August 4, 2023

Pages 5414-5430
Whole Number 191

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 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 poor health andlor financial need resulting from 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 Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a powerful lobby in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in obtaining benefits for its members and their families.

[The papers comprising each applicant's file, including rejected applications, are preserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and many of them con tain 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 not 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 possible to obtain photo copies of the papers in an individual's "non-selected file" as well, but this separate collection can cost as much as $50.00 (or more), 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 when neighbors, former army comrades, or relatives were called upon for depositions.

[In the Quarterly of September 1967, Whole No.59, we began publishing abstracts of the "selected files" of Union soldiers named Sparks. We will continue to use these as space permits, adding editorial notes of any genealogical information that we may have regarding the soldier and his family.

JAMES A. SPARKS was born ca. 1838. He died July 16, 1893, in Claiborne County, Tennessee. He married (first) Mary MNU (second) Elizabeth Gibson on June 26, 1862, in Knox County, Kentucky. He served in Company K, 49th Regiment Kentucky Infantry. File Designation: Inv. Cert. No.493,358; Wid. Cert. No. 412,219; and Minor Cert. No.444,448.

James A. Sparks applied for an Invalid Pension prior to February 11, 1888, but his application is not included in the "selected papers" from his pension file. It was on February 11, 1888, that the Bureau of Pensions requested the War Depart ment to furnish the mIlitary records for James A. Sparks, including any hospital treatment. The War Department responded on March 1, 1888, stating that Sparks had been enrolled on October 15, 1863. in Knox County, Kentucky, in Company K, 49th Regiment Kentucky Infantry for a period of one year, and he had been mustered out of service with his company on December 26, 1864, at Lexington, Kentucky. There was no record of any disability; however, the Regimental Hospital records were not on file at the War Department.

Sparks did not receive approval for a pension based on his first application, but on July 10, 1890, he made another. He was now 52 years old and a resident of Speedwell, Claiborne County, Tennessee. He claimed that in November 1863, he had developed piles while stationed at Somerset, Kentucky. He also had been troubled with an attack of catarrh at Burnside, Kentucky, in July 1864 and with rheumatism while at Lexington in September 1864. All of these ailments had been brought on by exposure and hard service, according to Sparks. He stated that at the time of his enlistment, he was 6 feet tall and of fair complexion, with dark hair and blue eyes. He appointed George D. Lemon of Washington, D. C., as his attorney to assist him in obtaining a pension. Jonathan Large and J. P. Kivett witnessed him make his mark on his application; he swore to its truthfulness before A. J. Francisco, clerk of Claiborne County, Tennessee.

With his second application, Sparks included three supporting affidavits. Joseph Gibson, age 66, a resident of Bell County, Kentucky, stated that he had been a corporal in Sparks's company during the War and he knew that Sparks had contracted catarrh and rheumatism while in the service. He stated that, whlie he was related to Sparks by marriage, he had no personal interest in the prosecution of his claim. Thomas J. Ingram, age 64, also of Bell County, Kentucky, stated that he knew Sparks's statements to be true for he had been Sparks's commanding officer during his term of service. William M. Mason, age 31, of Speedwell, Tennessee, and a neighbor of Sparks, testified that Sparks's health was so poor that he was sometimes confined to his bed by ailments and that at one time he had been unable to work for six months.

These affidavits apparently convinced the Bureau of Pensions that Sparks was deserving of a pension, which was issued to him under Invalid Certificate No. 493,358. He died July 16, 1893.

On August 8, 1893, Elizabeth Sparks, age 53, a resident of Speedwell, Tennessee, and the widow of James A. Sparks, made application for a Widow's Pension. She stated that she and Sparks had been married on June 26, 1862. It had been her first marriage, but Sparks had been married previously to a woman named Mary (her surname not known), who had been killed in a railroad wreck. A daughter of James A. and Elizabeth Sparks named Louisa Sparks, born June 19, 1884, had been under the age of 16 when James A. Sparks had died. W. S. Wilson and J. H. Russell witnessed Elizabeth Sparks make her mark on her application. She was issued a pension under Widow's Certificate No. 412,219.

Elizabeth (Gibson) Sparks married (second) W. Henderson Tolliver on August 25, 1895, and Henry Keck was appointed guardian of Louisa Sparks, minor child of James A. and Elizabeth Sparks. On September 29, 1896, Keck applied for a pension for his ward, and Louisa Sparks was issued a pension under Minor Certificate No. 444,448. She continued to receive her monthly payments until June 15, 1900, when they were terminated because of "legal termination."

The last document (in chronological order) included in the "selected papers" from this pension file is a Declaration for a Remarried Widow's Pension which was completed by Elizabeth Tolliver on July 23, 1919. She was now 73 years of age and a resident of Claiborne County, Tennessee. She stated that she had formerly received a pension as the widow of James A. Sparks, but it had been terminated with her second marriage to Henderson Tolilver in 1895. Tolliver had died December 1, 1918, which again had left her a widow. She now applied for the reinstatement of her pension under an act of Congress in 1916. No document is included among the "selected papers" from this file to reveal whether her application was approved, nor when Elizabeth died.

[Editor's Note: Our only record of James A. Sparks other than the above pension documents is contained in the 1870 census of Bell County, Kentucky. He was shown as head of his household, his post office being Pineville. He was 35 years old, a native of Tennessee, and a farmer. His wife, Elizabeth, was 23; she had been born in Kentucky. Living in their household in 1870 were three children, all born in Kentucky. They were:

1. Sarah A. Sparks, age 6;
2. John F. Sparks, age 4; and
3. Joseph Sparks, age one year.]

JOHN W. SPARKS, son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Lawrence) Sparks, was born ca. 1843 in Hendricks County, Indiana. He served in Company I, 2nd Regiment Indiana Infantry and Company F, 7th Regiment Indiana Cavalry. He died May 2, 1864. File Designations: Mother's Cert. No. 94,630; Father's Cert. No. 191,485.

On February 20, 1866, Elizabeth Sparks age 64, a resident of Hendricks County, Indiana, made a declaration for a Mother's Army Pension. She stated that she was the mother of John W. Sparks who had enlisted on July 1, 1861 at Plainfield, Indiana, as a private in, Company I, commanded by Captain James M. Lytle, of the 20th Regiment Indiana Infantry, and that he had served until his death on May 1, 1864, at Memphis, Tennessee, of the smallpox.  She stated that she had been dependent upon her son for her support because her husband was unable to to work. Her son had left no widow or child. She appointed W. W. Leathers of Indianapolis, Indiana, as her attorney to assist her in obtaining a pension. Adam Jones and Asa Hackett witnessed her make her mark on her application.

