| Notes |
- http://sparksfamilytree.net/family_tree/wga80.html#I18631
[For the final notes on William Sparks, Sr. (d.1709) carried forward onthe notes for his spouse, Mary ---, see below.]
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December, 1989, Whole No. 148, P. 3486:
WILLIAM SAMPLE SPARKS, ca.1700-ca.1765:
"William Sparks, Jr." [JS: father of William Sample Sparks] "hadthree brothers who, along with himself, were named in their father's willof June 1709. They were: George Sparks , born about 1679; John Sparks,born about 1684; and Joseph Sparks, born about 1689. The elder WilliamSparks also mentioned a deceased daughter in his will, who had married aman named Hynson."
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, June, 1988, Whole No. 142, p. 3229:
WHO WERE THE GRANDCHILDREN OF WILLIAM SPARKS, died 1709 OF QUEEN ANNESCOUNTY, MARYLAND?, pgs 3229-3231 at pg 3229:
"The following is an alphabetical listing of the thirty-five probable(and known) grandchildren of William Sparks, Sr. No attempt has beenmade to name any of the children of his daughter who married a man namedHynson. In the list which follows, we have attempted to estimate theprobable year of birth. We have also included the date of marriage, thename of the spouse, and the names of children where known." (Includedhere only are the children of George Sparks):
8. George Sparks. Probable son of George Sparks. Born ca.1702.Married (1st) Elizabeth Ricketts on September 14, 1729, and (2nd) AnnBolton on November 6, 1755. Names of Children: Elizabeth, George,Rebecca, Thomas, others?
12. James Sparks. Probable son of George Sparks. Born ca.1720.Married Rebecca ---, probably ca. 1740. Names of children: Ursula,William, others?
16. Jonas Sparks. Probable son of George Sparks. Born ca.1710.Married Mary Sinnott on August 4, 1731. Names of children: Jemima,Lambert, Mary Ann, others?
19. Joseph Sparks. Probable son of George Sparks. Born ca.1710.Married Elizabeth Kelly on November 18, 1731. Names of children: Ann,David, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, Arthur, Frances, and Amy.
28. Sarah Sparks. Probable daughter of George Sparks. Born ca.1725. Married John Offley Collins on February 10, 1746/47. Names ofchildren unknown.
31. Ursula Sparks. Probable daughter of George Sparks. Born ca.1720. Married William Gregory on December 22, 1741. Names of childrenunknown.
33. William Sparks. Probable son of George Sparks. Born ca.1715.Married Ellinor Brooks on August 30, 1738. Names of children:William, others?
"Again, we remind our readers that this list contains quite a lot ofconjecture, and many items need additional research. We welcomereactions from our readers."
***************
See THE SPARKS QUARTERLY, December 1992, Whole No. 160, p. 4035:
GEORGE SPARKS (Born ca.1678) SON OF WILLIAM SPARKS WHO DIED IN 1709
OF QUEEN ANNES COUNTY, MARYLAND By Paul E. Sparks
[Editor's Note: As was noted in the preceding article, the WilliamSparks who died in Queen Annes County, Maryland, in 1709, was theancestor of thousands of Sparks descendants living today in all parts ofthe United States. Each of his four sons had large families; we knowthat there were at least thirty-five grandchildren who reached adulthood.(See pages 3229-31 of the June 1988 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No.142, for a tentative list of these grandchildren. )
[Articles about William Sparks and three of his sons have already beenpublished in the QUARTERLY. Besides the preceding article, an account ofthe life of William Sparks appeared on pages 1381-89 of the March 1971issue, Whole No. 73. In that same issue, pages 1376-81, we presentedinformation about John Sparks, brother of William, who died in QueenAnnes County, Maryland, in 1700, along with documentary proof that twosons of John were living in Hampshire County, England, in 1717. We arecertain that it had been from there that William and John had come toMaryland many years earlier. Information regarding William Sparks, Jr.,the eldest son of William Sparks (died 1709), appeared in the QUARTERLYof December 1989 (Whole No. 148) as part of the article on William SampleSparks, son of William, Jr., pp. 3484-3500. John Sparks, the probablesecond son of William Sparks (died 1709) was the subject of an article onpages 1699-1704 of the December 1974 issue, Whole No. 88, and an accountof Joseph Sparks, who was William's youngest son, appeared on pages3554-61 of the March 1990 issue, Whole No. 149.]
