| 2. | Willoughby Sparks was born in 1802 in Clarke Co, Georgia (son of Absalom Sparks and Mary Lydia Elsberry); died in 1860 in Parker Co, Texas; was buried in Hill Cem, Parker Co, Tennessee. Other Events and Attributes:
- Residence: Between 1825 and 1837, Pope Co, Arkansas
- Residence: Between 1841 and 1849, Tennessee
- Census: 1850, Limestone Co, Texas
Notes:
Willoughby Sparks, son of Absalom and Lydia (Ellsberry) Sparks, was born about 1802 in Georgia. He married Mary ("Polly") Harrell, probably about 1825 in Arkansas. She was born about 1809 in Illinois. In 1821, Willoughby joined his father and brothers in presenting a petition to the President and Congress asking for their help in keeping possession of their land in the Arkansas Territory. When the 1830 census was taken, he was in Pope County, Arkansas, with his wife and three children.
On November 5, 1832, Willoughby Sparks and his wife, Polly Sparks ,late Polly Harrell, of Hot Springs County, Arkansas, sold 320 acres of land which formerly belonged to Polly Harrell. The buyer was Elias Rector of Pulaski County, Arkansas. Willoughby Sparks paid taxes in Hot Springs County in 1834, and in Sevier County, Arkansas, in 1837 and 1838; however, when the 1840 census was taken, he and Polly were back in Hot Springs County with their seven children.
1830 Pope Co, Arkansas
Willoby Sparks 01001-20001
---males 5-10 1; 20-30 1; females under 5 2; 20-30 1
Matthew Sparks 210001-00001
---males under 5 2; 5-10 1; 30-40 1; females 20-30 1
Absalom Sparks 0001-00110001 [evidently WIDOW OF Absalom]
---males 15-20 1; females 10-15 1; 15-20 1; 50-60 1
1828 don clmt. Ark Gaz 29 Apr 1834
Matthew Sparks issued 10.14.1837 W1/2 S3-T17S-R1E Chicot Co
Polly Sparks issued 5.15.1835 E1/2 S11-T16S-R1W Chicot Co
Willaby Sparks issued 1.21.1834 N1/2SE S29-T15S-R1W
--- also S1/2 NW and SW and SE all of S28-T15S-R1W all of Chicot Co
1840 Hot Springs Co, Arkansas
Willoby Sparks 111001-11201
males under 5 1; 5-10 1; 10-15 1; 30-40 1
females under 5 1; 5-10 1; 10-15 2; 20-30 1
Willoughby Sparks apparently moved to Tennessee about 1841 where two of his children were born, but by January 1847, he was in Texas where he settled in Limestone County. It was there, on September 15, 1849, that he sold his share of the estate of his sister, Edy Sparks, for one dollar and other considerations. He was listed there on the 1850 census.
Falls County, Texas, was formed in 1850 from a part of Limestone County and Milam County, and Willoughby Sparks became a resident of the newly formed county. There, according to the school census of 1855, he was the guardian of three school children, John Nelson, Willoughby Nelson, and Manerva Jane Nelson, all probably his grandchildren. He probably died about 1860 . He and Polly apparently had ten children.
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=wjfranklin&id=I13466
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Willoughby Sparks was born about 1802 in Clarke County, Georgia , and was a son of Absalom and Lydia (Elsberry) Sparks and a grandson of Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks. Absalom Sparks was in Clarke County in 1802 when he gave an affidavit to the Clarke County Court pertaining to the losses he and his mother, Sarah Sparks, had suffered from the uprisings of the Creek Indians in 1793-94.
Willoughby Sparks accompanied his parents to the Illinois Territory about 1807, and it was there that he grew to manhood. He also went with his parents to the Territory of Arkansas when it was opened up for settlement in 1819, and it was probably there that he married Mary "Polly" Harrell about 1825. She was born about 1810 in Illinois Territory.
Willoughby joined his father, Absalom Sparks, and his brothers Elsberry Sparks, William Sparks, and Matthew Sparks, in Miller County, Arkansas, in 1825 in presenting a petition to the President and to the U.S. Congress asking for help in keeping possession of their land in Lovely County, Arkansas Territory, which lay just north of Miller County and which later became a part of Oklahoma Territory. The federal government, in a treaty, had ceded the land to the Choctaw Indians that included the farms belonging to the Sparks families. Willoughby was in Crawford County, Arkansas, in 1829, but by 1830 he was living in Pope County. It was there, on October 17, 1830, that he was given replacement land by the federal government. On the 1830 census, he and his wife were shown has having three children, a son and two daughters.
