James Sparks and Mary Ann Ellis

Image of Mary Sparks courtesy of descendants of Mabel Clair McKenney Tripp.

James Sparks was born 1803 in , Fleming, Kentucky. He married abt 1827 to Mary Ann Ellis in , Nicholas, Kentucky. She was born 1806 in , Nicholas, Kentucky.

I believe James to be the son of George Sparks and Elizabeth “Betsy” Wells. Mary Ann Ellis was the daughter of James Mason Ellis and Francis Fanny Doughty.

Kentucky Nicholas County Marriage Bonds 1799-1855 gives:

James SPARKS & Polly ELLIS, November 1, 1827. By John Rogers.

As Mary Ann ELLIS was born in Nicholas County, Kentucky, I believe this Polly ELLIS to be Mary Ann and wife of James Sparks. In the census, James SPARKS and Mary are consistently located beside family of Mary Ann ELLIS, most consistently James Nicholas ELLIS, her brother.

James and Mary Ann had 7 children:

1. Elizabeth J. Sparks b. abt. 1828, died before 1853, married Richard Allen Crane who was born 1826 and died 1878.
2. James E. Sparks b. 1832 in Indiana, died 1927 in , Chautauqua County, Kansas, married 1852 March 28 in , Martin, Indiana to Carrie E. (Cary Ann) Burch b. 1835 in , Greene, Indiana, died 1917 in , Chautauqua, Kansas. Direct line.
3. George T. Sparks b. abt. 1830, died before 1864. 1851 Jan 12 at Greene, Indiana he married Cyrene C. (Syreney) Vest. In 1864 March 31 at Loogootee, Martin, Indiana she married 2nd Martin J. Stuckey, b. abt 1798 in Kentucky. He was married 3 times previously, to Millie Cleveland, Ruth Love and Catherine Van Hoy.
4. Otho Sparks was born abt 1834 and died before 1898. 1856 April 13 in , Martin, Indiana he married Mary E. Lamar. He married 2nd, 1895 Nov 17 in , Gibson, Indiana, Sarah C. Collins.
5. William Sparks was born about 1837.
6. Benjamin D. Sparks was b. abt. 1840 in , Monroe, Indiana, and died in Chautauqua County, Kansas. He appears to have married 3 times, to a Mary Curtis, Minerva Edmondson, and Emma Louis Mitchell. I’ll list his families on a separate page.
7. Mary Ellen Sparks was born abt. 1845. 1867 April 4 in Macoupin, Macoupin, Illinois she married T. C. Russell.

I’ve yet to locate the family in the 1830 census.

1830, 1832, 1834, children were born in Indiana. About 1835 James’ father died. hen in 1837 and 1840 two more children were born in Indiana.

The census data for 1840.

James M. ELLIS, father of Mary Ann, is on page 58, and his sons Benjamin and Ellis, and SCOTT and CRANE relations, are on page 67. The household of James SPARKS shows 2 2 1 – – 1 / – – 1 – – 1 (2 males under 5 would be William and Benjamin, 2 5 to 10 would be Otho and James, 1 10 to 15 George, 1 30 to 40 woulld be James Sr., 1 female 10 to 14 is unknown and 1 female 30 to 40 is Mary).

1840 IN MONROE CO.
pg. 58
Wm. GOODING
Lydia BURCH
Wm. ROBINSON
…
Nathan HUDDLESTON
Jonathan HINKLE
Wm. LENTZ
James CAMPBELL
Daniel GROSS SR.
…
William MOORE
John GOODNIGHT
James M. ELLIS Sr. – – – – – – – 1 / – – 1 2 1 – – 1
Hays ADAMS
Wm. ADAMS
pg. 62
ORAM
GWYNN
PAULEY
PAULEY
SPARKS 2 2 1 – – 1 / – – 1 – – 1
(Index gives as James SPARKS, images have first names cut off.)
ISAHOWER
WARD
TARKINGTON
pg. 67
David HALL
Bird DAWSON
WIlliam POARCH
Jonathan SCOTT
Joseph SANDERS
Alexander SYMS
Benj. ELLIS 1 – – – 1 / – – – 1
James ELLIS Jr. – – – – 1/ 2 – – – 1
Henry SANDERS
Vincent SCOTT 1 2 – – – 1 / 1 – 1 – – 1
Richard CRANE 1 2 3 – – 1 / 1 1 – – – 1
Yalden BAKER

Lastly, in 1845, Mary Ellen was born.

By 1848 the family was in Brown County Indiana where James is listed as a poll tax payer.