On March 3, 1866, Dr. Thomas Evans made an affidavit that Isaac Sparks, husband of Elizabeth Sparks and father of John W. Sparks who had died while in the military service, was unable to work because of old age and a "weakly" constitution. Joseph H. Dennis notarized the affidavit.

William H. Lakin testified on April 27, 1866, that he knew personally that when John W. Sparks had been in the army, he had sent money to his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Sparks. On April 30, 1866, Levi Ritter, clerk of Hendricks County, Indiana, sent a copy of the marriage record on file in his office; this showed that Isaac Sparks and Elizabeth Lawrence had been married on September 24, 1837, by David Vestal, a justice of the peace.

The War Department confirmed the military service of John W. Sparks on June 19, 1866. He had been enrolled on July 29, 1863, in Company C, 7th Regiment Indiana Cavalry to serve for three years. On the muster roll for May-June 1864, it was reported that he had "died in Smallpox Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, on May 2, 1864, of Smallpox."

The Adjutant General of the state of Indiana certified on October 20, 1866, that John W. Sparks had been enrolled as a private in Company I, 2nd Regiment Indiana lnfantry on July 22, 1861, at Lafayette, Indiana, by Col. T. J. Wood, mustering officer. He had been captured on the gunboat Fanny and had been "discharged honorably on May 22, 1862."

Mother's Certificate No. 94,630 was issued to Elizabeth Sparks, and she was placed upon the pension roll. She died July 10, 1878.

On August 24, 1878, Isaac Sparks, a resident of Plainfield, Indiana, made a declaration for a Father's Army Pension. He stated that he was the husband of Elizabeth Sparks and the father of John W. Sparks who had died while in the military service. His wife had died July 10, 1878, while receiving a pension based on the fact that their son had died in the U S. Army. Isaac Sparks requested that the pension now be transferred to himself because he could not earn his support. He appointed P. H. Fitzgerald & Co. of lndianapolis, Indiana, as his attorney to aid him in obtaining this pension. John Morgan and Moses Tomlinson witnessed him make his mark on the application.

Dr. Robert Lewis testified on June 9, 1879, that Isaac Sparks was totally unable to perform any work because of old age and sickness. On the same day, Margaret Tucker swore that she knew from personal knowledge that John W. Sparks, son of Isaac Sparks, had. been born in either 1843 or 1844. A month later, Hugh J. Jessup, the township assessor, and Ebenezer Tomlinson, a township trustee, both testified that the property of Isaac Sparks was worth less than fifty dollars, and that his total yearly earnings would amount to less than ten dollars.

In spite of the testimony to support his application. Isaac Sparks did not receive approval for a pension based on his first application, but on May 3, 1880, he re applied for a Father's Pension. He was now 73 years of age, still a resident of Plainfleld, Indiana. He recited all of his previous evidence, including his son's military record, and the fact that his (Isaac's) wife, Elizabeth, had drawn a pension for their son's service. He added that his son had never been married; that he had no brothers; that he had only one sister, who was older than John.  Adam Jones and Ebenezer Tomlinson witnessed Isaac Sparks make his mark on his second application.

Father's Certificate No. 191,485 was issued to Isaac Sparks, and he was placed on the pension roll. No further records from this pension file are included in the "selected papers."

[Editor's Note: The family of Isaac Sparks was enumerated on the 1840, 1850, and 1860 censuses of Hendricks County, Indiana. We have not searched later census records. From these, it appears that Isaac Sparks had been born ca. 1807 in North Carolina, and that his wife, Elizabeth, had been born ca. 1802 in Kentucky. Their marriage on September 26, 1837, was recorded in Hendricks County, in a volume labeled "Book 1 1/2." Elizabeth's surname is given in that record as Lawrence; but a descendant, Louise A. Korenski, has reported that Elizabeth was a widow when she married Isaac Sparks, so Lawrence was probably the surname of her first husband.

Census records support the statement of Isaac Sparks that John W. Sparks had no brothers and but one sister, who had been born before the birth of John W. Sparks. This was Mary Elizabeth Sparks who was shown as 11 years old on the 1850 census. She was married, at about age 17, on June 12, 1856, to William M. Jones (Book 5, p.83). (Mrs. Korenski stated in 1975 that this marriage ended in divorce shortly after the birth of a son.]

17.2.1.1.1 JOHN R. SPARKS, son of 17.2.1.1 Matthew Brooks and Nancy (Sutton) Sparks, born ca. 1806 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia; died December 15, 1898, in Macoupin County, Illinois. (See editor's note below for names of wives.) He served in Company K, 101st Regiment Illinois In fantry. File Designation: Inv. Cert. No.89991; Wid. Appl. No. 702,186.

[Editor's Note: As will be further explained in the editor's notes following this abstract of John R. Sparks's pension application, his service in the Civil War was unusual in that he was 56 years old when he volunteered to serve as a private. Furthermore, two of his sons also served in the same war and received pensions: Matthew Brooks Sparks and Royal G. Sparks. These sons' pension applications are abstracted in this issue of the Quarterly following that of their father.]

A copy of the "Certificate of Disability for Discharge" for John R. Sparks is in his pension file at the National Archives showing that he was discharged on september 28, 1864, at St. Louis, Missouri, because of old age and a hernia. He had enlisted at Jacksonville, Illinois, on September 1, 1862, in Company K, 101st Regiment Illinois Infantry commanded by Captain Sylvester L. Moore. At the time of his enlistment he had been 56 years of age; 5 feet, 10 inches tall; he had a light complexion, gray eyes and gray hair; and he was a carpenter by occupation. It was stated that he had been born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, but this was in error; there is ample evidence to prove that he had been born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. When he was discharged in 1864, he gave his address as Girard, Macoupin County, Illinois.

