Matthew Sparks Sr. (abt. 1752 - abt. 1819)

Born about 1752 in Frederick County, Maryland

Ancestors

Husband of Eunice Unknown — married 1776 in Yadkin, Rowan, North Carolina

Descendants

Died about 1819 at about age 67 in Surry County, North Carolina, United States

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Biography

Matthew Sparks was killed by Indians sometime between March 24, 1819, and the May 1819 meeting of the Surry County Court in May 1819 when his will was entered for probate. Matthew Sparks's Last Will and Testament, March 26, 1819.

In the Name of God, Amen. I Matthew Sparks of the County of Surry and State of North Carolina being weak in Body but of sound mind and Memory Blessed be God, do this 26th day of March in the year of Our Lord 1819 make and publish this my last will & testament in manner following, that is to say -- First I lend unto my beloved Wife Nice Sparks, the whole of my tract of land & plantation, together with my Household furniture & plantation Tools, the whole of my stock of Every description & two stills, also three Negros to wit, Cate, Stephen & Joan during her natural life -- after her decease the said Estate above mentioned to be sold and equally divided among my Children herein named, that is to say, Joel, George, Matthew, William, John, Nancy Smith [and] Sally Bray -- At the same time authorising my said wife in her lifetime, if she sees cause to give unto my Daughter Peggy West, of the above property put in her possession such sum or sums not Exceeding one Hundred dollars at her discretion. My will and desir [sic] is that the Ballance of my negro property not already named shall after my decease be sold and the proceeds of such sale to be Equally divided among my Children Above named, to wit, Joel, George, Matthew, William, John, Nancy & Sally.

I make and Ordain my Sons Joel Sparks and Matthew Sparks Executors of this my last Will and testament, and I do hereby Revoke all other wills by me made and Acknowledge this only to be my last will and Testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto sit [sic] my hand and seal the day and date above written -- Signed, Sealed and Acknowledged in presence of -- [signed] T. Wright Jurat [Signed] Mathew Sparks Seal " J. B. Hampton The following statement was added at the end of the recorded copy of this Surry County's Will Book 3, pp.140-41: State of North Carolina Surry County May Session 1819 Thomas Wright one of the subscribing Witnesses to the forgoing Last will and testiment of Matthew Sparks Decd Made Oath in Open Court that he saw Matthew Sparks Sign Publish and Declare the same to be his last will and Testament that he was of sound disposing mind and memory. That he did it freely and without compulsion and that he saw John B. Hampton at the same time, sign the same as subscribing witness thereto whereupon it was ordered to be recorded. Recorded accordingly. (signed] Jo. Williams CC In the minutes of the Surry County "P's & Q's" Court, the following entry appears for the session of the Court for May 12, 1819:

Note: Also listed as Junior to differentiate him from his uncle Mathew,

Matthew Sparks (Sr.) was born about 1752 in Frederick, Frederick, Maryland. He married Eunice. He died 1 May 1820 in Yadkin, Rowan, North Carolina. His parents were William Sparks and Martha Ann Moore. ^[1]

MATTHEW SPARKS (ca.1752-1819)

By Russell E. Bidlack

Part I: His Family Background and Youth in Maryland and North Carolina.

Matthew Sparks (born ca. 1752 in Frederick County, Maryland, died in 1819 in Surry County, North Carolina) was a member of the fifth generation in America of the branch of the Sparks family whose progenitor was the English immigrant named William Sparks who died in Queen Annes County. Maryland, in 1709. Matthew was a lad of about twelve years in 1764 when he accompanied his parents, William and Ann Sparks, in their move from Frederick County, Maryland, to the Forks of the Yadkin (then part of Rowan County, now Davie County) in North Carolina. It was there that his parents and his older siblings were greeted by Matthew's grandfather, William Sample Sparks, who had made the same journey a decade earlier.

Matthew Sparks, born about 1752, son of William and Ann Sparks, subject of the present article, must not be confused with his Uncle Matthew Sparks, born ca. 1733. This elder Matthew Sparks, who came to the Forks of the Yadkin with his father and other relatives in 1754, purchased a tract of 372 acres in 1761 located exactly where the South Yadkin River flows into the Yadkin River; this is now the southern tip of Davie County An article devoted to this elder Matthew Sparks appeared in the QUARTERLY of June 1961, Whole No.34, pp. 556-66.

Because Matthew Sparks, son of William and Ann, as well as his parents and siblings, would experience both advantages and severe problems in their obtaining valid titles to land in North Carolina throughout much of their lives, it may be useful here to repeat information given in the QUARTERLY of June 1991 regarding how individuals could become landowners.

