Pages 4109-4127
Whole Number 162
By Paul E. Sparks
[Editor's Note: Prince William County, Virginia, was created by an Act of the Colonial Virginia Assembly in May 1730 from the upper parts of King George and Stafford Counties. John Frederick Dorman, one of Virginia's leading genealogists, has noted that only one will book for the colonial period of Prince William County exists today. Those for the 1750s and 1760s have been lost, as well as a few pages from the one remaining, which begins in 1734.
[Prince William County is located in the northeast portion of Virginia. Its eastern border is formed by the Potomac River, on the opposite side of which lies Charles County, Maryland. On the northeast lies Fairfax County, which had been created in 1742 from a portion of Prince William County. A small portion of Prince William County also borders Loudoun County on the northeast, which had been formed from Fairfax County in 1757. The western and most of the southwestern boundary of Prince William is with Fauquier County, which had been cut off from Prince William in 1759. On the south, Prince William borders Stafford County, which had been formed in 1664.
[Although the origin of the Sparkses of early Prince William County, Virginia, has not been established, a great deal of information has been preserved about some of their descendants. This article is published with the hope that some of our readers can add to this meager knowledge. Obviously, little is known about their lives before they came to Kentucky.]
The first official record we have found of 11. William Sparks, ancestor of the branch of the family covered here, is the 1782 tax roll of Prince William County, on which he was listed as a poll (tithable). Other taxpayers named Sparks appearing on this same list included two men named John Sparks as well as a James Sparks. None of these Sparkses owned slaves.
11. William Sparks married Kesiah Hillen. [Webmaster Note:Kesiah's last name was provided by Nancy Sparks Frank from personal family history.]
In 1787, a tax was levied in Virginia that was different from any collected before - - -a law passed the year before required that the commissioner for each tax district in the state actually "call on every person subject to taxation or having property in his or her possession." Before 1787, taxpayers in Virginia were required, themselves, to report to their tax commissioner, with the result that some failed to do so and thus did not appear on the tax list that year. This 1786 law required, also, that the tax commissioner record the date on which he visited each household in his district. Not only was he to record the name of the head of each household, but also that of any other white male therein who was over 21 years of age.
The tax commissioner for the part of Prince William County in which William Sparks lived, called on him on March 28, 1787. Sparks was shown as owning five horses and eleven cattle. He was taxed for one "tithable," that being himself. (There was no tax on land in Virginia at that time.)
In all, the tax commissioner called on 26 households in his district that day, four of which were headed by women, all of whom were probably widows. One of these was Elizabeth Sparks, who owned two horses and three cattle. Being a female, she was not taxed as a "tithable." We think it probable that she was the widow of John Sparks, son of William Sparks. As will be seen, William Sparks indicated in his will dated March 7, 1787, the fact that his son, John Sparks, was deceased at that time. (This very valuable 1787 tax list for Virginia was published, county by county, in 1987 by Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love.)
11. William Sparks died in 1788 in Prince William County, Virginia, probably in the fall of the year. He had made and signed a will on March 7, 1787, which had been witnessed by three men, Andrew Lyons, Christopher Hopwood, and Peter Hopwood. The will was proven in the Prince William County Court on December 1, 1788. Here is the gist of the will as it was recorded on page 406 of Will Book G.
Last Will and Testament of William Sparks, dated March 7, 1787, and probated on December 1, 1788.
To my son, 11.3 William Sparks, my bay mare named Cockspur, also my new saddle and bridle, etc.
To my son, 11.5 Thomas Sparks, 31 Pounds specie to be put to interest "till he comes of age."
To my grandson, 11.1.1 James Sparks, son of 11.1 John Sparks, decd.,
one shilling sterling, and no more.
To my son, 11.2 James Sparks, one shilling sterling and no more.
To my daughter, 11.4 Nancy Wingate, one shilling sterling and no more.
The remainder of my estate to my loving wife, Kesiah Sparks, for her natural life.
Executors: My wife, Kesiah Sparks and my son, 11.2 James Sparks.
(Another William Sparks had also made a will, fifty years earlier, in Prince William County. That will, made on November 24, 1734, had been witnessed by John Champlin and Bridget Knowland. It had been proven in the Prince William County Court on June 18, 1735, and was recorded on page 46 of Will Book C. Sparks left his entire estate to his wife, Mary Sparks, who was also named as his executrix. At his wife's death, the remaining estate was to go to James Brown and William Gadde. Whether there was a relationship between these two men named William Sparks, we do not know.)
We have no further information about William and Kesiah (Hillen) Sparks. He was born ca. 1735 and was probably married to Kesiah ca. 1760. Their five children were probably born between 1760 and 1770. Three of their sons went to Kentucky ca. 1805.
11.1 John Sparks, son of William and Kesiah (Hillen) Sparks, was born ca. 1760. He was married and had a son, 11.1.1 James Sparks, born prior to March 1787. John was deceased by the time his father made his will on March 7, 1787. We have no further information about him or his son. (An inventory and appraisal of the estate of John Sparks was recorded in Prince William County on June 4, 1787.)
11.2 James Sparks was born ca. 1760, probably in Virginia. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Margaret Dawson on December 15, 1785, in Fauquier County, Virginia. Fauquier County had been formed in 1758 from Prince William County, and James Sparks paid taxes there in 1787. He was shown as owning three horses and two cattle. The tax district in which James Sparks was taxed in 1787 was described as "District C to begin at the fork of the road above Mr. Darnalls, thence along the road leading by Barnetts to the line of Prince William County, thence along that line to the line of Frederick, thence along that line to the Falmouth road, thence down the road to the beginning." (There were three men named Dawson taxed also in this "District 3" in 1787, one of whom may well have been the father of Margaret Dawson, first wife of James Sparks. Their names were George Dawson, Henry Dawson, and William Dawson.)
Margaret (Dawson) Sparks apparently died in Fauquier County ca. 1800, leaving James Sparks with four young children. He married (second) Nancy Mathew on May 25, 1801, also in Fauquier County. She had been born ca. 1775 and was a daughter of Catherine Mathew. (On the same day, March 13, 1787, that the tax commissioner called on James Sparks in Fauquier County, he had also called on three men named Mathew, which means they were close neighbors. They were Edward Mathew, Nathan Mathew, and Thomas Mathew, and on the following day, March 14, 1787, the tax commissioner called on Benjamin Mathew and Isaac Mathew. It seems probable that one of these men was the father of Nancy Mathew, second wife of James Sparks.)
About 1805, 11.2 James Sparks and his brothers, 11.3 William Sparks and 11.5 Thomas Sparks, apparently decided to move to Kentucky. Descendants say that they traveled down the Great Valley of Virginia to Cumberland Gap and then followed the Wilderness Road northward to Bourbon County, Kentucky, where they settled on Houston Creek. There, James Sparks bought a 94-acre tract of land in 1812. He paid $13.00 per acre for the land.
In 1819, 11.2 James and Nancy (Mathew) Sparks sold the land on Houston Creek to John King for $32.00 an acre. They then moved north a few miles to Silas Branch, a small stream that is a part of the northern boundary of Bourbon County. There, they bought a 165-acre tract of land from Davis Biggs, paying him $4,132 for the tract. It was located on the north side of Silas Branch and was in Harrison County; thus the records of James Sparks and his family can be found in both Bourbon and Harrison Counties.
The household of James Sparks was enumerated on the 1810 census of Bourbon County. He was shown as the owner of eight slaves. He was not listed on the 1820 census, however; in all probability the family was simply missed by both the Bourbon and Harrison County census takers that year. When the 1830 census was taken, James Sparks was shown as heading a household in Harrison County.
James and Nancy were members of the Baptist Church, and when they arrived in Kentucky, they became affiliated with the Baptist Church in Paris, Kentucky. After they moved to Silas Branch, they were "received by letter" into the Silas Baptist Church at Jacksonville.
On September 9, 1829, James and Nancy Sparks sold their 165-acre tract of land to Samuel Ewalt for $4,132, exactly the same price that they had paid for the land ten years earlier. Nancy signed her name on the deed while James made his mark. Three months later, on December 17, 1829, James bought 23 acres of land from George Smiser, and the following year he bought a parcel of land of undisclosed size from John Trimble.
The last land transaction made by James and Nancy Sparks was dated January 5, 1835; they sold the 23-acre tract and a 137-acre tract to their son, 11.2.10 Silas H. Sparks. Silas paid his parents $3200 for the land.
The disposition of the two tracts of land in January 1835 may have been prompted by poor health on the part of James Sparks, for he died the following year. The minutes of the Silas Baptist Church contain a record of his death on September 14, 1836. An inventory of his estate was taken on December 14, 1836, by Joseph Shawhan, Joel Frazer, and George Smiser.
11.2 James Sparks died intestate (that is, without a will), and the Harrison County Court disposed of his estate according to law. The court appointed his son, 11.2.8 Wesley Sparks, as the administrator. Fortunately for those interested in genealogy, when the estate was finally settled on April 11, 1838, all of James's eleven children were designated. As named in Minute Book F, of the Harrison County Court, they were:
11.2.1 Elizabeth Sparks Love
11.2.2 William Sparks
11.2.3 Barton heirs
11.2.4 Thomas Sparks
11.2.5 K. Jones
11.2.6 F. Forsythe
11.2.7 M. Jones
11.2.8 W. Sparks (Wesley)
11.2.9 S. H. Sparks
11.2.10 E. M. Sparks
Nancy (Mathew) Sparks survived her husband by five years, dying on June 15, 1841, according to the minutes of the Silas Baptist Church. She, too, died intestate, and her son, 11.2.8 Wesley Sparks, was appointed as her administrator. An inventory was taken of her personal estate on July 20, 1841, by Joseph Shawhan, James Fraizer, and J. W. Lair, and a public sale was held on August 21, 1841.
Nancy (Mathew) Sparks and her husband, James Sparks, had seven children, all of whom lived to maturity. By his first marriage, James Sparks had four children, thus he was the father of eleven children in all. Here is the information that we have found about them.
11.2.1 Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of James and Margaret (Dawson) Sparks, was born ca. 1786, probably in Prince William County, Virginia. She married Philip Love ca. 1806. He was a son of Charles and Polly (Barnes) Love according to Pioneer Families of Missouri, published in 1876. He and Elizabeth moved to Callaway County, Missouri, ca. 1828. They had eleven children; however, we have learned nothing about them except their names and probable years of birth.
11.2.1.1 Charles Love was born ca. 1807.
11.2.1.2 James Love was born ca. 1809.
11.2.1.3 Margaret A. Love was born ca. 1811.
11.2.1.4 Mary F. Love was born ca. 1813.
11.2.1.5 Lucinda J. Love was born ca. 1815.
11.2.1.6 Thomas S. Love was born ca. 1817.
11.2.1.7 William H. Love was born ca. 1819.
11.2.1.8 John W. Love was born ca. 1821.
11.2.1.9 Robert T. Love was born ca. 1823.
11.2.1.10 Emily Love was born ca. 1825.
11.2.1.11 Stephen Love was born ca. 1827.11.2.2 William Sparks was born ca. 1787 in Virginia and was a young man when he accompanied his father to Kentucky. When the War of 1812 broke out, he offered his service as a wagoner and received bounty land later for that service. (See pp. 908-09 of the June 1965 issue of The Sparks Quarterly, Whole No. 50, for an abstract of his bounty land application file which is preserved at the National Archives.)
After he returned from service in the War of 1812, William Sparks married Sarah Barton on January 15, 1815, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. She had been born ca. 1790 and was a daughter of Andrew Barton. She died on March 7, 1826, leaving her husband with six children, the youngest of whom was just three weeks old. William married (second) Elizabeth Barton on September 21, 1826. She had been born ca. 1807 and was a daughter of David Barton. Some descendants believe that she was a cousin of Sarah Barton, the first wife of William Sparks.
