February 3, 2021

Pages 5207-5737
Whole Number 187

PERSONS NAMED SPARKS FOUND ON THE 1860 CENSUS OF TEXAS

by Russell E. Bidlack

We have published Sparks (Spark, Sparkes) census records over the years, from the first census taken in 1790 through that for 1850. In the March 1995 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 169, we began what will be a long-term project: Sparkses found on the 1860 census. We began with the 1860 census for Indiana. We now present our findings for Texas.

Here your editor must pay tribute to the late Paul E. Sparks whose Sparks records that he gathered over half a century have been sent to me by the executor of his estate, Robert L. Sparks, Paul's eldest grandson. Paul had made a number of notes regarding the identity of Sparkses in Texas prior to the Civil War which have been most helpful in this compilation.

The U.S. census of 1860 was very similar to that of 1850. The 1850 census has long been a major source for the American genealogist concerned with mid-19th century families because it was designed to include the name and vital information for each "free" member of every household. Prior to 1850, only the head of each household was actually named in the six preceding censuses, with the other members simply enumerated by sex in various age categories. In 1860, as in 1850, the age of every- one was to be recorded following his/her name, along with occupation (if any), place of birth, and the value of his/her property, both real and personal. Also, a check mark was to be added for each person married within the year ending on June 1, 1860, and if the person had attended school between June 1, 1859, and May 31, 1860. In another column, the census taker was to note any person over 20 who could not read or write. There was still another column in which to note whether the individual was deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, a pauper, or a convict.

No precise direction was given regarding the form of the name to be recorded, and, as will be seen in the following compilation, some census takers recorded only initials for forenames.

The census taker was instructed to ascertain and record the specific age of each person at his or her last birthday previous to the first of June 1860. "If the exact age in years cannot be ascertained, insert a number which shall be the nearest approximation to it." Everyone living in a household on June 1, 1860, was to be included, even if no longer present, or deceased, when the census taker actually called. Census takers were to begin their visitations on June first, but it was often two or three months later when they finished. Infants born after June first were not to be included. The age of an infant born between June 1, 1859, and May 31, 1860, was to be given as a fraction, e.g., 6/12 for an infant six months old on June 1, 1860. A separate form was provided to record family members who had died between June 1, 1859, and May 31, 1860.

There was also a separate schedule to be completed for slave owners. His/her slaves were not listed by name, but they were recorded individually by age, sex, and color. Also to be noted was the number of "Slave Houses" provided by the owner. (Under color. Blacks were to be identified with a "B" and Mulattoes with an "M.")

Census takers were appointed by the federal Marshall of the Census, their selection often based on political considerations. Each was given the title "Assistant Marshall." They were paid on the basis of the number of names they recorded and the distances they travelled. The "Census District" assigned to an Assistant Marshall was supposed to amount to no more than about 20,000 individuals.

The printed forms (schedules) provided to the Assistant Marshalls required that each be headed by the identification of the state and county as well as township, if a county was divided into townships. The post office for the persons included on a schedule was to be identified; also the date of the visitation, with the signature of the census taker. The census taker was to assign a number to each dwelling house "in the order of visitation" and to each family "in the order of visitation." In many instances, these would be the same, of course, but if there were more than one family in a dwelling, or an empty house, the family number would thereafter be different. Many census takers were careless in this regard.

Census takers used a variety of abbreviations for states to record places of birth. Here we have used the standard two-letter abbreviations of the U.S. Post Office.

The printed forms, or schedules, provided to the census taker in 1860 measured 12" x 17 1/2" and they were printed on both sides, with spaces for 40 entries on each side. While each census taker assigned page numbers to his completed forms, the page numbers given in this compilation are those that have been assigned at the National Archives where these records are preserved. Each number is for a schedule sheet, front and back.

The record of Sparkses appearing on the 1850 census of Texas was compiled by William Perry Johnson, one of the Association's founders, and published in the Quarterly of March 1956, Whole No. 13, pp. 122-25.

To compile the record of Sparkses on the 1860 census of Texas, your editor has used an index to this census prepared by Ronald Vern Jackson and published by Accelerated Indexing Systems, Inc. It is not an "every name" index; heads of households are indexed, but not the members of households where the surname is the same as that of the head. Any individual living in a household whose head had a different surname is indexed, however. This index is quite well done, but handwriting is often difficult to interpret, so some individuals named Sparks may have been missed. The W. J. Sparks found in Wood County, for example, is not included in the index, but he had been noted by one of our members several years ago. On the other hand, the name "Hanan Sparks" of Lavaca County appears in the index, but actually his name is spelled "Speaks" on the census.

Knowing from this index in which Texas counties one or more Sparkses should be found, your editor then rented the films for those counties from Heritage Quest of Bountiful, Utah, which is a company specializing in providing historical records on microfilm for either rental or purchase. As noted earlier, the filmed census records are from the original handwritten schedules in the National Archives.

When Mr. Johnson searched the 1850 census of Texas in 1956, he found 117 per- sons named Sparks (including Spark and Sparkes) in 13 counties. Your editor has found 248 Sparkses on the 1860 census in 32 Texas counties. There were 37 households headed by a Sparks in which all but 25 of the 248 were living. These 25 "other Sparkses" were found in 17 households headed by an individual not named Sparks. Because in some households in which a Sparks was found may provide a clue regarding family relationship, all names in such "mixed" households have been copied here.

Of the 37 Sparks heads of households, 14 owned a total of 111 slaves. The largest number owned by one individual was 25; he was H. B. Sparks in Upshur County. Jane Sparks, widow of William Crain Sparks in Bell County, owned 24. The slave records for the 1860 census are on films apart from the so called "free" schedules. Films of these slave schedules were also rented, and the data found on them have been added to the appropriate family record from the free schedule.

Where we have been able to provide family information pertaining to Sparkses on this census, we have done so in notes following the entries. Should readers have data that supplement these notes, your editor would be pleased for you to share them.

SPARKSES LISTED ON THE 1860 CENSUS OF TEXAS

  Last Name First Name Age M/F Occupation Worth Birthplace
Pages 994
Whole No. 54
SPARKSES LISTED ON THE 1860 CENSUS OF DENTON COUNTY, TEXAS
(Post Office; Stuart Creek), enumerated June 21 1860, by A. Y. Hutchison
(page 49, Vol. 3)
331-332 Sparks Isaac 23 (M) Farmer $400/ Kentucky
  " Loretta 25 (F)   $800 Illinois
  " Elizabeth 9/12 (F)     Texas
  " William 20 (M)     Kentucky
332-333 " James 30 (M) Farmer $800/ Kentucky
  " Mary 22 (F)   $500 Illinois
  " Elizabeth 3 (F)     Texas
  " Mary A. 1 (F)     "
SPARKSES LISTED ON THE 1860 CENSUS OF COLLIN COUNTY, TEXAS
Precinct No. 4; enumerated June 8, 1860, by G. W. Barnett
(page 66, Vol. 3)
136-145 Sparks Richard 33 (M) Farmer $1800/ Ia.
  " Emily 21 (F)   $500 Alabama
  " Dina A. 3 (F)   Texas
  " John R. 1 (M)   "
(Note: The birthplace of Richard Sparks, above, is given on the census as "Ia." This abbreviation was often used for Indiana as well as Iowa a century ago.)
Page 5207-5737
Whole No. 187
Anderson County, Texas - 1860 Census
Post Office: Palestine
Page 10. Census taken by B. T. Duval on June 23, 1860.
225-230 Geoch [Govch?] John G. 41 (M) Lawyer $18,800 - $9,200 KY
  " E. 32 (F)     MS
  " G.J. 16 (M)     KY
  " F.J. 13 (F)     KY
  " Y.J. 12 (M)     KY
  " Harriet 5 (F)     TX
  " E.C. 2 (M)     TX
  Sparks N.F. 42 (M) Carpenter $4000 NC
  " N.F. 12 (M)     AL
Note: G.J., F.J., and Y.J. Geoch attended school within the year.
Post Office: Bethel
Page 66. Census taken by B. T. Duval on September 3 & 4, 1860.
1111-1113 Gee J.H. 30 (M) Farmer $2,720 - $8,700 VA
  " V.A. 23 (F)     AL
  " Benj. N. 3 (M)     TX
  Sparks John 2 (M)     TX

Note: The N. F. Sparks, age 42, shown above was Nathan Fowler Sparks; he was a son of 1.2.1.2.2.2.1 John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks and had been born on May 16, 1811, in Bedford County, Tennessee, according to the family Bible of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks described on pp. 2647-48 of the Quarterly of September 1984, Whole No. 127, in an article entitled "1.2.1.2.2.2 Matthew J. Sparks (1759-1841), son of 1.2.1.2.2 Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks, and His Descendants." Matthew J. Sparks was the grandfather of Nathan Fowler Sparks. For further information regarding Nathan Fowler Sparks and his family, see the above article, pp. 2657-59. The age and place of birth of N. F. Sparks given in the 1860 census, above, was obviously in error. The N. F. Sparks, age 12, was a son of Nathan and his first wife, Elizabeth (Taylor) Sparks. Elizabeth had died in Anderson County, Texas, on December 3, 1857.

The V. A. Gee, wife of J. H. Gee, shown above, was Virginia Alice Sparks, a daughter of Nathan Fowler and Elizabeth Sparks; she had been born ca. 1837. She married James H. Gee in Anderson County, Texas, on April 10, 1856. The John Sparks, age 2, living in the Gee household in 1860 was John Taylor Sparks, brother of Virginia, who had been born in 1837 shortly before the death of his mother, Elizabeth (Taylor) Sparks.
Bee County, Texas - 1860 Census
Post Office: Beeville
Page 153. Census taken by A. S. Harmand on July 6 & 7, 1860.
404-323 Sparks Lucinda 30 (F)   $2,500 AL
  " Bennett 10 (M)     TX
  " Susan 7 (F)     TX
  " Mary 5 (F)     TX
  " John 2 (M)     TX

Note: Susan and Mary had attended school within the year. Although on the above census the writing of Lucinda's name more resembles "Levintha," than Lucinda, and "Sparks" almost illegible, her entry on the slave schedule was written clearly as "Lucinda Sparks." She was shown there as owning one slave, a Black female, age 65. This, with listing of her four children on the census, proves that she was the Lucinda J. Reed who married 1.2.1.2.2.3.3.1 James Sparks in Rusk County, Texas, on September 20, 1849. They had appeared on the 1850 census of Rusk County. From family records, we know that the full names of their four children were:

1.2.1.2.2.3.3.1.1 Thomas Bennett Sparks,
1.2.1.2.2.3.3.1.4 Susan Rebecca Sparks,
1.2.1.2.2.3.3.1.2 Mary Alice Sparks, and
1.2.1.2.2.3.3.1.3 John Bailey Sparks. See pp. 2869-70 of the Quarterly of June 1986, Whole No. 134, for a record of this family.

1.2.1.2.2.3.3.1 James Sparks, husband of Lucinda, had been born ca. 1827 in Mississippi, a son of 1.2.1.2.2.3.3 John and Joanna (Parkman) Sparks, and a grandson of 1.2.1.2.2.3 William (1761-1848) and Mary (Fielder) Sparks. As noted on p. 2869 of the Quarterly, it has been known that James Sparks died prior to 1885 and was buried on Medio Creek in Bee County. This census record without James suggests, however, that he may have died even prior to 1860. Lucinda died on July 9, 1907, in Live Oak County, Texas.

Bell County, Texas - 1860 Census
Post Office: Belton
Page 319. Census taken by Thos. K. Cartinell on July 2, 1860.
327-326 Sparks Jane 53 (F) Farming $26,200 - $16,965 TN
  " (70.1.3.3.9) Eliga [sic] 19 (M) Stock raising   TX
  " (70.1.3.3.11) Wm. 16 (M) " "   TX
  " (70.1.3.3.12) Sam 14 (M)     TX
Note: Wm. Sparks was shown as having attended school within the year. On the slave schedule, Jane Sparks was shown as owning 24 slaves, enumerated as follows; she had 4 "slave houses" for them:
Number Age Sex Color Notes
1 60 M B  
2 34 F B  
3 27 F B  
4 24 M B  
5 22 F B "Blind"
6 22 F B  
7 22 F M  
8 19 F B  
9 16 M M  
10 14 M B  
11 11 M M  
12 11 F B  
13 10 M B  
14 9 M M  
15 9 F B  
16 6 M M  
17 4 M M  
18 4 M M  
19 4 F M  
20 2 F B  
21 2 F B  
22 2 F B  
23 1 M B  
24 2/12 M B  

Jane Sparks, shown as age 53, was the widow of 15.1 70.1.3.3 William Crain Sparks who had died nearly three years earlier, on October 10, 1857. He had been born June 14, 1798. Jane was his second wife; born January 28, 1837, she was the widow of John Shelton when she and 70.1.3.3 William Crain Sparks were married in 1837.

An article devoted to William Crain Sparks appeared in the Quarterly of June 1955, Whole No. 10, pp. 70-74. The great-granddaughter who provided that biographical data, however, was in error regarding William Crain Sparks's father. He was not a son of Richard Sparks of Scotland as stated, but rather, there can be little doubt that he was a son of 70.1.3 James and Nancy Ann (Crain) Sparks of Franklin County, Georgia.

The three males in Jane's household were her sons:

70.1.3.3.9 Elijah Sparks (1840-1862). Elijah died as a Confederate soldier; his portrait appeared on the cover of the Quarterly of June 1955.
70.1.3.3.11 William Crain Sparks, Jr. (1844-1921); and
70.1.3.3.12 Samuel Alexander Sparks (1846-1897).

Post Office: Belton
Page 319. Census taken by Thos. K. Cartinell on July 2, 1860. 333-332 Sparks 70.1.3.3.8 J. A. 21 (M) Farming - $1,151 TX   " Martha 16 (F)     TX Note: The J. A. Sparks, age 21, appearing above with his wife, Martha, was 70.1.3.3.8 John Alexander Sparks (1839-1863), who was also a son of William Crain and Jane Sparks. John Alexander Sparks's wife was Martha Reed (1844-1933), a daughter of William and Emeline (Cobb) Reed, whose household was shown on the 1860 census immediately preceding that of John Alexander Sparks. John owned one slave in 1860, a female age 16, who was described as Black. Bosque County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Meridian
Page 38. Census taken by A. S. Anderson on July 6, 1860. 84-84 Sparks Wm. 54 (M) Tavern keeper   KY   " Sarah A. 38 (F)   $40 - $150 IL   " B. F. H. 13 (M)     MO   " Frances 10 (F)     MO   " M. J. 6 (F)     TX   " Columbus 4 (M)     TX   " S. A. H. 3 mo (F)     TX   Jefferson James 22 (M)   $75 - $222 KY Note: Both William Sparks and his wife, Sarah, were marked by the census taker as unable to read and write, but each was also checked as having attended school during the year. These marks may have been in error.

44.3.1 William Sparks, born ca. 1806, in that part of dark County, Kentucky, that became Estill County in 1808, was a son of John and Mary (Bradshaw) Sparks. See the article entitled "Have we found the Parents of John Sparks (ca. 1771- 1858) of Greenup County, Kentucky, and Buchanan County, Missouri?" in the Quarterly of March 1994, Whole No. 165, beginning on page 4253. Biographical information on William Sparks is contained in pp. 4256-57. He was married twice; his second marriage was to Sarah A. Emmerich in 1845 in Buchanan County, Missouri. He and his second family moved to Sebastian County, Arkansas, in 1862. His and Sarah's children were:

44.3.1.7 Benjamin F. Hugh Sparks;
44.3.1.8 Frances Catherine Sparks;
44.3.1.9 Minerva J. Sparks;
44.3.1.10 Christopher Columbus Sparks;
44.3.1.11 Sarah A. Sparks; and
44.3.1.12 Lullia Sparks.

Two of his sons by his first marriage, James Lewis Sparks and Jesse Isaac Sparks, were living in Denton County, Texas, when the 1860 census was taken (page 5211). Burleson County, Texas Note: Note is made here of 1.2.1.2.2.11.x Isaac H. Sparks who, based on a biographical sketch about him in the Lone Star State published by the Lewis Publishing Co. of Chicago, in 1893, should have been listed as a resident of Burleson County in 1860. A repeated search of the census, however, has failed to find him. He had been born in Carroll County, Tennessee, on September 27, 1827; he was a son of 1.2.1.2.2.11 Isaac and Wilmoth (Noland) Sparks. According to this biographical sketch, he came to Texas in 1849, landing in Galveston where he had a brother, 1.2.1.2.2.11.1 William N. Sparks. This sketch also states that Isaac "has been a cripple ever since he was five years old, at that time having his right foot injured while playing teeter with another boy." An unfortunate error was made in this biographical sketch where Isaac's grandfather is incorrectly identified as "Absalom Sparks." His grandparents were actually 1.2.1.2.2 Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks. (See the article entitled "Matthew Sparks, Died 1793, of North Carolina and Georgia" in the Quarterly of June 1961, Whole No. 34, pp. 556-66, 1.2.1.2.2.7 Absalom Sparks was an uncle of Isaac H. Sparks (see the Quarterly of September 1982, Whole No. 119, pp.2443-48, for information about Absalom)

1.2.1.2.2.11.x Isaac H. Sparks was married in 1860 to Nancy Porter, and they became the parents of five children:

1.2.1.2.2.11.x.1 Bernice Sparks;
1.2.1.2.2.11.x.2 Jesse P. Sparks;
1.2.1.2.2.11.x.3 James V. Sparks;
1.2.1.2.2.11.x.4 Benjamin I. Sparks; and
1.2.1.2.2.11.x.5 Willie Sparks.

Clay County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Montague
Page 80. Census taken by J. W. Johnson on August 24, 1860. 769-795 Sparks Willis 45 (M) Farmer -$50 IL   " Thankful 35 (F)     NH   " Mary 24 (F)     AR   " Letha 22 (F)     AR   " Eliza 18 (F)     AR   McGhee Thomas 12 (M)     TX   Sparks John A. 15 (M)     AR   " Elizabeth 13 (F)     AR   " Jasper 10 (M)     AR   " Warren 6 (M)     TX   " Paralie 4 (F)     TX Note. 1.2.1.2.2.7.1.x Willis Sparks, born ca. 1815, was a son of 1.2.1.2.2.7.1 Elsberry Sparks (born ca. 1791). Information regarding Elsberry Sparks, son of Absalom and Lydia (Elsberry) Sparks, appeared in the Quarterly of September 1982, Whole No. 119, p.2444. (Lydia Elsberry may also have had the name Mary.) At the time this article was published we did not have the names of any of Elsberry Sparks's children, but correspondence with descendants has since proven that one of his children was Willis Sparks. 1.2.1.2.2.7 Absalom Sparks, a son of 1.2.1.2.2 Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks, and his son Elsberry lived briefly in Illinois Territory where Willis Sparks was born. It appears that Willis was married twice. When the 1850 census was taken of Scott County, Arkansas, he was shown with wife Mary and six children. (See p.2029 of the September 1978 Quarterly, Whole No. 103.) As shown above, his wife in 1860 was named Thankful. The 3-month-old baby shown in 1850 as "Wm. J. Sparks" appears to have been the 10-year-old Jasper Sparks shown in 1860. We may wonder whether the 12-year-old Thomas McGhee in 1860 could have been a son of Thankful by a previous marriage. Collin County. Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Piano
Page 66. Census taken by G. W. Barnett on June 8, 1860. 136-145 Sparks Richard 33 (M) Farmer $1.800 - $500 IN   " Emily 21 (F)     AL   " Dina A. 3 (F)     TX   " John R. 1 (M)     TX Note: Richard Sparks, shown as a native of Indiana and 33 years of age on the above census, was a son of Moses and Elizabeth Sparks and a grandson of James and Caty Sparks. A long article devoted to "James Sparks (ca. 1752- 1834) of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Indiana" appeared in the Quarterly of September 1994, Whole No. 167, and continued in the issue for December 1994, Whole No. 168. In that article, pp. 4393-94, information is given regarding Richard Sparks and his wife, Emily Eliza Bell. Their two oldest children shown on the 1860 census as Dina A. and John R. Sparks were Diadamai A. Sparks, born June 6, 1856, and John Ramey Sparks, born November 27, 1859. Richard's brother, Benjamin Sparks, was living in Erath County, Texas, in 1860, see page 5215. Colorado County. Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: San Bernard
Page 164. Census taken by Geo. W. Breeding on July 29, 1860. 690-665 Sparks Jacob 27 (M) Farmer $450-$3,600 AL   " Nancy 20 (F)     LA   " Emma S. 5 (F)     TX   " Sophronia 4 (F)     TX   " Wm. M. 2 (M)     TX   Johnson James 22 (M) Stock Raiser -$750 LA   Shote Elizabeth 24 (F)     LA   " Wm. M. 9 (M)     TX Note: Wm. M. Shote was marked as having attended school within the year.

Jacob Sparks, whose middle initial was "E," was born ca. 1828 in Alabama and was, we are certain, a son of William Sparks, born ca. 1785. When the 1850 census had been taken, Jacob was living with his brother, Solomon Sparks, in Jefferson County, Texas. His age was given then as 22. Living nearby was another of Jacob's brothers, John S. Sparks, age 39 in 1850. John appeared as head of his household on the 1860 census of Jefferson County, Texas, see page 5217. Solomon Sparks was in Orange County in 1860, see page 5226. A record of this family can be found in the March 1989 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 145, in an article beginning on p. 3354 entitled "The Sparkses of Early Jefferson County, Texas." (See p. 3362 for a record of Jacob E. Sparks and his family.) Jacob E. Sparks married Nancy Johnson ca. 1853. When the 1870 census of Colo- rado County was taken, Jacob's age was given as 43. There is a "Voter Registration List" of Colorado County, Texas, following the Civil War in which Jacob signed his name as "Jacob E. Sparks," page 162, #733, July 20, 1867; he gave his place of residence as Colorado County, Columbus Precinct, stating that he had "Resided in state 23 years; in county, 13 years; in precinct 13 years; Born in Alabama." Cooke County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Gainesville
Page 250. Census taken by J. W. Johnson on July 13, 1860. 433-445 Sparks Jesse H. 49 (M) Farmer $800 - $295 TN   " Susan 48 (F)     TN   " Almidia 19 (F)     TN   " Thomas 18 (M) Farmer   TN   " Robt. N 15 (M)     TN   " James L. 11 (M)     AR   Stephens Mary 3 (F)     TX Note: Thomas Sparks was marked as having attended school within the year.

Jesse Hancock Sparks, a son of Nathan and Nancy (Hancock) Sparks, was born on March 24, 1811, in Tennessee. A record of this family appeared in an article entitled "Nathan Sparks (1775-1844), Son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks..." in the Quarterly of December 1995, Whole No. 172, beginning on page 4548. A record of his life and family begins on page 4559. Susan, shown on the 1860 census, above, was the third wife of Jesse Hancock Sparks. Her maiden name had been Susan Cornell. Jesse and his household appeared on the 1850 census of Ouachita County, Arkansas, see page 2029 of the Quarterly for September 1978, Whole No. 103. Denton County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Stuart Creek
Page 418. Census taken by A. Y. Hutchinson on June 21, 1860. 331-332 Sparks Isaac 23 (M) Farmer $400 - $800 KY   " Loretta 25 (F)     IL   " Elizabeth 9 mo (F)     TX   " William 20 (M)     KY 332-333 Sparks James 30 (M) Farmer $800 - $500 KY   " Mary 22 (F)     IL   " Elizabeth 3 (F)     TX   " Mary A. 1 (F)     TX Note: Isaac Sparks and James Sparks shown living side by side on this census were brothers. Their full names were Jesse Isaac Sparks, born ca. 1839, and James Lewis Sparks, born December 25, 1828. They were sons of William Sparks and his first wife, Emmaline Hyde. William and his second wife, who had been a widow when they were married, was Sarah H. (Emerling) Rector. They were living in Bosque County, Texas, when the 1860 census was taken, see page 5211 for their household. (See the note under Bosque County, page 5211, for further information on this family.) The wife of James Lewis Sparks, above, had the middle name Barbara, her maiden name being Mary Barbara Emerling. Her parents, George and Elizabeth Emerling, were shown on the 1860 census as living near these Sparks brothers. Jesse Isaac Sparks, shown as Isaac Sparks on this 1860 census, died as a Confederate soldier in 1864. Erath County. Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Stephenville
Pages 137 & 138. Census taken by Gideon Mills on August 4, 1860. 374-341 Sparks Benj. 44 (M) Farmer $1,000 - $8,000 IN   " Amanda 38 (F) Housekeeper   TN   " William 22 (M) Farmer   IN   " Frances M. 17 (F) Seamstress   MO   " Sarah 15 (F) Seamstress   MO   " Madison 13 (M)     TX   " Isaac C. 11 (M)     TX   " Louisa 8 (F)     TX   " Mary E. 7 (F)     TX   " Amanda 5 (F)     TX   " Ellen C. 1 (F)     TX   Hales Robert 24 (M) Stock Farmer   GA   Adams John 18 (M) Stock Farmer   AL Amanda Sparks was marked as unable to read and write. Of the Sparks children, Frances M. Sparks, Sarah Sparks, Madison Sparks, Louisa Sparks, and Mary E. Sparks, along with John Adams, were shown as having attended school within the year. Benjamin Sparks, born January 17, 1816, was a son of Moses and Elizabeth Sparks; he was a brother of Richard Sparks who was living in Collin County when the 1860 census was taken (see page 5213). See the note regarding Richard's ancestry and the reference to a back issue of the Quarterly there. Benjamin Sparks had been married to Amanda Boley (or Baley) in 1836 in Jackson County, Indiana. Benjamin and his family were living in Collin County, Texas, near his parents, when the 1850 census was taken (see page 122 of the Quarterly of March 1956, Whole No. 13). Falls County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Marlin
Page 156. Census taken by W. Champion, W. H. Champion on August 3, 1860. 175-175 Champion W. H. 29 (M) Farmer - $230 GA   " L. 31 (F)     AR   " L. D. 10 (M)     LA   " J. P. 8 (M)     TX   " J. 6 (F)     TX   " E. 4 (F)     TX   " Susan 2 (F)     TX   Sparks M. 55 (M) Farmer - $50 GA   " N. 16 (F)     LA Post Office: Alto Springs
Page 164. Census taken by J. C. Billingsley on August 20 & 21, 1860. 279-279 Sparks Wm. 28 (M) Farmer - $158 AR   " M. A. 28 (F)     TN   " M. J. 1 (F)     TX   " J. M. 9 mo (M)     TX Note: We cannot identify the M. Sparks and the N. Sparks living in the Champion household.

William Sparks, born ca. 1832 in Arkansas, was a son of Willoughby and Mary ["Polly"] (Harrell) Sparks. He was a first cousin of Willis Sparks who was living in Clay County, Texas, when the 1860 census was taken (see page 5212). William's father, Willoughby, and Willis' father, Elsberry, were brothers, sons of Absolom Sparks. William Sparks was married ca. 1832 in Arkansas to Martha A. Erskine, who was shown above on the 1860 census as "M. A. Sparks." See the article by Marsha Wharton entitled "Additional Information About Willoughby Sparks, born ca. 1802, Died About 1860, and Some of His Descendants," in the Quarterly of September 1989, Whole No. 147, pp. 3463-72. Fort Bend County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Pittsville
Pages 365 & 366. Census taken by C. M. Martin on July 7, 1860. 143-131 Sparks Wm. F. 45 (M) Farmer $10,000 - $21,000 MS   " Minerva 40 (F)     LA   " Amanda Endress 22 (F)     TX   " N. 17 (F)     TX   " M. 15 (F)     TX   " T. 11 (M)     TX   " Missouri 8 (F)     TX   Ganner H. T.[?] 40 (M) Overseer   AL Note: The following four Sparks children were marked as attending school within the year: N. Sparks; M. Sparks; T. Sparks; and Missouri Sparks.

According to the slave schedule of 1860, Wm. F. Sparks owned 10 slaves, and he had 4 slave houses. The slaves were enumerated as follows:

Number Age Sex Color
1. 32 M B
2 28 F B
3 24 F M
4 22 F B
5 22 M B
6 10 F B
7 8 M B
8 6 M B
9 5 F B
10 3 F B
The middle name of William F. Sparks was Fielder; his grandmother's maiden name had been Fielder. He was born in Mississippi on January 22, 1814, a son of Richard and Elizabeth (Cooper) Sparks. His paternal grandparents were William and Mary ["Polly"] (Fielder) Sparks. Detailed information regarding this branch of the family is contained in an article entitled "Descendants of William Sparks (1761-1848), Son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks," in the Quarterly extending over three issues: June 1985, Whole No. 130; September 1985, Whole No. 131; and June 1986, Whole No. 134. Biographical information pertaining to William Fielder Sparks can be found within that article on pp. 2745-47 in the June 1985 issue. He married Minerva Frances McKay. According to family records, their children's names were: Amanda E. Sparks; Naomi Sparks; Matilda B. Sparks; Thaddeus C. Sparks; and Missouri Elide Sparks. In the above census record, Amanda's middle name appears as "Endress." Hill County. Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Hillsboro
Page 111. Census taken by A. Foster on July 19, 1860. 434-373 Hix Joseph 58 (M) Farmer $5,000 - $73,000 NC   " Jemima 56 (F)     NC   " James H. 23 (M) Farmer   TN   " Richard V. 14 (M) Farmer   MS   " Darfulla 14 (F)     MS   " Freedonia A. 14 (F)     MS   Gresham Norman 21 (M) Farmer   MS   Sparks Thadeus Pinckney 22 (M) Clerk $500 AL Note: We have been unable to identify T. P. Sparks found in this household. Jefferson County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Sabine Pass
Page 436. Census taken by Geo. A. Pattilo on July 12, 1860. 379-379 Sparks John 49 (M) Farmer $320 - $2,100 NC   " Malinda 41 (F) Housekeeper   TN   " Albert 19 (M) Labourer   TX   " John F. 14 (M)     TX   " Sarah 11 (F)     TX   " Arabellah 8 (F)     TX   " James C. 6 (M)     TX   " Worthey C. 4 (M)     TX   " Henry E. L. 8 mo (M)     TX Note: On the 1850 census of Jefferson County, John Sparks had been shown with the middle initial of "S." His brother, Jacob Sparks, also appeared on that 1850 census, but by 1860 Jacob was living in Colorado County, Texas, see page 5213. They were, we are certain, sons of William Sparks, born ca. 1785. For information on John S. Sparks and his wife, Malinda Jones, with a record of their children, see the article entitled "The Sparkses of Early Jefferson County, Texas" in the Quarterly of March 1989, Whole No. 145, beginning on page 3354. The part of that article devoted to John and his family begins on page 3356. John's brother, Solomon Sparks, was in Orange County, Texas, when the 1860 census was taken, see page 5226. Kaufman County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Cedar Grove
Page 53. Census taken by A. J. Ellis on July 11, 1860. 409-409 Sparks Sarah 32 (F) Farmer - $325 SC   " Wm. H. H. 17 (M) Farm Labor   TN   " Martha A. 14 (F)     TN   " Louisa L. 12 (F)     TN   " Geo. W. 11 (M)     TN   " James M. 10 (M)     TN   " Sam H. 2 (M)     TN Note: Sarah Sparks was marked as unable to read and write. Wm. H. H. Sparks was noted as having attended school within the year. Sarah Sparks was the widow of Absalom Sparks who had died ca. 1851.

Sarah Sparks's maiden name had been Sarah Ann Rose; she and Absalom had been married in Blount County, Tennessee, on March 18, 1841. According to the inscription on her tombstone in the Weaver Cemetery in Kaufman County, Sarah had been born on June 13, 1825; she died on May 1, 1907. Absalom Sparks had been born ca. 1801 in South Carolina; his first wife's name had been Margaret Alien, and they had seven children prior to her death in 1838/1839 in Blount County, Tennessee. The six children shown on the 1860 census were all Sarah's. Their record appears in an article entitled "Absalom Sparks, Born ca. 1801, died ca. 1851" in the Quarterly of June 1978, Whole No. 102, pp. 2015-18. LaMarch County, Texas - 1860 TEXAS Post Office: Paris
Page 94. Census taken by Wm. Fletcher Logan on October 4, 1860. 494-498 Sparks Henry 28 (M) Farm Laborer $175 VA   " Mary Ann 23 (F)     VA   " James 6 (M)     TX   " Wm. 21 (M) Farm Laborer   VA Note: All three of the adults appearing in this household were marked as being unable to read and write. Henry Sparks was a son of Solomon Sparks whose household was shown on the 1850 census of Washington County, Virginia. On that census. Henry was still living at home; his age was given then as 17. The Wm. Sparks, age 21 in 1860, was Henry's younger brother. (See page 2940 of the Quarterly of September 1986, Whole No. 135 for this 1850 census record.) Solomon Sparks was a son of James Sparks about whom, with a record of his descendants, appeared in an article in the Quarterly of March 1994, Whole No. 165, pp.4265-76; this article is entitled: "James Sparks (ca. 1762-ca. 11727) of North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky, Doubtless a Son of William Sparks, ca. 1725-1801/02." Lampasas County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Lampasas
Page 176. Census taken by Jas. Daughtrey on July 18, 1860. 79-79 Sparks Samuel W. 56 (M) Farmer $6,000 - $3,300 MD   " Sarah 48 (F)     SC   " Vanburon 23 (M) Farmer   MS   " Samuel W. 21 (M)     MS   " Thos. 19 (M)     MS   " John 16 (M)     MS   " Atelia 14 (F)     AR Note: Samuel W. Sparks was marked as unable to read and write. His three youngest children, Thos., John, and Atelia, were shown as attending school within the year. Samuel W. Sparks owned two slaves in 1860, and one slave house.

Number Age Sex Color
1 14 M B
2 12 M B
1.2.4.4.2.1.4 Samuel W. Sparks's middle name was Wyatt; born July 7, 1803, he was a son of 1.2.4.4.2.1 Millington and Rebecca (Brooks) Sparks III. While an infant, he had go with his parents to Wilkes County, Georgia, where his mother died in 1807. As a young man, he accompanied his father to Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, where he married Sarah Deal in 1829. They followed Sarah's parents to Noxubee County, Mississippi, but before 1840 they had moved to Ashley County, Arkansas, where their family was shown on the 1850 census. (See the Quarterly of September 1978, Whole No. 103, page 2027.) In 1857, they moved to Lampasas County, Texas. A biographical sketch of Samuel Wyatt Sparks and his family is contained in an article entitled "Millington Sparks, III (ca. 1775-ca. 1835). Sometimes called William Millington Sparks, and Some of his Descendants," in the Quarterly of June 1995, Whole No. 170, pp.4454-4480. Their son, 1.2.4.4.2.1.4.7 John Sparks (1843-1908), shown as 16 on the 1860 census, became Governor of Nevada in 1903. His photograph appears on the cover of the issue of the Quarterly cited above. The son shown as "Van Buren Sparks" in 1860 was Martin Van Buren Sparks. McLennan County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Waco
Page 389. Census taken by J. C. Billingsley on June 5, 1860. 59-59 Wallace J [or A?] D. 29 M Clark [i.e.. Clerk] - $3,600 AL   " A. L. 23 (F)     AL   " Wm. 7 (M)     AL   " Clarence 5 (M)     AL   " Clifton 3 (M)     AL   " Liner [?] 10mo (F)     TX   Sparks Thos. 59 (M) School teacher   GA   " Blanch 10 (F)     AL   " Cora 8 (F)     AL   " Thos. 5 (M)     AL Note: Wm. Wallace and all three of the Sparks children shown on this census were noted as having attended school within the year. 61-61 Mullens J. H. 33 (M) Druggist $14,000 - $15,215 AL   " J. V. 25 (F)     GA   " Arthur 7 (M)     AL   " Annie 5 (F)     TX   " Ferd [Fred?] 3 (M)     TX   " Willie 2 (M)     TX   " Henrietta 7 mo (F)     TX   Sears J. E. 18 (M) Druggist   VA   Sparks Titus C. 18 (M) Clerk   AL Note:Arthur Mullens was shown as having attended school within the year. Post Office: Waco 68-68 King Marshal 52 (M) Stock Raiser $285 - $13,900 KY   " M. B. 40 (F)   $2,500 - $2,000 GA   " John 16 (M) Cowhand   IL   " Danl. 14 (M)     IL   " Josha [sic] 12 (M)     IL   " Rosetta 8 (F)     IL   Sparks John C. 19 (M) Clerk   AL   Alexander Jason 22 (M) Tinsmith   IN Post Office: Waco
Page 390. Census taken by J. C. Billingsley on June 6, 1860. 79-70 Smith J. M. 47 (M) Tavern Keeper $20,000 - $3,500 VA   " Amanda 37 (F)     TN   " Josephine 8 (F)     TX   " Robt. M. 3 (M)     TX   " Wm. G. 1 (M)     TX   Sparks C. A. 23 (M) Hotel Clerk   AL   Barritt R. T. 35 (M) Speculator   KY   Clark N. F. 27 (M) Editor   MS   Carr C. 25 (M) Brick Layer   TN   Killough J. M. 29 (M) Merchant   TN   Kimbrough J. F. 28 (M) Painter   TN   Majors R. H. 27 (M) Merchant   TN   Orrman John 26 (M) Sadler   TN   Ryan E. D. 23 (M) Merchant $5,000 - $35,000 AL   Veal A. M. 30 (M)     MS   Vessey W. L. 22 (M)     TN   Williams A. H. 19 (M)     TX Note: Josephine Smith was shown as having attended school within the year. See note at end of the McLennan County enumerations for identification of the young Sparks men shown in the Mullens and King households, as well as the Thomas Sparks and children in the Wallace household. Post Office: Waco
Page 391. Census taken by J. C. Billingsley on June 6, 1860. 81-81 Sparks (1.2.1.2.2.3.1.4) S. F. 43 (M) Farmer $5,000 - $9,375 MS   " Jane M. 38 (F)     TN   " Richd W. 18 (M) Student   TX   " Jas. H. 15 (M) Student   TX   " A. E. 13 (F)     TX   " S. F. Jr. 6 (M)     TX   " N. C. 5 (M)     TX   Rogers Frank 15 (M) Student   TX   " Mary 7 (F)     TX Note: Jas. H. Sparks, A. E. Sparks, S. F. Sparks, Jr., and the two Rogers children were marked as having attended school within the year. S. F. Sparks, whose full name was Stephen Franklin Sparks, was shown on the slave schedule as owning 5 slaves; he had one slave house. The slaves were:
Number Age Sex Color
1 35 F B
2 18 M B
3 16 M B
4 7 M B
5 3 M B
Post Office: Waco
Page 403. Census taken by J. C. Billingsley on June 16, 1860. 747-747 Sparks Thos. B. 31 (M) Farmer $1,805 - $876 MS   " F. A. M. M. 28 (F)     AL   " J. F. 8 (M)     TX   " A. J. 6 (M)     TX   " R. M. 3 (M)     TX   " Sarah E. 1 (F)     TX   Whitehead Charles 16 (M) Farm Labourer   AR Post Office: Bosqueville
Page 405. Census taken by J. C. Billingsley on June 19, 1860 280-280 Sparks J. H. 45 M Farmer [Blank-Blank] MS   " E. E. 37 (F)     TN   " Ellen 16 (F) Student   TX   " N. W. 12 (F)     TX   " Jas. R. 9 (M)     TX   " Chas. D. F. 7 (M)     TX   " L. W. 5 (F)     TX   " W. Edgar 2 (M)     TX   Sharp Mary 13 (F)     TX   Rodgers Wm. 18 (M) Student   TX   Price G. W. 25 (M) Overseer   AL Note: The census taker apparently forgot to record the value of J. H. Sparks's land and personal property. He owned 18 slaves, with 4 slave houses. His slaves were enumerated as follows:
Number Age Sex Color
1 75 M B
2 50 F B
3 35 F B
4 23 F B
5 23 F M
6 14 M B
7 12 M B
8 11 M B
9 10 M B
10 18 F B
11 8 M B
12 6 M B
13 6 F B
14 5 M B
15 5 F B
16 5 M B
17 1 M B
18 1 M B
Post Office: Waco
Page 428. Census taken by J. C. Billingsley on July 18, 1860. 584-584 Downs W. W. 38 (M) Planter $66,650 - $10,700 NC   " Henrietta 52 (F)     GA   " Thos. L. 17 (M) Student   AL   " Jessee 14 (F)     AL   " Alice 12 (F)     AL   " Charley 7 (M)     AL   Davis Mary J. 40 (F)     LA   " Anna 14 (F)     LA   " Macy 10 (F)     LA   Farme [?] J. H. 22 (M) Lawyer   TN   Sparks Thad 22 (M) Clerk   AL Note: Thos. L. Downs, Jesse Downs, Alice Downs, Charley Downs, Anna Davis, and Macy Davis were shown as having attended school within the year.

Two distinct Sparks families were shown on the 1860 census of McLennan County, one being descendants of John and Sarah (Tickle) Sparks and the other being descendants of Richard Sparks (ca. 1793-1838).

40.1 Thomas Sparks, shown in the household of J. D. Wallace (page 5219) had been born on October 6, 1801; he was a son of 40. John and Sarah (Tickle) Sparks according to a family Bible record (see the Quarterly of December 1960, Whole No. 32, pp. 540-42, entitled "The Family of John Sparks, born ca. 1780, of Morgan County, Georgia"). Thomas was in Lawrence County, Alabama, when he was married ca. 1835 to Nancy Jane McWhorter, daughter of Horace Campbell and Griselda (Kirby) McWhorter. (This is a correction of the statement on page 541 in the article cited above in which Nancy Jane's name was given erroneously as "Julina.") The children of Thomas and Nancy Jane (McWhorter) Sparks were:

40.1.1 Almira Sparks,
40.1.2 Thadeus P. Sparks,
40.1.3 John C. Sparks,
40.1.4 Titus C. Sparks,
40.1.5 Blanch Sparks,
40.1.6 Cora Sparks, and
40.1.7 Thomas Sparks.

Nancy Jane Sparks had doubtless died by 1860, for on the 1860 census of McLennan County, as shown on page 5219, Thomas and his three youngest children were living with his daughter, Almira, and her husband, James D. Wallace. The Titus C. Sparks shown as a clerk in the household of J. H. Mullens (page 5219) was a son of Thomas Sparks, as was John C. Sparks who was a clerk for Marshal King in 1860 (page 1520). Marshal King's wife, shown on the 1860 census as "M. B. King," was Mahala Bonner Sparks, daughter of John and Sarah (Tickle) Sparks. Also, Thad Sparks (a nickname of Thaddeus P. Sparks), who was a clerk living in the household of W. W. Downs (see above) was a son of Thomas Sparks. W. W. Downs was William Wood Downs; his wife, Henretta, was a daughter of John and Sarah (Tickle) Sparks.

The C. A. Sparks shown in 1860 as a hotel clerk in the household of J. M. Smith (page 5220) was Cicero Augustus Sparks, born on February 11, 1837, in Blount County, Alabama. He was a son of James Robert and Susan (Harbin) Sparks and a grandson of John and Sarah (Tickle) Sparks. James Robert Sparks had been born on September 15, 1803. (See the Quarterly of De- cember 1969, Whole No. 68, p. 1281, for the Confederate military record of Cicero Augustus Sparks, and the item on page 1324 of the June 1970 QUARTER- LY, Whole No. 70, supplied by Mrs. Alden Eakin. In Mrs. Eakin's item, however, the mother of Cicero was incorrectly given as "Rebecca (Thompson) Sparks.")

Three sons of 1.2.1.2.2.3.1 Richard and Elizabeth May (Cooper) Sparks were shown as heads of households on the 1860 census of McLennan County, Texas. They were: 1.2.1.2.2.3.1.4 Stephen Franklin Sparks (page 2220); Thomas Benton Sparks (page 5221); and James Hawkins Sparks (page 5221). Another son of Richard and Elizabeth May (Cooper) Sparks, William Fielder Sparks, was shown heading a household in Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1860 (page 5216). Still another son, John Marion Sparks, was shown on the 1860 census of Nacogdoches County, Texas, page 5224. Richard and Elizabeth's other son, Andrew Jackson Sparks, had died in 1857 in Nacogdoches County.

Richard Sparks was a son of 1.2.1.2.2.3 William Sparks (1761-1848). A comprehensive article entitled "Descendants of William Sparks (1761-1848), son of 1.2.1.2.2 Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks," was published in the Quarterly over three issues, as follows: June 1985, Whole No. 130; September 1985, Whole No. 131; and June 1986, Whole No. 134. Pages 2742-56 of the June 1985 issue and pages 2768-86 of the September 1985 issue are devoted to Richard Sparks and his descendants.

In the household of Stephen F. Sparks (page 5220), the two children named Rogers, Frank and Mary, were children of his sister, Elizabeth C. (Sparks) Rogers. She died ca. 1851; her husband, Samuel Rogers, died in 1854. Another Rogers child, William Rogers, was living in the household of his uncle, James H. Sparks, in 1860, page 5221. Milam County, TEXAS - 1860 Census Post Office: Port Sillari
Page 48. Census taken by J. D. Overton on July 19, 1860. 336-336 Sparks J. H. 24 (M) Grocery Merchant $540 - $1,775 TN   " Nancy C. 28 (F)     KY Note; We have not been able to identify this J. H. Sparks.

Nacogdoches County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Nacogdoches
Page 117. Census taken by N. J. Moore on June 4, 1860. 10-10 Muckleroy Jesse H. 33 (M) Merchant $19,000 - $110,000 TN   " Amanda K. 29 (F) Housekeeper   TN   " Mary A. 9 (F)     TX   " David O. 5 (M)     TX   " Sarah M. 2 (F)     TX   " A. J. 28 (M) Merchant clerk $2,500 - $4,180 TX   Sparks Jesse W. 22 (M) Merchant clerk $6,000 - $400 MS   Cave Sarah 57 (F) House nurse   TN Note: Mary A. Muckleroy was shown as having attended school during the year.

In the boarding house following the above enumeration operated by A. G. Mitchell, there were two young men whose surname was probably Shanks; John A. Shanks, age 20, born in Alabama, and John T. Shanks, age 22, born in Tennessee. We are quite certain that their surname was not Sparks, although the writing is rather difficult to read. Post Office: Nacogdoches
Page 141. Census taken by N. J. Moore on June 28, 1860. 343-335 Sparks Wm. N. 22 (M) Farmer $4,500 - $180 MS   " M. E. 18 (F)     TX   " Newton 2 (M)     TX Note: Wm. N. Sparks owned one slave and he had one slave house. The slave was a 17-year-old male who was Black. Post Office: Nacogdoches
Page 143. Census taken by N. J. Moore 375-367 Sparks John M. 28 (M) Farmer $8,791 - $7,046 MS   " Martha A. 28 (F) Housekeeper   MS   " Wm. M 7 (M)     TX   " Janetha M. 5 (F)     TX Note: John M. Sparks owned 12 slaves in 1860 and had 2 slave houses for them.

Number Age Sex Color
1 47 M B
2 40 M B
3 18 M B
4 17 M B
5 17 F B
6 16 F B
7 14 M B
8 11 F B
9 10 M B
10 7 M B
11 7 M B
12 5 M B
Post Office: Linn Flat
Page 185. Census taken by N. J. Moore on August 2, 1860. 957-931 Crossland James L 42 (M) Farmer $425 - $900 SC   " Nancy 36 (F) Housekeeper   AL   " Wm. 14 (M)     TX   " Josephine 11 (F)     TX   " Martha 9 (F)     TX   " Terry [?] 8 (F)     TX   " Robert 5 (M)     TX   " A. 3 (M)     TX   " James H. 2 (M)     TX   " Margaret 1 (F)     TX   Sparks Daniel 15 (M) Day Laborer   AL Note; Four of the children of James L. Crossland were reported as having attended school within the year: Wm.; Josephine; Terry [?]; and Robert. Post Office: Linn Flat
Page 190. Census taken by N. J. Moore on August 6, 1860. 1032-1006 Sparks Elijah 37 M Farmer $400 - $300 AL   " Daniel 17 M Student   AL   " Dartha M. 14 M     AL   " Sarah 13 F     AL   " Wm. J. 9 M     TX   " Milly C. 7 F     TX Note: Daniel Sparks and Sarah Sparks were shown as having attended school within the year. Note: Members of three quite different Sparks families were living in Nacogdoches County, Texas, when the 1860 census was taken. We have noted earlier (page 5223) the lengthy article entitled "Descendants of William Sparks (1761- 1848) Son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks" in the June 1985, September 1985, and June 1986 issues of the Quarterly, Whole Nos. 130, 131, and 134. In the latter issue (see p. 2875) we included information on James H. Sparks, a son of William Sparks and his wife, Mary (Fielder) Sparks, who was born in Georgia ca. 1809, but who, as an infant, accompanied his parents in their move to Mississippi. James H. Sparks was married ca. 1835 to Massy C. Wadlington. This couple moved to Nacogdoches County, Texas, ca. 1836, and it was there that their two sons were born: Jesse Wadlington Sparks on January 1, 1837, and William N. Sparks in 1838. James H. Sparks died after a brief illness in the spring of 1838. Massy C. (Wadlington) Sparks married (second) Robert F. Millard in 1843. When the 1860 census of Nacogdoches County was taken, Jesse Wadlington Sparks was shown as a "Merchant clerk" living in the household of Jesse H. Muckleroy (see page 5223). His brother, William N. Sparks, had been married to Martha Elizabeth Caddel in 1856. As seen on page 5224, they were living in Nacogdoches County in 1860, with their son, Newton Sparks. For biographical data on Jesse W. and William N. Sparks, see the Quarterly of June 1986, Whole No. 134, pp. 2875-77.

