September 15, 2023
Pages 4369-4397
Whole Number 168
32.1 JAMES SPARKS (ca. 1752-1834)
OF NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, KENTUCKY, AND INDIANA AND HIS FAMILY
by Paul E. Sparks
[Editor's Note: the September 1994 issue of the Quarterly, No. 167, contained the first part of an article about 32.1 James Sparks and two of his children, 32.1.1 Stephen Sparks and 32.1.2 Ailcy (Sparks) Newkirk. James was a son of 32. Richard Sparks and was born ca. 1752 in Middlesex County, New Jersey. He lived for a while in Western Pennsylvania, where he served during the American Revolution, before moving to Jefferson County, Kentucky. He lived in and around Jefferson County until ca. 1820 when he moved to Jackson County, Indiana. He died there in 1834. We now conclude this article with a record of the other six children of 32.1 James Sparks. They were:
32.1.3 Benjamin Sparks,
32.1.4 Henry Sparks,
32.1.5 James Sparks, Jr.,
32.1.6 Elizabeth (Sparks) Rector,
32.1.7 Moses Sparks, and
32.1.8 Walter Sparks.
32.1.3 Benjamin Sparks, son of 32.1 James and Caty Sparks, was born July 1, 1778, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He was probably named for his father's brother, Benjamin. He was carried as a small child by his parents as they traveled to Jefferson County, Kentucky, in 1782. It was there that he grew to manhood, and it was probably there also that he met and courted Mary Duncan. They were married ca. 1804. She had been born on September 21, 1787, in Bourbon County, Kentucky.
(Three assumptions have been made in the above paragraph. The first assumption is that Benjamin Sparks was a son of James and Caty Sparks. No official proof has been found that this is correct; however, descendants say that a tradition that Benjamin was a son of James has been handed down and accepted as a fact for several generations. In addition, since there can be only a limited number of father-son relationships among the Sparkses in the Jefferson-Shelby-Bullitt-Spencer Counties area of early Kentucky, apparently this relationship can be proven by a process of elimination.
(The second assumption is that Benjamin's wife's maiden name was Mary Duncan. This is based primarily on a tradition that Benjamin's son, Duncan Sparks, was named for his mother's family. This appears to be a reasonable assumption.
(The third assumption is that Benjamin was born in 1778. The inscription on his tombstone reads that he died November 19, 1851, at the age of 75 years, 4 months, and 18 days. We believe that his age was actually 73 years and was either copied incorrectly from his tombstone or the stone has weathered so much that the last digit looks like a "5" rather than a "3." This belief is supported by two other records: (1) on the 1850 census of Vigo County, Indiana, his age was given as 72 years; and (2) the first record we have found of a tax payment by him is in a 1799 Jefferson County, Kentucky, tax book when he had probably reached the age of 21 years.)
Benjamin Sparks and Mary Duncan may have been married in Shelby County, Kentucky. (A cousin of Benjamin, Elijah Sparks, married Dinah Duncan in Shelby County in 1803.) Benjamin and Mary probably went to housekeeping in Shelby County where he apparently bought a 59-acre tract of land on Plum Creek ca. 1808. It is there that they probably lived for the next 20 to 25 years. During this time, Benjamin paid taxes on this tract of land from 1808 to 1816 in Shelby County; from 1819 to 1821, he paid taxes on it in Bullitt County; and from 1824 to 1831, he paid taxes on it in Spencer County. It is also interesting to note that the tract of land was apparently given a different size for tax purposes by each county: 59 acres in Shelby County, 76 acres in Bullitt County, and 88 acres in Spencer County. (See page 3134 of the December 1989 issue of the Quarterly, No. 140, for a map showing the location of Plum Creek.)
Benjamin and Mary Sparks had a large family of eleven children, according to the federal censuses. On the 1810 Shelby County census, they had two daugh ters and one son, born between 1800 and 1810; on the 1820 census of Bullitt County, four sons, born between 1810 and 1820, had been added to their household; and on the 1830 census of Spencer County, three more sons and one daughter had been added, all born between 1820 and 1830. We believe that all of these children can be identified except for one son and one daughter.
Mary Sparks, wife of Benjamin Sparks, apparently died ca. 1831 in Spencer County. Her death may have been a factor in Benjamin's decision to move to Vigo County, Indiana, ca. 1832. He joined a host of relatives who had settled there earlier. When the 1840 census was taken in Vigo County, his was one of twelve households headed by a person named Sparks. (See page 1888 of the Quarterly of March 1977, Whole No. 97.) On May 3, 1843, he sold his land in Spencer County to Frederick Johnson. When the 1850 census was taken of Vigo County, he was enumerated as 72 years of age. Living with him were his son, Joseph; Joseph's wife, Martha; and their one-year-old daughter, also named Martha. Benjamin died on November 19, 1851, and he was buried in the Prairie Creek Cemetery in Vigo County. Here is what we have learned about his children.
32.1.3.1 Sarah ["Sally"] Sparks, daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Duncan) Sparks, was born ca. 1804. She married Willis McGaughey on August 24, 1827, in Spencer County, Kentucky. Her father was the bondsman, and the marriage was performed by William Stout. We have no further information about this couple.
32.1.3.2 Elizabeth ["Betsey"] Sparks was born ca. 1807. She married James Booth on April 15, 1829, in Spencer County, Kentucky, by William Stout. Booth's bondsman was Willis McGaughey. We have no further information about this couple.
32.1.3.3 Duncan Sparks was born ca. 1809. Descendants say that he was named for his mother's family. He married Rachel Martin on December 2, 1834, in Spencer County by William Stout. Willis McGaughey was his bondsman. Rachel had been born ca. 1811 in Kentucky and was a daughter of John Martin. Shortly after the birth of their first child in 1835, Duncan and Rachel moved to Vigo County, Indiana. He died there in 1839, and when the 1840 census was taken of Vigo County, Rachel was shown as the head of her household. According to that census, she had three children, two sons and one daughter, born between 1835 and 1840.
After five years of widowhood, Rachel (Martin) Sparks married (second) Samuel Oakes on September 14, 1844, in Vigo County. Shortly after their marriage, they moved a few miles southward to Sullivan County where they were listed on the 1850 census. Samuel was shown then as 53 years old, and Rachel's age was given as 37. Living in their household were seven children of Samuel by his first marriage. They were: Hector Oakes, 17; Amanda Oakes, 15; Irene Oakes, 13; Sarah Oakes, 11; William Oakes, 9; Margaret Oakes, 7; and Mary Oakes, 5. Also in the household were two of Rachel's children by her first marriage:
32.1.3.3.1 Benjamin F. Sparks, 14; born ca. 1836; and
32.1.3.3.3 John D. Sparks, 10; born ca. 1840.When the 1860 census of Sullivan County was taken, Benjamin F. Sparks was no longer listed with the family of his stepfather, Samuel Oakes; however, John D. Sparks was still in the Oakes household. Samuel Oakes is believed to have died ca. 1870, and Rachel accompanied her son, John D. Sparks, to Pike County, Missouri, ca. 1875. She may have died shortly afterwards. We have no further information about her.
32.1.3.3.1 Benjamin F. Sparks was born October 25, 1835, in Spencer County, Kentucky. During the Civil War, he served in the 43rd Regiment Indiana Infantry. He married Elizabeth Green on March 3, 1868, in dark County, Illinois. They separated five months later, but they were never divorced. They had no children. Benjamin died September 16, 1927, in Sullivan County, Indiana. (See pp. 2377 and 2399 of the March 1982 issue of the Quarterly, No. 117, for his picture and an abstract of his Civil War pension file.)
32.1.3.3.2 Daughter Sparks. According to the enumeration of the household of Duncan and Rachel (Martin) Sparks on the 1840 census of Vigo County, Indiana, it appears that Duncan and Rachel (Martin) Sparks had a daughter born to them between 1835 and 1840. She may have died while quite young.
32.1.3.3.3 John D. Sparks was born ca. 1840 in Indiana; he may have been a posthumous child. He lived with his mother and stepfather until August 1861 when he enlisted in Company F of the 43rd Regiment Indiana Infantry, along with his brother, Benjamin F. Sparks. He served until he was so disabled by a severe case of measles that he received a medical discharge. (See pages 4397-98 of this issue of the Quarterly for an abstract of his Civil War pension file.)
After his discharge from the Union Army, John D. Sparks married Cena MNU ca. 1864, probably in Sullivan County, Indiana. When the 1870 census was taken of Sullivan County, he was shown as working in a sawmill. He and Cena had three sons on the 1870 census:
32.1.3.3.3.1 Willis Sparks, age 6; born ca. 1864;
32.1.3.3.3.2 Edward Sparks, age 4; boarn ca. 1866, and
32.1.3.3.3.3 James Monroe Sparks, age 1; born ca. 1869.
32.1.3.3.3.4 Wyley Sparks, born 1873Cena Sparks apparently died in 1873 when their fourth child was born.
John D. Sparks moved his family (along with his mother) to Pike County, Missouri, probably to be near his uncle, James Sparks and family. It was there that he made his initial request for an Invalid Pension for his Civil War service. The last account we have of him was in 1886. He was living at that time in Vandalia, Missouri.
32.1.3.3.3.3 James Monroe Sparks, born on July 27, 1868. He married Nora Ethel Teach on August 24, 1892, in Lincoln County, Kansas, and they apparently had eleven children. A picture taken of this family ca. 1914 includes seven of their children. Not included in this family picture were the four oldest children: Alfred Sparks (who had probably died); Homer Sparks; Ralph Sparks, and Harry Sparks. This picture has been shared with us by a granddaughter, Winnifred (Sparks) Finley.
