Matrilineal Monday - Arianna Sparks

Arianna Sparks - April 18, 1864 - Dec. 16, 1929 - Maryland

Arianna Sparks is one of my great-grandmothers on my Mom's side. Like most of my Mom's ancestors, the original Sparks are thought to have come from England. Her families eventually settled in Queen Anne's County, Maryland and stayed in that area.

Arianna married John Wesley Councill and one of their children was my grandfather Royce Councill.

Notes from Christopher Miller: Arianna Sparks married John Wesley Council and lived on the John Council farm in Centreville, Md, and then later moved to Queenstown, and then finally to Baltimore. Arianna's funeral was held at her home, 749 McCabe Ave, Govans. The service was conducted by Reverald Donald S. Colt, pastor of the Govans Methodist Episcopal Church. She was buried at Baltimore Cemetery.

I've collected a lot of notes on the Sparks over the years, but have not verified them as of yet. Arianna is possibly descended from William Sparks or John Sparks who migrated from Fareham Parish, Hampshire, England, to Maryland around 1663. They are possibly two of the four sons of Thomas Sparks and Joanne Davis of Fareham Parish, Hampshire England.

From The Sparks Family Tree:
William Sparks was born about 1640, migrated to Maryland and, by 1672, he had purchased land in what was then Talbot County, now Queen Anne's County.  His primary plantation was located "on the east side of Chester River near the head of a small branch of Island Creek."  On a current map of Queen Anne's County, this can be found a few miles southwest of Church Hill, Maryland.  William Sr.'s son William Jr., remained in Queen Anne's County but by 1736 William Jr.'s son, William Sample Sparks, had migrated west to what was to become Frederick County.  In  about the spring of 1754, William Sample Sparks, his sons and some of   his cousins moved to "The Forks of the Yadkin" in northwestern North Carolina. 

Another great source of information on the Sparks is The Sparks Quarterly. They charge a one time fee of $5.00 to access the website information, but it is well worth it if you have Sparks in your family.

Here's an early tree referencing the Thomas Sparks. I am not sure of the origins of this one, but it shows the line from England to Maryland:

1 Thomas Sparks b: Abt. 1615 in Fareham Parish, Hampshire, England
. +Joanne Davis b: Abt. 1619 in Fareham Parish, Hampshire, England m: October 19, 1635 in Fareham Parish, Hampshire Co. En
. 2 William Sparks, Sr b: Abt. 1640 in England d: Abt. 1709 in Queen Annes Co., Md
.... +Mary ( Wright ?)
.... 3 [14] William Sparks, Jr. b: Abt. 1674 in Queen Annes Co., Md d: Aft. 1734
....... +Margaret Ann Hamilton
....... 4 William Sample Sparks b: Abt. 1705 d: Aft. 1764 in Maryland
.......... +Rachel Unknown
.......... 5 Matthew Sparks
............. +Sarah
............. 6 William Sparks
.......... 5 William Sparks b: 1725 in Frederick, Md. or Queen Anne's County, Md. d: Abt. 1802 in Surrey Co., NC 

More on my Sparks tree at: My Sparks Tree

One thing I have found is that most of the research available online is for Sparks that moved away from Maryland. I would love to get in touch with anyone researching the Sparks that stayed in Queen Anne's. I definitely still have a lot of research to do on this line!