Brothers John (1775-before 1830) and James McSparren (1795-before 1840), along with probably their sister, Ann (1782- ), made the pioneer journey to the newly organized state of Illinois in 1819. They were descendants of Archibald McSparran (1690-1751), who emigrated to the Pennsylvania colony from County Antrim, Northern Ireland sometime between 1730-1740. Their father is believed to have been Joseph McSparren (1740-1801), son of Archibald.
The McSparrens were among the early settlers of Gallatin County, purchasing land on May 10, 1819, in what is now Stonefort. One of their neighbors was Hankerson Rude, who, along with a man by the name of John Wren, were the first recorded settlers in the area.
Around the time of the Civil War, the name changed to "McSparin". At least most of the McSparins (that specific spelling) in the US trace back to brothers James Harvey and Lilburn Wilson McSparin, sons of James. It is not known what became of John's family, other than what appears to have been a daughter, Jane (1826-1865). Jane is listed in the Illinois Marriage Index to have wed a James B McCaslin in April 1844, and cannot be accounted for in the 1830 census of James' family. It's been assumed she was John's daughter.
James McSparren married Parthena Wilson (1797-1840) in Morgantown, Monongalia County (West) Virginia in 1817. They had seven (7) known children (birth years based on census date estimates):
Mary Ann (1821-1878)
Rosanna (1822-1847)
Laetitia Jane (1822-?)
Matilda (1824-1847)
Amanda (1826-1862)
James Harvey (1828-1893)
Lilburn Wilson (1830-1863) (Died in the Civil War)
James Harvey had at least 17 children (2 adopted), with 8 sons (7 McSparin, 1 McSparrin) living to adulthood, and producing descendants. Lilburn had 3 sons, all of whom produced descendants. Today, there are still numerous descendants living in Southern Illinois.
This is but an introduction to the McSparins, with more to come in future posts.