[Paul E. Sparks now presents the information that we have foundregarding George Sparks, whom we believe to have been the third son ofWilliam Sparks (died 1709) of Queen Annes County, Maryland.]
"The earliest record that we have found of George Sparks, son ofWilliam and Mary (----- ) Sparks of early Queen Annes County, Maryland,is in a deed made in Kent County, Maryland, on March 25, 1707, by whichWilliam Sparks gave to his son George, a 150-acre tract of land called"Sparks Choice." The consideration was "in Respect of the Love I bearunto my Son, George Sparkes." William had acquired this land in 1681,and he may have given it to his son as a wedding present. (See also page1386 of the March 1971 issue of the QUARTERLY, Whole No. 73, for moredetails regarding this deed.)
"George Sparks had been born about 1678 in Talbot County, Maryland.(Queen Annes County was then part of Talbot and was not cut off as aseparate county until 1706.) George Sparks was married to Mary ----- inor about 1700 in what is now Queen Annes County. It seems quite likelythat George and his wife were living on the same "plantation" as hisparents when his father made his will in June 1709. In his will, WilliamSparks specified that after his death "my Son George and his wife andChildren Shall have Liberty to live three years with his mother on my nowDwelling plantation in my now Dwelling house to make a crop of Corne andTobo he laying in five barrens of Indian corne every year dureing thesaid time and to take due care of his mothers Stock and for so doing tohave his and wife and Children's accomoda- tions and to pay no rentduring the Sd Time. "
"Apparently, George and his brother, William Sparks, Jr., had shownsome degree of impatience to have control of their father's land, andtheir father may have been aware of their feelings, for, after making aclause in his will by which he left all of his land to his wife, herequested her "not to protest her Son, William Sparks, but then he Shallhave the Same Liberty as he has now what is ordered before for GeorgeSparks Excepting that neither the said Wm. nor George do molest ordisturb their mother dureing her widowhood."
"We have no way of knowing how long George Sparks and his family livedwith his mother after the death of his father, although, with Mary'ssecond marriage to Thomas Trickey sometime before October 24, 1711, sheprobably moved from the Sparks "plantation" to that of her new husband.It was not until February 25, 1719/20, that another record reveals alegal act by George Sparks. On that date he sold the 105-acre tractwhich had been given to him by his father in 1707. He sold this land,called "Sparks Choice," to Augustine Thompson, a wealthy planter in QueenAnnes County, for the consideration of seven pounds, three shillings,plus 3,000 pounds "of good, sound, merchantable tobacco." Mary Sparks,wife of George, agreed to the sale, having been "first privately examinedaccording to law" as to her feelings about the sale.
"It is interesting to note that a month later, Joseph Sparks, brotherof George, sold his portion of "Sparks Choice" to Augustine Thompson,also, The consideration was 3,000 pounds of merchantable tobacco for the100-acre tract of land. In both sales, the deeds were witnessed by JohnWhittington and James Earle.
"On October 3, 1728, George Sparks was one of a group of citizens fromQueen Annes County who signed a petition to the Assembly of the Provinceof Maryland requesting the formation of a new parish from a portion ofSt. Pauls Parish. The reason for this request was that many parishionersof St. Pauls had to travel a great distance to attend church. As aresult of the petition, St. Lukes Parish was established in 1728. Thechurch was built in the village of Church Hill.
"The following year, George and Mary Sparks were involved in anotherland sale when George's brother, William Sparks, sold a tract of landwhich he had inherited from their father. The land was the 114-acretract called "Sparks Outlet" which William Sparks, Senior had acquired in1687. This tract was sold by William Sparks, Junior on March 3, 1729/30to Thomas Honey for 6,000 pounds of tobacco. George and Mary Sparks werewitnesses to the fact that George's brother, William Sparks, received thetobacco, although the tobacco, itself, was probably not delivered to himby Thomas Honey, but rather a document transferring ownership to it.
