January 22, 2022
Pages 4794-4804
Whole Number 177
UNION SOLDIERS NAMED SPARKS WHO APPLIED
OR WHOSE HEIRS APPLIED
FOR PENSIONS FOR SERVICE IN THE CIVIL WAR
[Editor's Note: From time to time, we have been publishing abstracts of pension application files for Union soldiers who served in the Civil War. (Confederate soldiers could not qualify for federal pensions.) A great many Union veterans, or their widows (sometimes their parents and their children), received pensions from the U.S. Government based on their military service.
Congress was increasingly generous in providing pensions for Civil War veterans and their widows as the years went by, and as their numbers became smaller. The organization known as the GAR was a powerful lobby in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in obtaining benefits for its members.
[The papers comprising each applicant's file, including rejected applications, are preserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and many of them contain fascinating information, not only about the nature of the individual's military service, but about his family as well.
[We have an index of all of the pension files for persons named Sparks that was compiled for us many years ago. Using a special form provided by the National Archives, and for a fee of $10.00, one can request copies of what are called the "selected papers" from a given file. These are the papers in the file, usually no more than ten sheets, that have been selected because they are the papers thought to be most significant from a genealogical point of view. It is also posssible to obtain xerox copies of the papers in an individual's "non-selected file" as well, but this separate file can cost from $10.00 to $50.00, depending upon its size. In most instances, the papers in the "non-selected files" are of a rather routine nature, but sometimes they can be quite helpful, especially where the veteran or his widow had difficulty proving his/her service, identity, or relationship, and neighbors or relatives provided depositions.
[Dr. Paul E. Sparks, President of our Association, has obtained many of the "selected files" for pensioners named Sparks and has abstracted them for publication in the Quarterly, beginning with the September 1967 issue, Whole No. 59. We will continue to use these as space permits, adding in editorial notes any genealogical information that we may have regarding the soldier and his family.]
32.1.8.2.4 WILLIAM H. SPARKS, son of 32.1.8.2 Richard and Mildred Ann (Satterwhite) Sparks, was born March 10, 1845, in Shelby County, Indiana, and died December 26, 1923. He appears never to have been married. He served in Company M, 1st Regiment Indiana Heavy Artillery. File Designation: Inv. Cert. No. 213,113.
On December 22, 1879, William H. Sparks, aged 34, a resident of Edinburg, Johnson County, Indiana, made a request for an Invalid Pension. He stated that he had enlisted on September 29, 1863, in Company M, 1st Regiment Indiana Heavy Artillery, commanded by Capt. S. E. Armstrong, and had served until he had been mustered out of the service at Indianapolis, Indiana, on January 20, 1866.
At the siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama, on April 5, 1865, he had received a gunshot wound over his left eye. He had been treated for the injury from April 8 to May 20 at the Barracks Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, but he now suffered so badly from partial blindness and vertigo that he could not perform his occupation as a cooper. He appointed Nathan W. Fitzgerald, Washington, D.C., as his attorney. Oliver P. Ferguson and James A. Berry witnessed his signature, and the declaration was sworn to before Thomas Hardin, Clerk of the Johnson County [Indiana] Circuit Court.
The War Department confirmed Sparks's military service on April 29, 1882. He had been enrolled as a private in Company M, 1st Regiment Indiana Heavy Artillery, on September 29, 1863, at Indianapolis, Indiana. He had been present for duty until April 8, 1865, when he had been reported as "Absent - in General Hospital New Orleans. Wounded in forehead by bullet at Spanish Fort, April 8, 1865." He had been returned to duty on May 20, 1865, and had been present until he was mustered out with his company on January 10, 1866.
Sparks was issued Invalid Certificate No. 213,113, and he was placed upon the pension roll at the rate of $2.00 per month. On June 2, 1883, he applied for an increase in his pension, claiming that he had been "rated" too low for his disability. Jerome B. Aull and James Wiles, both of Shelbyville, Indiana, witnessed his signature. His request was denied.
