Home | What's New | Photos | Histories | Sources | Reports | Calendar | Cemeteries | Headstones | Statistics | Surnames
|
|
Home | What's New | Photos | Histories | Sources | Reports | Calendar | Cemeteries | Headstones | Statistics | Surnames |
1851 - 1919 (68 years)| Name | William E. Sparks | |
| Birth | 1851 | Sabine Pass, Jefferson Co, Texas  |
| Gender | Male | |
| Census | 22 Jun 1860 | Duncans Wood (Precinct 2), Orange Co, Texas |
|
||
 |
1860 Texas, Orange County, Duncans Wood (Precinct 2) census DUNCAN'S WOODS, TEXAS. Duncan's (Duncans) Woods, also known as Duncan Woods and as Duncan's Wood, was on the nineteenth-century Beaumont and Orange Road in western Orange County. A scattered settlement was present there by 1854, when the Duncan's Woods post office was established. Though first designated as part of Jefferson County, the office was quickly switched to the new Orange County. Gilbert W. Stephenson served as its first postmaster. During the 1850s the Duncan's Woods area was considered one of the most valuable in the county, with higher land prices than for other Orange County sites. Several railroad contractors maintained camps there for workers building the Texas and New Orleans Railroad through Orange County in 1860. Yet the settlement was subsequently abandoned, and its post office was discontinued in 1866. By the mid-1980s the area was virtually treeless, with the North Port Neches and Bessie Heights oil and gas fields roughly marking the old townsite. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hvd43 --- Solomon Sparks and family and John Riley (Railah), Malinda Cole Johnson Riley and family. Also, J. Pavell and Sophia are listed here, legends of Pavell Island (not related) |
|
| Census | 7 Jun 1880 | Jefferson Co (District 41), Texas |
|
||
 |
1880, Texas, Jefferson County, District 41 Gentz, Fred and family, with Charlotte Gentz; Samuel Lee and family, Melinda Jones Sparks, and family; Brewton, Smith, Gray, Emmett Courts. |
|
| Census | 23 May 1910 | Beaumont (Precinct 6), Jefferson Co, Texas |
|
||
 |
1910 - Texas, Jefferson County, Beaumont, Precinct 6 census Julia Sparks Courts, living with daughter Mary E and husband Thomas Smith, also Matt Courts and family next door. Residence "near McFaddin" |
|
| Death | 28 Apr 1919 | Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas |
| Other-Begin | 30 Sep 1952 | Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas |
| court case: Smith graves | ||
 |
Court Cause No. 16187: "W.P.H. McFaddin, Jr., et al, vs. Unknown Heirs of Caroline Sparks, et al" 30 Sep 1952 named deceased persons to-wit: Caroline Sparks, Edward Sparks, John L. Sparks, William Sparks, Joseph Sparks, Susan Sparks Crawford, Phillip Crawford, James C. Sparks, Lura Sparks Spriggs, James M. Court, Julia A. Court, James F. Court, Lillian Court Smith, Irvin Smith, Francis Court Sparks, Viola Court Sparks, Madison Court, Sarah A. Court, Edna Court, Beulah Court, a Mrs. E. Bordeman and child... 45.7 acres on T.F. Smith homestead tract; included in league bought by J.S. Johnson in 1924, who later conveyed the property to E.I. DuPont in 1952, at which time private cemetery was discovered. Court proceedings to have the remains relocated. The following family members not named in the suit but were included in cemetery records: in Grave 1 were: Tilda Courts, Homer Courts, Caudine (Claudie) Courts, Estie baby Courts, Carmel Courts, (unknown), Buff Courts, (unknown), James C Sparks Sr, Fred Frugia (unknown), Genevia Frugia), Florence Frugia (unknown), Brad Courts Sr. |
|
 |
McFaddin Cemetery - TF Smith Homestead
1952 Article Beaumont Enterprise; "Early Burials Found on Neches"; "One of Area Private Cemeteries Uncovered on DuPont Tract" |
|
| Other-Begin | 10 Aug 1961 | Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas |
| court case: Smith graves | ||
|
||
 |
McFaddin Cemetery - TF Smith Homestead Forest Lawn Index Card on occupants of graves. |