James Monroe and Nora (Teach) Sparks, & seven of their children: James Monroe Sparks holding unidentified child;
Nora (Teach) Sparks; Gertie Sparks; Harvey Monroe Sparks; Minnie Sparks; Myrtle Sparks; byran Sparks, and an unidentified child.Photograph taken ca. 1885
32.1.3.4 James Sparks, son of Benjamin and Mary (Duncan) Sparks, was born July 23, 1810, in Kentucky. He married Elizabeth Maddox on August 18, 1837, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, by Daniel C. Banks, the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Louisville. The bondsman was John C. Hale. Elizabeth Maddox had been born in Virginia on November 23, 1815, and was a daughter of Margaret ["Peggy"] Maddox. (The name "Maddox" was also spelled "Mattox" and "Mattocks.") Shortly after their marriage, James and Elizabeth sold some property they owned in Vigo County, Indiana, to George Griffee for $167.50. The deed was recorded in Jefferson County, Kentucky, on November 28, 1837. Then, sometime prior to 1839, James and Elizabeth moved to Pike County, Missouri, where their household was enumerated on the 1840 census. They were shown with two children, a son and a daughter, who had been born between 1835 and 1840.
James and Elizabeth Sparks were listed on the 1840, 1850, and 1880 censuses of Pike County, and according to these records, they were the parents of ten children. Elizabeth died July 14, 1887. On May 1, 1888, James married a widow, Mary M. (Avery) Gander. It was also about this time that he applied for a "Father's Pension" claiming that the death of his son, David, caused by disease incurred while a soldier in the Civil War, had deprived him of his son's support. The application was approved, and James received a pension from then until his death on or about June 4, 1890. (See pp. 1826-27 of the June 1976 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 94, for an abstract of this pension file.)
32.1.3.4.1 Mary Ann Sparks was born February 22, 1839, in Missouri. She may have been named for her paternal grandmother. She married John S. Brimer on July 29, 1858, in Pike County, Missouri. He had been born ca. 1830 and was a son of William and Polly (South) Brimer. He and Mary Ann had five children before her death, which occurred on February 23, 1872. John died January 27, 1898. He and Mary Ann were buried in the Old Fairview Cemetery at Louisiana, Missouri. Their children were:
32.1.3.4.1.1 Laura Jane Brimer;
32.1.3.4.1.2 James W. Brimer;
32.1.3.4.1.3 John E. Brimer;
32.1.3.4.1.4 Frank D. Brimer; and
32.1.3.4.1.5 Samuel A. Brimer.32.1.3.4.2 Benjamin F. Sparks was born ca. 1840; he was probably named for his paternal grandfather, Benjamin Sparks. He married Nancy Jane Jenkins on December 18, 1860, in Pike County, Missouri. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined the Pike County Home Guards and served for three months. (See page 4280 of the March 1994 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 165, for an abstract of his pension file.) He died May 29, 1895. Nancy Jane died sometime after the spring of 1896. According to census records and Nancy Jane's pension application, they had six children:
32.1.3.4.2.1 James F. Sparks;
32.1.3.4.2.2 Mary Ann Sparks;
32.1.3.4.2.3 Ella N. Sparks;
32.1.3.4.2.4 Minnie P. Sparks;
32.1.3.4.2.5 Orie E. Sparks;
32.1.3.4.2.6 William C. Sparks.32.1.3.4.3 Martha J. Sparks was born ca. 1841.
32.1.3.4.4 Margaret Sparks was born ca. 1842. She was probably named for her maternal grandmother.
32.1.3.4.5 David Lambert Sparks was born July 30, 1844. He served in the 39th Regiment Missouri Infantry during the Civil War, and he died November 13, 1864, while still in the service. As noted above, his father applied for and received a "Father's Pension" based on the support that David had provided prior to his service. (See pp. 1826-27 of the June 1976 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 94, for an abstract of this pension file.)
32.1.3.4.6 James A. Sparks was born April 6, 1846, in Missouri. He married Mary G. Gooch ca. 1871. She had been born ca. 1854 in Missouri. According to census records and information furnished by descendants, they had seven children:
32.1.3.4.6.1 Luther Sparks;
32.1.3.4.6.2 Laura Sparks;
32.1.3.4.6.3 Maud Sparks;
32.1.3.4.6.4 James Sparks;
32.1.3.4.6.5 David Sparks;
32.1.3.4.6.6 Mattie Sparks; and
32.1.3.4.6.7 Oilie Sparks.32.1.3.4.7 Susan S. Sparks was born October 13, 1849. She married John S. Brimer on July 6, 1873. He had been married to Susan's sister, 32.1.3.4.1 Mary Ann Sparks, but she had died February 23, 1872. (See above.) Susan died September 4, 1900, and was buried in the old Fairview Cemetery at Louisiana, Missouri. She and John had two children:
32.1.3.4.7.1 Stephen Brimer; and
32.1.3.4.7.2 Robert Brimer.32.1.3.4.8 Elizabeth Sparks was born ca. 1850.
32.1.3.4.9 Nancy ["Nannie"] Sparks was born ca. 1851. She married Robert Kramer.
32.1.3.4.10 Margaret Alice ["Alley"] Sparks was born ca. 1860. She married John Enoch Walkley on March 19, 1879. He had been born on August 17, 1859. Alley died August 30, 1894; John died December 3, 1939. They had three children:32.1.3.4.10.1 Nora Walkley;
32.1.3.4.10.2 John Walkley; and
32.1.3.4.10.3 Anne Walkley.32.1.3.5 Asa Sparks, son of Benjamin and Mary (Duncan) Sparks, was born ca. 1813, probably in Shelby County, Kentucky. He married Ailsa Purcell on June 13, 1839, in Spencer County, Kentucky, by William Stout. She had been born ca. 1814 in Kentucky and was probably a daughter of Alexander Purcell (or Pursell) who was bondsman for Asa. Asa and Ailsa were enumerated on the 1840 and 1850 censuses of Spencer County, but shortly after the 1850 census was taken, they moved to Vigo County, Indiana, where Ailsa died April 1, 1852, leaving Asa with four children. She and Asa had conveyed land to Otho Carrico on January 1, 1862, in Spencer County, Kentucky. Asa returned to Spencer County where he married Lucy Jane Coleman on October 7, 1852, by the Rev. W. G. Hobbs. She had been born ca. 1825 in Kentucky.
Asa Sparks returned to Vigo County, Indiana, with his second wife, and when the 1860 census was taken, they were shown with three children of their own. They were listed on the 1870 and 1880 censuses of Vigo County. Asa died there sometime after 1896. We have found no information about the death of Lucy Jane. by his two marriages, Asa Sparks had ten children, four by his first marriage and six by his second. They were:
32.1.3.5.1 Lucy Sparks was born ca. 1840 in Kentucky.
32.1.3.5.2 James Nelson Sparks was born September 1, 1842. He served in the 85th Regiment Indiana Infantry during the Civil War and died January 19, 1865, while still in the service. (See pp. 4398-99 of this issue of the Quarterly for an abstract of the papers pertaining to his father's unsuccessful attempt to obtain a "Dependent Father's Pension" based on the service of James Nelson Sparks in the Union Army.)
32.1.3.5.3 John Sparks was born ca. 1846.
32.1.3.5.4 Vineyard ["Vin"] Theodore Sparks was born ca. 1849. He served in the 124th Regiment Indiana Infantry during the Civil War. (See pages 2911-12 of the June 1986 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 134, for an abstract of Mary Sparks's application for a Civil War pension.)
Vineyard Sparks married Mary Purcell on November 4, 1869, in Vigo County. She had been born ca. 1843. They had four children before Vin's death on September 17, 1878. They were:
32.1.3.5.4.1 John Sparks;
32.1.3.5.4.2 Charles Sparks;
32.1.3.5.4.3 Albert Sparks; and
32.1.3.5.4.4 Stephen Sparks.Vin's widow, Mary (Purcell) Sparks, married (second) James Harrison Williams in 1884.
(The following six children of Asa Sparks were by his second marriage.)
32.1.3.5.5 Alexander Sparks was born September 2, 1853; he was probably named for his maternal grandfather, Alexander Purcell. He died September 10, 1854.
32.1.3.5.6 Amanda Sparks was born ca. 1855.
32.1.3.5.7 George Newton Sparks was born ca. 1857. He married Betty Jane Barnett on September 28, 1876, in Vigo County. They had at least one child, 32.1.3.5.7.1 Estelle Sparks, born in May 1880.
32.1.3.5.8 Margaret J. Sparks was born July 21, 1858. She died March 19, 1862.
32.1.3.5.9 William Albert Sparks was born May 12, 1862, in Vigo County. It was there that he married Nancy Almira Smith on July 20, 1886. He died March 5, 1936. He and Nancy had five children:
32.1.3.5.9.1 Latisia Sparks;
32.1.3.5.9.2 Mary Lee Sparks;
32.1.3.5.9.3 Emil Sparks;
32.1.3.5.9.4 Alma Sparks; and
32.1.3.5.9.5 Florence Sparks.32.1.3.5.10 Mary Elizabeth Sparks was born ca. 1865.
32.1.3.6 William Sparks was born ca. 1817 in Kentucky. He married Mrs. Eveline McMahan on October 21, 1849, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. She had been born ca. 1809 in Kentucky and was the widow of John McMahan who had died leaving her with several children. One of her children, Sarah McMahan, married 32.1.3.8 Joseph C. Sparks, brother of William. (See below.) (The name "McMahan" was sometimes spelled "McMann.")