Shortly after his second marriage, William Sparks moved to neighboring Fayette County, Kentucky, where he and his household were enumerated on the 1830 and 1840 censuses. He moved back to Bourbon County ca. 1845, however, and it was there that he died on August 25, 1848. He left no will, and the Bourbon County Court appointed William Barton (probably his brother-inlaw) as the administrator of his estate. Hiram Sparks was Barton's bondsman in the amount of $3200.
Elizabeth (Barton) Sparks was shown as the head of her household when the 1850 census was taken of Bourbon County. With her were her seven children. Shortly thereafter, however, she moved to Marion County, Missouri, where, in June 1855, she applied for bounty land based on her husband's service in the War of 1812. By 1878, she was in Saline County, Missouri; she apparently died there ca. 1880.
According to census records and information furnished by descendants, William Sparks had thirteen children, six by his first marriage and seven by his second marriage.
11.2.2.1 James Sparks was born ca. 1816.
11.2.2.2 William Sparks was born ca. 1817.
11.2.2.3 Son Sparks son of William and Sarah (Barton) Sparks, whom we have been unable to identify was born ca. 1818.
11.2.2.4 Margaret Sparks was born ca. 1820. She is said to have been married to FNU Smith.
11.2.2.5 Hiram B. Sparks was born ca. 1822. He married Josephine Turpen on January 30, 1851, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. She had been born ca. 1835 in Kentucky. Hiram and Josephine moved to Missouri in 1853 where they settled in Buchanan County. When the 1860 census was taken, Hiram was shown as a saloon-keeper in the Second Ward of the city of St. Joseph. His age was given as 39, and Josephine's age was 25. With them were:11.2.2.5.1 M. Sparks, 8, daughter;
11.2.2.5.2 C. Sparks, 6, son;
11.2.2.5.3 C. Sparks, 5, son.An interesting document was recorded during the Civil War in the Missouri Senate Journal, 1862-1865. It was a deposition from Hiram B. Sparks and was sworn to on December 19, 1862. It reads as follows:
"I am forty-two years of age. I was born in the State of Kentucky. I have resided in the State of Missouri nine years, all of said time in the City of St. Joseph. I did not vote at the last November election, in consequence of the interference of the military at the polls. I would have voted for Mr. John Corby for Senator."
/S/ Hiram B. Sparks
We have found no further information about this family.
11.2.2.6 Lloyd W. Sparks, son of William and Sarah (Barton) Sparks, was born February 14, 1826, in Bourbon County, Kentucky; his mother died shortly thereafter. Descendants believe that he accompanied his step-mother to Marion County, Missouri, where he married Mary Elizabeth ca. 1855. He was a farmer, but he also engaged in mule breaking and trading. He owned nine slaves in July 1860 in Saline County, Missouri.
About 1886, Lloyd Sparks returned to Bourbon County where he became the overseer of the Alexander Place, a large estate located on the Bethlehem Road. It was there that he was killed while "breaking" a mule in 1895. He had been married to a Mrs. Millie Ann Brock in Bourbon County only a year before. By his first marriage, he had four children. Children of Lloyd W. and Mary Elizabeth Sparks:
11.2.2.6.1 Julia Sparks was born ca. 1856. She married Brooke Smith on March 2, 1880, in Bourbon County.
11.2.2.6.2 Edward Bailey Sparks was born May 9, 1857, probably in Illinois. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Ella Wells on September 22, 1882, in Cincinnati, Ohio. They had one child:
11.2.2.6.2.1 Idella Sparks.
Mary Ella died on April 4, 1912, and Edward married (second) Sue Dobbins McCann on September 2, 1915. To this union two children were born:
11.2.2.6.2.2 Sue D. Sparks and
11.2.2.6.2.3 Edward Bailey Sparks, Jr.11.2.2.6.3 Alice C. Sparks was born ca. 1858. She married Joe W. Ashurst on July 5, 1887. She died in 1945 in California.
11.2.2.6.4 Richard Sparks was born ca. 1859. He married Bettie H. Howe on July 26, 1880. He died in 1885 in Texas.
11.2.2.7 John Thomas Sparks, son of William and Elizabeth (Barton) Sparks, was born ca. 1830.
11.2.2.8 Charlotte Sparks was born ca. 1834. She married Thomas W. Garrard on September 4, 1851, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Relatives say they moved to New Mexico.
11.2.2.9 Sarah Sparks was born ca. 1836.
11.2.2.10 James S. Sparks was born ca. 1836. He was a cigar maker. He served in Company C, Berry's Battalion Missouri Cavalry during the Civil War and received a pension for his services. (See page 4127 of this issue of the Quarterly for an abstract of the papers in his pension application file from the National Archives.) After he left the service, James Sparks married Hattie C. Hale on November 25, 1862, at Hannibal, Missouri. He died on May 24, 1885, and after his death, his widow moved to Kansas and then to Canadian County, Oklahoma. According to available records, James and Hattie Sparks had at least three children:
11.2.2.10.1 Norah Sparks,
11.2.2.10.2 George Sparks, and
11.2.2.10.3 Pearl Sparks.11.2.2.11 Sophia Carr Sparks was born March 16, 1840, in Fayette County, Kentucky. On July 19, 1864, she married Washington Kennedy Clay at Carlinsville, Illinois. He was a son of Samuel Henry and Julia Alice (Kennedy) Clay of Bourbon County, Kentucky.
11.2.2.12 Victoria Sparks was born December 31, 1842. She married J. G. Staples in 1863.
11.2.2.13 Mary ["Mollie"] Sparks was born ca. 1846. She married William Allison.
11.2.3 Nancy Sparks, daughter of James and Margaret (Dawson) Sparks, was born ca. 1790. She married Stephen Barton on June 10, 1814, in Harrison County, Kentucky. He is said to have been born on March 23, 1796; however, from census records, it appears more likely that he was born be tween 1780 and 1790. He and Nancy had nine children before her death, which occurred ca. 1830. Stephen married (second) Nancy's cousin (also named Nancy Sparks), a daughter of William Sparks. He and Nancy (his second wife) moved to Monroe County, Missouri, where Stephen died on October 1, 1845. Children of Stephen and Nancy (Sparks) Barton:
11.2.3.1 Margaret Barton was born ca. 1815. She is said to have been married to FNU Love.
11.2.3.2 Susan G. Barton was born ca. 1817. She married James Alexander on March 7, 1847, in Monroe County, Missouri11.2.3.3 James S. Barton was born ca. 1818. He married Louisa Sparks on January 14, 1841, and they had eleven children.
11.2.3.3.1 Thomas Barton was born ca. 1842.
11.2.3.3.2 William T. Barton was born ca. 1844.
11.2.3.3.3 Emily Barton was born ca. 1846.
11.2.3.3.4 James W. Barton was born ca. 1848.
11.2.3.3.5 Andrew Barton was born ca. 1851. He married Ursula M. Jones on November 4, 1885.
11.2.3.3.6 David Barton was born ca. 1852.
11.2.3.3.7 Nancy Barton was born ca. 1856.
11.2.3.3.8 Margaret Barton was born ca. 1858.
11.2.3.3.9 Mary E. Barton was born ca. 1860.
11.2.3.3.10 Sophia Barton was born ca. 1860 and was a twin sister of Mary E. Barton, next above.
11.2.3.3.11 Elliott Barton was born ca. 1865. He married Mary Ellen Robertson Roland ca. 1888, and they had three children:11.2.3.3.11.1 Esther Barton,
11.2.3.3.11.2 Anna Barton, and
11.2.3.3.11.3 Kate Barton.Elliott Barton married (second) Sarah Edwards on October 23, 1895. She had been born on May 25, 1849.
11.2.3.4 Thomas S. Barton was born November 10, 1819, in Harrison County, Kentucky. He married Sarah Williams on January 21, 1841. She had been born January 23, 1826. Thomas died on November 1, 1881, and Sarah died in November 1901. They were the parents of seven children.
11.2.3.4.1 Margaret Barton was born ca. 1844. She was married twice. Her first marriage was to Joseph L. Wilson on January 22, 1866, and they had one child:
11.2.3.4.1.1 Willie Wilson.
She married (second) John Livesay, and they had four children:
11.2.3.4.1.2 Sarah Livesay,
11.2.3.4.1.3 Nannie Livesay,
11.2.3.4.1.4 Glendora Livesay, and
11.2.3.4.1.5 John Livesay.11.2.3.4.2 Mary E. Barton was born in 1846. She married Henry Wade, and they had three children: Lena, Henry, and William.
11.2.3.4.3 Thomas R. Barton was born May 25, 1849. He married Mary E. Love on November 20, 1872. She had been born on February 16, 1850. Thomas died on November 26, 1881, and Mary died on February 24, 1924. They had three children:
11.2.3.4.3.1 Everette Barton,
11.2.3.4.3.2 Robert Barton, and
11.2.3.4.3.3 Thomas Barton.11.2.3.4.4 Martha Mildred Barton was born August 29, 1851. She married James Samuel Howell on November 7, 1872. He had been born on May 25, 1849. He died on March 6, 1910, and Martha died on March 30, 1928. They had four children:
11.2.3.4.4.1 William Howell,
11.2.3.4.4.2 Betty Howell,
11.2.3.4.4.3 Thomas Howell, and
11.2.3.4.4.4 James Robert Howell.James Robert Howell married Nina Jones, and they were the grandparents of Norman F. Sanders, who has been most helpful in the preparation of this article. (See 11.2.9.7.5 below.)
11.2.3.4.5 William Riley Barton was born March 13, 1855. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Rebecca Jane Williams on December 31, 1879, and they had four children:
11.2.3.4.5.1 Edna Barton,
11.2.3.4.5.2 Henry Barton,
11.2.3.4.5.3 Joseph Barton, and
11.2.3.4.5.4 Jessie Barton.William's second marriage was to Ora Ella Parrish on February 27, 1888, and they had two daughters,
11.2.3.4.5.5 Eula Barton and
11.2.3.4.5.6 Mable Barton.11.2.3.4.6 Elijah Granville Barton was born ca. 1857. He married Mary A. Johnson on November 29, 1882.
11.2.3.4.7 John Samuel Barton was born ca. 1863. He married Katherine Cumley on February 8, 1888.
11.2.3.5 Andrew J. Barton, son of Stephen and Nancy (Sparks) Barton, was born ca. 1822. He married Sophia Love on February 17, 1848.
11.2.3.6 Elijah B. Barton was born January 12, 1824. He married Elizabeth Crim on October 22, 1845. They had at least one child,
11.2.3.6.1 William Barton, born ca. 1857.
11.2.3.7 William S. Barton was born in May 1825. He died on April 27, 1908. He was never married.
11.2.3.8 Wesley S. Barton was born ca. 1827. He died in April 1854 in Monroe County, Missouri. He was never married.
11.2.3.9 Elizabeth Barton was born ca. 1829. She married Samuel W. Love on March 21, 1845.
11.2.4 Fanny Sparks was born ca. 1795 in Virginia. She married Augustus Forsythe on January 7, 1819, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Augustus died sometime between May 27 and June 12, 1846, in Harrison County, Kentucky. He and Fanny are said to have had nine children.
11.2.4.1 Avalena Forsythe was born ca. 1819. She married FNU Bramlett.
11.2.4.2 Frances ["Fannie"] Forsythe was born ca. 1821. She married FNU Leach.11.2.4.3 Newton Forsythe was born ca. 1823 in Kentucky. He was probably the Newton Forsythe who was enumerated on the 1860 census of Monroe County, Missouri. He married Elizabeth MNU ca. 1847. She had been born in Indiana ca. 1826. They had seven children:
11.2.4.3.1 John W. Forsythe was born ca. 1848 in Kentucky.
11.2.4.3.2 Mary E. Forsythe was born ca. 1850 in Missouri.
11.2.4.3.3 Frances Forsythe was born ca. 1852 in Missouri.
11.2.4.3.4 Mariah Forsythe was born ca. 1853.
11.2.4.3.5 Elizabeth Forsythe was born ca. 1856.
11.2.4.3.6 Milton Forsythe was born ca. 1858.
11.2.4.3.7 Brazelia Forsythe was born ca. 1861.11.2.4.4 Elizabeth Forsythe was born ca. 1825.
11.2.4.5 Milton Forsythe was born ca. 1828 in Kentucky. He married a woman named Brazelia MNU ca. 1851, and when the 1860 census was taken of Monroe County, Missouri, they had six children.
