in Scott County, Virginia, and was a daughter of David Ross who gavehis consent to her marriage. Nicholas and Dorcas lived in the Flat Gaparea of Johnson County, Kentucky, where they reared twelve children.Nicholas died there sometime between 1870 and 1880, and Dorcas diedsometime 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 t 1830
in North Carolina. In 186O, he was living next door to his brother J ames
Sparks, in Knox County, Tennessee. We have no further knowledge of h im."
As was stated earlier in the notes for his brother James, I believe t hat
Nicholas Sparks was born about 1836 per the 1960 census, not 1830. Al so
it would seem that he was born in Virginia, not North Carolina, thoug hthe
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.

Information about Noah's birth date and place together with informationabout his son Ransome Sparks, Ransome's children, his son WilliamFranklin Sparks and William's childreen, was obtained from Jeff Williamson the internet. Mr. Williams is a grandson of Florence Gertrude Sparks,daughter of William Franklin Sparks. The name of his website is (11/99):
http://www.uftree.com/UFT/WebPages/JeffreyLWilliams/Williams/index.htm
Mr. Williams, whose email addreess is MITNWVNC@@aol.com stated that hisgrandmother is still living at the age of 93 as of November, 1999.

SQ p. 2164:

Noah Andrew Sparks, son of Elijah and Mary Ann (Garner) Sparks, was bornon September 7, 1877. He died on April 25, 1945. He never married. Hisniece, Aileen Sparks, said this about him: "Uncle Noah enjoyed loafingaround the county courthouse when he was not working at the coal mines oras a carpenter. He loved to ramble through the old records such as deedsand wills. He was called frequently to serve on a jury because of hisvisits to the courthouse. He liked to read his Bible. He also was a goodgardener and raised good crops."

SQ pg 2632:

" She married Edward H. Eichelzer late in life, having waited tomarry in order to take care of her younger brothers and s istersfollowing her mother's death. She and her husband lived in Detroit. Bothwere buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery there. Irma (Cory ) Wells hasprovided us with a copy of the will of Nola May (Sparks ) Eichelzer datedJuly 2, 1953. From this we know that her husband preceeded her indeath. They had no children and she left her property to her brothersand sisters, or their children."

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

"Nora Jane Sparks was born on October 2, 1882. She was married toSamuel J. Jobe on September 15, 1900, in Lawrence County. He had beenborn in 1872 and was a son of Harvey and Elizabeth (Hicks) Jobe. Sam wasan attorney at Akron, Ohio, for many years. He died in 1933, and Noradied in 1963. They had five children: Goebel Jobe, Homer Jobe, MiltonJobe, Hubert Jobe, and Martha E. Jobe."

SQ pg 2782: Nora Sparks married Bud Smith.

On Monday, 3 September, 2001, I received an email from Ginger Smith(BosqueRiver@@aol.com) as follows:
"My grandmother was Nora Ellen Sparks, (born) 10 Aug 1885 born in oraround Waco TX, died 18, 19 May 1956 in fort Worth TX while visiting herson. Married 1901 Aspassion Caruth (AC or Bud) Smith. (born) 11 July1879 in or near Valley Mills, Bosque County, TX died 3 April 1951 at home.
"They lived in Iredell, Bosque Co. TX 6 children, 4 girls, 2 boys, onewas my dad now all gone.
"Grandma had 1 brother I know of Tom Sparks, no children, 2 sisters Iknow of, Ola (or Olla) never married, and Ella Sparks Davis 1 girl, 1 boy.
"From childhood I remember other Sparks lived in Iredell. I do notremember them or Smith. They can't help me now; all are dead. All theOLD ones who knew are gone making this so hard for us.
"Grandma was part Indian...."

.
!NOTES:
SQ 4068: He was married to Barbara Ann Baker in April 1957 at Anderson, Indiana, and they had three children: Julia, Norma, and David .Norman was married (second) to Ethel Smith. He died October 3, 19 89.

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1973, Whole No. 82, pps 1566-7:
Norval Sparks, son of Elijah and Elizabeth (Weaver) Sparks, was bornin 1800 on Bank Lick Creek, Campbell County, Kentucky. He was marriedabout 1825 to Jane E. Johnston, a native of New York, who was born about1806. Norval Sparks died in 1877; his wife, Jane, died in 1855. She wasa member of the First Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceburgh, Indiana, whenthat church was established in September, 1829.
According to the HISTORY OF DEARBORN, OHIO AND SWITZERLAND COUNTIES,INDIANA, published in 1885, Norval Sparks was six years old when hisparents moved to Lawrenceburgh. As a youth, he was a clerk in themercantile house of George P. Buell and in 1822-23 he opened his owndrygoods store in Lawrenceburgh. When the general business crash of 1838swept the country, his business failed. Coincidentally, the death of abrother-in-law that same year provided Norval with an opportunity to takecharge of his brother-in-law's grocery and feed business and he stayedwith that business until his death in 1877. He was also a member of theBoard of Directors of the branch of the Indiana State Bank which wasestablished in Lawrenceburgh in 1834.
The 1850 census of Dearborn County, Indiana, shows Norval and Jane(Johnston) Sparks living in Lawrenceburgh with four children: Margaret,David, America, and John. Their fifth child, Ann, was not listed on thatcensus. The HISTORY OF DEARBORN etc. referred to previously, gives arather lengthy biography of David Sparks, son of Norval and Jane.According to that source, Norval and Jane (Johnston) Sparks reared fourchildren: Margaret J., David E., America E., and John W., while fourother children died in childhood. Why their daughter Ann was omitted isnot known."

JS Note: Notwithstanding the information contained in the last paragraphabove, in a report prepared by Paul Sparks, on page 423 of the SPARKSQUARTERLY, Whole No. 27, there appears the 1850 census for DearbornCounty, Indiana as follows:
City of Lawrenceburgh
(p 263)
694-113 Sparks, Norvel 49 (M) Kentucky Merchant
" Jane L. 44 (F) New York
" Daniel E. 22 (M) Indiana Clerking
" Ann C. 14 (F) "
" John W. 12 (M) "

In THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for March, 1995, Whole No. 169, p. 4446, the 1860census for Dearborn County, Indiana appears as follows:

City of Lawrenceburg Post Office: Lawrenceburg
Page 6. Census taken by Jacob P. Dunn on June 5, 1860
33-36

Last Name First name Age Sex Occupation Property values Born
Sparks, Norval 59 (M) Grocer - $600 KY
" Margaret 33 (F) IN
" David E. 31 (M) Merchant $2000 -$2000 IN
" Ann 24 (F) IN
" John 20 (M) Grocery Clk. IN
Depri [Depew?], John 15 (M) Merchts. Clk OH

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1973, Whole No. 82, pg 1564:
Norval G. Sparks was born, according to his application for a CivilWar penison, on November 1, 1837, at Greensburg, Indiana. He died atMoores Hill, Indiana, on April 29, 1923. On August 16, 1861, he enlistedin Company A, 18th Indiana Infantry Regiment and was discharged on August28, 1865. When he was 84 years old in 1921, he stated in a pensiondocument that at the time of his enlistment he was 5 feet, 10 inchestall, with a fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair, and that he had beena student. He began receiving a pension immediately upon his dischargeand by the time of his death the amount had been increased to $72 permonth.
In a document dated September 7, 1877, found in his pension file inthe National Archives, he described his disability as follows: "InNovember or December, 1861, while in Missouri and shortly after makingthe famous 'Fremont Forced March' to Springfield, Missouri, I was takenwith severe diarrhea and fever and was sent to Genl. hospital atOtterville, Mo. ... In May 1863 while at the Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., Iwas detailed by order of Gen. Carr to take command of the Ambulance Corpsand while active in that capacity I received the injury which wasoccasioned by being in too close proximity to our heavy guns. My hearingwas greatly impaired."
In 1877 he was a school teacher, but as his deafness increased, hehad to give up his profession. He eventually became entirely deaf.(Pension file WC 942-693, National Archives.)
Norval G. Sparks was married on April 10, 1870, at Florence,Switzerland County, Indiana, to Ella A. Craig. They had two children,Charles D. Sparks, born December 16, 1871, at Forence, Indiana, andJessie P. Sparks, born February 5, 1879, at Moores Hill, Indiana.

Josine was doubtless of Dutch origin; she was probably born prior to1650. Our most important clue that her maiden name was Boyer (or Boeyaror Boeyer) is contained in a curious entry in the minutes of the NewCastle Court of Novem ber 5, 1678:

Josyn Boeyer, the wyfe of Mr William Semple, for hur unhandsome & illbehavior being heretofore bound over to the Court, The Court, (in hopesof hur better behavior) did Continue the prsentment till next Court day.
William Sample, who had been appointed a magistrate in this Court onlyfive months earlier, must have found himself in an awkward situation withthis Court's notice of his wife's "unhandsome & ill behavior." We willreturn to this incident later in this article. Our interest at thispoint, however, is that in this record his wife is identified by, webelieve, her maiden name, "Josyn Boeyer." This is given further credenceby a Court record dated March 15, 1679/80. As seen in this, in 1675 a mannamed Justa Andries (also written as Andersen) had purchased a tract ofland lying on Christina Creeke in New Castle County, the record of whichcould not be found because of the neglect of the town's clerk at thattime, a man named William Tom. (There are frequent statements in theseCourt records complaining about Tom's neglect of his duties.) In order toprove that he had purchased the tract (400 acres) of land, Andriesprevailed upon the justices of the Court to obtain confirmation fromthose who had sold him the 400 acres, they being Robert Scot, JosynMarshall, widow of John Marshall, John Cosins, and John Boeyer.Apparently this tract had been inherited by these four individuals. Ofthese four, John Boeyer and Josyn Marshall attested in person to the 1775sale. It is the belief of this writer that John Boeyer and Josyn Marshallwere brother and sister, and that Robert Scot and John Cosins werehusbands of Josine's sisters. Four of the magistrates, including WilliamSample (Will: Sempill), signed this document.
We underwritten, the Justices of This Towne of New Castle Doe herebyCertifie That upon tfle Request of Justa Andries we have made Examinaconand doe fiend that there was heretofore in the year 1675 sould and madeover by Rob: Scot, Josyn the widow of John Marshall deceased, JohnCosins, and John Boeyer unto him the said Justa Andries a seartainePattent for fouer hundred acres of land Lying and being in CristinaCreeke aforesaid betweene the Land of Jan Staalcop & the mill Creeke asby the said Pattent baring date the first of october 1669 may more attLarge appeare by the neglect of the former Clercq Mr William Tom (as issupposed) nothing Can bee found upon Record thereof however Livingwittnesses To witt John Boeyer and Josyn marshall and others do attestthat there was such a Transport Past In the Court of new Castle Inwitness Whereof wee have herunto sett or hands at New-Castle this 15 dayof March 1679/80.
(was signed) John Moll Pieter Alrichs J: d'Haes Will: Sempill
The charge by the New Castle Court against Josine Sample for her"unhandsome & ill behavior" noted earlier, appears to be explained in aCourt record of November 3, 1680. This reads:

Josyn the wyfe of William Sempill in open Court did Terme & call Ryniervander Coelen a man wth twoo fathers, a murtherer, a Roug and a dogh. MrWill: Sempill desiers that the Case may be referred till next Court tothe end he may bee the better provyded, wch the Cort Grant and doe orderthat the plt & deft [i.e., Rynier Vander Coelen and Josine Sample] beeboth & each of them bound in a bond of £40 for their good behavior tillthen, hee wch first breakes the peace and afronts the other shall beeImediately Imprizoned & pay the sd 40 pounds.
The next meeting of the Court was on December 9, 1680, but there was nomention in its proceedings of Josine' s "unhandsome & ill behavior." Itwas during Court session, however, that: Jan Boeyer was this day sworneConstable of this Towne of New Castle in the roome of Jan Biscus [JohnBisk] for one year or till another bee sworne in his Roome. Jan Boeyer[John Boyer] was, we feel certain, a brother of Josine Sample. When theCourt met on May 3, 1681, John Boeyar (as his name was spelled on thisoccasion) brought "an action of Slaunder" against Hendrik Vanden Burgh,in which Josine was mentioned.

Susanna the wyfe of Geo: Moore sworee in Cort sayeth that, shee washingatt the house of Jan Hermsen did heare Hendrik Vanden Burgh say that thewastecoate wch John Boeyar had was Lyke to the wastecoate hee had Lost,and the deponant replyed that shee had seen such a wastecoate wch Aeltie[wife of John Boyer] brought from William Sempills wyfe & therefore didnot thinke itt to bee the same & further sayeth nott: Peter Claesensworne Sayeth that he heard Hendrik vanden Burgh say that hee supposedthe Blancquet which Brantie [?] had bought of John Boeyar was his & attan other tyme hee heard Hendrik vanden Burg's wyfe say that itt was a sadthing that a man must see hur owne things Every day worne & wth that thedeponant sawe Aeflie Boeyars pas by but whether shee was meant thedeponant nowes nott: Edmund Cantwell Swore sayeth that being in theoffice of Mr Herman, Hendrik Vanden Burg Came in there and the deponantasked what was the matter wth him he replyed that John Boeyar had in theStreet threatned to stryke him, wth the Constables stike and that JohnBoeyar had bad him to goe to mistrs Darby; an ugly theefe as hee is sayedthe sd hendrik whereupon the deponant sayed you must not say soe. Yesreplyed the sd hendrik. I: can proove itt and further sayeth nott.

The cort thought itt fitt to referre this action untill next Court day &the deft hendrik vanden Burgh then to appeare, or Else Judgemt to passwth out delay.

The case of John Boyar against Hendrick Vanden Burg, labeled in the Courtproceedings of July 6, 1681, "In an action of Slaunder," was decided asfollows:
The deft being 3 tymes called did not appeare nor none for him. Thisaction haveing Long Continued in Cort Contrary to the order of the LaestCort, The Court doe therefore order him to pay the sume of 50 gilders asa fyne for the Slaunder sence hee did not proove [disprove] it; and thatthe deft pay the Costs of suit.
Recallng that it had been Rynier Vander Coelen who had complained aboutJosine Sample insulting him in Court, and that it had been Hendrik VandenBurg who was fined for his slander against John Boyer, the followingentry in the minutes of New Castle Court for December 6, 1681, isinteresting:
Justice Alrichs, Justice Will: Sempill & Justice Dehaes are of opinion,that drink shall be sould by the halfe aneker but not by the smallmeasure & the halfe anckers Carried out of the Towne as before. It isthis Corts opinion & order that all those as have sould drinke to theIndians Contrary to a former order of this Cort bearing date the 2d dayof August 1680, and the Tolleration of the Governor shall be fynedaccording thereto.

