The Sarah Ellen Bryant I have to identify in the records must fit these distinguishing facts.
1. She was born in Missouri.
2. She married William Bazel Sparlin.
3. She had a son named Oscar Clarence (Jack) Sparlin (b. 1882) and two unnamed daughters.
4. Shortly prior to 1882, she resided in Cassville, Barry Co., Missouri.
5. In 1882, she resided in Bentonville, Arkansas.
6. After 1895, she resided in Cassville, Barry Co., Missouri.
Source: letter written by her grandson to family members
Records Online:
1. A marriage certificate issued in Jasper, MO, 18 Jan 1880, unites a “Mr. William Sparlin” with a “Miss Sarah Bryant.”
Place- Jasper County is in the extreme southwest corner of Missouri, as is Barry County. Bentonville, Arkansas is just across the border in that same corner.
Time- An 1880 marriage is realistic for the 1882 birth of Oscar Clarence.
2. The 1870 census for Virgil, Vernon, MO contains the following:
William Bryant 56, basket maker, b. KY
Rachel M. “ 44, b. NY
Elizabeth “ 14, b. Ill
Ada “ 10, b. Ill
*Sarah “ 6, b. MO
Emma “ 3, b.MO
Charles “ 3, b.MO
Place- Vernon County, MO, again, is located in the southwest corner of Missouri, a bit north of Jasper.
Time- If Sarah is born in 1864 (as according to this census), she is 16 in 1880, old enough to marry.
3. The 1880 census for Jackson, Jasper, MO contains the following:
William Bryant, 66, farmer
Rachel “ 54
Emma “ 13
Charles “ 13 (listed as grandson here, but not in the 1870 census. Considering he joined the household by age 3 and that in all other records he appears to be a son, Emma and Charles are probably twins.)
Place- Again the Jasper, MO area.
Time- At age 16, Sarah is missing from this 1880 census, presumably having left the household to marry.
4. 1890 census records are missing.
5. The 1900 census record for Jackson, Jasper, Mo contains the following:
William S. Johnson 49
Sarah E. “ 41
Isaac N. “ 20
Ollie J. “ 15
Rhoda E. “ 10
Elvira E. “ 8
Laura E. “ 5
Bertha J. “ 2
*Sarah E. Sparlin 35 sister-in-law, divorced
Lizzie M. Sparlin 11 niece
Significantly, the birthplace data is:
*Sarah E, b. MO, father born KY, mother born NY
Lizzie M, b. AK, father born IN, mother born MO
Place- SW corner of MO
Time- If this Sarah E. Sparlin is the same Sarah, daughter of William and Rachael Bryant, on the 1870 census, she should be age 35 or 36, which she is. According to that same census, William Bryant was born in KY, Rachael in NY, which also agrees with Sarah E.’s data. Additionally, William B. Sparlin(g) is possibly born in Indiana, which agrees with the parent data for Lizzie M. Oscar Clarence Sparlin spoke to his son of having two sisters; it’s likely that Lizzie M. (b. Aug 1888) is one of them.
Summary:
The above is evidence that Sarah, daughter of William and Rachael Bryant, is the same Sarah Ellen Sparlin, mother of Oscar Clarence Sparlin. Time, place and names are correct. However, I have no record with a direct statement that the Bryant’s daughter is the same Sarah Bryant who married William Sparlin(g) in 1880 in Jasper, MO.
Another Sarah Ellen Bryant was also born in 1864/65, she in Illinois to Andrew and Elizabeth Bryant. She’s a possible candidate who can’t be entirely eliminated on the above information, although her case is less substantial. There is considerable confusion with this Sarah E., because the Bryants were married in Illinois and their older children born there. However, after moving to southwest MO, they seem to have stuck. Both William and Rachael died and were buried in the area.
“User-submitted family trees” claim William and Rachael as the grandparents of Oscar Clarence. In addition, these trees list two children who died as infants and another daughter, born in 1888, named Juanita Elizabeth. This might be the “Lizzie” of the 1900 census. Oscar Clarence, however, spoke of two sisters. If a daughter was born to William and Sarah E. in 1884, she would have been old enough to marry and, thus, not appear on the 1900 census, and would have been born too late to appear on the 1880. (Remember the 1890 records are lost.) Oscar does not appear on these records for the very good reason that he was born in 1882, missing the ’80 census and that he, as told by his son, “ran away from home with an uncle who was going to Oklahoma and that he was 13 years old at the time.” That would have been in 1895. The first appearance of Oscar on a record is as a “boarder” and “farm laborer” with Alexander Irons in Oklahoma Territory on the 1900 census.
Until I see better evidence to dispute the claim that Sarah Ellen Bryant, mother of Oscar Clarence, is the daughter of William and Rachael Bryant, I’m inclined to include this information in my family tree. I continue, however, to look for corroborating information.
If you can help me or would like further information, please leave a comment.
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