Sparks applied again for an increase in his pension on November 10, 1884. He was now 39 years of age and a resident of Martinsville, Indiana. He claimed that he had been unjustly rated since his disability had rendered him almost totally disabled to perform any manual labor. He appointed Jarvis J. Hilton of Martinsville, Indiana, as his attorney. A. B. Walker and Alvin L. Cure witnessed his signature. The Bureau of Pensions increased his pension to $8.00 per month.
by July 1899, Sparks was living in the National Military Home in Grant County, Indiana, where he completed a questionnaire from the Bureau of Pensions. He stated that he was not married nor did he have any children. William H. Sparks applied for increased pension benefits on March 3, 1909, under the provisions of the 1907 Act of Congress. He was now 63 years of age and a resident of Franklin, Indiana. He said he had been 5 feet, 8 inches tall when he entered service; that he had a light complexion, blue eyes, and dark hair; and, he was a cooper. He had been born on March 10, 1845, at Shelbyville, Indiana. John C. Bergen and Harry E. Smock witnessed his signature.
When William H. Sparks died December 26, 1923, he was receiving a pension of $50.00 per month.
[Editor's Note: See page 4771 of this Issue of the Sparks Quarterly for further information regarding William H. Sparks and his branch of the Sparks family.]
47.5.5.4.4 RUFUS T. SPARKS, son of 47.5.5.4 Freeman G. and Emily J. (Trussell) Sparks, was born April 21, 1841, at Orland, Maine. He died March 29, 1906. He married Ellen Elvira Remick on November 1, 1865, in LaSalle County, Illinois. He served In Companies A & F, 64th Regiment Illinois Infantry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 472,191; Wid. Cert. No. 613,559.
Rufus T. Sparks filed an application for an invalid pension on June 13, 1889; however, no copy of the application was Included among the "selected papers" from his pension file provided by the National Archives. At the time he made his application, he was a resident of Greene County, Iowa.
A few days after Rufus T. Sparks made his application for a pension, Dr. J. T Stewart, Peoria, Illinois, advised the Bureau of Pensions as follows:
I would like to assist Mr. Sparks in getting a pension but don't see how I can. The probability is I treated him at the times and places he alleges and for what he says I did, but I cannot remember it. That was more than a quarter of a century ago and at a time I was overrun with work, treating men by the hundreds.
Dr. Stewart signed his letter as "Late Surgeon, 64th Regt. Illinois Volunteer Infantry."
On October 28, 1889, Thomas Smith, age 55, and Emily A. Smith, age 52, both residents of West Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, testified that Sparks had boarded with them for two years after the close of the War in 1865. Sparks was a brother of Mrs. Smith; he was four years younger that she. The Smiths said that Sparks was sick and under the doctor's care with diarrhea and constipation. After he left them, he moved into a house across the street where he continued to have severe health problems and which caused him to move west for his health.
Records of the War Department confirmed Sparks's military service as well as his health problems. He had been enrolled on September 15, 1861, in Company A, 64th Regiment Illinois Infantry and had been mustered out with his regiment on July 11, 1865, as a first lieutenant in Company F. During his service, he had been treated for dysentery and chronic diarrhea at least twelve times and had been returned to duty. He was hospitalized at Mound City, Illinois, Evansville, Indiana, and Rome, Georgia. He had been promoted to corporal in July 1862, to sergeant in March 1864, and to lieutenant in the spring of 1865.
The Bureau of Pensions issued Invalid Certificate No. 472,191 to Rufus T. Sparks, and he was placed upon the pension roll.
On July 4, 1898, Sparks responded to a questionnaire from the Bureau of Pensions. He stated that he had been married to Ellen Elvira Remick by Edd Batchelder in LaSalle County, Illinois, on November 1, 1865. It had been the first marriage for both. Two children had been born to them:
47.5.5.4.4.1 Bertha E. Sparks, born April 20, 1880.
47.5.5.4.4.2 Francis R. Sparks, born July 4, 1882.
Rufus Sparks died March 29, 1906, and on the following day his widow, Ellen E. Sparks, made a declaration for a widow's pension. She was 63 years of age and a resident of Iowa City, Iowa. She stated that she and Sparks had been married in Freedom, Illinois, on November 1, 1865, by the Rev. Ed Batchelder, a Methodist minister.
[Note that on his questionnaire in 1898, Rufus had spelled the minister's name as "Batchelder."] Her maiden name had been Ellen Elvira Remick. The declaration was witnessed by Jesse Cole, Chaplain, and Rufus Snippin, Sergeant-Major, of the Iowa Soldiers Home, Marshalltown, Iowa.
On June 15, 1906, L. B. Remick and John McCarthy, both residents of Jefferson, Iowa, made a joint affidavit to support Mrs. Sparks's application. They stated that she was without any means of support since her husband had left her with no insurance nor property of any kind. They went on to say that the reason Rufus T. Sparks had gone to the Iowa Soldiers Home was because he had been unable to support himself or his family.
