January 24, 2022

Pages 327-330
Whole Number 23

SPARKS FAMILIES IN INDIANA -- 1820 AND 1830
Compiled from Census Records

by Paul E. Sparks



When the state of Indiana was admitted to the Union in 1816, it had a population of about 75,000. by the time the first federal census was taken in 1820, the population had increased to 147,178; by 1840 to 685,866. An unusually high birth rate and heavy imigration were the principal factors accounting for the increased numbers. Prior to about 1840, Indiana was settled largely by native born Americans, most of whom came from southern stock; in fact, more Southerners migrated to Indiana than to any other state of the Old Northwest. In the 1840's and 1850's, however, there was a marked increase in immigration from Germany and the British Isles, especially Ireland.

On all federal census records prior to 1850, only the name of the head of the household was given. The entire household, including the head, was then enumerated by sex and age groups. Usually the head of the household was the oldest male, the oldest female was usually his wife, and the younger members were ordinarily his children. the genealogist must realize, however, that if in-laws, nephews and nieces, hired men and women, etc., were living in the family at the time the census was taken, they too were listed as part of the household.

According to the 1820 census of Indiana, there were twenty-eight different Sparks families living in ten different counties. by 1830 there were fifty-seven Sparks families living in twenty-two different counties. Most of these families had migrated to Indiana from the southern states. Following is a tabulation of these families:

  Males   Females
  0
10
10
16
16
18
18
26
26
45
45
up
  0
10
10
16
16
26
26
45
45
up
Dearborn County
Eliza Sparks   1   1 1       1 1   1
1.2.4.10.6.1 Hamlet Sparks       1           1    
Delaware County
William Sparkes 2       1     3     1  
Zachariah Sparkes 1       1     1     1  
Fayette County
Joseph Sparks 2     1 1     1     1  
Joshua Sparks       1           1    
William Sparks 3 2   1   1   1   1 1  
Franklin County
Elijah Sparks 1       1     2 2   1  
Joshua Sparks       1                
Leonard Sparks 1       1     1     1  
Matthew Sparks       2   1     1 2 1 1
Wright Sparks 3 2 1 1 1     4     1 1
Thomas Sparks 1       1         1    
Harrison County
Baxter Sparks 5 1   1 1       1 1    
John Sparks 1       1     3 1   1  
Jackson County
Henry Sparks 2       1         1    
James Sparks           1     2     1
James Sparks 1       1     1   1    
Moses Sparks 2     1 1     2   1    
Stephen Sparks 2 2 1 2   1       1 1 1
Knox County
John Sparks           1     1 2   1
Martin Sparks         2         2    
Scott County
Orson Sparks 2   1   1     2     1  
Edward Sparks       1           1    
Hector Sparks 1     1           1    
William Sparks 1 1     1     4     1  
Vigo County
Wesley Sparks 1       1 1   1   1   1
Wayne County
Cornelius Sparks 3       1     1 1   1  

  Males   Females
  0
5
5
10
10
15
15
20
20
30
30
40
40
50
50
60
60
70
70
80
80
90
90
100
+100   0
5
5
10
10
15
15
20
20
30
30
40
40
50
50
60
60
70
70
80
80
90
90
100
+100
Bartholomew County
William Sparks           1                 2 2     1                
Clark County
Edward Sparks 2         1                 1 1     1                
Daviess County
Daniel Sparks 2       1                     2     1                
William Sparks   1 2     1                 1 1     1                
Dearborn County
Eliza Sparks         1   1                   1 1       1          
Hamlet Sparks 1         1                 2 1       1              
James Sparks 1 1 1 1 1     1 1             1   1 1 1              
John Sparks 2       1                   1       1                
Norval Sparks 1   1   2                   1       1                
Fayette County
Amos Sparks     2   1   1                           1            
Hugh Sparks 1       1                   1     1           1      
William Sparks   1   1       1                 1           1        
Fountain County
Thomas Sparks 1 1 1     1                 1 1     1                
Franklin County
Amos Sparks       1                           1                  
Jesse Sparks       1                           1                  
Jesse Sparks     1   1     1               1 1         1          
Joshua Sparks 1 1       1                 2       1                
Leonard Sparks   1 1       1               2   1       1            
Matthew Sparks 2       1       1                   1   1   1        
William Sparks 1st   2 1     1                   2 1 1 1                
William Sparks 2nd 2 2 1   1                       1   1                
Wright Sparks 2 1     1   1                   2 2   1              
Harrison County
Baxter Sparks 1 2 1 1 1     1                   1 1   1            
John Sparks 1 1   1     1               1 1 1 1   1              
Thos. Sparks         1                         1                  
Hendricks County
David Sparks     1 1     1                   1 1     1            
Jonathan Sparks   1 1 1     1               2 1       1              
Henry County
William Sparks 1   1   4                           1                
Jackson County
Moses Sparks 1   2       1                 3 1 1 1   1            
Rebecky Sparks         1                                   1        
Stephen Sparks       4       1             1             1          
Uriah Sparks 1         1                         1                
Ward Sparks 1       1                           1                
Jefferson County
James Sparks         1                   2       1                
Johnson County
George Sparks     2   1     1               1 1         1          
Lawrence County
Henry Sparks 1 1           1             1 1     1                
James Sparkes                   1                         1        
James Sparkes         1                   2       1                
Matthew Sparks         1                   1       1                
Orange County
Stephen Sparks 1   2   1                     1 1     1              
Parke County
Westley Sparks 1 1 1       1               1 1 1     1              
Adison Sparks   1 1     1                 2 1 1     1              
Randolph County
George Sparks 1 2 1 1 1   1               1   2 2     1            
Solomon Sparks 2 2 1 1   1                 1 1 2     1              
Rush County
Isaac Sparks 2       1                   1       1                
John Sparks 3 1       1                 1       1                
John Sparks         1                   2       1                
Joshua Sparks 1         1                   1       1              
Stephen Sparks 1       1                           1                
William Sparks         1                   2       1                
Zach. Sparks 1 1       1                 2 2       1              
Scott County
Hector Sparks       1   1                   3   1   1              
William Sparks 1 1 1 1   1                 1 1 2 1   1              
Union County
Elijah Sparks   2 1 1     1               1 1 1 1 1   1            
Vigo County
Hyram Sparks   1     1                   1 1 1   1                
Richard Sparks     2 1 2     1             3 1 1     1              
Wayne County
Andrew Sparks     2 1       1             1 1 1 1     1            

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