| 1. | John Sparks was born in 1649 in Hampshire Co, England (son of Thomas* Sparks and Joanne* Davis); died in 1700 in Maryland. Notes:
http://sparksfamilytree.net/family_tree/wga84.html#I19633
Sparks, John (<1649 - 1700) - male
b. BEF. DEC 1649 in Hampshire, England
d. 1700 in Kent County, MD
father: Sparks, Thomas (~1615 - <1707)
mother: Davis, Joane (~1619 - )
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, Mar, 1971, Whole No. 73, pp. 1372-1381:
"JOHN SPARKS (died 1700) as person included in article entitled SPARKSFAMILIES IN KENT, TALBOT AND QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTIES, MARYLAND
"Our earliest record of John Sparks is a deed in Talbot County,Maryland (Book 7, p. 100) dated May 11, 1695, by which he acquired atract of land located on the north side of Chester River in what is nowKent County, although either because of confusion or subsequent changesin boundary lines, it was thought in 1695 to be in Talbot County (nowQueen Anne's County). This tract, consisting of 100 acres, was called"Buck Hill" (sometimes written "Buckshill") and John Sparks acquired itin 1695 from John Salter in exchange for "all those Lotts of land and allthe houses upon the Same whereon the said John Sparks now DwellethScituate, lyeing in West Chester Towne in Chester river in Talbott Co."John sparks signed this deed by mark as "S£" (obviously intended as "SJ",the reverse of his initials, "JS". His wife, Elinore Sparks, also signedthis deed by mark as "X". Elias Robinson and James Nicholson signed aswitnesses.
"It is interesting to note that William Sparks, who died in 1709, alsosold to John Salter a lot which he owned in West Chester in 1691 (TalbotDeed Book 7, p. 53). According to other records, there seems to belittle doubt that John Sparks and William Sparks were brothers. Onewonders whether they may have inherited the lots in West Chester.
"We have found no other reference to "West Chester Town", although itseems probable that it was the western portion of the present Chestertownon the west side of the Chester River in what is now Kent County.Chestertown was created officially in 1706 "in Chester River on aplantation of Mr. Joce's, between Mr. Wilmore's and Edward Walvin'splantation," but it is probable that it existed unoffi- cially a fewyears earlier. (See Frederick Emory's Queen Anne's County, Maryland,Baltimore, 1950, pp. 319-320.) John Salter was a leading citizen of thearea. In 1707, he was appointed a vestryman of St. Paul's Parish, whichincluded all of Queen Anne's County and a portion of Talbot. He was oneof Queen Anne's County's first representatives to the Assembly and in1715, with John Hawkins, recommended that a fine of 12 pounds be imposedupon anyone who should liberate a slave because such action caused otherslaves to become dissatisfied. He was a justice of the court in 1707 andwas a commissioner from Queen Anne's County to purchase and lay out townsin 1706.
"Our next record of John Sparks is his will dated September 2, 1699:(NOTE: This will also appears in the June, 1960, issue of the Quarterly,Whole No. 30, at page 490.)
WILL OF JOHN SPARKS OF QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY,MARYLAND:
In the name of God amen I John Sparks being Sick and Weak in Body butof perfect Sence of mind and memory for the avoinding suits at Law orcontroversies that may happen after my Death do make and ordain anddeclare this to be my Last will and Testament herby Revoaking all willsformerly made as Vizt
1st - I bequeath my Soul into the hands of Almighty God my Saviourhopeing by his precious Blood to obtain Remission and forgiveness of allmy Sins - and my body to be Desently Buried at the Discretion of myExecutrix hereafter named.
2ndly - I give to my Beloved wife Ellinor Sparks after my Just Debtspaid my whole & small (?) estate to her heirs or assignes.
3rdly - I give to my Sons John and George Sparks one hundred acres ofLand Called Bucks hill provided Either of them Comes to Enjoy it.