The Constable John Boeyar prsents Hendrik Vanden Burgh and Reynier VanderCoelen for selling of drink to the Indians by the small measure [i.e., bythe glass].

John Boyar sworne in Court Sayeth that hee has seen Hendrik Vanden Burghtake drinke by the bottell to the Indians, and that hee sawe twoo Indianwoomen drinke small chyter att Reynier Vander Coelens. This Case referredtill next Court.

Unfortunately, the extant record of New Castle's Court proceedings endsat this point. From 1681 until 1699, the only record that we have of theCourt's actions pertains to land and probate matters. It is among theserecords, however, that were published by the Colonial Society ofPennsylvania in 1934, we learn of the death of William Sample ("WilliamSempill") in December 1682 and have the text of his will dated December11,1682. A transcription of William Sample's will was given earlier inthis article, with the added information that, although he had clearlydesignated James Walliam and Samuel Land as his executors, his widow,Josine, convinced the Court that she should be the executrix, withWalliam and Land to serve as "overseers & assistants to the widdow." Fora woman to prevail in this manner at that time was most unusual.

This page contains a map of New Castle County, Delaware as it looked inthe 17th Century.

EventsLeading to and Following the Death of William Sample

We shall probably never know how it was that William Sample had become"Sick and weake in Boddy" as he described himself in his will datedDecember 11, 1682. Was it disease, of which there was always plenty inthe 17th Century, or was it an accident that brought on his quick demise?He had been present when the Court of New Castle met on November 2, 1782,at which none other the "The Right Honorble: Proprietry: William Penn"had been present with five Council members, including Captain WilliamMarkam, the new Deputy Governor of the "Lower Counties." On November 9,1682, when Capt. Markam called a special meeting of the New Cas tle Courtto announce that, henceforth, every Saturday would be set as the town's"Market Day," William Sample was present. The Court did not meet againuntil the following first day of January at which the first order ofbusiness was the appearance of John Bisk and Jonas Arskin who did"Solomly declare in Cort: that they were personally Prsent and did heareand See William Sempill Declare, Signe and Seale this his Laest will andTestament." There followed the transcription of the will.

With the annexation of the "lower Counties" to Pennsylvania, the Dutchand Swedish inhabitants could become English citizens through petition totheir county courts. There can be no doubt that William Sample had beenan English citizen by birth, whereas Josine was of Dutch origin. AsSample's wife, however, Josine shared her husband's English status, butas his widow, she was no longer considered an English citizen. So it wasthat, on February 21, 1862/3, two months following her husband's death,Josine was one of 71 inhabitants of New Castle County who signed apetition expressing their "desire to bee Naturalized." Her name appearedthereon as "Josyn Sempill." Only one other female was included, a widownamed Mary Blocq (Block).

As noted earlier, on April 19, 1681, William Sample had obtained, througha petition to the Court of St. Johns County (the name of which becameKent County the next year), a tract of 600 acres. As was English custom,the first owner of land could choose a name for it; the name chosen bySample was "The Vinyard." There was no specific reference in his willto this 600-acre tract in Kent County; it was simply included among his"worldly goods" that "I give, devyse and bequeath unto my dearly belovedwyfe Josyn Semple and my Little daughter Margaret wth [the] Rest of mywyfes Children..." A Kent County tax list of 1684 includes "The Vinyard"(600 acres), under the name of "Widdow Sample."

As we have noted earlier, the one property owned by William Sample thathe did not include with the rest to be divided among his heirs, was atract of land in New Castle County, on a branch of Christina Creek, thathe left specifically to his daughter, Margaret: "to my Little daughterMargaret all my Estate in Christina Creek or upon a branch of the saidCreeke..." He also directed that his widow, Josine, place livestock onthis land for the future benefit of Margaret. This land was undevelopedat the time he made his will.

As shown on the map of New Castle County on the previous page, ChristinaCreek flows some four or five miles northeast of the town of New Castle.The manner in which William Sample's land there had come into hispossession is not revealed in the New Castle Court records. From latertax records, however, we know that it comprised 400 acres.

The manner in which William Sample came into possession of a town lotshortly be fore his death may illustrate the advantage he enjoyed as ajustice of the New Castle Court. The Court minutes of September 6, 1681,contain the following:

Upon the motion of Justice Will: Sempill ordered that if the Cooper, HansCoderus, doth not settle his Lott Granted him by this Court Lying next toEngelbert Lott, within one yeare after the date of the grant, then hee toforfeit the same and Mr Sempil to have preferrence to take itt up beforeany others.
It had been during a meeting of the Court on April 6, 1680, that thejustices had granted to Hans Coderus one lot of land "within this Towneof New Castle Provided hee himself settles the same & follows the Cooperstrade for Incourradgemt [encouragement] & the Conveniency of theInhabitants."
It was not until the Court met on May 2, 1682, however, that confirmationwas made, among several other grants of land, that Sample acquiredownership of this lot: "Granted to... William Sempill the Lott which wasformerly Granted to Hans Corderus & not improved."

Tax lists were compiled following William Penn's appointment as Governorof the "Lower Counties" in accordance with his careful record keeping.These reveal that William Sample's widow now owned both the land onChristina Creek, in trust for her daughter, Margaret, but town lots inaddition to the one formerly granted to Hans Coderus. From WilliamSample's will, we know that Josine had children by her first husband,John Marshall, (called "the rest of my wyves Children"), and that Josinehad held property that had been left to her and/or her children by herearlier husband. With her marriage to Sample, however, that property,under English law, would have come under his control. After his death in1682, however, it would have reverted to Josine and to her children byMarshall. A tax list for the town of New Castle in 1683 shows her, as"Josyn Sempel," taxed for two town lots in the amount of two shillingsand two pence. As a woman, she was not taxed as a "tithable," however.Taxed and living near her in the town of New Castle in 1683, were thefollowing individuals whose names also appear in other records pertainingto William and Josine Sample: James Walliam, John Bixcus (Bisk), Emeliusd. Ring, and John Henrickson.

In a New Castle County tax list of 1684/5, "Joslyn Semple" was shown with400 acres of land and one town lot; her total tax on this property was 5shillings and 5 pence that year. This town lot was doubtless the one onceowned by Coderus. The name of John Biscus follows that of "Joslyn" inthis list; he held three town lots. James Walliam is next (one town lot).John Boyer is also included with one town lot and Mathyas De Ring withthree.

In his will, William Sample had referred on four occasions to his wife'schildren, besides his and Josine's one child, their daughter, "littleMargaret." Since he made no mention of any children of his own, we mayassume that if he had been married prior to his union with Josine, therehad been no issue.

From available records, we can identify only one of Josine's children byher first marriage to John Marshall; this was Cataline, wife of JonasWright. It was at about the time that Josine was married to her thirdhusband, William Hamilton, former close associate of William Sample, thather children petitioned the New Castle Court for their inheritance to beprotected. It was Jonas Wright, son-in-law of Josine (though he calledhimself a son), who presented the petition on behalf of "himself and therest of the orphans." By definition at the time, an orphan was one whosefather was deceased, and it was not unusual for a son-in-law to identifyhimself as a son of his wife's mother. The following New Castle Courtaction was dated January 17, 1688/9:

Upon the Peticon of Jonas Wright the Son of Josyne Hamilton in behalf ofhimself and the rest of the orphans. The [Court] haveing considered thematter of the Peticon doe appoint James Walliam & Edward Blake who aredesired to be Supervers of the estate & usuage of the sd orphans, andJohn Biscus, John Hendickson & Emelius De Ring are appointedAdministrators in the behalf of the orphans.
The sd John Discus, JnO Hendrickson & Emelius De Ring Joyntly & Severallydoe Recognize themselves & heirs &ct in the Sum of one thousand pounds tothe Court of Orphans for the time being of the County of newcstle torender a true accopt [and] make good pay of all the estate of the orphansto them committed: when thereunto lawfully required.

James Walliam, one of the two men appointed by the Court to supervise"the estate," had been one of the executors named by William Sample inhis will. The name Bisk was sometimes written "Biscus" as in the aboveCourt document, and the John Biscus named here as one of theadministrators to act on behalf of the "orphans" was the John Biskmentioned in the deed of March 31, 1696, transcribed earlier in thisarticle. It is also interesting to note that in the February 21, 1682/3petition to the New Castle Court for citizenship that included "JosynSempill," there were also the names of Emilius D'Ringh and Jan Hendriksen.

Margaret Sample, Wife of William Sparks, Jr.

As we have noted earlier, it was in or about 1695 that William Sparks,Jr. was married to Margaret Sample. In his will, William Sample hadcalled Margaret "my little daughter." She was probably born about 1676and was probably 18 or 19 years of age at the time of her marriage.William Sparks, Jr. was probably a little older than Margaret.

We cannot be certain where William Sparks, Jr. was living in 1695. In the1696 deed quoted earlier, he was identified as a resident "of theprovince of Maryland." He and his father, William Sparks (died 1709),had witnessed the will of John Ellet in Talbot County, Maryland, inOctober 1695. Talbot County then included what became Queen Annes Countyin 1706.

On December 2, 1696, William Sparks, Jr. and his father were among 62"Military Officers of Kent County, Maryland" who signed a pledge ofloyalty to King William III expressing their shock on learning of anassassination plot to restore King James II to the English throne.

We can be sure that William Sparks, Jr. lived close enough to New Castle,Delaware, for him easily to have become acquainted with Margaret Sample.With their marriage, William, of course, came into possession ofMargaret's inheritance.

In the will of the senior William Sparks in 1709, he had left property toeach of his four sons (William, Jr., George, John, and Joseph), as wellas to a grandson, Charles Hynson, whose deceased mother had been adaughter. He also mentioned a granddaughter, a child of his son, William,Jr., as follows:

I give to my Daughter, that is to say my grand Daughter, being thedaughter of my Son Wm. Sparks, one year heffer with all her femaleIncreias to be marked and Delivered for her use presently after my Death,the males to go to him or them that Shall or does take care of the same.
Unfortunately, William Sparks, Sr. did not include the name of hisgranddaughter in his will. Perhaps his singling her out for a specialgift was simply because she was his first granddaughter. A discussion ofthe tracts of land that William Sparks, Jr. inherited from his fatherwill appear in a future issue of the QUARTERLY. Here we note, however, aland transaction that proves Margaret (Sample) Sparks was living in 1710.She died at some point during the next two decades, however, for anotherdeed proves that William, Jr.'s wife's name in 1730 was Ann.

The senior William Sparks (died 1709) had a brother named John Sparks whodied in Kent County, Maryland, in 1700. In his will, John Sparks had lefthis 100-acre farm, that was described as part of a larger tract called"Bucks Hill," located in Kent County on the north side of Chester River,to his two sons, John, Jr. and George Sparks, who were still in England.To claim their inheritance, however, John Sparks required that one orboth of these sons would have to come to Maryland "to enjoy it." (Thetext of the will of John Sparks was published on pp. 1377-78 of theQUARTERLY of March 1971.) Neither of these sons of John ever came toAmerica to claim their inheritance, however, although they attempted tohave an intermediary do so for them, an attempt that failed. By March1710, John's oldest nephew, William Sparks, Jr., had become the land'sowner, following the death of John's widow, Elinor Sparks. (Note: Afterthe death in 1709 of the elder William Sparks, his son, William, Jr., wasno longer called "Junior" in court and land records. We will continue torefer to him as "Jr." in this article, how ever, for the sake of clarity.)

On March 6, 1710, "William Sparks of Queen Anns County and Margaret hiswife" sold this land to William Cummings (spelled "Comegys" in this deed)of Kent County, Maryland, for 3,500 pounds of tobacco, the commoncurrency of Maryland at that time. Acknowledging the possibility that hisuncle's sons in England might still claim this land, the followingstatement was included in this deed. (Punctuation has been added forclarity.)

...... said William Sparks & Margarett his wife, their heirs Extrs andadmtrs [i.e., executors and administrators], Shall & will from time totime & att all times for Ever hereafter warrant & for Ever defend thebefore granted premises to the said William Comegys, his heirs & assigns,for Ever against the hris [heirs] & Successors of John Sparks, Deceased,Onckle [uncle] to the aforenamed William Sparks, as alsoe any otherperson or persons Claiming Right by heire Ship from the said John Sparks,Deceased...
It was required in Maryland that deeds be presented to the Court of thecounty in which the land was located to be registered and recorded.William Sparks, Jr. presented this deed to the clerk of the Kent CountyCourt, John Smith, on March 79 1710. Margaret did not accompany herhusband on his journey from their home in Queen Annes County to KentCounty to sign this deed and present it in Court (See Land Records JS #N, pp.248-49 of Kent County.) Instead, she appointed a family friend, whomay also have been a relative, Michael Haskett, to represent her. Herappointment of him was recorded with the deed, following:

Know all men by these prsents that I Margrett Sparks of Queen Anns Countyhave & doe appoint my trusty & well beloved friend Mr. Michell Haskett ofKent County to be my true & lawful attorney for & in my name, stead &behalf, to affix my name to a Sertain Deed of Sale for one hundred akersof Land as in the Said Deed may more lawfully appear and also toacknowledge the same as the law directs, to Wm Comegys, his heirs &assigns for Ever, Rattifling & holding good & firm in Law Whatever mySaid Attorney Shall act in & aboute the prs. In witness whereof I havehereunto sett hand and fixed my Seal this [blank] day of March anno Dom1710/11. Signed, Sealed & delivered in the Presents of us
[Names of witnesses not recorded.]
[her] Margaret M Sparks [mark]

The last land record found for William Sparks, Jr. is dated March 3,1729/30. Called "William Sparks of Queen Annes County Planter" in thedeed, he sold to Thomas Honey for 6,000 pounds of tobacco the tract ofland called "Sparks Outlet" comprising 114 acres that he had inheritedfrom his father. His brother, George Sparks and wife Mary, witnessed thefact that William had received payment from Honey. Particularlysignificant is the fact that the wife of William who signed the deed withhim in 1729/30 was Ann Sparks. Both signed by mark. Margaret (Sample)Sparks must have died prior to 1729 and Ann must have been a second wifeof William Sparks, Jr.