William and Eveline Sparks moved to Vigo County, Indiana, shortly after their marriage and were listed there on the 1850 census, along with five of Eveline's children by her first marriage. They were also shown on the Vigo County censuses of 1860 and 1870, but we have found no further records pertaining to them.
32.1.3.7 Benjamin ["Benny"] D. Sparks was born July 14, 1819, in Bullitt County, Kentucky. Descendants say that the "D" in his name stood for "Duncan," which was the maiden name of his mother. If this is correct, two sons of Benjamin and Mary were given this name. (See 32.1.3 Benjamin Sparks above.) Benny was a good-sized boy when he went with his father to Vigo County, Indiana, ca. 1832. There he grew to manhood, and it was there that he married Nancy L. McCroskey on August 11, 1842. She had been born in Vigo County on November 1, 1824, and she was a daughter of Joseph McCroskey. She and Benny were members of the Baptist faith.
A photograph of Benjamin ["Benny"] D. Sparks appears on the cover of this issue of the Quarterly.
Benny and Nancy Sparks were listed on the 1850 census of Vigo County, Indiana, but ca. 1860 they moved westward some forty miles to Cumberland County, Illinois, where they settled near the village of Neoga. There they lived until Nancy's death, which occurred on December 14, 1896. After her death, Benny spent his time among his children. He died at the home of his son, Sylvester Sparks, at Zurich, Kansas, on July 28, 1909. He was buried beside his wife in the Drummond Cemetery near Neoga. He and Nancy had seven children.
32.1.3.7.1 John Little Sparks was born October 25, 1844, in Vigo County, Indiana. He served in the 15th Regiment Illinois Infantry during the Civil War and received a pension later for his service. (See pp. 4399-4400 of this issue of the Quarterly for an abstract of his pension file.) After returning from his service in the Civil War, he married Mary Ballenger on March 22, 1869, in Cumberland County, Illinois. She had been born on April 29, 1847, in Indiana. She and John lived near Neoga, Illinois. He died March 29, 1904; she died January 19, 1912. They had nine children:
32.1.3.7.1.1 Benjamin Sparks;
32.1.3.7.1.2 Nancy Sparks;
32.1.3.7.1.3 Riley Sparks;
32.1.3.7.1.4 Nettie Sparks;
32.1.3.7.1.5 William Sparks;
32.1.3.7.1.6 Lewis Sparks;
32.1.3.7.1.7 Alonzo Sparks;
32.1.3.7.1.8 Charles Sparks; and
32.1.3.7.1.9 Fred Sparks.32.1.3.7.2 Rachel Ann Sparks was born December 4, 1846, in Vigo County, Indiana. She married John M. Keller on January 11, 1863. He died in November 1929 at Hill City, Kansas. Rachel died June 20, 1937. They had ten children:
32.1.3.7.2.1 Benjamin Keller;
32.1.3.7.2.2 Edward Keller;
32.1.3.7.2.3 George Keller;
32.1.3.7.2.4 Walter Keller;
32.1.3.7.2.5 Alpha Keller;
32.1.3.7.2.6 Lilly Keller;
32.1.3.7.2.7 Elsie Keller;
32.1.3.7.2.8 Nancy Keller;
32.1.3.7.2.9 William Keller; and
32.1.3.7.2.10 Ella Keller.32.1.3.7.3 Mary Catherine Sparks was born November 8, 1848, in Vigo, County, Indiana. She married Elijah Ninemire on September 7, 1871. He had been born on February 14, 1844, at Gallatin, Missouri. He and Mary were Baptists. He died on September 21, 1919, at Hill City, Kansas. Mary died June 12, 1925, at Penokee, Kansas. They had eleven children, including two unnamed sons who died at birth. The nine surviving children were:
32.1.3.7.3.1 Lillie Ninemire;
32.1.3.7.3.2 Stam Ninemire;
32.1.3.7.3.3 Ben Ninemire;
32.1.3.7.3.4 Margaret Ninemire;
32.1.3.7.3.5 Sadie Ninemire;
32.1.3.7.3.6 Oscar Ninemire;
32.1.3.7.3.7 Clara Ninemire;
32.1.3.7.3.8 Bert Ninemire; and
32.1.3.7.3.9 Jennie Ninemire.32.1.3.7.4 Joseph Sylvester Sparks was born December 12, 1850, in Vigo County, Indiana. He married Viola Emaline Miller on April 4, 1872. She had been born on May 28, 1854, and was a daughter of William Thomas and Mary Ann (Vaught) Miller. Joseph and Viola lived near Neoga, Illinois, until ca. 1880 when they moved to Zurich, Kansas. Joseph died there on June 10, 1937; Viola died there on December 5, 1946. They had nine children:
32.1.3.7.4.1 William Sparks;
32.1.3.7.4.2 Louie Mabel Sparks;
32.1.3.7.4.3 George Sparks;
32.1.3.7.4.4 Mary Sparks;
32.1.3.7.4.5 Charles Sparks;
32.1.3.7.4.6 "Tina" Sparks;
32.1.3.7.4.7 John Sparks;
32.1.3.7.4.8 Blanche Sparks; and
32.1.3.7.4.9 Benjamin Miller Sparks. Benjamin Miller Sparks married Daisy A. Homan in 1914, and they are the parents of Amy (Sparks) Hanely who has furnished much of the information and some photographs for this article.See the following page for a photograph taken in 1937 of the family of Joseph Sylvester and Viola Emaline (Miller) Sparks; also for a photograph of their Kansas home.
32.1.3.7.5 Margaret Jane Sparks was born January 7, 1853. She married James A. Humphrey on October 26, 1869. They both died in 1923 at Wichita, Kansas. They had four children:
32.1.3.7.5.1 Benjamin Humphrey;
32.1.3.7.5.2 Frances Humphrey;
32.1.3.7.5.3 Bert Humphrey; and
32.1.3.7.5.4 Frank Humphrey.
65th Wedding Anniversary, Joseph S. & Viola E. (Miller) Sparks Seated, L-R: Louie Mabel Sparks; Mary Little (Sparks) Tilton,
Joseph Sylvester Sparks, Viola Emaline (Miller) Sparks, Ida Heseltine (Sparks) Stithem.Standing, L-R: John Clarence Sparks, William Albert Sparks, and Benjamin Miller Sparks Photograph Taken APRIL 4, 1937
Farm Home of Joseph S. and Viola E. Sparks
One Mile South of Zurich, Rooks County, Kansas
32.1.3.7.6 Phoebe Sparks, daughter of Benny and Nancy (McCroskey) Sparks, was born on September 14, 1859. She married Thomas ["Dick"] Walker on December 28, 1876. She died in April 1902 and Dick died in July 1937. They had five children:
32.1.3.7.6.1 Ida Walker;
32.1.3.7.6.2 Perry Walker;
32.1.3.7.6.3 Ura Walker;
32.1.3.7.6.4 Nellie Walker; and
32.1.3.7.6.5 Claude Walker.32.1.3.7.7 William Henry Sparks was born March 16, 1863. He died on August 19, 1863.
32.1.3.8 Joseph C. Sparks was born June 7, 1823, in Spencer County, Kentucky. He married Sarah McMahan on January 15, 1846, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. She had been born ca. 1828 in Kentucky and was a daughter of John and Eveline McMahan. (McMahan was sometimes spelled McMann.) William Sparks, brother of Joseph C. Sparks (see above) became the second husband of Evaline McMahan, mother of Sarah (McMahan) Sparks.
Joseph C. Sparks,
1823-1909
Son of Benjamin and Mary (Duncan) Sparks
According to an obituary of Joseph C. Sparks, written by a nephew in 1909, he served as a soldier in the Mexican War; however, we have found no record of his service.
When the 1850 census was taken in Vigo County, Indiana, Joseph and his wife, Sarah, were living in the household of his father, Benjamin Sparks. They continued to live in Vigo County until ca. 1861 when they moved to Cumberland County, Illinois. They were shown there on the 1870 and 1880 censuses, and that was probably where Sarah died sometime prior to February 1900. Joseph died there on August 12, 1909, in the home of his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Bateman Sparks. He was buried in the Drummond Cemetery. He was a member of the Brush Creek Church of Christ. He and Sarah apparently had eleven children; however, we can identify only eight of them.
32.1.3.8.1 Martha Sparks was born ca. 1849 in Kentucky.
32.1.3.8.2 William H. Sparks was born ca. 1852 in Indiana.
32.1.3.8.3 James F. Sparks was born ca. 1854.
32.1.3.8.4 Mary E. Sparks was born ca. 1856.32.1.3.8.5 Bateman Sparks was born ca. 1860. He may have been named for a second cousin, Bateman Sparks, who was born ca. 1841. (See pp. 1835-40 of the September 1975 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 95.)
32.1.3.8.6 Richard T. Sparks was born ca. 1861 in Indiana.
32.1.3.8.7 Letitia Sparks was born ca. 1863 in Illinois.
32.1.3.8.8 McMahan ["Mack"] Sparks was born ca. 1867 in Illinois. He was probably named for his mother's family, the McMahans.32.1.3.9 A daughter was apparently born to Benjamin and Mary (Duncan) Sparks between 1825 and 1830; she may have died when quite young.
