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- http://sparksfamilytree.net/family_tree/wga85.html#I19922
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1959, Whole No. 26, p. 386:
"JONATHAN SPARKS. Jonathan Sparks (395), fifth son of Solomon and Charity Sparks, appears to have been living at home and single when his father died in 1817, judging from the wording of the nuncupative will. A Jonathan Sparks (383) who married Rachel Swaim in November, 1817, inSurry County, North Carolina (marriage bond dated November 26, 1817;William Sparks, bondsman) and was living in Surry County when the 1820 census was taken., aged 26 to 45, with his wife who was between 16 and 26, with two sons and one daughter under 10. Another Jonathan Sparks was listed on the 1820 census of Wilkes County, North Carolina, aged 18 to26, with his wife, aged 16 to 18, and one son under 10. This Jonathan must have married about 1819. These two Jonathan Sparkses were probably first cousins. Which one was the son of Solomon and Charity is difficultto determine, although probably it was the one in Wilkes County. What became of him is not known--he was not listed on the subsequent Wilkes County records.
"The Jonathan Sparks who married Rachel Swaim was probably a son of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks. By 1840 this Jonathan Sparks had movedto Franklin County, Tennessee and was still there in 1850. On the 1850 census of Franklin County, a Solomon Sparks, aged 60, with his wife Susan, aged 48, and family, is listed as living near Jonathan and Sarah Sparks. This Solomon Sparks was probably also a son of John and Sarah(Shores) Sparks; his children, as listed on the 1850 census were: MaryE., George, John, Hannah, Carroll, Peter, Jane, Alfred, and Lucinda.
"By 1860, Jonathan Sparks had moved from Franklin County, Tennessee,to Dallas County, Arkansas.. and on the census of that year gave his ageas 68 (thus born about 1792). From the census records of 1850 and 1860,it would appear that Jonathan and Rachel (Swaim) Sparks had the following children born between 1828 and 1843: Jacob, Cynthia, Isabella, Jane, John C., Edward, and Sarah F. There were doubtless older children who had left home by 1850, born between 1817 and 1828."
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See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1981, Whole No. 113, pp 2270-71:
"Jonathan Sparks. About 1821, a fairly large group of families left the Surry-
Wilkes Counties area of North Carolina and moved to Lawrence County, Kentucky. Among these were the families of George Sparks, Levi Sparks, Jesse Sparks, Jonathan Sparks, and Thomas Sparks. George Sparks and Levi Sparks were brothers, sons of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks, and the other Sparkses were cousins of varying degrees of George and Levi. [JS: Including the 2nd-great-grand- father of James J. Sparks (1), James Sparks (189)].
"On August 21, 1826, Jonathan Sparks appeared before the Lawrence County Clerk and gave a power-of-attorney to his brother, George Sparks, to act for him (Jonathan) in Surry County, North Carolina. For obvious reasons, I have assumed through the years that the George Sparks referred to in the Power-of-Attorney document was the George Sparks who was my 2nd-great-grandfather, and thus I have spent many hours fruitlessly attempting to reconcile my thinking with the census data which we had found for John and Sarah. I am now convinced that the George Sparks who was a brother of Jonathan Sparks was not my 2nd-great- grandfather. I am further convinced that the powerof-attorney given by Jonathan Sparks was carried to Surry County and was there given to his brother, George Sparks. George Sparks then used the document in settling the estate of his parents, Solomon and Charity Sparks. (Further details of the settlement of their estate can be found on page 385 of the June 1959 issue of the QUARTERLY.)
"Jonathan Sparks, son of Solomon and Charity Sparks, was born about 1797 in Wilkes County. He married Elizabeth Chappel, probably about 1818. She had witnessed the will of Jonathan's father, Solomon Sparks, and had proved the will before the February 1818 term of the Wilkes County Court. When the 1820 census was taken of Wilkes County, Jonathan and Elizabeth had one child, a son.