On November 5, 1832, Willoughby and his wife, Polly, of Hot Springs County, Arkansas, sold 320 acres of land to Elias Rector of Pulaski County, Arkansas. In this deed, Willoughby's wife was referred to as "Polly Sparks nee Harrell." Willoughby paid taxes in Hot Spring s County in 1834, but by 1837, he was in Sevier County, Arkansas, where he paid taxes in 1837 and 1838. By 1840, he was back in Hot Springs County, and then on the 1840 census, he and Polly were listed there with seven children. The following year, he moved over into Tennessee where four more children were born. In all probability, he moved to Carroll County, Tennessee, to be near his uncle Isaac Sparks, although he also had an uncle, Nathan Sparks, in Wilson County, Tennessee, and an uncle, Jesse Sparks, in Hickman County, Tennessee.
Willoughby did not remain very long in Tennessee, and by 1845, he was in Robertson County, Texas, where he paid taxes that year. His move to Robertson County may have been prompted by the fact that he had a brother and four sisters already there. His uncle, William Sparks, was also there, along with several cousins who had participate d in the Texas-Mexican War in 1835-36; they had been granted land for their services.
Edy Sparks, sister of Willoughby, died shortly after he moved to Texas, and, since she apparently had never married nor had any children, her estate (consisting of a rather large tract of land) was divided by her brothers and sisters. On September 8, 1849, Willoughby sold his share of the estate for one dollar and "other considerations." He also apparently traveled to Scott County, Arkansas, to obtain the releases of Edy's estate from his brother, Elsberry, and also from Elsberry's son, Willis Sparks. The releases were signed on November 271851, but by 1853 Willoughby was in Falls County, Texas, where, on March5th, he witnessed the release of his sister, Lydia (Sparks) Boatright, to her share of Edy's estate.
The family of Willoughby Sparks was listed on the 1850 census of Limestone County Texas; however it was in that portion of the county that became a part of Falls County that same year. In August 1850, Willoughby was one of the petitioners who asked for a voice in locating the new county seat. The following year, he served as a juror for the Falls County Commissioners Court, and at the december 8th session of the court he was appointed to "review" the road from Springfield, Texas, to Marlin, Texas.
Sometime in 1852, Willoughby and Polly Sparks were in Parker County, Texas, where their last child, Rachel, was born on April 7th, but by the spring of the following year they were back in Falls County where Willoughby witnessed the release of his sister Lydia for her share of Edy's estate.
Willoughby was also active in buying and selling land in Falls County during the 1850s; he was a party to at least five transactions . He bought (and sold) land in July 1854, August 1854, August 1855 , december1857, and March 1858. Among the persons involved in these sales and purchases were: David Clark and John A. Goudy of Big Creek; James Burton and John H. Walker of the Pin Oak Branch of Brushy Creek; Samuel D. Barclay, James Cook, James Long, and Isaac Cook of Rocky Creek; and D. F. Garrett.
When a special school census (called "The Texas Scholastic of 1854-1855") was taken, Willoughby Sparks was in Limestone County. School-age children in his household included his own children: Clarinda, Nancy, Bailey, and John, and also three other children with the surname of Nelson: John, Willoughby, and Minerva. The latter three children were probably his grandchildren.
By 1959, Willoughby Sparks was back in Parker County; however, he did not appear on any 1860 census of Texas counties. He may have been missed by the census taker because he was making one of his frequent moves between Parker County and Falls County. These moves were the result of the frequent Indian uprisings during the period 1849-1865, and Willoughby was following a pattern adopted by the pioneer settlers in this area of Texas. Simply stated, these families would settle along the Brazos River in the general area of Parker, Palo Pinto , and Jack Counties. Periodically, the Indians would "go on a rampage," and the settlers would return to the relative safety of Falls and Limestone Counties until order was restored, after which they would return to their former homes.
Willoughby Sparks apparently died between March 1858 (when he participated in his last land transaction) and 1862 (when his wife, Mary, apparently received a tax exemption in Parker County, probably because of her widowhood.) Mary may have died the following year. She was buried in an unmarked grave in the Hills Cemetery in Parker County. Some relatives believe that Willoughby was also buried there.
http://boatwrightgenealogy.com/johnboatwright7.10.html
Residence:
per births of Levi, William, and Tilman
Residence:
per births of Clarinda, Nancy Bailey, and John.
Census:
1850 Limestone Co, Texas
Williba Sparks 47 Georgia
Mary Sparks 40 Illinois
Levi Sparks 25 1825 Arkansas
William Sparks 17 1833 Arkansas
Tilman Sparks 13 1837 Arkansas
Clarinda Sparks 9 1841 Tennessee
Nancy C Sparks 7 1843 Tennessee
Boyley M Sparks 3 1847 Tennessee
John Sparks 1 1849 Tennessee
Wilbern Jones 31 1819 merchant not known
Anna R Loup 14 1836 Germany
George Swingler 16 1834 Germany
Willoughby married Mary "Polly" Harrell Boatright in 1825 in Hot Springs, Garland Co, Arkansas. Mary (daughter of Thomas Boatright and Amy Rushing) was born in 1809 in Gallatin Co, Illinois; died in 1863 in Parker Co, Texas; was buried in Hill Cem, Parker Co, Tennessee. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1847 - 1931 (84 years)