The Sparks Families of Jasper County, Iowa

STEPHEN J. SPARKS.

One of the most widely known and highly honored of Jasper county pioneers is Stephen J. Sparks, of Lynnville, who came to this favored region when a boy and has lived here continuously. He early had the sagacity and prescience to discern the eminence which the future had in store for this great section of the Hawkeye commonwealth, and, acting in accordance with the dictates of faith and judgment, he reaped in the fullness of time the generous benefits which are the just recompense of indomitable industry, spotless integrity and marvelous enterprise. Few men of the county have played a better or more noticeable role in the general progress of the locality than he, for while laboring for his individual advancement he never shrank from his larger duties to civilization, and now in the golden Indian summer of his years, surrounded by all the comforts of life as a result of his former years of industry, he can look backward over a career well spent in which duty was well and conscientiously performed and know that he has the good will and hearty esteem of all those who have come into contact with him.

Mr. Sparks was born in Morgan county, Illinois, August 28, 1833, the son of T. M. and Sarah (Gesford) Sparks, both natives of Adair county. Kentucky, having been born about forty miles from Louisville. They went to Illinois about 1830, when young, there married and took up farming which they followed there, among the early settlers, until about 1836, when they removed to near the Black Hawk settlement in Lee county, Iowa, being pioneers of this state; they lived in that locality for eleven years, then moved to Jasper county about 1846 or 1847, and they established their permanent home by entering the land where Lynnville Junction now stands, the elder Sparks entering about eighteen hundred acres of land in Linn (grove township. Stephen J. Sparks was the second man to own this land, buying it from his father. Part of this T. M. Sparks broke, cultivated and became one of the leading early farmers here, living on this place until old age, when he moved to the village of Lynnville, where his death occurred about 1891; his first wife having died about four years previously, he remarried. He was a man of unusual physical strength and endurance, his average weight having been two hundred and forty pounds. He was a fine type of the hardy and brave frontiersman. His family consisted of twelve children. He was prominent in local affairs for years.

Stephen J. Sparks received what education he could in the pioneer schools of Lee county, Iowa, and he grew up on the home farm, having been fourteen years of age when he accompanied his parents to Jasper county. He knew the meaning of hard work early in Hfe and broke much wild land for his father and others on the prairies here, breaking in all about two thousand acres. In the early days he was a great rail splitter and wood cutter and he attributes his long life and good health to constant exercise in the open, his theory being that hard physical work never hurts anybody. When a boy he followed teaming for five years, hauling goods from remote points. He recalls the fact that when the family first moved to Iowa they lived near the scene of the famous Mormon murder, within a mile, in fact, of the home of Miller and Liza, the father of the subject having built the house in which they were killed.

When twenty-one years of age Stephen J. Sparks started in life for himself, his father having given him forty acres of land, valued at one hundred and twenty-five dollars. This he traded for seventy acres, building a hewed log house on the latter, got married and started to developing his little farm, his first wife being Martha Loton, and their wedding occurred in 1859; her death occurred in 1861, leaving two children, Amanda, who is still living, and Martha, who died in 1862.

Mr. Sparks is one of the honored veterans of the great Union army, having enlisted on August 22, 1862, at Camp Polk, Iowa City, in Company D, Fortieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. Felix Cozad, as drummer, and he served with much credit for a period of three months as drummer and as a private for nine months, being discharged at Paducah, Kentucky, on account of disability. He was with the troops that held Columbus, Kentucky, which was at one time considered by some to be the keynote of the rebellion.

Returning to Jasper county after his army experience, Mr. Sparks herded cattle for two years on the prairies. He recalls that at that time deer, wolves, wild turkey and other game was plentiful. He took up farming again, broke his land, added to it and bought two hundred and forty acres from his father. It was his custom to improve part of his land at a time and sell it, continuing thus for a number of years and thereby prospered. At one time he owned the land where the town of Lynnville now stands, and when the spur of the Iowa Central railroad was built to that town, about 1866, it came through his land. Mr. Sparks graded the tracks there, built the first stock yards at Lynnville Junction, also put down the first platform there. For a period of twenty-five years he bought and shipped live stock on an extensive scale, to Chicago, averaging one hundred car loads annually for a period of ten years, during which time he became known as one of the leading stock men in central Iowa, and in this enterprise he was most successful, accumulating a competency much in excess of that of the average person. About 1907 he retired from active life and moved to Lvnnville. where he has a beautiful and well furnished home and here he is spending his declining days. He owns one hundred and forty acres of land one and one-half miles east of the village, right on the county line. He has two and a half acres surrounding his town property.