4thly - I do Constitute and appoint my wife Ellinor Sparks my wholeSole Executrix of this my Last will & Testmt
In wittness hereunto I have Sett my hand and affixed my Sealethe 3 day of September, 1699.
his
Jno SJ Sparks
Signd Seald and Delivrd & Declared mark
to be my Last Will & Testament in the presence of us
Jno. Salter
Thos T. Prestige
Elizab Robinson
"The will of John Sparks was copied for us by William Perry Johnson anumber of years ago from the recorded copy among the Queen Anne's Countyrecords. It is apparent that this was recorded some years after thedeath of John Sparks, because the following statement follows the willitself: On the back of the aforegoing Will was thus Written as follows:
Vizt Janry the 3d 1701 Couty Kent
"Then Came the within named John Salter, Thomas Prestidge, & ElizaRobinson Wittnesses to the Wthin Will and made oath upon the holyEvangelist that they Did See the within John Sparks Signe & Seale theWithin Will and Declare the Same to be his Last Will & Testamt.
"There also appears the statement that John Salter and James Smithwere appointed to make an inventory of the estate of John Sparks. It isinteresting to note that John Salter, with whom John Sparks had tradedproperty in 1695, signed as a witness to his will and was also one ofthose appointed to take the inventory. Perhaps the "Eliza Robinson" whosigned as witness was the wife of Elias Robinson who had witnessed the1695 deed. Since the witnesses appeared in court to testify in theprobate of the will on January 3, 1701, we may assume that John Sparksdied late in the year 1700. Several days or even weeks usually passedbetween a person's death and the probating of his will.
"It should be noted that John Sparks named only two children in hiswill, sons named John and George, neither of whom was living inMaryland. To these sons he left his farm called "Buck Hill" provided"Either of them Comes to Enjoy it." A subsequent document reveals thatboth of those sons were in England.
"Following the death of John Sparks, his farm called "Buck Hill" or"Buckshill" passed into the possession of a nephew of John Sparks namedWilliam Sparks, Jr. There can be little doubt that this William Sparkswas actually the eldest son of William Sparks, Sr., who died in 1709.William Sparks, Jr., was born about 1674 and was living in Queen Anne'sCounty as late as 1730. On March 6, 1710, William Sparks, Jr., and hiswife Margaret sold "Buck Hill" to William Comegys of Kent County (SeeKent County Land Records JS #N, pp. 248-49). That this tract was indeedthe same land mentioned by John Sparks in his will is proved by thestatement in this deed of 1710 that he, William Sparks, Jr., promisedthat he would "for Ever defend the before granted premises to the saidWilliam Comegys his heirs & assigns for Ever against the heirs &successors of John Sparks Deceased, Onckle (i.e. uncle) to the aforenamed William Sparks as alsoe any other person or persons Claiming Rightby heire Ship from the Said John Sparks Deceased..."
"William Comegys, whose father Cornelius Comegys had brought hisfamily to Kent County from the Swedish colony on the Deleware in 1670,had good reason to require William Sparks, Jr. to agree to defend histitle to "Buck Hill," for he surely knew the provisions which John Sparkshad made in his will by which his sons could inherit the property. Thesesons, John and George Sparks back in England, did indeed still claimtheir right to their father's land, as is proved by a document datedOctober 23, 1716, written in England and recorded in Kent County. (SeeKent Co. Land Records BC #1, pp. 181-83.) It reads as follows:
John and George Sparks, 1717
TO ALL XPIAN PEOPLE to whom these presents shall come. John Sparks ofthe Burrough of Christchurch Twyneham in the County of Southson in theKingdom of England Butcher Eldest Son and heire and devisee of JohnSparks late of Chester River in Kent County in Maryland in Virginiadecs'd and George Sparks of the Burrough of Christchurch Twynehamaforesaid Glover one other of the Sons and devisees of the said JohnSparks deceased Send Greeting whereas the said John Sparks ...and GeorgeSparks are ... lawfully constituted to one hundred acres of Land calledBuckhill Lying in Chester River in Kent County ... and whereas by reasonof the remoteness of Said Land they ... are minded are minded andintended to dispose of the Same Now know that (they have)... madeconstituted and appointed and in their (stead) ...their true and trustyfriend Hugh Arbuthnot of Weymouth in the County of Dorst in ye Kingdom ofEngland Mariner their and either of their true and lawful attorney ...and in their .. names act for them... to sell and Dispose of to anyperson and persons whatsoever and for Such consideration andconsiderations as to him Shall Seem meet all and every the Said Landscalled Buckhill...and upon Such Sale.. to Sign Seale and deed to deliverand also for them... to appear in ... every proper court in Virginia afdand also to do all ... Lawfull Act ...for the Strengtheningcorroborateing and confirming as well ...the Title of the Said Land toSuch Purchasors.... Signed John Sparks; George Sparks.
