Collection: John Sparke Collection | Dodge City Public Library

Content Description

Letters addressed to John Sparke from his family members, mostly from the mid to late 19th century. Letters relate to various subjects, including the U.S. Civil War and stories about the U.S. Civil War, homesteading in Kansas, and other family matters. There is also a collection of handwritten poetry from various authors (most of whom are unidentified), recipes to help treat rheumatism and the Spanish Influenza, a map, school assignments, and certificates.

Dates

Creation: 1842 - 1909

Creator

Sparke, John, 1847-1929 (Person)
Sparke, Perry (Person)
Owen, Sarah (Person)
Pierce, Willis (Person)
Burgett, Fannie (Person)
McWharter, May (Person)
Carmen, Ella (Person)

Biographical / Historical

John Sparke was born in 1847. He was a settler in early Russell County, Kansas, and was made deputy sheriff of Russell County in 1874. He had family living throughout the United States and received letters from many of his siblings, including Perry Sparke, who lived in Louisiana and fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. John Sparke died in 1929.