Placer
County
Biographies
REUBEN MOORE SPARKS
Emigration to California in ’49 and
the early ‘50s was drawn from the best element of the east and middle west,
and, in fact from all parts of the world; for in those days it took pluck and
courage to brave the dangers of overland travel or voyage; months were consumed
in making the journey; and uncertainty, and in many cases hardship awaited the
traveler. Among those who landed in
California at that early date, have passed through the varied experiences of a
half century and are now comfortably situated in the Golden state, is Reuben
Moore Sparks, a resident of Sunny South, Placer County. It was in 1853 that he came to California.
Mr. Sparks was born in Kentucky January
8, 1835, a son of Mattison and Winfred (Thomas) Sparks, the former a native of
Kentucky and the latter of Virginia, the Sparks family having lived in Kentucky
for several generations, the Thomas’s being an old Virginia family. His ancestors were prominent in the early
history of this country and were participants in both the war of the Revolution
and of 1812. Mattison Sparks attained
the ripe age of eighty-seven years. His wife
was sixty-five when she died. They had
eight sons and a daughter, four of whom are living.
In his native state Reuben M. Sparks
spent the first eighteen years of his life, and then came to California,
stopping first at Grass Valley, Nevada County, where for a year and a half he
worked for wages on a ranch. We next
find him at Deer Creek, where he spent the winter in mining. With a partner he secured a claim at Bear
River, out of which they took about four thousand dollars. They mined thirteen hundred dollars in a
single week, and out of one pan of dirt took ninety-three dollars. Also they had a canyon claim, which they
mined successfully. Later Mr. Sparks
came to Iowa Hill, where he and his brother invested in a mine. This, however, proved a failure. He then went to Wolf Creek, where he mined
one summer with good success, at the end of the season returning to Iowa Hill
and going thence to Damascus. There he
became a partner with Mr. M. H. Power and others in the Damascus mine, which
they consolidated with the Mountain Gate mine, in which he is still
interested. He is also a shareholder in
the Hidden Treasure Gravel mine. Since
1876 he has been a resident of Sunny South, where he now has a pleasant home,
and surrounded with comfort and plenty, is spending the evening of life.
Mr. Sparks was married in July,
1880, to Miss L. B. Bank, of Nevada County, a daughter of F. W. Bank, who has
been a resident of this state since 1855 and now resides at San Juan. Mr. and
Mrs. Sparks have an only daughter, Miss Hattie.
Of Mr. Sparks’ political and
fraternal affiliations it may be said that he has been a life-long Democrat and
has long been identified with the Masonic order, having membership in both the
blue lodge and chapter.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 683-684. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.