The 1850 census data.

James SPARKS and Mary are living beside her brother James Nicholas ELLIS. John ELLIS in household 140 is a brother of her father James Mason ELLIS. John ELLIS married a Lucretia WELLS who could possibly have been a relation of Elizabeth WELLS, wife of George SPARKS.

1850 MARTIN COUNTY PERRY TOWNSHIP INDIANA CENSUS
pg. 51A
140/142
John ELLIS 76 farmer b. PA 400 can’t read or write
William 38 farmer 200 b. KY can’t read or write
John 34 150 b. KY can’t read or write
Elizabeth McCAMORIN 36 b. KY can’t read or write
Mary ELLIS 32 b. IN
William McCAMORIN 16
Sarah MURPHY 15
Jane MURPHY 15 twins
William McCAMORIN 16 farmer b. IN
141/144
Martin STUCKEY 52 potter 400 b. KY
Catharine 31 b. NC
John 1 b. IN
Martin 1. b. IN
142/145
Upton STUCKEY 27 potter 600 b. IN
Jane 30 b. NC
Martin 4 b. IN
Arthur 1 b. IN
Aaron ROSE 16 potter b. NJ
143/146
Hubbard LOVE 45 farmer
Sarah LOVE 40 $500 b. NC
John 30 farmer b. IN
Sarah J. 18
William N. 15 farmer
Mary Ann 13
Arch 10
Emaline 7
Naller ? 3
144/147
Sabra LOVE 83 b. PA
James S. LOVE 22 farmer b. IN
145/148
Hannah LOVE 26 b. SC
Abigail B., EMORE 8 b. IN
146/149
John CRANE 26 Farmer 200 b. IN
Elvira 36 b. KY
John C. 4 b. IN
p. 51B
William CRANE 3 b. IN
Ben N. 1
NOTE: Worldconnect http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:1651362&id=I75186476 (caspian64@aol.com)
Elvira ELLIS (sister of Mary Ellis SPARKS) , b. 1814 KY, daughter of James M. ELLIS b. 1784 PA or VA and Francis Fanny DOUGHTY. John Cord CRANE was a son of Richard CRANE and Rebecca GARDNER (Rebecca was a sister of Elizabeth GARDNER and Elizabeth married 2nd Richard CRANE). John Cord CRANE died young… “She may not have been in a good mental state. Some records indicate that her children were given away and she is found in one census as ‘living with a slew of paupers’. 1850 Census: IN, Martin Co. Perry Twp; 1860 Census: IN, Martin Co. Perry Twp, pg 51; 1870 Census: IN, Martin Co. Center Twp. pg. 300; 1880 Census: IN, Martin Co. Perry Twp.; Holt History of Martin Co IN Vol. 2 (Putnam County Library.”
Next door is Elvira and Mary’s brother James Nicholas ELLIS.
147/150
James N. ELLIS 36 Farmer 500 b. KY
Maria 36 b. KY
Elvira 13 b. IN
Elizabeth 11
Mary J. 9
James A. 4
Benj. 2
NOTE: This is James Nicholas ELLIS b. 21 July 1811 in Nicolas Co. KY and died 3 Sept. 1892 in Neosho Co. KS. His wife is Rebecca Mariah SCOTT b. 1 May 1816 in Nicolas Co. KY. Joel Weintraub writes at Genforum as to Rebecca Mariah SCOTT that her parents were Jonathan SCOTT and Catherine BORDERS, and that Jonathan’s father was Simon SCOTT who “was a youngster in Scotland when Pirates captured him, and released him in Virginia when he was of age…thus he knew his first name but not last, so he called his surname Scott after Scotland.”
148/151
James SPARKS 46 farmer 300 b. KY
Mary 43 b. KY
George T. 20 b. IN
James E. 18
Otho 16
William 13
Benj. 10
Mary Ellen 5
149/152
Richard A. CRANE 23 Farmer $200
Elizabeth CRANE 22
James S. 2
Richard 49 farmer $650 b. KY 150/153
Elizabeth CRANE 42John C. 23 farmer
Thomas 22 farmer $400
Isaac E. 19
Elizabeth 17
Benjamin J. 16
Susan R. 16
Charles H. 3
Elisa E. 2
Cary A. BIRCH 2
John A. BIRCH 13
Isaac T. BURCH 12
Martha S. BIRCH 7
George H. CRANE 10
Note: Cary BIRCH is erroneously given here as 2 instead of 12.
151/156 James and Percilla QUEEN

In 1852, son James E. Sparks was married. In 1855, Mary Ann’s brother, Benjamin, died. The marriage of son Otho followed in 1856.

