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Fourth Generation
97. Elizabeth (Betsy)
CURRENT132 was born
on 10 Jan 1805 in Virginia. She died on 31 Oct 1866 in Denton, Texas.
She was buried at Ritter Cemetery, Denton, Texas. Elizabeth (Betsy)
CURRENT and George Washington EMBERLIN , Sr. were married on 31 Jan 1833 in Vermilion,
Illinois.133 George
Washington EMBERLIN , Sr.134,135,136
was born on 15 Nov 1798 in Virginia. He died on 1 Mar 1867 in Stewarts
Creek, Denton, Texas. He was buried at Ritter Cemetery, Denton, Texas.
JAMES LEWIS SPARKS and MARY BARBERY EMBERLIN
Written by Izetta Sparks, granddaughter of James and Mary
August 29, 1972
In the fall of 1853, among a wagon train of emigrants, James Lewis Sparks came
to Texas from Buchanon County, Missouri. He was born in Kentucky, December 25,
1828. It is not known where or how long he lived in Kentucky or Missouri before
he married and came to Texas. The name of his wife may have been Malinda Sullivan.
She died with her new baby after reaching Texas and was buried in the Ritter
Cemetery, near Lewisville, Denton County, Texas where both James Lewis and Mary
Barbery Emberling are buried.
James Lewis Sparks and his two brothers came to live in Texas before the War.
Their mother had died and their father had married again. All that is known of
their family was James Lewis’ remark that he did not like his redheaded
half brothers whom he left in Missouri and he would not talk about them or the
life he left. His father evidently came to Texas on visits for Marguerite “Mag,’
one of this daughters, remembered her mother saying that she did not like him
very much. His named could be William John Sparks born about 1773 in Virginia
and his wife Mary Jane Green born 1783 in Kentucky.
James Lewis Sparks was a farmer. He taught school for years. His second wife,
Mary Barbery Emberlin, was on of his pupils. Also his eldest children attended
his school. He was postmaster for the vicinity in early days. He was superintendent
of the Stewart Creek Baptist Sunday School for about 30 years. He also serviced
as justice of the peace. He was a member of the I.O.O.F. 30 years at Rector,
Texas Cottonwood Lodge No. 156.
James Lewis Sparks with his brothers, Isaac and William ‘Bill,’ and
two brothers-in-law, George W. and John Emberlin, were mustered into the same
company into the Confederate service at Dallas, Texas in 1862. They were members
of Company E, Darnell’s Regiment of the 18th Texas Cavalry. They were enrolled
by John T. Coitts, Dallas, Texas.
James Lewis went across the Mississippi where he served the remainder of the
bloody struggle. H was wounded, shot in the stomach and captured at Franklin.
He said that the shot went through his body and that a silk handkerchief was
pulled through the wound to cleanse it from dirt and pieces of bone, and perhaps
this saved his life. He was captured in the fall of 1864 and taken to Camp Chase,
Ohio where he was released at the close of the war. He walked most of the way
home. When he reached his family, he was so foot sore and emaciated that his
family did not recognize him.
(His brothers died during the Civil War, one at the prisoner of war camp in Illinois.)
James Lewis Sparks was born December 25, 1828 and died February 2, 1905 and is
buried at Ritter Cemetery near Lewisville. He had pneumonia with complications
from the old wound which he carried from the War days.
From the records in the General Land Office, Austin, Texas, the records reveal
that ‘the James Lewis Sparks land is a pre-emption survey which was patented
to James L. Sparks on September 20, 1859, by Patent no. 170, Volume 27, as containing
160 acres of land. The pre-emption certificate, under which the land was awarded,
was executed on September 9, 1857 and was filed in the land office on September
19, 1857.’ Part of this land is still owned by a grandson, Noble Talley
of Lewisville and a granddaughter, Izetta Sparks of Frisco.
James built a log cabin near a spring of water on this plot of land. He added
to the log cabin, a frame building in 1871. The house still stands in its original
location and is occupied by Noble Talley and his wife, part of the year. Both
James and Mary died in the house which had been their home for many years
The Emberlin family, George and Elizabeth (Current), came to Texas from Illinois
in 1853 and lived in Stewart Creek community near Rector, Denton County, Texas.
He was born in Virginia November 15, 1798 and died near Rector 1867. She was
born in Virginia January 1, 1805 and died near Rector in 1866. They are both
buried at Ritter Cemetery in Denton County. Her maiden name was Current. It was
remembered that she spoke of Uncle Levi Current.
The Emberlin family had nine children.
Glory Ann born June 13, 1834 (Loretta on the 1860 Denton Co. census).
Martin S. born April 2, 1836. (named after his grandfather Martin Current)
Mary Barbery born July 18, 1838.
George Washington jr born October 22, 1840.
William H. born July 26, 1843.
John W. born April 4, 1845.
James R. born April 3, 1848.
Darius Mathew born April 10, 1850.
Joseph Levi born February 14, 1852. (named after his father’s brother Joseph
Emberlin and his mother’s brother Levi Current)
The two Emberlin sisters married brothers, Glory Ann married William ‘Bill’
Sparks (should be Isaac Sparks according to 1860 Denton County census with William
‘Bill’ living in the household) and had two children (Elizabeth and
George who were on the 1870 Texas with their uncle Martin Emberlin’s family,
only Elizabeth “Lizzie” survived after 1870) George and Elizabeth before
he went to the Civil War from which he never returned. His wife and children
lived with her brother Martin S. Emberlin near Millsap, Parker County, but they
did not keep in touch with the family in Denton County and nothing is known of
them.
Mary Barbery Emberlin married James Lewis Sparks about 1855 or 1856 (Denton County
courthouse burned, destroying the early county marriage records). They had eight
children:
EMELINE ELIZABTH born May 25, 1857, married ABE ADAMS.