"As stated above, about 1821 Jonathan moved to Lawrence County, Kentucky, where he bought land on Big Blaine Creek in August 1822 and again in 1826. He sold this land on August 15, 1828, and returned to Wilkes County. There, on May 6, 1829, he and his brother, Joseph, acted as security for their brother, Samuel Sparks, who was administering the estate of their parents.
"Jonathan Sparks did not appear on the 1830 census of Wilkes County, nor have we found him on any other 1830 census record. By 1836, according to a descendant, he had moved to Tazewell County, Virginia, where he died in 1846. He left five children, three sons and two daughters.
"(Jonathan Sparks, son of Solomon and Charity Sparks, should not be confused with his cousin, Jonathan Sparks, who was probably a son of Joseph Sparks. Joseph Sparks was a son of Solomon and Sarah Sparks who had moved from Frederick County, Maryland, about 1755-1760 and who had finally settled in Surry County, North Carolina. Jonathan Sparks, probable son of Joseph, was born about 1792 in Surry County and it was there that he married Rachel Swaim on November 26, 1817. When the 1820 census was taken of that county, they had three children, two sons and one daughter.
"Jonathan Sparks, probable son of Joseph., paid taxes on 220 acres of land on Beaverdam Creek in Surry County from 1815 to 1822, but by 1830 he was in Jackson County, Alabama. Four more children had now been born to Jonathan and Rachel, two sons and two daughters. Sometime between 1830 and 184o, Jonathan moved to Franklin County, Tennessee, where he appeared on the 1840 and 1850 censuses. From census records, it appears that he and Rachel had twelve children, six sons and six daughters. For further details about this family, see pages 1355-1360 of the December 1970 issue of the QUARTERLY.)
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December, 1970, Whole No. 72, for thearticle titled THE FAMILY OF JONATHAN AND RACHEL (SWAIM) SPARKS OF SURRYCOUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, AND FRANKLIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE pp 1355-1360:
"(Editors Note: Most of the information on Jonathan Sparks and his family has been compiled for us by Mr. J. W. Willis of 521 Talley Road, Chattanooga, Tenn. Mr. Willis has made a hobby of tracing the early families of Franklin County, Tennessee. We are very grateful for hisassistance.)
"Jonathan Sparks (383) was born in North Carolina about 1792. Thereseems little doubt that he was a son of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks(see the QUARTERLY of December 1955, Vol. III., No. 4, Whole No. 12, PP.97-104 quoted above). [This assumption is later proven WRONG; see belowarticle from the QUARTERLY of March, 1981, Whole No. 113]. John Sparks,who was born on February 25, 1753, was a son of Solomon and Sarah Sparkswho had moved from Frederick County, Maryland., to Rowan County, NorthCarolina, in 1753. John Sparks had moved with his parents to what is nowWilkes County, North Carolina (then Surry County) about 1772. JohnSparks married Sarah Shores, daughter of Reuben and Susannah Shores inSurry County, North Carolina, about 1777. John Sparks served as asoldier in the Revolutionary War and received a pension for his servicesin later years. He died in Wilkes County, North Carolina., about 1840.
"Our first official record of Jonathan Sparks is his name on the SurryCounty tax list of 1815 when he was taxed in Captain Martinis Districtfor 220 acres valued at $300,, located on Beaver Dam Creek adjoining theland of J. Edwards. He was taxed regularly for this land until 1821,when his name appears on the tax list for the last time. The owners ofland adjoining Jonathan Sparks in 1820 and 1821 were William Rose, JohnRose, Jr., Benjamin Sparks, James Parks, Sr., and John Parks. We havefound no record of Jonathan Sparks either purchasing or selling thistract of land-- perhaps he inherited it.
