From: zursch@whizkid.wpd.sgi.com (Captain Coffee)
Newsgroups: alt.war.civil.usa
Subject: More on James Sparks (Thomas)
Date: 9 Sep 92 17:06:05 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA


Here is some interesting, (imho) though somewhat lengthy information
on the process used by the mother of my relative James Thomas Jefferson
Sparks to obtain her mother's pension after the war.....Specifically, I
thought it was relevant to recent discussions that the reason James left
his original unit and changed his name was a dispute over a lost pistol.
The difficulty in getting the pension is that he was technically a deserter,
though it's kind of hard to consider him one when he joined another unit
a week later......

Also of interest is the text of a letter from him to his aunt....

Fyi:


JAMES THOMAS JEFFERSON SPARKS, son of William J. and
Terressa (Henning) Sparks, was born on December 17, 1843,
probably in Boone County, Kentucky.

He served in Company H, 2nd Regiment
Indiana Cavalry (41st Infantry) and in
Company A, 78th Regiment Illinois Volunteers.

On February 25, 1880, Terressa Sparks, aged 57, a resident of 
Louisville, Kentucky, made a declaration for a Mother's Army 
Pension. She stated that she was the widow of William Sparks and the 
mother of James Thomas who was a private in Company A, 78th Regiment 
Illinois Infantry Volunteers. Her son had been killed in action 
while in the military service. Prior to his death, she had been 
dependent upon him for her support. He had left no widow or minor 
child. She could not remember exactly where he was killed, but she 
did obtain his bounty. His name was James J. Sparks, alias James 
Thomas. She appointed H. M. Carr of Louisville as her attorney. 
George H. Webb and Samuel G. Moore witnessed her make her mark.

A few months earlier, on December 19, 1879, Bela Herrick, a resident 
of Switzerland County, Indiana, had appeared before John T. Huston, 
a justice of the peace, to make an affidavit in which he stated that 
he knew William Sparks quite well and that Sparks had obtained a 
$100 bounty from the government because his son, James T. J. 
Sparks, had been killed while in the military service. Herrick also 
stated that William Sparks was a cripple; was a resident of 
Switzerland County; and was 85 years of age.

On the following day, December 20, 1879, James H. Wade also appeared 
before John T. Huston to state that he personally knew James T. J. 
Sparks as he was a comrade in Company H, 41st Indiana Cavalry, and 
that Sparks drew his pay regularly and sent the same home to his 
mother, and that she depended largely upon him for support.

Dr. Rinaldo R. Ruter, a physician in Switzerland County, Indiana, 
made an affidavit on February 17, 1880, that he was personally 
acquainted with William Sparks during 1860 and 1861 and knew him to 
be an incurable cripple in very poor circumstances. His son, who was 
his only dependence, was killed in the War of 1861 and was a member 
of the 41st Regiment Indiana Cavalry.

Three days later, on February 20th, Henry H. Ferguson, Treasurer of 
Clark County, Indiana, certified that there was no assessment for 
taxation against William Sparks or Terressa Sparks from 1872 to 
1880.

On October 1, 1880, the War Department confirmed the military 
service of James Thomas. He had enrolled in Company A, 78th Regiment 
Illinois Volunteers at Bridgeport, Alabama, on September 12, 1863, 
and was killed in action near Marietta, Georgia, on June 27, 1864.

Apparently no action was taken on the application of 
Mrs. Terressa Sparks for a Mother's Pension and the case rested 
until the fall of 1882. On November 11, 1882, Robert S. Waters, aged 
52, a resident of Patriot, Indiana, swore that James T. J. Sparks, 
late of the 78th Regiment Illinois Infantry, had worked for him in 
1859 and 1860. Sparks was a strong man physically and always gave 
his wages to his mother. Waters also swore that William Sparks, 
father of James T. J. Sparks, could do no manual labor because of a 
crippled leg, and that he made baskets which he peddled for his 
family's support.  

During the period from November 13, 1882, until August 10, 1883, 
more than a dozen persons made affidavits to support the request of 
Mrs. Terressa Sparks for a Mother's Pension. Among these were: B. W. 
Rice, Nancy Place, A. M. Wood ward, Thomas Graham, Robert Waters, 
Angeline Foy, Charles Friend, George W. Finley, Thomas Cal ton, 
James L. Russell, William Wyatt, Annie Wyatt, C. R. McBride, Henry 
Ferguson, and James H. Wade. In the main, they testified to the 
following:

1. William Sparks was crippled by an injury to one leg which threw 
his thigh out of joint and broke his knee so that he was forced to 
use crutches in order to walk.

2. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Sparks made a part of her 
living by sewing, but she also was an object of charity to her 
neighbors and by the institutions .

3. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Sparks had any property.

