Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Sparks, Marshall R. October 7, 1860 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com April 19, 2006, 1:24 pm Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Volume II, Pages 87-88 MARSHALL R. SPARKS. The progress of a community depends largely upon the ability and enterprise of its citizens, and through his mercantile activities Marshall R. Sparks has contributed his full share toward Vancouver’s advancement along business lines, while he has also found time for public service. He was born October 7, 1860, in Dubuque, Iowa, and his parents, Edwin and Priscilla (Spurgeon) Sparks, were natives of Ohio and of colonial ancestry. His great-great-grandfather fought with the Continental troops in the struggle for American independence and his great-grandfather served in the War of 1812, while his father was a soldier in the Civil war. He enlisted in 1861 and gallantly defended the Union cause. While in the service he was wounded and afterward returned to his home in Dubuque, Iowa. In that state he married Priscilla Spurgeon and in 1874 they started for Vancouver, Washington, bringing with them ten of their twelve children. Their eldest daughter was married in Iowa and their son, Walter W. Sparks, had made the journey to Clark county, Washington, in 1873. The father was a brick mason and followed the trade for a number of years, aiding in constructing many of the older buildings in Vancouver, and was also a well known contractor. He was called to public office and served as assessor of Clark county from 1878 until 1880. His upright, useful life was terminated February 19, 1891, when he was sixty-one years of age, and the mother passed away January 15, 1919, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. Marshall R. Sparks attended the public schools of Dubuque until he was fourteen years old and during the winter of 1874 was a student in the Vancouver high school. Afterward he worked on the homestead, grubbing stumps and aiding in clearing and cultivating the land. He also assisted his father in filling contracts, becoming well versed in the brick mason’s trade, and then served an apprenticeship under G. H. Daniels, a tinsmith and plumber, with whom he remained for a period of twelve years. About 1892 he bought out Mr. Daniels, whose shop was situated on Main street between Fifth and Sixth, and continued as a plumber and tinsmith, afterward adding a small stock of hardware. As time passed Mr. Sparks was obliged to seek more commodious quarters and about 1911 erected a large modern building in which the business has since been conducted. It is located at No. 605 Main Street and is well adapted to his needs. In the lines of plumbing, tinning and steam heating he is the acknowledged leader in Vancouver and also handles a complete stock of hardware and sporting goods. Mr. Sparks is an honest dealer whose word is always to be relied upon. His business has steadily expanded, becoming essential to the life of the community, and he is also identified with financial affairs, here serving on the directorate of the Washington National Bank. In Vancouver, Mr. Sparks was married April 10, 1884, to Miss Alice Sharp, whom he had met in Dubuque, her native city. Her parents, William B. and Mary A. Sharp, migrated to the Pacific northwest about 1880, settling on a farm near McMinnville, Oregon, and both here passed away. To Mr. and Mrs. Sparks were born four children. L. Clay, the eldest, is an automobile dealer in Vancouver. Harry W., who lives in Kelso, Washington, and is also engaged in the automobile business, is married and has a daughter, Mary Alice. M. Reine is associated in business with his brother, W. Clay, and has a wife and one child, Mary Louise. Norma May is the wife of H. L. Craig, who is connected with her father’s business, and they have two children, Norma Ann and James Sparks Craig. Mr. Sparks is a York Rite Mason, belonging to the lodge, chapter and commandery in Vancouver, and is connected with Afifi Temple of the Mystic Shrine in Tacoma. In the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows he has held all of the chairs and is also identified with the Knights of Pythias. His wife is affiliated with the Daughters of Rebekah, the Eastern Star and the Woman’s Club. Mr. Sparks is a valued member of the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. For several terms he was a member of the city council, also serving on the school board, and has always worked for the best interests of the community, county and state of his adoption. Time has proven his worth and the respect accorded him is well deserved. His brother, Walter W. Sparks, was born December 22, 1853, and is also a native of Dubuque. He attended the public schools of that city and when a young man of twenty responded to the call of the west. He engaged in teaching in Washington and Oregon and afterward read law under Judge Stewart and also in the office of Miller & Stapleton, well known attorneys of Vancouver. During 1890 and 1891 he was a student in the law department of Willamette University and in the latter year was admitted to the bar. He has since practiced in Vancouver and his industry and ability have placed him with the city’s foremost attorneys. In 1894 he was appointed police judge and soon afterward was elected to that office, which he filled until 1896. In 1898 he was elected prosecuting attorney on the republican ticket, serving for four years, and after an interval of two years was recalled to the office, retiring at the end of his term. The prestige which he won in that connection led to his selection as a member of the lower house of the state legislature, in which he took his seat in 1908, and ably represented the twenty-third district. He was also city clerk of Vancouver and made an enviable record as a public servant. Mr. Sparks was married in 1877 to Miss Emma J. Goddard, who died ten months later, in 1878. On June 6, 1883, Mr. Sparks was joined in wedlock to Mrs. Mary E. (Poe) Spurgeon, the mother of two children, Margaret Matilda and George H. Spurgeon. By his second union Mr. Sparks has a son, Ernest Ray, who was born in 1885 and resides in Pomona, California. Mr. Sparks is a Knight Templar Mason and a Noble of Afifi Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is also connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Eastern Star. His wife belongs to the last named organization and has filled all of the chairs in the local society of the Daughters of Rebekah. Both are prominent in the social life of the city and enjoy the esteem of many friends. Additional Comments: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Volume II, Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1928 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/sparks33gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 7.4 Kb