Miscellaneous Court Records
Oct. Court, 1805. (i) WILLIAM SPARKMAN appointed overseer of public road from intersection of the Natchez road for five miles, and JOHN ROBINSON, JOSHUA GRINDER, JAMES WALDRUP, THOS. SUTTON, JESSE WHITE, JEREMIAH HAMILTON, CHARLES ROBINSON, MICHL ROBINSON, JOHN ROBINSON, JOHN MOORE to work thereon. (ii) DAVID ROBINSON appointed overseer of public road from WILLIAM BRIGHT to where WM. SPARKMAN overseer, and RICHD WILLIAMS, LINVILL McDANIEL, JEFFREY JOHNSON, GREENHAM TAYLOR, WM. JOHNSON, THOS. TAYLOR, MOSES SPRINKLE to work thereon.
Inventory Book I, Page 156; Jan. Court, 1807. Inventory of the Property of CATHERINE MOORE, dec’d.; estate sale 27 Nov. 1806; buyers include JOHN MOORE, JESSE SPARKMAN, THOMAS LATTA, JESSE WHITE, CHARLES ROBINSON, WILLIAM SPARKMAN, BETSY MOORE, HENRY MOORE, DAVID ROBINSON, WILLIAM SIMPSON, ALEXANDER MOORE, JOHN ROBINSON. DAVID ROBINSON & JOHN MOORE, Admr.
WILLIAM SPARKMAN summoned for jury duty Jan., 1807, Apr., 1807, July, 1807, Oct., 1807, Jan., 1809.
July Court, 1810. JOHN ASHHURST vs. JOHN ARMSTRONG, $100 Debt with $50 in damages; defendant is surrendered by JESSE WHITE, one of defendant’s bail, in discharge of himself and of WM. SPARKMAN; plaintiff’s attorney prays custody of plaintiff by sheriff.
April Court, 1811. JESSE C. SPARKMAN elected constable in CAPT. SPARKMAN’s company; $625 bond, WM. SPARKMAN and JESSE WHITE, securities.
(Note: Jesse is the brother of William, and the foregoing is one of several records from the period to William Sparkman’s captaincy in the Williamson County militia, particularly in respect of the appointment of tax collectors for his district.)
CHARLES ROBINSON, JESSE SPARKMAN and WM. SPARKMAN summoned for jury duty July, 1812, Oct., 1812; William Oct., 1813.
(Note: William Sparkman named his son born in 1804 Charles Robinson Sparkman.)
July Court, 1813. (i) State v. EDWARD GOSSAGE, assault and battery, appearance bond, $250. $82 bond each MOSES CHAMBERS, KENNETH MORRISON and ISAIAH COTES. WILLIAM SPARKMAN and BERRY DONALDSON appearance bond, $50, to testify for State against defendant. (ii) WILLIAM SPARKMAN and JOSEPH ROBINSON prove deed from JOHN ROBINSON to THOMAS MORTON for 137 acres.
July Court, 1815. (i) CHAS. ROBINSON and WM. SPARKMAN prove deed from ALEXANDER CRAFFORD to ANDREW ROUNDTREE for 11½ acres. (ii) WM. SPARKMAN granted letters of administration on estate of WM. WITHERINGTON, deceased; $8000 bond, CHARLES ROBINSON and ANDREW ROUNDTREE, securities; inventory produced (livestock, household items). (Inventory Book II, pg. 149.)
Oct. Court, 1815. WM. SPARKMAN, administrator, produces inventory (livestock, farm tools, furniture & etc.) and account of sale of estate of WILLIAM WETHERING/WETHERINGTON, deceased. (Inventory Book II, pg. 166; account of sales Inventory Book II, pg. 177.)
(Note: William Witherington, son of Joseph Witherington and Isabel Taylor, married William’s daughter Celia Sparkman and died in War of 1812 service while his wife was pregnant with her second daughter. The daughter was named William Ann Witherington.)
Oct. Court, 1816. Account of sales of estate of JAMES SKELLY, dec’d. Buyers include FRANK SECREST, JOHN WAUTLIN, STEPHEN PIGG, JESSE WHITE, JOHN PIGG, WM. SPARKMAN, WM. DEMOSS, WM. HENDLEY, JOSEPH WITHERINGTON, HENRY LESTER, ALEXR. THOMPSON, SARAH SKELLY, JOHN McCASLIN, NICHOLAS BRANCH, HANNER HAMILTON, JOHN THOMAS, WM. BLYTHE, THORTON PERRY, ALEXANDER HAVERSON, CHAS. WHITE, ABRAHAM WETHERINGTON, GEO. WRENN.
Inventory Book II, pg. 368; Jan. Court, 1818. Estate settlement of WILLIAM WETHINGTON, dec’d, WM. SPARKMAN, administrator; payments to NOAH WALKER, BURKEW & BRADLEY, DOCTOR GEO. BENNETT, ABRAHAM WERTHINGTON, ANDREW ROUNDTREE, WM. SIMPSON and ALEXANDER THOMPSON.
Inventory Book II, pg. 412; Oct. Court, 1818. Inventory of Estate of N.P. HARDEMAN, dec’d, includes a note on WM. SPARKMAN.
Other reported court records: Goodspeed’s History of Williamson County (pg.795) references the arraignment of Binkley Donaldson in 1816 for the murder of James Skelley, resulting in a conviction of felonious slaying. Donaldson “prayed for the benefit of the clergy” and his sentence was being branded with the letter “M” in his left hand. Skelley’s estate was settled in October term, 1818, and Skelley researchers have reported that William Sparkman was appointed guardian for Skelley’s orphans Keziah, Sparkman, William, Samuel and Nancy until guardianship was relinquished to Skelley’s widow Sarah (nee Pigg, m/2 James Baker in Williamson 10 Nov. 1818) in 1826. Noting that religious disputes were beginning to arise within the Baptist church at this time over Campbellite doctrine and William’s charter membership in the Leipers Creek church of Christ, it is interesting to speculative whether a religious argument was the cause of Skelley’s murder.