October 12, 2023
Pages 2612-2636
Whole Number 126
1.2.5.10.1 JAMES SPARKS of Washington County, Pennsylvania,
and Clinton County, Indiana - Continued
(Editor's Note: This is a continuation of the article begun in the March 1984 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 125. In that issue, we presented a sketch of the life of 1.2.5.10.1 James Sparks (born ca. 1765, died in 1855) of Washington County, Pennsylvania, and Clinton County, Indiana, and seven of his children:
1.2.5.10.1.1 Martha Sparks, 1.2.5.10.1.2 Margaret Sparks, 1.2.5.10.1.3 Sarah Sparks, 1.2.5.10.1.4 William Sparks, 1.2.5.10.1.5 James Sparks, 1.2.5.10.1.6 Marjorie Sparks, and 1.2.5.10.1.7 Mary Sparks.
Here we present the remainder of his children: 1.2.5.10.1.8 Joseph Sparks, 1.2.5.10.1.9 Thomas Sparks, 1.2.5.10.1.10 Robert Sparks, 1.2.5.10.1.11 Allen Sparks, and 1.2.5.10.1.12 Elizabeth Sparks.
A number of descendants of this branch of the Sparks Family have provided important data and photographs that have made possible the compilation of this article by our Association's President, Dr. Paul E. Sparks. Among those contributors are the following: Minnie P. Huffer (Mrs. Enos G.), Wisconsin (54220); Rita M. Pierce, El Paso, Illinois (61738); Lois Ritter (Mrs. Harry), Muscatine, Iowa (52761); and Irma Wells (Mrs. Robert L.), Anderson, Indiana (46011).
1.2.5.10.1.8 Joseph Sparks, son of James and Margaret (Ray) Sparks, was born November 23, 1808, and was a young lad when his parents moved from Washington County, Pennsylvania, to Ohio, settling in that part of Richland County that helped to form Ashland County in 1846. It was there that he learned the trade of carpentry which enabled him to become a skilled wheelwright and furniture maker. It was also probably in Ohio that he met and courted Sarah DeFord. They were married on July 29, 1830. (Their marriage record went with Ashland County when that county was formed.) Sarah was born September 13, 1813, probably in Maryland, although some descendants say that she was a native of Belmont County, Ohio. She was a daughter of William and Polly (Jones) DeFord.
Joseph Sparks followed his brother, Allen, to Indiana, where, on May 3, 1836, he bought a 40-acre farm from James and Catherine Dukes in Clinton County. When the 1840 census was taken, he and Sarah had five children, three sons and two daughters. Then in September 1844, he and Sarah sold their farm and moved the following year to Young Hickory Township (also known as Deerfield Township) in Fulton County, Illinois. There they bought an 80-acre farm, including the log cabin that was on it, from William Weaver. They set to work erecting a house, but meanwhile they lived with Joseph Wheeler who had married Sarah's sister. The log cabin which Joseph Sparks had bought from Weaver was only 10 by 30 feet; it became his workshop. In it, he and his sons began making furniture, for they had been able to move very little of their "old" furniture from Indiana to Illinois.
Joseph Sparks entered into the community and governmental activities of Fulton County, and as early as 1854 he was a township supervisor. He also served as a justice of the peace and as an assessor. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics he was a Democrat.
The first child of Joseph and Sarah Sparks to marry was their daughter, Sarah, who married David D. Pierce on February 10, 1853. In their family Bible, which was printed in 1855, they not only recorded the vital statistics for their own small family, but also those of Sarah's parents and her sisters and brothers. The completeness of these records has contributed greatly to the preparation of this article. The Bible is now in the hands of a descendant, Minnie P. Huffer. It was given to Sarah's son, Edgar C. Pierce, when Sarah died in 1883 and was passed on to Edgar's son, Clarke, who owned it from 1913 until 1949, when he gave it to Mrs. Huffer. Here are the family records just as they were written in the Bible.
MARRIAGES
1.2.5.10.1.8 Joseph Sparks and Sarah DeFord were married July 29th 1830
David D. Pierce and 1.2.5.10.1.8.2 Sarah Sparks were married February the 10th 1853
1.2.5.10.1.4 William Sparks and Emily Hossleton were married November 17th 1859
1.2.5.10.1.11 Allen Sparks and Ann Jane Johnson were married December 28th 1859
Joseph Pickering and 1.2.5.10.1.2 Margaret Ann Sparks were married March [sic]
1.2.5.10.1.5 James Wilson Sparks and Margaret A. Morgan were married March 21st 1866
John Sparks and Susan M. Ross were married December 31st 1868
1.2.5.10.1.9 Thomas J. Sparks and Aggie S. Patton were married March 23rd 1871
Frederic W. Hirst and Eleanor J. Sparks were married September 13th 1875
George A. Forbes and Susan Sparks were married December 1876 [sic]
Edgar C. Pierce and Ada M. Crowl were married March 28, 1888
Harry Clyde Pierce and Emma C. Spurgeon were married November 3, 1888
Clarke Pierce and Ann W. Pauge married April 10, 1932.
DEATHS
Sarah Sparks, wife of 1.2.5.10.1.8 Joseph Sparks, died January 21st 1863, aged 49 years 10 months.
Frank Leslie Pierce, son of Sarah and David D. Pierce, died June 18th 1868, aged 10 years, 10 months and 5 days.Sarah Sparks, my mother, died January 21st 1863 at 8 a.m. Buried at 11 a.m. January 23, 1863. Was removed from Fulton County and buried in the cemetery in Bushnell September 23rd 1870.
Joseph Sparks, my father, died July 6th 1876, aged 67 yrs 7 months 24 da. Buried July 8th 1876 in Bushnell Cemetery.
Susan Forbes died September 19th 1881.
Sarah, wife of David Pierce, died April 27, 1883 4:30 a.m., aged 49 years 1 month 3 days. Hymn sung was "Remember me for what I have done." Remarks on the transitory of Life.
BIRTHS
1.2.5.10.1.8 Joseph Sparks was born November 23rd 1808
Sarah Sparks, his wife, was born September 13th 1813Allen Sparks was born June 8th 1831
1.2.5.10.1.8.2 Sarah Sparks was born March 24th 1834
Margaret Ann Sparks was born June 28th 1836
William Sparks was born December 20th 1838
James Wilson Sparks was born March 5th 1841
John Sparks and Thomas Sparks was born August 16th 1843
Susan Sparks was born December 5th 1847
Joseph N. Sparks was born October 18th 1850
Eleanor Josephine Sparks was born December 5th 1854
David D. Pierce was born 30th of June 1831
1.2.5.10.1.8.2 Sarah (Sparks) Pierce was born 24th of March 1834
Charles Edgar Pierce was born February 22nd 1854
Frank Leslie Pierce was born August 13, 1857
Harry Clyde Pierce was born November 23rd 1862
Clarke Pierce was born May 15th 1903. Christened October 25, 1903.
Ada M. Crowl Pierce born November 25th 1864
Emma Caroline Spurgeon Pierce born 2 February 1868
As recorded in the family Bible, Sarah (DeFord) Sparks died January 21, 1863, and was buried in Fulton County. On April 2, 1865, 1.2.5.10.1.8 Joseph Sparks married (second) Mrs. Matilda Jane (Heller) Jennings at Ellisville, Illinois. She had been born June 22, 1830, in Ohio, and was the widow of Phillip Jennings; he had been killed during the Civil War, leaving her with three children: John Jennings, Martha Jennings, and Phillip Jennings, Jr.
Joseph and Jane (Heller) Sparks (she went by the name of Jane) had three children before his death on July 6, 1876. He was buried in the Bushnell Cemetery by the side of his first wife. Jane is said to have married (third) FNU Cameron. She died in 1916 near Ellisville.