The Sparks family headed by the senior William Sparks were members of theChurch of England, and they worshipped at St. Paul's Church atCenterville, now the seat of justice of Queen Annes County.Unfortunately, no records of birth, marriage, and death survive for thisearly period. There is a record, however, from 1728, that reveals thatWilliam Sparks, Jr., along with his brothers, John and George Sparks,were among the members of St. Paul's who petitioned the Maryland GeneralAssembly to create a new parish nearer to their homes. Their petition wasapproved, and St. Luke's Parish, located at Church Hill in Queen AnnesCounty 48 miles east of Annapolis, was created that same year.

Baptisms, marriages, and deaths were recorded at St. Luke's and mostsurvive today. None has been found pertaining to William Sparks, Jr.,however. Another William Sparks, Jr. was recorded as dying on January 15,1731, (under the Gregorian Calendar, 1731), but he was the son of JohnSparks, brother of William. He was called "Junr." in this record so hewould not be confused with his uncle. There is also a record of the deathof an Anne Sparks that reads: "Anne the wife of William Sparks, deced.,December 16, 1730." This was probably the second wife of the William whomwe have designated as "Jr." throughout this sketch.

Maryland landowners were required to pay an annual tax to the colony'sLdrd Proprietor. It was called a "rent" tax. The 1734 "Rent Roll" forQueen Annes County happens to survive, and it shows "William Sparks" asstill owning a tract called "Royston," that he had purchased in 1722, aswell as "Adventure" that had once be longed to his father, William Sparks(died 1709). No further reference to William Sparks, Jr. has beenfound, nor has research by Dr. Gibb, our Maryland researcher, revealedany record of his selling either of these two tracts. We believe that heeither died about 1734 or that, possibly, he moved with his son, WilliamSample Sparks, to Frederick County, Maryland and, perhaps, died there.

William Sample Sparks, son of William, Jr. and Margaret (Sample) Sparks(he was probably their eldest son) was born about 1700.

The marriage record in the register of St. Luke's Parish dated August 4,1732, for a William Sparks and Mary Courmon (or Corman) may have beenthat of William Sample Sparks, but we cannot be sure. If so, it wouldsurely have been a second mar riage for him. Our only actual record inQueen Annes County in which his full name appeared is on page 236 of theRegister of St. Luke's Parish under the financial accounts for the year1736. William Sample Sparks was recorded there as having moved awaywithout paying his annual Church of England tax required of every adultmale regardless of actual Church membership. William Sample Sparks hadleft for Frederick County still owing six pence.

In moving west to Frederick County, William Sample Sparks had eitheraccompanied or followed his uncle, Joseph Sparks, to the part ofFrederick County that is now (since 1837) the western portion of CarrollCounty, Maryland. It is possible that, as noted above, his widowedfather, William Sparks, Jr., accompanied him and died there.

As noted earlier, an article devoted to William Sample Sparks appeared inthe QUARTERLY of December 1989, Whole No. 148, although at that time webelieved that his mother's maiden name had been Mar

(The end of this article will be found in the notes for the second"child" of Ann??? and William Sparks)

See SQ p. 5229. She is included as Adelia in the 1860 Census for RuskCounty Texas living with the family of W. M. Anderson.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 2596: After her mother's remarriage in 1865, she becam e award of Page B. Severson and received a Minor's Pension for her f ather'smilitary service.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3408: Olive M. Sparks had three sons by her first marriag e toSamuel Haner: Richard, Robert, and Lloyd Haner.

.

!NOTES:
SQ 3181: Olive Malinda Sparks, daughter of David and Betsy (Bass)
Sparks, was born on September 12, 1863. She died on August 6, 1954.
She was married to George Holtz in 1883, and they had four children:
Raymond, Dwight, Violet and Glenn.

SQ p. 2164:

Oliver ("Ollie") Benjamin Sparks, son of Elijah and Mary Ann (Garner)Sparks, was born on March 23, 1881. He died on November 3, 1960. OnAugust 21, 1907, he married Nellie Viola Penman. She was born onSeptember 20, 1888, and was a daughter of George and Eleanor (Foster)Penman, both natives of England. Ollie and Nellie had three children.Eileen Sparks wrote this about her father: "My father farmed, mined coaland did his own carpenter work. At the time of his death there was a railfence standing which he had built on one side of the barn lot. He lovedto hunt and fish and we always had fresh meat in the winter and plenty offish in the summer. He liked to go to the old camp meeting grounds northof Sherman and attend revivals.

"My father was quite active while growing up. He and his cronies fishedand swam in the Sangamon River. On occasions, they would ride theirhorses for miles to attend a barn dance or a wedding 'Shivaree.' I canalso remember my father telling that he and his friends went to the WorldFair in St. Louis in 1904."

SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1983, Whole No. 124, pp. 2585-86:

OLIVER SPARKS, CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION

OLIVER SPARKS, son of George H. and Jan Ann (Davidson) Sparks, was bornon May 20, 1842, probably in Highland County, Ohio. He married RebeccaJane Sitton on January 1, 1868, in Montgomery County, Missouri. He servedin Company C, 14th Regiment Missouri Cavalry and in Company H, 3rdRegiment Missouri S. M. Cavalry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No.919,582; Wid. Cert. No. 713,714.

On December 3, 1894, Oliver Sparks, aged 53, a resident of Norwalk,California, applied for an Invalid Pension. He said he been enrolled onSeptember 24, 1864, as an Orderly Sergeant in Company C, 14th RegimentMissouri Volunteers and had served until he was discharged at Ft.Leavenworth, Kansas, on October 26, 1865. He was now suffering fromcatarrh of the bowels and he was no longer able to earn a support bymanual labor. He had also served in Company H, 3rd Regiment Missouri S.M. Cavalry from March 8, 1862, until he had been discharged to re-enlistin the 14th Regiment Missouri Cavalry on September 23, 1864. He hadapplied for an invalid pension on October 10, 1892, but the applicationhad been lost. J. C. Kendrick and B. M. Sitton witnessed his signature.

The War Department confirmed Sparks's military service as he had statedit to be. He had held the rank of First Sergeant from March 8, 1862,until he was mustered out with his company on October 26, 1865. InvalidCertificate No. 919,582 was issued to him and he was placed upon thepension roll.

He responded to a questionnaire from the Bureau of Pensions on June 4,1898, while he was living in Highland Park, California. He said that hewas married to Rebecca J. Sitton on January 1, 1868, in MontgomeryCounty, Missouri, by the Rev. Jesse Rogers. It was the first marriage forboth. They had had two children: Bertha A. Sparks, born July 8, 1869, andPhillip M. Sparks, born November 13, 1871.

Oliver Sparks died in the National Home for Disabled Soldiers, LosAngeles, on June 29, 1910, and on July 28, 1910, his widow, Rebecca J.Sparks, applied for a Widow's Pension. She was 62 years of age and livedat 417 York Blvd., Los Angeles. W. T. Page and Missouri A. Page witnessedher application. Accompanying the declaration was a copy of the deathcertificate of her husband, Oliver Sparks. He had died on June 29, 1910,at the age of 68 years, 1 month, and 8 days. The declaration was alsosupported by a joint affidavit from Chitister M. Lewis, aged 54, and MaryE. Lawrence, aged 73, both of whom stated that they had been present atthe marriage of Oliver Sparks and Rebecca J. Sitton on January 1, 1868,in Montgomery County, Missouri.

Widow Certificate No. 713,714 was issued to Rebecca Jane Sparks and shewas placed upon the pension roll. She died on March 29, 1940. Accordingto information given by her son, Phillip M. Sparks, she had been born onJanuary 1, 1848, in Pike County, Illinois, and was a daughter of BriceMartin and Rebecca J. Sitton.

On June 25, 1940, Bertha A. McCurdy, aged 71, a resident of Glendale,Calif., applied for reimbursement for expenses incurred in the lastillness of her mother, Rebecca Jane Sparks. She stated that her motherhad left no property and that her final expenses had amounted to $465.William A. Pierce and Elsie L. Teel testified to the accuracy of Mrs.McCurdy's statement.

(Editor's Note: Oliver Sparks was a son of George Hillegas and Jane(Davidson) Sparks. For further details about this branch of the Sparksfamily, see the June 1963 and September 1963 issues of the QUARTERLY,Whole Nos. 42 and 43.)

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

SQ p. 2158:

Oney Emily Sparks, daughter of Samuel and Polly (Aaron) Sparks, was bornon August 31, 1831, in Adair County, and it was there that she wasmarried to Thomas Aaron on October 31, 1852, by G. W. Taylor. FrancisMontgomery was the bondsman. Thomas was born on June 22, 1830, in GreeneCounty, Tennessee. He was a son of Abram Aaron, a Revolutionary Warsoldier from Virginia, and ----- Ragan.

Oney Emily and Thomas Aaron settled down to housekeeping in Cedar Creekwhere they had three children born to them before Oney Emily died onFebruary 16, 1867. She was buried in the Wesley Cemetery near Glens Fork.She was a member of the Mount Zion Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Afterher death, Thomas Aaron married Eliza J. Collins.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3404: They had three children: Duane, David and Linda Rice.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3409: They had two children: Ronald and Thomas Henderson.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3696: They had five children: Lois, Luther, florene & Loren e(twins), and Francis Marion "F.M."

SPARKS QUARTERLY, September 1960, Whole No. 31, p. 492-495:

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF THE EARLY-DAY MOTORIST

By

Oral A. Sparks

Clio, Iowa

In this day of modern equipment in our homes, time and labor-savingmethods and machinery for our various avocations, improved thoroughfaresand airlanes to accommodate today’s increasing transportation and manyother conveniences undreamed of fifty years ago, memory takes me back tothat day when, as a young man, I, like many other young men of thepresent day, became possessed of a desire to own an automobile.

I studied the auto ads in our newspapers and other publications as thiswas the chief source of advertising at that time since radio was in itsinfancy and T.V. was unknown. After a thorough study of these ads I wasable to name all the various makes on sight, including the Oldsmobile,Ford, Buick, Rambler, Maxwell, Columbia Electric, Stanley Steamer,Cadillac and many more.

My next; problem was how to get it. My parents were farmers of moderatemeans, and, under these circumstances, my chances for a car appearedrather slim indeed but, being their only child and with a more or lessconvincing attitude in my arguments, they finally, though reluctantly,consented to help me get the car; in fact, I think they later ratherliked the idea.

The next step was the choice of a car. After a very careful considerationof many makes, models and prices, our final choice was a Maxwell model ABrunabout, priced at $600.00 without windshield.

For the benefit of those interested in the specifications of this car,and to give you an idea of the problems and complications which mightarise from a oar with such a make-up as this, I offer the following:

Motor: 2 horizontal opposed cylinders developing 16 h.p.
Carburetor: Standard float feed, single adjustment type.
Ignition: Double, battery for starting and magneto for running;Nonvibrating coil.
Oiling: Compression oiler on front of dash wider hood oils the engineautomatically. Sight feed on dash in view of operator.
Cooling: Honeycomb radiator, natural circulation, no pump.
Transmission: Planetary type, 2 forward, 1 reverse adjusted by setscrewsextending through side of case.
Drive: 2 univ. joints, bevel gear to differential.
Frame: Pressed steel.
Control: Right-hand steering; foot throttle, also spark and throttlelevers on steering post.
Wheels: 28 inch, wood, artillery type.
Tires: 28 x 3 inch standard clincher type, high pressure.
Wheel base: 86 inches, tread 56 inches.
Springs: Full elliptic in front and rear.
Breaks: Double-acting on rear hubs.
Body: Metal, runabout type, divided seat, open deck in rear with metaltool box.
Tank capacity: Gasoline, 10 gals. Water, 2½ gals. Oil, 2 qts.
Weight: About 1100 lbs.
Equipment: Magneto, soft top with side curtains, gas generator, gashead—lamps, 2 oil side lights, 1 oil tail light, horn with tube and bulb,jack, tire pump, set of tools, tire repair kit.
Color: Red with black fenders.
How do these specifications compare with the modern cars of today? Whowould consider driving a sixteen-horsepower, two-cylinder car in thesetimes? I have a six-cylinder car made several years ago which sometimesgets down to five, but should it get down to two I fear something wouldhave to be done, With left-hand drive I also suspect we would have morewrong-side-of-the-road drivers than we have now. Another problem would behow to dim our gas head-lights when we meet other cars.
Also, before making a night-time drive, it was necessary to check thehead-light generator for carbide and water and the two side-lights andtail-light for kerosene; then, before starting, all must be lighted bymatch. It was also necessary to oil most places of friction by hand asthere were very few automatically lubricated.

As for gasoline, I ordered my gas by the barrel from a distant oildistributing station which was shipped to me by freight as "fillingstations" as we know them, were very few in those days. I had nowindshield wiper as I had no windshield. In case of a "flat tire" Ijacked up the car on the spot, wet or dry, snow or dust, and patched thetube, replaced it within the casing on the wheel as we then did not havedemountable wheels nor even demountable rims; I next pumped it by handpump to sixty lbs. pressure, replaced my tire-repair tools and materialin the tool box and then proceeded "happily" on my way because the jobwas done and I was still physically able to go.

I only offer these facts in the hope that at least some of my readerswill sympathize with me in those, my early days of motoring; and thosewho do not, well, they weren't friends of mine anyway.

After making the selection of the car best suited to our needs andcircumstances, the next question: was I capable of driving and repairingan automobile? After due discussion of this with my parents, we decidedthat, since I had no experience in either of these activities, also,considering the unimproved road conditions plus the lack of automechanics at that time, I should learn something of them before buying acar. So, in November and December of 1909 I attended and completed asixweeks course in automobile repair and driving. What I didn’t know wasthat there was a lot they didn't tell me that I found out later.