Richard F. Sparks
(1826-1913)
and wife,
Martha Jane (Miller) Sparks(Photograph taken ca. 1900)
32.1.3.10 Richard F. Sparks was born on January 2, 1826, in Spencer County, Kentucky. He died March 26, 1913, at Hunter, Oklahoma, at the age of 87 years. A copy of his obituary has been preserved, and it gives a fairly full account of his life. Here are some pertinent portions:
At the age of eight years, he, with his parents, moved from Kentucky to Vigo County, Indiana, where he resided until nineteen years old and then moved to Jefferson County, Iowa. At the age of twenty-two, he confessed faith in Christ and united with the M.E. Church. He was married on January 12, 1849, to Martha Jane Miller. To this union were born ten children, four girls and six boys, seven of whom survive him; two died in infancy; and one, a daughter, died at the age of forty-two years.
In 1850, Richard Sparks went to California and to Illinois in 1851. In 1866 he united with the Christian Church. He moved to Lincoln County, Kansas, in 1879 where he remained until the opening up of Oklahoma when he located at Hunter soon after the town was started. He united with the Christian Church there and was an Elder at the time of his death. Besides his aged wife, he leaves thirty-three grandchildren and about twenty-five great-grand-children.
Richard F. Sparks was shown on the 1850 census of El Dorado County, California, while his wife, Martha Jane (Miller) Sparks was listed that year on the census of Cass County, Illinois. She was living in the household of William Adkins, age 33, and his family. Richard and Martha Jane were reunited in Cass County when he returned from California, and they were listed there on the 1860 and 1870 censuses. When the 1880 census was taken, they were in Lincoln County, Kansas. As stated in his obituary, Richard and Martha were the parents of ten children.
32.1.3.10.1 Mary C. Sparks was born ca. 1850, probably in Iowa. She married Jacob Andrew Baney ca. 1870. He had been born ca. 1850 in Pennsylvania. He and Mary had one child, 32.1.3.10.1.1 Richard Franklin Baney, born ca. 1872 in Illinois. (See page 2149 of the September 1979 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 107, for a query about this couple. In that query, Mary C. Sparks was referred to as "Sarah Sparks.")
32.1.3.10.2 Melvanita ["Mel"] Sparks was born ca. 1853, probably in Cass County, Illinois. Relatives say that she married FNU Thomas and that they had four children:
32.1.3.10.2.1 Bob Thomas;
32.1.3.10.2.2 Ritta Thomas;
32.1.3.10.2.3 Dick Thomas; and
32.1.3.10.2.4 Oscar Thomas.Mel died in 1893.
32.1.3.10.3 Riley Leander Sparks was born April 1, 1858, in Cass County, Illinois. He married Janette May Batterton on February 17, 1881. She had been born on May 29, 1862, and was a daughter of Andrew Jackson and Eliza (LeMar) Batterton. She died February 29 [?], 1939, and Riley died June 20, 1942, at Dinuba, California. They had three children:
32.1.3.10.3.1 Rollin Sparks;
32.1.3.10.3.2 Lena Edna Sparks; and
32.1.3.10.3.3 Orin Earl Sparks.32.1.3.10.4 A. David Sparks was born ca. 1860. He married Effie Alzena Taylor, and they had eight children:
32.1.3.10.4.1 Taylor Sparks;
32.1.3.10.4.2 Ralph Sparks;
32.1.3.10.4.3 Walter Sparks;
32.1.3.10.4.4 Anna Sparks;
32.1.3.10.4.5 Myrtle Sparks;
32.1.3.10.4.6 Martha Sparks;
32.1.3.10.4.7 Mary Sparks; and
32.1.3.10.4.8 Frances Sparks.A. David Sparks died in 1948.
Family of:
Riley Leander & Janette May (Batterton) Sparks
(1908)
Seated, L-R:
Janette May (Batterton) Sparks, Orin Sparks, Riley Leander SparksStanding, L-R:
Lena Edna Sparks and Rollin Sparks
Photograph of
A. David Sparks,
taken ca. 1890
32.1.3.10.5 Francis Marion Sparks was born ca. 1864. He was married, but we have not learned the name of his spouse. He had four children:
32.1.3.10.5.1 William Sparks;
32.1.3.10.5.2 Bertha Sparks;
32.1.3.10.5.3 Bessie Sparks; and
32.1.3.10.5.4 Raymond Sparks.Francis was living in Lament, Oklahoma, in 1913.
32.1.3.10.6 Martha Jane Sparks was born ca. 1867. She married FNU Davis.
32.1.3.10.7 Mildred ["Milly"] Sparks was born ca. 1871. She married FNU Fielder. She was living in Pawnee, Oklahoma, in 1913.
32.1.3.10.8 James ["Jim"] Richard Sparks was born in 1873 in Illinois. He was married but we have not learned the name of his spouse. They had eight children:
32.1.3.10.8.1 Lottie Sparks;
32.1.3.10.8.2 Charles ["Jard"] Sparks;
32.1.3.10.8.3 Maybelle Sparks;
32.1.3.10.8.4 Mildred Sparks;
32.1.3.10.8.5 Edith Sparks;
32.1.3.10.8.6 James Ray Sparks;
32.1.3.10.8.7 Ruth Sparks; and
32.1.3.10.8.8 Grace Sparks.Jim Sparks was living in Hunter, Oklahoma, in 1913. He died in 1927.
32.1.3.10.9 Luther Harden Sparks was born June 6, 1876, in Boone County, Iowa, according to a relative. He married Elizabeth Beck in 1898, and they had four children before Elizabeth died January 22, 1910. He married (second) Florence Jandreau in 1911. She died in 1951. Luther died January 12, 1952, at Vallejo, California. His children (all by his first marriage) were:
32.1.3.10.9.1 Orville Sparks;
32.1.3.10.9.2 Keatty Sparks;
32.1.3.10.9.3 Richard Sparks; and
32.1.3.10.9.4 Melva Belle Sparks.32.1.3.10.10 A son whom we have been unable to identify was born to Richard and Martha Jane (Miller) Sparks, ca. 1875.
32.1.3.11 A son was apparently born to Benjamin and Mary (Duncan) Sparks ca. 1828 and may have died quite young.
32.1.4 Henry Sparks, son of James and Caty Sparks, was born ca. 1780, probably in what is now Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and he was carried as an infant to Jefferson County, Kentucky, where he grew to manhood. He paid his first taxes there in 1800 and, also, in 1801 and 1802, but by 1807 he had moved up the Ohio River to Gallatin County, Kentucky. There, on January 15, 1807, he married Mary ["Polly"] McClaskey. Later that year, on April 17, 1807, he paid taxes in Gallatin County, but the following year he was back in Jefferson County where he paid taxes in 1808 and 1809. No record has been found of him on the 1810 census.
The War of 1812 was drawing to a close when, in the summer of 1814, Governor Shelby of Kentucky was asked to furnish three regiments of Kentucky militia to keep the port of New Orleans free from British control. Henry Sparks and his brother, Walter Sparks, joined Captain Ziba Holt's Company in Col. Gray's Regiment. The regiments rendezvoused at Louisville and descended to New Orleans by boat. Gray's regiment reached New Orleans on January 4, 1815, and participated in the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, in which the Americans whipped the British regulars soundly. (See pp. 844-46 of the September 1964 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 47, for an abstract of the bounty land file of Walter Sparks.)
When Henry Sparks returned from military service in the spring of 1815, he may have found his wife in poor health. She died June 23, 1816, according to an entry in a family Bible, leaving Henry with two small sons. He went to Indiana where he joined his brothers, Stephen, James, and Moses, at The Forks, the place where the Driftwood and Muscatatuck Rivers join. It was there that he married Nellie Lee on June 26, 1819, in Lawrence County. She had been born ca. 1800. When the 1820 census was taken, Henry was shown (with himself and his wife enumerated) in Jackson County, but on the 1830 census. Henry and his household were shown in Lawrence County, although they had probably not moved. In December 1822, the Indiana General Assembly had moved the county line, taking a narrow strip from Jackson County and adding it to Lawrence County.
Henry Sparks was shown as head of his household when the 1840 census was taken of Lawrence County, but Nellie was not enumerated; apparently she had died. She left Henry with five children, all born between 1820 and 1840. He probably died between 1840 and 1850 since no further record has been found of him. From census records, it appears that he had seven children, two sons by his first marriage, and three sons and two daughters by his second marriage. No records have been found to identify these children; however, from circumstantial evidence, we believe that two sons can be identified.
32.1.4.1 James Sparks, probable son of Henry and Polly (McClaskey) Sparks, was born ca. 1810 in Kentucky. He married Rebecca Ellison on November 28, 1833, in Washington County, Indiana, by B. C. Cresy. (The license was dated November 25, 1833.) She had been born ca. 1813 in Kentucky and was a daughter of Robert and Rebecca Ellison. James Sparks was "of lawful age" at the time of their marriage, but Rebecca was required to obtain her father's consent. James and Rebecca were enumerated with their household on the 1840 census of Washington County, and on the cenuses of 1850, 1860, and 1870 they were named with their children. They lived near the village of Campbellsburg. No records have been found of their deaths. According to census records, they appear to have had four children:
32.1.4.1.1 Mary Ann Sparks was born ca. 1834. She was quite likely the Mary Ann Sparks who married T. G. Walker on May 12, 1861, in Washington County, Indiana.
32.1.4.1.2 Rebecca Jane Sparks was born ca. 1836. She married Solomon Myers on November 2, 1870, in Washington County, Indiana. Her age was recorded as 38 years on page 39 of the Washington County Marriage Book C-l.
32.1.4.1.3 Nancy Sparks was born ca. 1838. She may have been the Nancy Sparks who married Ezekiel Pollock on August 9, 1860, in Washington County, Indiana.
