October 14, 2023
Pages 2707-2711
Whole Number 129
FAMILY OF 17.2.4.9.1.1 JAMES R. SPARKS
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| THE FAMILY OF JAMES R. SPARKS (1851-1925) Photograph taken in Warrenville, Illinois, ca. 1918 |
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Back row, standing, L-R: Front row, sitting, L-R: |
In the Quarterly of June 1978 (Whole No. 102), on pages 2015-2018, we published information regarding 17.2.4.9 Absalom Sparks and some of his descendants. Absalom Sparks was born in South Carolina ca. 1801 and died ca. 1851. Absalom was a brother of 17.2.4.1 Richard Sparks, born ca. 1778-81 while their parents were living in Virginia prior to their moving to South Carolina. Richard Sparks died after 1860 in Arkansas. A record of Richard Sparks and his family appeared also in the June 1978 Quarterly, pages 1993 -2014. We believe, but cannot prove conclusively, that Absalom and Richard were sons of Samuel and Rachel Sparks, as explained in the article cited above.
We are uncertain whether Absalom Sparks died in Meigs County, Tennessee, where he was living with his family when the 1850 census was taken, or whether he died enroute to, or after arrival at, Cherokee County, Texas, where his widow was living in 1852. We believe that he died in 1851, though the date could have been late in 1850 or early in 1852.
The first wife of Absalom Sparks was Margaret Allen. They were married ca. 1823 and were the parents of seven children. Margaret died in Blount County, Tennessee, in 1838-39. On March 18, 1841, Absalom married (second) Sarah Ann Rose in Blount County. Sarah Ann had been born ca. 1826. Absalom and Sarah Ann (Rose) Sparks had six children. A record of all of the children of Absalom Sparks appears in the June 1978 Quarterly, as cited above.
The oldest son of Absalom and Margaret (Allen) Sparks was 17.2.4.9.1 Samuel J. Sparks, born in Monroe County, Tennessee, on October 21, 1824. He died April 2, 1912, in Loudon County, Tennessee. He was married in Blount County, Tennessee, to Mary Ann Kennedy on April 9, 1850. According to a Kennedy family Bible owned by Helen McCrary Windle of Philadelphia, Tennessee, Mary Ann Kennedy was born October 10, 1830, and died July 16, 1890. Samuel J. and Mary Ann.(Kennedy) Sparks were the parents of eight children according to this family Bible.
17.2.4.9.1.1 James Russell Sparks was born in Blount County, Tennessee on March 2 (or 21 ?), 1851. He was married twice. He and his first wife, Martha Alice Torbett, daughter of James and Rachel (Hood) Torbett, were married on September 17, 1872, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was born August 12, 1856, in Morgantown, Tennessee, and died September 8, 1907. He married (second) Virginia MNU. He died in 1925.
Vicki Begtrup (Mrs. Raymond), a great-granddaughter of James Russell Sparks, has searched census records in an effort to identify his children. It was Mrs. Begtrup who also provided us with the family photographs appearing on the cover of this issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 129 and at the beginning of this article. Martha Alice (Torbett) Sparks, whose nickname seems to have been "Emma," stated before her death in 1907 that she had given birth to nine children, six of whom were still living. From census records, Mrs. Begtrup has identified the following children of James R. and Martha Alice (Torbett) Sparks:
17.2.4.9.1.1.1 Fannie M. Sparks, born March 7, 1874, in Tennessee. She married Jesse W. Fletcher on December 24, 1894, in Pulaski County, Indiana. He was a son of Wayland and Sarah (Scott) Fletcher. They were the parents of five children:
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.1 Robert D. Fletcher was born May 16, 1897, and died July 17, 1952. He married Florence Ruth Sloan on October 21, 1921, in San Francisco, California. They had two children:
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.1.1 Eleanor Fletcher was born November 1, 1925, in Palo Alto, California. She married Richard A. Leibler on July 29, 1954 in Los Angeles, California; He was born March 18, 1914. They have two children:
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.1.1.1 Barbara Leibler born May 21, 1955, and
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.1.1.2 Robert David Leibler, born February 26, 1960. They reside in Columbia, Maryland.17.2.4.9.1.1.1.1.2 Barbara Fletcher was born June 30, 1929, in Palo Alto, California. She married Robert Earl Hickox on August 19, 1950, in Reno, Nevada. They have three children:
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.1.2.1 Keith Robert Hickox born January 7, 1952; he married Patricia Freita on August 23, 1974;
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.1.2.2 Linda Hickox born February 28, 1954; she married Aaron William Nahale on August 25, 1973; and
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.1.2.3 Garry Alan Hickox born April 25, 1964.17.2.4.9.1.1.1.2 Frederick W. Fletcher was born on January 13, 1903, in Ora, Indiana. He was married, first, to Esther Ehrhardt in 1928. He married, second, Mary Atwater who is now deceased. He resides in Portola Valley, California. He and Esther Ehrhardt had a daughter:
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.2.1 Jeanne Ann Fletcher born October 10, 1932. He married Norman Paul Elias, who was born February 20, 1929. They have four children:
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.2.1.1 Norma Jeanne Ready born April 6, 1955;
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.2.1.2 Kim Elias Bowers born April 6, 1955;
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.2.1.3 Paul St. Sarjis Elias born September 20, 1958; and
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.2.1.4 Julia Ann Elias born February 8, 1964. They reside in Los Gatos, California.17.2.4.9.1.1.1.3 Jesse Raymond Fletcher was born in 1905. He married Hannah MNU and died in 1941 in California.