11.2.4.5.1 Sarah Forsythe was born ca. 1852 in Kentucky.
11.2.4.5.2 Charles F. Forsythe was born ca. 1853 in Kentucky.
11.2.4.5.3 Nancy M. Forsythe was born ca. 1855 in Kentucky.
11.2.4.5.4 James H. Forsythe was born ca. 1856 in Kentucky.
11.2.4.5.5 John W. Forsythe was born ca. 1857 in Missouri.
11.2.4.5.6 Elizabeth Forsythe was born ca. 1859 in Missouri.11.2.4.6 John Forsythe.
11.2.4.7 Augustus Forsythe, Jr.
11.2.4.8 James Forsythe.
11.2.4.9 William Forsythe.As was indicated above, Margaret (Dawson) Sparks, first wife of James Sparks, died ca. 1800 in Virginia. He married (second) Nancy Mathew on May 25, 1801, in Fauquier County, Virginia. They had seven children.
11.2.5 John Thomas Sparks, son of James and Nancy (Mathew) Sparks, was born ca. 1802 in Virginia and was a small child when he came to Kentucky with his parents. Thomas (as he was called) married Mahala Taylor on January 21, 1822, in Bracken County, Kentucky. She had been born ca. 1797 in Maryland. Thomas and Mahala were listed on the 1840, 1850, and 1860 censuses of Harrison County, Kentucky; however, they lived in a portion that became a part of Robertson County in 1867. According to census records, they had nine children. They died sometime after 1870.
11.2.5.1 William Sparks was born ca. 1823 in Harrison County, and it was there that he married Eliza Taylor on December 15, 1846. She had been born in Kentucky ca. 1819. She and William had four children.
11.2.5.1.1 Ann C. Sparks was born ca. 1847.
11.2.5.1.2 Mahala Sparks was born ca. 1849. She married Elvin Dryden ca. 1868.
11.2.5.1.3 Thomas Sparks was born in May 1851. He apparently was never married.
11.2.5.1.4 Harriet Sparks was born July 2, 1857.11.2.5.2 Son Sparks
11.2.5.3 Daughter Sparks between 1825 and 1830.11.2.5.4 John Sparks was born in May 1833. He married Sarah Jane Bramel on March 21, 1855, in Harrison County, Kentucky. She had been born in October 1833 and was a daughter of Elias and Rebecca Bramel, natives of Maryland. According to census records, John and Jane (as she was called) Sparks had five children. They died sometime after 1900, probably in Robertson County, Kentucky.
11.2.5.4.1 Charles W. Sparks was born December 20, 1856. He married Nora MNU ca. 1880.
11.2.5.4.2 Mary F. Sparks was on September 9, 1858.
11.2.5.4.3 Thomas Sparks was born in June 1860. He married Mary MNU ca. 1882, and when the 1900 census was taken of Robertson County, they had three children:11.2.5.4.3.1 Bessie Sparks,
11.2.5.4.3.2 Jesse Sparks, and
11.2.5.4.3.3 Beulah Sparks.11.2.5.4.4 John M. Sparks was born in July 1862. He married Allie B. ca. 1883, and when the 1900 census was taken of Robertson County, they had two children,
11.2.5.4.4.1 Myrtie Sparks and
11.2.5.4.4.2 James B. Sparks11.2.5.4.5 Eliza Sparks was born ca. 1865. She may have been married to FNU Duncan ca. 1880.
11.2.5.5 Ina Sparks was born ca. 1835.
11.2.5.6 Mary Sparks was born ca. 1838.
11.2.5.7 Margaret Sparks was born ca. 1840.11.2.5.8 George Washington Sparks, son of John Thomas and Mahala (Taylor) Sparks, was born in June 1841. (His father was called by his middle name, Thomas.) George Washington Sparks was married twice. His first marriage was to Lucy O. Duncan on June 14, 1858, in Harrison County. She had been born ca. 1840. She and George had two children before her death, which occurred ca. 1863. They were:
11.2.5.8.1 Ann Elizabeth Sparks was born April 30, 1859. She married Archie Vanhook ca. 1878.
11.2.5.8.2 Nancy Jane Sparks was born in the spring of 1860.George Washington Sparks's second marriage was to Harriet E. Conner on January 7, 1866, in Harrison County. She had been born in February 1844. She and George had seven children. George W. and Harriet E. Sparks died sometime after 1900. These seven children were:
11.2.5.8.3 Leora Sparks was born ca. 1866.
11.2.5.8.4 Lucy Sparks was born ca. 1868
11.2.5.8.5 John T. Sparks was born in April 1870.
11.2.5.8.6 Sidney Sparks (a son) was born in May 1874.
11.2.5.8.7 Eliza Sparks was born ca. 1876.
11.2.5.8.8 Alice Sparks was born in October 1878
11.2.5.8.9 George W. Sparks, Jr. was born in October 1880. He married Mary Ziegler, and they had at least one child,11.2.5.8.9.1 Ritsel Thomas Sparks, born in 1906.
11.2.6 Catherine Sparks, daughter of James and Nancy (Mathew) Sparks, was born ca. 1804 in Fauquier County, Virginia, and it was there that she married William Jones on February 17, 1823. They moved to Monroe County, Missouri, where Catherine died, apparently between 1844 and 1850. William died there between 1850 and 1860. They had ten children.
11.2.6.1 Nancy Jones was born ca. 1825.
11.2.6.2 Silas Jones was born September 28, 1828. He married Catherine Love on January 6, 1858, in Callaway County, Missouri. She had been born on February 14, 1843. She died on March 15, 1897, and Silas died on February 5, 1899.
11.2.6.3 James Jones was born ca. 1829.
11.2.6.4 Lucy Ann Jones was born ca. 1831. She married Hardin A. Key on February 3, 1853.
11.2.6.5 William G. Jones was born ca. 1833. He married Susan L. Howell on January 5, 1859, in Monroe County, Missouri.
11.2.6.6 Julia F. Jones was born ca. 1835.
11.2.6.7 John G. Jones was born ca. 1837. He married Nancy Arthur on September 10, 1862, in Monroe County, Missouri.
11.2.6.8 Dulcena Jones was born ca. 1841.
11.2.6.9 Elizabeth Jones was born ca. 1843.
11.2.6.10 Jane A. Jones was born ca. 1844.11.2.7 James Wesley Sparks was born on October 4, 1805, in Fauquier County, Virginia, and was just a baby when his parents brought him to Bourbon County, Kentucky. There he grew to manhood, and it was there that he married Jane Givens on April 8, 1828. Jane Givens had been born on May 20, 1809, and was a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Robertson) Givens. Wesley (as he was generally called) and Jane were members of the Silas Baptist Church.
Jane (Givens) Sparks died on August 1, 1858, in Harrison County, Kentucky. On April 13, 1865, Wesley married Matilda Blair. She had been born ca. 1809. Wesley died on March 3, 1873, in Covington, Kentucky. He was the father of nine children, all by his first marriage. Their names and dates of birth were recorded in the family Bible.
11.2.7.1 James Samuel Sparks was born March 18, 1829. He died on May 21, 1839.
11.2.7.2 William Sparks was born March 1, 1831. He married Mary Susan Shropshire on September 9, 1856, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. She had been born on May 4, 1840, and was a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Hawkins) Shropshire. When the 1900 census was taken of Bourbon County, William and Mary Susan Sparks stated that they had been married 34 years and had two children, both of whom were living (in 1900); however, we have found a record of only one child,
11.2.7.2.1 William Sparks, Jr., who was born in August 1874.
According to the family Bible, William Sparks [Sr.] died on August 30, 1907, and Mary Susan died on June 20, 1914.
11.2.7.3 John Wesley Sparks was born July 3, 1833. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Lucinda ["Lou"] Clark on October 6, 1857, in Bourbon County. She had been born ca. 1836 and was a daughter of Edwin and Nancy (MNU) Clark. She died on July 26, 1858.
John Wesley Sparks married (second) Julia Clay Garrard on Novem ber 3, 1859, in Bourbon County. She had been born ca. 1839 and was a daughter of Charles Todd and Mattie (Kennedy) Garrard. According to The Clay Family, published in 1899, she and John had seven children; however, the only information given in that book is the names of the children:
11.2.7.3.1 Charles Sparks,
11.2.7.3.2 Martha Sparks, "Mattie",
11.2.7.3.3 Lillie Sparks,
11.2.7.3.4 James Sparks,
11.2.7.3.5 Elizabeth ["Betty"] Sparks,
11.2.7.3.6 Jesse Sparks, and
11.2.7.3.7 William Sparks.11.2.7.4 Elizabeth Sparks was born February 18, 1836. She married Charles Perry Talbot on November 2, 1857, in Harrison County.
11.2.7.5 Nancy Ann Sparks was born July 10, 1838. She married Joseph Henry Hawkins on September 12, 1854. She died on May 3, 1860.
11.2.7.6 George Sedgwick Sparks was born October 24, 1841. He married Mary ["Mollie"] C. Rymel on November 9, 1865, in Bourbon County. She had been born ca. 1840 in Kentucky. She died prior to 1900; George died sometime after 1900. According to the census records of Bourbon County, they had at least two children; there may have been others born to them.
11.2.7.6.1 David Sparks was born ca. 1867.
11.2.7.6.2 Annie B. Sparks was born ca. 1879. She married George Wilson ca. 1895, and they had a son. When the 1900 census was taken of Bourbon County, Annie's father, George Sparks, aged 58, was living in their household.11.2.7.6.2.1 Sparks Wilson, born in January 1896.
11.2.7.7 Franklin ["Frank"] Givens Sparks was born April 29, 1844. He was married three times according to descendants. His first marriage was to Elizabeth ["Betty"] Shropshire on May 17, 1866, in Bourbon County. She had been born on April 3, 1848, and was a daughter of Joseph Shropshire, Sr. She and Frank had six children before her death on March 26, 1879.
On December 29, 1881, Franklin ["Frank"] Sparks married Margaret ["Maggie"] Shropshire, a sister of his first wife. She died shortly after the marriage. Frank's third marriage was to Mrs. Mary (Woods) Warnock. Frank died on February 4, 1908. He was the father of six children, all by his first wife.
11.2.7.7.1 Joseph Sparks was born February 27, 1867. He married Mattie D. Shropshire on December 29, 1887, and when the 1900 census was taken of Harrison County, they had four children:
11.2.7.7.1.1 Benjamin Sparks,
11.2.7.7.1.2 William Sparks,
11.2.7.7.1.3 George O. Sparks, and
11.2.7.7.1.4 Mary Sparks.There may have been other children born to this couple. George O. Sparks married Mamie Louise Kemper, and they are the parents of Association member 11.2.7.7.3.1 George O. Sparks, Jr. of New Windsor, Maryland.
11.2.7.7.2 Jane Givens Sparks was born April 1, 1869. She married James S. Thompson on December 19, 1894, and they had at least one child,
11.2.7.7.2.1 Elizabeth Thompson, born in 1907.
11.2.7.7.3 Ann Amelia Sparks was born October 3, 1871. She died on March 17, 1873.
11.2.7.7.4 William Sparks was born August 1, 1873. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Talbot Smith on May 30, 1894. His second marriage was to Delia Maude Boston on April 23, 1903. William Sparks had at least one child from his second marriage,
11.2.7.7.4.1 Marietta Sparks, born in 1907.
11.2.7.7.5 James Wesley Sparks was born December 20, 1875.
11.2.7.7.6 Franklin Givens Sparks, Jr. was born June 19, 1877.11.2.7.8 Jane Catherine Sparks was born September 25, 1848. She married Francis Gray Craig on November 15, 1866, in Harrison County. She died on November 29, 1900.