4. Mrs. Sparks had not remarried after the death of her husband.

5. Their son, James T. J. Sparks, had been a main source of support 
for his parents .

On October 12, 1883, the War Department responded again to a request 
from the Bureau of Pensions for the records of James T. J. Sparks. 
Records showed that Sparks had enrolled on September 12, 1861, at 
Patriot, Indiana, in Company H, 2nd Regiment Indiana Cavalry (41st 
Infantry) to serve for three years. He was present for duty until 
September 5, 1863, when he was reported as absent without leave. The 
muster-out roll of that company on October 4, 1864, carried the 
remark that he had deserted at Sand Mountain, Alabama, on September 
5, 1863, and had enlisted at Bridgeport, Alabama, on September 12, 
1863, in Company A, 78th Regiment Illinois Volunteers under the name 
of James Thomas. He was reported as "killed in action" near 
Marietta, Georgia, on June 27, 1864. The report concluded with the 
following remark: "Enlisted in this company in violation of the 22nd 
Act. of War, he being a deserter from Co. H, 2nd Indiana Cavalry in 
which company he served under the name of James T. J. Sparks. "

On November 2, 1883, Benjamin Rice, aged 74, and Albert W. Wood 
ward, aged 52, testified that to their personal knowledge, James 
Thomas of the 78th Illinois Volunteers and James T. J. Sparks of the 
41st Regiment Indiana Cavalry were one and the same man. They saw 
him while he was serving in both regiments and personally knew that 
he was a son of Terressa Sparks. To the best of their recollections, 
James T. J. Sparks had dropped a part of his name owing to some 
difficulty with his captain over the loss of a pistol.

On the same day, Leticia C. Rice, a resident of Bethlehem, Indiana, 
made an affidavit to support the claim of Terressa Sparks. Mrs. Rice 
stated that she was an aunt of James Thomas Jefferson Sparks who was 
the same man who had served under the name of James Thomas in the 
78th Regiment Illinois Volunteers. She said that while he was in the 
service, she had received letters from him signed "James Thomas" and 
she was enclosing some of these letters. He had also visited her 
while in the service and had told her that he had dropped a part of 
his name because he had lost a pistol belonging to his company 
commander and was afraid of being court-martialed and punished. Mrs. 
Rice sent three letters which she had received from her nephew. One 
of these is reproduced here exactly as it was written:

	Camp at Leeders Springs Gorgia febwaria the 1 1864.

	Dear Aunt Again I tak my pen in hand to let you now that I am
	well at Present and hop when these few lines reaches you that
	they may find you enjoying the saim grat blessings. Well they
	hant mutch news to Rit. We was out on a Skout last month and
	had a Skirmish with the rebs. I was in the chickmoga battle.
	I just come in off a picket last night and heft to go out agan
	tomorrow and the Sunn Shines So hott that it gives me the
	Spring feavear.

	Other Tim I am a reading. I have red the testament throu 7 or
	8 times and 4 or 5 novels and as soon as I get my pay I am
	going to get Sommore good books to rede. I have stoped chewing
	Tobaco and Im cutting teeth yet. Well enouf of myselph.

	We air looking for a battle at Rossville before Long and I think 
	that will wind this little rebellion up for good. It is failing 
	fast. I will heft to help wind it up for there is things happening 
	to people that is Sufring Just on the account of this war. O, it is 
	awful to hear the children cry for bread and you cant find a milk 
	cow in twenty miles of here nor a grain of wheat not considering 
	what is in the comesary and it almost makes me cry to think of it, 
	and to think of my little brothers and sisters for I well know that 
	father and mother is pretty hard run, and I hant got no money to send 
	them now, but I expect to get my pay in a short time then I will 
	send you and them.

	Please done tell them where I am for I wouldn't have any up there to 
	no where I am for nothin. You can just Rit and tell them I am 
	well. There is rumors in camp that Charleston is in our possession 
	but I dont beleve it.

	No more at present, but still as ever remanning your affectnant 
	neppyew until Del. Death is soon and after. Write as before to James 
	Thomas. From J. T. J. Sparks to his aunt Mrs. Luelda Leuttia 
	Emilhouse. So good by for this time. Giv my luv and best respects to 
	mother and all inquiren friends and aspacley to the girls.

On November 12, 1883, Terressa Sparks, aged 60, a resident of 
Jeffersonville, Indiana, testified as follows: (1) the reason her 
son enlisted in the 78th Regiment Illinois Volunteers under the name 
of James Thomas instead of James Thomas Jefferson Sparks "was that 
while in the 2nd Ind. Cav. he had a fuss with his Captain over a 
pistol and he did not want the Captain to know of his whereabouts"; 
(2) that her husband was 74 years old when he died; (3) her son's 
age at the time of his enlistment was about 20 years since he was 
born on December 17, 1843; (4) that she had lived at Patriot, 
Indiana, until 1866 when she moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana ; and 
(5) that the members of her family in 1864 were:

1. Nancy Jane Sparks, age 20, married.
2. William J. Sparks, age 15.
3. Daniel Sparks, age 12, since dead.
4. Teresa, age 10.
5. John, age 9.
6. Elizabeth Ann, age 4.

Thomas Bailey and W. W. Malone witnessed her make her mark.

On November 21, 1883, the application of Teresa Sparks was finally 
approved, and Mother's Pension Certificate No. 203,182 was issued 
to her. She was placed upon the pension roll at the rate of $8.00 
per month to commence (retroactively) on June 28, 1864. She died in 
Clark County, Indiana, on January 9, 1896.
Newsgroups: alt.war.civil.usa