Now that the Automobile “Education” was completed, the tuition paid andmy diploma in my possession, I was now ready for the car, or, at least Ithought I was.

In March of 1910 I ordered the above-described Maxwell Runabout from TheHayes Auto Co. of Corydon, Iowa, who were just starting their autobusiness in that city, and which I believe was the first car they sold. Iordered my car license directly from the Secretary of State at DesMoines, Iowa. I still have the receipt dated April 7, 1910, for the $5.00fee which, at the time, was considered good for as long as I owned thecar, and signed by W. C. Hayward, then Sec'y. of State, giving me thenumber 14528-IA. I had to furnish my own plate which I had aharness-maker make for me, from a slab of thick leather, with this numberriveted to it, which I hung on the rear of the car. However, this rulingwas changed before the next year, and I have been buying a new carlicense each year since that time.

My first tribulation came the day I bought it as I drove it home fromCorydon; I met a man driving a team of horses hitched to a buggy. Istopped, and as he passed the car the team became frightened and ranaway. This experience cost me the price of a buggy tongue but, sinceneither man nor team was hurt, I felt that we both were fortunate that wecame out of it as well as we did.

In my ten years of driving this car, I had many other experiences bothcomical and serious. Many times during the spring thaws I became stuck inthe mud ruts which were common and frequently quite deep from the teamand buggy or wagon travel which was the chief source of transportationover the country roads at that time.

Another problem was in meeting or passing folks with restive teams. Theautomobile laws of that day required the driver of a car, upon meeting ateam of this nature, to stop, offer assistance to the driver of such teamor otherwise help him to get by. Some teams did not mind while otherscaused considerable trouble in passing and sometimes the drivers weremore excited than the teams.

I remember one instance in which I came over a rise at a railroadcrossing and met three ladies with a team and wagon; they were quite somedistance away when they first saw the car; two of them jumped out of thewagon and the third, the driver, held the team. One of the two opened afield gate nearby and the driver drove the team and wagon some distanceinto the field and one hastened down the road toward where I had stoppedthe car after crossing the railroad. She very agreeably accepted myinvitation to ride back to where the others were while they displayedconsiderable annoyance at her acceptance of the ride, but I believeeither of them would have done the same as most folks who did not have acar in those days seemed to enjoy their first ride in one.

Another instance took place at a Fourth-of-July celebration at aneighboring town. As I drove into town at possibly fifteen miles per hourand neared the place where the folks were assembled for the occasion, thetown marshall mounted my runningboard and directed me to a parking place,instructing me to "drive carefully." I think even he enjoyed the ride.

I might mention many more such experiences but, fearing they might makemy story too long, I will allow your imagination to furnish the restwhich, in many instances, perhaps, would be correct.

They also had strange styles and customs then as in the present day. Forexample, a chauffeur’s cap and a lady’s broad- brimmed hat tied down witha veil were considered necessary "head-gear" for such "fast"” driving orriding. Also, goggles were needed, especially in the absence of awindshield, as a protection for the eyes from wind and insects at the"“terrific!" pace of twenty miles per hour which was the speed limit atthat time. A duster and a heavy laprobe proved quite beneficial in anopen car without a heater as protection for the clothing in the summerand for comfort in the winter, respectively.

Another problem of those days was the condition of our roads as verylittle work was done for road-improvement since, presumably, horse-drawnvehicles did not require such; but, as more autos came into use the needfor better roads increased.

The first road improvement was done by farmers with home made road dragspulled by two or four horses over their respective roads, which provedquite effective, and later some counties furnished drags for farmers whowould do the work. This led to more road grading and surfacing andfinally to the excellent road system which we now have; but in thoseearly days of motoring the unimproved roads were quite a problem becauseof the dust in summer, the snows in winter and, worst of all, the mud inspring as the soft ground created deep ruts from wagon and buggy travelwhich, when filled with water or sticky mud, could and did produce a realcar-trap which, in many cases, required the assistance of a team ofhorses to free the car from the mire.

Those days which we remember so vividly are past and gone, but, in spiteof all these handicaps and many discouragements which we experienced atthat time, our "Early Motoring" also had its pleasures and satisfaction,and, with. the passing of time and the increasing number of improved carsand better road and driving conditions, we, as "Early Drivers" can nowlook back into those days as pioneers in the Motoring Profession.

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

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1954, Whole No. 8, pp. 50-51:

Oral Sparks was the first Vice President of the Sparks FamilyAssociation and wrote a letter to the association on pages 50 and 51concerning his descent. His photograph appears on the cover of Whole No.8, pg 49, and again on the cover of Whole No. 31, September 1960 with anarticle about his purchase of a Maxwell auto (see above).

**********

See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for June 1966, Whole No. 54, p. 979 (the cover)for a photograph of Oral A. Sparks at approximately 8 years of age withhis parents John G. and Martha (Hughes) Sparks. See also on pp. 980 - 81for the following death announcement:

DEATH TAKES ORAL A.SPARKS

It is with deep personal sadness that the editor reports the death of hisfather-in-law, Oral A. Sparks, on June 11, 1966, in Corydon, Iowa, at theage of 78 years.

Oral A. Sparks was born on March 6, 1888, on his parents' farm near Clio,Iowa. He was the only child of John Garland and Martha (Hughes) Sparks,whose portrait, with Oral as a child, appears on the cover of this issueof the QUARTERLY, John Garland Sparks was born on May 14, 1851, inWilkes County, North Carolina, the son of Joel Sparks, Jr., and Almyra(Lane) Sparks. He died in August, 1923. Martha (Hughes) Sparks, daughterof John Frederick and Mary Jane (Flemming) Hughes, was born in ScottCounty, Indiana, on April 20, 1850, and died in Clio, Iowa, on April 15,1927. Joel Sparks, Jr., grandfather of Oral A. Sparks, was born in SurryCounty, North Carolina, in May, 1824, and died on August 19, 1862, fromwounds suffered as a Union soldier at the Battle of Lone Jack in JacksonCounty, Missouri, on August 16, 1862. Joel Sparks, Jr., was married toAlmyra Lane in Wilkes County, North Carolina, on September 5, 1844. Shewas born in 1822 and died on June 28, 1870, in Johnson County, Missouri.Joel Sparks, Sr., great-grandfather of Oral A. Sparks, was born in NorthCarolina about 1795; he moved to Missouri, settled in Lafayette County,and died in Bates County, Missouri, about 1861. Joel Sparks, Sr., was ason of Matthew Sparks, who died in Surry County, North Carolina, in1819. Matthew Sparks was a son of William Sample Sparks who moved toNorth Carolina from Frederick County, Maryland, in the 1760’s. WilliamSample Sparks died in Surry County, North Carolina, in 1801.

Oral A. Sparks was graduated from the Allerton, Iowa, High School in 1907and subsequently attended a business college in Des Moines. In 1909 heattended a trade school in Kansas City, Missouri. Most of his life wasspent as a farmer on land which his Grandfather Hughes purchased from theU.S. Government in 1854.

On June 7, 1911, Oral A. Sparks was married to Alice Evelyn Mace,daughter of Albert Alonzo and Annie E. (Prince) Mace. To this union wereborn one daughter and two sons, Mrs. Sparks died on October 19, 1961,after which Mr. Sparks continued to live on his farm until his death.Always interested in history arid antiques, Mr. Sparks organized a smallmuseum in his home to which he delighted in welcoming visitors. He wasproud of his family heritage and was a charter member of The SparksFamily Association. Members may recall the several articles which heprepared for the QUARTERLY. Although a member of the Baptist Church inhis early life, he had long been closely associated with the ClioMethodist Church.

Mr. Sparks is survived by his three children: Melva (Mrs. Russell E.Bidlack) of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Gerald Sparks of Tulsa, Oklahoma; andthe Rev. A. Harold Sparks of Grundy Center, Iowa. Eleven grandchildrenalso mourn his passing.

SQ 3185: "Orvel Chester Sparks, son of John and Nancy (Cartwright)Sparks, was born on June 16, 1984. He was married to Viola May Harvey on
December 22, 1915, in Boone County, Iowa. She had been born on April 12,1899, in Illinois and was a daughter of William J. and Mary Ann (Tilly)
Harvey, natives of England. Orvel and Viola had eight children.

(a) Bertha May Sparks born December 16, 1916.
(b) Glenn Chester Sparks born October 10, 1918.
(c) Frances Annetta Sparks born February 24, 1920.
(d) William Ronald Sparks born April 17, 1921.
(e) Alice Marie Sparks born August 7, 1923.
(f) Whanetta Jane Sparks born June 22, 1925.
(g) Marjorie Ann Sparks was born June 9, 1927. She was married to Carl
Arvid Larson on January 7, 1944. He had been born on September 1,
1924, and was a son of Erik David and Hulda Sofia (Safstrom)Larson.
The Larsons have three children: Sheryl Lou, Vickie Sue and LanceLee.
(h) Betty Arlene Sparks was born on January 6, 1929."

.
!NOTES:
SQ 3361: "Oscar and Katie have eleven children: Elton, Esther, Clinton,
Earl, Donald, Carl, Bonnie, Ralph, Gerald, Troy, and Freddie."

.

!NOTES:
Oscar Virgil Sparks was baptized by Father Theoph. Kellenears i nSt. Ann's Catholic Church, Morganfield, KY on December 4, 1887, die d onOct 10 1892 before his 5th birthday and was buried in St. Joseph 'sCatholic Cemetary, Evansville, Indiana. For baptism record detail s seeDavid's Individual Data Sheet (RIN 12).

The note at the bottom of this page appears in the SPARKS QUARTERLY,December 1979, Whole No. 108, pp. 2171-72 following the pensionapplication of Otho Sparks that appears on pp. 2170-71:

OTHO SPARKS, CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION

OTHO SPARKS, son of James and Mary (Ellis) Sparks (Mary was called by hernick-name, "Polly"). Otho Sparks was born about 1834 in Indiana. He diedon March 2, 1897. He married (1st) Mary Ellen Lamar on April 7, 1856, inMartin County, Ind., and (2d) Sarah (Simpson) Collins on Nov. 15, 1895,in Gibson County, Ind. He served in Company B, 97th Regt. IllinoisInfantry and Company D, 37th Regt. Illinois Infantry. File Designations:Inv. Cert. No. 607,344; Wid. Application No. 675,576.

On July 14, 1890, Otho Sparks, aged 56, a resident of Union, Pike County,Ind., made application for an invalid pension. He stated that he hadenlisted on Aug. 16, 1862, at Neoga, Cumberland County, Ill., in CompanyB, 97th Regt. Illinois Infantry, and had served until Dec. 3, 1865, whenhe was mustered out with Company D, 37th Regt. Illinois Infantry atHouston, Texas. While in the service he had contracted "rheumatism, heartdisease, constipation, indigestion and a disease of the stomach andbowels" which continued to exist to a permanent degree. He appointed JohnM. White, Petersburg, Ind., as his attorney. J. W. Brumfield and W. F.Hisgen witnessed his signature and the application was sworn to beforeGoodlett Morgan, Clerk of the Pike County Court.

Sparks's military service was confirmed by the War Department. He hadbeen mustered into Company B, 97th Regt. Illinois Infantry at Charleston,Coles County, Ill., on Sept. 8, 1862, for a period of three years. He waspresent for duty until Jan. 20, 1863, when he was captured at Napoleon,Arkansas. He was paroled the following day and returned to his home inIllinois. (Some Civil War historians say that most soldiers who wereparoled after having been captured by the Confederates assumed that,under the terms of the parole, they were required to stay out of thewar.) Otho Sparks remained at his home "some months" before he wasarrested and set to his regiment in New Orleans on Feb. 23, 1864,whereupon he was placed in confinement. On or about May 25, 1864, he wastried by a court-martial and sentenced to two years at hard labor at Ft.Jefferson, Fla. He remained away from his regiment until Sept. 16, 1864,when his sentence was remitted and he was returned to duty by order ofGeneral T. W. Sherman.

Credit for the remission of Sparks's sentence must be given to thecommanding officer of Company B, Captain J. G. Buchanan, who wrote aletter to the commanding general asking for Sparks to be returned to hiscommand. He wrote: "I respecfully ask that he be released and restored toduty ... feeling satisfied that ... he will... discharge his dutyfaithfully."

Otho Sparks remained with his old company for the rest of the war,participating in the "siege of Blakely, Alabama." At the end of the war,he was transferred to the 37th Regiment Illinois Infantry where he "madegood the time lost from the 19th Regiment." He was mustered out atGalveston, Texas, on Jan. 5, 1866, "by reason of expiration of term ofservice." His medical records confirmed that he had a chronic problem ofdiarrhea accompanied by intermittent fever. He had also been hospitalizedby an attack of mumps.

Sparks was placed upon the pension rolls under the provisions of the 1890Act of Congress and he was issued Invalid Certificate No. 607,344. Hedied on March 2, 1897.

On March 20, 1897, Sarah C. Sparks, aged 53 years, a resident of Union,Indiana, applied for a widow's pension. She said she was the widow ofOtho Sparks whom she had married under the name of Sarah C. Collins onNov. 17, 1895, at Buena Vista, Ind. Both she and her husband had beenpreviously married, but his wife had died on March 4, 1893, and herformer husband had died on April 12, 1891. She said that she and Sparkshad had no children. Vincent Frederick and A. F. Kine witnessed hersignature and the application was sworn to before J. W. Coleman, anotary public.

Apparently no affirmative action was taken on the application of Sarah C.Sparks, for on June 22, 1899, she reapplied for a pension. She said shewas the widow of Otho Sparks who had enlisted in Company B, 97th Regt.Illinois Infantry on Aug. 16 1862, at Mattoon, Ill,, and who had diedfrom disease of the throat on March 2, 1897. The throat trouble wascaused by an attack of the mumps which her husband had contracted atNicholasville, Ky., during his military service and which had requiredsurgery, and which ultimately caused his death. She said she had marriedSparks on Nov. 17, 1895, in Gibson County, Ind. She had been marriedpreviously to J. W. Collins and her late husband, Otho Sparks, had beenmarried previously to Mary Lamar, but there had been no legal barrier toher marriage to Sparks.