11.2.7.9 Silas Malthesa Sparks was born July 13, 1851. He died on April 28, 1852.
11.2.8 Mary Sparks, daughter of James and Nancy (Mathew) Sparks, was born ca. 1807, probably in Kentucky. She married Baylus Jones on April 10, 1826, in Harrison County. (The given name of Baylus was also spelled Balis, Bayless, Bayles, etc.) He had been born on December 10, 1804, in Harrison County. Two children had been born to him and Mary when the 1830 census was taken of Harrison County.
According to a descendant, Baylus Jones joined four other men and went to Monroe County, Missouri, ca. 1830 to investigate moving their families there. They then returned to Harrison County for their families and moved to Missouri. They traveled by steamboat down the Ohio River to its mouth and then up the Mississippi River to the mouth of Salt River. There, they changed to keelboats and went up the Salt River to the Cincinnati landing, where wagons were loaded to take them the final step to the middle fork of Salt River.
Mary (Sparks) Jones, wife of Baylus, died shortly after the family arrived in Monroe County, Missouri, probably in 1831. As far as can be determined, no grave marker exists for her. Her children were buried in the Jones Cemetery near their father. It is located on the land Baylus Jones purchased on No vember 17, 1831. The two children of Baylus and Mary (Sparks) Jones were:
11.2.8.1 Julia Jones was born 6 February 1826, in Harrison County, Kentucky. She married Robert T. Love on October 21, 1844, in Monroe County, Missouri. He had been born in December 1825. Julia died on February 11, 1882. Robert died between 1900 and 1910. They had three children.
11.2.8.1.1 Mary E. Love was born February 16, 1850. She married Thomas R. Barton on November 20, 1872. She died on February 24, 1924. She and Thomas had three children:
11.2.8.1.1.1 Everette Barton,
11.2.8.1.1.2 Robert Barton, and
11.2.8.1.1.3 Thomas Barton.11.2.8.1.2 Sophia Love was born September 1, 1855.
11.2.8.1.3 Thomas Love.11.2.8.2 James W. Jones was born on November 12, 1828. He married Mary Jane Jacobs on February 19, 1851, in Monroe County, Missouri. Mary Jane died on October 7, 1904, and James died on July 20, 1912. They had four children.
11.2.8.2.1 Mary A. Jones was born ca. 1853.
11.2.8.2.2 Virginia A. Jones was born in December 1855.
11.2.8.2.3 Willie A. Jones was born ca. 1859.
11.2.8.2.4 Wesley B. Jones was born in October 1860. He married Nina Painter on December 2, 1886. She had been born in August 1862. Wesley died in 1929, and Nina died in 1930. They had two children:11.2.8.2.4.1 Lutie Jones and
11.2.8.2.4.2 Edward Jones.11.2.9 Julia Sparks was born July 10, 1809, in Harrison County, Kentucky. After the death of her sister, Mary (Sparks) Jones (above), in Monroe County, Missouri, Julia's brother-in-law, Baylus Jones, returned to Harrison County, Kentucky, where he and Julia were married on October 1, 1831. They then went to Monroe County, Missouri, where they purchased land on November 17, 1831.
We believe we can name the seven children of Baylus and Julia (Sparks) Jones; however, there is a difference in the census records and the heirs named in the settlement of Baylus' estate in 1883. According to our belief, the children were:
11.2.9.1 Mary J. Jones was born ca. 1833. She married William Thomas on March 20, 1858, in Monroe County, Missouri. She apparently died prior to 1883.
11.2.9.2 Franklin Jones was born ca. 1839. He apparently died prior to 1883.
11.2.9.3 Elizabeth C. Jones was born October 25, 1842. She was married three times. Her first marriage was to Benjamin Blackwell on October 9, 1860, and they had only one child,
11.2.9.3.1 Julia Blackwell.
Her second marriage was to Berry Overfelt on November 11, 1866, and they had one child,
11.2.9.3.2 Henry R. Overfelt.
Elizabeth's third marriage was to Thomas Reno on May 6, 1878. He died on January 9, 1912. Elizabeth died on April 26, 1923.
11.2.9.4 Nancy B. Jones was born November 30, 1844. She married John Jacobs on April 29, 1862. He had been born on April 21, 1837. He died on March 15, 1881. Nancy died on January 2, 1911. They had four children.
11.2.9.4.1 Balus Jacobs was born June 12, 1865.
11.2.9.4.2 Elias J. Jacobs was born ca. 1867.
11.2.9.4.3 Laura Jacobs was born in June 1870.
11.2.9.4.4 Ella Emma Jacobs was born in 1879.11.2.9.5 Elias A. Jones was born 3 February 1848. He married Sarah Forsythe on September 22, 1870. She had been born on December 20, 1851. Elias died on March 15, 1921. Sarah died on February 23, 1931. They had five children.
11.2.9.5.1 Jesse Baylus Jones was born August 22, 1877.
11.2.9.5.2 Eula E. Jones was born April 12, 1879.
11.2.9.5.3 Fred S. Jones was born ca. 1880.
11.2.9.5.4 Noah Jones was born ca. 1885.
11.2.9.5.5 Grover G. Jones was born June 8, 1888.11.2.9.6 Ursula M. Jones, daughter of Baylus and Julia (Sparks) Jones, was born in the fall of 1850. She married Andrew Barton on November 4, 1885. She died in 1927.
11.2.9.7John Marshall Jones was born February 19, 1854. He married Annabelle Clay on April 15, 1875. She had been born on February 14, 1859. She died on February 24, 1921, and John Marshall died on July 25, 1934. They were the parents of ten children.
11.2.9.7.1 Guria Madison Jones was born March 6, 1877. He married Eva Lena Secoy on December 21, 1898.
11.2.9.7.2 Arthur Sylvester Jones was born November 12, 1879. He married Anne C. Crow on June 30, 1904.
11.2.9.7.3 George Baylus Jones was born September 13, 1881. He married Bessie Long on October 27, 1907.
11.2.9.7.4 Letha Kate Jones was born March 4, 1884. She married Thomas Earl Barton.11.2.9.7.5 Nina Jones was born October 22, 1886. She married James Robert Howell on October 22, 1905. He had been born on May 5, 1881, and was a son of James S. and Martha Mildred (Barton) Howell. (See 11.2.3.4.4 above.) James Robert and Nina (Jones) Howell were the maternal grandparents of Norman Sanders who has been most helpful in the preparation of this article.
11.2.9.7.6 Nora Marshall Jones was born June 10, 1889. She married Christopher C. Parrish on December 24, 1909.
11.2.9.7.7 John Travis Jones was born March 30, 1893. He married Ella Belle McGee on September 15, 1918.
11.2.9.7.8 Ann Gertrude Jones was born January 25, 1897. She died the following year.
11.2.9.7.9 Clay Bryan Jones was born March 8, 1899. He married Lula Hartman on September 8, 1920.
11.2.9.7.10 Alva Lawson Jones was born November 6, 1901. He married Goldie Faye Pitts on October 27, 1923.11.2.10 Silas H. Sparks, son of James and Nancy (Mathew) Sparks, was born ca. 1811 in Kentucky. He married Isabella Givens on September 26, 1833, in Harrison County, Kentucky. (The license was issued on September 23, 1833.) She had been born ca. 1813 in Kentucky and was a daughter of John Givens.
On January 5, 1835, Silas Sparks bought two tracts of land from his parents. One tract was about 136 acres; the other was 23 acres. He gave his parents $3,200 for the two tracts. He became a well-to-do farmer. In 1860, he valued his farm at $8,500 and had personal property valued at $9,000.
Isabella (Givens) Sparks died in 1863 in Harrison County. Silas died there in 1866 at the age of 56 years. He and Isabella had thirteen children:
11.2.10.1 Nancy Sparks was born December 5, 1835.
11.2.10.2 Ruth J. Sparks was born September 3, 1837. She never married. When the 1900 census was taken of Harrison County, she was shown as 62 years of age and was living in the household of her brother, Thomas Sparks. (Note from Webmaster: Ruth was engaged, but when her Mother died, she stayed with the family to raise the small children. She wore her wedding band on a chain around her neck.)
11.2.10.3 James A. Sparks was born ca. 1839.
11.2.10.4 Richard Craddock Sparks was born February 8, 1841. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Elizabeth Williams on March 1, 1864, in Harrison County, Kentucky, and they had at least one child,11.2.10.4.1 Emma B. Sparks, born in January 1867.
Richard Sparks married (second) Bettie H. MNU ca. 1880. He died sometime after 1900.
11.2.10.5 Mary A. Sparks was born December 13, 1843.
11.2.10.6 Sarah Catherine Sparks was born March 11, 1845. She apparently was never married. When the 1900 census was taken of Harrison County, she was shown as 55 years of age and living in the household of her brother, Thomas.
11.2.10.7 Martha E. Sparks was born January 1, 1847.
11.2.10.8 Silas Givens Sparks was born October 9, 1848. He is said to have gone to Missouri.
11.2.10.9 John W. Sparks was born in the spring of 1850.
11.2.10.10 Letitia Belle Sparks was born November 15, 1852.
11.2.10.11 Thomas Elias Sparks was born October 5, 1854. When the 1900 census was taken of Harrison County, Kentucky, he was shown as 45 years of age and was head of a household which was composed of three of his sisters. He apparently was never married.11.2.10.12 William Withers Sparks was born January 15, 1857 in Cynthiana, KY. He died in 1937. He married Sarah Jane Smedley in 1879. She had been born in August 1860. She died in 1944. She and William had three children.
(Note: this is the Webmaster's family. Additions here are from Nancy Sparks Frank. Also most of the 11.2.10.12 entries are buried in the Sparks plot at Battlegrove Cemetery in Cynthiana, KY.)
11.2.10.12.1 Charles Craddock Sparks was born June 5, 1880 in Fayette Co, KY. He was married first to Alta Hicks, who died in 1904. They had one child:
11.2.10.12.1.1 Harry Hicks Sparks, born in 1904 and died ca. 1910.
He married, second, Margaret Louis Lizer on November 5, 1905. She was the daughter of Albert Lizer and Talitha Adams. She was born on March 24, 1885 in Lair Station, KY. She died on April 23, 1974 in Ft. Mitchell, KY. Their children:
11.2.10.12.1.2 Sarah Frances Sparks was born in Covington, KY on November 7, 1907. She died in Louisville, KY on January 15, 1977. She never married.
11.2.10.12.1.3 William Albert Sparks, born October 15, 1913, in Covington, KY. He died on August 23, 1990 in Louisville, KY. He married Eileen Frances Fight in Covington, KY on September 5, 1936. Eileen was born June 24, 1916 in Covington, KY and was the daughter of Otto Enos Fight and Frances Eileen Gambell. She died on March 14, 2006 in Atlanta. Their children:11.2.10.12.1.3.1 Linda ["Lindy"] Elaine Sparks who was born June 1, 1937 in Covington, KY. She died on March 29, 2011 in Memphis, TN. She married Robert Ruffin III on July 7, 1962 in Louisville, KY. He was the son of Robert and Forrest (McCord) Ruffin. Their children:
11.2.10.12.1.3.1.1 Robert Ruffin IV
11.2.10.12.1.3.1.2 Eileen Forrest Ruffin. She married Daniel Keith Wood. Their children:11.2.10.12.1.3.1.2.1 William Daniel Wood
11.2.10.12.1.3.1.2.2 Winston Ruffin Wood11.2.10.12.1.3.2 Nancy Jane Sparks (Webmaster) was born in Covington, KY on April 17, 1943. She married Robert Davis Frank on September 23, 1967 in Louisville, KY. He was the son of Abbott and Helen (Klein) Frank. Robert died on January 28, 2009 in Atlanta, GA. Their children:
11.2.10.12.1.3.2.1 Davis William Frank. He married Christina Kaing Liu. She is the daughter of Andrew and Jean Liu. Their children:
11.2.10.12.1.3.2.1.1 Margaret Shi-Ming Frank
11.2.10.12.1.3.2.1.2 William Shi-Hao Frank11.2.10.12.1.3.2.2 Lindy Helene Frank
11.2.10.12.2 Mary Isabella Sparks was born October 13, 1883 in Lair Station, KY. She died on March 15, 1959 in Lexington, KY. She married Lester Jacob Boyers. He was the son of Thomas Smith Boyers and Elizabeth Renaker. He was born December 1, 1882 in Berry, KY and died in March 1982 in Buchanan, Michigan. Their children:
11.2.10.12.2.1 William Lester Boyers was born in 1913 and died shortly after.
11.2.10.12.2.2 John Sparks Boyers was born October 1, 1915 in Lexinton, KY. He married Jean Thompson on December 7, 1938. Their only child:11.2.10.12.2.2.1 David Boyers
11.2.10.12.2.3 Daughter Boyers born in 1923 who did not survive.
11.2.10.12.3 James Harding Sparks was born in October, 1887. He died at the beginning of World War I, a Marine.
11.2.10.13 Isabella Sparks was born in April 1860. When the 1900 census was taken of Harrison County, she was shown as 40 years of age and was living in the household of her brother, 11.2.10.11 Thomas Sparks, as were also her sisters, Ruth J. Sparks and Sarah Catherine Sparks.
