Well, as COVID seems to be providing me with more spare time, I am working on cleaning out all the boxes of data and mixed stuff that we packed up for our move to Texas.....
And I found several letters that I didn't know that I had, providing info to aid my search for my English Rhodes and Sparks roots!!!
I've placed here, and will move them to the Rhodes/Sparks Letters separate page after I finish them all. The first is from Jane Sparks, a sister of John Gill Sparks and addressed to him, and his wife Sarah Rhodes. Each letter I find adds another name to be researched, and another link in the family chain!!
Letter from Jane Sparks to John Gill and Sarah Rhodes
Sparks, copy obtained from Patsy Davies in 1980 and transcribed by Susan
Fairchild Barry on 11 Sep 2021.
Photocopy of letter attached.
March
3d 186[ 4? 9?]
Dear Brother and Sister
I am very well of
myself and am living
in Burley and I am very unhappy about you
not sending me a letter. I send you a letter and
you never sent me no answer back and you ask
me what I thought about going into Canada
and I told you then I could not come by my-
self, we have had a very hard winter here
and am left by myself and I mention John
Shoesmith and he die very suddenly at Ilkley
and Ann is living at Otley and she is very well
for anything I know and Elizabeth is residing
in Leeds and I got a letter from her last Friday
and she sends her best respects to you she would
like to see you but she thinks it will be not in
this world and Elizabeth has one son and his
age is fourteen and he would like to see you.
William is living
at the bottom of Holling[s?]
Hill [s or,] is William writing to you or not
I have sent this letter William Smith and
John Craven and if they come to your house
you must treat them very kindly for I know
their parents remarkably well and you must
give my best respects to Mr and Mrs Wie and
please to let me know if Elizabeth has got
married or not but let me know in the next
letter and I have sent my mother funeral chard
and I have sent you a English newspaper
So no more
from your
Affectionate
Sister
Jane Sparks
I'll try to add one each week until they are all here! Thanks to the family members who saved these and didn't throw them away!!
