October 14, 2023
Pages 2760-2763
Whole Number 130
SPARKS BURIALS IN NICHOLAS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA
In the December 1981 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 116, Mrs. Katherine Zyla of Jackson, Michigan, requested information about her great-great-great-grandparents, James E. and Mary (Boggs) Sparks of Nicholas County, West Virginia, and about their descendants. Since that time, Mrs. Susan Stiner of Newark, Delaware, also a descendant of this couple, visited Nicholas County in the fall of 1982 where she located three SPARKS cemeteries. They are on land which 67. James E. Sparks was granted during the period 1822 to 1840, on Glade Creek and Philip's Run.
Mrs. Stiner copied all of the legible inscriptions from the grave stones and has shared these with us. In the records that follow, the inscriptions are written just as they were copied from the stones, after which, in parentheses, there are identifying remarks. Our readers are reminded that the head of this branch of the SPARKS family was 67. James E. Sparks, Senior. He had, among others, sons named James E. Sparks, Junior and John Sparks. John Sparks also had a son named James E. Sparks whom we have designated as James E. Sparks, III.
CEMETERY NO. 1
(Located at Persinger, West Virginia, quite close to State Route 41 and Nile Rd.)
1. COLBERT KENNISON SPARKS, July 7, 1890; September 5, 1964. ADA BABER SPARKS, March 14, 1885; March 28, 1967. (One stone. Grandson of James E. Sparks, III. With him is his spouse.).
2. MARTHA ALICE SPARKS, October 26, 1865; November 23, 1957. (Daughter of James E. Sparks, III. Great-grandmother of Susan Stiner.)
3. BUD, son of H. G. & E. S. MILAM, February 12, 1900; February 12, 1903. Aged 3 years. (E. S. Milam was Emma Sparks, daughter of James E. Sparks, III.)
4. HARRISON G. MILAM, 1877-1954; EMMA S. MILAM, 1877-1956. (She was a daughter of James E. Sparks, III.)
5. CORA ANN HERBERT O'DELL, 1895-1976. (Mother-in-law of Agnes Sparks. Agnes was a daughter of Colbert K. Sparks. See No. 1, above.)
6. CHARLES R. MINICH, West Virginia 1853 Service Unit, Pvt. February 6, 1904; January 13, 1952. (Son of Mary C. Sparks Minich, and grandson of James E. Sparks, III. This is a military tombstone.).
7. SPARKS. Father, JOHN CALVIN SPARKS, 1862-1939. Mother, CARRIE BOSO SPARKS, 1881-1943. (One stone. He was a son of James E. Sparks, III.
8. BLAINE BABER SPARKS, Cpl. U.S. Marine Corps, World War II, O ct. 27, 1921; December 16, 1980. (This is a bronze military marker. He was a son of Colbert Kennison and Ada (Baber) Sparks, See No. 1, above.)
CEMETERY NO. 2
(Located several hundred yards up the hill from Cemetery No. 1, and surrounded by thick woods. Not accessible by road. Cedar trees, planted many years ago, are quite tall. Some have died and have fallen across the cemetery damaging some stones and the fence. Has not been maintained and many graves have fallen in and the stones are tilted.)
1. EDGAR SPARKS, 1875 -1916. Footstone: ES. (Son of James ["Bing"] Sparks and grandson of James E. Sparks, Jr.)
2. HETTIE SPARKS, 1878 -1927. (Daughter of James ["Bing"] Sparks & granddaughter of James E. Sparks, Jr.)
3. 67.2.1 JAMES E. SPARKS, III 1836 -1911; MARY A. SPARKS, 1838-19--. Footstones: JES & MAS. (Son of 67.2 John Sparks and grandson of 67. James E. Sparks, Sr. We have designated him as James E. Sparks, III. With him is his spouse, Mary A. Armentrout Sparks.)
4. MARY E. SPARKS, dau. of J. B. & F. J. SPARKS, born April 26, 1887; died July 1, 1899. (Daughter of James ["Bing"] Sparks and granddaughter of James E. Sparks, Jr.)
