Awesome Sparlin Family

Around 2005 or so, Dad gave me a big, cardboard box of papers that turned out to be all the letters between his parents and siblings and himself, as well as, genealogical information the family had scraped together in the pre-internet era on Sparlins, together with the scrapbook "Glimpses" that my grandmother assembled on my grandfather's many accomplishments.  Grandmother continued to add photocopies, articles and pictures by mail to this book over the years.  When Dad realized his mind was failing (as a consequence of Parkinson's disease) and that I was interested in pursuing family research, he gave me this box, and I, being the grand procrastinator that I am, stored it away and never looked through it carefully...until now.

Somehow I need to share this gold mine, but I'm not sure how to do it effectively.  While I ponder, I will try to share bits now and then, like this one about my uncle, who is pretty awesome...from a family of awesome.

"Miss James was fortunate in her accompanist, Dale Sparlin, head of the music department at St. George's School, whose support was always sensitive but never obtrusive.  Sparlin made his own contribution to the program with the brilliantly projected offertory, Cesar Franck's 'Prelude, Fugue and Variation,' one of the favorites in the organ repertory."

Photo: Three RYAN Sisters of Oklahoma and their spouses, SPARLIN, RICE AND TAYLOR, c.1910s

Adults L-R; Oscar Clarence and Bertha May RYAN-SPARLIN, Cornelius and Dacie Belmore RYAN-RICE, William M. and Lula Edith RYAN-TAYLOR.

Children L-R; Estal Earnest SPARLIN, Ezekial RICE and Lena Viola TAYLOR

The youngest child on the left, Estal, was born in 1907, dating this photo to about 1910.  The place was Ralston or Fairfax, Oklahoma.

Descendants of William and Mariah J. RITTER ELLER

Descendants of William and Mariah J.

RITTER ELLER

William ELLER (b. 1831 NC, d. c.1893, OK or KS), parents unknown, m. Mariah J. RITTER (b.14 Feb 1831, KY, d. 28 Feb 1908, KS), parents unknown. 

+2 ??? (hypothetical between 1850 and 1860)

+2 Franklin Elias (b. Oct 1860, MO, d. 2 Sep 1937, KS) m. c.1918 Margaret Lavilla ONEAL-GATES (b. Mar 1873, MO, d. 27 Oct 1948, KS), parents Alpheus John and Lucetta Jane MILLER ONEAL

++3 Evelyn Grace (b. c.1919, KS, d. 11 May 1953, KS) m. unknown.

+2 Nick Frelow (b. Aug 1862, IL, d. 15 Jan 1932, OK) m. 1^st c.1886 Marggret Jane WARRICK (b. c.1859, IL, d. c.1896, OK), parents Lazarus W. and Catherine BROWN-WARRICK

++3 Capatola Viola (b. 11 Jan 1888, O.T., d. 4 Mar 1956, CO) m. 1^st 4 Mar 1906 Wesley Jacob DITZENBERGER (b. 14 Jul 1879, IN, d. 17 Apr 1909), parents Henry Linguen and Elizabeth DAVIS-DITZENBERGER

+++4 Ruby (b. c.1907, OK, d. 13 Apr 1908, OK)

+++4 Myrtle Edith (b. 8 Nov 1908, OK, d. 8 May 1992, KS) m. 20 Jun 1926 Odie McBride SMITH (b. 15 Jun 1903, MO, d. 6 Sep 1988, KS), parents Elbert Columbus and Etta Gertrude GROVES-SMITH

++++5 living

++++5 Darlene Odean (b.1 Feb 1929, OK, d. 9 Apr 2006, KS) m.1^st bef, 1948 Kenneth E. WHETSTINE (b. 15 Jun 1927, d. 3 Mar 2005, KS), parents unknown

+++++6 living

+++++6 Penny Dawn (b. 27 Jan 1949, d. 25 Feb 2007, KS) married.

---Darlene m. 2^nd bef. 1953 Bejamin Robert CALVERT (b. 1929, KS, d. 9 Jan 1997, KS), parents Benjamin Roy and Eva Mae TETER-CALVERT

+++++6 Ricky Dee (b. 25 Oct 1953, KS, d. 6 Mar 2001, KS) married.

+++++6 Rocky Dale (b. 25 oct 1953, KS, d. 17 Jan 1984, IA) married.

+++++6 Bobby Dean (b. 9 Oct 1957, d. 27 May 2005, KS)

+++++6 living

++++5 living 

++++5 living

++++5 living

++++5 living

---Capatola m. 2^nd c.1909 Wilbur L. DAVIS(b. c.1885, IL, d. ?), parents unknown

---Capatola m. 3^rd c.1916 Salem Jackson HARDIN (b. 15 Jul 1882, TX, d. ?), parents William H. and Mary A. HARDIN

---Capatola m. 4^th aft. 1930 Paul Roy MENEFEE (b. 31 Mar 1890, MO, d. 13 Jan 1961, CO), parents John M. and Charlotte YATES-MENEFEE 

++3 William Lazareth (b.16 Oct 1889, KS, d. 14 Dec 1970, OK), m. 14 Oct 1924 Anna Margaret SHANAHAN (17 Aug 1894, O.T., d. 12 Feb 1977, OK), parents Edward and Mary SHEEHAN-SHANAHAN