"We have found no further records of either George or Mary Sparks,including any which concern the administration of their estates. Itseems apparent that they both died intestate. It is obvious that theyhad children before 1709 when George's father made his will. By aprocess of elimination, we have set the size of their family as sevenchildren, and we have also made "educated guesses" regarding their namesand identity. We must remind our readers, however, that while thesedesignations are conjectural, nevertheless, the probable children ofGeorge and Mary Sparks were the following:
1. George Sparks, Jr., born ca.1702
2. Joseph Sparks, born ca.1704
3. Jonas Sparks, born ca.1706
4. James Sparks, born ca. 1710
5. William Sparks, born ca. 1715
6. Ursula Sparks, born ca.1720
7. Sarah Sparks, born ca.1722
CONTINUATION OF NOTES ON WILLIAM SPARKS SR. CARRIED FORWARD FROM NOTES OFWILLIAM'S SPOUSE, MARY ---:
[Continuing on p.4029:]
"The first of these documents, after the will, is dated October 8,1709, and is a bond in the amount of "four hundred pounds Sterlingcurrant Money of England" with John Hawkins, Jr. and John Nabb, both ofQueen Annes County, as guarantors, that "Mary Sparks and William Sparks[Jr.], Executors of the last Will and Testament of William Sparks, Sen.,late of Queen Ann's County, deceas'd, do make or cause to be made a true& perfect Inventory of all & singular the goods Chaitells and credits ofthe said deceased, appraised in Money ... " Mary Sparks and her son,William, Jr., were given until "the 24th day of JanrY next ensuing" tocomplete the inventory, and they were given one year to pay the debtscharged against the estate as well as to carry out each provisioncontained in William Sparks's will. Both Mary Sparks and her son,William, Jr., signed this bond by mark, Mary drawing the initial I'M" andWilliam the initial "W." (See below a photographic reproduction of thispart of the bond.) The two sureties for the bond, John Hawkins, Jr. andJohn Nabb, signed their names. There were three witnesses as well:Thomas Trickey, Robert Thomas, and Johanna Nabb. Thomas Trickey andJohanna Nabb signed by mark. Johanna was probably the wife of JohnNabb. Robert Thomas was a county official whose title was "DeputyCommissary." Thomas Trickey was a neighbor of the Sparkses; he had alsobeen a witness to William Sparks's mark (signature) when Sparks had madehis will in the previous June. The person who wrote Thomas Trickey'sname for him spelled it Tricky, but in most records it appears as Trickey.
"It was on January 25, 1710, that an inventory was taken of thepersonal property that had belonged to William Sparks. The inventory wasmade by John Hawkins, Jr. and John Hackett, both of whom were neighborsof the Sparkses.
"Readers are reminded that the old Julian Calendar was still in use inEngland and her colonies at the time William Sparks's estate was settled,and it would continue to be used until1752. the Gregorian Calendar,however, was then in use in most EuropeanCountries. The new year began,according to the Julian Calendar, on March 25, hence the period fromJanuary 1 to March 25, 1710, under the Gregorian Calendar, was still 1709under the old Julian Calendar. Because of the commercial intercoursebetween England and Europe , many legal documents in both England andAmerica written between Janu- ary 1st and March 25th prior to 1752 (whenEngland finally adopted the Gregorian Calendar) were "double dated,"i.e., a slash or line would follow the Julian Calendar year, then theyear according to the Gregorian Calendar would be added. Thus, theinventory for the estate of William Sparks bears the date "25th day ofJaneroy 1709/10."
"This inventory of the personal property owned by William Sparks atthe time of his death in 1709 provides an interesting view of the lifestyle of a prosperous Maryland farmer at the beginning of the 18thcentury. Dr. Sparks has transcribed the list of his possessions a srecorded in the inventory; where he was uncertain of the word intended,he added a question mark enclosed in brackets. The standard abbrevi-ations were used in the inventory for pounds(£), shillings (s), and pence(d). (The "d" for pence came from the Latin word for penny , "denarius.")