On December 26, 1863, Mr. Sparks was united in marriage with Mrs. Rebecca 'olf. nee Gile, a native of Boone county, Indiana, the daughter of Samuel and Eliza Gile. who moved to Jasper county, Iowa, when their daughter, Rebecca, was eleven years of age, Mr. Gile being a farmer and pioneer preacher in the Christian church, and he did much good here in the early days. His death occurred about 1883, his widow surviving until about 1891. They were the parents of nine children. five of whom are living. The father died in Kansas and the mother in Missouri; they had come to Indiana from the East, and were everywhere known as splendid characters. The wife of Mr. Sparks was the mother of two children by Mr. Wolf, namely: Calvin, who died in infancy, and Eliza, who is living in the state of Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Sparks have traversed the highway of life together for a period of forty-eight years. Six children have been born to them, namely: Sarah, wife of Charles Monroe, who is treasurer of Mahaska county, Iowa; William P., who lives in Grinnell, Iowa; Perry M. lives on his father's farm; Laura M. is the wife of Al Hawkett, a carpenter of Grinnell; Clara Belle, who died when three years of age, was the first person buried in Greenwood cemetery; Jasper S. lives on a claim thirty-five miles east of Sturgis, South Dakota.

Mr. Sparks joined the Masons at Camp Polk, Iowa City, in 1862, but was not permitted to take his degree until he returned from the army; he belongs to Lebanon Lodge at Lvnnville. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Lynnville. In politics he stands for the best interests of the country regardless of party. He served twenty-two years as road supervisor and twenty years as school director, his long service in these positions being sufficient evidence of his high standing in his home community and of the confidence reposed in him by his neighbors and acquaintances. He has done much in furthering local matters in every way. Among other commendable acts was the giving of one thousand dollars to aid the building of the local Christian church, of which he and his estimable wife are worthy members. They have reared their children in a most wholesome atmosphere and they are fine characters, none of the sons using tobacco or liquor.

In 1906 Mr. Sparks was awarded prizes for being the oldest living settler in Iowa, having lived within the borders of this commonwealth for a period of seventy-five years to August 26, 191 1. This is indeed an honored distinction, and he is duly grateful that heaven has thus lengthened out his life. He was also awarded the prize for being the oldest soldier at the old settlers' reunion. Moderation has always been his shibboleth and he has avoided excesses of all kinds, and been careful of not only his actions but his thoughts also, believing that, to a great extent, "as a man thinketh so is he."

Mr. Sparks is a second cousin of the famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone, many of whose sterling qualities he seems to have inherited, one being his love of the open country, God's great out-of-doors, and although he is now seventy-eight years of age, he is still a great walker. It is indeed most interesting to hear him recall reminiscences of the early days, "ye good old times,'" for he properly belongs to a generation whose customs and manners were different from ours, in fact, when most everything was different, and, shall we say, better? No doubt, he will tell you so, and who is prepared to gainsay him? Among other things in his adventurous and picturesque career may be mentioned the fact that he lived among the Mormons in Illinois and Iowa for twelve years, during which time he had ample opportunity to study their modes of life and peculiar characteristics, and he was a participant in the Mormon war at Nauvoo, Illinois. He is indeed one of Iowa's grand old men whom it is a pleasure and privilege to know.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JOHN H. SPARKS.