John Sparks applied for and received a pension under Invalid Certificate No.99,991, which was filed on November 6, 1866. Then, under an 1890 Act of Congress, John R. Sparks, now 84 years old, filed another application for an increase in his pension. He was then living at Palmyra in Macoupin County, Illinois, and he stated that he was unable to earn his support because of service-connected disabilities. John O. Patterson and C. H. Drisel witnessed his application, which was dated July 229 1890. The application received favorable action, and on January 26,1892, the Commissioner of Pensions was advised to drop him from the pension rolls under Invalid Certificate 89,991, under which he was receiving $8.00 per month, and to place him on the pension rolls under the new Congressional Act. We do not know the new amount.

In May 1893, the War Department sent the Bureau of Pensions a summary of John R. Sparks's military service, beginning with his enlistment on September 15, 1862, and ending with his discharge. During the two-year period of his service, he had been present on the company rolls except for detached service in October 1863 at Bridgeport, Alabama, and during a period of hospitalization from May 12, 1864, until his discharge in September 1864.

On July 17, 1899, Mary A. Sparks, age 58, widow of John Sparks, applied for a Widow's Pension stating that John R. Sparks had died December 15, 1898. She stated that she had been married to John on December 25, 1878, near Palmyra, Illinois, by Wm. E. Vaughn. She also stated that she had been married previously to John A. McKinsey in 1860 and that after his death on May 16, 1862, she had been married to Peter Brakebill on October 8, 1864. Peter Brakebill had died in 1873. She stated that she had formerly received a pension as the widow of John A. McKinsey who had served in Company G, 9th Regiment Illinois Infantry. Andrew Brakebill and Mary B. Crouch witnessed her application. Nothing is contained in the "selected papers" from this file to indicate what action was taken on her application.

[Editor's Note: 17.2.1.1.1 John R. Sparks was a son of 17.2.1.1 Matthew Brooks and Nancy (Sutton) Sparks of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Their marriage bond there was dated November 28, 1802, but, according to a statement made by Nancy many years later, their marriage had not taken place until 1803, although she could not recall the month and the day. Matthew Brooks Sparks served in the War of 1812 from Virginia, and, after his death in 1845, Nancy applied for bounty land that was being offered by the U.S. Government to veterans and their widows from the War of 1812 in recognition of their service. She had obtained a warrant for 160 acres.

[In the Quarterly of March 1962, Whole No.37, pp.636-37, we published an abstract of Nancy's application, followed by a biographical sketch of Matthew Brooks Sparks. We noted there that he and his family were still in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, when the 1820 census was taken, but by 1826 he had moved his family to Tennessee, as had also his brother, 17.2.1.2 Edmund Sparks. Matthew was shown as head of his household on the 1830 census of Bedford County, Tennessee, but it appears that his eldest son, John R. Sparks, had settled in Morgan County, Illinois, by then.

[Matthew and Sarah Sparks joined their oldest son, John R. Sparks in Morgan County, Illinois, soon after the 1830 census was taken. We believe that they were the parents of the seven young people named Sparks who were married in Morgan County, Illinois, between 1833 and 1848. Included is John R. Sparks whose Civil War pension papers are abstracted above. His, we believe, was a second marriage. These seven Sparks marriages recorded in Morgan County were:

17.2.1.1.1 John R. Sparks married Elizabeth Bradshaw, August 8, 1833, by Matthew Stacy, J.P.
Nancy Sparks married James Patterson, September 26, 1833, by Allen A. Scruggs, J.P.
Sarah Sparks married William Bradshaw, March 29, 1838, by George Reesick, J.P.
Mary Ann Sparks married Robert Acorn, February 23, 1840, by James Ransom, J.P.
Matthew B. Sparks, Jr. married Hannah McCullough, February 22, 1844, by Newton Cloud, M.G.
Martha Sparks married Thomas Denby, Jr., January 25, 1845, by Elijah Kirkman, M.G.
Thomas Sparks married Sarah Ann Harpe, July 2, 1848, by C. Dayton, J.P.

[On the 1830 census of Morgan County, Illinois, John R. Sparks's household was enumerated as follows: he, himself, was the male shown as between 20 and 30; The female in the same age category was surely his wife; and there was also a boy in his household who was under 5 years of age.

[There is a strong possiblilty that John R. Sparks had been the John Sparks who married Anna ["Anny"] Owen (or Owin) in Harrison County, Indiana, in 1825. That marriage had been performed by a justice of the peace named Baxter Sparks, also a member of the Sparks family of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Baxter Sparks later moved to Macoupin County, Illinois, which adjoins Morgan County. If we are correct in this identification of John R. Sparks's first wife, we can only assume that she and their son must have died soon after 1830. (See the Quarterly of March 1998, Whole No. 181, pp.4938-46, for information on the Baxter Sparks family.)

[John R. Sparks had been born in or about 1806 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. He was the subject of a query appearing in the Quarterly of March 1982, Whole No. 117, pp.2405-06, submitted by a descendant named Helen Sparks Dreher.

[As seen in his application for a pension, John R. Sparks was unusually old for military service when he enlisted in the Union Army on September 1, 1862, as a private. He was then 56. We may wonder whether he did so in part because he and his wife, Elizabeth (Bradshaw) Sparks, had been divorced the year before, after some 28 years of marriage and the births of seven children. It is interesting to note that his son, Royal G. Sparks, who had been born in 1845, had enlisted in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, on August 7, 1862, in the same unit (Company K, 101st Regiment Illinois Infantry) as did his father less than a month later. We may wonder whether John R. Sparks enlisted, in part, so that he could look after his 17-year-old son as they trained for war together.

[In her query regarding John R. Sparks in the Quarterly of March 1982, Mrs. Dreher included the names of the seven children of John and Elizabeth (Bradshaw) Sparks. We repeat them here:

17.2.1.1.1.1 William Ware Sparks, born 1835. He married Emma Prince, in Johnson County, Missouri.
17.2.1.1.1.2 Fanny.E. Sparks, born ca. 1836.
17.2.1.1.1.3 Matthew Brooks Sparks, born April 17, 1838. He married Jane Killebrew in Van Buren County, Iowa, on September 2, 1858. (An abstract of his Civil War pension application follows.)
17.2.1.1.1.4 Royal G. Sparks, born May 26, 1845. He married Maria A. Wason on December 12, 1880, in Ventura County, California. (An abstract of his Civil War pension application follows.)
17.2.1.1.1.5 Mary Amanda Sparks, born ca. 1848. She married William Hugh on January 5, 1865, in Morgan County, Illinois.
17.2.1.1.1.6 Elizabeth Emma Sparks, born 1850. She married Samuel Edmonds on October 17, 1872, in Morgan County, Illinois. (On the marriage record her name was given as Emma E. Sparks.)
17.2.1.1.1.7 Louise Elvira Sparks, born ca. 1853. She married William H. Hendricksen on July 13, 1873, in Morgan County, Illinois. (On the marriage record, her name was given as Louisa Sparks.)