The clerk of the Gibson County, Ind., Circuit Court substantiated themarriage of Otho Sparks to Sarah C. Collins. They had been married onNov. 17, 1895, by the Rev. Nathaniel Fouts.

No pension certificate was issued to Sarah C. Sparks, and apparently herapplication was denied.

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(Editor's Note: Otho Sparks appeared on the 1850 census of Martin County,Ind., in the family of James and Mary Sparks. James Sparks and Mary Elliswere married in Nicholas County, Ky., on Nov. 1, 1827. See the December1959 and the December 1965 issues of the QUARTERLY, Whole Nos. 29 and 52,respectively, pages 448 & 946. Dr. Paul E. Sparks has noted: "All of thedata I have accumulated about persons named OTHO SPARKS in and around theNicholas County, Ky., section point toward GEORGE SPARKS(ca.1767-ca.1835) as the father of the first Otho Sparks. See the June1970 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 70, beginning on page 1319. Forthis reason, I believe that the father of James Sparks, father of theOtho Sparks whose pension file is abstracted above, was also GEORGESPARKS of Nicholas County. I also believe thare was one other son ofGeorge Sparks we can now name. He was CHARLES SPARKS, born about 1817 inNicholas County, who married Mary A. Barnett in 1838 in Nicholas County.Of course, all of this should be considered as conjecture until we havebetter proof.")

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3701: She was married to a man named Creed.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3695: They had four children: D. C., Wallace, Paul Jr., an dLee.

.

!NOTES:
SQ 2776: Paul Caldwell Sparks, son of Newell Crane and Laura (Fetz er)
Sparks, was born on March 1, 1887. He married Annie Longorie and the yhad
one child, Pauline. Paul died in 1925."

Paul E. Sparks was the President and Co-founder of the Sparks FamilyAssociation commencing in 1951. In the SPARKS QUARTERLY for March, 1953,Whole No. 1, p. 2 we find:

"Paul E. Sparks was born 17 January, 1910, on a farm in LawrenceCounty, KY. After graduating from Morehead (KY) State College, hemarried a classmate, Mary Sue MIller, in 1933, and came to Louisville asa public school teacher. In 1938, after getting his M.A. degree fromNorthwestern University, he was appointed public school principal, aposition he held until 1942 when he entered the Army. In 1946, uponrelease from the service, he resumed his school principalship. He andMrs. Sparks have one son, Robert, age 8."

In the September, 1956 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 15, we findPaul's picture on the cover with the caption PRESIDENT, THE SPARKS FAMILYASSOCIATION. Commencing on page 150 is:

"Paul E. Sparks, President of the Sparks Family Association, whosepicture is featured on the cover of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for this issue,was recently awarded his Doctor of Education degree at the University ofIndiana. We are all very proud of Paul's accomplishment, particularly inview of the fact that his thesis is a practical and timely contributionto knowledge, for it is a study of the teaching of reading in our modernschools." (The article in the August 12, 1956 issue of the LouisvilleCourier-Journal begins with a summary of Paul's findings. It concludesas follows:)

"Sparks, 46, a native of Louisa, KY., has taught in Louisville schools21 years. He has been at Frayser eight years and before that wasprincipal of Emmet Field four years. He also has taught at WesternJunior HIgh, J. Stoddard Johnston, and James Russell Lowell. He beganhis teaching career in Lawrence County. He has a bachelor's degree fromMorehead State College and a master's degree from NorthwesternUniversity. He served four years in the Air Force and was discharged asa captain. He lives at 155 N. Hite with his wife, and son, 11.

"Sparks began work on his doctorate in 1951, attending school mostlyin the summer. He tood a sabbatical leave in the spring of 1955 and wasat I. U. for eight months. He was president of the LouisvillePrincipal's Club in 1949 and is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, honoraryeducation fraternity. He is the only city school principal with adoctorate." (End of Article in the Louisville Courier-Journal.)

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

See the Sparks Quarterly for December 1956, Whole No. 16, pp 183-184 forthe following article:

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

By: Paul E. Sparks

(Editor's note: The following sketch was written by Paul upon the requestof the editor to accompany his picture which appeared on the cover of theSeptember, 1955, issue of the QUARTERLY. It was received too late,however, to be included, but because a number of members of theAssociation have requested more information about our President, we arepleased to include this interesting record in the present issue.)

I was born January 17, 1910, at the head of Morgan' s Creek in LawrenceCounty, Kentucky. Our post office was Yatesville, two miles away. Welived a few hundred yards down the creek from my paternal grandparentsand to "go up" to Grandpa"s was an exciting adventure--and a reward forgood behavior.

Events, worthy of recall to my contemporaries of eastern Kentucky, whichI enjoyed were: cane-strippings, molasses-making, corn-shuckings,bean-stringings, and taffy-pullings. These were practical affairs, aswell as social occasions. The oldsters came to help, to gossip, and tocriticize the young; the young came to help, to gossip, and to criticizethe old. All of these affairs were great moments in my young,impressionable life.

My father, James B. Sparks, was a man of considerable ambition. He was acandidate for county political offices on two occasions, but, being aDemocrat in a normally Republican county, he suffered defeat both times.He then decided to move to a coal mining village in Pike County,Kentucky, but my mother persuaded him to leave the mining field and go toAkron, Ohio. There, in 1922, my mother passed away, and I returned withmy brother and sisters to live with. my paternal grandparents on Morgan'sCreek.

From the year I returned to my Grandfather, Colby Sparks, to the presentI have been greatly interested in the SPARKS family, and it is to myGrandfather I give all the credit for the intense effort I have put intothis most fascinating hobby.

On June 3, 1951, Colby Sparks passed away at Louisa, Kentucky, at the ageof 93. He was born September 22, 1857, at Mount Savage, Kentucky, inCarter County. Long before his passing I had obtained from him the namesof his people--for he was possessed of a most remarkable memory and akeen interest in his family. His father, Hugh S. Sparks, had been acollier in the embryonic steel industry in eastern Kentucky when the WarBetween the States began. On October 19, 1861, Hugh Sparks joined theFifth Regiment Kentucky Mounted Infantry, Confederate States Army, atPrestonsburg.

In January, 1862, the Confederates, under General Humphrey Marshall, metthe Union forces under Colonel James A. Garfield at Middle Creek,Kentucky. The skirmish was a draw, but the Confederates withdrew, andmany of them returned to their homes. One of my grandfather's earliestmemories was that of sleeping with his father high upon a mountain sideon a snowy night, and then helping his mother drag wood down the slope tohide her tracks when she brought breakfast to her husband-soldier. HughSparks's army career, however, was doomed to an end, for in September,1862, he was captured by Union soldiers in Lawrence County, Kentucky, andtaken to Camp Chase, Ohio, where he was imprisoned. Subsequently, he wastaken to Cairo, Illinois, placed aboard the steamer Emerald, and taken toVicksburg, Mississippi, where he was exchanged on November 1, 1862. Nolater official records refer to him, nor does anyone we have contactedhave any definite word of him.

I received most of my grammar school education in the one-room school onMorgar' s Creek--a school, by the way, which is still in existence. Iattended Louisa High School at the county seat and was graduated there in1927. Two years of pre-engineering followed at Akron University, Akron,Ohio, but in 1932 I returned to eastern Kentucky and enrolled at MoreheadState College, Morehead, Kentucky. After graduating in 1933, I returnedto my home county and taught in the high schools at Webbville and Elaine.Then in 1935 I came to Louisville to teach in the public schools.

In 1938 I received my Master of Arts degree from Northwestern University,Evanston, Illinois, and the following year I was appointed principal ofField School in Louisville. In 1942, I entered the Army as a private, butreceived a commission as second lieutenant in the Air Corps in August ofthat year at Camp Wolters, Texas. After tours of duty at Maxwell Field,Alabama, Ellington Field, Texas, Randolph Field, Texas, I finally settleddown at Selman Field, Louisiana, where I spent three years in trainingnavigators. I was discharged from the service in February, 1946, at FortDevens, Massachusetts. I returned, of course, to Louisville--and to myschool work.

In 1932, I met Mary Sue Miller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Miller, ofMorehead, Kentucky, and we were married in November, 1933. We are theparents of a 12-yearold son, Robert.

I am an Episcopalian, member of Crescent Hill Masonic Lodge, member ofPhi Kappa Tau fraternity, member of Phi Delta Kappa honorary educationalfraternity, a Jeffersonian Democrat, and a past president of theLouisville Principals Club.

(Editor’s note: For more information on Paul’s ancestors see theDecember, 1955, issue of the QUARTERLY, pp. 97-104.)

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

Another article appears in the June, 1999, edition of THE SPARKSQUARTERLY, Whole No. 186, pp. 5146-8 relating to his death on March 4,1999. On the cover is the same photograph found on the cover of WholeNo. 15, referenced above.

PAUL EMERSON SPARKS 1910-1999 PRESIDENT OF THE SPARKS FAMILYASSOCIATION, 1953-1999

By Russell E. Bidlack

With the issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for March 1999, your editor sent abrief memo to the members of the Association reporting the death of ourPresident, Dr. Paul E. Sparks, on March 4, 1999. [Those of you who notedthe strange date on that memo, ("October 20, 1999") were no more puzzledthan was your editor himself when it was called to my attention after themailing had been completed. I simply have no explanation for why I typed"October" when I intended to type March .]

It was in 1953 that three relatively young men, who had beencorresponding regarding our shared interest in a Sparks family ofMaryland and North Carolina, decided to found THE SPARKS FAMILYASSOCIATION and to publish "a small quarterly sheet devoted to familyhistory and genealogy. " Those "three relatively young men" were Paul E.Sparks, age 43; William P. Johnson, age 35; and myself, age 33. My owninterest in the Sparks family stemmed from the fact that Sparks was themaiden name of my wife, Melva Helen Sparks . We had been married while Iwas in the U .S. Army on June 13, 1942. (Melva died on April 19, 1993.).Paul's interest in genealogy had grown out of his close personalrelationship with his grandfather, Colby Sparks, who died on June 3,1951, at the age of 93. Colby had loved to reminisce about hisforefathers and pioneer times in Kentucky and, with his passing, Paul hadbegun genealogical research to add to the store of family lore that hehad heard his grandfather recite. William P. Johnson, who had launched aprofessional career in genealogical research for other people, descendedfrom a branch of the same Sparks line as did Paul .

It was in the first issue of THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1953, mailed toprospective members, that we announced our proposal. We stated: "Sincethe three officers and founders of The Sparks Family Association wereborn between 1910 and 1920, they look forward to at least half a centuryof activity in the Association." Although the QUARTERLY is now in its47th year of publication, we were too optimistic regarding our lifespans. It was my sad duty in the December 1980 issue to announce theuntimely death of William Perry Johnson, and now, in 1999, that of Paul.I alone of the founders am left to fulfill our 1953 promise.

My acquaintanceship with Paul began early in 1952, throughcorrespondence. The Rev. Bailey F. Davis of Franklin, Kentucky, hadplaced a query in a magazine called Genealogy and History regarding hiswife's Sparks ancestry . I had written to him, and in his reply datedDecember 19, 1951, Mr. Davis had noted: "I was in the Filson Club [agenealogical and historical library in Louisville] recently and a mancame in and took a chair at my table. Soon I heard him discussing withthe librarian on the Sparks family, so I 'nosed in'." Mr. Davis went onto say that this man was interested primarily in the Sparkses of LawrenceCounty, Kentucky. "He had his line sketched on brown paper and I glancedat it. His name and address is Paul Sparks, 155 North Hite, Louisville 6,Ky." I wrote to Paul, and thus began a correspondence that continued forclose to half a century. With our constant exchange of letters andinformation, it is not surprising that we added personal data regardingfamilies and daily activities . We became close friends . I cannot recallour ever having a disagreement regarding the contents of the QUARTERLYnor the managing of the Association's business. We shared both thecompliments and criticisms from the members, and I rarely received aletter from Paul that lacked a smiling face, or a frowning one onoccasion. In our nearly half-century of communication with each other, weonly met on two brief occasions, but with Paul's death, I feel that Ihave lost my best friend. He was both wise and learned, possessing a keensense of humor and a forgiving nature; he was truly a kind and gentleman.

As members of the Association are well aware, Paul has written many ofthe articles appearing in our QUARTERLY over the years, and he hasassisted scores of Sparks descendants in their research, especially thosewith a Kentucky connection . He completed his last article in Februaryfor the March 1999 issue. He was too weak to do his usual proofreading,however, after I had typed it.

It had been apparent in recent weeks that Paul was "slowing down." He hadmentioned in a January letter his concern about renewing his driver'slicense at age 89, and he complained that his memory was not as keen asit once had been. Since his death I have learned from his oldestgrandson, Robert L. Sparks, that he had been experiencing a shortness ofbreath that concerned his doctor. His beloved wife of 65 years, Mary Sue(Miller) Sparks, had fallen a number of times in recent years, and shehad become confined to a wheelchair .

Paul's gentle care for Sue, as he always called her, enabled them toremain in their home with the help of their son. In late February,however, Paul fell, breaking a shoulder and, because of his heartcondition, he entered a local hospital . Shortly thereafter, Sue fellfrom her wheelchair, and, in a coma, was taken to the same hospital. Inmy last brief telephone conversation with Paul in his hospital room, hisonly words were, "Oh Russell, we nearly lost Sue last night." Paul diedon March 4th and Sue followed him in death on the following day. Theirwish that they might "go together" was fulfilled.

In reporting Paul and Sue's deaths, Philip Glamann of the LouisvilleCourier- Journal noted that:

. . . both started their careers at Louisville elementary schools andretired in 1973, two years before the merger of the Louisville andJefferson County school systems. Paul Sparks left as chairman of businessaffairs for the city school system, and Mary Sparks retired as a teacherat Breckinridge Elementary School . Both served local schools nearly 40years.
"They loved working with kids," said their son, Robert Sparks. "It seemslike I was always in school, whether I was there or not. They were alwaystalking about school."