.Another of the old soldiers of Jasjjcr county is John H. Sparks, a venerable farmer of Lynn (grove township, and it gives the historian no.small degree of pleasure to place his life history on record, partly because of his services to his country during her direct need, partly because of the fact that he is one of our respected pioneers and partly because of his life of integrity and kindness. The records of the lives of such men should be obtained before it is too late to get the full particulars from their own lips. Their sacrifices were too great not to deserve ample mention in the pages of history. It meant a great deal for the citizen-soldier to quit all pursuits and go away to war with the chances against him of ever coming back, or if he did return it would probably be with shattered health for the remainder of his life or in a crippled condition. But such was the chance taken willingly by Mr. Sparks; in fact, he seemed to enjoy taking chances for his country. Let us learn a little more about this sterling old soldier and pioneer. He was born in Washington county, Indiana, about seventy-six years ago, the son of Matthew and Lucy (Calloway) Sparks, the father born in Kentucky and the mother in Indiana. The former crossed the Ohio river into the Hoosier state when a young man and there married and began life for himself as a farmer. In 1855 the family came to Jasper county, Iowa, and, starting life anew as pioneers, built up a good farm and a good home in which they spent the balance of their earthly days, the mother dying after a comparatively short residence in the new state. They were the parents of twelve children. The mother was a member of the Christian church.

John H. Sparks was educated in the old-time public schools of Indiana and Iowa, but his text-book training was not very extensive, as was the custom of farmers' boys in those days, especially the sons of pioneers as was he, for it was necessary for him to spend the major part of the year assisting in the general farm work.

In 1 861 Mr. Sparks enlisted in Company B, Fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he served with much credit for a period of three years. He saw hard service and participated, among other engagements, in those of the famous siege of Vicksburg, battles of Iuka, Mississippi, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. He received an honorable discharge in July, 1864.

After his career as a soldier Mr. Sparks returned to his old home in Iowa and resumed farming, and soon bought eighty acres in Lynn Grove township. It was wild land, but he soon had it broke, properly improved and under cultivation, and from time to time he added such improvements as were needed, and established a good home and here he still resides. He has not done much work on the place for some time, renting it at times, and leaving the operation of it mostly to his sons. Politically, he is a Republican.

Mr. Sparks was married on April 29, 1866, to Ellen Mathews, a native of Illinois, from which state she moved to Iowa when a child with her parents, Matthew T. and Nancy Mathews, who were very early settlers in Jasper county.

Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Sparks, namely: Lucy. Perry. Jerry. Moses, Richard, Ray, Robert, Ruth and Guy.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JERRY WALTER SPARKS.

The science of agriculture — for it is a science as well as an art — finds an able demonstrator as well as a successful practitioner in the person of Jerry Walter Sparks, of Mariposa township, one of Jasper county's substantial and honored citizens. It would seem from looking over his well kept fields that he has been most careful of every detail and has tried to do well whatever he undertook, knowing that careless and slovenly done work would never bring large or definite results, and he has never been contented to be in the mediocre class of agriculturists.

yir. Sparks is a native of this community, his birth having occurred here on April 17, 1873, and he is the son of Henry and Ellen (Mathews) Sparks, the father born in Indiana and the mother born in Ohio. They spent their early lives and were educated in the East and married there, emigrating to Iowa in 1860 and devoted themselves to farming. Henry Sparks was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war for a period of three years and three months, during which he saw some hard service and conducted himself as a true American soldier.

perry W. Sparks, of this review, grew to maturity on the home farm, on which he worked when he became of proper age, and he received a good common school education, after which he turned his attention to farming in earnest and has followed that line of endeavor to the present time, locating on his present fine farm in 191 1. It consists of one hundred and sixty acres, devoted to general farming. It is well improved and rich, productive soil, which yields abundant harvests under Mr. Sparks' able management. He has a comfortable and well furnished home and large substantial bams and outbuildings.

He keeps some good live stock of various grades and never fails to find a ready market for what he offers for sale owing to their superior quality- Mr. Sparks was married on October 7, 1895, to Rebecca McClain, a lady of many commendable characteristics, who was born in Indiana, March 5, 1874. She is the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Haines) McClain, both natives of Indiana and both born in 1840. They were well known and highly respected people in their native community, each representing sterling old pioneer families.

To Mr. and Mrs. Sparks four children have been born, three daughters and one son, namely: Tracey Lewis. Aldie Ellen, Gladys Irene and Muriel. Politically. Mr. Sparks is a Republican and in religious matters he belongs to the Christian church, of which he is liberal supporter.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.