[Prior to the Civil War, 17.2.1.1.1.1 William Ware Sparks, the oldest of the children of John R. and Elizabeth (Bradshaw) Sparks, had gone to Missouri. On the 1860 census of what is now Washington Township in Johnson County, Missouri, William was living near the town of Knob Noster in the household of a blacksmith named Napoleon Carroll (age 24, born in Tennessee) and wife, Isabel Carroll (age 19, born in Missouri).

Now 25 years of age, William W. Sparks was shown as a native of Illinois and a "Wagon maker" by occupation.

[by the time that the 1870 census was taken in Johnson County, Missouri, 17.2.1.1.1.1 William W. Sparks had married Emma Prince (age 25 in 1870, a native of Missouri) and they had children:

17.2.1.1.1.1.1 Charles Sparks, age 7, and
17.2.1.1.1.1.2 Minnie Sparks, age one year.

William was now a "Lumber dealer" at Knob Noster, and his younger brother, 17.2.1.1.1.4 Royal G. Sparks, age 23, was living in his household, having the occupation of "Clerk in store." On this census, his name was spelled "Ryal."

[As noted earlier, Royal G. Sparks served in the Civil War and, like his father, he subsequently applied for a pension. An abstract of the papers in his file at the National Archives begins on page 5424 of the present issue of the Quarterly. Matthew Brooks Sparks, who had surely been named for his grandfather, also served in the Civil War, and he also applied for a pension afterwards. An abstract of his pension file begins on page 5422.

[On both the 1850 and 1860 censuses of Macoupin County, Illinois, on which the family of John R. and Elizabeth (Bradshaw) Sparks appeared, the place of birth for each of their children was given as Illinois, with one exception. Their son named 17.2.1.1.1.4 Royal G. Sparks, born May 26, 1845, was shown as having been born in Missouri. Also, when Royal was married in 1880 in Ventura County, California, his place of birth was recorded as Missouri. We can only conclude that sometime after the birth of their son, Matthew Brooks Sparks, on April 17, 1838, in Macoupin County, Illinois, John R. and Elizabeth Sparks had moved to Missouri. They were back in Macoupin County, however, by the time their daughter, Mary Amanda Sparks, was born in or about 1848. Her age was given as two years on the 1850 census.

[We have not found John R. Sparks on the 1840 census of either Illinois or Missouri. A John R. Sparks was shown, however, on the 1840 census of Van Buren County, Iowa. Van Buren County is in the southeastern part of Iowa and adjoins Scotland and Clark Counties, Missouri, on its southern border. On this 1840 census of Van Buren County, Iowa, John R. Sparks was enumerated, as was his wife, between 30 and 40 years of age; there were two males in his household between 5 and 10 years as was also one female; and there were 2 females under 5 years. If this was the same John R. Sparks under review here, we can only guess that there were two children for whom we cannot account by name.

[After two years of military service, John R. Sparks was discharged from the Union Army because of "old age and a hernia." At the time of his discharge, he gave his home address as Girard, in Girard Township, Macoupin County, Illinois.

[When the 1870 census of Illinois was taken, Elizabeth (Bradshaw) Sparks, former wife of John R. Sparks, was shown as living in Morgan County, in Mauviasteere Precinct, in the household of James Strawn, age 45, a native of Ohio, and Nancy Strawn, age 44, born in Illinois, with their seven children. Elizabeth's age was given as 56, a native of Tennessee. With her in the Strawn household were her two youngest children, listed by the census taker as Emma Sparks, age 20, and Louisa Sparks, age 16. James Strawn was an unusually wealthy farmer for his time; his real estate was valued at $160,000 and his personal property at $22,000.

(The 1870 census found 17.2.1.1.1 John R. Sparks living in Macoupin County, Illinois, age 60, with a new wife called Ann Sparks by the census taker; her age was given as 47, a native ot Kentucky. They had been married on May 18, 1865, in Macoupin County. On the marriage record in Macoupin County her full name appears as Elizabeth Ann King, a widow. On the 1870 census, three children named King, all born in Illinois, were shown as living with John R. and Elizabeth Ann; they were probably her children by her first husband. They were: Thomas King, age 15; Allen King, age 13; and David King, age 10. There were also two children named Sparks, whom we assume were children of John and Elizabeth Ann; they were;

17.2.1.1.1.1 Daisy Sparks. age 3, and
17.2.1.1.1.2 William Sparks, age 5.

[As shown in his pension file, John R. Sparks was married yet again--to a widow, Mary A. Brakebill, on December 25, 1878, "near Palmyra, IL."  John's earlier wife, Elizabeth Ann, must have died or been divorced from John prior to December 1878. When the 1880 census was taken in South Palmyra Township in Macoupin County, John R. Sparks was shown as 74 and Mary A. Sparks as 40; she had been born in Illinois. The relationship of each member of a household to the head of that house hold was included in the 1880 census. Daisy Sparks, age 14, was shown as John R. Sparks's daughter. Five of his wife's children by her previous marriage to Peter Brakebill (spelled "Brakbill" by the census taker) were: Emma Brakbill, age 13, was called John's stepdaughter, while each of the following were called his stepsons: Henry Brakbill, 12; Robert Brakbill, 9; Julius Brakbill, 6; and Andrew Brakbill, age 5.

[As seen in John R. Sparks's pension file, he died December 15, 1898, after which his widow applied for a pension. A Civil War record in Illinois indicates that John R. Sparks was buried in the New Oak Hill Cemetery in Palmyra Town ship, Macoupin County, Illinois. Another record, however, gives his place of burial as the Etter Cemetery in South Palmyra Township. Perhaps his grave has been moved.]

17.2.1.1.1.1 MATTHEW BROOKS SPARKS, son of 17.2.1.1.1 John R. and Elizabeth (Bradshaw) Sparks, was born April 17, 1838, in Macoupin County, Illinois; he died October 26, 1914, in Jefferson County, Iowa. He married Sarah Jane Killebrew on September 2, 1858, in Van Buren County, Iowa. He served in Company C, 21st Regiment Missouri Infantry. File Designation: mv. Cert. No. 351,814. Wid. Cert. No. 790,478.