Joseph Sparks was the father of thirteen children. In addition, he reared two children of his brother, James Sparks, along with three step-children. He could truly be called a "family man."
 |
||
| Oldest Son & Oldest Daughter of Joseph & Sarah (DeFord) Sparks | ||
|---|---|---|
| ALLEN SPARKS | SARAH (SPARKS) PIERCE | |
| (1831-1910) | (1834 -1883) | |
1.2.5.10.1.8.1 Allen L. Sparks, son of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born on June 8, 1831, in Richland County, Ohio. On December 28, 1859, he married Ann Jane ["Jennie") Johnson. She was born November 11, 1838, at Prairie City, Illinois. Allen was one of the most prominent men of his time in McDonough County. He was school treasurer of Bushnell Township, a justice of the peace, a township supervisor, and county clerk. He was a member of the Methodist Church. He died at Bushnell, Illinois, on September 15, 1910. Jennie died June 13, 1935. They were buried in the Bushnell. Cemetery. They had two children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1 Emery Caldwell Sparks, born February 8, 1867. He lived on his grandfather's farm near Ellisville, IL. He married. twice. His first marriage was to Enolia Mary Fairman on June 25, 1885. She died in 1926, and he married (second) Mrs. Anna van Brunt. Emery and his first wife had five children:
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1.1 Ethel Sparks was born February 15, 1886, at Ellisville. She died April 14, 1978, at Canton, Illinois. She was married twice. Her first marriage was to Charles Reed on July 25, 1903. They had three children:
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1.1.1 Hugh Reed,
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1.1.2 Naomi Reed, and
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1.1.3 Bernice Reed.Ethel married (second) Erve Wyland in 1928.
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1.2 Walter Allen Sparks was born May 10, 1891. He died March 16, 1978, at Elmwood, Illinois. He married Carol Ratcliffe on July 3, 1913, and they had one child,
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1.2.1 Audrey Sparks.
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1.3 Roy Thomas Sparks lived at Bourbon, Indiana.
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1.4 Florence Sparks married FNU Lee and they lived at Mathersville, Illinois.
1.2.5.10.1.8.1.1.5 Mabel Sparks married Ralph Hendershot and they lived at Bushnell.1.2.5.10.1.8.1.2 Eben Burrell Sparks, son of Allen and Jennie (Johnson) Sparks, lived at Bushnell. He went by the name of Burrell. He retired at Mountain Home, Arkansas. His children:
a son, 1.2.5.10.1.8.1.2.1 Durward Sparks, who taught school for a while at Peoria, Illinois and
a daughter, 1.2.5.10.1.8.1.2.2 Lucille Sparks.1.2.5.10.1.8.2 Sarah Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born March 24, 1834, in Richland County, Ohio. She married David D. Pierce on February 10, 1853, in Fulton County, Illinois. He was born June 30, 1831, in Oneida County, New York, and was a son of Isaac and Pedee Ann (Culver) Pierce. He had come west to Knox County, Illinois, where he taught school in 1851. He and Sarah began housekeeping in Knoxville, Illinois, but moved to Bushnell, Illinois, a short time later. There they lived for the rest of their lives.
David Pierce, husband of Sarah (Sparks) Pierce, was a well-educated man for his times. He was a farmer, but also established a nursery which was unusual in that day when mock oranges were used as fence rows. He was also a surveyor and laid out many roads in western Illinois. He was quite active in the Masonic Lodge and was Master of Pickett Lodge in Bushnell in 1875, 1876, and 1885. He was also a Knight Templar and 32nd Degree Mason.
In the late 1870's, Sarah (Sparks) Pierce was taken to the Rush Medical School Hospital in Chicago where she had breast surgery performed, an operation which was quite uncommon in those days. She was persuaded to go there by her brothers, 1.2.5.10.1.8.5 James Wilson Sparks and 1.2.5.10.1.8.4 William M. Sparks, both of whom had been graduated from the Rush Medical School. She was bedfast for a long time after the surgery.
Sarah (Sparks) Pierce died April 27, 1883, and David died a few years later, on January 24, 1889. They were buried in the Bushnell Cemetery. They were the parents of three children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.1 Edgar Charles ["Ed"] Pierce was born February 22, 1854, in Knoxville, Illinois. He was a talented musician and also a capable photographer. He played the clarinet and violin as well as other instruments. He taught his brother, Harry, a great deal about music and photography. In his later years, he became a druggist. He was a member of the Pickett Masonic Lodge in Bushnell. He married Ada Crowl on March 28, 1888. She was born in 1865 and was a daughter of George and Jennie (Welch) Crowl. Ed died September 1, 1913, and was buried in the Bushnell Cemetery. Ada died June 5, 1949, and was buried at Mt. Olive, Illinois. They had one child.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.1.1 Clarke Pierce was born May 15, 1903. He married Ann W. Pauge on April 16, 1932. They live in Mt. Olive, Illinois. They had no children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.2 Frank Leslie Pierce, son of David and Sarah (Sparks) Pierce, was born on August 13, 1857. He died June 18, 1868, just two months before he would have been eleven years old.
HARRY CLYDE PIERCE (1862-1928)
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3 Harry Clyde Pierce, son of David and Sarah (Sparks) Pierce, was born on November 23, 1862, in Bushnell, Illinois. He was an excellent musician and learned much about music and photography from his brother, Ed. He was a band director in many towns throughout the Midwest, spending most of his life as a musician. He played the clarinet. He, like his brother, was also a capable photographer, and, according to a descendant, he met his wife when she came to him to have her picture made. In later years, he became an interior decorator.
Harry Pierce married Emma Caroline Spurgeon on November 3, 1888, at Palmyra, Missouri. She was born February 2, 1868, at Butler, Missouri, and was a daughter of Jeremiah Spurgeon and Julia Catherine Houston. Harry died at Canton, Illinois, on October 17, 1828, and was buried in the Bushnell Cemetery. Emma died August 27, 1943, at Bloomington, Illinois, and was buried at El Paso, Illinois. She and Harry had nine children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.1 Derwood D. Pierce was born November 12, 1889, at Bushnell, Illinois. He died July 3, 1918, and was buried at El Paso.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.2 Max S. Pierce was born December 14, 1890, at Bushnell, Illinois. He died February 22, 1919, aboard the ship The Mercury as he was returning from France after the close of World War I. He was buried in the Bushnell Cemetery.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.3 Edgar C. Pierce was born October 21, 1893, at Colfax, Iowa. He served in England during World War I. On October 15, 1925, he married Mabel Evelyn Reynolds at Abingdon, Illinois. He died September 1, 1954, at Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mabel died May 5, 1982. They had no children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.4 Minnie Mae Pierce was born March 10, 1896, at Two Rivers, Wisconsin. She married Enos G. Huffer on December 20, 1930, in Chicago. They had two children, both born in Springfield, Illinois:
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.4.1 Bruce Pierce Huffer, born August 31, 1932. Bruce was married on August 15, 1964, to Lesley Jean Upham, at Jackson, Michigan, and they have three children,
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.4.1.1 Gregory Huffer,
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.4.1.2 Janet Huffer, and
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.4.1.3 Deborah Sue Huffer.1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.4.2 Nancy Huffer, born September 26, 1939. Nancy Huffer married Douglas H. Macomber on June 12, 1961, at Granville, Ohio. They have two children,
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.4.2.1 Marcia Lynn Macomber and
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.4.2.2 Scott Macomber, both born in Evanston, Illinois.Mrs. Huffer has been most helpful in the preparation of this article.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.5 Dale N. Pierce was born October 6, 1898, at Oakville, Iowa. He died February 14, 1940, at Normal, Illinois. He married Gladys Lafferty in 1925 and they had one child, Robert Pierce.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.6 Ryland H. Pierce was born November 7, 1901, at Crescent City, Illinois. He died February 3, 1976, at Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was married three times. His first marriage was to Alice G. Woodruff on June 18, 1918. They had three children:
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.6.1 Rita A. Pierce,
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.6.2 Evelyn L. Pierce, and
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.6.3 Ryland H. Pierce.After the death of his first wife in 1926, Ryland married (second) Mary Anderson on June 21, 1928. They had two children:
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.6.4 Phyllis J. Pierce and
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.6.5 Alberta Pierce.Ryland married (third) Mrs. Olive Grey Swenson.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.7 Mabel G. Pierce was born February 2, 1904, at Chenoa, Illinois. She died January 27, 1979, at Peoria, Illinois. On October 20, 1928, she married R. Wayne Norton at El Paso, Illinois, and they had two children:
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.7.1 Jerry Norton and
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.7.2 Linda Sue Norton.Wayne was a native of Bloomington, Illinois.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.8 Besse K. Pierce was born May 18, 1906, at Fairbury, Illinois. On April 5, 1927, she married Perry M. Moore at Joliet, Illinois. They had one child:
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.8.1 Carol Ann Moore.