32.1.4.1.4 Robert Sparks was born ca. 1842 and was probably named for his maternal grandfather. On the 1860 census of Washington County, he was shown as a 17-year-old youth living with his parents.
32.1.4.3 Moses Sparks, probable son of Henry and Nellie (Lee) Sparks, was born ca. 1821 in Indiana and was probably named for his father's brother. He married Martha Ann Cooper on August 25, 1841, in Lawrence County, Indiana. We have found no further record of this couple.
32.1.5 James Sparks, Jr., son of James and Caty Sparks, was born ca. 1785, probably in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Few records have been found regarding him. He was married ca. 1808, and he was shown as heading a household on the 1810 census of Jefferson County. He was enumerated as between 16 and 26 years of age; his wife was between 10 and 16; and the two females enumerated as under ten years of age were doubtless their daughters. Also enumerated as members of James's household was a male over 45 years of age and a female between 26 and 45 years of age-perhaps they were his wife's parents. No clue has been found to reveal the name of his wife.
In all likelihood, James Sparks, Jr. joined his brothers, Stephen and Moses, when they moved across the Ohio River into Indiana Territory ca. 1812. He settled in Jackson County, and his household was enumerated on the 1820 cen sus there. He was then between 26 and 45 years of age; his wife was between 16 and 26; and they had a son and a daughter under 10 years of age.
James Sparks, Jr. may have had a daughter, Catherine Sparks, who married Joshua Edwards in Lawrence County, Indiana, on August 5, 1824.
We have found no further record of this family.
32.1.6 Elizabeth Sparks was born ca. 1783 in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and it was there that she married Nathaniel Richter on September 16, 1804. (The marriage license was dated September 13.) Elizabeth's brother, Stephen Sparks, was the bondsman, and the witness was George Pope who testified that Elizabeth was "of lawful age." The wedding ceremony was performed by W. Kavanaugh. (Marriage Book 1, p. 49)
[The Moravian Church Congregation Register (1756-1801) shows that Nathaniel had been born on October 8, 1761, near Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and was a son of John Christian and Charlotta Sophia (Eisen) Richter, natives of Saxony and Prussia, respectively. (Saxony and Prussia are now part of Germany, of course. Eisen was also written as Eyse and as Eis.) Nathaniel served in the Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolutionary War. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Marie Magdalina Schlosser on March 15, 1789, in York County, Pennsylvania, and they had one child, Anna Christina Richter, born on August 2, 1791. Marie died shortly thereafter, and Nathaniel moved to Kentucky ca. 1792 where he settled in Jefferson County. He moved to newly-formed Bullitt County ca. 1796. He was a cabinet maker.
[Descendants are in general agreement that the surname of "Richter" was changed to "Rector" during the early 1800s. by 1850, the change was complete; however, in 1852, when Nathaniel applied for a pension for his Revolutionary War service, he signed his name as "Nathaniel Richter." His full name appears to have been Thomas Nathaniel Rector, a name that he bestowed upon his first son.]
Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Sparks) Rector started housekeeping in Bullitt County, and their household was enumerated there on the censuses of 1810, 1820, 1830, and 1840. In 1852, when Nathaniel applied for a pension, he stated that he had lived in Bullitt County for 40 to 50 years, but in 1847 he had moved across the Ohio River to New Albany, Indiana. After a brief stay there, he had moved to Fountain County, Indiana, in 1848. When the 1850 census was taken of Fountain County, he was shown as 90 years of age and living in the household of a son, Thomas N. Rector.
No records have been found of the deaths of either Nathaniel or Elizabeth Rector. Her name did not appear on the 1850 census of Fountain County, Indiana; she apparently had died between 1840 and 1850, possibly in Kentucky. Nathaniel died after 1852. Some descendants say that he was buried in the Wolf Creek Cemetery about two miles south of Wallace, Indiana.
According to census records and information furnished by descendants, Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Sparks) Rector were the parents of eight children, all of them born in Bullitt County, Kentucky. They were:
32.1.6.1 Sarah ["Sally"] Rector, born ca.1806.
32.1.6.2 Thomas Nathaniel Rector, Jr., born ca.1809.
32.1.6.3 Charlotte Rector, born ca.1810.
32.1.6.4 Susannah Rector, born ca.1812.
32.1.6.5 James R. Rectory born ca.1815.
32.1.6.6 William Rector, born ca.1817.
32.1.6.7 America Rector, born ca.1822.
32.1.6.8 John Wesley Rector, born ca.1825.Further information about each of these children follows.
32.1.6.1 Sarah ["Sally"] Rector was born ca. 1805. She was married twice. Her first marriage was to John Clevidence on March 16, 1823, in Bullitt County, Kentucky. John was 21 years old and Sally was 18. The marriage license was returned to the court house by James Simmons. John had been born ca. 1802 and was a son of Frederick and Elizabeth ["Betsy"] Ann (Brown) Clevidence. He and Sally had four children before his untimely death ca. 1833. All of the children were born in Kentucky. (See Items a., b., c., and d., below.)
Sally remained a widow until September 1845 when she married James R. Irvin (or Irwin) in Bullitt County. He was a native of Pennsylvania. He and Sally had two children according to relatives. We have not learned the dates nor places of the deaths of James and Sally.
32.1.6.1.1 Jonathan Lee Clevidence was born ca. 1824 in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and was about nine years of age when his father died. He became a wood-chopper and helped his mother rear his brothers and sister to maturity. He married Elizabeth Ann (Greenwell) Sweeney on June 7, 1849, in Bullitt County. She had been born ca. 1824 in Kentucky and was a daughter of Raphael and Ann Greenwell. She was the widow of William Sweeney, by whom she had probably had a son, Charles Sweeney, born ca. 1845. She died in March 1889 in Mississippi County, Missouri. Jonathan died ca. 1865. He and Elizabeth had six children:
32.1.6.1.1.1 Robert Clevidence;
32.1.6.1.1.2 Laura Ann Clevidence;
32.1.6.1.1.3 Arabelle Clevidence;
32.1.6.1.1.4 Zerilda Clevidence;
32.1.6.1.1.5 Jonathan Lee Clevidence, Jr. married Lula Mae Ruark on July 2, 1887, in Mississippi County, Missouri, and they were the grandparents of Richard Lloyd Clevidence, husband of Geraldine S. Clevidence who has been most helpful in the preparation of this article. Geraldine Clevidence is also a SPARKS decendant; she is a great-great-greatgranddaughter of 32.5 Daniel Sparks (1763-ca.1820), brother of 32.1.1 James Sparks who is the subject of this article. She descends from Daniel's son, 32.5.10 Harmon N. Sparks of Bullitt County, Kentucky. (See page 4164 of the September 1993 issue of The Sparks Quarterly, Whole No. 163.)
32.1.6.1.1.6 Katherine Clevidence.32.1.6.1.2 Clifton Hall Clevidence was born ca. 1826 in Meade County, Kentucky. He was a farmer and a Baptist. He married Martha Jane Riley on May 21, 1854, in Meade County. He was 27 years old and Martha was 19. She was a daughter of H. S. and Mary Riley. She and Clifton had three children, none of whom lived to maturity. They were named (1) Richard Clevidence; (2) William H. Clevidence; and (3) John Hall Clevidence. They were buried in the Wolf Creek Cemetery in Meade County, K entucky.
32.1.6.1.3 George Allan Clevidence was born January 30, 1828, in Bullitt County, Kentucky. He married Elizabeth Austin on March 10, 1853, in Hardin County, Kentucky. She had been born on September 10, 1825, and she was a daughter of William Austin. She and George lived in Hardin County, Kentucky, near the village of Pitts Point. She died there on August 5, 1886. George died in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 10, 1905. They had eight children:
32.1.6.1.3.1 Felix Clevidence. He married Phoebe Jane Artman in Hardin County in 1875, and they were the great-great- grandparents of Paula M. Falk who has shared most of the information about this family with us.
32.1.6.1.3.2 Jeremiah Clevidence;
32.1.6.1.3.3 John Clevidence;
32.1.6.1.3.4 Alice Clevidence;
32.1.6.1.3.5 Sarah Clevidence;
32.1.6.1.3.6 Zarada Clevidence;
32.1.6.1.3.7 George Clevidence; and
32.1.6.1.3.8 Virgil Clevidence.32.1.6.1.4 Katherine Clevidence was born ca. 1831. She married Zerial May on May 17, 1853, in Bullitt County, Kentucky.
As stated above, Sarah ["Sally"] (Rector) Clevidence married (second) James R. Irvin on September 18, 1845, in Bullitt County. They had two children:
32.1.6.1.5 James R. Irvin, Jr. was born ca. 1846.
32.1.6.1.6 Rebecca Irvin was born ca. 1848.32.1.6.2 Thomas Nathaniel Rector, Jr., son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Sparks) Rector, was born ca. 1809 in Kentucky. He was a farmer. He married Rachel Dougherty on September 24, 1829, in Bullitt County by James Simmons. She had been born ca. 1807 in Kentucky and was a daughter of Edward 0. Dougherty. Thomas and Rachel Rector were enumerated with their family on the 1830 and 1840 censuses of Bullitt County, but in 1845 they moved to Indiana where they settled in Fulton Township in southwestern Fountain County. When the 1850 census was taken, they were shown with six children in their household. Their daughters. Nancy and Lavinia, had been married the previous year.
Thomas Rector died apparently sometime before 1870, and afterwards Rachel made her home with two of her children. Nancy (Rector) Pearson and William Henry Rector. She died sometime after the 1870 census was taken, but no record has been found of the date of her death nor of the place where she was buried. Records indicate that she and Thomas had twelve children.
