SPARKMAN CEMETERY
Boston, Williamson County, Tennessee
(Partial Listing)

Photograph courtesy of Mike Watkins

Sparkman Cemetery originated as the family cemetery of Williamson County pioneer William Sparkman and wife, Rosanna Williams. Documentary evidence indicates that William was the son of James Sparkman (son of John Sparkman d. 1739 and Sarah of Chowan, now Gates, County, NC) and Nancy Segar (daughter of Christopher Segar d. 1767 and Ann Hunt(?) of Hertford County, NC) of Hertford County, North Carolina. Around the time of their marriage in Hertford County on December 3, 1789, William and Rosanna relocated to Martin County, North Carolina, with William’s brother Thomas Sparkman and wife Winnefred Taylor (these Sparkmans having later moved to Edgecombe County, NC), Hertford neighbor Joseph Witherington and wife Isabel Taylor (the Witheringtons having resettled in Williamson County in 1813) and Winneford and Isabel’s brother Richard Taylor and wife Winneford Wynns (the Taylors having later resettled in Stewart County, TN). William’s brother Jesse Sparkman and wife Millie Ann, who relocated in Williamson County around 1806 from Greene County, North Carolina, were also situated nearby across the county line in Beaufort County. In November, 1795, after selling certain of his Martin County lands to Richard Taylor during the previous month, William Sparkman accompanied Joseph Witherington to the State’s Land Office in Raleigh, where Joseph obtained his Revolutionary War land warrant, which he indorsed on the spot to William, John Gray Blount, brother to Tennessee governor William Blount and an associate of North Carolina Secretary of State James Glasgow, being the witness. William sold his remaining lands in Martin County to Joseph Witherington on September 14, 1796, and subsequently headed with his wife, 5 year daughter Mary and 2 year old daughter Celia to Nashborough (present day Nashville), Tennessee, arriving around Christmas Day.

An article published in the Nashville Banner December 8, 1884, based an interview with William’s son Seth Sparkman, speaks to William’s arrival in Nashborough and his early life in Williamson County:

On the last day of December, 1779 [1796] William Sparkman with his wife arrived at Nashville with a quarter and half section land warrant in his pocket, from North Carolina, coming to this country for hunting purposes. On his arrival in Nashville village or Nashborough, he tried all over the village to rent a room or a cabin. He was very anxious for it on Mrs. Sparkman's behalf. None could be found. Finally coming across the late Major Lewis, who was farming across the river, he applied to him. The Major told him he had no cabin, but finally told him there was a little shanty down in the field which had been used as a stable for the work stock, and if he could do not better, he could fix that up and go into it. That was his only chance and he accepted it, and went in and raked out the litter and moved his wife in, and they spread down their few bed clothes on the naked ground. That night Mrs. Sparkman gave birth to the Seth Sparkman of Williamson County who departed this life a few weeks ago in the Second District of Williamson County, after having lived a long useful and honorable life.

Major Lewis discovered that William Sparkman was a sensible, active fellow, and he engaged him to manage and run his farm for him, promising to locate him favorably on good hunting grounds when his term of service ended. He remained with Major Lewis three years, until young Seth was three years old, when he went to Major Lewis in December, 1799 and told him he was tired of farm life, and wanted to go to the hunting grounds the Major had promised him, that he might pursue the business he came to this country for. The Major took Mr. Sparkman's land warrant, and in lieu of it went out to the Duck River ridges, and located it for William Sparkman, who immediately moved his family upon his hunting grounds, which was then immediately on Indian boundary line, and where there was a considerable number of Indians settled - erecting his cabin there he had hunting to his soul's content, and the Indians for his companions. There he shot many bear, deer and turkeys, lived a long life and raised a very large and useful family. The second and Third civil districts of Williamson County are nearly people with his grandchildren and great grand children - honorable, intelligent, thrifty, useful citizens. I called at the house of the venerable Seth Sparkman this summer, and in the course of conversation he pointed out to me where his father and the "Indians used to lie in ambush - up in a beach tree - one day shot eight, killing two fine bucks. They would come to a sulpher spring, (a lick), close by. The first he shot did not fall, but ran off badly wounded; the second fell in his tracks. The old man got down out of the tree, and passed round to point to call his dogs to pursue the wounded buck. Going a little further he came to the fine spring where we were sitting, at Boston P. O. and there found the buck had dropped in the water and was dead.

William Sparkman had great influence over his neighbor Indians and they hunted together almost daily. To show Mr. Sparkman's pluck, I will give the story as told me by Seth. William owned a mare, the only horse he possessed. She strayed off, and William could not do well without her. He took a gun upon his shoulder and set out afoot on the hunt of her, telling his wife he might not return for five or six days. During his absence the Indians became very troublesome and indeed, so much so, that one day when the cabin was full of red skins, they demanded something to eat and various things. When Mrs. Sparkman could not endure them longer she ordered them to leave the cabin. She was alone with two or three little children. They refused. She stepped to the rack and took down the old deer rifle and ordered them peremptorily to get out and leave. They obeyed orders and left and stayed away. When the old man returned with his mare, his wife informed him of how the Indians had treated her, and how she got rid of them. He then set about to make up with the offended, and invited them to come back. They held out a considerable length of time before he could convince them that his wife was not mad with them. Finally they went back, but were always on their good behavior when Mrs. Sparkman was near.

Transcription courtesy of Larry Thomas

Major William Terrill Lewis, also an early hotelier in Nashville, was prominent among Tennessee land speculators. The actual business deal struck between he and William is indicated by the land warrant, which William indorsed to Lewis on December 26, 1796 – Lewis undertook the expense of the survey and entry on February 21, 1797, of the 274 acres provided for by the military warrant in exchange for William’s commitment of three years service as Lewis’ farm manager. William’s tenure evidently put him at or close to the events that precipitated the Glasgow Land Fraud, the land scandal exposed by Andrew Jackson upon being seated in Congress based upon reports that Lewis had plied Major John Nelson and a Captain Phillips with peach brandy and apple toddy at Lewis’ home in Nashville in September, 1797, and induced them in their intoxication to execute over 500 fraudulent land warrants, in which scandal John Gray Blount and James Glasgow were also implicated. The legal fallout of the scandal notwithstanding, Lewis deeded the 274 acres on Leipers Fork to William Sparkman and Claiborne Williams on October 8, 1799, which deed was entered in Davidson County July Term, 1800. Although William Sparkman later acquired substantial other lands in the County, it has been speculated that the Cemetery is situated on William’s 137 acre portion of these lands.

VIEW THE JOSEPH WITHERINGTON/WILLIAM SPARKMAN/WILLIAM TERRILL LEWIS MILITARY LAND WARRANT
Cover Page
Warrant
Endorsements
Deed

ADVANCE TO CEMETERY LISTINGS

ADVANCE TO WILLIAM SPARKMAN & ROSANNA WILLIAMS RECORDS

ADVANCE TO JOSEPH WITHERINGTON AND ISABEL TAYLOR RECORDS

ADVANCE TO WILLIAM SPARKMAN & ROSANNA WILLIAMS FAMILY RECORDS

Photographs courtesy of Mike Watkins

Please contact Kendall Sparkman with any additions, corrections or comments.