October 18, 2023

Pages 3348-3350
Whole Number 144

[Editor's Note: A portion of the December 1986 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 136, was devoted to the descendants of Joseph and Mary (McDaniel) Sparks, early settlers of Frederick County, Maryland. Since the publication of that article, we have received additional information about two of their children, Solomon Sparks and Susannah Sparks. This information has come to us through the interest of Donald Teeter and Timothy King, and we appreciate their willingness to share their records. Mr. Teeter lives at 1522A Old Towne Manor, Cumberland, Maryland (21502). Mr. King lives at 224 12th Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. (20003).

1.2.5.2.5 Solomon Sparks, son of Joseph and Mary (McDaniel) Sparks, was born June 13, 1760, in Frederick County, Maryland. (See also pages 2959-2974 of the December 1986 issue of the Quarterly.) He married Rachel Weimer, ca. 1785. She was born September 23, 1764, and was a daughter of Abraham and Hannah (MNU) Weimer. Abraham Weimer was a son of Johannes and Wientje (Symons or Simons) Weimer, thus a brother of Adam Weimer who married 1.2.5.2.7 Susannah Sparks. (See below.) Johannes (Weimer) was born in 1696 in Germany and migrated to the colony of New Jersey where he lived for a while in Hunterdon County. He bought land in Frederick County, Maryland, in 1761 and died in Bedford County, Virginia, in 1780. The surname of Weimer was also spelled Wemmer, Wemer, Wimmer, and sometimes Winner.

Rachel (Weimer) Sparks died on February 13, 1842, in Bedford County. She and Solomon had ten children, according to records handed down in the Hollar family of Bedford County. They are shown below as recorded in the Hollar Bible. Our readers will note that these birthdates are at variance with those published in "December 1986 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 136, pages 2961-2972. Since the birthdates we had received earlier were incomplete, we are inclined to accept the Hollar Bible records as being correct. These dates are given below:

[Webmaster Note: I have changed all dates to the Hollar Bible]

  Sparks Quarterly
September 1986		 Hollar Bible
1.2.5.2.5.1 Sarah Sparks January 16, 1787 December 16, 1786
1.2.5.2.5.2 Hannah Sparks ca. 1785 November 21, 1788
1.2.5.2.5.3 Abraham Sparks February 8, 1788 February 8, 1791
1.2.5.2.5.4 Joseph S. Sparks May 11, 1794 May 11, 1793
1.2.5.2.5.5 Jonah Sparks ca. 1793 June 16, 1796
1.2.5.2.5.6 Mary Sparks March 10, 1798 March 11, 1798
1.2.5.2.5.7 Delilah Sparks August 15, 1800 August 18, 1800
1.2.5.2.5.8 John Sparks ca. 1799 February 3, 1804
1.2.5.2.5.9 Rachel Sparks ca. 1796 May 7, 1808
1.2.5.2.5.10 Solomon Sparks, Jr. January 11, 1810 June 1, 1812

1.2.5.2.5.2 Hannah Sparks was born November 21, 1788, according to the Hollar Bible. Her birth was probably in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and it was probably there also that she married Solomon Hollar ca. 1819. He was born on February 7, 1792, and was a son of Valentine and Susanna (Ott) Hollar. He served in the War of 1812 in the 2nd Regiment of Pennsylvania Riflemen as a member of the company of Capt. Solomon Sparks, his future father-in-law. He was also one of the first elders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church at Everett, Pennsylvania, which he helped to organize in 1842. He died on April 3, 1856. Hannah died two years later, on May 28, 1858. They were buried in the Everett Cemetery. They had seven children, but apparently one child (unnamed) died in infancy. The birth records of the other six children came from the Hollar family Bible.

1.2.5.2.5.2.1 Rachel Hollar was born February 6, 1820, probably at Earlston, Pennsylvania. She married John King, ca. 1839. She died on June 22, 1894, at Everett, according to a record in the Everett [Pennsylvania] PRESS. She and John had children, but we have been unable to find their names and birthdates.

1.2.5.2.5.2.2 Phillip Valentine Hollar was born January 11, 1822. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was married three times. We have not learned the name of his first wife who died on August 22, 1848. Probably, there were no children born to this marriage. Phillip married (second) Malinda Hebner, ca. 1853, and they had three children before her death, which occurred on May 10, 1860. He married (third) Rebecca J. Bottomfield on December 31, 1861. They had no children. He died on February 16, 1888, near Everett, according to the Everett PRESS. Rebecca died on March 8, 1892.

1.2.5.2.5.2.2.1 Luther Hollar was born ca. 1855, according to the 1860 census of Bedford County.
1.2.5.2.5.2.2.2 Sarah Hollar was born ca. 1857.
1.2.5.2.5.2.2.3 Robert Hollar was born ca. 1858. He died on November 23, 1876.

1.2.5.2.5.2.3 Susanna Hollar was born February 9, 1824. She married Adam Weaverling ca. 1847.
1.2.5.2.5.2.4 Rebecca J. Hollar was born December 4, 1826. She married Thomas Richey. She died on March 16, 1895, and was buried in the Everett Cemetery.
1.2.5.2.5.2.5 John Andrew Hollar was born February 13, 1829. He died on July 2, 1836, and was buried in the Everett Cemetery, Everett, Pennsylvania.
1.2.5.2.5.2.6 Hannah Hollar was born October 12, 1831. She married Jeremiah H. Thompson on November 4, 1867. She died on June 6, 1915, at Everett, Pennsylvania.

1.2.5.2.7 Susannah Sparks, daughter of Joseph and Mary (McDaniel) Sparks, was born ca. 1762 in Frederick County, Maryland. (See also page 2974 of the December 1986 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 136.) She married Adam Weimer, ca. 1775. He was born ca. 1740 and was a son of Johannes and Wientje (Symons or Simons) Weimer; thus a brother and a sister (Solomon Sparks and Susannah Sparks) married into the Weimer family, Solomon marrying a niece of Adam Weimer who married Susannah.

Adam Weimer, son of Johannes Weimer, died sometime between March 7, 1825, when he made his will, and May 21, 1825, when his will was probated. Named in the will were his wife, Susannah, and their six sons: Joseph. Abraham, Jacob, John, James, and Solomon. Susannah (Sparks) Weimer is said to have died on May 14, 1825. This date is apparently based upon a tombstone on the Weimer (now Von Stein) farm in Bedford County, on which the inscription reads as follows: "ZW was Born 1752 D May 14 1825." If this stone does mark Susannah's grave, then Adam's death probably occurred shortly before the date on which she died. Adam and Susannah (Sparks) Weimer were the parents of six children:

1.2.5.2.7.1 Joseph Weimer was born in 1775. He married Elinor Smith, and they had one child, John Weimer. John married Matilda Shipley.
1.2.5.2.7.2 Abraham Weimer was born ca. 1777.
1.2.5.2.7.3 Jacob Weimer was born ca. 1779.
1.2.5.2.7.4 John Weimer was born ca. 1781.
1.2.5.2.7.5 James Weimer was born ca. 1783.
1.2.5.2.7.6 Solomon Weimer was born ca. 1785.

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