To reward eight noblemen who had assisted King Charles II to regain the English throne, the King, in 1663, had granted to them the colony of Carolina. Thus Carolina was to be a proprietary colony, as was Maryland, with the Crown to receive only a small portion of the profits therefrom. Whereas in Maryland there was only one proprietor, however, in Carolina there were eight, and they had problems from the start. These were too numerous to discuss here, except to note that in 1711 the portion of Carolina that became South Carolina was restored to the Crown. Then in 1728, Parliament authorized King George II to purchase the proprietors's shares, now in the hands of descendants, and to make North Carolina a royal colony. The descendants of seven of the proprietors readily accepted the 2,500 pounds offered to the heirs of each of the original eight (along with a share of 5,000 additional pounds for the uncollected quit-rents), but one, the heir of Sir George Carteret, refused to. sell his share. This was the Right Honourable John Earl Granville (1690-1763) who, with the death of his mother in 1744, became the second Earl Granville. He was then given one-eighth share of the colony, from the Virginia border on the north to the parallel line on the south, which was the lower level of Rowan County. While Lord Granville was given no role in governing his part of North Carolina, he alone had the authority to sell his land and to collect quit-rents that the purchaser was required to pay annually thereafter. Lord Granville, himself, never visited his vast domain; agents acted for him in the land sales.

At the time of the arrival of the Sparkses in the Forks of the Yadkin in 1754, a hundred acres of Granville land could be purchased for only three shillings, plus three shillings silver (or four shillings "proclamation money") each year there after as quit-rent. According to his deed, the elder Matthew Sparks paid only ten shillings in silver for his 372 acres in 1761, although there was probably an additional "fee" charged by Granville's agent. One can easily imagine opportunity for corruption with agents acting on behalf of Lord Granville. These so-called fees charged by the agents and other county officials were a cause of growing resentment among the settlers.

Family

From a number of records pertaining to the family of William and Ann Sparks, we believe that the following is a complete list of their children, the first six of whom were born in Frederick County, Maryland, as may possibly have been the seventh, Margaret; the rest were born at the Forks of the Yadkin.

1. William Sparks, Jr., born about 1750. By 1800 he had moved to Burke County, North Carolina. 2. Matthew Sparks, born about 1752. He is the subject of the present article. 3. Rachel Sparks, born about 1754. She was married to John Rose in or about 1773. She was still living in Surry County, North Carolina, in 1843 when she applied for a military pension based on her husband's service in the Revolutionary War. 4. Nancy Sparks, born about 1756. She was married to William Wilcox (or Wilcockson); they moved to Green County, Kentucky, then to Barren County, Kentucky. 5. George Sparks, born about 1758/60. He lived near the town of Jonesville in that part of Surry County which became Yadkin County in 1850. He died there in 1842. 6. James Sparks was born about 1762. He served in the Revolutionary War; later lived in Lee County, Virginia. He moved to eastern Kentucky with his brother, Thomas Sparks, and died in 1826 in that part of Floyd County that had become Lawrence County, Kentucky, in 1822. 7. Margaret Sparks, born about 1764 She was married to William Gibson in 1782. They moved to Burke County, North Carolina. 8. Thomas Sparks, born about 1766. He was married twice, first to Rebecca and second to Diana Wilcox. He moved first to Lee County, Virginia, but in 1821 he moved with his brother, James Sparks, to Floyd County, Kentucky, living in that part that became Lawrence County in 1822. 9. Benjamin Sparks, born about 1769/70. He was married to Elizabeth Hicks in 1797 inSurry County, North Carolina; he moved to that part of Burke County, North Carolina, that helped to form Caldwell County in 1822 where he died in 1749/50.

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10. Jeremiah Sparks, born about 1772, was married to -------- Bell. They lived on Bear Creek in that part of Burke County that became Mitchell County North Carolina, in 1861; he apparently died before 1840.

Part II: The life of Matthew Sparks as a Miller and Plantation Owner in Surry County, North Carolina.

As was noted earlier, Matthew Sparks was shown on a 1774 tax list that survives. He was living with his parents in that part of Surry County, North Carolina, called Capt. Benjamin Cleveland's District. Like other militia captains in North Carolina, Cleveland also served as tax collector for the area in which his militiamen lived. His district included what is not only Surry County today, but also Wilkes County and Ashe County. Because squatters had no title to the land on which they lived, they were taxed then only as polls--white men between 16 and 60.

Matthew Sparks reached the age of 21 in or about 1773, the year that he moved to Surry County with his parents and several siblings. Sometime during the next three or four years, he was married to a young woman whose first name was Eunice. Despite many years of searching, we have failed to find a clue to reveal her parentage or even her maiden name. Her nickname was "Nicy," sometimes "Eunicy". It was in or about 1777 that her and Matthew's first child was born, a daughter named Nancy. Another daughter named Margaret, often called "Peggy," was born about 1779, and still another daughter was born about 1781 named Sarah, usually called "Sally." It was not until in or about 1784 that their first son was born, named Joel Sparks. This was the first use of the name Joel in this branch of the Sparks family--perhaps it may someday provide a clue regarding his mother.

In 1775, a portion of Capt. Cleveland's District was assigned to John Hudspeth for tax purposes, and on his surviving list Matthew Sparks was identified as "Juner" [i.e., Junior] to distinguish him from his uncle of the same name. His father was identified as "William Sparks, Sener" and his older brother as "William Sparks, Juner." Living near them was Joseph Sparks, son of Solomon Sparks.