The Bureau of Pensions issued Widow's Certificate No. 613,559, and Ellen E. Sparks was placed on the pension roll. When she died February 21, 1919, she was receiving $25.00 per month. Her daughter, Bertha E. Sparks, age 28, applied for reimbursement in the amount of $249 for the last expenses and burial of her mother. She explained that there were no medical expenses because her mother had been attended by her son, who was a physician. Nothing was included among the "selected papers" this case to reveal whether Bertha Sparks was reimbursed for these expenses.
[Editor's Note: For further details on the life and ancestry of Rufus T. Sparks, see page 2147 of the September 1979 issue of the Sparks Quarterly, Whole No. 107.]
JAMES B. SPARKS, son of FNU and Rebecca Sparks, was born, according to his statement in 1907, in September 1830, at Newark, Ohio. He married (first) Elizabeth Saultus and (second) to Mrs. Mahala (Grigsby) Roberts. He served in Company E, 135th Regiment Ohio Infantry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 894,193; Wid. Cert. No. 714,905.
James B. Sparks made application for an invalid pension on August 7, 1890, but his original application is not among the "selected paper" from his pension file provided by the National Archives. The earliest document among these papers is his affidavit made at Clinton, Vermillion County, Indiana, on April 18, 1891, in which he stated that he had served as a private in Company E, 135th Regiment Ohio Infantry. In May or June 1864, at Snickers Gap, Maryland, he had been helping to build breastworks out of large rocks, and he received a rupture in the groin. He was absent from duty about one month, during which time he had been treated by the Regimental Surgeon, Dr. Gregory; he had then returned to duty. Since that time, he stated, he had suffered chronic pain and disability from the injury.
On August 17, 1894, the War Department confirmed Sparks's service. He had been enrolled in Company E, 135th Regiment Ohio Infantry on May 2, 1864, and had been mustered out on September 1, 1864, at Camp Chase, Ohio. No medical records could be found; however, the Bureau of Pensions approved Sparks's claim, and he was granted a pension under Invalid Certificate No. 894,193.
Sparks responded to a questionnaire from the Bureau of Pensions on May 4, 1898. He stated that he had been married to Mahala C. Grigsby on October 18, 1883, in Parke County, Indiana, by Silas Taylor, a justice of the peace. Prior to this marriage, he had been married to Elizabeth Saultus, who had died in 1878 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Seven children had been born to that first marriage:
Charles Sparks, born 1851.
Mary Sparks, born 1853.
William Sparks, born 1856.
John Sparks, born 1860.
Netter Sparks, born 1864.
Jennie Sparks, born 1866.
Cora Sparks, born 1871.
On February 5, 1903, James B. Sparks, now age 74, a resident of Lyford, Parke County, Indiana, made an affidavit stating that he had also served in Company E, 135th Regiment Ohio National Guards for some time prior to his enlistment in the United States Army, but he could not remember the dates and had no means of getting them. The affidavit was notarized by Rose M. Johnson, a notary public.
On March 13, 1907, James B. Sparks made application for increased pension benefits under the 1907 Act of Congress. He stated that he had enlisted at Newark, Ohio, on May 2, 1864; that he had been 5 feet, 6 inches tall; that he had a dark complexion, blue eyes, and dark hair; and he was a farmer. He had been born in September 1830 at Newark, Ohio, but he had lived in Parke County, Indiana, since leaving the service. Briscoe Harrison and James Harrison, residents of Clinton, Indiana, witnessed his signature.
When James B. Sparks died at Lyford, Indiana, on February 15, 1910, he was receiving a pension of $20.00 per month. According to information furnished to the Indiana Department of Health by Mrs. Frank Dunlap of Clinton, Indiana, James B. Sparks had been born on December 27, 1831, in Ohio. The name of his father was not known to Mrs. Dunlap. [It would seem probable that she was a daughter of James B. Sparks.] In the space provided on the death certificate for "Mother's Maiden Name," the name "Rebecca Sparks" was entered.
On February 25, 1910, Mahala C. Sparks, age 76, widow of James B. Sparks, made application for a widow's pension. She stated that she and Sparks had been married on October 18, 1883. Both of them had been married once before; she married Sparks under the name of Mahala Roberts. Carrie Brookbank and Benjamin F. Harrison witnessed her make her mark as her signature.
