William Fielder Sparks (1814–1900)

    William Fielder Sparks, son of Richard and Elizabeth (Cooper) Sparks, was born January 22, 1814 in Lawrence County, Mississippi. He accompanied his parents to Texas and was a member of their household when the 1835 census was taken of Nacogdoches County. It was probably there that he married Minerva Frances McKay (born 1816 in Louisiana) in 1838. They started house-keeping about two miles southwest of the village of Douglass. When the Texas-Mexican War began, Billy Sparks first joined Capt. Bryant's Company of the Texas Army of the Republic. He then became an orderly-sergeant in Robert Smith's Company and was in the Battle of Kickapoo. His company arrived too late to participate in the Battle of San Jacinto. Sparks returned to Nacogdoches County after the war ended, and in 1839 he moved to Robertson County where he was listed on the 1840 census of the Republic of Texas. 

    In 1841, he was elected to represent Robertson County at the Seventh Texas Congress, and, after Texas became the 28th state of the United States in 1845, he returned to Nacogdoches County. War between the United States and Mexico broke out in May 1846, and on May 16, Billy Sparks enrolled as a captain in Company E (Capt. Sparks' Company) of the 2nd Regiment of Texas Mounted Volunteers at Nacogdoches to serve for a period of six months. He was mustered into service at Port Isabel, Texas, on June 22, 1846, and was present for duty until October 2, 1846, when he was mustered out with his company at Monterrey, Mexico. He returned to Nacogdoches for a brief stay, and in 1848 he went to Houston. His stay there was also short, and when the 1850 census was taken, he and his family were in Fort Bend County, Texas. On August 7, 1863, Billy Sparks joined the Confederate States Army in J. M. Weston's Company as a lieutenant. At the close of the Civil War, he went to Johnson County where he was elected tax assessor for 1879-1880. Billy Sparks died on July 13,1900, in McLennan County, Texas. His wife, Minerva, survived him by only two months, dying on September 3, 1900. They were buried in the Oakwood Cemetery at Waco, Texas. Source

Block 8

Oakwood Cemetery

Waco

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31° 32.197, -97° 06.555