A Trew and perficke Inventory of all and Singley the goods andChattels
Wrights and credits of Wm. Sparks of queen Annes County Law enfoefdand
Aprisd in Money by we hose hands are under written this 20th day of
Janeroy 1709/10.
£s d
To: Waring apparell.................................... 2:02: 0
To: a pare of Leather Briches..................... 0:07: 0
To: a parcel of old Books......................... 0:94: 0
To: 11 yrds of ofan brigs [?]..................... 0:05: 6
To: an old Raser.................................. 0:00: 6
To: 7 rds of flannel.............................. 0:14: 8
To: 1 feather Bed and Linin in the new house 4:10: 0
To: 1 feather Bed and furniture in the old house.. 2:10: 0
To: 1 Chist of Drawers............................ 1:00: 0
To: 2 Tables and firens [?]....................... 1:00: 0
To: 1 horse cauld Scott........................... 4:00: 0
To: 1 horse cald [blank].......................... 3:10: 0
To: do cauld Chance.......................... 4:00: 0
To: do cauled Hailor......................... 3:10: 0
To: 6 sickels and hooks........................... 0:07: 0
To: a Small Tub of feathers....................... 0:07: 0
To: a parcell of unbroke flack.................... 0:10: 0
To: 3 old cases of botels......................... 0:10: 0
To: 8 quart botels................................ 0:19:19
To: 2 old ladle................................... 0:02: 0
To: 2 old Lotts of windger etc. [?] 0:05:0
To: 1 old Crescent Saw & file 0:08:0
To: 1 hansaw 0:01:0
To: 1 pare of Stilards & balance 0:04:0
To: 1 chafing dish & Lockett 0:02:0
To: 4 old bands 0:02:0
To: 1 old adz and handel 0: 02:0
To: 1 old augur and hamer 0:01:6
To: 1 old drawing Knife 0:01:6
To: 4 Spike gimbletts 0:00:6
To: 3 Fanting acks 0:01:6
To: 2 old broad acks & cut knife 0:03:0
To: 1 old frow and millpaks 0:01:0
To: a parsell of old iron 0:02:0
To: a set of weeding plow irons 0:04:6
To: 2 old plow shar and colter 0:10:0
To: 1 old hand mill 0:10:0
To: a cask & whole with rings 1:00:0
To: 1 old cart collar & saddle 0:08:0
To: 2 collar and tanse 0:08:0
To: 1 old saddall 0:08:0
To: 1 old Gun 0:05:0
To: 2 putor Chamber potts 0:02:0
To: 15 spoons 0:02:6
To: I putor bason 0:01:0
To: 1 putor Tankard & Tumbler 0:00:1
To: 1 old poringer and Sawsar 0:00:6
To: 5 putor dishes 0:15:0
To: 9 putor plates 0:04:6
To: 1 mustard pott Tin 0:00:6
To: 1 brass drinking glass 0:01:0
To: 1 brass Skillit 0:03:6
To: 1 brass candell stick 0:00:6
To: 1 Boamshall spieomortor [?] 0:03:0
To: 1 Iron candell stick 0:00:6
To: 1 small Smoothing iron 0:04:6
To: 1 seimer 0:00:2
To: 3 Iron Potts 0:15:0
To: 1 Fring Pan 0:01:6
To: 1 Pare of Fier Tongs 0:01:6
To: 1 Pare of Flesh Fork and Ladell 0:00:6
To: 2 Leather Charer [?] 0:03:0
To: 1 Larg Wooden Chaircold 0:05:0
To: 1 wooling Spinning Whell 0:07:0
To: 1 old couch 0:04:0
To: 4 old Chists 0:16:0
To: 1 old Trunk 0:04:0
To: 1 old Cubord 0:10:0
To: 1 Small Looking Glass 0:01:6
To: 2 warming pan 0:04:0
To: a harrow with Iron Teeth 0:07:0
To: 2 Sifters and one straner 0:01:6
To: 2 Sifting Trays 0:03:0
To: 2 pales 1 pign 1"ff cups and 1 chien [?] 0:05:0
To: 9: old bales 0:04:6
To: 2 Erthen Pans a Stue potte and 8 erthen
butter pans 0:03:0
To: 2 new mault bags 1 old do 0:04:0
To: 1 bushall of Salt 0:03:0
To: 7 old Tubs & 2 Ston gars 0:08:0