32.1.6.2.1 Nancy Rector was born ca. 1830 in Bullitt County and was almost grown when she went with her parents to Fountain County, Indiana. It was there that she married William Henry Pearson (or Pierson) on May 1, 1849. He had been born ca. 1821 in Tennessee and was a son of John W. and Polly (Booth) Pearson. He was a cooper by trade. He and Nancy died near Cates Station, Indiana, within a few days of each other. She died April 11, 1880, and William died on April 30, 1880. They were buried in the Harveysburg Cemetery just a few miles northwest of the village of Kingman. They had fourteen children, nine of whom lived to maturity. They were:
32.1.6.2.1.1 John Wesley Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.2 Margaret Ellen Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.3 Thomas Nathaniel Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.4 James William Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.5 Daniel Jefferson Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.6 George Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.7 Francis Marion Pearson married Martha Estel (Rayphole) Johnson on February 14, 1906, and they were the grandparents of William Fox who has shared information about his branch of the family.
32.1.6.2.1.8 Charles Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.9 Benjamin Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.10 Joshua Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.11 David Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.12 Andrew Pearson;
32.1.6.2.1.13 Samantha May Pearson; and
32.1.6.2.1.14 Lewis Pearson.32.1.6.2.2 Lavinia Rector was born ca. 1830. She married Solomon Burnett on March 22, 1849, in Fountain County, Indiana.
32.1.6.2.3 James E. Rector was born ca. 1832 in Bullitt County, Kentucky, and was a young man when he accompanied his parents to Fountain County, Indiana. It was there that he married Elizabeth Bennett on December 6, 1857. He died on or about April 15, 1888, in Fountain County. He and Elizabeth had three children:
32.1.6.2.3.1 Henry Rector;
32.1.6.2.3.2 Catherine Rector; and
32.1.6.2.3.3 Hattie Rector.32.1.6.2.4 Charlotte Rector was born ca. 1836 and was probably named for her aunt. Charlotte (Rector) Heald. She married Joshua T. Bennett on October 9, 1856, in Fountain County. She died December 12, 1919.
32.1.6.2.5 John Thomas Rector was born May 28, 1837. He served as a private in Company H, 63rd Regiment Indiana Volunteers during the Civil War. He enlisted at Covington, Indiana, on August 11, 1862, and served until he was mustered out at Greensboro, North Carolina, on June 11, 1865. At the time of his enlistment, he was 24 years old; he had blue eyes, light hair, and a sandy complexion; he was six feet tall, and he was a farmer, according to his military record.
John was married twice. His first marriage was to Martha Jane Raridan (or Raridon) on October 1, 1867, in Fountain County. She had been born on October 18, 1847, and was a daughter of Timothy S. and Fannie (Bennett) Raridan. She and John had three children:
32.1.6.2.5.1 Timothy Smith Rector;
32.1.6.2.5.2 Ida Mae Rector; and
32.1.6.2.5.3 Luella Rector.Martha Jane died February 29, 1876. The second marriage of John Rector was to Elizabeth Kiger on September 9, 1880, in Vermillion County, Indiana. She and John had one child,
32.1.6.2.5.4 Martha Jane ["Janie"] Rector.
John died December 12, 1919, and was buried in the Wolf Creek Cemetery near Wallace, Indiana.
32.1.6.2.6 Mary Elizabeth Rector was born ca. 1839 in Kentucky. She married Timothy Bennett on September 7, 1858, in Fountain County.
32.1.6.2.7 Irena Rector was born ca. 1846 in Fountain County, Indiana, and it was there that she married Jeremiah Redman on September 13, 1866. He had been born ca. 1837 and was a son of Peter and Eva (Beaman) Redman. Jeremiah died May 18, 1906, at Attica, Indiana. Irena died there on April 19, 1915. They had twelve children:
32.1.6.2.7.1 Thomas Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.2 Peter Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.3 William Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.4 Eavy Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.5 Rachel Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.6 Mollie Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.7 Mary Ann Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.8 James Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.9 Walter Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.10 Rebecca Redman;
32.1.6.2.7.11 Nellie Redman; and
32.1.6.2.7.12 Elias Redman.32.1.6.2.8 Ira Rector was born ca. 1846; he was a twin of Irena Rector (next above). He died at birth.
32.1.6.2.9 Margaret America Rector was born ca. 1847 in Indiana. She married Daniel H. Bond on March 27, 1872, in Fountain County.
32.1.6.2.10 William Henry Rector was born August 15, 1849, in Fountain County. It was there that he married Martha Jane Keiger on May 16, 1875. She had been born on March 30, 1860, and was a daughter of John and Martha Ellen (Bennett) Keiger. William Henry and Martha Jane bought a twenty-acre farm in Howard Township in Parke County, Indiana, and lived there the rest of their lives. He died there on November 13, 1926.
Martha Jane died there on May 5, 1927. They had five children:
32.1.6.2.10.1 Ira Rector;
32.1.6.2.10.2 Thomas N. Rector;
32.1.6.2.10.3 Margaret Ann Rector married John Farner in 1899, and they were the maternal grandparents of Joseph Ray Elkins, husband of Joyce L. Clore.
32.1.6.2.10.4 Mary Martha Rector married Jesse Clore in 1904, and they were the maternal grandparents of Joyce L. (Clore) Elkins who has shared a considerable amount of information about the Rector family with us, as well as the picture of her grandparents, reproduced below.
32.1.6.2.10.5 Cecil Rector.
L-R:Martha Jane (Keiger) Rector, holding granddaughter, Vera Ellen Elkins;
standing: Dorothy May Elkins, sister of Vera Ellen Elkins;
William Henry Rector, holding granddaughter, Treva Mae Rector.
32.1.6.2.11 Solomon ["Saul"] Rector, son of Thomas N. and Rachel Rector, was born on or about February 21, 1851, in Fountain County, Indiana. He died August 20, 1852.
32.1.6.2.12 Henry [or Harvey] Rector, probably a son of Thomas N. and Rachel Rector, was born ca. 1853. He may have been the Henry Rector who married Susan Brewer on August 19, 1886, in Fountain County.
32.1.6.3 Charlotte Rector, daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Sparks) Rector, was born ca. 1810. She married John C. Heald on Christmas Day, 1828, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. (The license was issued on December 24th, with William W. Wilson as bondsman. John and Sarah Clevidence, sister and brother-in-law of Charlotte, testified that she had the consent of her parents, and the wedding ceremony was performed by the Rev. Daniel C. Banks, pastor of the Louisville First Presbyterian Church.) John C. Heald was a son of John and Sally (Bowen) Heald of Mason County, Kentucky. No further information has been found of him or Charlotte.
32.1.6.4 Susannah Rector was born ca. 1812. She married James Kiger on June 9, 1833, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. (The license was issued on June 8th with John C. Heald, brother-in-law of the bride, as bondsman. The wedding ceremony was performed by the Rev. Daniel C. Banks, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Louisville.) James Kiger had been born ca. 1812 in Virginia. He and Susannah moved across the Ohio River to Indiana shortly after their marriage, and when the 1850 census was taken, they were in Fountain County. With them were six children, all of them born in Indiana. Susannah died September 10, 1852, and she was buried in the Kingman Fraternal Cemetery in Fountain County, Indiana.
32.1.6.4.1 John M. Kiger was born ca. 1837. He married Mary A. Bennett on March 1, 1860, in Fountain County, Indiana. They had at least two children:
32.1.6.4.1.1 Amanda Kiger and
32.1.6.4.1.2 Maud Kiger.32.1.6.4.2 Margaret J. Kiger was born ca. 1841.
32.1.6.4.3 Return Kiger was born ca. 1843. He was married on March 3, 1864, to Agnes M. Bennett in Parke County, Indiana.
32.1.6.4.4 Caroline Kiger was born ca. 1845. She married John W. Blakesly on August 10, 1865, in Vermillion County, Indiana.
32.1.6.4.5 Catherine Kiger was born ca. 1846. She married Seth Blakesly on April 7, 1865, in Vermillion County, Indiana.
32.1.6.4.6 Mary Ann Kiger was born ca. 1849. She married John Wesley Hammersly on September 10, 1865, in Vermillion County, Indiana. (The license was issued on September 8, 1865.) John had been born in 1842 in Vermillion County. Mary Ann died in 1902, and John died in 1918. They had at least one child, Samuel Hammersly, born ca. 1872. He married Ruth Agnes Bradfield, and they were the grandparents of Philip Seth Hammersly who has shared this information with us.
32.1.6.5 James R. Rector was born ca. 1815. He was a cooper by trade. He married Catherine Yates on January 21, 1839, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. (The license was issued on January 19th and John C. Heald, brother-in-law of the groom, was bondsman.) Catherine Yates had been born ca. 1822 and was a daughter of Susan Yates. According to the 1850 and 1860 censuses of Bullitt County, James and Catherine had eight children; there may have been others born after 1860. The children were:
32.1.6.5.1 George N. Rector was born ca. 1840.
32.1.6.5.2 Mary J. Rector was born ca. 1842.
32.1.6.5.3 William A. Rector was born ca. 1847.
32.1.6.5.4 Lucinda Rector was born ca. 1850.
32.1.6.5.5 Mary A. Rector (this may have been miscopied for May) was born ca. 1852.
32.1.6.5.6 M. C. [female] Rector was born ca. 1854.
32.1.6.5.7 Ellen Rector was born ca. 1856.
32.1.6.5.8 Laura Rector was born ca. 1859.32.1.6.6 William Rector, son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Sparks) Rector, was born ca. 1817. He was a cooper by trade. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Martha Bryant on February 20, 1841, in Bullitt County. She had been born ca. 1805 and may have been a widow with two small sons. She and William had four children before her death, which apparently occurred ca. 1848, perhaps when their fourth child was born. When the 1850 census was taken of Bullitt County, William and his two oldest sons were living in the household of Peter Bightol. His other two sons were living in the households of George Ferguson and Benjamin Potter.
