Hart, Bailes, Martin, Foster

This is a different website than the one I viewed but after you click on the link and it opens to main page, and after you click “welcome” to the left, on the next page go to the left and click the rectangular box that says Norman Files. Thats what I viewed, I didn’t see abt Hackers Creek Pioneer Descendents. Oh well, its all history. Greydove 🙂

Hey Shirley, You got my geneology drive going in a higher gear. I started digging more for Sparks. Mary Elizabeth(Betsy)Sparks b 1772 d 1845 VA was my 4th GreatGrandmother. She was the dau of George & Sarah (unknown) Sparks( I don’t have correct b & d dates on them) George was the son of Solomon Sparks b 1792 d 1854 N Carolina m Isabella Swaim b 1792 d 1852( it says USA on her) Solomons father was Solomon Sparks b 1757 d 1817 m Charity Snider b 1759 d 1826 N Carolina. Solomon’s father was Solomon Sparks b 1727 Maryland d 1790 N Carolina m Sarah Thompson b 1729 Maryland d 1800 N Carolina. Solomon’s father was Joseph Sparks b 1689 Talbot, Maryland d 1749 Maryland m Rachel Mary Sample b 1695 d 1749 Maryland. Joseph’s father was William Sparks b 1640 Hampshire England d 1709 Maryland m Mary Wright b 1640 d 1730 Maryland. So I was searching for more info on George & Sarah’s b & d dates and came across this…………..SOLOMON SPARKS 1725/7 – 1790 son of Joseph & Rachel Mary Sample Sparks Solomon born 1725 Queen Anne Maryland died 1790 Surry County North Carolina married Sarah Thompson abt 1749 in Frederick County, Maryland. Children: 1. Joseph b 1751 Frederick Co., Maryland 2. John Wesley b 1753 Rowan Co., N. Carolina d 1840 Surry Co. N. Carolina m Sarah Shores 1777 Rowan Co., N. Carolina(Sarah b 1757 d 1830 Wilkes Co. N. Carolina 3.Reuben b 1755 4. Solomon, Jr.(my GxmanyGrandpa) b 1757 d 1817 Rowan Co., N. Carolina 5. Mary b 1759-? 6. Hannah b 1761-? 7. Susannah b 1763 m Charles Johnson 1784 Rowan Co., N. Carolina 8. Able(elder) b 1/8/1767 Rowan Co., N. Carolina d 1823 Georgia (Able served in the War of 1812) Solomon Sparks, son of Joseph and a first cousin of William Sample Sparks. Solomon obtained a grant of 93 acres of land on the east side of Beaver Dam Creek on March 31, 1751, that Solomon made his purchase according to todays calender. ( England and her colonies adopted our Gregorian Calendar in 1752 which change the new year to January 1 and also moved the reckoning of days ahead by eleven.) Solomon chose the name “Cold Friday” for his tract of land. On June 30, 1753, Solomon and his wife Sarah sold this tract for 35 pounds to Matthew Howard. Believe the reason that Solomon sold, Cold Friday, in November 1753, was that he, along with several other members of the Sparks family, including William Sample Sparks, were preparing to move from Frederick Co., Maryland to the newly formed county of Rowan in North Carolina. They made the journey in the spring of 1754. The destination of these Sparks emigrants was the land called “Lord Granville Domain,” between the Yadkin and the Catawbo River in North Carolina. North Carolina had been established originally as a proprietary colony belonging to eight English Lords. In 1729, however, seven of these Lords sold their right to the colony to the King, but one, the Earl of Granville, refused to part with his share which in 1744, was apart with specified boundaries. Part of their domain consisted of a vas area which had been organized in 1749 as Anson County, but from which Rowan county had been cut off as a separate county in 1753. Shortly after Rowan county had been created. The county seat was established and name initially Rowan Courthouse, but this was changed later to Salisbury. By 1754, the year in which William Sample Sparks with two of his sons, Matthew abt 34 yrs old and James who was still in his teens. Three of his cousins, Solomon abt 27, Jonas 20 and Jonathan 18. One or more of the daughters of William Sample also one or more of Solomon’s sisters were included. Whither other Frederick county families joined the Sparks in their pioneering venture, we do not know, but it seems likely. We can only guess why they were attracted to it. A possible reason was a growing fear that there would be warfare between England and France and that this woul result in Indian uprisings in western Maryland. Indeed what would be called the French and Indian War in America was about to commence. There was also the fact that desirable vacant land was less plentiful than had been the case a few years earlier, and owners of good land in Frederick County were demanding high prices. There was the pleasing prospect of being able, not ony to obtain new land in North Carolina at a much lower cost, also, there were reports that the soil there was unusually