January 17, 2022
Pages 4670-4671
Whole Number 174
THOMAS SPARKS (1821-1893)
A UNION SOLDIER IN THE CIVIL WAR
In the Sparks Quarterly of March 1996, Whole No. 173, pp.4624-4626, we presented an abstract of the pension application of Thomas Sparks who had served in Company H, 146th Regiment Indiana Infantry in the Union Army. He was a resident of Rising Sun in Ohio County, Indiana, when he made his application for a pension.
In an "Editor's Note" following this abstract, we provided a limited amount of biographical data for Thomas Sparks, as well as brief information regarding his children. Since the appearance of the March 1996 issue of the Quarterly, we have received additional information from a great-granddaughter of Thomas Sparks, Mrs. Suzanna L. Wagner, 10357 98th Street, Seminole, FL 34643. We are now able to present more precise Information regarding the dates of birth and death of Thomas Sparks and of his wife, Elizabeth (Mitchell) Sparks, as provided by Mrs. Wagner.
Thomas Sparks was born February 2, 1821, in Kentucky; he died on December 6, 1893, in Rising Sun, Indiana. He was married in Ohio County, Indiana, on Decembar 12, 1854, to Elizabeth Mitchell. She had been born on May 19, 1831, and died on November 16, 1901. They were the parents of six children.
A. Sarah Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Sparks,
B. James Sparks, son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Sparks, was born in 1859 in Indiana. He married Clara E. Burton. Family records show that they had three children, but the name of only the first is known.1. Bertha M. Sparks was born May 1, 1886.
2. A son, name not known, was born October 2, 1888.
3. A son, name not known, was born July 28, 1891.C. Oscar Sparks, son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Sparks, was born in 1861 in Indiana. He married Prudence Billingsley. Family records show that they had four children, but those records do not give their names.
1. A son, name not known, was born September 1. 1882.
2. A son, name not known, was born September 10, 1886.
3. A son, name not known, was born February 9, 1890.
4. A daughter, name not known, was born July 28, 1892.D. Martin Parkinson Van Buren Sparks, son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Sparks, was born September 22, 1864. He was married on August 19, 1891, in Rising Sun, Indiana, to Ora May Dugle who had been born in 1875, and was a daughter of Henry and Clara (Hall) Dugle. Martin and Ora were both born in Rising Sun, Indiana, and both were buried there. He died in 1941, she died in 1963. Martin worked on the Penn-Cental Railroad in Greensburg, Indiana. They had four children.
1. Llewellyn Sparks was born September 13, 1893. He was married on March 24, 1913, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Ruth Louise Doerr. She had been born on October 27, 1891, and was a daughter of John Heinrich and Louise (Schmidt) Doerr. Llewellyn died on October 11, 1918; Ruth died February 22, 1966. They had a son, Harold Clyde Sparks, born November 13, 1915.
2. Clara Sparks was born September 28, 1895. She married Evans Tibbals Hall who had been born on November 8, 1893, at Somerset, Ken tucky. Clara died on February 14, 1981; Evans died on May 25, 1950. Both were buried in the New Rising Sun Cemetery. They had one daughter, Jo Ann (Brant), born September 3, 1933.
3. Edna Mae Sparks was born December 13, 1899. She married Earl Orlindo Robinson, Sr. He had been born on February 9, 1897, at Indianapolis, Indiana. They were married on September 15, 1917. They had one son, Earl Orlindo Robinson, Jr., born January 30, 1922.
4. Robert Jones Sparks was born March 4, 1904; he died on February 21, 1952. He married Reba Lee. They had one daughter, Mary Lee Sparks (Kramer).
E. John Sparks, son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Sparks, was born No vember 4, 1865; he died on January 16, 1929. He never married and was blind at the time of his death. He was buried in Rising Sun, Indiana.
F. Ella Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Sparks. Her dates of birth and death are not known. She was married twice. Her first husband had the surname Jones; her second husband had the surname Doyel.
(Editor's Note: As was noted when we presented the abstract of the pension file for Thomas Sparks in the March 1996 issue of the Quarterly, we have not been able to determine his parentage. We would welcome further information regarding him from any descendant who might notice the above record.]