|
| Burial |  |
McFaddin Cemetery - TF Smith Homestead Grave 2 SPARKS, John L. - died 1867 (s/o Solomon Sparks - m Martha Courts d/o James & Julia SPRIGGS, Lura Sparks - died bef 1930; Ada Lura Sparks d/o James Chester, Sr ; Julias bro SPARKS, William - son of Solomon and Caroline - d 1919 CRAWFORD, Phillip maybe hubby or son to Susan Sparks Crawford SPARKS, J.C. (James Chester Sr) SPARKS, Joseph bro to John L and Susan SPARKS, James C. (James Chester Sr or Jr) -- Sr. died 1898 - Jr. died aft 1940 CRAWFORD, Susan Sparks prob Mary Susan Sparks, sis to James L Sparks - Phillip Crawford must be hubby or maybe a son - ?? |
 |
McFaddin Cemetery - TF Smith Homestead |
 |
McFaddin, TF Smith Homestead, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Garden of Peace Section |
 |
McFaddin, TF Smith Homestead, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Garden of Peace Section |
 |
McFaddin Cemetery - TF Smith Homestead McFaddin Cemetery was located on property south of Beaumont, in Port Neches, Central Gardens at a location within the grounds of where DuPont is now. The cemetery was discovered in the Fifties, and due to the impending construction of the plant. (See attached newspaper coverage). There were about 30 people buried there whose remains were subsequently placed in four separate concrete boxes and relocated to Forest Lawn Cemetery where they were laid once again to rest in the Garden of Peace section. The headstones for the four graves are all identical, reading simply "TF Smith Homstead Tract Cemetery." The detailed list of occupants only exist on an index card in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park records (see copy attached). All of these people were either residents or descendants of the Sparks Settlement, also called Aurora, (what later became Port Arthur. The families were predominantly the Sparks, Courts and Gentz families and other family names who married into these families. Sparks Settlement was abandoned in late 1800s due to storms and disease; even the houses were moved. Most of them started another community in the Port Neches, Central Gardens area where they started a new cemetery - i.e. what was called the McFaddin Cemetery. Sparks Cemetery was also abandoned. The occupants of that cemetery, those who died while the community was active, were never moved; only recognized by a historical marker placed in a boulevard on DeQueen at Lakeshore (see photo). There is some false information on the Internet that the remains in Sparks Cemetery were removed to Forest Lawn. But what I have been able to discover is that is not the case. It is the later cemetery, McFaddin Cemetery, that was removed. There is also some belief that the cemetery was used even into the 1920s for burial needs; but that also seems to be mistaken information. The were fine and strong and brave pioneers who I am so proud to call my ancestors. They helped build our community here, and somehow, I hope to bring to mind the signifcance of those four plain little headstones marked simply "TF Smith Homestead Tract Cemetery." |
| Person ID | I28215 | Roots |
| Last Modified | 10 Jul 2011 | |
| Father | Solomon Sparks, b. 1819, Franklin Co, Tennessee d. 1867, Sparks Settlement, Aurora, Jefferson Co, Texas (Age 48 years) | |
| Mother | Martha Caroline Smith, b. May 1819, South Carolina d. Aft 1880, Jefferson Co, Texas (Age ~ 62 years) | |
| Marriage | 23 Mar 1841 | Hardiman Co, Tennessee [1] |
| Family ID | F190 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Event Map |
|
| Documents | | Sparks and Aurora Originally published in about 1940, and published on the Internet by "Old and Sold, Turn-of-the-Century wisdom for today." Tells of life among the Sparks and families who lived in the Sparks Settlement in the mid to late 1800s. (d) http://www.oldandsold.com/articles11/port-arthur-4.shtml |
| Sources |
|
