Tragedy Strikes a Young Homesteader’s Family

David L. Minton

October 1^st, 2009

The year is 1902; the family of thirty-six year old James Monroe Sparks has made their way by wagon and team as well as horseback some 200 plus miles from Coke County, Texas to a patch of ground located about a mile and a half north and just a hair east of what is now Nadine.  James was a well driller by trade but just like lots of other folks in those days he was in search of a better life for his family taking advantage of free land and the Homestead Act.

The winter of 1903 in the southeast corner of the Territory of New Mexico was a rough one.  They were still living in tents when a bad blizzard blew in, pretty much covered up everything and everybody.   Several people and lots of livestock froze to death that long ago winter of 03.

James was born August 25^th, 1866 in Jack County, Texas and was the son of Thomas and Naomi (Braswell) Sparks.  James was the brother of John, Eliza, Mathew, Mark, Naomi, Mary and Joseph Sparks and half brother to Sarah, Sam and Dorcas Braswell.   Sometime before 1880 Thomas and Naomi moved the family to Johnson County, Texas and later they moved on to Coke County.   James’ wife Effie M. Fields was born May 2^nd, 1875 to John N. and Margaret (Donoghy) Fields in Arkansas.  James and Effie were married in Coke County on January 2^nd, 1895, but by the time the Sparks family embarked on their quest for a new life they had already become a family of seven.  James and Effie were the proud parents of five wonderful children, Cecil W., Violet, William, Newton and Earl.  A sixth child, Eva Mae came along a few years later.

A few years went by and James was able to file on a claim in Section 23 of Township 19S, Range 38E.  This homestead contained three hundred and twenty acres and since they had been there for quite a while before filing, I bet it was pretty much already proved up on when he filed.  James got his patent on the place on April 14^th, 1913.  The Sparks’ house was located approximately 1/8 mile east of and nearly dead center of the west line of the section.  Nothing of the old Sparks place remains today.

            The exact date is not known for certain, but along about 1907 or so, all the children came down with diphtheria or possibly scarlet fever   The closest and best medical help at that time was in Midland, Texas so that is where James and Effie headed for with the children.  They loaded the wagon with supplies and the sick children and headed out.  Tragically, four of the children did not survive.  Newton, Earl, William and Violet never got to Midland.  Eva Mae and Cecil W. were the only survivors.  To compound the tragedy and sadness of the whole thing, they were apparently buried along the trail some place and the burial location(s) is unknown to the Sparks family to this day. 

In 1950, just seven years before Effie’s death on March 16^th, 1957 a niece was brushing Effie’s long hair and as they talked about family, Effie broke down crying.  The niece asked what the matter was.  It was then that Effie related the story of the four children.  She told her niece that she had four children buried somewhere in New Mexico or perhaps in Texas but had no idea exactly where.  To add to the difficulty in solving the mystery is that the route taken by the family is also unknown. 

Where were the roads in those days?  Old maps show few roads and trails from the Sparks place toward Midland.  On 1911 maps, there was a fairly good road headed that way, snaking around down to Jal running part of the way along Monument Draw.  Now this is pre-pavement days, well heck, for that matter it’s also pre-caliche roads.  Travelers in those days had to avoid the sand and rough country many times not allowing a more direct route to their destination.   Did they go down to Jal and across?  We may never know.

There is a gravesite east of Jal a few miles that has a story attached to it that is very similar to the Sparks story, a family passing through with scarlet fever, some of the family died and were buried there.  The story also tells us that the wagon and all possessions were burned in an effort to stop the scarlet fever.   As I recall the way it was told to me, there were two burials….or was it three.  We all know how generational story telling goes, time seems to distort the original story with failing memories and poor hearing. 

Time passed and the Sparks family had to get on with life.  There were two more children born, Relia B. and Vera N. Sparks. 

Cecil, the surviving son had to do some growing up pretty quick and from what I have learned the tough times molded him into a fine upright citizen.  The 1908 photo of the boy with the jack rabbits is Cecil providing food for the table.  When he was just 12 years old in 1909 Cecil made his first solo trip to Midland with a wagon load of wool from the Sparks sheep herd.    The return trip a few days later would find the wagon loaded with supplies for Mr. Hobbs General Store that was located on what is now south Dal Paso Street in Hobbs. 

Cecil grew into a fine man, a Veteran of World War One and as time passed he married and raised a fine family.

James Sparks did what a lot of the farmers in the area did in those days, he raised fruit trees, primarily peach trees and not only did he raise them for the sale of fruit but it looks like prior to 1910 he had progressed to the point where he also had a nursery called The Vine Hill Nurseries.  There is a hill near the center of the section he homesteaded, perhaps that was the location of his nursery.

When not working at his orchards or sheep, James Sparks would treat his family to what ever recreational activities were available for some pleasures which were probably far and few between.  This would include taking a jaunt over to Carlsbad in 1912 to partake in the first Fourth of July celebration in Carlsbad since New Mexico became a state.  I bet that was something to see.

It is unclear when, but sometime between probably 1913 and mid 1915, the James M. Sparks family moved back to Coke County, Texas to the town of Robert Lee.  James hadn’t sold out, but was trying; he was back in the area in November 1915 showing the old homestead to some potential buyers.  It would be almost another five years before he found a buyer for the place.  On February 17^th, 1920 the papers were signed sealing the deal between James Sparks and J.T. Auburg of Lovington who bought Sparks’ 320 acre homestead for $1,640.

James Monroe Sparks would live another seven years; he died at Coke County on July 2^nd, 1927 and is buried beside Effie in the Paint Creek Cemetery, Coke County, Texas.

Maybe descendants of those who homesteaded in that area east of the Jal will remember hearing the story of the graves and will pass it along to the Sparks family and me someday.

I would like to thank Jack Sparks, grandson of James M. Sparks for his very valuable assistance with this story.

Family finds graves of long-lost relatives east of Jal.