rich and that the climate was milder than in western Maryland. There were two routes that were being used. The “Upper Pennsylvania Road” which is found on a map of 1775 from Lancaster Pennsylvania South West( The Sparks lived about 15 miles north of the town now called Frederick, which is in Frederick county, Maryland.) to Frederick county, Maryland across the most eastern tip of West Virginia down the Shenandoah Valley into Winchester, southw west to Rowan county North Carolina ( The northern part of Rowan county later became Davie county. Solomon’s land was on the east side of Davie county) to a place about 10 miles above Reedy Creek. Something like 400 miles trip, it probably took a month to a month and one half to make this trip. While the number of settlers in the Forks of the Yadkin was small at the time of the Sparks family’s arrival, there were a few families present. James Carter had gone there from Augusta County, Virginia, in 1747. A man named Morgan Bryan had come to the Forks of the Yadkin with his family from Virginia in 1747 and two years later, in May 1750 Squire Boone had come from Pennsylvania with his family. Squire Boone’s son Daniel, who would become Kentucky’s most famous pioneer, married Bryan’s daughter, Rebecca in 1755. Solomon settled on land that joined the Yadkin River, about 12 miles north of Matthew Spark’s tract (Matthew was William Sample Sparks’s oldest son.) On April 2, 1761, he obtained his deed for this tract 250 acres from Granville agent for 10 shillings in sterling. Then on August 28, 1762, Solomon purchased (also for 10 shillings, 290 additional acres adjoining his first tract. A map showing the location of Matthew and Solomon’s land (Solomon lived just south of the village of Surry ( Yadkin) county, North Carolina with land in Wilkes as well as in Surry. In 1763 Solomon sold 130 and 3/4 acres to his brother Jonas and 159 and 1/4 acres to Valentine Vanhourser. According to the statement made by John Sparks (Solomon’s oldest son) in his personal application. Solomon and his family moved from Rowan county to what is now Wilkes (then Surry) North Carolina about the year 1772. In 1787 as resident of Surry Co. North Carolina. Solomon and Sarah sold 160 acres in Rowan county to Zephemiah Harris and 1788 they sold 170 acres in Rowan county to Jonas Sparks, (his brother) Solomon and Sarah disappeared from North Carolina records after 1788. Solomon does not appear on the 1790 census and there is no will, no intestate record and no record of Soloman and Sarah buying or selling land in Surry or Wilkes County. Although when the Surry and Wilkes county line was surveyed in 1789 it mentioned the plantation of Solomon Sparks. Solomon lived just south of the village of Swan Creek in the western part of Surry (now Yadkin) county North Carolina with land in Wilkes as well as in Surry. Around 1800 the Sparkses and their connections owned land for several miles along the Surry (now Yadkin)-Wilkes county line there are still many descendants in that area today. It is believed that Solomon was deceased by 1800, or possibly by 1790’s. Since neither of them left a will and no family bible or other record has been located. However, a power of attorney record in Wilkes county, North Carolina court minutes on Tuesday August 4, 1801 gives a list of at least eight of the children of Solomon and Sarah. There may have been other children of Solomon and Sarah who were living far removed from this area in 1801 or other may have been deceased. It is known that eight names in the power of Attorney were all living in Surry (now Yadkin) and Wiles counties N. C. at that time. Sarah lived a number of years longer and she may have accompanied her son, Able Sparks when he moved to G

eorgia abt 1803. Able married Elizabeth Benge on the 11/10/1796. ~~~~~~~~~~~Know this is long and extensive, but couldn’t believe I stumbled onto this. WOW Peace & Many Blessings~~^~~Greydove~~:D

Hey Shirley:) I read that the English translation of the surname Sparks came from “Sparrowhawk” And really when you look at the word you sure can pick out Sparks from it, only it appears to be plural, which when you think abt it a family is a plural of all its people, huh? Heres an interesting link I found and it even has some links off it abt Melungeon:rolleyes: Any way enjoy. Peace & Blessings Greydove:D http://sparksgenealogy.net/indices.html

Hi Shirley & All I wish for you to find your Sparks family heritage too, Shirley. Don’t like the sound of some kinda tragedy that happened to your Grandfather, tho. Sorry for that for you. Here is a pretty neat link for alot of things ndn. Enjoy, Peace & Many Blessings ~~^~~ Greydove 😀 http://www.manataka.org/page12.html