11.2.11 Elias Matthew Sparks, son of James and Nancy (Mathew) Sparks, was born in August 1814 in Kentucky. He married Elizabeth Jane Hall on February 8, 1837, in Harrison County, Kentucky. She had been born in 1816 in Kentucky and was a daughter of Richard and Rebecca (Whitsell) Hall. Shortly after their marriage, Elias and Elizabeth moved to Fayette County, Ohio, where they settled on Rattlesnake Creek. They lived there until 1853 when they moved a short distance westward to Greene County, Ohio, where they lived near the village of Bowersville. It was there that Elias died on February 8, 1876. Elizabeth died there on April 8, 1883. They had seven children.
11.2.11.1 Margaret J. Sparks was born ca. 1837 in Kentucky. She married John Perrill on November 14, 1855, in Fayette County, Ohio. He had been born on June 17, 1823, in Highland County, Ohio, and was a son of Hugh Perrill. John was a well-to-do farmer and owned 550 acres of productive land in Fayette County, Ohio. He and Margaret had eleven children; however, we have not learned the order of their births. This numbering is just a guess.
11.2.11.1.1 Lewis Perrill married Lucy Johnson, and they had one child, 11.2.11.1.1.1 Wallace Perrill.
11.2.11.1.2 Elizabeth Perrill died at the age of two years.
11.2.11.1.3 Edward Perrill married Sallie Jerrell, and they had three children:11.2.11.1.3.1 Ethel Perrill,
11.2.11.1.3.2 Maude Perrill, and
11.2.11.1.3.3 Eldon Perrill.11.2.11.1.4 James H. Perrill died in infancy
11.2.11.1.5 George Perrill married Elizabeth Vanniman, and they had two children:11.2.11.1.5.1 Arthur Perrill and
11.2.11.1.5.2 Edith Perrill.11.2.11.1.6 Charles Perrill never married.
11.2.11.1.7 Laura Perrill married Henry Jones, and they had three children:11.2.11.1.7.1 Edwin Jones,
11.2.11.1.7.2 Perrill Jones, and
11.2.11.1.7.3 Fred Jones.11.2.11.1.8 Rebecca Perrill married James Custis.
11.2.11.1.9 Margaret Perrill married David Glass, and they had six children:11.2.11.1.9.1 Glenn Glass,
11.2.11.1.9.2 Perrill Glass,
11.2.11.1.9.3 Marie Glass,
11.2.11.1.9.4 Harold Glass,
11.2.11.1.9.5 Kennard Glass, and
11.2.11.1.9.6 James Glass.11.2.11.1.10 Ivy Perrill married John Acton, and they had two children:
11.2.11.1.10.1 Herman Acton and
11.2.11.1.10.2 Ulric Acton.11.2.11.1.11 Frank Perrill married Violet Flowers, and they had one child, 11.2.11.1.11.1 Hugh Perrill.
11.2.11.2 Silas Sparks, son of Elias Matthew and Elizabeth Jane (Hall) Sparks, was born January 16, 1839, in Ohio. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Christina Rankin on May 24, 1860, in Fayette County, Ohio. She had been born ca. 1838 in Ohio and was a daughter of Jacob A. Rankin. She and Silas were members of the Christian Church. She and Silas had ten children before her death, which occurred sometime after 1880.
Silas married (second) Dora (Patton) Dick. She was a widow and had been born on May 6, 1858, to Noah J. and Eliza (MNU) Patton. She and Silas had one child, 11.2.11.2.11 Virgil P. Sparks. Silas died on September 25, 1916, and Dora died on May 3, 1935. They were buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Highland County, Ohio. Silas was the father of ten children by his first marriage and one child by his second marriage.
11.2.11.2.1 Mary Ellen Sparks was born ca. 1861. She married Allen Bowermaster, and they are said to "have moved west."
11.2.11.2.2 Elizabeth Ann Sparks was born ca. 1863. She married David Burr on October 24, 1881, in Fayette County, Ohio. They had three children:
11.2.11.2.2.1 Grace Burr,
11.2.11.2.2.2 Lanson Burr, and
11.2.11.2.2.3 Delbert Burr.11.2.11.2.3 Jacob S. Sparks was born ca. 1865. He married Catherine Ulm, and they had four children:
11.2.11.2.3.1 Paul Sparks,
11.2.11.2.3.2 Ruth Sparks,
11.2.11.2.3.3 Walter Sparks, and
11.2.11.2.3.4 Matilda Sparks.11.2.11.2.4 Ada J. Sparks was born ca. 1867. She married John Matthew, and they had two children:
11.2.11.2.4.1 Myrl Matthew and
11.2.11.2.4.2 Mildred Matthew.11.2.11.2.5 Elias Sparks was born ca. 1869. He married Ruth MNU, and they had four children:
11.2.11.2.5.1 Dean Sparks,
11.2.11.2.5.2 Marjorie Sparks,
11.2.11.2.5.3 Lois Sparks, and
11.2.11.2.5.4 Howard Sparks.11.2.11.2.6 John Sparks was born in May 1870. He was never married.
11.2.11.2.7 Silas Sparks, Jr. was born ca. 1871. He married Evelyn Shimer, and they had seven children:11.2.11.2.7.1 Ralph Sparks,
11.2.11.2.7.2 Mildred Sparks,
11.2.11.2.7.3 Sylvia Sparks,
11.2.11.2.7.4 Chester Sparks,
11.2.11.2.7.5 Wendell Sparks,
11.2.11.2.7.6 Marian Bernice Sparks, and
11.2.11.2.7.7 Dorothy Sparks.11.2.11.2.8 William Henry Sparks was born ca. 1874. He married Edith Lester, and they had three children:
11.2.11.2.8.1 Marjorie Sparks,
11.2.11.2.8.2 Dorothy Sparks, and
11.2.11.2.8.3 Florence Sparks.11.2.11.2.9 Christina Sparks was born ca. 1876. She married Lew Mills, and they had two children:
11.2.11.2.9.1 May Mills and
11.2.11.2.9.2 Guy Mills.11.2.11.2.10 Albert Sparks was born ca. 1878. He married Linnie Stephens, and they had one child,
11.2.11.2.10.1 John Sparks.
11.2.11.2.11 Virgil P. Sparks. (He was the only child of Silas Sparks and his second wife, Dora.)
11.2.11.3 Hiram Sparks, son of Elias and Elizabeth (Hall) Sparks, was born ca. 1841 in Ohio. He married Amanda Hill ca. 1864. She had been born ca. 1844 in Ohio. According to a descendant and the 1870 and 1880 census records of Fayette County, Ohio, she and Hiram had nine children.
11.2.11.3.1 Laura Sparks was born ca. 1865. She married William ["Will"] Allen, and they had two children:
11.2.11.3.1.1 Lon Allen and
11.2.11.3.1.2 Lula Allen.11.2.11.3.2 William Sparks was born ca. 1868. He married Bessie Brown Gibson, and they had two children:
11.2.11.3.2.1 Edith Sparks and
11.2.11.3.2.2 Burdette Sparks.11.2.11.3.3 Arthur ["Arty"] C. Sparks was born ca. 1871. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Nettie Acklin, and his second marriage was to Vada King. He had no children by either marriage.
11.2.11.3.4 Frank C. Sparks was born ca. 1873.
11.2.11.3.5 John W. Sparks was born ca. 1875. He married Mattie Culberson, and they had eleven children:11.2.11.3.5.1 Pauline Sparks,
11.2.11.3.5.2 Louise Sparks,
11.2.11.3.5.3 Frank Sparks,
11.2.11.3.5.4 May Sparks,
11.2.11.3.5.5 Lucile Sparks,
11.2.11.3.5.6 Carrie Sparks,
11.2.11.3.5.7 Ralph Sparks,
11.2.11.3.5.8 Florence Sparks,
11.2.11.3.5.9 Thomas Sparks,
11.2.11.3.5.10 George Sparks, and
11.2.11.3.5.11 James Sparks.11.2.11.3.6 Hiram S. Sparks was born February 9, 1879. He married Sarah Elma Hook, and they had three children. Hiram died on December 9, 1953.
11.2.11.3.6.1 Louise Sparks
11.2.11.3.6.2 Virginia Sparks
11.2.11.3.6.3 Wilbur Sparks11.2.11.3.7 James Sparks was born in the spring of 1880.
11.2.11.3.8 Cora Sparks was born ca. 1882. She was married twice. Her first marriage was to FNU Roberds, by whom she had one child,11.2.11.3.8.1 Mabel Roberds.
Her second marriage was to FNU Whisler, and they had three children:
11.2.11.3.8.2 Thelma Whisler,
11.2.11.3.8.3 Ruth Whisler, and
11.2.11.3.8.4 Madelyn Whisler.11.2.11.3.9 Stanley E. Sparks was born ca. 1885. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Nellie Marie Belles, and they had six children:
11.2.11.3.9.1 Robert Sparks,
11.2.11.3.9.2 Alma Sparks,
11.2.11.3.9.3 Hazel Sparks,
11.2.11.3.9.4 Frank Sparks,
11.2.11.3.9.5 Edward Sparks, and
11.2.11.3.9.6 Margaret Sparks.His second marriage was to Johanna A. Bohnelamp. He had no children by his second marriage.
11.2.11.4 Mary Catherine Sparks, daughter of Elias and Elizabeth (Hall) Sparks, was born May 31, 1844, in Ohio. She was married on January 1, 1863, to Caleb Ferguson. She died in 1898. She and Caleb had nine children.
11.2.11.4.1 Elizabeth Ferguson was born in 1864. She was married twice. Her first marriage was to Sewell Burr, and they had one child, 11.2.11.4.1 Zora. Her second marriage was to FNU Smith, and they had one child,
11.2.11.4..2 Herbert Smith.
11.2.11.4.2 Margaret Ferguson was born ca. 1866. She married Frank Brickle, and they had one child,
11.2.11.4.2.1 Paul Brickle.
11.2.11.4.3 Carrie Ferguson was born in 1868. She died in 1887. She was never married.
11.2.11.4.4 Allen Ferguson was born in 1871. He married Clara Barnes, and they had one child,11.2.11.4.4.1 John Ferguson.