. . . Paul Sparks, a native of Yatesville, had been director of pupilpersonnel for the city school system and principal of three elementaryschools. He was an Army Air Forces veteran of World War II and a memberof the alumni associations of Morehead State University, NorthwesternUniversity and Indiana University [from which he received his doctoratein education] . They were both members of St. Marks Episcopal Church.Besides their son, they are survived by five grandchildren and sevengreat-grandchildren. In addition, Paul Sparks is survived by two sisters,Dorothy Murphy and Eva Fields .

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

A letter pertaining to Paul's death addressed to the members of theSparks Family Association from member Ruth Sparks Byrne appears on page5173:

RUTH SPARKS BYRNE 8337 NORTH 58th AVE. GLENDALE, AZ 85302

May 21, 1999
SPARKS FAMILY ASSOCIATION
1709 CHEROKEE ROAD
ANN ARBOR MICHIGAN 48104-4498
Dear Members:
I was extremely sorry to hear of the death of Paul Sparks. The work thathe and Russell Bidlack have done for past, present and future generationsof Sparks is immeasurable. While others search in vain for ancestors, wemembers of the Sparks Family Association merely go to our SparksQuarterlies for accurate well researched information. When Bidlack,Johnson and Sparks joined forces so many years ago even they probablydidn't realize how much they would achieve. The years of dedicated workis much appreciated.
I am enclosing a check for $50.00 to the Association in memory of PaulSparks and in honor of Russell Bidlack as a small way to say thanks toboth of them for their years of dedicated service the Sparks FamilyAssociation.

(signature)

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

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4472: He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II .After returning from service, he was married to Ruth Childs on Jun e 1,1948, at Medford, Oregon. He died on February 10, 1994. He an d Ruthhad two sons, Harlan Sparks and Paul Millington Sparks, III.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4471: She was married to Earl Hower.

The following article appears in THE SPARKS QUARTERLY for December 1966,Whole No. 56, pp 1020-1026 and a photograph of Percival (Pete) Sparksappears on the cover .

PETE SPARKS -- AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

(Editor’s note: Pete Sparks of Starke, Florida, has been a member of theAssociation almost from its founding. In corresponding with him, theeditor gradually learned of his interesting life and requested him toprepare an autobiographical sketch to share with our members. Peteconsented and we are pleased to present his contribution to our readers.)

We are told that many, many years ago, a great glacier came down overNorth America, and in the fields in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, where noother stones are to be found, huge boulders, worn smooth by the constantrolling overland by the gradual southern journey of the ice mass, are tobe found. Some are as large as a house, while some are much smaller.

And, we are told that the melting of this glacier caused the formation ofthe Ohio River, when the run off from the melting ice cut its way throughthe country-side. And, as the Ohio River wends its way from up nearPittsburgh, Penna., down to its convergence with the Mississippi,alluvial deposits are to be found in each bend of the river.

About ten miles upriver from Maysville, Ky., on the Kentucky side of theOhio River, is to be found one of these "bottom lands," and thisparticular one is known as "Wilson’s Bottom." And, at the upper end ofthis bottom land, there is a deposit of sand, quite high, called "SandHill." It is rather significant that all the other hills in this area areof clay soil and limestone rocks. No rocks are found on this hill, allsandy soil, supposedly the last remains of the Great Glacier when theOhio River carried away the water from the melting ice.

"[NOTE: On the top of page 1021 is an ink drawing, below which is thefollowing caption:]

PETE SPARKS"

Lt. Col. George Wilson was a brother to James Wilson, one of the signersof the Declaration of Independence. Lt. Col. George Wilson died the hardwinter of 1776-7 at Valley Forge. George Washington gave his widowseveral land grants, one of which was a tract along the Kentucky side ofthe Ohio River, at this point later to be called “Wilson’s Bottom.” Itconsisted of ten square miles, running along the river and extending backinto the hills.

About 1790, or soon thereafter, two of Lt. Col. George Wilson’s sons camedown the Ohio River on a raft, from up near Pittsburgh, bringing theirwives and belongings with them, also, it is thought, some of theirneighbors. And, as they settled on this tract of land, they had toestablish their own manufacturing of food, clothing materials, raisetheir own live stock, presumably from stock they brought down with then.Small islands in the middle of the river became their hiding place fortheir ammunition, to keep it from the Indians.

Maysville was then called Salt Lick, and later Mays Lick, and then itbecame Maysville. It was here that cattle, horses, and other live stockwere unloaded to be taken into the interior, to what later becameLexington, Richmond, etc.

The earliest record of the Sparks tribe in this area is found in an earlycensus report, showing John Alice Sparks, and showing his place of birthas Maryland. Nothing much else is known of him, other than that he isburied in what is known as the old Sparks farm, on “Chalk Ridge” whichruns roughly parallel with the river, and back a couple of miles from it.

John Alice Sparks was the father of William Henry Sparks, who in turn wasthe father of my father, Edwin McMasters Sparks. And, Edwin McMastersSparks married Mildred Wilson, who was the daughter of Samuel and AliceWilson. Samuel was a direct descendant of the John Wilson, who was one ofthe two
brothers who came down the river on a flat boat several generationsbefore.

To this couple (Edwin and Mildred) there were three children born, Maria,or rather, Alice Maria, who died at about three, Leslie McKinley, bornabout 1896, and Percival Wilson, born February 21, 1901.

Edwin McMasters Sparks was killed by a train at Red Bank, near Maretta,Ohio, in May of 1903. The elder son, Leslie, was taken to raised by hisgrandparents, the Wilsons, while Mildred undertook to keep the youngerchild with her, aided by her married sisters. She remarried about 1906,and kept; the younger child with her. Leslie continued to stay with hismaternal grandparents until he married.

"Percy" as he was called, went through the grade school at Sand Hill andneighboring communities, and then went to Berea College, Berea, Ky.,where Leslie had preceded him. After a short course there, Percy went toCincinnati, to work, and in January of 1919, joined the Navy, beingshipped to Great Lakes
Naval Training Station for training. In June, 1919, he was shipped out toNew York City, where the whole troop-train load of trainees were placedon board various ships, Percy going aboard the U.S.S. Leviathan, at thattime the largest ship afloat. It was a troop transport, and since theArmistice had been signed by
this time, was engaged in carrying troops back home from overseasassignments.

Three such trips were made before the ship was laid up. General Pershingand his staff and his son came back on that last trip of the Leviathan.

Percy’s duties during the loading of troops in France, was to stand onthe gangway and hand each oncoming soldier a card, which designated wherethis passenger was to sleep, eat and go for recreation, where he shouldgo for lifeboat drill, etc.

On this last journey, some five thousand second lieutenants were beingbrought back. Percy recalled that Frank Chas. Martin, a young man wholived on the farm next door to his maternal grandparents’ farm, was asecond lieutenant, and so he kept; watch, and sure enough Frank Charlescame aboard. Glancing down at the cards he was handing out, he made amental note of the location, and the next day, when time permitted, hewent down below decks ahd looked up Frank Charles. Needless to say, itwas an unexpected reunion, and the odds of his being on that particulartroop ship, and of being spotted by someone who lived so close to home,would probably put a computer to work to solve the problem.

After the ship was laid up, the sailor boy was transferred to anothership, a Marine transport, the U.S.S. Henderson, and went back over tobring home a detachment of Marines, getting back just before Christmas of1919.

Upon returning from a short leave home over the Christmas Holidays, hewas to be taken on the Henderson on a trip around the Caribbean Islands,stopping at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Puerto Prince, Haiti and Santo DomingoCity, then on to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.Then, back over the same route to Charleston, S.C., to unload and load upfor a return trip. This became a regular monthly routine trip for theHenderson, but on the second trip, Percy was transferred to theGovernor’s station ship, a converted yacht, the U.S.S. Vixen, stationedat St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

It was here that he married a Virgin Island girl, and remained thereuntil nearing the end of his four year enlistment when the ship was sentback to Norfolk, Va., for decommissioning.

Upon being discharged from the Navy, he went back to the islands andobtained a position with the Navy Department, as Clerk to the Commandant.The Commandant of the Virgin Islands and of that Naval District was anAdmiral in the U.S. Navy, but since the islands had only been under U.S.control for about
four years, he had a dual role as Governor of the Virgin Islands. TheGovernor’s Chief of Staff was the Captain of the flagship, the Vixen, andwhen that ship was decommissioned an office was established ashore, andit was here that Percy was employed, in the office of the Commandant.

In October of 1923, he changed jobs and went to work as Chief Writer(comparable to Chief Yeoman in the Navy) on board a U .S. Coast andGeodetic Ship, the Ranger. In 1924 that ship was destined to go toNorfolk, Va., for repairs, and while the ship was in Norfolk he left theship and went to Miami,
Florida, to seek his fortune in real estate, with no funds, and noexperience, only the confidence of youth. His wife, Grace, joined him,bringing their eldest daughter and leaving one infant daughter behindwith his wife’ s folks. Later, his wife went back to the islands to haveher third child, and when she again
returned, she brought all three, all girls. In due course of time, therewas a fourth on the way, and again she returned to the islands for itsbirth.

About 1929, the depression being what it was, Percy uprooted himself fromhis holdings in Florida and started north in an old Model T-Ford, lookingfor employment. Fortune was with him and he came upon the Coast andGeodetic Survey ship the Ranger, in Rivera, Florida, just north of WestPalm Beach. No
vacacies existed, but he did find employment on a sister ship, the Natoma.

As this was in the sping of the year, the Survey party headed back north,and worked in Chesapeake Bay, and the Great South Bay, in Long Islandwaters during the summer, and back to South Carolina and Georgia duringthe winters.

Somewhere along the line, while winter overhaul was in progress, inNorfolk, he met up with some fellows who were lecturing in a museumexhibit of large pythons, and since reptiles were his hobby, whetted bythe many snakes he found in Florida during his sojourn there, he left hisjob on the Survey ship and went out on the road with this reptileexhibit, travelling north in the spring and summer.

After gathering what information he could glean from this source, he soontired of the long hours and constant moving about, so found his way backto Washington, D.C., where he again gained employment on a small Coastand Geodetic boat which was then operating in the Chesapeake Bay area.

Somewhere along the line, he had found the somewhat effeminate name of"Percy" a handicap and so changed his name to "Peter," commonly known as"Pete."

Meanwhile, his wife, now back in the Virgin Islands and deserted by herhusband, had obtained a divorce. "Pete" met and married a young widow inSalisbury, Maryland, and she bore him a son, whom they named Richard LeeSparks.

About the time of the first Roosevelt Administration, he was again out ofwork and found employment with the Agriculture Department in what wascalled the “Resettlement Administration” as a payroll clerk. Anotherclerk working there, (Wiley Buchanan) was later to become Chief ofProtocol in the State
Department under a later Administration, but Pete never found the key tosuch success. During a reorganization of that< outfit, he was laid off,and he made a trip to the Virgin Islands to visit his children. It waswhile on this trip that the King of England made his abdication speechand stepped down to become Duke of Windsor.

Returning to the Washington scene, he gained employment this time withthe Treasury Department, operating a blueprint machine in the ProcurementDivision. This was when a movement was afoot to build new post officesthroughout the nation and the major part of the duties at that assignmentwas
running off blueprints of post office buildings. This was during theRoosevelt Administration, but Hoover started the program.

Along the line, throughout the government jobs, there was this underlyinginterest in wild animal life. So, in April of 1937, he left this job andwent to New York to assist in the unloading of a cargo of wild animalsfrom the Far East and worked there for sometime taking care of theanimals until they were sold to zoos, etc. Then back to Washington andto the blueprint machine again. The following summer, he went out on acarnival with a reptilian exhibit, and that fall, when the show closed,he went to work for Frank Buck, who operated a zoo on Long Island. Then,back to the blueprinting machine again.

In the following spring, now it is 1939, the World’s Fair had itsopening, and the concessionaire who had the Giant Reptile exhibit had,the previous year, committed Pete to come to work for him, in charge of,and lecturing on, the giant Indian Pythons which formed the major part ofthe exhibit.

Prior to taking on this assignment, he had taken a Civil Serviceexamination for Clerk-Typist in the Government, and while on the World’sFair assignment, a call came to report to the Immigration andNaturalization Department, which was then a part of the Labor Department.So, he started out at the foot of the ladder as Clerk-Typist at $1260 perannum, but he was now able to work towards permanent status and,eventually, retirement.

When World War II came along, the duties of this job became that of aninvestigator, checking into the background of persons of foreign birthwho were making application for employment in shipyards and otherindustries engaged in the war effort. Later, he transferred to the WarProduction Board, where priority ratings were being issued to industryfor the procurement of strategic materials. Later, another transfer, withpromotion, to the Maritime Commission as Purchasing Officer, buyingmaterials and equipment going into the building of ships used intransporting war materials.

With the end of the war, he was transferred to the War AssetsAdministration, selling the surplus material, material which he hadpurchased only months before as an employee of the Procurement Departmentof the Maritime Commission. When the sale of surplus material caused acutback in personnel, he found employment in the Office of theQuarter-master General. His experience and
background enabled him to qualify as Investigator in the identificationof World War II dead. This was a very interesting assignment, having todo with the identification of the remains of plane crash victims usuallydrowned in enemy territory, and now after the war was over, recovery ofthe remains had been made and identification was possible through thecomparison of field laboratory reports with the service
records of the deceased. Positive identification had to be establishedbefore it was acceptable.

There again, a cut back in personnel caused a transfer to the MunitionsBoard, which was just starting a consolidation of the standard stockcatalog of all the government materials and supplies. This work was laterto become a part of the Department of Defense, with the abolishing of theMunitions Board as such.
Here he remained until the day came some ten years later when his bosstold him that he was then on the list of those eligible for retirement.He took his retirement at the age of one month short of sixty and workedfor private industry for parts of two years on this same cataloging work,then, took full retirement.

And so, as this is being written, Pete Sparks is residing in Starke,Florida, ten miles out of town, in the country, with his beloved dogswhich, over a period of better than 25 years of continuous breeding, hehas built up to quite a kennel and quite a reputation as a breeder of hisfavorite dogs, the American pit bull terrier.