Mrs. Mary Scratcher, age 57, of Clinton, Indiana, testified in October 1910 that she had known Mahala C. Sparks and her first husband, James Roberts, for several years prior to his death on December 15, 1875. She stated that after his death, Mrs. Roberts had been married only one time, and that was to James B. Sparks.
On October 22, 1910, Mrs. Sparks also made a supporting affidavit to her claim. She stated that she was now 77 years of age and lived in Troy, Doniphan County, Kansas. She stated that her first husband had never served in the United States Army or Navy. John Engle and Sarah Engle witnessed her make her mark. On September 21, 1911, Mary F. Lake, age 55, a resident of Lyford, Indiana, swore that she was a daughter of Mahala C. Sparks by her first husband, James Roberts, and that her mother had been married only twice, first to Roberts and then to James Sparks.
Mahala C. Sparks was issued a widow's pension under Widow Certificate No.714,905. When she died April 27, 1920, she was receiving a pension of $25.00 per month.
CHARLES H. SPARKS, son of Lewis Gilbert and Hester Ann Sparks, was born ca. 1844, probably in Talbot County, Maryland. He died August 24, 1864. He served in Company E, 19th Regiment U.S. Colored Infantry. File designation: Mother's Cert. No. 388,711.
On April 15, 1870, Hester Ann Sparks, age 43, a resident of Bridgetown, Maryland, applied for a mother's pension. She stated that she was the mother of Charles H. Sparks who had served in Company E, 19th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops from January 1, 1864, until his death on August 24, 1864, from wounds received in battle. She said her son had left no widow nor minor children under the age of sixteen. She had been married to Lewis Gilbert, the father of her son, by "cohabitation" at Long March, Maryland. Gilbert had left her a widow on or about January 18, 1855, by "leaving the place;" she had no record of her marriage.
John Kearney and Thomas Kearney, both residents of Bridgetown, Maryland, swore that Hester Ann Sparks had been recognized by Lewis Gilbert as his lawful wife and that she was so recognized In the community where they resided. The affidavit was sworn to before Thomas H. Kempcer.
On January 9, 1873, the War Department confirmed the military service of Charles H. Sparks. He had been enrolled on January 1, 1864, in Queen Annes County, Maryland, as a sergeant in Company E, 19th U.S. Colored Troops, to serve for three years. The muster roll of that company for July and August 1864 carried the following record: "Died August 24, 1864, at Philadelphia, PA, of gunshot wounds received in action on July 30, 1864."
Apparently the Bureau of Pensions continued to ask for further information about the marriage of Hester Ann Sparks and Lewis Gilbert for several years. On May 5, 1888, Joseph H. Gray, James A. Roe, Harrison Hicks, and Asbury Webb, neighbors of Hester A. Sparks, made a joint affidavit to support her claim. They said they had known her from 1859 to 1888. Charles H. Sparks, her son, was the son of Lewis Gilbert and was so recognized and regarded by their neighbors and acquaintances. Charles H. Sparks had never married, and was his mother's main support before he entered the service. He had worked for Mr. Charles Jerrell of Caroline County, Maryland, for $2.50 per month. Lewis Gilbert had left the community and was believed to be dead. Hester Ann Sparks had not remarried, nor did she own any property. Her only income was what she earned by her own work.
Mother's Certificate No. 388,711 was issued to Hester Ann Sparks, and she was placed upon the pension roll (date not sent with this file from the National Archives). When she died June 9, 1907, she was receiving a pension of $12.00 per month.
GEORGE G. SPARKS, son of Thomas and Rebecca Sparks, was born ca. 1836 in Chippenham, England. He married Ann Keyes on March 13, 1869, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He served in Company H, 48th Regiment New York Infantry and in Company I, 9th Regiment, 1st Battalion, V.R.C. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 32,267; Wid. Cert. No. 363,723.
First Sergeant George G. Sparks was given a Certificate of Disability for Discharge on June 25, 1864, at Camp Fry, Washington, D.C. He was a member of Capt. John H. Meyer's Company I of the 9th Regiment, 1st Battalion, of the United States Veteran Reserve Corps. He had enlisted in the 48th Regiment New York Volunteers at Black Mills, New Jersey, on July 21, 1861, to serve for three years. He had been transferred to the 2nd Battalion V. R. C. on December 19, 1863, and to the 9th Regiment, 1st Battalion, V.R.C. on April 28, 1864. He had been born in Chippenham, England; he had been 28 years of age at his enlistment and he had been a laborer.