Sealed and delivered in presence of John Lester, Esq Mayor of the Townand County of Pool in the Kingdom of England who in testimony of hath inthe margin of these presence affixed the common Seale of the Said Townand County. Signed John Lestor, Mayor
"Thus it was that John and George Sparks, residents of what is nowcalled the County of Hampshire, England, the sons of John Sparks who diedin 1700, attempted in 1716 to gain ownership of their father's estatecalled "Buck Hill." They authorized their "true and trusty friend, HughArbuthnot", a sailor, to attempt to sell the land for them. It is alsointeresting to note that one of the witnesses to their drawing up thispower of attorney in England was a man named Robert Robertson, who fivemonths later appeared before the court in Kent County, Maryland, to swearthat "he did See John Sparks and George Sparks Signe and Seal" thedocument. (It should be kept in mind that under the Julian Calendar,used in England and Colonial America until 1752, the new year began onMarch 25; thus when Robert Robertson appeared before the Hent CountyCourt on March 19, it was still 1716 according to the Julian Calendar.However, other European countries had long before adopted the GregorianCalendar, with the new year falling on January 1, and many Englishmen andAmericans considered January 1 as New Year's Day long before 1752. Notethat the clerk who recorded the above document on March 21, gave the yearas 1717 while two days before when Robertson appeared in cour hisstatement was dated March 19, 1716.)
"It is interesting to speculate regarding the connection of RobertRobertson with the Sparks family. He was in England when John and GeorgeSparks signed their power of attorney and he obviously carried thedocument from England to Maryland. It is known that a Robert Robertsonwas a warden of St. Paul's Parish, Kent County, in 1704.
"Although we have no further record of the attempt of John and GeorgeSparks to gain possession of and sell their father's farm, it can beassumed that their "lawful attorney", Hugh Arbuthnot, failed in hismission because their father, John Sparks, had made it a condition in hiswill that one of his sons would actually have to come to Maryland inorder to inherit "Buck Hill."
"The above document should prove an important link between this branchof the Sparks family of Maryland and their origin in England. Aprofessional genealogist, Mr. C. R. Humphrey-Smith, has done somepreliminary research for us. He reports that the Burrough ofChristchurch Twyneham, which John and George Sparks gave as theirresidence in 1716, is in fact Christchurch near Bournemouth in Hampshire.
("Southson" is an abbreviation of Southamptonshire, now known asHampshire.) The mariner Hugn Arbuthnott, whose residence was given as"Weymouth in the County of Dorst," was a resident of the county ofDorset, where indeed the port of Weymouth is located. One wonders howArbuthnott became a "trusty friend" of John and George Sparks and one istempted to speculate that members of the Sparks family may have beensailors, although in 1716 John was a butcher and George was a glovemaker.
"Mr. Humphrey-Smith reports that there exist four volumes of parishregisters for Christchurch in Hampshire, but the volume covering theyears 1643 to 1681 is no longer extant. This is most unfortunate becausethis was the period during which William Sparks (who died in 1709) andJohn Sparks (who died in 1700) were probably born. Mr. Humphrey-Smithhas noted an entry in the register dated March 16, 1686/87 records thedeath of William Sparkes, son of John Sparkes, by drowning.
"Further research among the records of the county of Hampshire maywell reveal the origins of this branch of the Sparks family." END OFARTICLE.
spouse: ???, Ellinor (*1653 - ~1700)
----------child: Sparks, John (*1684 - )
----------child: Sparks, George (*1684 - )
----------child: Sparks, William (*1684 - 1786)
John married Ellinor (..) Sparks about 1669 in England (probably). Ellinor was born about 1649 in England; died after 1672 in England (probably). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1649 - 1700 (51 years)