1.2.5.10.1.8.2.3.9 Rita Maxine Pierce was born February 26, 1909, at El Paso, Illinois. She has been most helpful in the preparation of this article and has furnished the photographs of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks along with eight others of their descendants.
1.2.5.10.1.8.3 Margaret Ann ["Maggie"] Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born June 28, 1836. She married Joseph Pickering, and they had two daughters, names not known. According to information we have received, one of the daughters married George Duncan, and they had sons who moved to Manteca, California. Joseph Pickering served as an Indian agent in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and then moved to Portland, Kansas.
MARGARET (SPARKS) PICKERING
1.2.5.10.1.8.4 William M. Sparks, son of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born on December 20, 1838, in Clinton County, Indiana. He was a farmer, but he also studied medicine at the Rush Medical School in Chicago and became a practicing physician. On November 17, 1859, he married Harriet Emily Hossleton in Fulton County, Illinois. She was born October 10, 1839, in Illinois. When the Civil War broke out, William joined the 72nd Regiment Illinois Infantry and served until the war ended. (See page 2638 of the Quarterly, Whole No. 126 for an abstract of his pension file.)
After he returned from the military service, William Sparks lived in several places, including Clark County, Missouri; Butler County, Kansas; Benton County, Arkansas; and San Miguel County, New Mexico. In the latter state, he worked as a physician for the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad. It was here that Harriet died March 13, 1910. William died July 25, 1922. They were buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Las Vegas, New Mexico. They had six children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.1 Clarence Newton ["Newtie"] Sparks was born March 7, 1861, in Ellisville, Illinois. He lived in or near Las Vegas, New Mexico. He never married.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.2 William Carlos Sparks was born April 10, 1863. He worked for a mining company, and he was killed in a snow slide in Montana. He never married.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.3 Florence L. Sparks was born August 2, 1866. She married Horace Oakes, a native of England. They were both buried in Silver City, New Mexico. They had three children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.3.1 Ernestine Oakes married T. B. Saner, and in 1964 they were living in South Pasadena, California. They had a son and twin daughters, one of whom was named Barbara. We have no further information about this family.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.3.2 Ethel Oakes married George J. Harbauer and in 1964 they were living in El Cajon, California. They had one child, Jack, who lived in Kansas.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.3.3 Muriel Oakes married M. J. O'Boyle, and they lived in Santa Rosa, California.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.4 Carrie Demette Sparks was born July 11, 1869, in Bushnell, Illinois. She never married. She died in 1959 in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.5 Ada Perry Sparks was born April 2, 1874, in Topeka, Kansas. She homesteaded a ranch near Pecos, New Mexico, as early as 1891, and sold the land in 1897. She invested in property in Las Vegas, New Mexico. She never married, and in her later life made her home with her nephew, Waldo Hainlen. She died in 1964.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.6 Mabel Earle Sparks was born September 15, 1876, in Plum Grove, Kansas. On October 23, 1901, she married Charles T. Hainlen at Cowles, New Mexico. He was born January 18, 1875, at Trinidad, Colorado. He died on October 4, 1947, and Mabel died December 25, 1952, at Las Vegas, New Mexico. They had three children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.6.1 Florence E. Hainlen was born August 15, 1902, in Las Vegas, New Mexico. On June 16, 1921, she married Rex Morrison at Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1964, they were operating a resort area in Gallinas Canyon on New Mexico State Route 3 to Montezuma. We have no further information about them.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.6.2 Mervyn R. Hainlen was born February 14, 1905, in Cowles, New Mexico. He is said to have married in 1938, but we have no further information about him.
1.2.5.10.1.8.4.6.3 Charles Waldo Hainlen was born September 18, 1908, in Las Vegas. Waldo (as he was called) never married. His aunt, Ada Perry Sparks, lived with him until her death in 1964.
DR. JAMES WILSON SPARKS
(1841-1921)
1.2.5.10.1.8.5 James Wilson Sparks, son of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born on March 5, 1841, at Colfax, Indiana. He attended the Rush Medical School in Chicago and became a practicing physician. He married Margaret Amanda Morgan on March 22, 1866, in Fulton County, Illinois. She was born March 21, 1849, at Marietta, Illinois. James died January 2, 1921, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Margaret survived him by nearly twenty-five years, dying on February 5, 1945, also in Indianapolis where both were buried. They had three children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.5.1 Guy Leo Sparks was born November 22, 1867, in McDonough County, Illinois. He died September 16, 1955, at Indianapolis, Indiana. He married Clara R. Heitkam on September 4, 1889, in Arkansas City, Kansas. She was born March 16, 1869, at Arkansas City and was a member of the Roman Catholic Church. She and Guy had four children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.5.1.1 Vera Marie Sparks was born ca. 1890. She married Frank X. Thale in 1913, and they had at least one child, a son, James Sparks Thale who was born in 1920 at Evanston, Illinois.
1.2.5.10.1.8.5.1.2 Clare Agnes Sparks was born in the 1890's. We have no further information about her.
1.2.5.10.1.8.5.1.3 James Vincent Sparks was born probably in the 1890's. He was a dentist.
1.2.5.10.1.8.5.1.4 Alan Leo Sparks was born January 20, 1902, in Indianapolis. He became a physician and practiced his profession in his hometown of Indianapolis until his death on October 18, 1978. He was a strong supporter of the Sparks Family Association. On September 10, 1930, he married Mary Jane Wilcox, and they had two sons,
1.2.5.10.1.8.5.1.4.1 Robert J. Sparks and
1.2.5.10.1.8.5.1.4.2 Richard Sparks.1.2.5.10.1.8.5.2 Fred Darius Sparks was born ca. 1870.
1.2.5.10.1.8.5.3 Grace M. Sparks was born ca. 1875.1.2.5.10.1.8.6 John Wesley Sparks (he was known as Wesley Sparks), son of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born August 16, 1843; he died July 17, 1917, in Long Beach, California. He became an attorney and practiced law with his twin brother, Thomas J. Sparks. He was married on December 31, 1868, to Susan M. Ross, who was born August 13, 1842. She died November 4, 1922, in Long Beach. Both were buried in Inglewood Cemetery. They apparently had no children, but adopted Wesley's niece, Susan Forbes, after the death of her mother. (See H, 8, below).
1.2.5.10.1.8.7 Thomas Jefferson Sparks was born on August 16, 1843; he was a twin brother of John Wesley Sparks. Thomas completed a common school education in Fulton County, Illinois, and then he attended Lombard College at Galesburg, Illinois. He later studied at Howe's Academy at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. In 1864, he began "reading law" with S. Corning Judd at Lewistown, Illinois, and was admitted to the bar. He then went to Central City, Nebraska, where he practiced law for six years.