The Certificate of Disability was certified by Surgeon George MacKenzie, who said that Sparks was incapable of performing the duties of a soldier because of the loss of the thumb and second finger of his right hand while in the line of duty at Ft. Wagner, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863.
On June 27, 1864, Sparks applied for an invalid pension because of his disability. He was a resident of Black Mills, New Jersey. Philemon Fuller and Harry D. Bascom witnessed his signature.
On July 20, 1864, the Adjutant General's Office confirmed Sparks's military service. He had been enrolled as a sergeant on July 25, 1861, at Black Mills, New Jersey, in Company H, 48th Regiment New York Volunteers, to serve for three years. He was present for duty until the company report of August 1863, when he was reported as "absent--sick in hospital in NY since July 27, 1863, from wounds received in action." He was transferred to the 1st Company, 2nd Battalion, Veterans Reserve Corps, on December 17, 1863, by orders from Washington, D.C.
On March 2, 1865, Sparks asked for a replacement of his Certificate of Pension No. 32,267, which he had lost and which entitled him to a pension of $5.00 per month. On March 11, 1882, his pension was increased to $16.00 per month.
In July 1898, Sparks returned a questionnaire to the Bureau of Pensions. He stated that he had been married to Ann Keyes at Freehold, New Jersey, on March 13, 1869, by the Rev. A. Sidney Dealey, rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church. He and his wife had four children:
Jennie R. Sparks, born 3 February 1870.
George T. Sparks, born March 4, 1872.
Eddie G. Sparks, born January 2, 1874.
Charles L. Sparks, born June 6, 1876.
George G. Sparks died July 30, 1904, at Freehold, New Jersey, and he was buried in the Maplewood Cemetery. On August 9, 1904, his widow, Ann Sparks, applied for a widow's pension. She appointed John W. Hulse as her attorney. Jennie Sparks and Garret H. Denise witnessed her signature.
On October 17, 1904, Howard E. Thompson sent a copy of the marriage record of George G. Sparks and Ann Keyes from the Register of St. Peter's Parish at Freehold, New Jersey. The record showed that they had been married on March 13, 1869.
Widow Certificate No. 636,723 was issued to Ann Sparks, and she was placed upon the pension roll. When she died October 7, 1915, she was receiving a pension of $12.00 per month.
ISAAC SPARKS, was born ca. 1839/1840 in Kent County, Delaware. He was probably a son of Bennett and Sarah Sparks. He died on March 16, 1893. He married Mary L. Burris (or Burrows) on February 22, 1866. He served in Company D, 1st Regiment Delaware Infantry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 822,673; Wid. Cert. No. 374,310.
Isaac Sparks applied for an invalid pension as early as December 1879, but apparently no pension was issued to him until after May 1892. On June 11, 1881, his military service was confirmed by the War Department. He had enlisted on September 7, 1861, at Milford, Kent County, Delaware, in Company D, 1st Regiment Delaware Infantry for three years. He reenlisted as a Veteran Volunteer on January 14, 1864, and was present for duty until May 1864 when he was reported "absent." He was mustered out with his company on July 12, 1865.
On July 31, 1882, Sparks, a resident of New Castle County, Delaware, made an affidavit to support his claim. He stated that during the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, he had contracted a severe cold from exposure, and within a short time inflammation started in his jaw, and a running sore developed. An operation was performed by Dr. White, the Army Surgeon, who was assisted by Dr. Jones. Sparks claimed that he still suffered from the diseased jaw, and that at times it kept him from doing his daily labors. F. R. Smith and Henry McMullen witnessed him make his mark, and the affidavit was sworn to before S. Rodman Funk, Clerk of New Castle County Court.
On April 6, 1891, Sparks completed another declaration for an invalid pension under the 1890 Act of Congress. He was now 51 years old and lived in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. He stated that he had enlisted in Company D, 1st Regiment Delaware Infantry on May 15, 1861, and had been promoted to corporal in 1864. He had been discharged at Munson Hill, Virginia, on July 15, 1865. He said he suffered from a disease of the lower jaw. He appointed Soule & Co., Washington, D.C., as his attorneys. He gave his mailing address as Roaches Shipyard, Chester, Pennsylvania. Thomas D. Nelling and Gilbert Henry witnessed him affix his signature, which he made by printing the letters.
