Sparks Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: A-0044

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, receipts, essays, newspaper articles, legal documents, photos, and other papers, relating to John Marion Sparks and his daughter, Johnnie May (Sparks) Wyres of Nacogdoches, Texas. Includes records relating to Sparks Manufacturing Company, producers of Hair Vigor, a hair restorer developed by Dr. Sparks; genealogical material on the Sparks family; material on Nacogdoches history and families for a proposed book by Wyres; and on Old North Church, Nacogdoches, the first organized Baptist church in Texas.

Dates

Creation: 1835-1971

Language of Materials

The collection is in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Biographical or Historical Information

These papers relate chiefly to the family of Dr. John Marion Sparks (1831-1909), a physician and prominent early citizen of Nacogdoches. The year he was born Sparks was also brought to Texas by his parents, Richard and Elizabeth Cooper Sparks. The Sparks family initially settled in San Augustine, and then moved to Nacogdoches in 1834. In addition to being an active physician for fifty years, Dr. Sparks engaged in business ventures. Included in this collection are some of the records of one of his businesses, the Sparks Manufacturing Company, which made a product called "Dr. Sparks Hair Vigor," a hair restorer. The land for Old North Church, the first Baptist Church in Texas, was donated by Dr. John M. Sparks from part of the old Richard Sparks' homestead tract.

A daughter of Dr. John M. Sparks, Johnnie May (Sparks) Wyres (1885-1971), had an avid interest in history, particularly local history.

(Nacogdoches Medical Auxiliary. "Doctors of Nacogdoches County." Nacogdoches County Families. Dallas: Curtis Media Corporation, 1985. p. 110; "Sparks Family Papers." East Texas Research Center. Ralph W. Steen Library. Stephen F. Austin State University).