January 14, 2022
Pages 890-893
Whole Number 49
SPARKS FAMILIES LISTED ON THE 1820 CENSUS OF KENTUCKY
Compiled from Microfilm, The Filson Club, Louisville, Kentucky
by Paul E. Sparks
The state of Kentucky figures importantly in the genealogical research into many branches of the Sparks family, even though the descendants of these branches are now widely scattered. Admitted to the Union in 1792, Kentucky was settled largely by immigrants from Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. Many of these settlers, or their children, moved on with the tide of emigration to Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and the other western states. Census records such as this provide the genealogist with one of his most valuable aids in tracing the westward path followed by his ancestors.
This record for 1820 fills an important gap in previously published census records of the Sparks family in Kentucky.
In the March, 1955, issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 9 the Sparkses appearing on the 1810 census were listed (page 65).
In the Quarterly of September, 1959, pp. 419-422, Whole No. 27 we published a record of the Sparks families listed on the 1830 census of the state.
Beginning in the Quarterly of March, 1957, p. 205, Whole No. 17, we published a record of the Sparkses named on the 1850 census. The following data should be used with these previously published records.
In all federal census records prior to 1850, only the head of each household was actually named. Opposite his name, the members of his household were simply enumerated by sex and age groups. The head of the household was also included in the enumeration.
In the 1820 census, males and females were enumerated separately, with the males divided into the following six age groups: (1) those under ten years; (2) those aged between 10 and 16 years; (3) those between 16 and 18; (4) those between 18 and 26; (5) those between 26 and 45; and (6) those 45 years old and above. The females were divided into similar age categories, except that those between 16 and 26 were placed in one group. (With an obvious view toward determining the military capacity of the country, the males between 16 and 26 were divided into two groups.) Ordinarily we can assume that where the head of the household was a male, he was the same as the oldest male in the enumeration. Thus, we can be sure that the Elihu Sparkes listed in Adair County was the male enumerated as aged 18 to 26; we can also guess that the members of his household included a wife between 16 and 26, along with one son and two daughters, all under 10 years. However, this can only be a logical guess, for these three children could have been relatives whom Elihu had taken to rear, and the female between 16 and 26 could have been a relative, or a housekeeper.
Of the sixty-eight counties in Kentucky in 1820, Sparkses were found in twenty-six. The following counties had no one named Sparks: Alien, Barren, Bath, Bracken, Breckinridge, Butler, Caidwell, Casey, Clark, Clay, Cumberland, Daviess, Floyd, Franklin, Gallatin, Garrard, Grant, Grayson, Green, Jessamine, Knox, Livingston, Logan, Mason, Monroe, Montgomery, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Ohio, Pendleton, Rockcastle, Simpson, Todd, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Whitley, and Woodford.
Sparks families were found in the following twenty-six Kentucky counties in 1820: Adair, Boone, Bourbon, Bullitt, Campbell, Christian, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Greenup, Hardin, Harlan, Harrison, Henderson, Henry, Jefferson, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Nicholas, Owen, Pulaski, Scott, Shelby, and Trigg.
SPARKS FAMILIES LISTED ON THE 1820 CENSUS OF KENTUCKY
| Males | Females | ||||||||||||
| Page | 0 10 |
10 16 |
16 18 |
18 26 |
26 45 |
45 up |
|| | 0 10 |
10 16 |
16 26 |
26 45 |
45 up |
|
| Adair County | |||||||||||||
| Elihu Sparks | (p. 45) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | || | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| John Sparks | (p. 45) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| William Sparks | (p. 49) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | || | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Boone County | |||||||||||||
| James Sparks | (p. 35) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | || | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Thomas Sparks | (p. 37) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | || | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bourbon County | |||||||||||||
| Catherine Sparks | (p. 140) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | || | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| William Sparks | (p. 142) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bullitt County | |||||||||||||
| Benjamin Sparks | (p.179) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Samuel K. Sparks | (p.187) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Campbell County | |||||||||||||
| James Sparks | (p.245) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | || | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian County | |||||||||||||
| Thomas Sparks | (p. 294) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | || | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Estill County | |||||||||||||
| Isaac Sparks | (p. 45) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| William Sparks | (p. 51) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| George Sparks | (p. 51) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ruth Sparks | (p. 51) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | || | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| William Sparks, Jr. | (p. 51) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | || | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Caty Sparks | (p. 51) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Fayette County | |||||||||||||
| Elenor Sparks | (p. 67) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| William Sparks | (p. 85) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fleming County | |||||||||||||
| William Sparks | (p. 73) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | || | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Greenup County | |||||||||||||
| Isaac Sparks | (p174) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| John Sparks | (p174) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Hardin County | |||||||||||||
| Thomas Sparks | (p. 26) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | || | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Harlan County | |||||||||||||
| Absalom Sparks | (p120) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | || | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Harrison County | |||||||||||||
| William Sparks | (p144) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | || | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Henderson County | |||||||||||||
| Thomas Sparks | (p. 6) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry County | |||||||||||||
| James Sparks | (p251) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| William Sparks | (p251) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | || | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Robert Sparks | (p261) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | || | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Walter Sparks | (p218) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jefferson County | |||||||||||||
| Ezra Sparks | (p.43) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | || | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Walter Sparks | (p.43) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | || | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ephram Sparks | (p.48) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| William Sparks | (p.48) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | || | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hampton Sparks | (p.53) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lewis County | |||||||||||||
| Joseph Sparks | (p370) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lincoln County | |||||||||||||
| Anderson Sparks | (p.62) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Madison County | |||||||||||||
| James Sparks | (p121) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mercer County | |||||||||||||
| George Sparks | (p370) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | || | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Nicholas County | |||||||||||||
| George Sparks | (p412) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | || | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Catharine Sparks | (p420) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | || | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Caleb Sparks | (p420) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Catharine Sparks | || | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | || | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Owen County | |||||||||||||
| Anthony Sparks | (p104) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Madison Sparks | " | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Henry Sparks, Sr. | " | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | || | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Humphrey Sparks | " | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | || | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Martin Sparks | " | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | || | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pulaski County | |||||||||||||
| David Sparks | (p.42) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Scott County | |||||||||||||
| James Sparks | (p134) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Shelby County | |||||||||||||
| Valentine Sparks | (p132) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Sparkes | (p.137) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Richard Sparkes | (p. 137) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | || | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Trigg County | |||||||||||||
| Eli Sparks | (p.4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | || | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
CORRECTION--1820 CENSUS OF KENTUCKY
In the Quarterly of March 1965 (Whole No. 49, pp. 890-93), we published a record of the heads of families named Sparks appearing on the 1820 census of Kentucky, with an enumeration of each of their households. Dr. Paul E. Sparks has discovered that in the listing of Sparkses on the 1820 census of Henry County, Kentucky, three names were omitted. Readers are urged to make note of the following additions of these names on page 892 of the Quarterly.
Note:These have been added above.
| Males | Females | ||||||||||||
| 0 10 |
10 16 |
16 18 |
18 26 |
26 45 |
45 up |
||||| | 0 10 |
10 16 |
16 26 |
26 45 |
45 up |
||
| Henry County, Kentucky | |||||||||||||
| (James Sparks) adj. | (page 251) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||| | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| (William Sparks)adj. | (page 251) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||| | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Robert Sparks | (page 261) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||||| | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |