July 21, 2023

Pages 1037-1039
Whole Number 56

QUERY - WHO WAS WILLIAM SPARKS,
BORN IN KENTUCKY IN 1799, DIED 1871?

Mrs. John Peterka, R.R. 1, Swisher, Iowa (52338) is seeking information on the following branch of the Sparks family. Mrs. Peterka would be delighted to correspond with anyone connected with this family.

44.4.3 William Sparks (sometimes spelled Sparkes) was born somewhere in Kentucky in January 1799. Nothing has been learned of his parentage except that a granddaughter once stated that his mother's maiden name had been Stivers. William Sparks died on August 5, 1871, in Johnson County, Indiana. His tombstone in the Bethlehem Cemetery in Hensley Township, Johnson County, Indiana, about 3/4 miles from the town of Samaria, reads: 'William Sparkes, born January 1799, died August 5, 1871.'

In 1934, a granddaughter of William Sparks wrote a letter in which she sketched the family history. She was an elderly woman at the time and her memory was failing, so it is difficult to know how reliable her account is. She stated, however, that the parents of William Sparks had come from Ireland and settled in Kentucky where William was born. She did not give their names, except to state that William's mother's maiden name had been Stivers. It is interesting that a John Stivers lived near William Sparks in 1830, according to the census of that year, and that an Edward Stivers was living near him in 1840. This granddaughter of William Sparks stated that William married Nancy Baden Crawford and that her parents had come from England. The death certificate of Edward Sparks, one of William's sons, states the father of Edward Sparks is William Sparks, born in Kentucky, and the mother is given as Nancy Crawford, born in England. The 1850 census, however, gives the birth place of Nancy as Kentucky. She was born ca. 1804.

William Sparks and his family were living in Johnson County, Indiana, when the 1850 census was taken. It is probable that he was the same William Sparks who had purchased land in Johnson County on January 14, 1834, from Samuel Lawrence. According to the deed for this purchase, William Sparks was a resident of Bartholomew County, Indiana, at the time. He was listed on the 1830 census of Bartholomew; his age was given as between 30 and 40. Living with him was one female (his wife, probably) aged between 20 and 30; also 2 females aged from 5 to 10 and 2 females aged under 5 years. William and Nancy Sparks were the parents of nine known children, order of birth not known, as follows:

44.4.3.1 Luanna Sparks, daughter of William and Nancy Sparks, was born in Kentucky during the1820's. She was married in 1839 in Johnson County, Indiana, to William Hogg (marriage bond dated April 25, 1839). They moved to Missouri and were the parents of 16 children.

44.4.3.2 Katherine T. Sparks, called Kate, daughter of William and Nancy, was born sometime during the 1820's, was married in 1846 in Johnson County, Indiana, to Barton S. Dunham (marriage bond dated January 30, 1846). He was called Bart. They are known to have had three children.

44.4.3.3 Fanny Jane Sparks, daughter of William and Nancy Sparks, was born sometime during the1820's, and was married in 1847 in Johnson County, Indiana, to Richard Furgeson (or Ferguson), (marriage bond dated May 20, 1847). They were the parents of five children.

44.4.3.4 James Sparks, son of William and Nancy Sparks, was born ca. 1831 in Indiana and was married in 1850 in Johnson County, Indiana, to Elizabeth Richmond (marriage bond dated January 16, 1850). She was born in Kentucky ca. 1827. They moved to Grinnell, Iowa, and are known to have had at least five children:

44.4.3.4.1 Andrew Sparks,
44.4.3.4.2 Bart Sparks,
44.4.3.4.3 Crawford Sparks,
44.4.3.4.4 Abigal Sparks. She married Nelson Frost,
44.4.3.4.5 Fanny Sparks. She married John Sloan.

44.4.3.5 Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of William and Nancy Sparks, was born ca. 1833 in Indiana; he was married, first, to A. P. Leggins by whom she is known to have had eight children. She was married, second, to Marshall Schrongham by whom she had two children.

44.4.3.6 Edward Sparks, son of William and Nancy Sparks, was born March 20, 1836, in Indiana and died on November 10, 1933, in Maysville, Dekalb County, Missouri. He was married twice. He was married first to Elizabeth A. Pitcher in 1856 (marriage bond dated March 24, 1856). She had one child, but both she and the child died. Edward married, second, Mary Ann Bittner in 1857 (Johnson County, Ind., marriage bond dated November 25, 1857). She was born October 22, 1840, in Indiana and died on November 3, 1932, in Maysville, Missouri; she was a daughter of Jacob and Deborah (Huntsinger) Bittner. The marriage of Edward Sparks and Mary Ann Bittner was performed by the Rev. John W. Ragsdale on November 27, 1857.