From the marriage of Pete Sparks and Grace Joseph, of the Virgin Islands,it might be well to mention the names of the daughters and theirfamilies. First on the hit parade was the daughter Grace Itah who marriedJoseph Rene Dutil, from Fall River, Mass., who met her when he wasstationed in the Virgin Islands and Grace was working there with theGovernment. To this marriage there came three children, Joe, Jr., Marie,and Corinne. After residing in New Jersey for about fifteen years, asthis is being written, they are back down in the Virgin Islands. Joseph,Jr., and Marie are in college, stateside, while little Corinne attendsschool in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

Second is Corinne, who married Dale Gary from West Virginia, whom she metwhile he was in the Islands with the Marine Corps. Dale met an untimelydeath in a truck accident while on maneuvers on the West Coast just threeor four months after their marriage. To this marriage Dale, Jr., wasborn. Corinne returned to the Virgin Islands where she later marriedHerbert Lockhart, son of a local merchant
there in St. Thomas. To this marriage was born Katherine, Herbert, Jr.,Ronnie, and Henrik. Dale is in his last year of college in Vermont; Kathyand Herbie are in school in Puerto Rico, while the younger two are inschool in the home town, St. Thomas, V.I.

Third comes Yvonne Emilie Rose, who was married to a Marine by the nameof Welch. Vernon Welch, believe it was. This was a short marriage, butresulted in one daughter, Yvonne. After Yvonne Emilie Rose was desertedby her husband, she obtained a divorce and married a Marylander by thename of James Byers. This ended some five years later in divorce, andshe again remarried and is now
living in Portsmouth, Va., her husband, Will Gray, being in the CoastGuard and stationed in that area. Yvonne, Jr., has also married and has agirl now about three, Elizabeth. Yvonne has also divorced her husband andremarried, her present husband being “Sonny” Howard, and they too residein St. Thomas, V.I.

Fourth on the hit parade is Cleone, who married William Petz, lived inNew Jersey and the Virgin Islands, back and forth and are at presentwriting, now there in St. Thomas. To them have been born Christopher,Anna, the twins, Bruce and Brad, and little Marie.

Meanwhile, residing in or near Pittsburgh, is Ethel, who married JackLloyd. Although they have been residents of New Jersey nearly all oftheir 15 or more years of married life, they are now living in AllisonPark, Pennsylvania, where their little family of Steve, the two girls,and little Philip, go to school.

* * * * *

SQ p. 4650:

"...Jack and Perlina lived near Martha, Kentucky.....They were buriedin the Dobyns Cemetery."

SQ pg 3399: "Perlina a. Sparks, daughter of Nelson and Peggy (Mauk)Sparks, was born in August 1845, probably in Lawrence County, just amonth before her father bought land on Big Gimlet Creek in CarterCounty. She was married to Jarret Corbin Lyons on September 9, 1869, atthe home of her parents. Jarret and Perlina's uncle, John L. Sparks, hadserved in the same military unit of the Confederate Army during the CivilWar. Jarret was born in February 1838 in Lawrence County and was a sonof Jesse and Polly (Wellman) Lyons. Perlina died in 1910 and was buriedin the Clark Cemetery in Elliott County. Jarret died in 1913 and wasburied beside her. They had three children . In addition, Jarret andPerlina reared her niece, Margaret Sparks, daughter of Leander Sparks."

!NOTES:
SQ 3864: Perlina "Lina" Sparks was born about 1869. She was marri edto John
Mabry on October 15, 1886, in Elliott County, Kentucky.

On 3 April, 2002, I received an email from Col. Harry F. Middleton(HMiddle6@@aol.com) which provided the information included here as to thedescendants of Permelia Sparks. He also stated, "The birth, marriage anddeath dates for David and Permelia Sparks Middleton are from theirtombstones and Permelia's obituary. Her obituary also states that shecame to Hardeman Co., TN in 1886, and that all five children and herhusband survive. I also have the family in the Federal census for 1850,1860, 1870, 1880, Franklin County, AL and 1900 in Hardeman County, TN."

An email dated 1 Sep 2000 from Les Sparks (LesSparks@@aol.com) stated thefollowing:
"I just found some details on Perry Hawkins Sparks, son of BeverlyEdgar and Anna Lelia (Jones) Sparks, that I have not seen in any of thedatabases on the net. I thought the Sparks List would be the best methodof sharing the data.

"My ancestors moved from Limestone County, TX to Jones County, TXsometime between 1920 and 1925. I am in the process of researching theSparks families of Jones County. I am specifically trying to determinehow closely I am related to each of these families. During the process,I found a gentleman who has created a database of all the graves in JonesCounty. He was kind enough to send me a list of all the Sparks graves.Included in the list of the Hamlin-East Cemetery was Perry HawkinsSparks, b. 10 Aug 1898, d. 8 Feb 1978, and his wife Freida (Chastain)Sparks, b.14 May 1904, d. 17 Feb 1994.

"In the same cemetery, there is a Leslie S. Sparks. This is verylikely Perry's brother Leslie Steinbeck Sparks. Leslie S. Sparks, b. 25Apr 1892, d.18 Jan 1960, is listed as being buried beside his wife Inez
(McCarley) Sparks, b. 31 Mar 1902, d.16 Sep 1977. A marriage indexrecord was also found in Jones County for Leslie S. Sparks and InezMcCorley (notice the difference in spelling between the tombstone and themarriage index) stating they were married on 20 Aug 1930.

"I hope this information is useful to someone."

See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, p. 886 for the following marriage informationfrom Lawrence County, Kentucky, Marriage Bonds (1822- 1865):
Peter Sparks & Alafair Jordan, February 15, 1860. (Book 3A, p. 31) He age21. Her father, John W. Jordan. Married by John Hale, minister, MethodistEpiscopal Church, South. Bondsman: Hiram J. Jordan. Witness: Jesse Jordan.

SQ 3866:

"Peter Sparks, son of Allen and Elizabeth (Kozee) Sparks , was born onMarch 4, 1837. He was married twice. His first marriage was to AlafairJordan on February 15, 1860, in Lawrence County. She had been born about1839 and was a daughter of John W. Jordan. She and Peter lived onGeorges Creek in Lawrence County. Peter Served in the 14th RegimentKentucky Infantry of the Union Army during the Civil War.

"Peter and Alafair Sparks had nine children before her death onFebruary 22, 1889. Her death left him with several small children, andon November 28, 1889, he was married (2nd) to Millie (Bevins) Grayson.She had been born in July 1863 and was the widow of Levi Grayson who haddied leaving her with a small child. Peter and Millie had fivechildren. He died at Ashland, Kentucky, on June 14, 1914. Millie diedon October 7, 1938.

For an abstract of his pension application, see THE SPARKS QUARTERLY,pp. 3878- 9, reproduced below.

CIVIL WAR PENSION APPLICATION:

PETER SPARKS, son of Allen and Elizabeth (Kozee) Sparks, was born onMarch 4, 1837, in Lawrence County, Kentucky. He died on June 14, 1914.He was married (lst) to Alafair Jordan on February 15, 1860, and (2nd) toMillie Bevins on November 28, 1889. He served in Company G, 14thRegiment Kentucky Infantry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 515,288;Wid. Cert. No. 784,152.

"On July 20, 1883, Peter Sparks, age 46, a resident of Blaine,Lawrence County, Kentucky, made application for an invalid pension. Hesaid that he had been enrolled in Company G, 14th Regiment KentuckyInfantry on April 18, 1863, at Louisa, Ken- tucky, and had served untilhe had been mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, on October 1, 1865. Atthe time of his enlistment, he had been 6 feet, 1 inch tall; he had afair complexion, light hair, and blue eyes; and he was a farmer.

"Sparks said that while on duty near Atlanta, Georgia, in November1864, he had contracted a kidney disorder from exposure because ofleaving the hospital at Knoxville, Tennessee, before he had fullyrecovered from a severe spell of the fever. He said he had been unableto get further hospital treatment because of the march from Atlantathrough Alabama and Tennessee. He appointed A. B. Webb, Washington,D.C., as his attorney. G. V. Moore and B. F. Moore witnessed hissignature.

"The War Department confirmed Sparks's military service to the Bureauof Pensions on November 14, 1883. He had been enrolled on April 14,1863, at Louisa, Kentucky, for a period of three years. He had beenpresent for duty until May 1864 when he had been sent to the GeneralHospital at Knoxville, Tennessee. He had remained in the hospital untilAugust 31, 1864, when he had rejoined his company. He had been presentfor duty thereafter until he had been mustered out with his company atLouisville, Kentucky, on September 15, 1865, as a private. The nature ofhis sickness was not stated, and the Regimental Hospital records were noton file.

"Peter Sparks was issued a pension under Invalid Certificate No.515,288 on July 23, 1890, at the rate of $10.00 per month. On January21, 1897, he requested an increase in the pension because of additionaldisability caused by "diseases of respiratory organs of a permanentcharacter." He was now 60 years of age and lived on Georges Creek,Lawrence County, Kentucky. S. F. Davis and Longstreet Price witnessedhis signature. Nothing pertaining to the disposition of this applicationwas included among the "selected papers" sent to us by the NationalArchives.

"On January 24, 1898, Peter Sparks responded to a questionnaire fromthe Bureau of Pensions. He said that he had been married to MillieBevins on December 6, 1889, at Blaine, Kentucky, by G. V. Moore. Priorto this marriage, he had been married to Alafair Jordan who had died onFebruary 28, 1889. He said that he had the following children who wereliving in 1898:

Mary C. Sparks, born October 22, 1861
Liddie Sparks, born November 2, 1865
Samuel T. Sparks, born August 7, 1869
Frances C. Sparks, born February 1, 1876
Jennie Sparks, born February 13, 1878
Recy N. Sparks, born October 6, 1880
Ida Sparks, born April 2, 1883
Carlos B. Sparks, born May 5, 1891
Charley Sparks, born January 1, 1892
Pricey J. Sparks, born April 18, 1894
Clarence D. Sparks, born July 20, 1896

"On April 24, 1912, Peter Sparks made application for increasedpension benefits under the 1907 Act of Congress. He said he was now 75years of age and lived in Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky. He said he hadbeen born on March 4, 1837, in Johnson County, Kentucky. [Note: heprobably intended Lawrence County; Johnson County was not formed until1843.]

"He appointed D. W. Steele, Ashland, Kentucky, as his attorney. BerthaSparks and Artis Thompson witnessed his signature. When Peter Sparksdied on June 14, 1914, he was receiving a pension of $30.00 per month.

"On June 24, 1914, Milley Sparks, the widow of Peter Sparks, madeapplication for a Widow's Pension. She said she was 54 years of age andlived on 16th Street, Route No. 2, Ashland, Kentucky. She said herhusband had died because of a badly broken hip as well as from old age.She and Sparks had been married on November 28, 1889, at the home ofHenry Sparks in Lawrence County, Kentucky. Her husband had beenpreviously married, but his former wife had died. She said she and herhusband had only one child under the age of sixteen years at the time ofher application, viz. Cora Sparks, born on April 22, 1900. James Wallerand William D. Boyd witnessed her make her mark.

"On October 13, 1914, G. W. Keesee, age 65 years, a resident ofAshland, Kentucky, made an affidavit that he had been well acquaintedwith Peter Sparks and his second wife, Milley Sparks, and that he hadbeen at their home when their daughter, Cora Sparks, had been born. Hefurther stated that after the death of Peter Sparks, his widow, MilleySparks, had not remarried. George Keesee also made an affidavit inNovember 1914 to support the application of Milley Sparks. He statedthat he had known Alafair Jordan from her girlhood until her death, andthat she had been married to Peter Sparks sometime between 1860 and 1865,and that they had lived together until her death, which had occurredabout 1888. He said that after the death of his first wife, AlafairSparks, Peter Sparks had married Millie Bevins and lived with her untilhis death.

"Milley Sparks died on October 7, 1938, at which time she wasreceiving a Widow's Pension under Certificate No. 784,152.

SQ pg 2602, Abstract of Pension Application:

"PETER SPARKS, son of William and Catherine (Huckley) Sparks, was bornon November 13, 1837, and he died on January 1, 1910. He married ClaraD. Hollon on april 14, 1878. He served in Company D, 40th Re gimentIndiana Volunteers. File Designation: Inv. Cert. No. 525,700 ; Wid.Cert. No. 754,263.

"Although there is apparently no copy of the original application inhis pension file, Peter Sparks filed his first application for an invalidpension on November 2, 1885. A document dated December 25, 1885, andsigned by two members of a medical examination board indicates that PeterSparks was judged to be half disabled because of a double hernia. He wasdescribed then as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 167 pounds. Sparksclaimed that his double hernia was caused in June 1864 at Peach Tree,Georgia. "I was detailed to carry ammunition a cross a branch, waterwaist deep, and it was hard to keep from slipping, and the severe straincaused my rupture on both sides. I was not relieved from duty, justworried it through till I got home at Lafayette, Ind. Dr. W. O. Weyburngave me attention and supplied me with truss."

"The following March 24, 1886, the Adjutant General's Office confirmedPeter Sparks's military service. According to his records, he hadenlisted in Company D, 40th Regiment Indiana Volunteers at Lafayette,Indiana, on August 22, 1862, for three years. He was mustered out withhis detachment at Nashville, Tennessee, on June 14, 1865. The RegimentalHospital records were not on file, and there was no record of Sparks'sdisability which was an alleged rupture. He was placed on the pensionrolls under Invalid Certificate No. 525,700.

"On May 4, 1898, Peter Sparks responded to a questionnaire from theBureau of Pensions giving the following information: He had been marriedto Clara Adele Hollon on April 14, 1878, at California, Missouri, by theRev. Grant. the marriage was the first for both of them. They had twochildren living: Clara Sparks, born on October 4, 1884, and Mary EllenEsma Sparks, born on August 31, 1890. Peter Sparks then stated that"three years ago, my wife eloped with another man, taking my children,and I have never heard from any of them since. " He signed thequestionnaire by making his mark which was witnessed by John Connelly.