The middle name of John M. Sparks (see page 5224) was Marion. He had been born on June 26, 1831, in Lawrence County, Mississippi, a son of Richard and Elizabeth (Cooper) Sparks. Three of his brothers, James Hawkins Sparks, Stephen Franklin Sparks, and Thomas Benton Sparks, were reported on the 1860 census of McLennan County, Texas (pages 5220 and 5221). John Marion Sparks married (first) Martha Ann Crain; they and their two children were shown on the 1860 of Nacogdoches County. These children were named William Marion Sparks and Idora May Sparks; Idora's name appeared as "Janetha" on this census. After the death of Martha Ann in 1883, John M. Sparks married Elizabeth Whitlow Hazle, and they had three children. A biographical sketch, with John's photograph, appears in the Quarterly of September 1978, Whole No. 103, pp. 2020-23.

We have not been able to identify the parentage of Elijah Sparks, shown on the 1860 census, above. He appears to have been a widower in 1860. He had been living in Nacogdoches County, also, when the 1850 census was taken, and there it appears that his wife's name was Kisiah. (See p. 12 4 of the QUARTER LY of March 1956, Whole No. 13.) Elijah's age appeared as 24 in 1850, so we can probably assume that he had been born ca. 1823/26, noting that in 1860 his age was given as 37. Kisiah, shown as a native of Georgia, was shown as 30 in 1850, so born ca. 1820. Their three oldest children, Daniel, Dartha, and Sarah, were born in Alabama between ca. 1842 and 1848. The family moved to Texas before 1850. Elijah was probably the Elijah Sparks who was married in Nacogdoches County to Mrs. Adeline George on September 21, 1863. Elijah's daugher, Dartha A. M. Sparks was married there to George W. Blackburn on September 28, 1865; his daughter Sarah was married there to Frank Blackburn on December 15, 1867. (All three of these marriage records are in Marriage Book 3 of Nacogdoches County.) The Daniel Sparks shown as a "Day Laborer" in the household of James L. Crossland (page 5224) may have been the same Daniel Sparks shown as a son of Elijah Sparks, although his age was given as 17 in Elijah's household. It was not unusual for a minor child working for a neighbor to be shown in both households. Orange County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Nuncans Wood
Page 323. Census taken by Geo. A. Pattillo on June 22, 1860. 192-192 Sparks Solomon 40 (M) Shingle maker $300 - $300 AL   " Martha C. 40 (F) Housekeeper   SC   " John L. 16 (M) Labourer   TN   " James E. 14 (M)     LA   " William E. 9 (M)     TX   " Mary S. 11 (F)     TX   " Joseph M. 7 (M)     TX   " Oscar C. 4 (M)     TX   " Julia C. 2 (F)     TX Note: Solomon Sparks, with his wife and their first five children, were enumerated on the 1850 census of Jefferson County, Texas. (See p. 123 of the March 1956 Quarterly, Whole No. 13.) Orange County was cut off from Jefferson County in 1852; Solomon probably had not moved, but had found himself in the new county. Solomon Sparks played a role in a famous Sabine River mystery dating from before the Civil War that was recounted in the Quarterly of June 1980, Whole no. 110, pp. 2202-04. At the time of that publication, however, we did not know Solomon's parentage. In the Quarterly of March 1899, Whole No. 145, pp. 3354-65, the article entitled "The Sparkses of Early Jefferson County, Texas" provided an answer to that question. There can be no doubt but that he was a son of William Sparks, born ca. 1785, who was living in Franklin County, Tennessee, when Solomon was born ca. 1819. Solomon married Martha Caroline Smith on March 23, 1841, in Hardeman County, Tennessee. They moved to Louisiana ca. 1847, but by 1850 they had joined Solomon's brother, John S. Sparks, in Jefferson County, Texas. John S. Sparks was still in Jefferson County when the 1860 census was taken (see page 5217), while Jacob Sparks, another brother, was in Colorado County (page 5213). Palo Pinto County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Palo Pinto
Page 331. Census taken by John Hittson on July 6, 1860 109-109 Sparks William 18 (M) Stock raiser - $8,000 TX Note: William Sparks was living by himself in 1860, and at age 18 he was shown as owning 7 slaves, with one slave house. See following page for their enumeration.

Enumeration of William Sparks's slaves:

Number Age Sex Color
1 30 F B
2 20 M B
3 15 M M
4 10 M B
5 10 F M
6 8 M B
7 5 F M
Note: We cannot identify positively the parents of William Sparks shown here (page 5226) as 18 years of age, a stock raiser who owned 7 slaves in 1860. He must have inherited his property, valued at $8,000, doubtless comprising these slaves. Since Texas was given as his place of birth, which would have been ca. 1842 if his age was given correctly on the 1860 census, he should be shown on the 1850 census of Texas as a lad of about 8 years old. The only William Sparks fitting that description found on the 1850 census of Texas, was William W. Sparks, age 9, and a native of Texas. He was then, 1850, living with his parents, William and Lucy Sparks, in the city of Galveston, county of Galveston. (See this census record on page 123 of the March 1956 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 13.) The father of this William W. Sparks was William Sparks, son of Isaac and Wilmoth (Noland) Sparks of Carroll County, Tennessee. (The name "Noland" has also been spelled "Knowland" in some Tennessee records.) William Sparks, sheriff of Galveston in 1850, a native of Tennessee, was about 43 years old at that time. From other records, we know that his middle initial was "N." A biographical sketch of his brother, Isaac H. Sparks, appears in a volume entitled The Lone Star State published by the Lewis Pub. Co. in Chicago in 1893. On page 731 it is stated that Isaac H. Sparks "came to Texas in 1849, landing in Galveston, where he had a brother, William N. Sparks, who at that time was Sheriff of his county." See note on page 5212 regarding Isaac H. Sparks whom we had expected to find on the 1860 census of Burleson County, Texas. Panola County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Carthage
Page 394. Census taken by Saml. M. Parry on August 30, 1860. 899-899 Sparks Lawrence 30 M Farmer - $100 GA   " Elizabeth 35 F H.K. [Housekeeper]   SC   " Ellen 8 F     SC   " Rebecca 6 F     SC   " Saml. 4 M     TN   " Berry 2 M     TN Note: Elizabeth Sparks was marked as unable to read and write.

We have not been able to identify Lawrence Sparks and his family. Red River County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Clarksville
Page 60. Census taken by Wm. P. Cornelius on June 11, 1860. 38-38 Sparks Isaac 46 (M) Farmer   TN   " Frances 35 (F)     LA   " William 20 (M) Farmer   MS   " Mary 18 (F)     MS   " Joseph 15 (M) Farmer   MS   " Sarah 13 (F)     MS   " Augustus 9 (M)     MS   " Martin 7 (M)     MS   " Lucy 4 (F)     MS   " Willis 2 (M)     MS Note: The census taker failed to fill in the blank spaces for the value of Isaac's real estate and personal estate. He was the owner of two slaves; he was not shown as having a "slave house" for them. They were enumerated as follows:

Number Age Sex Color
1 25 F M
2 4 F B
Isaac Sparks, born ca. 1814 in Hickman County, Tennessee, was a son of Hardy and Mary Sparks. A sketch of Isaac's life and a record of his children was included in the article entitled "Hardy Sparks (ca. 1782-ca. 1855) Son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks," in the Quarterly of December 1990, Whole No. 152. The section on Isaac and his family extends from page 3692 to 3701. Isaac's mother, Mary Sparks (born ca. 1790) is believed to have been a daughter of Isaiah Hale, an early settler in Hickman County, Tennessee, but we do not have documentary proof of her parentage. Hardy Sparks had been born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, but was carried as an infant by his parents to near present-day Athens, Georgia, where Hardy's father, Matthew Sparks, was killed by Indians in 1793. Hardy Sparks, with brothers Jesse, Isaac, Bailey, and Nathan, moved to Hickman County, Tennessee, ca. 1805, and ca. 1814 Hardy Sparks moved his family to Lafayette County, Mississippi. His son, Isaac, who was doubtless named for his father's brother of that name, accompanied his parents to Mississippi and there married Frances Ann Higginbotham ca. 1838. It was there that their eight children were born. The family moved to Red River County, Texas, shortly before the 1860 census was taken. Robertson County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Wheelock
Page 169. Census taken by G. H. Love on June 12, 1860. 63-63 Armstrong Ann 59 F Hotel Keeper $16,350 - $12,200 TN   Sparks William 24 M Carpenter   KY   Elwood J. 35 M School Teacher   NY   Daniels D. 25 M Clerk   NY   Thompson E. W. 35 M Laborer   LA   Cavitt Ranklin 29 M Farmer   TN Post Office: Wheelock
Page 171. Census taken by G. H. Love on July 20, 1860. 483-483 Sparks John T. 27 (M) Laborer - $100 TN   " Sarah C. 21 (F) Seamstress   AL   " Sarah J. 3 (F)     TX   " Miner H. 1 (M)     TX Note: Sarah C. Sparks was shown as having attended school within the year.

We have been unable to identify either William Sparks living in Ann Armstrong's hotel in 1860 or the above John T. Sparks and family. Rusk County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Henderson
Page 209. Census taken by H. E. E. Redwin on June 18, 1860. 224-231 Sparks Wm. D. 22 (M) Farmer $120 - $100 AL   " Martha J. 19 (F)     AL   " James H. 5 mo (M)     TX 225-232 Sparks Danl. 54 (M)   $480 - $300 SC   " Lucinda 46 (F)     SC   " Charles 18 (M)     AL   " James 15 (M)     AL   " Polly A. 4 (F)     TX   Grigsby M. S. 6 (F)     TX Post Office: Caledonia
Page 246. Census taken by H. D. E, Redwin on August 9, 1860. 1466-1484 Anderson W. M. 45 (M) Farmer $2,000 - $10,600 NC   " M. A. 26 (F)     AL   " James 17 (M)     AL   Sparks Allen 8 (M) F. Laborer   TX   " William 6 (M)     TX   " Adelia 5 (F)     TX   " Benjamin 3 (M)     TX   Anderson Laura 1 (F)     TX Note: James Anderson, Alien Sparks, and William Sparks were marked as having attended school within the year.