THOMAS JEFFERSON SPARKS
Born 1843
According to a History of McDonough County, Illinois, edited by Alexander McLean in 1907, Thomas Jefferson Sparks was an active member of the Democratic Party and was elected City Attorney of Bushnell, Illinois, for several years. He was also elected as a representative to the 38th General Assembly of Illinois. The history cited above concludes his biography as follows: "Socially, Mr. Sparks is connected with the Masonic fraternity. Around his strenuous life he has built a wall of public confidence, and his qualities of mind and heart are such as may well be emulated by the men of a younger generation."
On March 23, 1871, Thomas J. Sparks married Agnes Patton at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. She was born January 12, 1850, in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia); she died in 1908 in Bushnell, Illinois. To this union, two children were born.
1.2.5.10.1.8.7.1 Maude Sparks was born April 10, 1873, at Central City, Nebraska. She died March 17, 1963, at South Bend, Indiana. On August 8, 1894, she married W. W. Earnest at Bushnell, Illinois, and they had one child.
1.2.5.10.1.8.7.1.1 Eloise Earnest was born April 13, 1903, at Bushnell. She died September 29, 1983, at Batavia, Illinois. She married Fred R. McMurray and they had two children: Thomas E. McMurray and Shelia McMurray.
1.2.5.10.1.8.7.2 Ray Sparks was born ca. 1889 at Bushnell, Illinois. He married Helen Lindsey of Topeka, Kansas. They had no children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.8 Susan Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born December 5, 1847. She married George Forbes on November 29, 1876, at Bridger, Territory of Wyoming. (This marriage date was provided by Susan's daughter, Alice; as recorded by Sarah Sparks in her family Bible, see page 2613, Susan was married "December 1876.") George Forbes was from Toledo, Ohio, and was a civil engineer associated with the Union Pacific Railroad. He and Susan had two children, including an unnamed son who died at birth. Shortly after the birth of her second child, Susan (Sparks) Forbes died September 19, 1881. She was buried in the Bushnell Cemetery.
SUSAN (SPARKS) FORBES (1847-1881)
1.2.5.10.1.8.8.1 Alice Forbes was born on September 19, 1881. After the death of her mother, she was taken into the home of her uncle, 1.2.5.10.1.8.6 Wesley Sparks, and was adopted by him. She was reared under the name of 1.2.5.10.1.8.6.1 Alice Sparks. She married Earl W. Badger and they had three children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.6.1.1 Alice Caroline Badger was born April 26, 1909, at Central City, Nebraska. She was married and had a child; she married (second) John L. Melgaard in September 1934. They are known to have had children, but we have no further information.
1.2.5.10.1.8.6.1.2 Arthur Wesley Badger was born October 13, 1910, in Long Beach, California. He is said to have married and to have had a family.
1.2.5.10.1.8.6.1.3 Richard Earl Badger was born December 6, 1921. He is said to live in California; he married and has children named Alice Margaret Badger, born April 10, 1945, and Michael Richard Badger, born September 15, 1948.
1.2.5.10.1.8.9 Joseph Newton Sparks, son of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born on October 18, 1850. He died two years later.
JOSEPHINE (SPARKS) HIRST
(Born 1847)
1.2.5.10.1.8.10 Eleanor Josephine Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, was born December 5, 1854. [Notice that her birthdate is shown as 1847 on the accompanying photograph. It is not known which date is correct.] She went by the name of Josephine. She married Frederick Wilson Hirst on September 13, 1875, in Fulton County,Illinois. He was born ca. 1848 in the state of New York to parents who were natives of England. In the early days of the Union Pacific Rail Road, he was in charge of the district at Ogden, Utah. Later he taught school. He and Josephine had three children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.10.1 Frederick Hirst, Jr. was born ca. 1876.
1.2.5.10.1.8.10.2 Florence Josephine Hirst was born October 16, 1878. She became a school teacher and taught many years at Ogden, Utah. She married William Henderson Newcomb on July 24, 1911. He was a teacher.
1.2.5.10.1.8.10.3 Ethel Louise Hirst married FNU Turner. She died December 31, 1939, at Ogden, Utah. She and Mr. Turner had four children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.10.3.1 Hirst Turner was a dentist in Ogden, Utah.
1.2.5.10.1.8.10.3.2 Charlene Turner married FNU Jury.
1.2.5.10.1.8.10.3.3 Eleanor Turner married Victor Stone.
1.2.5.10.1.8.10.3.4 Marian Turner married (first) FNU Busch and (second) FNU Dragerton.As was noted above, following the death of his wife, Sarah (DeFord) Sparks, in 1863, Joseph Sparks married (second) a widow, Mrs. Matilda Jane (Heller) Jennings, on April 2, 1865, at Ellisville, Illinois. She was born April 12, 1830, in Ohio and was called Jane. She had married (first) Phillip Jennings, and they lived near Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. When the Civil War broke out, Phillip Jennings joined the Union Array and was killed, leaving Jane with three small children: John Jennings, Martha Jennings, and Phillip Jennings, Jr. The story is told that she put the children on her horse, led the cow, and walked back to her father's home near Canton, Illinois. It was there that she met Joseph Sparks, and they were married. She and Joseph had three children before his death in 1876.
1.2.5.10.1.8.11 Joseph Sparks, Jr., son of Joseph and Jane (Heller) Sparks, was born on November 7, 1866, at Fairview, Illinois. He was possessed of a keen mind and a desire to learn. When his half-brother, Wesley Sparks, returned to Illinois for a visit, he found Joseph working on their father's farm. Wesley persuaded Joseph to come to Nebraska and live with him. Wesley sent Joseph to Nebraska Central College where he was graduated in 1890. Joseph then became school superintendent of several communities in Nebraska, including Orleans, Fairmont, Greeley, and Aurora. He resigned from the superintendency of the Aurora schools to accept a position in the Nebraska State Department of Education, and in 1910 he was appointed the first president of the Chadron Normal School, a position he held until 1916.
On February 24, 1894, Joseph Sparks married Elizabeth K. Sackett at Central City, Nebraska, and when the 1900 census was taken of Fillmore County, they were living in Fairmont. With them were their sons, Joseph Sparks and Paul Sparks. Joseph Sparks made his retirement home in Chicago and died there on June 7, 1925, from carbon monoxide poisoning while he was working on his automobile in his open-door garage. He was buried with full Masonic honors. Elizabeth, his wife, was still living in 1939
1.2.5.10.1.8.12 Isaac M. Sparks, son of Joseph and Jane (Heller) Sparks, was born January 17, 1868. He lived in Rushville, Illinois, then moved to Salina, Kansas, and worked for a telephone company. When he retired, he moved to Smithfield, Illinois, where he died in June 1949. He is said to have had in his possession the rifle that had belonged to his grandfather, James Sparks; it had the date "1812" inscribed on its stock. On September 15, 1892, Isaac Sparks married Elizabeth Cameron in Fulton County, Illinois. She was born in 1870. They had four children.
1.2.5.10.1.8.12.1 Joseph A. Sparks died in 1922.
1.2.5.10.1.8.12.2 Martha Sparks married Elmer Dickinson, and they lived at Galesburg, Illinois.
1.2.5.10.1.8.12.3 Gus Sparks lived in Bushnell, Illinois.
1.2.5.10.1.8.12.4 Henry Sparks lived in Salina, Kansas. He is said to have had four sons.Isaac Sparks became a most successful businessman in Smithfield, Illinois. He was president of the telephone company, chairman of the Board of Education, and mayor of the town. His photograph appears on the following page.
ISAAC M. SPARKS, 1868-1949
Son of Joseph and Jane (Heller) Sparks
1.2.5.10.1.8.13 Matilda Ann Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Jane (Heller) Sparks, was born on March 9, 1872, in Fulton County, Illinois. She married a U.S. Army officer, name not known. He was a colonel during World War II and was stationed at Camp Ellis near Ellisville, Illinois, where captured German prisoners were interned.