11.2.11.4.5 Anna Ferguson was born in 1874. She married William Fawcett, and they had two sons,
11.2.11.4.5.1 Carl Fawcett and
11.2.11.4.5.2 Willard Fawcett.11.2.11.4.6 John Ferguson was born ca. 1875. He married Blanche Binns, and they had three children:
11.2.11.4.6.1 Harry Ferguson,
11.2.11.4.6.2 Robert Ferguson, and
11.2.11.4.6.3 Mary Alice Ferguson.11.2.11.4.7 Leota Ferguson was born ca. 1878. She married Jesse Taylor, and they had three children:
11.2.11.4.7.1 Fred Taylor
11.2.11.4.7.2 Byron Taylor, and
11.2.11.4.7.3 Harold Taylor.11.2.11.4.8 Adna Ferguson was born ca. 1881. She married Thomas Groves, and they had three children:
11.2.11.4.8.1 Richard Groves,
11.2.11.4.8.2 Mary Ellen Groves, and
11.2.11.4.8.3 Paul Groves.11.2.11.4.9 Mary Ethel Ferguson was born March 3, 1887. She married Arthur Jones, and they had four children:
11.2.11.4.9.1 Zella Jones,
11.2.11.4.9.2 Houston Jones,
11.2.11.4.9.3 Catherine Jones, and
11.2.11.4.9.4 Dean Jones.11.2.11.5 John Wesley Sparks, son of Elias and Elizabeth (Hall) Sparks, was born April 30, 1847. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Mattie Vanneman. Apparently, they had no children. His second marriage was to Elizabeth Ellen Haines on May 20, 1875, in Fayette County; Ohio. He died in 1909. He and Elizabeth had three children.
11.2.11.5.1 Alden H. Sparks was born ca. 1876. He married Marie Dun. No children. Alden died in 1944.
11.2.11.5.2 Pearl H. Sparks was born ca. 1878. He married Faye Dun, and they had one child. Pearl died in 1926.11.2.11.5.2.1 Louise Sparks.
11.2.11.5.3 Vesta J. Sparks was born September 28, 1882. She was intensely interested in genealogy and was most helpful in sharing information about the Sparkses of Fayette County, Ohio.
11.2.11.6 Martha Ellen Sparks, daughter of Elias and Elizabeth (Hall) Sparks, was born in October 1849. She married Allen Barber on November 7, 1867. Ellen (as she was called) died in 1890. Allen died in 1926. They had four children.
11.2.11.6.1 Lula Barber married Joseph Wilson, and they had four children. Lula died in 1947.
11.2.11.6.1.1 Ruby Wilson,
11.2.11.6.1.2 Orren Wilson,
11.2.11.6.1.3 Lenore Wilson, and
11.2.11.6.1.4 Eunice Wilson.11.2.11.6.2 Charles Barber married Minnie Hoover, and they had two children. Charles died in 1931.
11.2.11.6.2.1 Ivy Barber
11.2.11.6.2.2 Leo Barber.11.2.11.6.3 John Barber married Della Hunt, and they had five children:
11.2.11.6.3.1 Mary Barber
11.2.11.6.3.2 Grace Barber
11.2.11.6.3.3 Nellye Barber
11.2.11.6.3.4 Allen Barber
11.2.11.6.3.4 Florence Barber.11.2.11.6.4 Maggie Barber was married twice. Her first marriage was to Edgar Brand, and they had one child, 11.2.11.6.4.1 Victoria Brand. Maggie married (second) James A. Keister. She died in 1952.
11.2.11.7 Henry H. Sparks, son of Elias and Elizabeth (Hall) Sparks, was born ca. 1852. He married Cora Luttrell on December 18, 1884, in Fayette County, Ohio, and they had six children. Henry died in 1906.
11.2.11.7.1 lonia Sparks was born in 1886. She married Howard Smith and they had two children,
11.2.11.7.1.1 Robert Smith and
11.2.11.7.1.2 Richard Smith.11.2.11.7.2 Homer Oscar Sparks was born in 1888. He died in 1891.
11.2.11.7.3 Florence Sparks was born in 1890. She married Charles O. Glass, and they had one child,
11.2.11.7.3.1 Charles Dean Glass.
11.2.11.7.4 Charles Sparks was born in 1891. He married Ora May Jacks, and they had one child,
11.2.11.7.4.1 Harold Sparks.
11.2.11.7.5 Ruth Sparks was born in 1893. She married Guy Fenner, and they had one child, 11.2.11.7.5.1 Janet.
11.2.11.7.6 Dana L. Sparks was born in 1897. He married Helen Strong, and they had three children:
11.2.11.7.6.1 Donald Sparks,
11.2.11.7.6.2 Joann Sparks, and
11.2.11.7.6.3 Dwight Sparks.
[Editor's Note: Part one of the article by Dr. Paul E. Sparks about 11. William Sparks (ca.1730-1788) of Prince William County, Virginia, and his descendants, has been concluded on the previous page. The second and final part of this article will be presented in a future issue of The Sparks Quarterly.]
Pages 4291-4301
Whole Number 166
By Paul E. Sparks
[Editor's Note: The first part of an article about William and Kesiah Sparks and their descendants was published in The Sparks Quarterly of June 1993, Whole No. 162, pp. 4109-27. Here we present the second and concluding part.]
11.3 William Sparks, Jr., son of 11.William and Kesiah (Hillen) Sparks, was born March 10, 1762, in Prince William County, Virginia. He married Mary ["Polly"] Robertson on August 15, 1795, in Frederick County, Virginia. She had been born in August 1769. She and William went to Kentucky ca. 1805 with William's brothers, 11.2 James Sparks and 11.5 Thomas Sparks, where they settled on Coopers Run in northern Bourbon County. When the 1810 census was taken, they were shown as having eight children in their household, five boys and three girls.
In 1819, William Sparks moved to a 286-acre farm on Townsend Creek in Harrison County, Kentucky. He had purchased the tract on January 4, 1819, from Laban Ship for $2,864. When the 1820 census was taken, he was shown as head of a household in Harrison County. It was there that he and his wife, Polly, died in 1824. Their deaths were only three days apart. He died on August 9th, and Polly died on August 12th.
On October 6, 1828, Ann (Sparks) Batterton and her husband, Henry Batterton, residents of Putnam County, Indiana, sold her undivided share of her father's farm to her brother, Harrison Sparks, and to her sister, Nancy Sparks, for $381. A few months later, on April 14, 1829, Mary ["Polly"] (Sparks) Hannah and her husband, Joseph Hannah, sold her one-ninth part of the farm of her father to her brother, Harrison Sparks, and to Hugh Correll, for $350.
At its June 1829 term, the Harrison County Court commissioned Harrison Sparks to act for the other heirs of William Sparks in disposing of William's farm at a public sale. Named in the court order as children of William Sparks were: Harrison Sparks, Nancy Sparks, James Sparks, Thomas Sparks, William Sparks, Mitton Sparks, Simeon Sparks, and Ann (Sparks) Batterton. (Mary ["Polly"] (Sparks) Hannah had already disposed of her share.) Joseph Shawhan was the successful buyer with a bid of $13.27 per acre.
According to probate records, William and Mary ["Polly"] (Robertson) Sparks had nine children, all of whom lived to maturity.
11.3.1 Nancy Sparks, eldest child of William and Mary (Robertson) Sparks, was born March 23, 1796, in Virginia. She married Stephen Barton on January 10, 1831, in Harrison County. It was the second marriage for Stephen. His first marriage had been also to a 11.2.3 Nancy Sparks, the daughter of 11.2 James Sparks; she was thus a cousin of Nancy, daughter of William. (See pages 4114-16, of the June 1993 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 162, for details of the family of Stephen Barton by his first marriage.)
Stephen and Nancy (Sparks) Barton moved to Monroe County, Missouri, shortly after their marriage, and it was there that Stephen died in 1845. When the 1850 census was taken of Monroe County, Nancy (Sparks) Barton, aged 52, was living in the household of her brother, William Sparks. She died on March 6, 1875. Apparently, she had no children.
11.3.2 James Sparks, son of William and Mary (Robertson) Sparks, was born ca. 1797 in Virginia and was a small lad when his parents moved to Kentucky. He married Nancy Godman on December 13, 1821, in Harrison County, Kentucky. She had been born ca. 1802 in Kentucky. Sometime just prior to 1830, James and Nancy moved to Marion County, Missouri. They lived there only a short time and then went to neighboring Monroe County, Missouri.
James Sparks apparently died in Monroe County ca. 1847, and when the 1850 census was taken, Nancy was shown as the head of her houseold. Her age was given as 48 years. According to census records, she and James appear to have had nine children; however, we have been unable to identify one son and one daughter.
11.3.2.1 & 11.3.2.2 A son and daughter whom we have been unable to identify, were born to James and Nancy (Godman) Sparks between 1820 and 1825.
11.3.2.3 Elizabeth Sparks was born ca. 1828 in Kentucky.
11.3.2.4 James W. Sparks was born ca. 1830 in Missouri.
11.3.2.5 America Sparks was born ca. 1833 in Missouri.
11.3.2.6 William T. Sparks was born ca. 1836.
11.3.2.7 Margaret Sparks was born ca. 1838.
11.3.2.8 Mary F. Sparks was born ca. 1841.
11.3.2.9 John A. Sparks was born ca. 1844.11.3.3 Ann Sparks, daughter of William and Mary (Robertson) Sparks, was born ca. 1798 in Virginia. She was married on September 1, 1825, to Henry Batterton in Harrison County, Kentucky. He had been born on May 22, 1803. According to the Maxwell History and Genealogy, published in 1916, he and Ann moved to Putnam County, Indiana, and then to Illinois. It was there that he died on August 8, 1838. We have not learned whether he and Ann had any children.
11.3.4 Harrison Sparks was born ca. 1800 in Virginia. When his father died in 1824, he assumed the leadership role in settling his father's estate. He was appointed administrator of the estate in 1824, according to Order Books D and E of the Harrison County Court. The court also appointed him the guardian of his sister, Polly Sparks, and of four of his brothers: Thomas, William, Milton (or Mitton), and Simeon.
On October 6, 1828, Harrison Sparks purchased from his sister, Ann (Sparks) Batterton, her portion of their father's estate, and on the following April 14th, he purchased from his sister, Polly (Sparks) Hannah, her share of the estate. A few months later, on September 23, 1829, Harrison bought the remaining part of his father's estate from the rest of the heirs.
Harrison Sparks married Avarma, probably in Harrison County, Kentucky. She had been born July 7, 1807, in Kentucky. She and Harrison had one child who was born in Kentucky ca. 1829, but when the 1830 census was taken, they were in Marion County, Missouri.
(The given name "Avarma" is unusual. Mrs. Carrie Grant Heppen, who did extensive research for the Association for many years, and who was a most careful researchist, copied this name as Avarma from the original census page. Some researchists have copied it as "Avarine.")
We have found no record of Harrison Sparks on any 1840 census. He died in September 1849 in Monroe County, Missouri, and when the 1850 census was taken there, Avarma Sparks was shown as head of her family. She died on August 7, 1890, and was buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Monroe County. She and Harrison had seven children:
11.3.4.1 Mary Elizabeth Sparks was born October 26, 1829, in Harrison County, Kentucky. She married Richard Moody Davis on November 26, 1857, in Monroe County by the Rev. William A. Wood, a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Richard had been born July 4, 1824. He died on April 10, 1908, and Mary Elizabeth died on September 16, 1913. They were buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. We have not learned whether they had any children.
11.3.4.2 John William Sparks was born ca. 1832 in Missouri. He grew to maturity, but we have only one record of him. He was buried in the Delaney Cemetery located about one mile southeast of Paris, Missouri.
11.3.4.3 Louisa A. Sparks was born ca. 1834 in Missouri. She is said to have been married to FNU Moore.
11.3.4.4 Nancy E. ["Nannie"] Sparks was born January 26, 1837. She married Luther W. Milner on December 8, 1858, in Monroe County by the Rev. G. Fenton of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Luther had been born January 19, 1830. Nannie died on April 28, 1887, and Luther died on July 30, 1916. They were buried in the MilnerSparks Cemetery located about five miles northeast of Holliday, Missouri. They apparently had two children, William Marion Milner and Jennie Milner, both of whom died when quite young.
11.3.4.5 Avarma A. Sparks was born ca. 1838. (The initial "A" may have been for Amanda.)
11.3.4.6 Sarah F. Sparks was born ca. 1843.
11.3.4.7 Susan Sparks was born ca. 1845.11.3.5 Mary ["Polly"] Sparks was born ca. 1802 in Virginia. She married Joseph Hannah on November 16, 1826, in Harrison County, Kentucky. He had been born ca. 1800. According to a History of Knox County, Missouri, published in 1887, Joseph and Polly (Sparks) Hannah were in Marion County when the 1830 census was taken, but by the time that the 1840 census was taken, they had moved to Knox County. It was there that Joseph died ca. 1847. According to census records, it appears that he and Polly had eight children. She died in 1870.
