February 16, 2022
Pages 874-878
Whole Number 49
JOHN ARDIE SPARKS (1817/20 -1902)
OF MORGAN COUNTY,
KENTUCKY
AND HIS DESCENDANTS
by Mrs. James D. Sparks
According to family tradition, 85.1 John Ardie Sparks was a son of 85. William and Nancy Sparks of Lee County, Virginia. William Sparks, the father, is believed to have died when John Ardie was about five years old. The exact year of birth of John Ardie Sparks has not been established - - there is a tradition that he was born in 1817, but census records indicate that it was more probably 1820. The fact that descendants believe he was four years older than his wife, who was born in 1824, also lends support to the date of 1820.
The mother of John Ardie Sparks, according to family tradition, following the death of her first husband, married (second) a Mr. Shepherd. Since a James Shepherd (born in Virginia ca. 1805) and his wife Nancy (born in Virginia ca. 1807) were living in Lee County, Virginia, in 1850 according to the census of that year, there is some reason to believe that this Nancy was John Ardie Sparks's mother. (On the 1830 census of Lee County, a Nancy Sparks was listed as born between 1800 and 1810; living with her was one female, aged under 5 years; if this was the mother of John Ardie Sparks, as seems probable, he must have been living with relatives at the time the 1830 census was taken.)
John Ardie Sparks is known to have had one sister, 85.x Abigail (or Abbie) Sparks. When he was about thirteen years old (ca. 1833) John Ardie Sparks and his sister "ran away" from the home of their mother and step-father and went to Kentucky. They probably went to live with relatives who had gone to Kentucky earlier. 85.x Abigail Sparks was married sometime prior to 1848 to George Wesley Yates and they were listed on the 1850 census of Lewis County, Kentucky.
On November 10, 1841, 85.1 John Ardie Sparks obtained a bond in Morgan County, Kentucky, to marry Mary Ann Lykins (or Likens), daughter of William P. and Hannah (Stout) Lykins. She was born, according to a record made by her mother in the Lykins family Bible, on November 1, 1824, at Johnson's Fork, now in Magoffin County, Kentucky. (Her tombstone, however, gives her birth date as July 31, 1824.) John Ardie Sparks died in 1902 in Petersville, Louis County, Kentucky, and his wife, Mary Ann, died November 5, 1908, at the home of her son, Henry Harrison Sparks, in Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky.
John Ardie and Mary Ann (Lykins) Sparks were the parents of eleven children. Following is a record of these children, based upon family records and census records of Morgan County, Kentucky.
85.1.1 William Jackson Sparks, son of John Ardie and Mary Ann (Lykins) Sparks, was born in 1843 in Morgan County, Kentucky; he died in 1926. He married Molly Raburn (also spelled Rayburn and Raeburn). They were the parents of the following children:
85.1.1.1 Ann Sparks, married FNU Raburn.
85.1.1.2 Mattie Sparks, born in Lewis County, Kentucky.
85.1.1.3 John Sparks, born ca. 1872.
85.1.1.4 Dudley Sparks, born ca. 1874.
85.1.1.5 William Sparks, born ca. 1882.
85.1.1.6 Dau1 Sparks born ca. 1877.
85.1.1.7 Cora Sparks, born ca. 1880; married FNU Blankenship.
85.1.2 Nancy Sparks was born in 1845 and was listed in the 1850 census; she had died by 1855, however, and was buried in Morgan County, Kentucky.
85.1.3 Hannah Sparks was born November 6, 1847, in Morgan County, Kentucky, and died in 1921. She married on June 12, 1866, in Fleming County, Kentucky, Franklin Cassidy. They were the parents of the following children:
85.1.3.1 Samuel Cassidy, born 1869.
85.1.3.2 Allan Cassidy, born 1871, died 1954; he married Maggie Aldridge and had children named85.1.3.2.1 Thomas Cassidy,
85.1.3.2.2 Oliver Cassidy,
85.1.3.2.3 William Cassidy,
85.1.3.2.4 Edna Cassidy, and
85.1.3.2.5 Betsey Cassidy.85.1.3.3 John Cassidy, born 1873; he married Lucy Hardy.
85.1.3.4 Henry Cassidy, born 1875.
85.1.3.5 North Cassidy, born 1877; he died at the age of 20; never married.
85.1.3.6 Emma Cassidy, born 1879.
85.1.3.7 Nancy Cassidy, born 1880; she died at the age of 20; never married.
85.1.3.8 Reuben Cassidy, born 1883; died at the age of 15.
85.1.3.9 Harvey Cassidy, born 1887 in Lewis County, Kentucky.
85.1.4 Allen Sparks was born in 1849 in Morgan County, Kentucky, and died at the age of 21; he never married.
85.1.5 Sarah Elizabeth Sparks was born October 4, 1850, in Morgan County, Kentucky; she died in the l890's. She was married on May 30, 1870, in Fleming County, Kentucky, to Charles Nealus (or Nealis) and had the following children:
85.1.5.1 Charlie Nealus, born in Lewis County, Kentucky.
85.1.5.2 Dode Nealus.
85.1.5.3 Rhoda Nealus, died at the age of 15, unmarried.
There were probably additional children.
85.1.6 Thomas Jefferson Sparks was born August 27, 1853, at Elk Fork, Morgan County, Kentucky, and died December 24, 1942. He was married on February 15, 1876, in Lewis County, Kentucky, to Elizabeth Berry, daughter of Enoche Berry. They had the following children:
85.1.6.1 John Enoche Sparks, born January 20, 1877, and died in Arizona; never married.
85.1.6.2 Rosa Margaret (Maggie) Sparks, born 1879 and died November 24, 1934. She married John Bravard.
85.1.6.3 Bruce Jefferson Sparks, born 1882 and died at the age of 21; buried in Leavenworth, Kansas.
85.1.6.4 Grover Tillman Sparks, born 1884 and died October 16, 1955; he is known to have married twice.
85.1.6.5 Burnal Sparks, born 1887 and died August 30, 1955, when killed by a horse; is known to have married three times.