1.2.5.10.1.9 Thomas Sparks, son of James and Margaret (Ray) Sparks, was born August 11, 1810, and was about eleven years old when his parents moved to Ohio. He accompanied them also to Clinton County, Indiana, where he bought 40 acres of land on May 18, 1836. The following December, he added another 52 acres to his farm, probably in preparation for his marriage to Martha Loveless on September 22, 1837. She was born September 21, 1816, in Ohio and was a daughter of Benjamin and Catherine (Besley) Loveless. Her brother, John V. Loveless, married her husband's sister, Elizabeth Sparks, the following March. (See item L, below).
A biographical sketch is given of Thomas Sparks in A Portrait and Biographical Record of Boone and Clinton Counties, Indiana, published in 1895 by the A. W. Bowen & Company of Chicago. It reads in part: "When twenty-seven years old, he (Thomas Sparks became a resident of Clinton County, and he is classed among the pioneers of this section. He made the journey from Ohio to Indiana in a wagon, and moved to a place upon which no improvements of any kind had been made, but in time he cleared and developed a good farm of 140 acres and erected substantial buildings. He was a prominent man of his community, a member of the Methodist Church, and a Whig in his political belief, later a Republican."
Martha (Loveless) Sparks, wife of Thomas Sparks, died September 8, 1855. Thomas died April 3, 1879. They were buried in the Loveless Cemetery near Colfax, Indiana. They had nine children.
1.2.5.10.1.9.1 James Allen Sparks was born August 11, 1838. He served in the 105th Regiment Indiana State Militia for a short time in repelling the raid of the Confederate General John Hunt Morgan into Indiana and Ohio. (See page 2638 of the Quarterly, Whole No. 126 for an abstract of his military service.) On April 26, 1866, he married Mariah Wainscott in Clinton County. She was born December 23, 1841, and was a daughter of L. and Hulda (Bean) Wainscott, early settlers of Clinton County.
James was reared on the old farm of his father and was educated in the common schools. According to the biographical record referred to above in the sketch about his father, he was (in 1895) "one of the leading farmers in his township, cultivating 72 acres of land located about three miles east of Colfax. He is a general farmer and stock-raiser and a lover of good horses and keeps excellent ones. He takes an active part in the Republican party and is a member of the Masonic order. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren Church. Having no children of their own, they adopted a child, Samuel J. Gher, when he was only eight months old, whom they have yet, and are still fondly caring for at the age of nineteen."
(The Samuel J. Gher referred to in the biography quoted above was a nephew of 1.2.5.10.1.9.1 James Sparks and a son of his sister, 1.2.5.10.1.9.6 Margaret Minerva (Sparks) Gher. (See item 6, below.) Samuel was born ca. 1875; his mother died shortly after his birth.)
James Allen Sparks died February 26, 1917, in Clinton County and was buried beside his wife in the Plainview Cemetery at Colfax, Indiana.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2 Elizabeth ["Lizzie"] Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, was born October 13, 1840. She married John Franklin Crick on January 2, 1862, in Clinton County. He was born December 23, 1837, in Rockbridge County, Virginia, and was a son of John and Anna Catherine (Clenuner) Crick. John was a soldier in the Union forces during the Civil War. He died on October 31, 1910, and Lizzie died May 4, 1912. They were buried in the Bunnell Cemetery at Frankfort, Indiana. They had seven children.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1 Martha Jane Crick was born December 6, 1862. At the time of her birth, her father was marching wIth the Union Army toward Stones River, Tennessee, where he was severely wounded on December 31, 1862. He was hospitalized for two years before he was sent home where he saw his daughter for the first time. Martha Jane married Samuel H. Ramsey on March 25, 1886, in Clinton County. He was born March 18, 1860, and was a son of Thomas A. and Mary Jane (Gilmore) Ramsey. Martha Jane died December 23, 1941. She and Samuel had seven children.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.1 Ella Mae Ramsey was born Mary 12, 1887. She married the Rev.Lowell E. Morris on August 16, 1925. They had no children.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.2 Laura O. Ramsey was born May 4, 1889. She married Rolla Buchanan on December 17, 1907, and they had two children: Carl Buchanan and John Buchanan.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3 Russell R. Ramsey was born September 27, 1891. He married Susie C. Boxwell on November 4, 1916, and they had twelve children:
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.1 Herbert M. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.2 Wilbur C. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.3 Wilburta M. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.4 Martha A. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.5 Richard S. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.6 Bonnie M. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.7 Mary A. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.8 Helen L. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.9 Orpha M. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.10 Joseph W. Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.11 Catherine J. Ramsey, and
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.3.12 Samuel C. Ramsey.1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.4 Ross Crick Ramsey was born September 8, 1893. He married Leota B. Gaylor on December 24, 1913, and they had two children,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.4.1 Morris Ramsey and
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.4.2 Robert Ramsey.1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.5 Clay Allen Ramsey was born on September 3, 1896. He married Lillian Spriggle on January 22, 1919, and they had two children,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.5.1 Rhea Alice Ramsey and
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.5.2 Thomas Ramsey.1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.6 William G. Ramsey was born May 31, 1899. He married Orpha Isgrigg on February 3, 1931, and they had three children,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.6.1 Lena Ramsey,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.6.2 William Ramsey, and
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.6.3 Paul Ramsey.1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.7 Roberta E. Ramsey was born May 29, 1902. She married Carlyle M. Brown on January 17, 1926, and they had five children:
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.7.1 William H. Brown,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.7.2 Laura J. Brown,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.7.3 Mary L. Brown,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.7.4 Russell K. Brown, and
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.1.7.5 James D. Brown.
Children of JOHN F. AND ELIZABETH (SPARKS) CRICK Left to right, standing: Nettie Crick, Laura Crick, Margaret Crick
Left to right, sitting: Thomas Crick, Joseph Crick, Curtis Crick, Martha Crick(Photo taken ca. 1886)
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.2 Margaret A. Crick was born March 6, 1868. She married Frank M. Isgrigg on July 26, 1889. She died in 1937. She and Frank had five children:John Isgrigg, Opal Isgrigg, Letha Isgrigg, Merle Isgrigg, and Mildred Isgrigg.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.3 John Thomas Crick was born November 12, 1869. He appears to have been called Thomas. He died November 21, 1921, at Sunnyside, Utah. On May 4, 1890, he married Emma Loveless in Clinton County. She was a daughter of Benjamin and Mary J. (Critch) Loveless. She and Thomas (John Thomas) had three children: Lena Crick, Lola Crick, and Lance Crick.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.4 Nettie May Crick was born May 9, 1872, and she died May 6, 1961, at Stockwell, Indiana. She married Leonard B. Loveless on August 10, 1893, and they had five children:Ruby Loveless, Laura B. Loveless, Harriet Loveless, Ray Loveless, and Roy Loveless.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.5 Laura Bell Crick was born July 31, 1876, and she died February 15, 1955. On March 7, 1895, she married Henry F. White in Clinton County, Indiana. They had a daughter named Alto White.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.6 Joseph Allen Crick was born July 5, 1879. He died November 16, 1955 He married Maude M. Hinton on February 19, 1903, in Clinton County, and they had a daughter, Frances Crick.