According to the 1790 census of North Carolina, Matthew Sparks was one of 971 heads of households in Surry County, with 7,191 individuals in all.

Matthew Sparks, himself, was shown as the only male over 16 in his household in 1790; there were 3 males 16 and under, and 4 females, including his wife. He owned no slaves. From other records, we can surmise that the three males 16 and under were sons Joel, George, and Matthew, Jr. The sons named William D. and John were born after the 1790 census was taken. The three women in his household besides his wife, Eunice, were doubtless his daughters, Nancy, Margaret, and Sarah.

The 1810 census again provides us with a glimpse of Matthew Sparks's household. Again, only the head of each household was named on this census; its members were then enumerated in the same form as in 1800. Matthew and Eunice were, as in 1800, the male and female shown as over the age of 45. The two males living with them who were between 16 and 26 were probably their sons, William D. and John. Matthew Sparks, Jr. had been married to Sarah Elmore in 1808 and

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was shown on the 1810 census, as head of his own household, which included his wife and two small sons.

Matthew Sparks died sometime between March 24, 1819, and the May 1819 meeting of the Surry County Court in May 1819 when his will was entered for probate.

The will of Matthew Sparks was duly recorded in Surry County's Will Book 3, pp. 140-41, but the original, bearing Matthew's actual signature, has also been pre served at the North Carolina State Archives. Many years ago, William Perry John son obtained a photostat copy of this original. Matthew's signature on his will is reproduced below from this negative photostat; the text of his will follows on page.

Sparks Genealogy ^[2]

1 Thomas Sparks b: Abt. 1615 in Fareham Parish, Hampshire, England . +Joanne Davis b: Abt. 1619 in Fareham Parish, Hampshire, England m: October 19, 1635 in Fareham Parish, Hampshire Co. En . 2 William Sparks, Sr b: Abt. 1640 in England d: Abt. 1709 in Queen Annes Co., Md .... +Mary ( Wright ?) .... 3 [14] William Sparks, Jr. b: Abt. 1674 in Queen Annes Co., Md d: Aft. 1734 ....... +Margaret Ann Hamilton ....... 4 William Sample Sparks b: Abt. 1705 d: Aft. 1764 in Maryland .......... +Rachel Unknown .......... 5 Matthew Sparks ............. +Sarah ............. 6 William Sparks .......... 5 William Sparks b: 1725 in Frederick, Md. or Queen Anne's County, Md. d: Abt. 1802 in Surrey Co., NC ............. +Ann m: 1749 in Frederick, Md.

Military Service

Note: Although possible, Mathew would have been about 60 years old. jones-43207, 5/16/2019.

Mathew Sparks. ^[3]

United States War of 1812 Index to Service Records Name Mathew Sparks Event Type Military Service Event Date 1812-1815 Event Place United States

October 3, 2017 7:37 PM

Pages 97-104 Whole Number 12 THE GENEALOGY OF 1.2.5.1.2 JOHN SPARKS REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSIONER OF WILKES COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA By William Perry Johnson.

Secure Financial Position in Their Later Years

No better word-picture of Matthew and Eunice Sparks's living style could be found than this inventory of their possessions at the time of Matthew's death in 1819. It is apparent from this that he was no longer in the milling business then. He was "well off" by the standards of the time, and Eunice could be assured of a comfortable living during her widowhood. Matthew owed no debts when he died. Four of his sons owed him money for which he held their notes. Three of his slaves were on loan, also, to sons Joel, William, and George; and in accordance with his will, they were now to be sold and the proceeds divided among his children (except his daughter (Peggy). Two neighbors owed him money: Daniel Wilcockson $41.00 for a desk and Joshua' Hendrick for a "yoke of steers" worth $25.56.

As has been noted, Matthew had made deeds of gift to each of his five sons before making his will. As calculated by Joel Sparks in preparing the inventory, "the land now remaining" comprised 300 acres, to be managed by Eunice Sparks during her life time. From his will and the inventory, we know not only the number of slaves that Matthew owned when he died (six), but their names as well: Cate, Stephen, and Joan to be held by Eunice during her lifetime, and Caty, Fanny, and Judy on loan to sons. (Caty was also called "Cit," and Fanny was called "Fann."

Death and Burial

Matthew Sparks (ca.1752-1819), Son of William & Ann Sparks

Sources

1. ↑ Matthew Sparks
2. ↑ sparks genealogy
3. ↑ United States War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815

• Matthew Sparks

• "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 ," database with images, FamilySearch [1] : 3 February 2017), Mathew Sparks and Sarah Elmore, 20 Feb 1808; citing North Carolina, United States, p. p218, Office of Archives and History, Division of Archives and Records. State Archive of North Carolina and various county Register of Deeds; FHL microfilm 422,157.

• United States War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815, database with images, FamilySearch [2] : 11 March 2016), Mathew Sparks, 1812-1815; citing NARA microfilm publication M602 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); roll 196; FHL microfilm 882,714.

• sparks genealogy

• sparksfamilyassn.org/pages/012-B

• [3]

• [http://www.sparksfamilyassociation.net/wn190a.html THE

SPARKS QUARTERLY]