Biography of R H Sparkman, St Francis County, AR

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Submitted by: Paul V Isbell
        Date: 14 Nov 2008
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
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Transcribed by Lisa Hamilton from 
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SOURCE:  Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern 
Arkansas. Chicago:Goodspeed Publishers, 1890.
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McGEE'S COMPANY-McNEIL'S REGIMENT-CSA - SPARKMAN - R. - H. - DR. - - [5 10 1828 -
12 13 1902] - CITY Cemetery - Mason

R. H. Sparkman, M.D., one of Forrest City's enterprising citizens, was born in
North Carolina, May 10, 1828, being the son of John and Nancy (Wooten) Sparkman.
John Sparkman owed his nativity to North Carolina, but moved to Tennessee when
the subject of this sketch was quite small, locating in Shelby County, Tenn.,
where his death occurred in his fifty-ninth year. Mrs. Sparkman was also of
North Carolina origin and by her union with Mr. Sparkman became the mother of
five children, R. H. being the only one now living. The name Sparkman, as might
be supposed, is Irish, the ancestors of the family coming at an early day from
the Emerald Isle. The grandfather was a soldier in the War of the Revolution,
and the maternal grandfather served in the War of 1812. Dr. Sparkman received a
good common education in the schools of Shelby County, and afterward attended
his first course of medical lectures in Cincinnati, his early ambition having
been to be a physician, and by his determination and diligent application to his
studies he became a credit to that most noble of all professions. He graduated
with honors from the Medical School at Memphis in 1857, and immediately began
practice in Shelby County, but a year afterward, in 1858, making a trip to
Arkansas became convinced that that State promised a better opening, so located
on the Helena road, five miles from Forrest City. At the breaking out of the war
he had built up an enviable practice. He joined the Confederate army, McGee's
company, McNeil's regiment, afterward becoming surgeon of that regiment. The
company was soon made independent and reported to Col. Dobbins, Dr. Sparkman
remaining in the service about two years. He returned to Arkansas and practiced
until 1875, but succeeded in collecting only about half of his bills, some of
them of long standing. He has since retired from active practice, and is now
engaged in farming, owning 450 acres of valuable land. Dr. Sparkman was united
in marriage on December 23, 1859, to Mrs. Liza (Purvis) Daniel, of North
Carolina. Dr. and Mrs. Sparkman are members of the Baptist Church, and the
former is a member of A. F. & A. M.