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.7 Curtis Sherman Crick was born October 10, 1883. He died February 22, 1967. He married Masie Albright on June 15, 1909, at Colfax, Indiana. They had eight children:
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.7.1 Marie Crick,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.7.2 John F. Crick,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.7.3 Mary E. Crick,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.7.4 Vera L. Crick,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.7.5 Lena O. Crick,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.7.6 Nettie M. Crick,
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.7.7 Glen A. Crick, and
1.2.5.10.1.9.2.7.8 Curtis R. Crick.1.2.5.10.1.9.3 Mary Ann Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, was born on January 18, 1843. She married Isaac Hanes on March 8, 1866, in Clinton County. He was born January 18, 1833, in Seneca County, New York, and was a son of William and Clarissa (Telford) Hanes. Isaac was a Civil War veteran who had been previously married, but was divorced. Mary Ann died November 19, 1916, in Cass County, Missouri. Isaac died November 9, 1918. They were the parents of six children.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.1 Joseph Edgar Hanes was born January 13, 1867. He died the following year on July 31st.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2 Mary Minerva ["Maggie"] Hanes was born November 1, 1869. She married Robert Ray Hannah on February 4, 1892. He was born June 5, 1870, and was a son of Robert S. and Eliza Ann (Lester) Hannah. Maggie Hanes died October 26, 1926, and Robert died September 24, 1950. They were the parents of eight children.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.1 Goldie Hannah was born October 10, 1893, in Champaign County, Illinois. She married Charles Cook on July 20, 1919. He was born on August 19, 1893, and was a son of James and Margaret (Lee) Cook. Goldie and Charles had two children:
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.1.1 Robert J. Cook and
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.1.2 Charles E. Cook.1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.2 Mildred Hannah was born September 12, 1895, at Rensselaer, Indiana. She married Jonas A. Lawrence on October 4, 1920. He was born April 10, 1895, at Downs, Illinois. He died February 2, 1975, and Mildred died August 18, 1976. They were buried in the Greenview Cemetery, Moline, Illinois. They had two children,
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.2.1 Mary Alice Lawrence and
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.2.2 Jonas A. Lawrence, Jr.1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.3 Robert Vern Hannah was born March 14, 1897, in Jasper County, Indiana. On February 18, 1920, he married Wilma L. Warner. She was born May 4, 1899, at Fisher, Illinois. Vern (as he was called) and Wilma had three children:
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.3.1 Marion W. Hannah,
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.3.2 Glen W. Hannah, and
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.3.3 Vernon Duane Hannah.1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.4 Isaac R. Hannah was born August 4, 1899. On January 19, 1920, he married Ruth M. Warner, a sister of his brother Vern's wife. They had one child,
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.4.1 Lucille L. Hannah.
TWO-ROOM HOUSE BUILT ABOUT 1900 FOR ALLEN AND PEARLE (SMITH)
HANES, LOCATED NEAR MAHOMET, ILLINOISFrom L-R: Isaac Hanes; Mary Ann (Sparks) Hanes, wife of Isaac; Bertie (Sparks) Stonebreaker, daughter of Joseph and Laura (Smith) Sparks who was reared by Isaac and Mary Ann; William Stonebreaker, husband of Bertie; Allen Hanes, son of Isaac and Mary Ann; and Pearle (Smith) Hanes, wife of Allen Hanes.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.5 Bertie Hannah was born September 19, 1901, in Rose Lawn, Indiana. She married Earl Sitts. They had no children.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.6 Bertha Hannah was born September 19, 1901, and twin of 1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.5 Bertie Hannah. Bertha married Arthur L. Glass on March 19, 1921, and they had two children:
Walter L. Glass and
David R. Glass.Bertha married (second) Randle P. Summers in 1961.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.7 Charity Ann Hannah was born July 6, 1904. She married Noah Rife and they had one child, Clifford R. Rife.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.2.8 Mary Alice Hannah was born December 17, 1905, in La Porte County, Indiana. She was married twice. Her first marriage was to Marshall H. Spencer on July 15, 1925. They had one child:
Dorothy Lois Spencer.
Lois Spencer married Harry Ritter and they live in Muscatine, Iowa. She has been most helpful in the preparation of this portion of this article. Mary Alice Hannah (she was called Alice) married (second) Harvey Ellsworth on April 28, 1934, and they had four children:
Robert L. Ellsworth,
Sandra A. Ellsworth,
William L. Ellsworth, and
Richard H. Ellsworth.1.2.5.10.1.9.3.3 Thomas Hanes, son of Isaac and Mary Ann (Sparks) Hanes, was born October 18, 1872. He died the following year, on February 9th.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.4 A daughter was born to Isaac and Mary Ann (Sparks) Hanes on March 13, 1874. She died a few days later.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.5 Allen Hanes was born April 14, 1876. He married Pearle Jane Smith.
1.2.5.10.1.9.3.6 William Franklin Hanes was born September 30, 1877. He died November 12, 1879.1.2.5.10.1.9.4 Benjamin Franklin Sparks was born on August 15, 1844. He died April 23, 1847.
1.2.5.10.1.9.5 Emeline Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, was born ca. 1846. She married Richard Morehead on January 23, 1868, in Clinton County, Indiana. They had seven children.
1.2.5.10.1.9.5.1 Ella Morehead was born ca. 1868.
1.2.5.10.1.9.5.2 William Morehead was born ca. 1870.
1.2.5.10.1.9.5.3 Robert Morehead was born ca. 1872.
1.2.5.10.1.9.5.4 A child, whose name we have not learned, was born to Emeline and Richard Morehead ca. 1875; he/she apparently died when quite young.
1.2.5.10.1.9.5.5 Harriet Morehead was born ca. 1878.
1.2.5.10.1.9.5.6 Benjamin Morehead was born ca. 1881.
1.2.5.10.1.9.5.7 Joseph Morehead was born ca. 1883.1.2.5.10.1.9.6 Margaret Minerva Sparks, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, was born June 18, 1848. She married Andrew Gher on October 16, 1867, in Clinton County, Indiana. He was born ca. 1840 and was a son of David and Sarah Gher, natives of Pennsylvania. Margaret and Andrew had one child, Samuel J. Gher, born ca. 1875. Margaret died October 17, 1876, and Samuel was given to her brother, James Allen Sparks, when he was only eight months old. (See above.).
1.2.5.10.1.9.7 Joseph Sparks was born ca. 1850. He married Laura B. Smith on January 2, 1875, in Clinton County, Indiana. She was born ca. 1857 in Ohio. They had three children before their deaths, which apparently occurred ca. 1890.
1.2.5.10.1.9.7.1 Flora Sparks was born ca. 1876.
1.2.5.10.1.9.7.2 Thomas Sparks was born ca. 1879.
1.2.5.10.1.9.7.3 Bertie Sparks was born ca. 1882. She was reared by her aunt, 1.2.5.10.1.9.3 Mary Ann (Sparks) Hanes. She married William Stonebreaker. (See above.)1.2.5.10.1.9.8 Franklin Sparks (?), son of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, may have been born ca. 1852, although it is possible that he has been confused with 1.2.5.10.1.9.4 Benjamin Franklin Sparks (above). He should not be confused with 1.2.5.10.1.4.3.5 Frank Sparks, son of 1.2.5.10.1.4.3 Francis Sparks, and grandson of 1.2.5.10.1.4 William Sparks. (See above).
1.2.5.10.1.9.9 John Henry Sparks, son of Thomas and Martha (Loveless) Sparks, was born ca. 1854. He was not listed in the household of his father when the 1860 census was taken, so he may have died when quite young.
1.2.5.10.1.10 Robert Sparks, son of James and Margaret (Ray) Sparks, was born March 23, 1812. He accompanied his parents to Ohio and apparently was a member of their household when the 1830 census was taken of Richland County, Ohio. He is said to have gone to Clinton County, Indiana, but we have found no record of him there.
1.2.5.10.1.11 Allen Sparks, son of James and Margaret (Ray) Sparks, was born February 14, 1814, according to the record made by Joseph Sparks (brother of Allen) of the births of the children of James and Margaret (Ray) Sparks that was quoted on page 2589 of the March 1984 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 125. In the obituary of Allen Sparks that is quoted below, his year of birth was given as 1813 rather than 1814. He was a small boy when his parents moved to Richland County, Ohio, from Pennsylvania. There he learned the carpenter's trade, serving as an apprentice to Samuel Whiting for four years. When he was nineteen years old, he left his Ohio home and went to the newly-formed Clinton County in Indiana where he settled in the southwest part of the county near present-day Colfax. He purchased 52 acres of land there on September 1, 1833. Two years later, he was joined by his father and some of his brothers. When the 1840 census was taken, he was apparently living in the household of his brother, Thomas Sparks. by this time, he had added 114 acres of land to his farm.