11.3.5.1 William Hannah was born ca. 1828.
11.3.5.2 John H. Hannah was born ca. 1830.
11.3.5.3 Sarah Hannah was born ca. 1832.
11.3.5.4 Joseph M. Hannah was born ca. 1834.
11.3.5.5 Mary F. Hannah was born ca. 1835.
11.3.5.6 David T. Hannah was born ca. 1837.
11.3.5.7 Emily W. Hannah was born ca. 1839.
11.3.5.8 Jackson S. Hannah was born ca. 1842.11.3.6 Thomas W. Sparks, son of William and Mary (Robertson) Sparks, was born ca. 1805 in Kentucky. He married Luannah McDaniel on May 12, 1828, in Harrison County, Kentucky. She had been born on March 22, 1809, in Clark County, Kentucky, and was a daughter of William and Margaret (McDonald) McDaniel. Shortly after their marriage, Thomas and Luannah moved to Sangamon County, Illinois. It was there that Thomas died on February 14, 1851. Luannah survived him for over twenty years, dying on June 22, 1873, in Missouri, from injuries received in an accident while she was riding in a spring wagon. She and Thomas had eight children.
11.3.6.1 Mary E. Sparks was born March 8, 1829, in Kentucky. She married Solomon Lanham on November 25, 1846, in Sangamon County. He had been born on May 4, 1821, in Perry County, Ohio, and was a son of Walter and Ann (Havner) Lanham. Solomon and Mary had eleven children, six of whom lived to maturity.
11.3.6.1.1 James Albert Lanham was born ca. 1847 and died in infancy.
11.3.6.1.2 William Thomas Lanham was born ca. 1849. He died in 1904.
11.3.6.1.3 Elizabeth Lanham was born ca. 1851 and died in infancy.11.3.6.1.4 Margaret ["Maggie"] Minerva Lanham was born on December 23, 1854, She married David W. Walters on December 17, 1874, in Sangamon County. He had been born ca. 1844 and was a widower with a three-year-old daughter. (11.3.6.7) He died on April 19, 1896, at Hutchison, Kansas. Maggie survived him for over fifty years, dying on February 3, 1953, in Morrill County, Nebraska. She and David had nine children:
11.3.6.1.4.1 Lanly Walters,
11.3.6.1.4.2 Elmer Walters,
11.3.6.1.4.3 Girty Walters,
11.3.6.1.4.4 Macy Walters,
11.3.6.1.4.5 Earl Walters,
11.3.6.1.4.6 Cittie Walters,
11.3.6.1.4.7 Oscar Walters,
11.3.6.1.4.8 Charles Walters, and
11.3.6.1.4.9 Edith Viola Walters.11.3.6.1.5 Anna Lanham died at the age of 22 years.
11.3.6.1.6 Louis Alien Lanham was born April 15, 1857. He died in 1925.
11.3.6.1.7 Louella Lanham.
11.3.6.1.8 Ida May Lanham died in infancy.
11.3.6.1.9 Nancy Lanham died in infancy.
11.3.6.1.10 Charles Wesley Lanham died at the age of eleven years.
11.3.6.1.11 Harvey Owen Lanham is said to have gone to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.11.3.6.2 Margaret A. Sparks was born ca. 1832 in Indiana. She married James Lawyer on February 19, 1865, in Sangamon County, Illinois.
11.3.6.3 Cynthia A. Sparks was born ca. 1834 in Illinois. She married George Bowers on September 1, 1859, in Sangamon County, Illinois.
11.3.6.4 Emily W. Sparks was born ca. 1836. She married Henry H. Clements on January 23, 1862, and they went to Shawnee County, Kansas.
11.3.6.5 John William Sparks was born June 11, 1838. He served in the Second Regiment Kansas Cavalry during the Civil War and received a pension in later years for his service. (See pp. 4302-03 of this issue of the Quarterly for an abstract of his pension file at the National Archives.) After he returned from the service, he married Mrs. Sarah J. (Curry) Myers on September 7, 1869, in Sangamon County. She had been born ca. 1840 and was the widow of David C. Myers, who had died on January 24, 1867, in Sangamon County, leaving her with two small children,
11.3.6.5.1 Irving Sparks and
11.3.6.5.2 Lora Sparks.John William Sparks died on July 13, 1900, at Ringwood, Oklahama. Sarah (Curry) Sparks died on March 31, 1923, at Leon, Kansas. They were the parents of four children.
11.3.6.5.1 Mary C. Sparks was born ca. 1871. She married John W. Boyle.
11.3.6.5.2 Sarah Margaret Sparks was born ca. 1873. She married FNU Shannon.
11.3.6.5.3 Bertie Olive Sparks was born ca. 1876. She married FNU Wilson.
11.3.6.5.4 Theresa Sparks was born ca. 1882.11.3.6.6 Martha R. Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Luannah (McDaniel) Sparks, was born ca. 1842. She died in 1865 at the age of 22 years. We have not learned whether she was ever married.
11.3.6.7 Harriet ["Hattie"] B. Sparks was born ca. 1844. She married David W. Walters on May 11, 1870, and they had one child, 11.3.6.7.1 Mattie E. Walters, born July 20, 1871. Hattie died a few months later, on February 2, 1872. Subsequently, David married 11.3.6.1.4 Mary Margaret ["Maggie"] Lanham on December 17, 1874. She was a daughter of Solomon and Mary (Sparks) Lanham, and was thus a niece of David's first wife.
11.3.6.8 Simeon Sparks was born ca. 1847. He was undoubtedly named for his father's brother, Simeon A. Sparks, who had been born ca. 1843 and who was a son of Mitton (or Milton) Sparks.
11.3.7 William A. Sparks, son of William and Mary (Robertson) Sparks, was born April 7, 1808, in Kentucky. He had reached maturity when he decided to go to Missouri with his brothers and sisters. He settled in Monroe County, where, on May 6, 1831, he married Mary Jo Delaney. She had been born on April 7, 1816, in Scott County, Kentucky, and was a daughter of Joseph Delaney. Many years later, on November 23, 1899, the Shelbina (Missouri) Torchlight carried a story of the early days of William Sparks in Monroe County. It was related by a Rev. McMurray as follows:
Monday, we stopped a mile north of Granville to see Wm. A. Sparks, the only person living in Monroe County, we suppose, that came as early as 1830, then a young unmarried man. He says that where Paris now is, was a cabin upon what was then Congress land, that is, unentered. He and two men by the names of Joyner and Looney, rode up there from Marion County, horseback, looking for land to enter. He settled 2 miles west of where Paris now is; the other two men went back and settled later on North River in what is now Shelby County where their descendants now live.
It will be noted that Mr. Sparks came to this part of the state before Paris was laid out or Monroe County organized which was done in 1831. He and Mary Delaney were the first couple married in the county after it was organized. Their marriage was May 6, 1831. That he may pass several birthdays yet is the wish of his friends.
Mary Jo (Delaney) Sparks was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. She died on March 27, 1875, in Monroe County. William died there on March 5, 1902. He and Mary Jo had twelve children. (See also the query about this family on pp. 1729-30 of the March 1975 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 89. Obviously, additional information has been found that changes some of the items in that query.)
11.3.7.1 Ann C. Sparks was born ca. 1832 in Missouri.
11.3.7.2 John R. Sparks was born July 31, 1834. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War and received a pension for his service. It is from his pension file that we have learned the small amount of information we have about him. Apparently, he was involved in some affair in Missouri in September 1861 that caused him to flee to Illinois, where he probably went to the home of one his uncles, Thomas Sparks or Simeon Sparks, in Sangamon County. After leaving the service, he apparently returned to Sangamon County, but then went back to Monroe County, Missouri, where he lived until his death on November 25, 1894.
Relatives say that John Sparks married Mary Moore; however, we have found no clues or records to support the statement. Apparently, he had no survivors to request a continuation of his pension following his death. (See pp. 4303-05 of this issue of the Quarterly for an abstract of his pension file from the National Archives.)
(The affair referred to by John R, Sparks in his pension application may have been caused by family dissension over the Civil War. John R. had strong Union sentiments while his brother, William H. Sparks, lost his life in the service of the Confederate Army. Many families were broken apart by the strong feelings caused by the war, which turned brother against brother, particularly in the "border states" of Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland. )
11.3.7.3 William H. Sparks was born ca. 1836 in Monroe County. He was probably the William H. H. Sparks who served in Company G, 2nd Regiment Missouri Infantry, Confederate States Army, and was killed in action at Champion's Hill (or Bakers Creek) Mississippi, on May 16, 1863. (Relatives say his head was blown off by a Yankee shell at Vicksburg, Mississippi.) We have no further information about this man. He should not be confused with his cousin, William H. Sparks, who was born in 1837 and was a son of Mitton (or Milton) Sparks.
11.3.7.4 Mary F. Sparks was born April 24, 1838. She married Joshua C. Goodnight on October 9, 1856. She died on January 2, 1902.
11.3.7.5 Mildred Sparks was born ca. 1844. The only record we have found of her is the 1850 census of Monroe County on which she was listed as a six-year-old female in the household of William Sparks. We believe that there is a possibility that she was actually named Sarah Elizabeth Sparks, and that her name was written incorrectly by the census taker. See the item next below.
11.3.7.6 Sarah Elizabeth Sparks was born June 22, 1844. She married Robert Andrew Moore ca. 1865. He had been born ca. 1842 in Ohio. He and Sarah had at least one child,
11.3.7.6.1 John Alfred Sparks Moore, born ca. 1867, who married Hattie Lee Vance. Sarah Elizabeth (Sparks) Moore died on June 19, 1926.
11.3.7.7 Zachariah T. Sparks was born May 26, 1847. He married Harriet J. Reddick on July 15, 1872. She had been born on May 11, 1852. Zachariah died on January 26,1926, and Harriet died on February 7, 1927. They were buried in the Bethel Cemetery at Holliday, Missouri. We have not learned whether they had any children.
11.3.7.8 Thomas Spencer Sparks was born December 25, 1849, in Missouri. He married Virginia Longmire ca. 1875. She had been born June 20, 1849, in Missouri. She and Spencer (as he was called) lived in Shelby County, Missouri, where they were the parents of five children. Spencer died in Shelby County on January 7, 1909. Virginia died sometime after 1915.
11.3.7.8.1 Ressie Sparks was born ca. 1876. She is said to have gone to California.
11.3.7.8.2 William M. Sparks was born April 14, 1878. He was never married. He died at Lewistown, Montana, in the late 1950s.
11.3.7.8.3 James Sparks was born ca. 1880. He married Anna MNU and they had three daughters:11.3.7.8.3.1 Twyla Sparks,
11.3.7.8.3.2 Ruby Sparks
11.3.7.8.3.3 Ina Claire Sparks.11.3.7.8.4 Charles Sparks was born April 10, 1883. He went to Montana ca. 1904, and it was probably there that he married Fern Elizabeth Wailes in May 1908. They had five children:
11.3.7.8.4.1 Flora May Sparks,
11.3.7.8.4.2 Letha Virginia Sparks,
11.3.7.8.4.3 Edwin Spencer Sparks,
11.3.7.8.4.4 Weldon John Sparks, and
11.3.7.8.4.5 Helen Irene Sparks.Descendants say that Charles froze to death on February 17, 1936, in Montana.
11.3.7.8.5 Virginia Sparks was born ca. 1885. She married Rosco Dines, and they lived at Loveland, Colorado. They had two sons, Forrest Dines and Frederick Dines.
11.3.7.9 Theresa L. Sparks, daughter of William A. and Mary Jo (Delaney) Sparks, was born April 17, 1851. She married David Vance on May 8, 1888. She died on February 16, 1904.