"On April 16, 1902, the U.S. Pension Office received an applicationfor a widow's pension from Clara Sparks, wife of Peter. In thisapplication, which was not dated, Clara Sparks, age 43 of Portageville ,Missouri, stated that her maiden name had been Clara Hollon and that shehad been married to Peter Sparks on April 14, 1878, by James W . Grant atMoniteau County, Missouri. She stated that Peter Sparks had received apension and that he had died in October 1895. She listed their childrenand Clara Arbela Sparks born in October 1884 and Mary Ellen Sparks bornin August 1889. In support of her application, she arranged for anofficial record of her marriage to be sent. This document indicated thaton May 14, 1902, the Rev. James William Grant, minister of the St. LouisConference of the M.E. Church, certifed that he had united in HolyMatrimony Peter Sparks and Clara D. Hol on of Moniteau County, Missouri.Charles C. Treiber, Moniteau County Circuit Clerk, certified that themarriage certificate was on file in his office in Marriage Book 3, atpage 96.

Clara Sparks apparently arranged for another document to be sent insupport of her application that would help to prove that Peter Sparks wasdead. It is dated August 8, 1904, but it describes an event that hadtaken place several years earlier, probably about 1895. The writer ofthis statement was A. E. Woodrow of Shelby County, Tennessee; it was alsosigned by A. H. Andrews who is mentioned in the statement. To helpunderstand the statement, it is of interest to note that a niece of PeterSparks stated a number of years ago that Peter Sparks always "felt bad"about the death of his brother, James Sparks, because he had "talkedJames into joining the Army." Peter and James had served in the samecompany and Peter was probably with James when he was wounded. Thestatement of A. E. Woodrow follows; punctuation and capitalization havebeen added for clarity:

"I had been to Commerce, Mo. one day. Going home I overtook a man andasked him to ride, took him to my house. Kept him over night . He saidhis name was Sparks and he had a brother whose jaw was shot off at theBattle of Kennesaw Mountain; he died from the wound. Sparks said he feltlike he would not live long and he wanted to see his brother's grave andthen he was going to go back to his family and go some place and take upa piece of land so when he died his family could get a pension and withthe land they would be all right. He got Henry Johnson, a fisherman, toset him across the Mississippi River. He was going down in Tenn.

"We forgot about it, though all his talk was the war and his wife. OnThanksgiving morning I heard that a woman and 2 children had staid allnight in a cabin on my place. It was a cold day so my wife said go gether. She said she was hunting her missing husband. She showed hispicture. We knew it so we told her had been there not quite two monthsbefore and we would help her find him. The next day I took Andrews, whowas in my employ, and we went across the River but we spent 2 days andcould find no one that had seen him nor any place where he had eat orstaid all night. so we went to Johnson and asked about him. We noticedhe seemed uneasy, but we did not think of foul play, so we told him wewould come down the next day and wanted him to go and show us where hehad left the man. When we went back the next day, Johnson was gone. Whenwe told her, she said he had killed my husband and so we all thought."

As noted earlier, this statement was signed by both A. E. Woodrow andA. H. Andrews, and it was notarized, although the signature of the notaryis not legible. Since we know that Peter lived until 1910, his wife'sbelief that he had been murdered in 1895 was unfounded. We know alsothat Peter Sparks lived for many years with his sister, CatherineWidmer. Apparently his wife did not know his whereabouts.

Because Peter Sparks was known by the Bureau of Pensions to be stillliving, Clara's application seems not to have been processed.

Peter Sparks made application for increased pension benefits on May21, 1908, under the provisions of a 1907 Act of Congress. He stated thathe was not 70 years of age, having been born in Lafayette, Indiana, onNovember 13, 1837. He lived on Route 2, Lafayette, Indiana. Heconfirmed his military service and stated that when he enlisted on August22, 1862, he was 5 feet 6 inches tall and that he had a dark complexion,grey eyes and brown hair. He was a bricklayer by occupation. Since hisdischarge, he had lived at Tipton, Missouri, from 1868 to 1886, and onRoute 2, Lafayette, Indiana, from 1886 to the present. Charles A.Dunwoody and Chester Robertson witnessed his a pplication which wasnotarized by Harry N. Styner.

Peter Sparks died on January 1, 1910, according to a statementfurnished by J. D. Hillis, Secretary of the Tippecanoe County, Indiana ,Board of Health. He was buried in the Klondyke Cemetery.

On July 2, 1910, Mrs. Clara D. Sparks, age 53, a resident of Memphis,Tennessee, again made application for a widow's pension. She stated thatshe was the widow of Peter Sparks whom she had married at Tipton,Missouri, on April 14, 1878, under her maiden name of Clara D . Hollon.She stated that she had not been divorced from Peter Sparks, nor had sheremarried since his death, which had occurred on January 1, 1910, atLafayette, Indiana. J. M. Petton and E. J. Bowman witnessed herapplication which was notarized by L. E. Anderson.

Clara B. (Hollon) Sparks qualified for a widow's pension which shecontinued to receive until her death in 1940. A letter dated February16, 1940, from a Deputy Assistant Disbursing Oficer to the Director ofFinance of the Veteran's Administration refers to a letter dated February1, 1940, "from Mrs. Esma Pierson, c/o E. E. Threadgill, Route 1, Colt,Arkansas, advising of the death of Mrs. Clara A. Sparks , a Civil Warwidow, on January 18, 1940."

SQ pps 3397-8:

"Peter P. Sparks, son of Nelson and Peggy (Mauk) Sparks, was born in1844 in Carter County, Kentucky. He was undoubtedly named for hismaternal grandfather, Peter Mauk. As indicated above, he served in theUnion Army during the Civil War and received a pension for his service.(See below).

"After he returned from the service, Peter Sparks married Julia E. Coxin Carter County. The license was issued on December 19, 1865 , and theywere married on December 21st by Joseph Mauk, a justice of the peace.Julia was born on October 25, 1846, in Virginia, and was a daughter ofMark P. and Sarah (Reynolds) Cox.

"Peter Sparks never fully regained his normal health after his servicein the Union Army, and he died on August 20, 1882. He was only 38 yearsof age, and he left Julia with a household of small children. She gavebirth to their seventh child the following December. Peter was buried inthe Mauk Ridge Cemetery. Julia survived him for more than forty years,dying on April 21, 1926. She, too, was buried in the Mauk RidgeCemetery. She and Peter had seven children."

Following is a summary of the abstract of the principal papers in thepension file of Peter P. Sparks at the National Archives.

PETER P. SPARKS, son of Nelson and Margaret (Mauk) Sparks, was bornabout 1843 in Carter County, Kentucky . He died on August 20, 1882. Hemarrie d Julia Cox on December 19, 1865. He served i n Company H, 22ndRegiment, Kentucky Infantry . File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 315,490; Wid. Cert. No. 219,176.

"On July 12, 1877, Peter P. Sparks, age 34, a resident of ElliottCounty, Kentucky, made application for an invalid pension. He statedthat he had enlisted in Company H, 22nd Regiment Kentucky Infantry ,commanded by Capt. Stephen Nethercutt, on October 22, 1861, and had beendischarged on January 20, 1865, at Louisville, Kentucky. At the time ofhis enlistment, he was 18 years of age; he was 5 feet 7 inches tall; hehad a dark complexion, black eyes, and dark hair; and he was a farmer byoccupation. Sparks said that on or about January 1 , 1862, whilestationed at Pikeville, Kentucky, he took the mumps, and because of theseverity of the attack, his nervous system became impaired to badly thathe never fully recovered, and he is now unable to do any manual labor. Heappointed Samuel V. Niles, Washington, D.C ., as his attorney; hissignature was witnessed by J. W. Hannah and J . H. Flanery; and theapplication was sworn to before S. D. Adkins, Clerk of Elliott CountyCourt.

"Almost two years later, on May 3, 1879, Dr. Thomas J. Campbell ofElliott County, made an affidavit to support the application of Peter P.Sparks. Dr. Campbell said that he was well acquainted with Sparks andthat prior to entering the military service, he (Sparks) had been asound, able-bodied man, but that when he returned home from the service,he was suffering from disease of the heart which affected his wholenervous system so that he was unable to do any manual labor. Dr.Campbell stated further that during the time Sparks belonged to themilitary service and was home on a sick furlough, he (Campbell) treatedSparks medically and reported his condition to the military command. Hesaid that he believed Sparks's case was incurable . B. A. Oakleynotarized the affidavit and T. T. Mobley, Clerk of the Elliott CountyCourt, certified that Oakley was a justice of the peace.

"No action was taken, apparently, on the first application of Peter P.Sparks, so on April 7, 1881, he made another declaration for a pension.He reaffirmed his military service and said that he had been hospitalizedby illness at Lexington, Kentucky, and at Louisville , Kentucky, duringhis term of service. James Henderson and James A . Tabor witnessed hissignature. Again on February 24, 1882, Sparks , now aged 39 and aresident of Gimlet, Kentucky, made an affidavit to support hisapplication. He said that he could not furnish an affidavit fromLieutenant Thomas A. Harper since Harper had "gone west. " Neither hadhe been able to get a supporting affidavit from the Regimental Surgeon,Dr. B. F. Stevenson, since he (Stevenson) could not remember treatinghim. The affidavit was sworn to before A. W. Kozee, a justice of thepeace.

"While no document was supplied by the National Archives (as part ofthe "selected papers" from Peter P. Sparks's pension file) reporting theapproval of his 1881 application for a pension, it is apparent that itwas approved, and he was issued Invalid Certificate No. 315,490.

"Peter P. Sparks died on August 20, 1882, and his widow, Julia Sparks,then made application for a widow's pension. She stated that she hadbeen married to Sparks on December 21, 1865, and that they had sixchildren under the age of sixteen years at the time of his death. Theywere: Lucretia J. Sparks, born October 13, 1866; Sarah L. M . Sparks,born November 9, 1873; Mary E. Sparks, born May 24, 1869; William H.Sparks, born March 2, 1877; James Benton Sparks, born Jul y 22, 1871; andAmanda E. Sparks, born September 22, 1879.

"J. E. Sparks and F. J. Campbell attested to her application, andJacob McDowell and John Harper witnessed her make her mark. Theapplication was sworn to before T. T. Mobley, clerk, and B. A. Oakley,deputy clerk, Elliott county Court.

"Frank Prater, clerk of the Carter County (Kentucky) Court, sent acopy of the marriage record of Peter P. Sparks and Miss Julia Cox . Theyhad been married on December 21, 1865, by Joseph Mauk, a justice of thepeace, in the presence of Sylverster Gray and Samuel Leedy.

"Julia Sparks was issued a widow's pension on November 3, 1882, underWidow's Certificate No. 219,176. On December 23, 1882, her seventhchild, Melvin P. Sparks, was born posthumously. When Julia Sparks diedon April 21, 1926, she was receiving a pension of $30.00 per month."

Peter P. Sparks is found with his family in the US Census of 1870 forthe North Fork of the Sandy River in Elliott County, KY. as follows:
Peter P. Sparks 26 KY
Julia 24 KY
Lucretia 4 KY
Mary 1 KY
They are living in close proximity to his father, Nelson, and severalbrothers.

SQ 3862:

"Peter R. Sparks, son of Samuel and Nancy (Skaggs) Sparks , was born
in February, 1862. He was married twice. His first marriage was toRebecca
Ross on June 25, 1882, in Lawrence County. They had three childrenbefore her
death, which apparently occurred prior to 1900. They were: Lawrence H.,James
B., and Eugene Sparks. Peter was married (2nd) to Sarah Margaret Glenn.She
had been born in December 1875. She and Peter had at least threechildren:
Amanda, May and Mary Sparks.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 3905: Peter and Jenny had four children: James, Nora, Goldi e,and Milton Sparks.

SQ 3680: "Phebe (or Febe) sparks, daughter of Charles and MargaretSparks, was named by her step-father, Henry Nelson, in his request forreimbursement from the estate of Charles Sparks, for maintenance of threeof the Sparks children; he claimed to have provided clothing as well as"educating and maintaining" Phebe and her brother, Charles Sparks, Jr .,for three years. His claim was dated February 9, 1773.

"When the land that had been owned in Bedford County, Pennsylvania ,was sold by his heirs on November 23, 1786, Feby signed the deed by markas "Feby Sparks." Whether she married subsequently to this we do notknow."

See SQ p. 392: FARIBEE (or PHEREBY) SPARKS, duaghter of George andDelila Sparks, was born about 1815 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Shemarried Wiseman Brown on September 13, 1833, in Randolph County, Indiana,the ceremony being performed by Elijah Arnold, a justice of the peace ofWest River Township. On the marriage record in Randolph County her nameis spelled "Phereby," but in the settlement of her father's estate it wasspelled "Faribee." She died before 1844, leaving two children:
(1) William Brown
(2) Delila Brown

See SQ p. 3706.

SQ p. 5288:

e. Phereby Sparks was born February 11, 1815; she died prior to 1845.She was married to Wiseman Brown on September 30, 1833, in RandolphCounty before Wells County was formed. In the settlement of the estate ofher father, Phereby (spelled Faribee in estate papers), was noted asbeing deceased prior to 1845, leaving "infant heirs" named Delila Brownand William Brown.

SQ p. 3631:

"...He died when he was quite young."

See SQ p. 2927:

"Philip W. Sparks, son of David and Sarah Ann Sparks, was born about1844. He married Rebecca W - ------ probably about 1872. She was bornabout 1855. He apparently died about 1878, leaving Rebecca with twosmall children, Laura, born ca.1873, and David E., born ca.1875."

.

!NOTES:
See SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, at page 4270, for:
Phoebe Sparks, daughter of Ephriam and Charlotte Sparks, was born abo ut1807 in
Virginia. She was married to John D. Spencer, and they had seven children:
Nancy, Josiah, Charlotte, John, David, Isaac and George.

SQ pg 2456: "Phoebe Sparks, daughter of William and Rhoda (Pennington)Sparks, was born on March 31, 1821. She died on November 15, 1898 . OnOctober 14, 1839, she married James Scarbrough in White County,Tennessee. H e was born on October 20, 1820, and was a son of WilliamScarbrough. When the 1 860 census was taken of Putnam County, Tennessee,James and Phoebe had five children (there may have been others). Thoselisted on the census were: Susan Scarbrough, John Scarbrough, WilliamScarbrough, James P. Scarbrough , and Margaret Scarbrough."

See also THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March 1994, Whole No. 165, p. 4272.