William Rector married (second) Mrs. Ary (Ferguson) Graham on April 20, 1852, in Bullitt County. She was a daughter of Richard Ferguson and the widow of John Graham. She and William had one child. William Rector was thus the father of five children in all.
32.1.6.6.1 David Rector was born ca. 1842. He served in Battery A, 1st Kentucky Artillery of the Union Army during the Civil War.
32.1.6.6.2 Daniel Rector was born ca. 1844.
32.1.6.6.3 James M. Rector was born ca. 1847. He was in the household of George Ferguson when the 1850 census was taken in Bullitt County.
32.1.6.6.4 John M. Rector was born ca. 1848. He was in the household of Benjamin Potter when the 1850 census was taken in Bullitt County.
32.1.6.6.5 Mahala Rector was born July 12, 1855. As noted above, she was a child by William Rector's second wife, Ary (Ferguson) Graham Rector.
32.1.6.7 America Rector was born ca. 1822. She married William Young on October 20, 1841, in Bullitt County, Kentucky. We have found no further record of this couple.
32.1.6.8 John Wesley Rector was born ca. 1825. He married Emily Gilmore on January 2, 1847, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, by James G. Leach. (The marriage license had been issued on January 2nd, with William Chappell as bondsman.) Emily had been born ca. 1812. They were shown on the 1850 census of Bullitt County. We have found no further record of this couple.
32.1.7 Moses Sparks, son of James and Caty Sparks, was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, ca. 1789 and died in Collin County, Texas, on December 20, 1858. Prior to the War of 1812, Moses Sparks moved with his brother, Stephen Sparks, across the Ohio River into Indiana Territory. He paid taxes there in Harrison County on a horse that he owned in 1813. On September 5, 1816, he made a land entry for 160 acres at the federal land office at Jeffersonville, Indiana. He finally settled at what was called the Driftwood Settlement which was located in what is now Carr Township in Jackson County, Indiana. He was one of the signers of a petition presented to Congress in May 1813 asking that his brother, Stephen Sparks, he permitted to build a mill on government-owned land near their settlement.
In 1851, Moses Sparks applied for and received 160 acres of bounty land for his service in the War of 1812. He stated that he had volunteered at Charlestown, dark County, Indiana, and had served in a company commanded by Captain John Biggart or Biggard in a regiment of volunteers. War Department records indicate that he served from June 1, 1814, to June 1, 1815. (See pp. 643-44 of the June 1962 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 38, for an abstract of his bounty land application file at the National Archives.)
Moses Sparks married Elizabeth MNU ca. 1810, probably in Jefferson County, Kentucky; however, no record of the marriage has been found, nor have we been able to determine Elizabeth's maiden name. She had been born ca. 1794 in Kentucky according to census records.
An interesting deed, dated April 27, 1833, is found in Jackson County by which Moses and Elizabeth Sparks gave a plot of land to the trustees of the Baptist Meeting House for the purpose of erecting a church. The trustees, who were Major Cummins, James Brown, and Benjamin Newkirk (the latter being a brother-in-law of Moses Sparks), were directed in the deed to select a day and a night to be set aside each week for the Baptist meetings, but all other religious organizations were to be permitted to use the land for religious purposes as well. This land was donated, according to the deed, "in consideration of the love and affection that Moses Sparks and wife have for the church." (Jackson County Deed Book C, page 364)
On August 27, 1834, Moses Sparks purchased 50 acres of land in Jackson County from Major Cummins for $150. (Deed Book G, page 220) Major Cummins, whose first name seems to have been "Major," was closely associated with the Sparks family and was probably the father of Julia A. Cummins who married Moses' nephew, Richard A. Sparks. Moses Sparks sold land to a number of individuals during the 1830s, including his nephew, Richard A. Sparks, as well as Adam Hart and John Perry. The last deed recorded in Jackson County, Indiana, involving Moses Sparks was dated March 21, 1842. It is believed that shortly thereafter, he and his family moved out of the state.
Moses Sparks and his sons may have heard of a Texas business venture known as the "Peters Colony" that afforded an opportunity for a man to acquire a goodsized tract of land at little or no cost. Headed by a Louisville, Kentucky, man, Henry J. Peters, this company was organized in 1841 in cooperation with the Texas Congress for the purpose of inviting families to move to the newly-opened section of land just south of the Red River, in the north-central part of the Republic of Texas. by settling on this land, erecting a "good comfortable cabin," and cultivating at least fifteen acres, a married man could become eligible for as much as 640 acres. Single men were eligible to settle on 320 acres. The colony, which lasted about ten years, was not a highly successful business venture, but it did entice a host of settlers to Texas. (See The Peters Colony of Texas, by Seymour V. Conner, 1959.)
No record has been found to determine the time of the arrival of Moses Sparks in Texas. There is some reason to believe that he lived for a while in Missouri before going on to the Lone State State. In 1850, he and his sons, Benjamin and Richard, were awarded Texas land by Thomas W. Ward, s special land commissioner who went through the Peters Colony granting certificates to any settler who could prove by two witnesses that he was a bonafide settler. Moses was awarded 640 acres of land by Fannin Third Class Certificate No. 1595 for migrating to the colony. His married son, Benjamin Sparks, also received a certificate for 640 acres, and his son, Richard Sparks, a single man, received a certificate for 320 acres.
When the 1850 census was taken of Collin County, Texas, Moses Sparks and his family were recorded by the census taker in late November. Moses was shown as head of family 207, dwelling in Precinct No. 4. His age was given as 61 years. With him was his wife, Elizabeth, age 55. Four of their children were also living at home: Richard, Sarah, Ellen J., and Elizabeth. Living nearby, heading family 252, was a son, Benjamin Sparks, with his family.
Moses Sparks died in Collin County, Texas, on December 20, 1858. He left no will, and on March 3, 1859, the Collin County Court appointed his son, Richard, to administer the settlement of his estate. Several years later, on July 1, 1866, Richard Sparks died before he had given a final report to the probate court of the settlement of his father's estate. I. W. Bowen asked the court for permission to complete the administration, but his request was apparently denied. On March 15, 1868, the court appointed W. R. Gully as the administrator. He made a final settlement on July 18, 1868.
Elizabeth Sparks, widow of Moses, died of "old age" in February 1860, according to the "Mortality Census" of Collin County in 1860. (Census takers in 1860, as in 1850, 1870, and 1880, were instructed to record, in a separate schedule, the names of persons who had died during the year prior to June 1st.) In this death record for Elizabeth Sparks, her age was given as 73, which we believe to have been in error; it was also reported that she had been born in Kentucky and that she had been ill for nine months prior to her death.
According to census records taken prior to 1850, when everyone in each house hold was simply enumerated rather than named, it appears that Moses and Elizabeth Sparks had eleven children. We have been able to identify by name only six of them.
32.1.7.1 Dau1 Sparks
32.1.7.2 Dau2 Sparks. According to census records, it appears that two daughters were born to Moses and Elizabeth Sparks between 1810 and 1815. Apparently they were still in their parents' household when the 1820, 1830, and 1840 censuses were taken, but we have found no other record of them.32.1.7.3 Benjamin Sparks, son of Moses and Elizabeth Sparks, was born January 17, 1816, in Indiana Territory, just ten months before Indiana became a state. He grew to adulthood there, probably in Jackson County, and it was there that he married Amanda Boley (or Baley) in 1836. (The marriage license was issued on July 20, 1836.) Amanda had been born on February 7, 1822, in Tennessee. Shortly after the birth of her first child in 1838, she and Benjamin moved to Missouri, and when the 1840 census was taken, they were enumerated in Van Buren County (now Cass County).
Records indicate that Benjamin and Amanda remained in Missouri until ca. 1847 (three children were born to them there between 1840 and 1845), but in the fall of 1847 they were in Texas where a child was born to them in October. In all likelihood, they moved to Texas to join Benjamin's father in the Peters Colony. When the 1850 census was taken of Collins County, Texas, they had six children.
Benjamin qualified for and received Certificate No. 1069 for 640 acres of land in the Peters Colony in 1850. He patented the land in Collin County, but by 1860, he and Amanda had moved to Erath County, Texas. When the 1860 census was taken, he was shown as a farmer with land valued at $8000, and he had two young men to help him manage his stock.
We believe it probable that Benjamin's mother, Elizabeth Sparks, was actually living with him and his family in Erath County when she died in February 1860, even though her death was reported on the mortality census in Collin County. On the mortality census of Erath County for 1860 appears an entry for Elizabeth Sparks, 66 years of age, a widow, born in Kentucky, died February 1860, by occupation housekeeper, who died from a disease called "Flux" after an illness of 455 days.
Amanda (Boley) Sparks, wife of Benjamin Sparks, died July 18, 1870, in Erath County, Texas. She was the mother of twelve children, all born between 1838 and 1862. Benjamin married (second) Elizabeth MNU, a widow with a young daughter. He died March 21, 1890, in Victoria County, Texas. The children of Benjamin and Amanda were:
32.1.7.3.1 William Sparks was born February 3, 1838, in Indiana.
32.1.7.3.2 Martha Ann Sparks was born January 4, 1840, probably in Van Buren County, Missouri. She married William E. Shelby in 1857 in Erath County, Texas. He had been born ca. 1836 in Illinois. He and Martha had two children, William Shelby and Martha Shelby, when the 1870 census was taken of Goliad County, Texas. Martha Ann died November 14, 1876, at San Antonio, Texas.
