July 20, 2023
Pages 1540
Whole Number 81
THE FAMILY OF 37.2 THOMAS SPARKS (1775-1866)
OF CLARK COUNTY, OHIO
In the Quarterly of March 1966 (Whole No. 53) pp. 970-73, we published the text of the will of 37.2 Thomas Sparks (1775-1866) of Clark County, Ohio, and gave information regarding his descendants based on census records and other sources. Since that time, we have obtained considerably more information regarding the family of Thomas Sparks from a great-great-granddaughter, Lillian Blair of Mackinaw, Illinois. Mrs. Blair owns the family Bible which belonged to 37.2.3 Richard Sparks, son of 37.2 Thomas. From the information provided by Mrs. Blair, we are now able to provide a much more detailed and accurate account of this family.
From research done of the Sparks family of Salem County, New Jersey, by the late Evelyn Cole Peters and Hazel B. Simpson, which Mrs. Simpson has recently shared with us, we believe that 37.2 Thomas Sparks was a son of 37. Richard and Ann (Peterson) Sparks of Lower Penns Neck, Salem County, New Jersey. 37. Richard Sparks, father of Thomas, was born between 1741 and 1749. He died without leaving a will; administration of his estate was given to his widow, Ann, in 1800. It is believed that, in addition to 37.2 Thomas Sparks (born January 4, 1775), Richard and Ann (Sinnickson) Sparks had:
37.1 Sinnickson Sparks, born 1774, died April 2, 1850, married Mary - - - - -;
37.2 Thomas Sparks, born January 4, 1775 and married Abigail Shaw.
37.3 Richard Sparks, born 1780, died 1859, married (first) Lydia Fowler in 1803 and (second) Margaret Callahan, in 1844;
37.4 Peter Sparks, born ca. 1780, died 1830, married Ann Casperson in 1803, and
37.5 Rebecca Sparks, married Robert Walker in 1807.
According to the family Bible now owned by Mrs. Blair, Thomas Sparks was born in Salem County, New Jersey, on January 4, 1775. On June 4, 1801, he was married in Salem County to Abigail Shaw. Since their second son was named Ephraim Shaw Sparks we may conjecture that Abigail's father was probably named Ephraim Shaw. According to the family Bible, she was born July 21, 1780. Between 1805 and 1809, Thomas Sparks moved to Greene County, Ohio; he was living in Sugar Creek Township when the 1820 census was taken. by 1850, he had moved to Clark County, Ohio, where he died in 1866. Thomas Sparks's will was published on as cited at the beginning of this article.
Thomas and Abigail (Shaw) Sparks were the parents of nine children; their births are recorded in the family Bible owned by Mrs. Blair:
37.2.1 Sarah Sparks, born March 22, 1802, died March 27, 1802, age 5 days.
37.2.2 Mary Sparks, born September 6, 1803, died September 20, 1804, age 1 year, 14 days.
37.2.3 Richard Sparks, born August 19, 1805.
37.2.4 Charlotte Sparks, born July 7, 1807, in Ohio. She was mentioned in her father's will in 1861 as Charlotte Clark.
37.2.5 Ephraim Shaw Sparks, born April 27, 1809, in Ohio, died March 12, 1880, in Springfield, Ohio. He was married in Clark County, Ohio, to Mary Elwell on January 27, 1831. (See page 972 of the Quarterly, Whole No. 053 for more information on this family.)
37.2.6 Ann Sparks, born February 18, 1811. She was married in Clark County, Ohio, on August 14, 1834, to Joseph Davidson.
37.2.7 Rebecca Sparks, born September 30, 1812, died August 16, 1867. She married Matthew Houston in Clark County, Ohio, on October 23, 1834. (See page 972 of the Quarterly for a list of their children.)
37.2.8 Robert Walker Sparks, born July 17, 1814. No further record.
37.2.9 David Sparks, born December 24, 1817. (See page 973 of the Quarterly for data on his three marriages and his children.)