The census data for 1860.

James SPARKS and Mary are again living next to James Nicholas ELLIS, and also next to son James E. SPARKS.

1860 CUMBERLAND COUNTY ILLINOIS SPRING POINT CENSUS
pg. 738
James ELLIS 38 stone mason b. KY
R. Mariah 44 b. KY
Elvira MILLER 23 b. IN
Mary ELLIS 19
James 14
Benjamin 12
Jonathan 10
Margaret
Sarah A.
Thomas
James W. ? 4
Albert 5
NOTE: James ELLIS was living next to the SPARKS in the 1850 Martin County census.
pg. 740 (76 ancestry.com)
73/73 James W. SCOTT 45 wheelwright $1200 $500 b. KY
Adelia 45 b. GA?
Malison 19 f. b. IL
Carolin 16 b. IL
Robert 12. b. IN
James Wesley SCOTT is going to be a relative of Rebecca Mariah SCOTT married to James Nicholas ELLIS in the above household.
74/74
James SPARKS 54 M Farmer personal value 200 b. KY
Mary 53 F b. KY
Benjamin D. 21 M b. IN
Mary E. 17 F b. IN
75/75
James SPARKS 26 m Farmer b. IN
Cary A. 24 F b. IN
John 7 M b. IN
Mary E. 3 F b. IN
Martha C. 1 F b. IN
576/576?
John COWWDE? COWWELE 50 b. NY and family
84/84 577/577
Wiley C. VAILS 36 and Susan and family
78/78
Elizabeth M. SCOTT 40 widow
79/79 Davies LARKINS 65 and Ann and family
80/80 John ELLISON 30 and family
81/81 Sanford LARKINS 30
82/82 Wiliam LARKINS 28 and family
83/83 Alfred P. GIBBONS? 43 and family 584/584
D. ELLIS 28 personal property 500 b. ILL
Sarah 25
Martha A. 7
John 5
Andrew Ellison 2
585/585
Samuel SHOPES or SHAPES 36 (PA) and Mary and family
586/586
Stephen SMITH and Julia and family
NOTE: I don’t see any MCCORMICKS in Cumberland County.

In 1870 the couple is in Whitley, Moultrie, Illinois.

Illinois, Moultrie, Whitley
119/117 SPARKS James 62 Farmer $00 $100 KY
Mary E. 50

Son James E. SPARKS and Carrie BURCH SPARKS are reported to have migrated to KS, Chautauqua Co. in 1873. This is subsequent the death of Mary Ann’s father in 1871 and her mother in 1872.

The brother of Mary Ann ELLIS, James Nicholas ELLIS, also migrated to Chautauqua Co. KS and is observed in the 1880 Sedan census threre, in which Benjamin SPARKS is also observed.

Francis PARTCH has written that her ancestor Samuel McCORMICK boated with the SPARKS down from IN. It is possible the SPARKS families returned to IN.

James And Mary E. are in Sedan in 1875.

1875 Sedan, Howard, Kansas

4/2 James SPARKS 67 Farmer $100 KY from IL
M. 66 KY from IL
5/6 I. F. ELDRIDGE 40 NC from MO
I T? 28 NC
C B 9 NC
E M 7 NC
W A 5 MO
S V 2 KS
6/2 M MURPHY 38 and S E Murphy 34

The SPARKS families connect with the LOVE and STUCKEY families, observed in the census, through George T. SPARKS, son of James SPARKS and Mary Ann ELLIS. George married Cyrene VEST in 1851. Cyrene VEST marries 2nd Martin STUCKEY in 1864. He was married to Ruth LOVE, daughter of James LOVE and Sabra, before 1820 in Indiana.

Brother of James Mason ELLIS, John ELLIS, had a ggrandson, Christian ELLIS, who married Lorena RICH 1898 in Indiana, Martin County. Her mother was a Sharum, daughter of George Sharum and Rachel Standley, and Rachel Standley’s mother as Jane LOVE who married William STANDLEY. Jane was a sister of Ruth who married Martin STUCKEY.

Brother of James Mason ELLIS, John ELLIS, had a ggrandson, Christian ELLIS, who married Lorena RICH 1898 in Indiana, Martin County. Her mother was a Sharum, daughter of George Sharum and Rachel Standley, and Rachel Standley’s mother as Jane LOVE who married William STANDLEY. Jane was a sister of Ruth who married Martin STUCKEY.