Matthew B. Sparks enlisted on July 13, 1861, at Memphis, in Scotland County, Missouri, to serve in Company C, 21st Regiment Missouri Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Captain Simon Pearce, for a period of three years. He was given a disability discharge at Keokuk, Iowa, on September 25, 1862, because of debility and emaciation brought on by chronic diarrhea. According to his discharge certificate, he was 22 years of age when he had enlisted, having been born in Macoupin County, Illinois. He was 6 feet tall and had a light complexion, blue eyes, and light hair. He had been a farmer by occupation.

On April 13, 1881, Matthew B. Sparks made application for an invalid pension, claiming he had contracted chronic diarrhea in April 1862 at Shiloh, Tennessee, through exposure and hardship during battle, which had caused a general debility. He stated that he was now 42 years of age and was living at Batavia in Jefferson County, Iowa, where he was an attorney. John R. McCollum and George H. Myers attested his application, and on April 27, 1881, Sparks was issued Invalid Certificate No. 351,814.

Confirming evidence of Matthew B. Sparks's disability was given on October 27, 1886, by Dr. John M. Duflois, age 36, a physician at Batavia, Iowa. He stated that he had been the family physician of Matthew for eight years and had seen him almost every day during that time; that during this time Matthew had frequent but irregular attacks of diarrhea which were so severe that he had been confined to his bed for several days which interfered with his law practice; that he was never entirely free from the disease which put him into a stupor and lethargy which was not natural; that he (Dr. DuBois) had tried several medicines, but he believed that the disease was incurable; that his patient had the build to weigh between 180 and 200 pounds, but that he weighed less than 150 pounds; and that he was unable to perform any kind of manual labor.

In July 1898, Matthew responded to the questionnaire then being sent to all pensioners by the Bureau of Pensions. He stated that he had been married to Sarah J. Killebrew in Van Buren County, Iowa, on September 2, 1858, and that they had six children, whom he listed as follows:

17.2.1.1.1 William Sparks, born December 8, 1860.
17.2.1.1.2 John E. Sparks, born October 26, 1863.
17.2.1.1.3 Ella Sparks, born June 8, 1866.
17.2.1.1.4 Effie Sparks, born January 1868.
17.2.1.1.5 Mary Sparks, born November 1869.
17.2.1.1.6 Clyde G. Sparks, born September 14, 1879.

Matthew B. Sparks made his last application for an increase in pension benefits under an Act of Congress of May 1912. On May 18, 1912, the date of his application, he repeated the same statements that he had made on his original application, but added that he was now 74 years of age and was, of course, receiving a pension.

He stated that he had been born on April 17, 1838, in Macoupin County, Illinois. H. M. Shirk and H. C. Pickerel attested to his application.

On December 9, 1914, Sarah Jane Sparks, age 73, made application for a widow's pension. She stated that she was the widow of Matthew Brooks Sparks who had died October 26, 1914, at Batavia, Iowa. She said there were no children belonging to her and Matthew still under the age of sixteen. She and Matthew had been married on September 2, 1858, at the home of her father, Finis Killebrew, in Van Buren County, Iowa, by William C. Morris, a justice of the peace. She stated that Matthew had served for three months in the "1st Northeast Missouri" before joining the 21st Regiment Missouri Infantry. Margaret Helman and Emma McDowell attested the application of Sarah Jane Sparks, which was notarized by J. E. Lewis, City Clerk. Widows Certificate No. 790,478 was issued to Sarah Jane Sparks on December 11, 1914.

When Sarah Jane Sparks died January 31, 1925, she was receiving a pension of $30.00 per month.

(Editor's Note: References to Matthew Brooks Sparks are found in the editor's note following the abstract of the pension papers of Matthew's father, John R. Sparks, an sbstract of whose pension papers begins on page 5418 of this issue of the Quarterly.

[Matthew Brooks Sparks had left Illinois for Iowa before he came of age in 1858, for it was on September 2, 1858, that he married Sarah J. Killebrew in Van Buren County, Iowa. (It may prove to be significant that his parents, John R. and Elizabeth Sparks, were living in Van Buren County, Iowa, when the 1840 census had been taken.) Besides his own statement when he completed the 1898 question naire from the Bureau of Pensions that he had been married to Sarah J. Killebrew in Van Buren County, Iowa, on September 2, 1858, a friend named William Savage recorded the marriage in his diary, as follows: "September 2, 1858. Went to Caps. Saw Matthew B. Sparks and Sarah Jane Killebrew married. Stayed there all day." Savage is remembered in Iowa as painter of birds and for his diary. (See Vol. 19, p. 112, of Annals of Iowa.)

[When the 1860 census was taken, Matthew and Sarah were shown as living in Sand HillTownship of Scotland County, Missouri, their nearest post office being in the town of Memphis. (Scotland County, Missouri, adjoins Van Buren County, Iowa, on the latter's southern border.) Matthew was described in 1860 as 22 years old, a native of Illinois, and a farmer who was renting the land that he was farming. Sarah J. Sparks was then 19 years of age and was described as a native of Iowa.]

ROYAL G. SPARKS, son of John R. and Elizabeth (Bradshaw) Sparks, was born May 26, 1845, and died March 1, 1901. He married Maria A. Wason on December 12, 1880, in Ventura County, California. He served in Company K, 101st Regiment Illinois Infantry, as did also his father. File Designation: Inv. Cert. No. 1,001,382. Wid. Cert. No. 534,593.

On January 24, 1888, Royal G. Sparks, age 42, a resident of Santa Paula, Ventura County, California, filed an application for an invalid pension claiming that he had heart disease caused by a rifle-ball which he had received in his chest while fighting near New Hope Church, Georgia, on May 25, 1864. He stated that he had enlisted in Company K, 101st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry on August 7, 1862, for three years and had been mustered out with his company on June 7, 1865, near Washington, D.C. According to his application, he had been 5 feet, 2 inches tall, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair. He was a farmer by occupation. Since his discharge, he had lived in Illinois, Missouri, and California. Charles T. Meredith and George M. Wason attested to the application.