Daniel Sparks was born in South Carolina ca. 1801/06, judging from the age given for him on the 1850 and 1860 censuses. He was in Benton County, Alabama, in 1850. (The name of Benton County was changed to Calhoun County in 1858.) His wife, Lucinda, was shown as 37 in 1850. (For Sparkses appearing on the 1850 census of Alabama, see the Quarterly of December 1958 and March 1959, Whole Nos. 24 and 25, pp. 350-55 and 375-79.) The children of Daniel and Lucinda Sparks were shown on the 1850 census as follows:

Marinda Sparks, age 17; born ca. 1843; married Charles J. Grigsby on September 1, 1858, in Rusk County; we wonder whether she may have died prior to 1860, and whether 6-year-old M. S. Gribsby could have been a granddaughter of Daniel and Lucinda.
William D. Sparks, age 13; born ca. 1847. He married Martha J. Hudson on February 3, 1859; they are shown immediately before his parents on the 1860 census.

Nancy J. Sparks, age 10; born ca. 1850. Marriage records preserved in Rusk County also reveal that their daughter. Nancy J. Sparks, married James E. Cook on December 2, 1855, and their daughter, Martha L. Sparks, married G. W. McDougal on September 20, 1855.

Martha L. Sparks, age 8;
Charles B. Sparks as 6; and
James Sparks as 4.

All had been born in Alabama except Marinda who had been born in South Carolina.

We have not succeeded in identifying Daniel's parents.

The identity of the four Sparks children living in the household of W. M. Anderson in Rusk County in 1860 is known from a statement recorded on page 794 of Probate Book G in Rusk County, made by William Anderson in June 1860. He described himself as a resident of Rusk County and the stepfather of

Thomas Alien Sparks,
William R. Sparks,
Adelia Sparks, and
Benjamin J. Sparks,

whom he called "heirs of A. J. Sparks."

A. J. Sparks, father of these four children, was 1.2.1.2.2.3.1.x Andrew Jackson Sparks, born October 19, 1826, and a son of 1.2.1.2.2.3.1 Richard and Elizabeth (Cooper) Sparks. He had been married in 1848 to Mary Ann Alien in Nacogdoches County, Texas. He died there on August 6, 1857. See that portion of the article: "Descendants of William Sparks (1761-1848), Son of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks" devoted to Andrew Jackson Sparks and his family, including his photograph, in the Quarterly of September 1985, Whole No. 131, pp.2777-81. Mary Ann (Alien) Sparks was married (second) in 1859 to William Anderson. She died two years later, in 1861. Three of Andrew Jackson Sparks's brothers,

James H. Sparks,
Stephen F. Sparks, and
Thomas B. Sparks,

were in McLennan County, Texas, when the 1860 census was taken (pages 5220 and 5221), while another brother, John M. Sparks, was in Nacogdoches County in 1860 (page 5225). Shelby County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Clay Mound
Page 440. Census taken by J. H. Clardy on July 28, 1860. 531-531 Sparks Edward 40 (M) Farmer - $500 AR   " B. 26 (F)     AR   " Adline 8 (F)     AR   " Jane 6 (F)     TX   " John 4 (M)     TX   " Joseph 1 (M)     TX Note: Both Edward and B. Sparks were shown as unable to read and write; Adline Sparks was shown as having attended school during the year. We have not been able to identify the parentage of this Edward Sparks. Post Office: Clay Mound
Page 442. Census taken by J. H. Clardy on July 28, 1860. 554-554 Sparks M. 46 (M) Farmer $500 - $700 VA   " M. 45 (F)     TN   " M. A. 19 (F)     TN   " J. H. 17 (F) Farm Labor   TN   " E. F. 14 (F)     TN   " E. E. 13 (F)     TN   " E. N. 10 (M)     TX   " M. P. 8 (M)     TX Note: The M. Sparks shown with his family on page 5230 was Matthew Sparks, born ca. 1814 in Virginia. There can be little doubt but that he was a son of 17.2.1.2 Edmund and Patsey (Wright) Sparks, who had been married in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in 1804. (See the article about Matthew's son and family in the Quarterly of March 1965, Whole No. 49, pp. 879-885, entitled "Matthew Patton Sparks [1855-1940] and His Descendants.") Prior to 1830, Matthew had moved with his parents and an uncle named 17.2.1.1 Matthew B. Sparks to Bedford County, Tennessee, but by 1840 he had moved to adjoining Coffee County, as had, also, his brother, Thomas Sparks. It was probably there that 17.2.1.2.2 Matthew Sparks married Malissa Patton, believed to have been a daughter of Neelly (or Neiley) S. Patton of Coffee County. On the 1850 census of Coffee County, Tennessee, Matthew and Malissa's first four children were listed. The family moved to Shelby County, Texas, near the town of Concord, shortly after the 1850 census was taken, and it was there that two more children were born. Melissa died before 1870 and Matthew died before 1880. Since the census taker listed everyone in the household only by their initials, we give here their full names and dates of birth provided by a descendant:

17.2.1.2.2.1 Martha Ann Sparks, born October 21, 1841
17.2.1.2.2.2 James Harvey Sparks, born January 10, 1844
17.2.1.2.2.3 Eliza Frances Sparks, born January 4, 1846
17.2.1.2.2.4 Elizabeth Eualline Sparks, born April 30, 1848
17.2.1.2.2.5 Edmund Neiley Sparks, born January 11, 1851
17.2.1.2.2.6 Matthew Patton Sparks, born February 17, 1855

Titus County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Lone Star
Page 167. Census taken by Wm. M. S. Houghton on August 14, 1860. 394-394 Weeks J.S. 23 (M) Farmer $1,000-$926 IL   " Louisa 21 (F)     AL   Sparks John N. 24 (M) Waggoner $640 - $385 AL Post Office: Elly
Page 172. Census taken by Wm. M. S. Houghton on August 21, 1860. 458-459 Sparks James B. 51 (M)   $6,000 - $5,720 IL   " Mary A. 46 (F)     NC   " Allison W. 19 (M) Day Labour   AL   " Mary M. 17 (F)     AL   " Angeline C. 14 (F)     AL Note: All three of the Sparks children were shown as having attended school within the year. Post Office: Elly
Page 175. Census taken by Wm. M. S. Houghton on August 25, 1860. 501-501 Denny James 33 (M) Farmer $600-$895 TN   " Sarah J. 30 (F)     GA   " James R. 7 (M)     TX   " John H. 6 (M)     TX   " William B. 4 (M)     TX   " Adria A. 1 (F)     TX   Sparks Sarah 71 (F)     GA Post Office, Elly
Page 175. Census taken by Wm. M. S. Houghton on August 21, 1860. 507 - 507 Sparks F. M. 42 (M) Farmer $1,000 - $589 GA   " Mary C. 35 (F)     AL   " Lawrence I. [J.?] 14 (M)     AL   " William B. 12 (M)     TX   " James A. 9 (M)     TX   " Nathan S. 6 (M)     TX   " Sarah I. [J.?] 4 (F)     TX   " Francis M. 2 (M)     TX   " Martha E. 3 mo (F)     TX Note: Four of the Sparks children were shown as attending school within the year: James Brooks Sparks (page 5231), born January 31, 1809, in the Territory of Illinois, was a son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks. His parents had been married in Jackson County, Georgia, in 1806. John and Sarah Sparks had followed John's father (Matthew Sparks) to Illinois Territory after the birth of their first child in 1807, and thus it was that their second child, James Brooks Sparks, was born there in 1809. The family returned to Georgia, however, the next year, in 1810. When John's father, Matthew Sparks (1759-1841), made application for a Revolutionary War pension in 1832, in answering a question regarding a record of his age, he responded: "My son took the Bible containing it when he moved from Illinois to Georgia." (See the Quarterly of December 1956, Whole No. 16, pp. 177-182, for Matthew's pension application.) The other eight children of John and Sarah Sparks, like their first, were all born in Georgia. (The fact that James Brooks Sparks had been born in the Territory of Illinois caused confusion in our early research on this family.) The family moved from Georgia to Tallapoosa County, Alabama, prior to 1836, the year in which John Sparks died.

James Brooks Sparks married Mary Ann Cook on June 30, 1830. After serving in the Mexican War, he moved his family to Texas in 1850. (See the Quarterly of September 1984, Whole No. 127, pp. 2670-72, for an abstract of his pension application.) James B. and Mary Ann Sparks lived in that portion of Titus County, Texas, that became Franklin County in 1875. James died there in 1899; Mary Ann had died in 1887.

The F. M. Sparks shown above was Francis Marion Sparks, also a son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Sparks. He had been born on February 4, 1818, in Jasper County, Georgia. He was about 15 when the family moved to Tallapoosa County, Alabama, and at the age of 18 he had enlisted with his father to fight in the Seminole Indian War of 1836. (See his pension application, pp. 2669-70 of the September 1984 Quarterly cited above; a biographical sketch also appears in that issue with a record of his children, pp.2659-65.) Francis Marion Sparks married (first) Rebecca J. Holman and (second) to Mary Catherine Brown.

