January 14, 2022
Pages 1325
Whole Number 70
THE FAMILY OF 56. JOHN AND JANE (BURK) SPARKS
One of our most generous and helpful members, John D. Sparks of Indianapolis, recently obtained information for us on a branch of the Sparks family that came to the United States from Ireland in 1791 or 1792. This information was supplied by Nelle B. Robinson (Mrs. C. O.) of Point Four Six, Indianapolis, Indiana. Mrs. Robinson reports that her husband's aunt owns the family Bible listing the births and the family of John Sparks and his son, Martin Sparks.
56. John Sparks, according to this family Bible, was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, in 1761. John Sparks was married in Castlebar, Ireland, on November 2, 1791, to Lady Jane Burk, who was born in Dublin in 1764. Soon after their marriage, they came to the United States and lived first in Boston, later in New York City. by 1820, John and Jane (Burk) Sparks had moved to Vincennes, Indiana, and shortly after 1820 they moved to Illinois.
John Sparks died on February 17, 1821, in Crawford County, Illinois; his wife Jane (Burk) Sparks died on June 25, 1839, in York, Clark County, Illinois. They were the parents of six children.
56.1 Martin Sparks was born September 10, 1792, in Boston, Mass. He accompanied his parents to New York while he was a small child. On September 5, 1814, he entered service for the War of 1812; in his bounty land application many years later he stated that he had been ordered into service as a Second Sergeant in Capt. John McNaughton's company of New York Militia at Salem, New York. He served in this company until September 22, 1814, when the company was discharged at Burlington, Vermont. He was married in Boston on June 16, 1816, to Ann Jane Parker. by 1820 they were living in Vincennes, Indiana, and by 1824 in Illinois. On December 9, 1824, he was commissioned a lieutenant of the 16th Regiment of Illinois Militia. He was still living in 1855 when he applied for bounty land on the basis of his service in the War of 1812, at which time he was a resident of York, Clark County, Illinois. (See the Quarterly of March 1962, Whole No. 37, p. 635, for an abstract of his application..)
Martin and Ann Jane (Parker) Sparks were the parents of six daughters:
56.1.1 Harriet Sparks, born in 1820 in Vincennes, Indiana; married Benjamin Robinson.
56.1.2 Mary Jane Sparks, born January 22, 1826; married Lewis O. Shultz on March 13, 1849.
56.1.3 Sophie Leona Sparks, born December 28, 1828; married Robert Aber on August 3, 1847.
56.1.4 Sarah Henrietta Sparks, born April 24, 1834; married Curtis Preston on March 13, 1849.
56.1.5 Charlotte Ellen Sparks, born March 17, 1837; married W. H. C. Coleman on May 12, 1857.
56.1.6 Emma Eliza Sparks, born November 11, 1840; married Milton Wilhite on April 3, 1861.56.2 John Clynch Sparks was born May 12, 1795 in Boston. He died in Vincennes, Indiana. No further information.
56.3 Harriet Jane Sparks was born January 6, 1798 in New York City, She married William Ketchum; she died in York, Illinois, on June 5, 1878.
56.4 Dau1 Sparks,
56.5 Dau2 Sparks
56.6 Dau3 SparksOne daughter married Calvin Parker.