The Adjutant General's Office confirmed the military service of Royal G. Sparks, and he was granted a pension under Invalid Certificate No. 1,001,382 on February 25, 1888. When the Bureau of Pensions issued a questionnaire to all pensioners in 1898, he responded as follows: He had been married to Maria A. Wason on December 12, 1880, at Saticoy [?], California, by the Rev. S. Bristol. The marriage had been the first for both of them. They had six living children:

1. Ethel A. Sparks, born September 1, 1881.
2. Milton G. Sparks, born August 1, 1883.
3. Angie Sparks, born February 23.
4. Walter Boyd Sparks, born May 31, 1888.
5. Ada M. Sparks, born April 12, 1890.
6. Dorothy Sparks, born January 6, 1897.

Royal Sparks died March 31, 1901, and apparently his widow, Maria A. Sparks, applied for a pension; however, there is no copy of the form used for this purpose among the "selected papers" provided by the National Archives. The file does include a copy of the wedding record which shows that R. G. Sparks, age 32, a native of Missouri, married Maria A. Wason, age 25, a native of Ventura County, California, on December 12, 1880, by S. Bristol, a Congregational Church minister.

Maria A. Sparks did receive a pension because she was issued Widow's Certificate No. 534,593. She died December 7, 1916, and her daughter, Ethel A. Sparks, age 35, of 2612 Vallejo Street, Los Angeles, California, made application for reimbursement for the expenses attendant to her death and burial. She stated that her mother had been visiting at 1243 First Street, San Diego, California, at the time of her death. She had appeared quite well on the day she died. Her daughter, Ada M. Howard, had been present and called Dr. George B. Worthington, who pronounced the cause of her death as a ruptured heart. He made no charge for the service since he was the autopsy physician for the Coroner of San Diego County.

Miss Sparks stated that her mother had life insurance of $259 and real estate asses sed at $550. All of the funeral expenses had been paid, including interment in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery. Two neighbors, M. J. Maynard, 160 North Daly St., and A. W. Sample, 2131 Vallejo St., attested to the accuracy of her statements. There is nothing in the "selectepapers" from this file to indicate the action taken by the Commissioner of Pensions in response to this application.

[Editor's Note: The parentage of Royal G. Sparks, and the fact that his father, John R. Sparks, had enlisted in the same Civil War unit as Royal Sparks, has been discussed in the editor's note following the abstract of the pension papers of John R. Sparks. Royal's statement that he was a native of Missouri further confirms that, while all of his siblings were shown on census records as having been born in Illinois, Royal's place of birth had been Missouri. Apparently John R. Sparks and his family had been in Missouri during the 1840-45 period, and then returned to Illinois.

[As was noted earlier, Royal G. Sparks followed his brother, William Ware Sparks, to Johnson County, Missouri, after his discharge from his Civil War service and was shown as a member of William's family at Knob Noster when the 1870 census was taken. Royal's occupation was given as "Clerk in Store," which probably meant that he was employed by William who was described as a "Lumber dealer."

[In 1874, William W. Sparks moved his family from Missouri to Ventura County, California. Royal G. Sparks either accompanied or followed his brother to California, and when the 1880 census was taken of Hueneme Township, Ventura County, he was shown as a "Boarder" in the household of a farmer named Olney Whiteside (age 41, a native of Missouri.) Royal's name was recorded on this 1880 census as "Royall G. Sparks," and his occupation was given as "Bee keeper." From the questionnaire that he completed for the Bureau of Pensions, we know that he was married in Ventura County on December 12, 1880, to Maria A. Wason.

[A bit of the history of William Ware Sparks may be appropriate to include here. In a History of VenturaCounty,California published in Chicago in 1926 by the S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Vol.11, p. 515, there is a brief biographical sketch of Henry Sparks, born January 26,1871, who was a son of William Ware Sparks. The following information regarding Henry's father is taken from this sketch:

....Henry Sparks was born in Knobnoster, Johnson County, Missouri, 26th of January 1871 and is the son of William W. Sparks. In 1874 when he was three years old, the family came to Ventura County, locating at Saticoy, where his father bought 21 acres of land on Ventura Avenue and the family moved there the following year. The land was cleared in the course of time and many substantial improvements made and developed into a fine fruit ranch on which he lived until 1884. He raised apricots and was the first in this section of the country to do so, and experimented with drying apricots. Seven children, five sons and two daughters. The mother of these children died in 1914.

[The family of W. W. Sparks (as his name was recorded) appeared on the 1880 census of Saticoy Township, Ventura County, California. His age was given as 45, a Farmer; his wife's name was given as A. F. Sparks, "Wife," age 36, born in Missouri. Their seven children were listed as follows:

Charles. W. Sparks, age 17, born in Illinois.
Minnie Sparks, age 11, born in Missouri.
Henry Sparks, age 9, born in Missouri.
Emma Sparks, age 7, born in Missouri.
Edward Sparks, age 5, born in California.
Bradley Sparks, age 3, born in California.
Carl Sparks, age 2, born in California.

[William Ware Sparks died July 20, 1884, age 49 years and 26 days, according to his tombstone in Camarillo Cemetery located in the southern part of Ventura County, about five miles east of the town of Oxnard.]

JOHN T. SPARKS, son of Simon and Catherine (Templeton) Sparks, was born October 17, 1814, in Clark County, Ohio. He married (first) Catherine Guthridge on October 23, 1836, in Greene County, Ohio, and (second) to Christena E. Earson on September 10, 1863, in Carroll County, Indiana. He served in Company E, 46th Regiment Indiana Infantry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 321,290 and Wid. Cert. No. 383,668.

On December 27, 1879, John T. Sparks, age 66, a resident of Monticello, Indiana, applied for an invalid pension. He stated that he had enlisted on October 13, 1861, at Logansport, Indiana, in Company E, 46th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Captain William Spencer. On or about February 1, 1862, he contracted an eye disease which became so acute that he became unfit for military duty. As a consequence of the illness, he had been given a disability discharge on June 12, 1862, at Camp Wickliffe, Kentucky. He was now unable to perform manual labor. He appointed Milton M. Sill, Monticello, indiana, as his attorney to assist him in obtaining a pension. James M. McBeth and Rufus L. Harvey witnessed his signature on his application.

On July 14, 1884, Henry Snyder appeared before the White County, Indiana, clerk to testify on behalf of the claim of John T. Sparks. He stated that he had been a second lieutenant in Company E, 46th Regiment Indiana lnfantry, when that company had been formed, and that later he had become its captain. He knew that when Sparks had gone into the service, he had been a sound, able-bodied man with nothing wrong with his eyes. The eye affliction had come while Sparks was in the service and had remained with him ever since, rendering him unfit for manual labor.