32.1.7.3.3 Frances H. ["Frankie"] Sparks was born August 27, 1843, in Missouri.
32.1.7.3.4 Sarah ["Sallie"] Sparks was born July 31, 1845, in Missouri. She married Andrew Jackson Holt. He had been born ca. 1842 in Arkansas and was a son of James and Elizabeth Holt, natives of South Carolina. Sallie and Jackson (as he was called) had at least four children:
32.1.7.3.4.1 James Holt;
32.1.7.3.4.2 William Holt;
32.1.7.3.4.3 Charles Jackson Holt; and
32.1.7.3.4.4 Julia Holt.Sallie died in 1920 at Mt. Judea, Arkansas.
32.1.7.3.5 James Madison Sparks was born October 14, 1847, in Texas.
32.1.7.3.6 Isaac C. Sparks was born Febrary 14, 1849, in Texas.
32.1.7.3.7 Louisa Sparks was born January 16, 1852.
32.1.7.3.8 Mary E. Sparks was born March 7, 1854.
32.1.7.3.9 Amanda Elvira Sparks was born February 12, 1856. She married Julius Calvin Adcock on August 17, 1875. She died July 16, 1930.32.1.7.3.10 Ellen C. Sparks was born September 6, 1858. She married James William Adcock. She died May 29, 1928.
32.1.7.3.11 John Thomas Sparks was born June 7, 1860.
32.1.7.3.12 Nancy Caroline ["Callie"] Sparks was born January 4, 1862, in Erath County, Texas. She married John Campbell Crow on September 1, 1880, in Ellis County, Texas. He had been born on February 28, 1846, in Dickson County, Tennessee. Callie (Sparks) Crow died May 21, 1921, in Red River County, Texas. John died thereon August 27, 1939. They had ten children:
32.1.7.3.12.1 Van Crow;
32.1.7.3.12.2 Samuel Crow;
32.1.7.3.12.3 James Crow;
32.1.7.3.12.4 Melinda Crow;
32.1.7.3.12.5 Ouie Crow;
32.1.7.3.12.6 Clara Crow;
32.1.7.3.12.7 Troy Crow;
32.1.7.3.12.8 Luther Crow;
32.1.7.3.12.9 John Crow; and
32.1.7.3.12.10 Arthur Crow.32.1.7.4 Dau1 Sparks,
32.1.7.5 Dau2 Sparks
32.1.7.6 Son Sparks. According to census records, it appears that two daughters and one son were born to Moses and Elizabeth Sparks between 1820 and 1825. We have found no other record of them.32.1.7.7 Richard ["Dick"] Sparks (Full name either Richard John Sparks or John Richard Sparks), son of Moses and Elizabeth Sparks, was born ca. 1826 in Jackson County, Indiana. He went to Collin County, Texas, with his parents, and it was there, in 1850, that he received Fannin Third Class Certificate No. 1594 for 320 acres of land by proving that he had settled in Texas prior to July 1, 1848. The land was a part of the grant called the Peters Colony and was located in Collin County. When the 1850 census was taken there, Dick was recorded as still living with his parents.
On April 27, 1854, Richard Sparks married Emily Eliza Bell in Collin County by John Francis, an ordained minister. Emily had been born on November 27, 1838, in Talladega County, Alabama, and was a daughter of Henry Green Bell (or Green Henry Bell) and Milly Maria (Holly) Bell. She and Dick had two children when the 1860 census was taken of Collin County.
Dick Sparks may have seen military service during the Civil War; however, no record of his service has been found. Some descendants believe that his untimely death on July 1, 1866, at the age of forty, was caused by a wartime injury. Two versions of the circumstances surrounding his death have been handed down in the family. One version is that during the war, he and a group of fellow soldiers had taken shelter under a tree during a storm, and the tree was struck by lightning. He was so severely injured by the lightning that he never recovered and eventually died from the in jury. The other version is that, while in the service, he suffered a sunstroke and died from a recurrence after he returned home, while riding in a wagon with his daughter, Dama.
The death of Richard ["Dick"] Sparks came just one month after the birth of his youngest child. His widow, Emily Eliza (Bell) Sparks, married Wiley A. Gully sometime between 1873 and 1880. He was a widower with at least three small children. Emily died November 9, 1918, in Coleman County, Texas. She and Dick Sparks had at least three children.
[Correction Note: After the death of her husband, Richard Sparks, in 1866, Emily married (second) Wiley A. Gully, and they had three children: Louis Gully; Dolly Gully; and Robert Gully. Mrs. Schneider also belives that the correct name of Diadamai Sparks, born June 6, 1856, and a daughter of Richard Sparks, was Donna Ann Sparks.]
32.1.7.7.1 Diadamai ["Dama"] A. Sparks was born June 6, 1856, in Collin County, Texas. She was obviously named for her father's sister. (See Item G., 9., below.) Relatives say that she was married twice. Her first marriage was ca. 1873 to FNU Dunlap, by whom she had two children:
32.1.7.7.1.1 Milton Dunlap; and
32.1.7.7.1.2 Tossie Dunlap.Her second marriage was to Elijah Escue on March 9, 1879, in Collin County. They had five children. Numbered in sequence with her first two children, they were:
32.1.7.7.1.3 Charles Escue;
32.1.7.7.1.4 Lucy Escue;
32.1.7.7.1.5 Wiley Escue;
32.1.7.7.1.6 William Escue; and
32.1.7.7.1.7 John Escue.Dama died August 2, 1921, in Coke County, Texas. Elijah, her second husband, died May 6, 1948.
32.1.7.7.2 John Ramey Sparks was born November 27, 1859, in Collin County, Texas. He was married twice. His first marriage was on March 2, 1880, in Collin County to Eliza Susan Narshall. She had been born on March 2, 1865. She and John had three children prior to their divorce in 1888.
32.1.7.7.2.1 Richard Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.2 Wyatt Sparks; and
32.1.7.7.2.3 Charles SparksJohn married (second) Mary Berta Keeling on July 27, 1891. They had eleven children.
32.1.7.7.2.4 Ray Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.5 Nettie Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.6 Eula Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.7 Fred Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.8 Pearl Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.9 Lillie Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.10 Luther Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.11 Hattie Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.12 Dorothy Sparks;
32.1.7.7.2.13 Ethel Sparks; and
32.1.7.7.2.14 Wade Sparks.John Ramey Sparks died July 4, 1932, in Tom Green County, Texas. Berta (as she was called) Sparks died there on July 26, 1949.
Nettie Victoria Sparks
(1866-1942)
Daughter of Richard and Emily Eliza (Bell) Sparks
32.1.7.7.3 Nettie Victoria Sparks was born June 8, 1866, in Collin County., She was married twice. Her first marriage was to William ["Billy"] Fitch in 1880. He had been born on May 27, 1849, in Hendricks County, Indiana, and was a son of John and Mary (Cox) Fitch. It was his second marriage. He and Nettie had nine children before his death, which occurred in 1905 in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma.
32.1.7.7.3.1 Louisa Fitch;
32.1.7.7.3.2 Jesse Fitch;
32.1.7.7.3.3 Samuel Fitch;
32.1.7.7.3.4 Lydia Fitch;
32.1.7.7.3.5 William Fitch;
32.1.7.7.3.6 Lola Fitch;
32.1.7.7.3.7 Joseph Fitch;
32.1.7.7.3.8 Charles Fitch; and
32.1.7.7.3.9 Clarence Fitch.Nettie married (second) the Rev. Riley A. Moon ca. 1906. They had no children. Nettie died February 6, 1942, in Payne County, Oklahoma.
32.1.7.8 Sarah Sparks, daughter of Moses and Elizabeth Sparks, was born ca. 1828 in Indiana. She married Charles K. Vance on July 21, 1850, in Collin County, Texas. We have no further information about them.
32.1.7.9 Diadamai ["Dama"] Sparks was born ca. 1830 in Indiana. She married Samuel Briscoe Shelby, Jr. on March 29, 1849, in Collin County, Texas. He had been born ca. 1828 in Illinois. He and Dama were listed on the 1850 and 1860 censuses of Collin County, Texas, but when the 1870 census was taken, Dama was shown as the head of her family in Goliad County, Texas; apparently, Samuel had died. According to these census records and information provided by relatives, they appear to have had the following children:
32.1.7.9.1 Ann E. Shelby was born ca. 1850.
32.1.7.9.2 James R. P. Shelby was born ca. 1852.
32.1.7.9.3 William Richard Shelby was born May 3, 1855. He married Mary Ann Messer on October 12, 1881. He died June 26, 1954.
32.1.7.9.4 David W. Shelby was born ca. 1856.
32.1.7.9.5 Benjamin F. Shelby was born ca. 1860.
32.1.7.9.6 Arthur Shelby was born ca. 1862.32.1.7.10 Ellen Jane Sparks was born ca. 1832 in Indiana. She married F. I. Young on February 3, 1855, in Collin County, Texas. We have no further information about them.
32.1.7.11 Elizabeth Sparks was born ca. 1834 in Indiana. She married John Gray on June 13, 1850, in Collin County, Texas. We have no further information about them.
32.1.8 Walter Sparks, whom we believe to have been the youngest child of James and Caty Sparks, was born ca. 1794 in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The story of his life and the lives of many of his descendants has been told on pages 2490-2495 of the March 1983 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 121. It will not be retold here. He was the last of the eight children born to this couple.