On December 22, 1842, Allen Sparks married Nancy Rogers in Clinton County. She was born December 7, 1825, in Boone County, Kentucky, and was a daughter of Elijah and Susannah A. (Brockman) Rogers. It is said that Allen and Nancy began housekeeping in the log cabin which his father had built (or owned). It was still standing in 1886, and it was there that the first sermon was preached in Clinton County by a Methodist clergyman.
Other interesting details in the life of Allen Sparks are contained in his obituary which appeared in the January 12, 1905, issue of The Warren Review published in Williamsport, Warren County, Indiana, which follows:
| An Old Citizen Passes Away |
|---|
| Allen Sparks -- Aged 91, Goes to His Reward |
| Allen Sparks, the venerable father of Pension Attorney, Elijah Sparks, passed away Monday afternoon at the home of his son on east First Street. He had not been suffering from any particular malady, but had been growing weaker for some days from a complication of disorders incident to old age, since the cold weather set in. All last summer he was able to be about the yard and on the streets and kept the garden at home in good shape and was at the polls on election day to vote a presidential ticket for the nineteenth time. His first vote was for the Jackson ticket in 1832 and he continued to vote the Democratic ticket until 1863 when he became a Republican, which ticket he has ardently supported since that time. |
| Allen, son of James and Margery Ray Sparks was born near Pittsburg, PA February 14, 1813. At the age of 7 years he emigrated with his parents to Richland County, Ohio where he grew up and where he attended Ashland Academy at which place he qualified himself in civil engineering. At the age of 21 he came to Clinton County, Indiana where he married Miss Nancy Rogers on December 22, 1842, who died eleven years ago. To them were born three sons and one daughter. One of the sons is dead. The living are: Elijah of Williamsport, John of Flora, and Mrs. Sarah Miller of Frankfort. |
| Mr. Sparks came to Williamsport in 1901 to make his home with his son and here he died January 9, 1905, aged 91 years 10 months and 25 days. He was a Universalist in belief, firm in his faith and had repeatedly said that he did not fear death but dreaded the pain of separation. When he seemed to realize that his end was near, he was suffering much pain and he remarked that if that was death he wished it might be less painful. His wish was gratified as the pain soon left him and he talked cheerfully with the family until about an hour before the end when he fell into a peaceful sleep and passed away without awakening. |
| The funeral services were conducted by Rev. Wm Wilmer at the Presbyterian Church at 10 o'clock Wednesday forenoon and burial was made at Highland Cemetery. |
As noted in the above obituary, Nancy (Rogers) Sparks preceded Allen Sparks in death eleven years earlier. About 1890, Allen and Nancy had moved to Carroll County, Indiana, and lived near Burlington, probably close to their son, John Sparks. It was there that Nancy met a most tragic death in 1894. She told her daughter-in-law, Mary Sparks, that she would get a bucket of water from the cistern. When she failed to return within a reasonable time, Mary went to search for her and found that she had fallen into the cistern and had drowned. She was buried at Manson, Indiana.
Allen and Nancy (Rogers) Sparks were the parents of four children.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1 Elijah Rogers Sparks was born on November 6, 1843, near Colfax, Indiana. He was obviously named for his maternal grandfather. He was a farmer, a teacher, and also an attorney. He served in the 3rd and 8th Regiments, Indiana Cavalry in the Civil War. (See page 2637 of the Quarterly, Whole No. 126 for an abstract of his pension file.) He was married twice. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Barker on April 19, 1866, in Boone County, Indiana. She was born December 20, 1846, and was a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (White) Barker, natives of North Carolina. She died November 5, 1887.
Elijah Sparks was elected a justice of the peace of Clinton County, Indiana, in 1876. He was apparently licensed to practice law ca. 1880. As noted in his father's obituary, Elijah specialized in assisting Civil War veterans in preparing their applications for the pensions provided by the U.S. government. He was a member of the Methodist Church and in his politics, he was a Republican.
On March 18, 1891, Elijah married (second) Jennie Jordan in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. She was born ca. 1851. They had no children.
Elijah died January 14, 1916, in the Indiana State Soldiers' Home at Lafayette, Indiana. According to records known as the "Rogers Index," which are housed in The Filson Club, Louisville, Kentucky, and also from a copy of the Bible record of the births of his children kept by Elijah Sparks that has been provided us by Irma (Cory) Wells, Elijah and Elizabeth (Barker) Sparks were the parents of eight children.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.1 Anna Josephine Sparks was born November 16, 1866. She died on May 20, 1874.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.2 Nola May Sparks was born April 17, 1869, and died in August 1955 She married Edward H. Eichelzer late in life, having waited to marry in order to take care of her younger brothers and sisters following her mother's death. She and her husband lived in Detroit. Both were buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery there. Irma (Cory) Wells has provided us with a copy of the will of Nola May (Sparks) Eichelzer dated July 2, 1953. From this, we know that her husband had preceded her in death. They had no children, and she left her property to her brothers and sisters, or their children.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.3 William Ellsworth Sparks was born July 10, 1873; he died ca. 1937. On May 26, 1892, he married Millie Ferrier. She was born March 9, 1873, and was a daughter of John and Mary Jane (Shaffer) Ferrier. William and Millie lived in Cutler, Indiana. They are known to have had five children, with the possibility of a sixth (perhaps named Orval) who probably died young.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.3.1 Estel Glen Sparks was born July 9, 1900. He married Montes Lavina Nice in 1919. She was born March 26, 1899, and died on September 16, 1958. She and Estel had two children:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.3.1.1 Annadell Sparks and
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.3.1.2 Richard Glen Sparks.1.2.5.10.1.11.1.3.2 Floyd Sparks. He is known to have been living in 1955.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.3.3 Carl Sparks.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.3.4 Mary Sparks married FNU Sherman and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.3.5 Veral Sparks was born February 22, 1905, and died in 1966. He married Naomi Cassell in 1943. He owned and operated an appliance store in Flora, Indiana. They had no children.1.2.5.10.1.11.1.4 Alice Cary Sparks, daughter of Elijah and Elizabeth (Barker) Sparks, was born on December 4, 1877, and died prior to 1953 when her sister, Nola May, wrote her will. She married Edward J. Moore and they had a son named Raymond Moore who was living in Steger, Illinois, in 1953.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.5 Bertha Mabel Sparks was born July 31, 1879; she died of influenza in the winter of 1918 -19. She married John W. Johnson and they had two children:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.5.1 Dolas Johnson, born ca. 1898, died October 1982, in Wabash, Indiana. She married C. L. Vandegrift and they had three children:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.5.1.1 Ward Vandegrift,
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.5.1.2 Jean Vandegrift, and
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.5.1.3 Gail Vandegrift.1.2.5.10.1.11.1.5.2 Raymond Johnson, now deceased. He is known to have had a son who was named:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.5.2.1 Wayne Johnson.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.6 Nancy Eveline Sparks was born March 27, 1881; she died in February 1982 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 100. She was married four times. Her first marriage ended in divorce after only three weeks. She married (second) William E. Murphy. Following his death, she married a man, name not known, who died about a year later. Her 4th husband was Walter Bailey. She had no children.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.7 Lillian Bessie Sparks was born June 4, 1883. She died prior to 1953. She married Carl Smith and they had a daughter named:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.7.1 Helen Geneva Smith, born in April,1903.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8 Herschel Floyd Sparks was born October 9, 1887, and died November 30, 1967, in Bradenton, Florida. His mother died when he was less than four weeks old and he was reared by Ensly and Sadie Cory (dear friends of his older sister, Nola May Sparks) as their child. He was never adopted, however, but carried the Cory name. He did not know that his original name was Sparks until he was 14 years old when the long-held secret was revealed to him accidentally. Ensly Cory was a farmer and the family lived near Colfax, Indiana. Herschel Floyd Cory (i.e., Herschel Floyd Sparks) married Lena J. Hutchison on August 22, 1906. She was the daughter of Ira Isiah and Easter (Dunbar) Hutchison. Floyd Cory, as he was better known, was a rural letter carrier out of Colfax, Indiana, for many years. The family owned and operated the Cory Greenhouse until their retirement and subsequent move to Frankfort, Indiana. They had five children:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.1 Noel Durward Cory was born December 9, 1907, and died December 2, 1971. He married Ruthanna McConnell on December 14, 1929. Durward (as he was known) was graduated from Wabash College and later received his doctorate in education from Indiana University. He was superintendent of schools in Rochester, Minnesota, as well as Muncie, Indiana. They had two children:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.1.1 Donald Eugene Cory, born 1935, died 1979, and
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.1.2 Ralph Cory, born 1943.1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.2 Thelma Cory was born February 17, 1910, and lives in Anderson, Indiana. She married Kenneth Moore on October 20, 1934; he is now deceased. They had two children:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.2.1 Julia Frances Moore, born 1936, and
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.2.2 Thomas Eugene Moore, born January 1943.1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.3 Irma Cory was born February 28, 1912, near Colfax, Indiana. She married Robert Lee Wells on April 29, 1929. After rearing their two daughters and being out of high school for 29 years, she entered Ball State University where she earned two degrees. She was a teacher and school librarian for 16 years, retiring in 1978. She and her husband live in Anderson, Indiana.