To: 8 Fifty Gallon Casques old 0:12:0
To: Thirty Gallon Casque old 0:04:0
To: 3 forty Gall Casque 0:07:0
To: 2 pipes old 2 [--?--I 8:08:0
To: 3 runlitts 0:01:6
To: 2 old Whell barrows 0:03:0
To: 1 old lard bag [?] 0:00:8
To: 1 small Iron gug 0:00:8
To: 2 cannews 0:15:0
To: 1 Chospes 0:07:0
To: 6 Cows and Calves 2 heifers and Calves 14:00:0
To: 4 four year old steers 7:00:0
To: 1 four year old bull 1:05:0
To: 2 Three year old heifers 1:05:0
To: 1 five year old steer 2:00:0
To: 3 barein Cows 4:10:0
To: 4 Two year old steers and 2 Two year old
heifers 4:10:0
To: 3 yearlings 2:00:0
To: 1 calf 0:03:0
To: 27 sheep 8:02:0
To: 7 Two year old barrows 3:10:0
To: 6 Sows and 9 Shoats 4:10:0
To: 1 young barrow 0:08:0
To: 1 grater 0:00:5
To: 1 pr of Spaniel & common chains 0:06:0
To: 1 pare of Woosteed Comes [?] 0:07:0
To: 37 bushals of wheat 6:09:3
To: 12 bushels of oatts 1:04:0
To: 8 barils Ingin Corn 4:00:0
To: 750 pd of Tobacco at Id pr 3:02:6
To: 1 Tobacco cask 0:00:6
To: Thomas Honey pr ares 500 [?] 2:01:5
To: atto by the County fore Cathrin Jnoson [?] 6:05:0
Sume Totall 126£ 06s 08d
[signed] John Hawkins Jr
[signed] John Hackett
"The final item on this inventory is as follows: "Inventory ofWilliam Sparks Estate 1709. Recorded in W. B. No. 4. Recorded Libe r C.Folio 220."
"The following document is also part of the probate file for WilliamSparks (died 1709) and has been transcribed by Dr. Paul E. Sparks asfollows:
Qn Annes Co. ss.
The Account of Thomas Trickey & Mary his wife, and William Sparksexrs of the last Will and Testament of William Sparks Late of saidCounty Decd as well of and for Such and so much of the Goods,Chattels & Credits of the Said Deceased as Came to Their hands andPossession, as of the Payments & Disbursements made out of theSame and Allowoth Viz
Imprimus The Said Accomptents Charge themselves with all andSingular the Goods Chattels and Credits of the said Deceased, Specifiedand Comprised in an Inventory of Goods and Exhibited into the Officefor Probate of Wills amounting to the Sum of £126:06:08
And the said Accomptents humbly Crave Allowances for the FollowingPayments and Disbursements made out of the Same as folls, viz:
for Tobacco pd for a Coffin and Funeral Expenses 400
for Tobacco Paid Col. Hynson on Mr. Grahams Acct as
pr Acct proved & Rect 1905
for Money pd Jno Hawkins Junr one of the Apprs 60
for Tobbco pd Robt Wharton as pr acct proved and
Rect appears 208
For Tobbco pd Tho@@ Parsons as per acct proved and
Rect appears 500
For Tobbco Pd Edwd. Hambleton as pr acct proved &
Rect appears 211
For TobcO pd the Honble County Genl for fees 840
for TobcO pd the said County for Do 150
For tobco pd do for drawing and posting this Acct 50
And they humbly Crave Allowance for the above
payments at 10 pr cent being 4324 lb Tobco 432
_____
4756
Which 4756 lbs of TobbcO at 4d per pd comes to £19:14:16
Remaining in the Accomptents hands to be Thereafter
accounted for, (as they humblv Pray time may be £lO6:11:20
given them to Exhibit an Addl Acct) the Sum of
£l26:06:08
October the 24th 1711
"Then came the above named, William Sparks & Mary Trickey and madeoath upon the Holy Evangelists that the above is a Just and true Accountof their Administration on the said Estate So Farr as they haveadministered.
