Family Notes

Richard fought in War of 1812.
The Neches Saline trading post, northwest of Nacogdoches, was operated by Captain Robert W Smith and Colnel Richard Sparks. The salt deposits in the area around the trading post at the Neches had for many years attracted the Indians, making it a logical site for a mercantile establishment. Smith and Sparks operated their post, land claimed by the Cherokee tribe, on the eastern bank of the Neches River. Neches Saline was near the midway point between Nacogdoches and the "three forks of the Trinity River" area. Smith and Sparks had taken over the operation of the trading post from Indian agent Martin Lacy. Captain Robert W. Smith was born Dec. 9, 1814 in North Carolina and emigrated to Texas in 1835.
     Nacogdoches Chronicle          May 2, 1838  Tel. and Tex. Reg. P. 3, c, 1-2
It becomes our painful duty to again record the ______cto_ of a worthy citizen by the  Indians.---- Colonel Richard Sparks has fallen a victim to savage vengence and barbarity. Two weeks since, he left this place to locate land on the Trinty river accompanied by  eight or ten others. From Parkers Fort he was preceeded by a surveyor and six or eight  men, who designed locating land near the Three Forks. Colonel Sparks set out with his companions to overtake the surveyor about ten _______irnec. He had advanced to the  Three Forks, and encamped on the most westerly, in an extensive prairie; four of his companions were absent from camp, two others besides himself were asleep, another awake and another had gone to the branch for water. In this situation, a party of about seventy Kickapoos stole into the camp, and shot Colonel Sparks through the head. The three others were aroused by the report of the gun and fled into the thicket, when they escaped. The other who had gone for water, fled and reached the settlements on the Brazos alone.Those who were absent from the camp heard the firing, and cautiously concealed themselves in a thicket, on the margin of the stream, whilst one of their number stole silently up the bed of the creek, until he reached the encampment, and discovered the Indians still there, presuming that all of those who were left in the camp had been killed, he retraced his steps to his companions, and returned without loss of time to Parkers Fort. Here they met with the three men who were with Colonel Sparks when he was killed. They also met with some of them who accompanied the surveyor, and who likewise had met with a similar misfortune. They state that they had commenced running a line through a large prairie, when they discovered a party of mounted Indians charging upon them. They fled toward the timber, which they reached in safety, save the surveyor, Mr Barry, who was overtaken and probably sacrificed by the Indians. When last seen he had taken off his hat and delivered himself up. On their journey back they found the body of Mr. F. Holland, who had been employed as a hunter, and having disappeared a few days previous, was supposed to have been lost, and had returned to the fort.
C.L. Greenwood Index  Obituaries    Barker Historical   Austin, Texas 11-3-1995