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.4 Ralph Fletcher was born in 1907 and died in 1913.
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.5 Victor R. Fletcher, son of Jesse and Fannie (Sparks) Fletcher, was born on March 30, 1910 in Warrenville, Illinois. He married, first, Myrtle King in 1929. They had 2 daughters. He married second, Harriet Conklin in June 1948. He died October 31, 1976, in Elgin, Illnois. Harriet Conklin Fletcher was born October 22, 1909, and resides in Warrenville, Illinois.
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.5.1 Patricia L. Fletcher was born on March 2, 1930, in Warrenville, Illinois. She married Paul Eugene Walters in May 1963. He was born on September 9, 1929. They reside in Brooksville, Florida.
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.5.2 Vicki S. Fletcher was born January 2, 1940, in Aurora, Illinois. She married Raymond Thomas Begtrup on January 23, 1959, in Geneva, Illinois. He was born March 30, 1937, in Wayne, New Jersey. They have three children:
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.5.2.1 Joanne Marie Begtrup born November 20, 1959, in Berwyn, Illinois; 17.2.4.9.1.1.1.5.2.2 Gerald Raymond Begtrup born December 17, 1961, in Pompton Plains, New Jersey; and
17.2.4.9.1.1.1.5.2.3 Thomas Victor Begtrup born February 27, 1963, in Pompton Plains, New Jersey. They reside in West Milford, New Jersey.17.2.4.9.1.1.2 Edward Sparks, born ca. 1876 in Tennessee; he married Kenny MNU.
17.2.4.9.1.1.3 Harry Sparks, born ca. 1879 in Tennessee.
17.2.4.9.1.1.4 Thomas Sparks, born September 1882 in Indiana.
17.2.4.9.1.1.5 Helen Sparks, born December 1889 in Indiana.
17.2.4.9.1.1.6 Samuel Sparks, born October 1891 in Indiana.
17.2.4.9.1.1.7 Paul R. Sparks, born June 1897 in Indiana.
17.2.4.9.1.1.8 Allen Sparks.(It was Vicki Begtrup who provided the photograph appearing on the cover of this issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 129 and that appearing at the beginning of this article as well as much of the information appearing in this sketch.)
17.2.4.9.1.2 Winfield Scott Sparks, born October 17, 1852.
17.2.4.9.1.3 William D. Sparks, born January 1854, died September 14, 1913 in Boise, Idaho.17.2.4.9.1.4 Thomas Sparks, born January 5, 1855, died January 26,1883.
17.2.4.9.1.5 Millard F. Sparks, born ca. 1857 (his age was given as 3 on the 1860 census of Blount County, Tennessee).
17.2.4.9.1.6 Daniel (or David ?) Sparks, born ca. 1858 (his age was given as 2 on the 1860 census of Blount County, Tennessee).
17.2.4.9.1.7 Sidney Jane Sparks, born ca. March 1860 (her age was given as 3 months on the 1860 census, which was taken of this household on June 29, 1860).
17.2.4.9.1.8 Ann Martha (Martha Ann) Sparks, born September 1, 1863, died February 23, 1931.