Elizabeth (White) Sparks (1845 - 1940)

Biography

Elizabeth was born into slavery sometime around 1845 in York, Virginia... We were unable to determine what plantation she was enslaved on as a young girl. She did mention the names Brown and Miller in the autobiography.. We were able to determine she was married sometime around 1861 and had her first child in 1862.

• 1870 - Living in Matthews, Virginia and married / Housekeeper^[1]

• 1880 - Living in Matthews, Virginia and married / Housekeeper ^[2]

• 1900 - Living in Matthews, Virginia and married / Occupation ^[3]

• 1940 - Living in Matthews, Virginia and widowed / retired ^[4]

• 1940 - Death in Matthews, Virginia ^[5]

Interview

Elizabeth was interviewed January 13, 1937, at Matthews Courthouse by Claude W. Anderson as part of the Federal Writer's Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The results are presented in narrative form, most, allegedly, in the first person, and made available by the Library of Congress. ^[6]

A passage from the biography Shep went to war but not for long. We didn't see none of it, but the slaves knew what the war wuz 'bout. After the war they tried to fool the slaves 'bout freedom an' wanted to keep 'em on a workin' but the Yankees told 'em they wuz free. They sent some of the slaves to South Carolina, when the Yankees came near to keep the Yankees from gittin' 'em. Sent cousin James to South Carolina. I nevah will forgit when the Yankees came through. They wuz takin' all the live-stock an' all the men slaves back to Norfolk, wid 'em to break up the system. White folks head wuz jes' goin' to keep on havin' slaves. The slaves wanted freedom, but they's scared to tell the white folks so. Anyway the Yankees wuz givin' everythin' to the slaves. I kin heah 'em tellin' ol' Missy now. Yes! give 'er clothes. Let 'er take anythin' she wants. They even took some of Miss Jennie's things an' offered 'em to me. I didn't take 'em tho' cause she'd been purty nice to me. Whut tickled me wuz my husban', John Sparks. He didn't want to leave me an' go cause he didn't know whah they's takin' 'em nor what they's gonna do, but he wanted to be free; so he played lame to keep fum goin'.^[7]

The total interview can be reviewed here. Library of Congress - WPA - Autobiography - Elizabeth Sparks - page 54

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch ([1] : 2 January 2021), Eliza Sparks in entry for John H Sparks, 1870.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch ([2] : 14 November 2020), Eliza Sparks in household of Jno. H. Sparks, Mathews, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district ED 48, sheet 516D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,377.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch ([3] : accessed 14 February 2021), Mary E Sparks in household of Jno H Sparks, Westville District, Mathews, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 51, sheet 4A, family 57, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,717.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRBX-2XC : 26 July 2019), Eliza Sparks in household of Wilbur F Diggs, Westville Magisterial District, Mathews, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 58-7, sheet 5A, line 11, family 93, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4275.
5. ↑ "Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987," database with images, FamilySearch ([4]: 16 August 2019), Eliza Sparks, 18 Sep 1940; from "Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2012); citing , Mathews, Virginia, United States, entry #, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond.
6. ↑ [5] Library of Congress - WPA - Autobiography - Elizabeth Sparks - page 54
7. ↑ [6] Virginia Encyclopedia - Autobiography - Elizabeth Sparks