"Jonathan Sparks was married to Rachel Swaim in Surry County, NorthCarolina, in 1817. The marriage bond was dated November 26, 1817, andWilliam Sparks served as bondsman while James Parks served as witness.The marriage was probably performed a few days after November 26. It isbelieved that Jonathan Sparks had an older brother named William Sparks(see the article cited above., page 101).
"Another Jonathan Sparks (395), this one of Wilkes County, NorthCarolina,, can easily be confused with the subject of this sketch. ThisJonathan of Wilkes County was a son of Solomon Sparks, Jr., and his wifeCharity (see the QUARTERLY of June 1956, Vol. VII, No. 2, Whole No. 262Pp. 381-387). This latter Jonathan was a number of years younger thanthe Jonathan who was a son of John and Sarah Sparks and was unmarried atthe time that his father, Solomon (361), made his will in December 1817.
"Jonathan Sparks, son of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks, was listed onthe 1820 census of Surry County, his age being given as between 26 and45., thus born between 1775 and 1794. His wife's age was given as 16 to26 (born between 1794 and 1804). By 1820 they had had three children,two sons and one daughter.
"Jonathan Sparks was not listed on the 1830 census of Surry County,North Carolina. Apparently he had moved away, perhaps as early as 1821,but his name did not appear on the 1830 census of Franklin County,Tennessee. He was listed there on the 1840 census, however, and from thebirth places of his children in subsequent census records it appears thathe was living somewhere in Tennessee in the late 1820's. "(Explains thatthis Jonathan (383) is not to be confused with Jonathan (395) who was theson of Solomon Jr. (361)."
"Jonathan and Rachel Sparks were still living in 1850; we have nolater record of them. From census records and other research performedby Mr. J. W. Willis, we have been able to assemble the following recordof their children and grandchildren. It is believed that Jonathan andRachel (Swaim) Sparks had ten children. (Here follows beginning on page1356 information on their children for which see their family page.)
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SPARKS QUARTERLY December 1974, No. 84, p. 1704: PARENTAGE OF RACHELSWAIM WHO MARRIED JONATHAN SPARKS:
"In the QUARTERLY of December 1970 (Vol. XVIII, No. 4, Whole No. 72,we published (pp. 1355-1361) a record of the family of Jonathan Sparkswho was born about 1792. We believe that Jonathan was a son of John andSarah (Shores) Sparks of Surry County, North Carolina. [WRONG. Seebelow.]Jonathan Sparks was married to Rachel Swaim in Surry County in1817 (marriage bond dated November 26, 1817). The last record that wehave of Jonathan Sparks is the 1840 census, at which time he was livingin Franklin County, Tennessee.
"It is believed that he died there. Mrs. Ted K. Clifton of Fort Wayne, Indiana, believes that Rachael was the Rachel Swaim born August 15,1802, to Quaker parents named Elihu and Sarah (Mills) Swaim. This familycame to Guilford County, North Carolina, about 1773 from Nantucket.There were also other Swaims who moved to Franklin County, Tennessee, asdid Jonathan and Rachel (Swaim) Sparks. Mrs. Clifton's source for thisinformation is the Hinshaw Quaker Records."
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See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, March, 1981, Whole No. 113, pp 2270 for anarticle entitled FURTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT THE FAMILY OF JOHN AND SARAH(SHORES) SPARKS:
"Jonathan Sparks. About 1821, a fairly large group of families leftthe Surry-Wilkes Counties area of North Carolina and moved to LawrenceCounty, Kentucky. Among these were the families of George Sparks, LeviSparks, Jesse Sparks, Jonathan Sparks, and Thomas Sparks. George Sparksand Levi Sparks were brothers, sons of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks,and the other Sparkses were cousins of varying degrees of George and Levi.