An invalid pension was issued to Sparks under Invalid Certificate No. 822,673, but he did not live very long after the approval, for he died March 16, 1893. His widow, Mary L. Sparks, age 49, a resident of Chester, Pennsylvania, made application on April 4, 1893, for a Widow's Pension. She stated that she had been married to Sparks on February 22, 1866, in Philadelphia by the Rev. Samuel W. Thomas. It was the first marriage for both. Three of their seven children were still under the age of sixteen. They were:
James G. Sparks, born July 4, 1881.
Dela M. Sparks, born March 9, 1886. twins:
Laura M. Sparks, born March 9, 1886.
She appointed John Wainwright, Wilmington, Delaware, as her attorney. Alfred C. Sparks and Alexander M. Sparks witnessed her make her signature by mark.
The Philadelphia Health Office sent the Bureau of Pensions a copy of the marriage record of Isaac Sparks and Mary L. Burrows. At the time of the marriage, Sparks had been 23 years old and had been born in Milford, Kent County, Delaware. Mary Burrows had been 20 years old; she had been born in Milton, Delaware. They had been married by S. W. Thomas, a Methodist minister.
Mary A. Henry, age 62, and Sarah Cummins, age 50, both residents of Chester, Pennsylvania, made undated affidavits concerning the births of the three youngest children of Isaac and Mary L. Sparks. Mrs. Henry said she had been present when James G. Sparks had been born July 4, 1881, and Mrs. Cummins made a similar statement about the births of Laura M. and Dela M. Sparks. Both women swore that the three were children of Isaac and Mary L. Sparks. Harry S. Riley and Annie L. Sparks witnessed them make their marks.
Alexander M. Sparks, age 49, and Alfred C. Sparks, age 23, both residents of Wilmington, Delaware, made an undated affidavit to support the claim of Mary L. Sparks. They stated that they had been intimately acquainted with Isaac Sparks, the husband of Mary L. Sparks, for 40 years and 19 years, respectively. After his death on March 16, 1893, Mary L. Sparks had not remarried, but had worked hard to keep her family together. She owned no real estate or personal property. She and Isaac Sparks had reared a family of seven children and were highly regarded and respected. Both of the Sparks men stated that, although they had the same surname, they had no blood relationship to Isaac or Mary L. Sparks. Allen T. Lewis and Z. A. Van Devonter witnessed their signatures.
On August 1, 1907, Mary L. Sparks, age 63, a pensioner under Widow's Certificate No. 374,310, made application for a child who was permanently helpless. She stated that her son, James G. Sparks, had lost his left arm up to his elbow when he was thirteen years of age while working in a cotton mill in Chester, Pennsylvania, and that he had been rendered permanently helpless. Sarah P. Walls and Albertus B. Stayton witnessed her make her mark.
The Board of Health of Chester, Pennsylvania, sent a record of the death of Isaac Sparks to the Bureau of Pensions on November 7, 1907. He had died from an abscess of the lungs on March 16, 1893, at the age of 53 years. A coachman by occupation, he had been buried in the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware.
When Mary L. Sparks died December 18, 1922, she was receiving a pension of $30.00 per month. Her daughter, Laura M. Driscoll, made application for reimbursement of expenses incurred during her mother's last illness and burial. Mrs. Driscoll said her mother died of a stroke; she had been under the attendance of Dr. W. E. Postles. Mrs. Robert R. Smith and Mrs. R. A. Harris, residents of Wilmington, witnessed her signature, and the application was notarized by Albert us B. Stayton, a notary public.
[Editor's Note: There can be little doubt that the Isaac Sparks of this pension application was the same Isaac Sparks, age 9, who was shown on the 1850 census of Kent County, Maryland, in the household of Bennett and Sarah Sparks.(See pages 2896-99 of the June 1986 issue of the Sparks Quarterly, Whole No. 134 for a record of Sparkses on the 1850 census of Delaware.)
Bennett Sparks was shown as a "Shoemaker" on the 1850 census of Kent County, Delaware. His age was given as 44, indicating that he had been born ca. 1806. He was a native of Maryland. Sarah Sparks was a native of Delaware; her age was given as 49 years, thus born ca. 1801. Besides Isaac Sparks, age 9, there was 7-year-old Alexander Sparks in the same household, both having been born in Delaware. Both were surely sons of Bennett and Sarah Sparks. Also living in their household in 1850 was 4-year-old Andrew Jenkins.]