On February 17, 1886, the War Department confirmed Sparks's disability discharge, stating that their records showed he had been discharged at Memphis, Tennessee, on June 12, 1862, by reason of chronic opthalmia. Invalid Certificate No. 321,290 was issued to Sparks, and he was placed upon the pension roll. An affidavit dated October 23, 1890, indicated that he was then 77 years old and was suffering from cancer of the mouth and throat. He was then living in the home of his daughter, Margaret Ann MeCollough, in La Presa, San Diego County, California. He died on April 9, 1891, at National City, California.

On April 23, 1891, Christena E. Sparks, age 57, a resident of Idaville, Indiana, applied for a widow's pension. She stated that she and John T. Sparks had been married on September 10, 1863, in Carroll County, Indiana, by the Rev. James Lilly. She had been married under her maiden name of Christena E. Earson. She and John T. Sparks had no children still under the age of sixteen years in 1891. She appointed Henry Snyder, Monticello, Indiana, as her attorney to assist her in obtaining a pension. Susan Yodersen and Elizabeth Colvin witnessed her make her mark on her application. Wesley House, age 59, a resident of Yeoman, Indiana, stated in an affidavit that accompanied her application that he had been a resident of Norway, Indiana, in 1860 and had been well acquainted with John T. Sparks and his first wife who had died there in February of that year. After her death, Sparks had remarried, and his second wife, Christena Sparks, had not remarried since his death. John B. Elder and James Armstrong also made an affidavit stating that Christena E. Sparks had no other means of support than her own daily labor, and that her property consisted of only a small house worth no more than $150.

Widow's Certificate No. 383,668 was issued to Christena E. Sparks, and she was placed upon the pension roll. When she died November 21, 1905, she was receiving a pension of $8.00 per month.

[Editor's Note: For a number of years during the early history of our Association, we pondered whether John T. Sparks had been a son of Simon and Catherine (Templeton) Sparks or of Andrew Sinnickson and Jane (Templeton) Sparks. As noted in the article on the New Jersey Sparks family to which they belonged, beginning on page 5317 of the March 2000 issue of the Quarterly, Whole No.189, entitled "Further Notes, with Corrections, Regarding Richard Sparks.... of Salem County, New Jersey," there can be no doubt that Simon and Andrew were brothers and that both had been married in 1813 in Greene County, Ohio, each to a young woman named Templeton. The late Mae W. Hughes (Mrs. Robert A.) of San Antonio, Texas, whose husband was a great-grandson of John T. Sparks through John's first wife, Catherine Guthridge, did extensive research on this question. Her husband's family records indicated that John's middle initial "T" stood for Templeton, but the wives of both Simon and Andrew had had the surname Templeton. Mrs. Hughes succeeded in locating the family Bible of John Templeton Sparks that was then owned by a great-granddaughter of John's youngest son, and this Bible contains John T. Sparks's date of birth as October 17, 1814. (We do not know the present location and current owner of this Bible; in 1955 it was owned by Mrs. Howard Hamilton, 2023 Stiliwell, Lafayette, Indiana.

[In 1970, Paul Melvin Sparks of Wichita, Kansas, now deceased, joined our Association and supplied us with information from his family records, giving his descent from Andrew Sinnickson and Jane (Templeton) Sparks through their oldest son, David Wallace Sparks, Paul M. Sparks's great-grandfather. According to his family records, David Wallace Sparks had been born in Greene County, Ohio, on September 13, 1813. This meant that Andrew Sinnickson and Jane (Templeton) Sparks would have been very unlikely to have had another son born on October 14, 1814. We feel certain that John T. Sparks was the eldest son of Simon and Catherine (Templeton) Sparks, and thus a first cousin to David Wallace Sparks.

[The family Bible of John T. Sparks examined by Mrs. Hughes contains the names and dates of birth of the children born to his two wives. His first wife, Catherine Guthridge, was a daughter of the Rev. John and Margaret (Parkinson) Guthridge according to Mrs. Hughes. She had been born on December 18, 1820, in Greene County, Ohio, and died February 4, 1860, at Norway, White County, Indiana. She and John T. Sparks were the parents of seven children:

1. Margaret Ann Sparks was born January 10, 1838, in Greene County, Ohio; she died January 30, 1914, at St. Joseph, Missouri, at the home of her sister, Nell Ross. She married Collin McCullough (or McCulloch) in White County, Indiana. They had one son, Eddie Elmore McCullough, who died in childhood on March 22, 1859.

2. James Newton Sparks was born September 17, 1840; he died January 17, 1841.

3. Abigail Jane ["Abbie"] Sparks was born June 3, 1842, in Greene County, Ohio; she died September 27, 1900, near Emporia, Kansas, while visiting her sister, Margaret. She married Ellis Jackson Hughes on November 25, 1859. He had been born on March 6, 1836, in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and died July 16, 1893, at Lafayette, Indiana. She was the grandmother of Robert Addison Hughes, husband of Mae Walker Hughes, who provided the information on the family of John T. Sparks given here. Abigail Jane Sparks was divorced from Ellis Jackson Hughes and married (second) A. F. Leshire in 1882 at Tombstone, Arizona; they were divorced, and she married (third) George W. Ross.

4. Joseph Benson Sparks was born December 18, 1843; he died in Kansas. He did not marry.

5. John O. P. Sparks was born March 4, 1846, in Jasper County, Indiana. He did not marry.

6. Cornelia ["Nell"] Sparks was born April 11, 1848, in Jasper County, Indiana; she died in 1935. She married (first) Thomas L. Hafer. After his death on October 27, 1885, she married (second) George W. Ross who had been the third husband of her sister, Abigail Jane.

7. Francis A. ["Frank"] Sparks was born September 27, 1859. He was married three times. His last wife was Mary Grinnell.

Catherine (Guthridge) Sparks, first wife of John T. Sparks, died February 4, 1860, in White County, Indiana. John T. Sparks was married (second) in Carroll County, Indiana, on September 10, 1863, to Christena E. Earson; she died November 21, 1905. She and John T. Sparks were the parents of three children.

