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- http://www.awod.com/gallery/rwav/sparky/homepage.html
The Sparks name was originally Sparrowhawk. The story goes that when people began taking surnames from their occupations, there was a man who was the chief falconer for Richard the LionHearted. Richard's favorite falcon was the Sparrowhawk being the swiftest and most true. This man's name became Sparrowhawk. As time passed, some of his descendants shortened it to Sparks.
The family motto is "Celer et Verus" (Swift and True).
The Leopard Rampant is believed to have come from a Scottish Knight who was an ally of Richard's and saved the King's life twice during the Crusades. It was originally a sleeping leopard, but was raised to rampant because of the knight's efforts. The crest also contains a ducal coronet under the leopard and the leopard has fire spewing from his mouth and ears.
The Field - Chequy or et vert (gold and green checks) with band-ermine. (Those little things in the diagonal white stripe are ermine tails signifying royalty). The green checks are for the Scottish highlands.
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Our family line began in America when two brothers named William and John Sparks entered America through Maryland in 1662. They are most probably two of the four sons of Thomas Sparks and Joanne Davis of Fareham Parish, Hampshire England, gh this has never been proven. Many thousands of people in America whose name is Sparks (although certainly not all) can trace their beginnings back to one of these two men. The path of migration was from Maryland to Virginia and then to North Carolina in the vicinity of Salisbury. From there they moved to a part of the Virginia territory which is now Kentucky
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http://sparksfamilytree.net/
descendants of William Sparks who migrated from Fareham Parish, Hampshire, England, to Maryland in about 1663. Allied families are Stone, Jenkins, Payne, Mattingly, Spalding, Pigott, Boarman, Cole, Brooke, and Gardiner.
William Sparks was born about 1640, migrated to Maryland and, by 1672, he had purchased land in what was then Talbot County, now Queen Anne's County. His primary plantation was located "on the east side of Chester River near the head of a small branch of Island Creek." On a current map of Queen Anne's County, this can be found a few miles southwest of Church Hill, Maryland. William Sr.'s son William Jr., remained in Queen Anne's County but by 1736 William Jr.'s son, William Sample Sparks, had migrated west to what was to become Frederick County. In about the spring of 1754, William Sample Sparks, his sons and some of his cousins moved to "The Forks of the Yadkin" in northwestern North Carolina. From there came the descendants of most of the people found on this web site. Thousands of members of this branch of the Sparks family spread throughout the south, midwest and west where their descendants are found today.
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http://www.angelfire.com/nc/wwwjmd/gen.html#files
Jason Duncan
jmduncan@surry.net
A-5-4 William Sparks, Sr. (10). Joseph Sparks, Sr. is the son of William Sparks, Sr. and Mary. They had the following children.16
1. William Sparks, Jr. 1674 - 1734
2. George Sparks 1678 -
3. daughter Sparks
4. John Sparks 1680 -
5. *Joseph Sparks, Sr. 1695 - 4/ /1749
They most likely lived in Queen Anne's Co, MD.16
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from JS Sparks webpage: http://www.dnai.com/~jjsparks
WILLIAM SPARKS OF MARYLAND (d.1709)
William Sparks is purported to be a son of Thomas and Joane (Davis) Sparks from Fareham Parish, Hampshire, England. He migrated to America in the mid-seventeenth century and, according to THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, "Our earliest reference to a William Sparks in Maryland is dated 1663 when Thomas Skillingham sold to George Richardson the land which he had been granted by the Lord Proprietor for having transported six settlers to the Province, one of whom was William Sparks."
William Sparks was thought to be single at the time of his migration and he married Mary (-----) in Maryland. He eventually settled in Queen Annes County and owned several parcels of land on which he established tobacco plantations. My photograph appears in THE SPARKS QUARTERLY on page 4542 (September 1995, Whole No. 171) standing next to a road sign stating SPARKS MILL ROAD near William's plantation north of Centreville, Queen Annes County, Maryland. William Sparks died in 1709 leaving a last will which named his children. A large branch of his family descends, including my family, from his eldest son William Sparks, Jr. (b.1674). Another large branch descends from his youngest son Joseph Sparks. (b.1689). Joseph and his nephew of nearly the same age, William Sample Sparks (of William Jr.) moved in 1736 to the Pipe Creek area along the Monocacy River in Frederick County, western Maryland. Joseph was but 11 years older than William Sample. Joseph died in 1749 and within five years, several members of his family and that of William Sample headed west.
In the mid-eighteenth century, several members of both branches of the family migrated to the Forks of the Yadkin River in western North Carolina and, from there, throughout the United States. One of Joseph's sons, Jonas, with his entire family, accompanied Daniel Boone and several other families, in Daniel's first attempt to settle Kentucky. After an Indian ambush resulting in several deaths including that of Daniel's son James, the group returned to "civilization" to try again at a later date. Jonas remained in North Carolina. A son of William Sample Sparks, Matthew, acquired a 400 acre parcel of land precicely where the two Yadkin Rivers came together.
My ancestors remained in the Yadkin area of North Carolina for many years gradually moving northwest into Virginia. My grandfather was born in Washington County, Virginia, in 1865. Thus, his ancestors had lived within about 100 miles of his birthplace for about one hundred and ten years. There are many prominent people bearing the Sparks name and many, not so prominent. However, we can be proud of the fact that our family has been on this soil for three hundred and thirty-five years and has been represented in all of its wars. The data base includes notes for many of the persons included and, where known, includes pension applications of Revolutionary War, Civil War, War of 1812, and Spanish American War veterans named Sparks. Space limitations prevent including photographs of many people which were published in THE SPARKS QUARTERLY. However, these can be obtained by writing the Sparks Family Association and asking for the appropriate copy. All articles are cited as to source and are usually referred to by date and the Whole Number of the issue. If only a page number appears, check the notes of close ancestors to find a complete description of the issue.
As to any person included on the Web Page, all known information is included, either on his information sheet, or in his or her notes. The page is updated regularly as additional information is put into the data base. Please do not write asking for more information about listed people. People not listed are either not descendants of William Sparks of Maryland, or I have not reached their names as yet in data inputting. All mail praising the site will be gratefully received. James J. Sparks
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http://sparksfamilytree.net/family_tree/ (contains our line thru Helmer Samuel Courts & Claudie Gentz and children . Stops there.
http://sparksfamilytree.net/
http://sparksfamilytree.net/family_tree/
http://sparksfamilyassociation.net/
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http://sparksfamilytree.net/family_tree/wga80.html#I18631
(see notes under wife -- then continues to first child (daughter); then continued again to George
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