11.3.7.10 Delaney F. Sparks was born ca. 1855; he was obviously named for his mother's family. He is said to have been married to Anna Austin, but we have found no record of the marriage. He died on February 8, 1902.
11.3.7.11 James Sparks was born ca. 1856. His given name has also been copied as Jones.
11.3.7.12 Sterling P. Sparks was born ca. 1858. He may have been named for Sterling Price, governor of Missouri in 1852, who later became a general in the Confederate States Army.
11.3.8 Mitton (or Milton) Sparks, son of William and Mary (Robertson) Sparks, was born ca. 1810 in Kentucky. (His given name was copied as Mitton on several early records; however, some descendants say that his name was Milton. We shall refer to him as "Mitton" Sparks.) He accompanied his brothers and sisters to Monroe County, Missouri, and it was there that he married Amanda Howell on March 14, 1835. She had been born ca. 1811 in Nelson County, Kentucky, and was a daughter of Samuel and Sarah L. (MNU) Howell.
Mitton Sparks bought two tracts of land in Monroe County in May 1832 and another in 1838, making a total of 240 acres. He died in early 1847, leaving Amanda with six small children. She apparently held the family to together until the children were grown. In 1870, she was living with her son, Samuel H. Sparks, and his family when the census for that year was taken. The census of 1880 shows her living with her daughter-in-law, Ellen Sparks, widow of her son, Simeon Sparks. She died ca. 1890.
11.3.8.1 Samuel H. Sparks was born in 1835 in Missouri; he was probably named for his maternal grandfather. He married Catherine Malinda MNU ca. 1869. She had been born in 1845 in Missouri. They both died in 1925 and were buried in the Spencer Chapel Cemetery in Monroe County. According to the 1870 and 1880 censuses of Monroe County, they had four children; there may have been other children born to them after 1880.
11.3.8.1.1 Emmett A. Sparks was born in January 1870.
11.3.8.1.2 William M. Sparks was born ca. 1872.
11.3.8.1.3 Annie Sparks was born ca. 1875.
11.3.8.1.4 Gordo Sparks was born ca. 1877.11.3.8.2 William H. ["Bill"] Sparks was born November 3, 1837, in Monroe County, Missouri, and it was there that he married Martha Jane Dawson on December 16, 1866. She had been born in June 1848 in Missouri and was a daughter of John William Dawson. When the 1870 census was taken, Bill and Martha were in Monroe County where he was a druggist. They had two children:
11.3.8.2.1 Rena Sparks, age 2, born in 1868.
11.3.8.2.2 Leona Sparks, age 1, born in 1869.Also living in the household was Bill's brother, 11.3.8.5 Sim Sparks, with his wife, Ellen, and their seven-month-old daughter, 11.3.8.5.1 Mattie Sparks.
By the time that the 1880 census was taken, Bill and Martha had moved to Cedar County, Missouri. They now had six children:
11.3.8.2.1 Rena Sparks, age 12; born in 1868.
11.3.8.2.2 Ona Sparks, age 10; born in 1870.
11.3.8.2.3 John Sparks, age 8; born in 1872.
11.3.8.2.4 Clay Sparks, age 6; born in 1874.
11.3.8.2.5 Charles Sparks, age 4; born in 1876
11.3.8.2.6 Gertie Sparks, age 1, born in 1878.Bill Sparks died on August 18, 1894, at Boise, Idaho. Martha died in November 1922, at Douglas, Arizona. They were the parents of the following children.
11.3.8.2.1 Rena May Sparks was born ca. 1868. She is said to have been married to Charley Curtis.
11.3.8.2.2 Leona ["Ona"] Sparks was born ca. 1870.
11.3.8.2.3 John ["Jack"] Milton Sparks was born in November 1871. He married Alice Mae Smith on June 22, 1911, at Douglas, Arizona. She had been born on April 9, 1885, at Shasta, California, and was a daughter of William and Olive (Shoemaker) Smith. Jack Sparks died in January 1944, and Alice Mae died in November 1958. They had two children:11.3.8.2.3.1 John Milton Sparks, Jr. and
11.3.8.2.3.1 Martha Jane Dawson Sparks. Martha married George J. Constantine and lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has been most helpful in sharing information about her family.11.3.8.2.4 Henry Clay Sparks was born February 14, 1874. He married Myrtle Von Peak. He died sometime after 1944 at Phoenix, Arizona.
11.3.8.2.5 Charles Dawson Sparks was born in 1876. He died ca. 1926 at Phoenix, Arizona. He is said to have never been married.
11.3.8.2.6 Gertie Jane Sparks was born April 25, 1879, and she may have died when quite young. A relative has given her year of birth as 1875, but this is at variance with information given on the 1880 census.11.3.8.3 Thomas Sparks, son of Mitton and Amanda (Howell) Sparks, was born ca. 1839.
11.3.8.4 Nancy Ann Sparks was born ca. 1841.11.3.8.5 Simeon ["Sim"] A. Sparks, son of Mitton and Amanda (Howell) Sparks, was born ca. 1843 in Missouri and was probably named for his father's brother, Simeon Sparks, born in 1813. He married Ellen MNU ca. 1868. She had been born ca. 1846 in Kentucky. Apparently, Simeon Sparks was away from home when the 1880 census was taken of Monroe County, Missouri, and Ellen was shown as head of her household. Living in her household was her mother-in-law, Amanda (Howell) Sparks, aged 69. Simeon Sparks apparently died in the summer of 1904, and his will was probated on August 8, 1904. According to census records, he and Ellen appear to have had five children. (Simeon Sparks should not be confused with his cousin, Simeon Sparks, son of Thomas Sparks. See Item C, 6, h, above.)
11.3.8.5.1 Mattie Sparks was born in December 1869.
11.3.8.5.2 William Sparks was born ca. 1872.
11.3.8.5.3 Joseph Sparks was born ca. 1874.
11.3.8.5.4 Susan Sparks was born ca. 1876.
11.3.8.5.5 Earl Sparks was born ca. 1878.11.3.8.6 John H. Sparks, son of Mitton and Amanda (Howell) Sparks, was born ca. 1846. We have found no further record of him.
11.3.9 Simeon Sparks was born on October 13, 1813, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. He went to Missouri with his brothers and sisters, and it was there that he married Susan M. Moore on October 25, 1849, in Monroe County. Apparently, Susan died a few months after the marriage. When the 1850 census was taken of Marion County, Missouri, on October 22, 1850, Simeon Sparks was shown as living in the household of Franklin Griffith in Warren Township.
By 1860, Simeon Sparks was in Sangamon County, Illinois, in the household of his niece, 11.3.6.1 Mary E. (Sparks) Lanham. (See above.) He continued to live with the Lanham family and was listed with them on the 1880 census of Sangamon County. We have found no further record pertaining to him.
11.4 Nancy Sparks, daughter of William and Keziah (Hillen) Sparks, was born ca. 1768 in Prince William County, Virginia. She married FNU Wingate when her father made his will in March 1787. Her father bequeathed her only one shilling by his will; he may have already given her a share of his estate as a wedding present. We have found no further record of her.
11.5 Thomas Sparks, son of William and Keziah (Hillen) Sparks, was born ca. 1770 for he was still underage when his father made his will in March 1787. His father left him 31 pounds to be "put to interest until he comes of age." Thomas married Catherine Claypoole on November 23, 1804, in Fauquier County, Virginia. She had been born ca. 1785 in Virginia.
Thomas accompanied his brothers to Kentucky ca. 1805 where he settled in Bourbon County. When the 1810 census was taken of Bourbon County, for some reason he was not enumerated as the head of his household; instead, his wife, Catherine, was listed as the head. (Perhaps Thomas had a health problem which prevented him from assuming the role of the head of his family.) Living in Catherine's household was a male aged under 10 years; a female also aged under 10 years; two males between 10 and 16 years, and one male aged between 26 and 45.
11.5 Thomas Sparks died ca. 1812 in Bourbon County, and an inventory was taken of his personal property on March 13, 1812. The appraisers were John Edwards, William Hutchison, and Luke Henson. Catherine Sparks, widow of Thomas, and 11.2 James Sparks, his brother, were appointed as co-administrators. Among the items listed in the inventory were six slaves valued at $1250. The property was sold at a public auction in April 1812.
Catherine Sparks, widow of Thomas Sparks, was listed again as head of her household when the 1820 census was taken of Bourbon County. With her was one son and one daughter, both born between 1800 and 1810, and a son born between 1810 and 1820. Shortly afterwards, Catherine moved her family to adjacent Harrison County where she died during the summer of 1828. Her son, 11.5.1 John Sparks, was appointed administrator of her estate, which was appraised on September 25, 1828, by Joseph Shawhan, Joel Frazer, and Joseph Patterson. Among the items listed in the inventory were seven female slaves valued at $945. The entire estate was appraised at $1595.
Coincidental to the settlement of the estate of Catherine Sparks, the final settlement of her husband's estate was made just one week earlier, on September 17, 1828, in Bourbon County. Among the items charged to the estate of Thomas Sparks was one for "clothing and schooling three children for 16 years at $23 each year for a total charge of $1104." The Bourbon County Court accepted the settlement by James Sparks, administrator.
At the October 1828 term of the Harrison County Court, Sally Sparks and James Sparks, infant orphans of Thomas Sparks, chose John Lail as their guardian. Then, at the January 1830 term of the Harrison County Court, the estate of Catherine Sparks, widow of Thomas Sparks, was finally settled. Named as her heirs were 11.5.1 John Sparks, 11.5.2 Sarah Sparks, and 11.5.3 James Sparks.
After the settlements of the estates of their parents, Sarah Sparks and James Sparks went to Monroe County, Missouri. Their brother, John Sparks, probably remained in Harrison County, Kentucky, until ca. 1848, and then, he, too, went to Monroe County.
11.5.1 John Alfred Sparks, son of Thomas and Catherine (Claypoole) Sparks, was born November 30, 1806, in Virginia. He served as the administrator of his mother's estate and made a final settlement in January 1830. He was not listed on the 1840 census of Harrison County, but when the estate of his brother, James J. Sparks, was probated on January 23, 1846, he was named as an heir and was recorded as "John Alfred Sparks of Harrison County, Kentucky."
When the 1850 census was taken, John Sparks was 40 years of age and was living in the household of his sister, Sarah (Sparks) Delaney, in Monroe County, Missouri. It was probably there that he married Mary M. ca. 1855. According to information taken from her tombstone, she had been born on December 1, 1821.
John Alfred Sparks died on October 12, 1878, and Mary M., his wife, died on July 27, 1909. They were buried in the Milner-Sparks Cemetery near Holliday, Missouri. They had two children,
11.5.1.1 Sis Sparks and
11.5.1.2 Hannah Sparks,Information taken from their tombstones in the Milner-Sparks Cemetery. Both of them died while still quite young.
11.5.2 Sarah ["Sally"] Sparks was born ca. 1809. She married John A. Delaney on March 20, 1834, in Monroe County, Missouri. He had been born ca. 1814 in Kentucky. When the 1850 census was taken of Monroe County, he and Sally were shown with six children:
11.5.2.1 William T. Delaney, 18; born ca. 1832
11.5.2.2 John B. Delaney, 13; born ca. 1837
11.5.2.3 Mary C. Delaney, 11; born ca. 1839
11.5.2.4 Elizabeth Delaney, 8; born ca. 1842
11.5.2.5 Junius Delaney, 5; born ca. 1845
11.5.2.6 Sarah Delaney, 1 year; born ca. 184911.5.3 James J. Sparks, son of Thomas and Catherine (Claypoole) Sparks, was born ca. 1811. He died ca. 1845 in Monroe County, Missouri, and his estate was probated on January 23, 1846. Named as heirs were his brother, John Alfred Sparks, and his sister, Sally Delaney, late Sparks.
[Editor's Note: This completes the two-part article devoted to William and Kesiah (Hillen) Sparks and their descendants. Obviously, there are other data which we have not found and which should be added to this record in future issues of the Quarterly. Descendants and other interested persons are invited to send us any data and corrections that they may have to supplement what has been presented. ]