Edward Sparks was usually called by his nickname, 'Ned.' In 1863, he moved to Missouri and the following year to Iowa, then back to Indiana. In the early 1890's, Edward and Mary Ann moved to Missouri where two of their married children were living. When Edward was in his sixties, he met with a serious accident. He and Mart Thomas had driven a team to Maysville, Missouri, and on the way home the horses ran away. The men were thrown out of the buggy and Edward's hip was broken. There was no one to set it, and it was believed that he was too seriously hurt to recover. He did recover, however, and spent the last thirty years ot his life in a wheel chair. In 1932, Edward became confined to his bed and Mary Ann cared for him although she was almost blind, but very alert. She died on November 3, 1932, and was buried at Fairport Cemetery near Maysville. When friends and neighbors came to call on Edward following his wife's death, he told them, 'We walked hand in hand for 75 years. Now she has found a better hand.' Edward died a year later, on November 10, 1933, and was buried next to his beloved wife. They were the parents of the following children:

44.4.3.6.1 Martha M. Sparks, born June 3, 1861, in Indiana, and died June 12, 1938, in Indiana; she married Willis Ault. They had two children:

44.4.3.6.1.1 Chester Ault and
44.4.3.6.1.2 Dora Ault.

44.4.3.6.2 Margaret C. Sparks, born April 16, 1863, in Johnson Co., Ind., and died September 28, 1934, in Urbana, Benton County, Iowa. She married William Petro and had the following children:

44.4.3.6.2.1 Vida Opal Petro,
44.4.3.6.2.2 Earl McDonald Petro,
44.4.3.6.2.3 Bertha Ann Petro,
44.4.3.6.2.4 Victor Irvine Petro,
44.4.3.6.2.5 LeRoy Ralphard Petro,
44.4.3.6.2.6 Tilson Petro,
44.4.3.6.2.7 Leona Petro,
44.4.3.6.2.8 Elbie Petro,
44.4.3.6.2.9 Covie Petro,
44.4.3.6.2.10 Ruth Petro, and
44.4.3.6.2.11 Lois Cecile Petro.

44.4.3.6.3 Breckenridge Sparks, born June 18, 1865, in Iowa, died September 24, 1935, in Maysville, Missouri. He married Ida Urich. They had children named

44.4.3.6.3.1 Lawrence Sparks,
44.4.3.6.3.2 Edith Sparks,
44.4.3.6.3.3 Harlan Sparks,
44.4.3.6.3.4 Donald Sparks,
44.4.3.6.3.5 Lois Sparks, and
44.4.3.6.3.6 Forest Sparks.

44.4.3.6.4 Lucy B. Sparks, born April 17, 1868, in Iowa, died January 5, 1894; she married FNU Keller and lived in St. Joseph, Missouri. They had one son, named

44.4.3.6.4.1 Phillip Keller.

44.4.3.6.5 Jacob Sparks, born August 29, 1881, in Indiana. He married Myrtle Beckwith and had children named

44.4.3.6.5.1 Fern Sparks,
44.4.3.6.5.2 Loren Sparks and
44.4.3.6.5.3 Carl Sparks.

44.4.3.7 William Sparks, Jr., son of William and Nancy Sparks, was born ca. 1839 in Johnson County, Indiana. He was married in 1859 in Johnson County to Miranda Whitaker, (marriage bond dated May 31, 1859.) The middle initial of William Sparks, Jr., was given as 'C' on the marriage bond and as 'W' on the 1850 census. He died in a Soldiers' home in Arkansas. He had two sons and two daughters.

44.4.3.8 Margaret Ann Sparks, daughter of William and Nancy Sparks, was born in Indiana in September 1841; she died on January 15, 1861, and was buried in the Bethlehem Cemetery in Johnson County, Indiana. Her age on her tombstone is given as 19 years, 3 months and 27 days. She had married Jesse Bolt and is known to have had one son. She probably died at the time this son was born.

44.4.3.9 Absolom Sparks, son of William and Nancy Sparks, was born March 10, 1844, and died on August 23, 1932. He married Mary Ellen Dine in April 1865. She was born February 6, 1849 and died on December 22, 1927. They were the parents of four children:

44.4.3.9.1 Rebecca Catherine Sparks, born January 31, 1866, and died October 10, 1933. She married Lewis Allen and had seven children.
44.4.3.9.2 Margaret Anna Sparks, born January 5, 1868, and died November 6, 1878. She was buried in the Bethlehem Cemetery in Johnson Co., Ind.
44.4.3.9.3 Joseph Ambrose Sparks, born October 22, 1869, and died in 1946. He married Effie Oliver on January 16, 1901. He was called 'Brose' and lived in Morgantown, Ind. He and Effie had one son,

44.4.3.9.3.1 Lloyd Oliver Sparks, born May 15, 1902.

44.4.3.9.4 William Alonzo Sparks, born November 6, 1871. He married Lizzie Jacobs. They had two daughters,

44.4.3.9.4.1 Pearlie Marie Sparks who married Arnold Smith and
44.4.3.9.4.2 Violet Hazel Sparks who married Bert Nevil.

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