As noted earlier, Irma (Cory) Wells has been very helpful to us in preparing this record of her branch of the Sparks Family. She and her husband had two children:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.3.1 Kathryn Anne Wells, born April 3, 1932; she married Edwin L. Etchison and they had three children; and
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.3.2 Sarah Lee Wells, born August 15, 1941; she married Claude Sidney Hancock and they have three children.1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.4 Maurice Cory was born November 15, 1913, and died March 13, 1963. He served in World War II, was captured in the "Battle of the Bulge", and was a prisoner in Germany until the end of the war in Europe. He was awarded the Purple Heart. He married Mary Catherine Kaser on July 1, 1935. Following World War II, they adopted a boy name Karl.
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.5 Nina Cory was born September 19, 1921. She married Robert Kallner on March 18, 1939. She is an Anderson, Indiana, school teacher. They have two daughters:
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.5.1 Beverly Kay Kallner and
1.2.5.10.1.11.1.8.5.2 Linda Kallner.1.2.5.10.1.11.2 Sarah Ann ["Sally"] Sparks, daughter of Allen and Nancy (Rogers) Sparks, was born ca. 1855. She married Harry F. Kingsberry on June 26, 1881. In her father's obituary (1905), she was referred to as "Mrs. Sarah Miller." She died in 1933; we have no further information on her.
1.2.5.10.1.11.3 Thomas Jefferson Sparks was born in December 1859. He died January 19, 1872, at the age of twelve.
1.2.5.10.1.11.4 John Sherman Sparks was born in 1863. On March 19, 1889, he married Mary Loveless in Clinton County, Indiana. She was born February 28, 1860, and was a daughter of Benjamin C. and Mary Jane (Crutcher) Loveless. John Sparks died in 1917 and Mary died in 1951. They were the parents of three children.
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.1 Paul Revere Sparks was born in December 1889; he died in 1948. He married Sylvia Cook and they had one son:
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.1.1 Charles Paul Sparks graduated from Purdue University and was a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Corps in World War II. He flew over Germany from Normandy more than seventy times before being killed in action in 1944. He received a number of medals. He was married on November 4, 1941, to June Wynkoff and they had a daughter,
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.1.1.1 Lana Lee Sparks, born in 1943; she married Richard Baker.
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.2 Thomas Bradley Sparks was born in 1894 and died in 1945. He married Maud Coler and they had two children:
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.2.1 Dora Lee Sparks (1917-1966) and 1.2.5.10.1.11.4.2.2 Helen Marie Sparks (1918 -1967).
Maud died with the birth of Helen Marie, and Thomas married (second) Pearl Stranahan. They had three children:
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.2.3 Frank Sparks (1921 -1941);
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.2.4 Rose Marie Sparks (1924 -1938); and
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.2.5 Marilyn Sparks, born 1924.1.2.5.10.1.11.4.3 Guy Sherman Sparks was born July 22, 1897, at Flora, Indiana. He was a businessman. He married Gertrude Dietz and they had one child:
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.3.1 Sara Jean Sparks. She married Charles G. Balch and had children named
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.3.1.1 Susan Marie Balch and
1.2.5.10.1.11.4.3.1.2 Sandra Ann Balch.Guy Sherman Sparks died September 26, 1971; his obituary appeared on page 1419 of the September 1971 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 75.
1.2.5.10.1.12 Elizabeth ["Betsey"] Sparks, daughter of James and Margaret (Ray) Sparks, was born September 30, 1815. She married John V. Loveless on March 29, 1838, in Clinton County, Indiana. He was born February 5, 1817, in Ohio and was a son of Benjamin and Catherine (Betsey) Loveless; he was a brother of Martha Loveless who married Betsey's brother, 1.2.5.10.1.9 Thomas Sparks. (See above.) According to a history of the Loveless family, Betsey and John Loveless had nine children before her death, which probably occurred ca. 1858
1.2.5.10.1.12.1 Benjamin F. Loveless was born December 23, 1838. He died in 1911. He apparently was married twice. We have learned nothing of his first wife, but by his second marriage to Pearl Clementine Sparger he had at least five children.
1.2.5.10.1.12.1.1 Elizabeth Loveless was born April 29, 1899, at Clarks Hill, Indiana. She was married twice. Her first marriage was to Lon Dunbar on January 30, 1918. Her second marriage was to George Paul on June 28, 1937. by her first marriage she had five children.
1.2.5.10.1.12.1.1.1 Mary Alice Dunbar was born July 21, 1921. She married Elmer Burgess.
1.2.5.10.1.12.1.1.2 Dorothy M. Dunbar was born January 30, 1924. She married Charles Henderson.
1.2.5.10.1.12.1.1.3 Lon Dunbar was born November 26, 1926. He married (first) Vivian Jewel and (second) Joan Cambell.
1.2.5.10.1.12.1.1.4 Lloyd J. Dunbar was born November 17, 1927. He married Jeannet Farrel.
1.2.5.10.1.12.1.1.5 Earl Dunbar was born June 18, 1930.1.2.5.10.1.12.1.2 Frank Loveless.
1.2.5.10.1.12.1.3 Martha Loveless was born February 22, 1903. She married (first) Lewis Kerfoot and (second) Lonnie Brown.
1.2.5.10.1.12.1.4 Lloyd J. Loveless was born March 23, 1907. He married Dorothy D. Kiste.
1.2.5.10.1.12.1.5 Raymond Loveless married Elsie Burns.1.2.5.10.1.12.2 Mary Elizabeth Loveless was born September 15, 1841.
1.2.5.10.1.12.3John W. Loveless was born February 6, 1843.
1.2.5.10.1.12.4 James N. Loveless was born on January 23, 1846.
1.2.5.10.1.12.5 Loucinda Loveless was born on February 24, 1853.
1.2.5.10.1.12.6 Taylor Loveless was born March 30, 1851. He died February 11, 1853.
1.2.5.10.1.12.7 Martha J. Loveless was born July 13, 1853.
1.2.5.10.1.12.8 Margaret A. Loveless was born on March 18, 1855.
1.2.5.10.1.12.9 Joseph F. Loveless was born on August 11, 1858. He died February 9, 1859.
(Editor's Note: This concludes the article about the descendants of James and Margaxet (Ray) Sparks of Washington County, Pennsylvania, and Clinton County, Indiana, begun in the March 1984 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 125. We shall welcome additional data pertaining to this couple and their descendants from our readers.)