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The family of Patricia SPARKMAN, Thomas.
William Williams SPARKMAN, was supposedly the first SPARKMAN, to settle in Butler County, MO. He brought his widowed mother, Celia Williams Sparkman; his wife, Elizabeth Jane Fitzgerald, seven of their children, and several other Sparkmans & Fitzgeralds from Giles County, TN to the Cane Creek Community in the winter of 1860-1861, just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. The SPARKMANs & the FITZGERALDs came together in covered wagons, crossing the Mississippi River in Cairo, Illinos. William Williams, left Tennessee for Missouri in an effort to save his family from the onslaught of the impending war. However, he built his home in the Cane Creek area very close to the old military road. The Confederacy and the Union both used this road as did de- serters and bushwackers, as a result William Williams Sparkman's home was looted several times. To keep from being killed, the family had to hide out in what is now called, "Sparkman Cave."A photo of the Thaddeus Holmes Sparkman farm, built in 1889. View Photograph #1
The house still stands and is still occupied. It is supposedly the oldest house in Butler County, MO. This photo was taken in 1908. Pictured [in photograph #1] are
- Thaddeus;
- the tallest woman is Thaddeus' 3rd wife,
- Elizabeth Burkett Rushing Sparkman;
- the second tallest woman is
- Nanny Hettie Lavinia Sparkman - born 1890
- Nanny is, Thaddeus' daughter, by; , his late 2nd wife (Nancy Meredith Wilson Sparkman);
- the three children in front are Elizabeth's & Thaddeus' children from L-R:
- Nina Sparkman - born 1907;
- Irene Sparkman - born 1903;
- Viola "Ola" Sparkman - born [private]. Viola, is still believed to be living in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
- Irene Sparkman - born 1903;
- Nanny Hettie Lavinia Sparkman - born 1890
- the tallest woman is Thaddeus' 3rd wife,
View Photograph#2
Photo was taken about 1900 and is of my gg
grandparents:
- William Williams Sparkman (1820-1904) &
- Elizabeth Jane Fitzgerald Sparkman (1823-1903).
- They are pictured here with two of their grandchildren:
- John Edwin Sparkman (1897-1979) &
- Hettie Meredith Sparkman.
- All four are buried in the Sparkman Cemetery in Cane Creek.
- Elizabeth Jane Fitzgerald Sparkman (1823-1903).
View photograph#3
Rev. Thaddeus Holmes Sparkman (1852-1932) & his
wife Nancy Meredith Wilson Sparkman (1877-1901) & their eight children. They lived
in the Cane Creek area of Butler County and are buried in Sparkman Cemetery. The
photo was taken about 1895 in rural Poplar Bluff, MO.
- L-R Back Row:
- Elizabeth,
- Jennie & Georgia.
- Elizabeth,
- L-R Front Row:
- Rothwell,
- Robert,
- Francis "Frank",
- Lee Fanning and
- Lavinia sitting down in the very front.
- (The infant, Frank, sitting on his mother's lap is my grandfather.
- He is also buried in Sparkman cemetery, as is his older sister, Lavinia).
- Robert,
The Sparkman and Kearby families, attended the Cane Creek School. The Log, one room school was in use in the early 1800’s, later a new Cane Creek School, was built. The early 1900’s, we find records a larger Cane Creek School, had been built. When the school burned in 1944, leaving little more than the piano, and a few books and records, school was completed for the term in the Church. Records indicate, there were members of these two families in attendance to this school for more than 100 years. Many of the women in the family served as teachers in this school. Included among the teachers from these two families is: Nancy Meredith Sparkman Wilson, Bessie Lamkin Sparkman, Helen Boxx Sparkman, Carroll Sparkman and Norma Sparkman Dowd.
Return to BUTLER COUNTY
This page created and place here July 2000
by:Mary Hudson
The material furnished for this web page is given by:
Patricia Sparkman Thomas - pathomas@uswest.net - Rothwell,