October 20, 2020
Pages 3914-3915
Whole Number 157
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON SOME DESCENDANTS
OF 32.1.8 WALTER AND SUSAN A. (PREWITT) SPARKS
In the Quarterly of March 1983, Whole No.121, beginning on page 2490, we published a record entitled "Descendants of Walter and Susan A. (Prewitt) Sparks of Henry County, Kentucky. " One of the children of this couple was 32.1.8.4 William Sparks who married Catherine Tiller in Henry County on April 4, 1837. We noted (p. 2493) that William and Catherine were the parents of three children according to census records. They were
32.1.8.4.1 John Sparks, born May 8, 1838;
32.1.8.4.2 James Sparks, born ca. 1840; and
32.1.8.4.3 Stephen Sparks, born ca. 1842.
In that same issue of the Quarterly, we published an abstract of the,Civil War pension application of John Sparks, son of WIlliam and CatherIne (Tiller) Sparks, and included with that was a list of John's children provided by a descendant. John Sparks had moved from Kentucky to Bartholomew County, Indiana, as a young man, and it was there that he married Elizabeth Ann Perry. In 1878, John moved his family to Clark County, Arkansas, and then in 1885 to Hot Springs County, Arkansas.
Thanks to a member of our Association who xeroxed for us an item that she happened across in a publication called the Bartholomew County, Indiana, Ancestors, Vol. 1, No.2, dated April 1991, we are now able to give some further details regarding James Sparks, the second son of William and Catherine (Tiller) Sparks. James, we now know, was born in Henry County, Kentucky, on June 21, 1840.
James Sparks either accompanied or followed his brother, John, to Bartholomew County, Indiana. We believe that their father's brother, Richard W. Sparks, was the same Richard W. Sparks who moved from Iowa to Bartholomew County, Indiana, in or ca. 1861, so it seems probable that they were influenced to follow their uncle there.
According to a great-grandson of James Sparks, Duane Loy, James became one of the founders of the Mt. Olive United Methodist Church in Bartholomew County. James was married in Bartholomew County on April 4, 1866, to Lucinda Perry, daughter of John Perry. It is probable that the wives of James and John were sisters. James and Lucinda Sparks were included on the 1870 census of Harrison Township in Bartholomew County. James was shown as owning $800 worth of real estate and his personal property was valued at $250. They had one child living at the time this census was taken, a son named John who was nine months old. Living with them was Samuel Perry, aged 20 years, a cooper. He may have been a brother of Lucinda. John and Elizabeth A. Sparks were also living in Harrison Township when the 1870 census was taken and from the listing, their farm appears to have been quite near that of James and Lucinda.
John and Elizabeth Ann had two children in 1870, William H., aged 2 years and Martha E., aged 3 months. Three members of the Perry family were living with John and Elizabeth: Henry Perry, aged 12; Thomas L. Perry, aged 10; and Sarah J. Perry, aged 7. John Sparks was shown with $800 worth of real estate and, like his brother, James, he had $250 worth of personal property. Richard Sparks, age 55, was living near James and John with his second wife, Elizabeth Elder, to whom he had been married on April 10, 1856, in Iowa County, Iowa. (See pp. 2492-93 and 2499-2501 of the March 1983 issue of the Quarterly for additional information on Richard W. Sparks.)
James and Lucinda Sparks recorded the births of their children in a family Bible published in 1872. They included their own dates of birth:
James' birth as June 21, 1840, and
Lucinda's birth as April 17, 1850. They also recorded the dates of birth of James's brother,
32.1.8.4.1 John Sparks - May 8, 1838, and of John's wife, Elizabeth Ann - August 8, 1852.
The names and dates of birth of the first five children of John and Elizabeth Ann were also recorded in the Bible belonging to James and Lucinda, as follows:
32.1.8.4.1.1 William H. Sparks, born February 10, 1868;
32.1.8.4.1.2 Martha E. Sparks, born March 21, 1870;
32.1.8.4.1.3 Stephen E. Sparks, born August 20, 1872;
32.1.8.4.1.4 James M. Sparks, born January 29, 1875; and
32.1.8.4.1.5 Thomas F. Sparks, born October 29, 1877.
In 1878, John and Elizabeth Ann moved their family from Bartholomew County, Indiana, to Clark County, Arkansas: the births of their later children were not recorded by James and Lucinda.
The children of 32.1.8.4.2 James Sparks and Lucinda (Perry) Sparks, according to their family Bible, were:
32.1.8.4.2.1 Lucy C. Sparks, born February 25, 1868, died September 8, 1868.
32.1.8.4.2.2 John Samuel Sparks, born November 26, 1869.
32.1.8.4.2.3 William Daniel Sparks, born December 1, 1871.
32.1.8.4.2.4 Mary Jane Sparks, born November 26, 1873.
32.1.8.4.2.5 Barbara Ellen Sparks, born December 29, 1876.
32.1.8.4.2.6 Sinthy Ana Sparks, born March 29, 1878. [This was Cynthia Anna Sparks who married David Clinton Loy in June 1898; he was a son of Jacob and Marie (Hodler) Loy.]
32.1.8.4.2.7 Merty S. Sparks, born February 26, 1881. ["Merty" was a nickname for Myrtle.]
32.1.8.4.2.8 Sary W. Sparks, born February 1, 1883. [Her full name was Sarah Wilma Sparks.]
32.1.8.4.2.9 Deliley B. Sparks, born March 5, 1885; died April 9, 1893. [Her name was Delila.]
32.1.8.4.2.10 Hughie Stephen Sparks, born April 14, 1888. ["Hughie" was a nickname for Hugh.]
32.1.8.4.2.11 Louie Edward Sparks, born August 27, 1891.
32.1.8.4.2.12 Rayman H. Sparks, born May 23, 1894. [His name was Raymond.]
The death of James Sparks, father of the above children, was also recorded in this family Bible. "James Sparks departed this life February 20, 1920."