"On August 21, 1826, Jonathan Sparks (395) appeared before theLawrence County Clerk and gave a power-of-attorney to his brother, GeorgeSparks, to act for him (Jonathan) in Surry County, North Carolina. Forobvious reasons, I have assumed through the years that the George Sparksreferred to in the Powerof-Attorney document was the George Sparks whowas my 2nd-great-grandfather, and thus I have spent many hoursfruitlessly attempting to reconcile my thinking with the census datawhich we had found for John and Sarah. I am now convinced that theGeorge Sparks who was a brother of Jonathan Sparks was not my 2nd-great-grandfather. I am further convinced that the powerof-attorney given byJonathan Sparks was carried to Surry County and was there given to hisbrother, George Sparks. George Sparks then used the document in settlingthe estate of his parents, Solomon and Charity Sparks. (Further detailsof the settlement of their estate can be found on page 385 of the June1959 issue of the QUARTERLY [reproduced above].
"Jonathan Sparks (395), son of Solomon and Charity Sparks, was bornabout 1797 in Wilkes County. He married Elizabeth Chappel, probablyabout 1818. She had witnessed the will of Jonathan's father, SolomonSparks, and had proved the will before the February 1818 term of theWilkes County Court. When the 1820 census was taken of Wilkes County,Jonathan and Elizabeth had one child, a son.
"As stated above, about 1821 Jonathan moved to Lawrence County,Kentucky, where he bought land on Big Blaine Creek in August 1822 andagain in 1826. He sold this land on August 15, 1828, and returned toWilkes County. There, on May 6, 1829, he and his brother, Joseph, actedas security for their brother, Samuel Sparks, who was administering theestate of their parents.
"Jonathan Sparks did not appear on the 1830 census of Wilkes County,nor have we found him on any other 1830 census record. By 1836,according to a descendant, he had moved to Tazewell County, Virginia,where he died in 1846. He left five children, three sons and twodaughters.
"( Jonathan Sparks (395), son of Solomon and Charity Sparks, shouldnot be confused with his cousin, [THIS] Jonathan Sparks, who wasprobably a son of Joseph Sparks. Joseph Sparks was a son of Solomon andSarah Sparks who had moved from Frederick County, Maryland, about1755-1760 and who had finally settled in Surry County, North Carolina.Jonathan Sparks, probable son of Joseph, was born about 1792 in SurryCounty and it was there that he married Rachel Swaim on November 26,1817. When the 1820 census was taken of that county, they had threechildren, two sons and one daughter.
"Jonathan Sparks, probable son of Joseph, paid taxes on 220 acres ofland on Beaverdan Creek in Surry County from 1815 to 1822, but by 1830 hewas in Jackson County, Alabama. Four more children had now been born toJonathan and Rachel, two sons and two daughters. Sometime between 1830and 1840, Jonathan moved to Franklin County, Tennessee where he appearedon the 1840 and 1850 censuses. From census records, it appears that heand Rachel had twelve children, six sons and six daughters. for furtherdetails about this family, see pages 1355-1360 of the December, 1970issue of the QUARTERLY [duplicated above]."
SQ 3060: "Jonathan Sparks, probable son of Joseph Sparks, was bornabout 1792. He appeared on the 1820 census of Surry County, NorthCarolina ; on the 1830 census of Jackson County, Alabama; and on the 1840and 1850 censuses of
Franklin County, Tennessee. (Here article explains earlier confusion withthe children of John and Sarah (Shores) Sparks--see brother Solomon's(900) notes for page numbers)." (JS: We are warned that this Jonathanshould not be confused with his cousin Jonathan (395), son of Solomon andCharity Sparks.
----------child: Sparks, Lawson (~1819 - )
----------child: Sparks, Solomon (~1820 - )
----------child: Sparks, Jacobson (~1828 - 1863)
----------child: Sparks, --- (*1828 - )
----------child: Sparks, Cynthia (~1830 - )
----------child: Sparks, Isabella (~1832 - )
----------child: Sparks, Jane (~1834 - )
----------child: Sparks, John C. (~1838 - )
----------child: Sparks, Edmond (~1840 - )
----------child: Sparks, Sarah F. (~1843 - )
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