85.1.6.6 Mary Ellen Sparks, born March 30, 1891. She married (first) Edward Gordley; (second) William Elliott Davis; and (third) James A. Lutes.
85.1.6.7 David E. Sparks, born June 15, 1895; he married Virginia MNU.
85.1.7 Nancy Sparks was born in 1855 in Morgan County, Kentucky. (This was the second daughter named Nancy.) She died between 1860 and 1870.
85.1.8 Mary Ann Jane Sparks was born May 11, 1856, in Morgan County, Kentucky, and died in 1933. She was married on September 10, 1873, in Lewis County, Kentucky, to Ace (Asa) Carrington, and had the following children:
85.1.8.1 Pleasant Carrington, born ca. 1882.
85.1.8.2 Albert Jackson Carrington, born ca. 1895.
There were probably additional children, including, it is thought, two daughters.
85.1.9 James Harvey Sparks was born April 19, 1859, in Morgan County, Kentucky, and died March 4, 1935, in Woodland, Washington, where he is buried. He married (first) on October 14, 1878, in Lewis County, Kentucky, Arzela Lykins (or Likens) the daughter of James Harvey and Nancy Jane (Ferguson) Lykins of Morgan County, Kentucky. Arzela Lykins was born December 15, 1856, at Johnson's Fork, now Magoffin County, Kentucky, and she died March 14, 1905, at Hyrum, Utah; she was buried in Corinne, Utah. James Harvey and Arzela (Lykins) Sparks had the following children:
85.1.9.1 William Stuart Sparks, born June 29, 1879, and died in 1958 in Ashland, Oregon. He married (first) on June 27, 1906, Lovina Coil and (second) in 1926 Ruth Sparks.
85.1.9.2 James Monroe Sparks born February 14, 1881; died 1883.
85.1.9.3 John Franklin Sparks born March 23, 1882; died September 26, 1930, in Juneau, Alaska; he married in 1905 Fannie Jepperson.
85.1.9.4 Hendricks (Henry) Cleaveland Sparks, born September 7, 1884; died March 27, 1953; be was married (first) in July 1907 to Lula Jardine; he was married (second) in 1911 to Hattie Townsend.
85.1.9.5 George Grover Marion Sparks, born April 23, 1887; died September 12, 1951. He married (first) in September 1907, Jennie Jardine; he married (second) Gladys Luckert.
85.1.9.6 David Alfred Sparks, born February 2, 1890. He was married on July 13, 1926, to Ester Hazel Clifford, born February 2, 1902, the daughter of Ephriam Karinealius and Ida Deborah (Hill) Clifford; she died October 8, 1947, and was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Idaho Falls, Idaho. They were the parents of two children:85.1.9.6.1 Ester Arzela Sparks, born July 24, 1928; married October 24, 1949, Allan Seagraves.
85.1.9.6.2 David Clifford Sparks, born April 20, 1927; unmarried.85.1.9.7 Wilbur Douglas (Dick) Sparks, was born May 18, 1892, in Lewis County, Kentucky. He was married on December 24, 1926, in Pocatello, Idaho, to Gladys Viola Clifford, who was born November 8, 1903, in Milo, Idaho, the daughter of Ephriam Karnealius and Ida Deborah (Hill) Clifford. Wilbur Douglas and Gladys Viola (Clifford) Sparks had the following children:
85.1.9.7.1 Arzela LaVerne Sparks, born July 8, 1928; died.November 17, 1928; buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Idaho Falls, Idaho.
85.1.9.7.2 James Douglas Sparks, born November 23, 1929, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He was married on September 24, 1949, in Pocatello, Idaho, to Nelliemae Burns, who was born August 13, 1928, in Mobridge, South Dakota, daughter of Peter Paul and Hazel Alvera (Thrope) Burns. James Douglas and Nelliemae (Burns) Sparks had the following children:85.1.9.7.2.1 Brettford Tyler Sparks, born December 22, 1951, in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
85.1.9.7.2.2 Beverley Coririn Sparks, born April 6, 1954, in Idaho Falls, Idaho.85.1.9.8 Nola Jane Sparks, born June 7, 1895; she married William Wright Hammill.
James Harvey Sparks was married a second time to Rosetta Benson, who was born December 9, 1869, and died January 17, 1935. They were the parents of one child:
85.1.9.9 Harvey Jennings Sparks, born November 7, 1909; he married in August, 1936, Nettie Linden.
85.1.10 Henry Harrison Sparks was born October 6, 1861, in Morgan County, Kentucky, and died June 14, 1942. He was married on July 26, 1881, to Mary Jane Hoffman, who was born August 14, 1854, in Brown County, Ohio. They were the parents of the following children:
85.1.10.1 Lula Belle Sparks, born April 28, 1882; died April 26, 1953; she married Obe Dixon.
85.1.10.2 Carra Floyd Sparks, born November 21, 1888; he married Carmen Ramey.
85.1.10.3 Vera Alma Sparks, born October 19, 1891; died May 19, 1952; married in October 1910 to Curtice Day; married (second) to Vern Morris.
85.1.10.4 Harland Gardner Sparks, born in September, 1894; married Emma Webb.
85.1.10.5 Leana May Sparks, born December 25, 1895; married June 6, 1914, to Charles Mitchell.
85.1.11 David Sparks was born September 4, 1865, and died in 1941. He married (first) Dora Shaw, and (second) Annie. It is believed that he had two daughters by his first wife and a son, named David Allen Sparks, born in West Virginia, by his second wife.