The John N. Sparks shown as a "Waggoner" living in the J. S. Weeks household (page 5231), was a son of James Brooks and Mary Ann (Cook) Sparks. His full name was John Napoleon Sparks; he was born in 1836 at Tecumseh, Georgia, not Alabama as shown on this 1860 census. The Weeks household in which he was living in 1860 was that of his sister, Idris Louisa Sparks, and her hus- band, John W. Weeks. He served in the Confederate Army in the Civil War; see his Confederate pension file on page 2673 of the September 1984 issue of the Quarterly cited earlier. For a biographical sketch and a record of his children, see p. 2655 of this same issue. The Sarah Sparks, age 71, shown as a member of the James Denny household (page 5231) was Sarah (Brooks) Sparks, widow of John Sparks and mother of James Brooks Sparks. She was living with her daughter and son-in-law in 1860. James Denny and Sarah Jane Sparks had been married in Titus County ca. 1851. For a record of James and Sarah Jane (Sparks) Denny see pp. 2665-66 of the Quarterly of September 1984, cited earlier. Upshur County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Pittsburg
Page 422. Census taken by R. C. Hall on July 2, 1860. 495-471 Sparks H. B. 43 (M) Farmer $12,000 - $27,000 GA   " D. A. 36 (F)     GA   " Jane 13 (F)     GA   " Almira 11 (F)     GA   " Robert 9 (M)     GA   " Emma 7 (F)     GA   " Adalier 5 (F)     LA Note: The four oldest Sparks children, Jane, Almira, Robert, and Emma, were shown as having attended school during the past year. H. B. Sparks was the owner of 25 slaves in 1860, housed in 5 slave houses. Their enumeration follows:

Number Age Sex Color
1 40 M B
2 30 M B
3 30 M B
4 25 M B
5 25 M B
6 23 M B
7 16 M B
8 34 F B
9 28 F B
10 36 F B
11 28 F M
12 19 F B
13 19 F M
14 17 F B
15 17 F B
16 17 F B
17 13 F B
18 9 M M
19 9 F B
20 6 F B
21 2 F B
22 1 mo F B
23 2 M B
24 8 mo M B
25 4 F B
H. B. Sparks (page 5233) had been living in Randolph County, Georgia when the 1850 census was taken. There, however, his name had been recorded as "B. H. Sparks." His wife's name was shown as "D. A. Sparks" in 1850 as well as in 1860. From the listing of the names of his first three children on the 1850 census, we can be sure that these two census records are for the same family, but we cannot tell whether the father's name was B. H. Sparks or H. B. Sparks. (See the Quarterly of December 1982, Whole No. 120, pp. 2473-2482, for a record of Sparkses on the 1850 census of Georgia.) It appears that the family spent a brief time in Louisiana where the daughter named Adalier was born ca. 1855, before their move to Upshur County, Texas. We have not been able to identify this family further. Van Zandt County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Edom
Page 25. Census taken by Joel Williams on June 26, 1860. 248-258 Patterson J. M. 42 (M) Farmer $4,400 - $21,305 SC   " H. E. 45 (F)     NC   " Thos. W. 16 (M) Student   AL   " Jed [?] 13 (M)     AL   " Laura M. 6 (F)     TX   " Jas. F. 3 (M)     TX   " A. A. 1 (F)     TX   Sparks Thos. N. 27 (M) School Teacher   GA   Wooten R. A. 30 (M) Meth. E.S. Preacher   GA Note: Thos. W. Patterson was shown as having attended school within the year, as was also Thos. N. Sparks. Thomas N. Sparks, the 27-year-old school teacher living in the household of J. M. Patterson, had been with his parents, Marbry and Sarah Sparks, in Fayette County, Georgia, when the 1850 census was taken. (See p.2475 of the December 1982 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 120.) Marbry Sparks, whose name was also spelled "Marberry," was a son of Abel Sparks whom we called "Abel Sparks, the Elder," in an article appearing in the Quarterly of June 1987, Whole No. 138, entitled "Two Men Named Abel Sparks, Originally from Surry and Wilkes Counties, North Carolina." Abel Sparks, the Elder, had been born ca. 1767 in North Carolina and died in Henry County, Georgia, in 1823/24. When Marbry Sparks's mother, Elizabeth (Benge) Sparks of Fayette County, Georgia, applied for bounty land (in addition to land she had received in 1851) based on Abel's service in the War of 1812, Marbry and his son, Thomas, witnessed Elizabeth's mark on her application and testified to the fact that she was the widow of Abel Sparks (the Elder).

Thomas N. Sparks married Jane L. Fancher in Van Zandt County, Texas, on April 21, 1867. They named their second son Marbry Sparks. Washington County. Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Evergreen
Page 194. Census taken by John C. Harris on July 31, 1860. 699-699 Sparks A. J. 42 (M) Farmer $2,500 - $5,084 TN   " M. C. 42 (F)     OH   " A. 10 (F)     OH   Horkey G. W. 29 (M) Teacher   NC   " Jenney 20 (F)     AR   " Eudora 6 mo (F)     TX Note: For 10-year-old A. Sparks, the census taker wrote his surname as "Sparksten." We are certain that he added the "ten" by error, hearing the boy's age. This A. Sparks was recorded as having attended school during the year.

A. J. Sparks owned two slaves; he had one slave house. They were: Post Office: Evergreen
Page 195. Census taken by John C. Harris on July 31, 1860. 707-707 Sparks W. A. 27 (F) Farmer $1,500 - $1,000 TN   " Hugh 18 (M) Farmer   TN   " M. E. 15 (F)     TN   " William 14 (M)     TN   " Tennessee 12 (F)     TN   " Mary 10 (F)     TN   " Samuel 6 (M)     TX   " Adaline 2 (F)     TX   " I. W. 1 (M)     TX Note: Three of the children in the W. A. Sparks household were shown as having attended school during the year: M. E. Sparks, William Sparks, and Tennessee Sparks.

W. A. Sparks owned one slave, a Black male, age 39; but no slave house.

The "W. A. Sparks" above was shown as a 27-year-old female. We cannot account for this entry; perhaps the census taker erred in recopying his in- formation on the schedule. The eight Sparks children enumerated in this household were, without question, the children of Anderson West Sparks, born September 13, 1811, and his wife, Martha Adaline (Aiken) Sparks, born December 7, 1820. In the Quarterly of December 1980, Whole No. 112, pp.2244- 49, appeared an article about Anderson West Sparks, son of Samuel and Eliza- beth (West) Sparks. Mrs. Eula Sparks Fisher, a granddaughter of the Samuel Sparks who was shown as 6 years old on this census, provided the family record for that article. Mrs. Fisher lived in Montebello, California; we last heard from her in 1977.

It would seem that Anderson West Sparks must have headed this household; he was 50 years old in 1860. He and his family were living in Decatur County, Tennessee, when the 1850 census had been taken. (See the June 1975 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No. 90, pp. 1738-1751, for a record of Sparkses found on the 1850 census of Tennessee.) In was in 1854 that Anderson West Sparks and his family moved to Texas, and it was in Lavaca County, Texas, that their son, Samuel Sparks, was born the same year. They soon moved to near the town of Giddings, however, in that part of Washington County that helped to form Lee County in 1874. Anderson West Sparks was mysteriously drowned in a small creek during the Civil War while he was looking for some cattle near his home. His widow, Martha Adaline Sparks, lived until 1902. They were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom were living when the 1860 census was taken. Their full names were:

1. Hugh Scott Sparks, born 1843, died March 1, 1863, while a soldier in the Confederate Army.
2. Margaret Elizabeth Sparks, born November 19, 1844.
3. William Anderson Sparks, born March 21, 1846.
4. Susan Mary Sparks, born October 16, 1847; died August 11, 1858.
5. Tennessee Rebecca Sparks, born February 10, 1849.
6. Mary Eliza Sparks, born August 8, 1850.
7. An unnamed son born in 1851 died at birth.
8. Samuel Christopher Sparks, born September 28, 1854.
9. Emily Sparks, born August 9, 1856; died June 19, 1858.
10. Adaline Sparks, born March 2, 1858; died January 6, 1861.
11. Isaac West Sparks, born July 18, 1859.

Additional information about this family can be found in the December 1980 issue of the Quarterly noted above.

A. J. Sparks (page 5234), whose full name was Andrew Jackson Sparks, was born March 18, 1817; he was a brother of Anderson West Sparks. He may have been the A. J. Sparks shown in Warren County, Tennessee, age 30, living alone, when the 1850 census was taken, or the A. J. Sparks, also age 30, living alone in Wayne County, Tennessee. We have no record of him after 1860. Wood County, Texas - 1860 Census Post Office: Quitman
Page 359. Census taken by W. L. Pond on June 29, 1860. 215-210 Bates Martha E. 37 (F) Hotel Keeping $3,000-$3,000 AL   Pond W. L. 30 (M) Hotel Keeping $3,000-$3,000 AL   " Emma 20 (F)     AL   Bates Mack N. 17 (M)     AL   " Kate 12 (F)     TX   " Alice A. 10 (F)     TX   " Edward M. N. 5 (M)     TX   Pond Rosabelle C. 4 mo (F)     TX   Jarvis J. J. - (M) Lawyer   -   Strother J. A. 27 (M) School Teacher $1250 - $300 GA   Sparks W. J. 29 (M) Lawyer-Editor $775-$5,000 GA   Angel J. W. - (M) Lawyer-Editor   -   Shuford A. P. - (M) -   -   Dearborn J. H. - (M) -   -   Williams John - (M) -   -   Scanland J. M. 17 (M) Printer   IN   Davenport Chs. 19 (M) Printer   AL   Haight -- 32 (M) Printer   TN   Shuford A. M. 27 (M) Printer   NC   Forde W. M. 27 (M) Lawyer - $1,500 KY Note: W. J. Sparks, the 29-year-old "Lawyer-Editor" living in a hotel in Wood County, Texas, when the 1860 census was taken (page 5236), was William James Sparks, a son of James Brooks and Mary Ann (Cook) Sparks. His parents were living in Titus County, Texas, when the 1860 census was taken (see page 5231). A biographical sketch of W. J. Sparks appears on pp. 2653-65 of the Quarterly of September 1984, Whole No. 127. He estab- lished a newspaper at Quitman in Wood County; later he edited the Flag of the Union at Henderson, Texas. In 1865 he married Mary Ann Herod.

The hotel in which he was staying in 1860 appears to have been operated by Martha E. Bates, apparently a widow with four children. W. L. Pond was probably in partnership with her; he seems also to have been the census taker. He obviously did not interview each of the hotel guests, since his information about several of them was incomplete.

Editor's Note: As seen in our notes in this compilation of Sparkses found on the 1860 census of Texas, there have been a number whom we have been unable to identify. Your editor would be pleased to receive information any of our readers may have regarding these individuals.

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