Pages 3211
Whole Number 141
In the Quarterly of June 1986, Whole No. 134, pp. 2899-2902, we published a query on behalf of Nicole J. Walker relating to 140.x Henry Sparks (1791-1883) who was born in Salem County, New Jersey. Prior to 1820, Henry Sparks was in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, living near Pittsburgh, where he married Rebecca Davis. In 1828, he moved his family to Crawford County, Pennsylvania, where he died in South Shenango in 1858. A record of his and Rebecca's children appears as part of this query, cited above.
Henry Sparks served in the War of 1812 in the 117th Regiment of New Jersey Militia under a Major Potter. Subsequently, he served in another militia unit from New Jersey, commanded by Capt. Peter Souder (or Sander) under Col. Joshua L. Howell. (See the Quarterly of December 1960, Whole No. 32, pp. 527-8, for an abstract of Henry Sparks's application for bounty land and a pension based on this service.) Serving at the same time in this latter militia unit, and discharged on the same day (December 25, 1814), was a John Sparks, born ca. 1793, who was still a resident of Upper Penns Neck Township in Salem County, New Jersey, in the 1850s. (See the bounty land application of this John Sparks as abstracted in the September 1961 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 35, pp. 580-1.) He was probably the John S. Sparks, age 58, who appeared on the 1850 census of Upper Penns Neck Township. Living with him in 1850 was Beulah Armstrong (a daughter??) and Niles Sparks, age 11. (For a complete listing of Sparkses on the New Jersey census of 1850, see the Quarterly of September 1982, Whole No. 119.) It would seem probable that Henry Sparks and John Sparks were related, possibly brothers.
Ms. Walker would welcome correspondence with others interested in the Sparks family of Salem County, New Jersey. Her address is: Nicole J. Walker, 3116 W. Nebraska St., Tucson, AZ 85746.