+++4 Mary Olive (b. 13 Nov 1925, OK, d. 11 May 2010, OK) m. 22 Aug 1953 Frank CROMWELL (b.23 Jul 1920, OK, d. 11 Aug 2008, OK), parents Guy and Emma R. WOOD-CROMWELL

++++5 living

++++5 Guy William (b. 30 Nov 1960, OK, d. 22 Dec 2008, OK)

++++5 Laura Jane (b. 1962, OK, d. 24 Jul 1973, OK)

+++4 living

++3 Harrison E. (b. 4 Jun 1891, O.T., D. aft 1930)

++3 Jasper Joseph (b. 16 Oct 1893, KS, d. Jul 1967, IL) m. bef. 1917 Marybelle (b. c.1890, OH), parents unknown

---Nick m. 2^nd c. 1897 Mary Ettie WARRICK (b. Sep 1872, IL, d. 28 Mar 1931, OK), parents Lazarus W. and Catherine BROWN-WARRICK

++3 Hellen Ellen (b. 15 Jan 1898, O.T., d. 22 Dec 1974, CA), m. 10 Jul 1916 James Matthew GAUZE (b. 19 Sep 1892, WV, d. 9 May 1963, CA), parents GAUZE and SANCHEZ

+++4 Catherine Pauline (b. 14 Feb 1917, OK, d. 27 Jun 1993, CA) m. 11 Feb 1936 Woodrow Erdman BAY (b. 21 Apr 1913, KS, d. 1 Sep 1987, CA), parents Hugh and Ruby Barbara ERDMAN BAY

++++5 Billy Joyce (b. 4 Jul 1940, AZ, d. 3 Nov 1940, TX)

++++5 living

++++5 living

++++5 living

++++5 living

+++4 Agnes (b. 1922 d. ?)

+++4 Virginia Maxine (b. 8 Aug 1923, OK, d. 3 May 1997, CA) m. 11 Jan 1961 Loren E. JOHNSTON (b. 27 Mar 1922, KS, d. 9 Dec 1987, CA), parents Howard R. and Lola M. FOSTER-JOHNSTON

+++4 Jane (b. 1925, d. 1925)

+++4 Helen Naomi (b. 17 Dec 1926, KS, d. 30 Apr 1993, CA)

+++4 Delores Jeanine (b. 7 Dec 1928, KS, d. Apr 1992, CA) married.

+++4 James Matthew Jr. (b. 14 Jan 1931, KS, d. 1 Feb 2001, CA) married.

++3 Raymond R. (b.17 Dec 1899, O.T., d. 13 Aug 1947), m. bef. 1928 Mattie A. BECK (b. 12 Jan 1905, O.T., d. 1 Jan 1969, OK), parents James Gibney and Mary Elizabeth McGINLEY-BECK

+++4 Wanda May (b. 1 Jan 1928, OK, d. 8 Feb 2009, TX) m. 5 Jun 1946 Gene Raymond HAWKINS (b. 20 Mar 1926, OK, d. 12 Dec 2000, GA), parents Henry L. and Hazel HAWKINS

++++5 living

+++4 Leroy (b. 5 May 1931, OK, d. 24 Jan 2010, WI)

+++4 Roseann

+++4 ?

++3 Christopher (b. 1900, O.T., d. ?, O.T.)

++3 Charley (b. 1902, O.T., d. 20 Jan 1915, OK)

++3 Ida Bell (b. c.1904, O.T., d. 6 June 1968, MO) m. 1943 Roy G. WILLIAMS (b. 3 Apr 1892, MO, d. 11 Jul 1966, MO), parents Christopher Columbus and Teresa M. LUMPEE-WILLIAMS

++3 ??? 

+2 Eliza A. (b. c.1866, IN, d.?)

O.T. = Oklahoma Territory

Marriage Certificate: Wesley Ditzenberger and Capatola Viola Eller

Certificate of marriage performed 4 March 1906 in Woods Co., Oklahoma Territory between Wesley Ditzenberger, white, age 26, born in Indiana, and Miss Capitola Viola Ellers, white, age 18, born in Kansas, both currently of Alva, O.T.  Officiating was Hermann B. Mayo, Presbyterian Minister.  Witnesses were J.A. Bowling and Lillie Bowling. 

Antler's Cafe, Alva, OK

The Antler’s Café, site of Harrison Eller’s crime a year earlier, Alva, OK, in 1918 after a fire. (café sign highlighted in pink.)  source: The Okie Legacy, V.11 Iss.13, 2009-03-29.

In different hours...

...a man represents each of several of his ancestors, as if there were seven or eight of us rolled up in each man’s skin,—seven or eight ancestors at least, and they constitute the variety of notes for that new piece of music which his life is.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gravestone Photo: Mariah J. Ritter (1831-1908), McPherson Cemetery, McPherson, KS

Inscription: "Mariah J. Ritter Born Feb. 14 1831, Died Feb. 28 1908"  Mariah was the wife of William Eller (1831- 1895), and they had (at least) three children, Nick Frelow, Elias Franklin 'Frank' and Eliza Eller.