5. JAMES B. SPARKS, born May 29, 1840; died March 27, 1901. (James Ben ["Bing"] Sparks was a son of 67.5 James E. Sparks, Jr., commonly referred to as "Bing."]
6. CLARK L. P. SPARKS, born December 5, 1856; died November 22, 1889. (Son of James E. Sparks, III.)
7. MILDRED J. SPARKS, wife of N. F. SPARKS, born November 19, 1857; died August 31, 1898. (Wife of Noah F. Sparks, see next below. The year "1857" may have been 1851.)
8. 67.5.x NOAH SPARKS, August 21, 1851; November 23, 1922. (Son of 67.5 James E. Sparks, Jr.).
9. ELIZABETH JANE BAILEY, 1872-1950. (Daughter of James E. Sparks, III, and wife of Arthur R. Bailey, see No. 19, below.)
10. TOM FOX, 1889-1924. (We have been unable to identify him.)
11. CHARLES E. SPARKS, son of N. F. & R. M. Sparks, born October 15, 1905; died March 6, 1906. Footstone: CES (Son of Noah Sparks, see No. 8, above.)
12. MELVIN E. SPARKS, son of N. F. & M. J. Sparks, born October 2, 1875; died February 23, 1897. (Son of Noah Sparks, see No. 8, above.)
13. BETTIE J. SPARKS, dau. of N. F. & M. J. SPARKS, born August 15, 1886; died December 3, 1899. (Daughter of Noah Sparks, see No. 8, above.)
14. MALVINA SPARKS, born 18-0; died October 16, 1889. (Daughter of James E. Sparks, III. Her year of birth was probably 1860.)
15. FRANCES J. SPARKS, 1855-1928. (Wife of James B. Sparks, see No. 5, above.)
16. COX baby.
17. COX baby. (We have been unable to identify these infants.)
18. SCOTT SPARKS, born February 11, 1881; died January 18, 1910. (Son of Nathan Sparks and grandson of John Sparks.)
19. ARTHUR R. BAILEY, July 9, 1870; June 10, 1939. (Husband of Elizabeth Jane Sparks, see No. 9, above.)
Several Sparkses told Mrs. Stiner that Charles and Mary Caroline (Sparks) Minich were buried in this cemetery, but there were no markers. She was a daughter of James E. Sparks, III, and mother of Charles R. Minich. See No. 6, in Cemetery No. 1, above.)
CEMETERY NO. 3
(Located about one mile east of Cemetery No. 1 on State Route 41. At the end of an uncleared trail about one-half mile from the highway. It is a bare spot in a tall forest conopy high on a hill overlooking the house of Burlin and Zella Grose.)
1. LEVI H. SPARKS, born July 11, 1857; died January 2, 1913. (Son of John Sparks and grandson of James E. Sparks, Sr.).
2. CLARISSA ARMENTROUT SPARKS, November 6, 1861; July 8, 1949. (Wife of Levi H. Sparks, next above. This is a metal marker.)
3. MARY S. ARMENTROUT, born March 18, 1823; died April 3, 1899. Wife of Z.R. Armentrout. (Mother-in-law of James B. ["Bing"] Sparks.)
4. JOSEPH F. SPARKS, June 20, 1846; March 5, 1925. Footstone: JFS. (Son of John Sparks and grandson of James E. Sparks, Sr.)
5. ISABELL M. SPARKS, March 25, 1851; September 19, 1923. (Wife of Joseph F. Sparks, next above.)
6. Infant daughter of I. & B. F. MAYS, born and died February 28, 1904. (Ira Mays was reared by Joseph & Isabell Sparks, see 4 & 5 above.)
7. MARTHA GROSE, May 22, 1895; November 5, 1918. Footstone: MG. (Relative of Burlin Grose who owns the land on which the cemetery is located.)
8. ELBRIDGE F. GROSE, 1859-1915. Footstone: EFG. (Brother of Martha Grose. See No. 7, next above.)
9. ADA B. WIBLIN, 1885-1916. Footstone: ABW. (Daughter of Levi H. Sparks. See No. l, above.)
10. DORMA JUNE NELSON, dau. of B. W. & BLANCHE W. NELSON, May 5, 1934. (Granddaughter of Ada B. Wiblin. See next, above.)