MARY ANNE born February 26, 1859 and married DELLIE NEWTON.
SARAH MELVIN’MELLIE’ born February 27, 1867 and married ANDY HOSKINS.
MILDRED HELEN born January 10, 1866 and married WILLIAM M. VAUGHN.
JOHN MARTIN born June 3, 1869 and married SARAH ELIZABETH GREER.
MARGUERITE JANE ‘MAGGIE’ born November 15, 1871 and married SHEILD
TALLEY.
FANNIE LEANNA ‘LEE’ born September 24, 1874 and married WILL MEADOWS.
GEORGE WILLIAM born August 7, 1877.
From the available records, there is mention of DAVID EMBERLING born May 5, 1825
who was an uncle to Mary B. (he was a half-brother from George’s first marriage).
She called him Uncle Dave and he lived in Prairie City, Illinois. He came to
Texas twice with his nephew, George, to see his kin. Also Solomon Emberling,
father of George, came to Texas from Illinois with his daughter Belle. They too
lived in Prairie City. Solomon was blind.
The material for this story was taken from Bible records, newspaper accounts
and stories handed down in the family. Some names and dates are vague and may
be incorrect.
On February 2, 1905 at 5:50 p.m. JAMES LEWIS SPARKS died at his home. His death
certificate states that the principal cause of death of lagrippe, a contagious
disease with a severe cold and fever. J. D. Carpenter, M. D. of Frisco was the
attending physician at his death. He was buried in Ritter Cemetery, having reached
the age of 76 years, 1 month, 9 days.
-----
Newspaper Notice of MARY BARBERY SPARKS’ Death
From the “Rector News:”
"Mrs. Mary Sparks died at her home near Rector Wednesday, March 26. Mary
Emblem (Emberlin) Sparks was born July 18, 1838 in Illinois. In 1854 she was
married to J. L. Sparks and they settled on the place where she has lived continuously
until the time of her death. Mr. Sparks died some 19 years ago. One daughter
died some 30 years ago. Seven children survive Mrs. Sparks. They are: Mrs. ANNIE
NEWTON of Dublin, Mrs. MELLIE HOSKINS of Oklahoma, Mrs. HELEN GREEN of Olney,
JOHN SPARKS of Frisco, Mrs. MAGGIE TALLEY, Mrs. LEE MEADOWS, and GEORGE SPARKS
of this place. At an early age, Mrs. Sparks converted and united with the Steward
Creek Baptist Church and lived a consistent Christian life until the time of
her death, at all times, gladly giving of her means toward the spread of the
Gospel. For the past six years or more, Mrs. Sparks has been too feeble to attend
church services but time and again services had been held in her home which she
enjoyed very much. To know was to love and trust her, and all our older settlers
testify that she was always spoken as one of the best women in the whole county.
We are thankful for such lives--thankful that God allowed to the relatives, the
neighborhood, and the county the companionship of this good woman so many years.
It serves as a incentive to the youth of our county. We can live Godly, consistent,
faithful, everyday lives in our stations and triumph over death with a prayer
on our lips as she did. A large crowd gathered at Ritter’s cemetery Thursday
afternoon to pay their last respects to her memory. In a touching manner her
former pastor, REV. SANDERS, spoke of her past life, her lasting influence and
of our assurance of her entrance into her heavenly home.
The following relatives from a distance attended the funeral: Mrs. LOU OSBROOK
of Henrietta, Mr. and Mrs. JONES and daughter of Fort Worth, JOHN ADAMS of West
Texas, ARTHUR, EDGAR and WILL VAUGHN and families of Denton, Mrs. MAGGIE MCCLENDON
and little daughter of Prosper, also FRANK DAVIKA and mother and MRS." (copy
of original clipping ends here).
Another resource:
Received from LILLIE MAE MORRIS, daughter of MILDRED HELEN SPARKS. “You
can keep this as it’s one thing I sent to Bill and he returned it. Barbara’s
daughter OMA wrote it for her son when Gordon was in high school. I think that
was in 1950 that he graduated. I have no idea what happened to all that my mother
kept.”
Transcript of a handwritten report:
"The romance between my great-great-grandfather, JAMES L. SPARKS and MARY
BARBERY EMBERLIN, began in 1853 on a wagon train somewhere between Tennessee
and Stewart Creek, Texas. This red head young man soon learned that Mary and
her parents were from Virginia. He told her of his eight redheaded brothers and
two sisters he left in Tennessee. He told her how his father, JOHN SPARKS, who
had come to America from Wales, fought the Tories for all his was worth. Then
one morning went out to kill a turkey, the Indians shot him. The sad part of
James’ story was that he had buried his mother just before he left home
and with her, his father’s shirt with the bullet hole in it. Mary listened
attentively and became so interested in this young man that when they reached
Texas and he began teaching school, she went back to school. Two years later,
Mary and the teacher were married.
My maternal grandmother, the granddaughter of JAMES L. SPARKS (from the note
with this, it appears that this should be the ‘daughter of’) kept a
complete record of her family. It dates back to the year 1798and contains many
interesting facts about the Civil War. Her grandfather (father?) and four of
her uncles fought with Darnell’s regiment of the 18th Texas Calvary in Company
E. They enlisted at Dallas, Texas. After the war, one of the them became postmaster
and justice of the peace in Denton County. The daughter of one of the soldiers
still lives in Denton. She is 85 years old. She is my great-grandmother.
One thing I noticed in the glimpses at my family trees. . ." (the account
ends here)
Elizabeth (Betsy) CURRENT and George Washington EMBERLIN , Sr. had the following
children:
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