Before Me Robt Thomas DepY Comity"
[A note appears on the reverse of this document indicating that onOctober 10, 1712, this administration had been accepted in thePrerogative Office at Annapolis.]
"The inventory taken of the estate of William Sparks (died 1709)listed only his personal property, not his land. The tract of land whichWilliam Sparks called his "home plantation" in his will consisted of twoadjoining tracts, one called "Hill' s Adventure" and the other called"Sparks Outlet." "Hill's Adventure " comprised 100 acres that Sparks hadpurchased from Michael Hackett in 1681, while "Sparks Outlet" comprised114 acres, the patent for which sparks had purchased from Thomas Smithsonin 1687. (See notes under William Sparks [and SQ 1382-83] for details).
"From the inventory of William Sparks's personal property, we knowthat there was a "new house" as well as an "old house," both containingbeds and furniture belonging to William, on his "home plantation."George Sparks (born ca.1678), son of William and Mary Sparks, ma y wellhave been living in the "old house" at the time of his father' s death in1709. (See the article on George Sparks under his notes and at SQp.4035.)
"As shown in the transcription on SQ p.4033 of a probate record fromthe file on William Sparks's estate, we know that his creditors paid 400pounds worth of tobacco for his "Coffin and Funerall Expenses. " Fromthis same document, we know that tobacco was then valued at four penceper pound (weight). Since there were twelve pence in a shilling andtwenty shillings in a pound (of money), these expenses wer e theequivalent of 6 pounds, 13 shillings, and 4 pence, or close to the valueplaced on four 4-year-old steers (7 pounds) listed on the inventory ofWilliam's personal property. The total cost of settling William Sparks'sestate, including the payment of several debts, came to 4,756 pounds oftobacco, or the equivalent in money of 19 pounds, 14 shillings, and 16pence.
"The most interesting new information provided in the probate papersfor William Sparks is that within two years following William's death i n1709, his widow, Mary, had remarried. No record had been found to revealthe exact date of this marriage, but the accounting of the expendituresin the settling of William Sparks's estate dated October 24, 1711,reveals that Mary's name was now "Mary Trickey." Further more, because amarried woman in those days could not act in legal matters without theinvolvement of her husband, this document clearly reveals, also, that hernew husband was Thomas Trickey. Thomas Tricke y had been one of thewitnesses to William Sparks's will as well as to the executor's bonddated October 24, 1709. (His name was sometimes spelled Trickee as wellas Tricky.) We can be quite certain that he was both a near neighbor anda personal friend of the Sparks family.
"We can speculate that Mary, wife and widow of William Sparks, hadprobably been born in the 1650s, since her oldest son, William Sparks,Jr., had been born ca.1674. He youngest son, Joseph, was not yet 21years of age when his father made his will in 1709, placing his birthabound 1690. (See the article devoted Joseph Sparks in SQ of March,1990, Whole NO. 149 , pp. 3554-3561.) It would appear that Mary Sparkswas a woman past her child-bearing years when she was married to ThomasTrickey. It seems probable, also, that Thomas Trickey was a widower whenhe became Mary's second husband. He may have been the father of a ThomasTrickey of St. Luke's Parish who was married to Mary Harrington onFebruary 10, 1736. We have found no record of Mary, widow of WilliamSparks, after 1711.
"Recently we engaged a professional genealogist living in HampshireCounty, England, to conduct research there in an effort to prove theEnglish origins of William Sparks (died 1709) and of his brother, JohnSparks (died 1700). We hope that in a future issue of the QUARTERLY wecan provide our readers with even more details regarding the life ofWilliam Sparks (died 1709), ancestor of so many Sparkses in Americatoday."
|
1679 - Aft 1725 (> 47 years)