[The three children of John T. Sparks and his second wife, Christena B. (Earson) Sparks, as recorded in his family Bible, were:

8. Clarence E. Sparks was born August 6, 1864. He died in Logansport, Indiana, in 1921.
9. William J. Sparks was born January 16, 1868. He died in 1935 or 1936 in Oakland, California.
10. Charles E. Sparks was born August 15, 1870. He died in October 1938. It was his daughter, Mrs. Howard Hamilton, who owned the Bible in 1955 that had belonged to John T. Sparks.]

SANFORD SPARKS was born ca. 1827 in Kentucky. On December 26, 1854, he married Lucretia Dorton (or Dortain) in Knox County, Kentucky. He served in Company H, 49th Regiment Kentucky Infantry. File Designations: Inv. Cert. No. 229,081; Wid. Cert. No. 575,290.

On June 14, 1879, Sanford Sparks, age 51 years, a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, appeared before the clerk of Knox County, Kentucky, to make application for an invalid pension. He stated that on June 22, 1863, he had been enrolled in Company H, 49th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Col. John G. Ever and had served until he was discharged at Lexington, Kentucky, on December 26, 1864. At the time of his enlistment, he had been 5 feet, 6 1/2 inches tall, and he had a light complexion, blue eyes, and dark hair. He had served as a wagon-master in the regiment.

Sparks stated that on November 2, 1863, while stationed at Somerset, Kentucky, he had been sent out on a foraging expedition and his horse fell down on him and broke his left leg between the knee and ankle. His leg had been set by the regimental surgeon at the home of a Mr. Denham, a citizen living in the vicinity, but the injury had developed into a permanent disability. After leaving the service, he had lived in Indiana for six years, but the rest of the time he had lived at Atlanta where he was a dairyman. He appointed LaFayette Bingham & Company, Washington, D.C., as his attorney to assist him in obtaining a pension. John H. Nelson and A. Z. Coulton witnessed his signature, and the application was sworn to before H. H. Hunter, Clerk.

On November 17, 1880, the War Department confirmed Sparks's military service. He had been mustered into service on September 19, 1863, at Camp Nelson, Kentucky, to serve for one year, and had been present for duty until he was mustered out with his company on December 26, 1864. Company records furnished no further information.

The Bureau of Pensions apparently required further proof of Sparks's alleged disability, for on May 13, 1882, he made an affidavit at Greencastle, Indiana, stating that he had already filed affidavits of two of his comrades, Benjamin Emory and Thomas Becket, who had driven teams with him and who came to his aid after his horse fell on him. They took him to a private home where Dr. H. C. Miller set his leg. His affidavit was sworn to before Jonathan Birch, a notary public.

On April 13, 1886, Sanford Sparks, now a resident of Butler County, Kansas, made another affidavit to support his pension claim. He said that during the month of January 1864, his feet had been frozen so badly that he was now unable to farm or to do other manual labor. He was unable to furnish evidence of this disability because his former comrades were back in Kentucky, and he knew of no commissioned officer to turn to. W. M. Jackson notarized the statement.

The Bureau of Pensions approved the claim of Sanford Sparks and issued Invalid Certificate No. 229,181 to him. On April 20, 1898, he gave the following information to the Bureau of Pensions in a questionnaire sent to all pensioners to complete. He had been married to Lucretia Dortain [sic] on November 24, 1854, at Barboursviile, Kentucky, by the Rev. Berry Foley. He had no record of the marriage because it had been burned. Only one child had been born to this marriage, a son, J. S. Sparks, born on December 6, 1858.

Sanford Sparks died September 16, 1902, at Ames, Oklahoma Territory, and his widow, Lucretia Sparks, age 66, and a resident of Wood County, Oklahoma, made an application for a widow's pension. She appointed John Sparks of Ames, Oklahoma, as her attorney to assist her in obtaining a pension. C. B. Bowman and W. B. Williamson witnessed her make her mark, and Alex Williamson notarized her application. Dr. W. E. Mansur testified to the date of death of Sanford Sparks.

Four supporting affidavits were made to Lucretia Sparks's claim. On May 30, 1903, she swore that she had no property other than her house and furniture worth about $150.00. On December 31, 1903, Peter Cain, age 71, and Mrs. M. D. Cain, age 68, testified that they had been present when Sanford Sparks and Lucretia Dortain were married on November 10, 1854, in Knox County, Kentucky. On January 9, 1904, Mrs. N. H. Wilson, who was "related by marriage to Lucretia Sparks," swore that Sanford Sparks and Lucretia Sparks had lived together since their marriage in 1854 and had never been divorced. Finally, on June 2, 1904, Henry France, Treasurer of Wood County, Oklahoma Territory, certified that in the year 1903, Mrs. Lucretia Sparks owned taxable property assessed at only $47.00, on which she paid a tax of $2.08.

Widow Certificate No. 575,290 was issued to Lucretia Sparks, and she was placed on the pension rolls. On September 16, 1916, she applied for an increase in her pension under the provisions of the 1916 Act of Congress. She stated that she had been born on February 17, 1833, in Kentucky and was now 83 years of age. When she died July 24, 1922, she was receiving a pension of $30.00 per month.

[Editor's Note: When the 1850 census was taken of Knox County, Kentucky, Sanford Sparks, age 22, was living in the household of John W. Sparks, age 28, and family. A record of the marriage of Sanford Sparks and Lucretia Dorton [sic] in Knox County, Kentucky, has been preserved, although the date of the marriage appears as December 26, 1854, rather than November 10 as Lucretia stated in 1903. There is the further information in this record that the marriage had been performed by "G. B. Foley at the home of John Sparks." There is the further record of the Knox County marriage of John W. Sparks and Nancy Wilson, the bond dated January 4, 1844. In Vol. V, p.305 of the Kentucky Genealogist & Biography, the parentage of Lucretia Dorton is given as Peter G. and Dicey Dorton. Although Sanford Sparks does not appear on the 1860 census of Knox County, Kentucky, John W. Sparks, age 39, with wife Nancy, age 37, were shown with children Marium Sparks (female), age 16; and William Sparks, age 12.

[Sanford Sparks was probably related to, perhaps a brother of, James A. Sparks whose Civil War pension papers were abstracted in the present issue of the Quarterly, beginning on page 5415. Note that it was in Company K of the 49th Regiment Kentucky Infantry that James A. Sparks served, while Sanford Sparks served in Company H of the same regiment.]

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