Nathaniel Kelsie Sparkman was born more than 206 years ago on October 7th, 1813 in Camden, Georgia to his Father Stephen Lewis Sparkman and Mother Elsa Ann Keightly.
** Interesting events that occurred around the World during Mr. Sparkman's birth year of 1813 included.
• On January 28th, 1813 Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is published by Thomas Egerton in the United Kingdom.
• On March 4th, 1813 James Madison is sworn in for a second term, as the fourth ever President of the United States.
• On May 2nd, 1813 Napoleon Bonaparte is victorious against the German alliance in the Battle of Lützen.
• On June 1st, 1813 the USS Chesapeake is captured by the British Royal Navy in the Boston Harbor during the War of 1812.
• On September 7th, 1813, the United States first gets its nickname, "Uncle Sam". The name is linked to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York who supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812. He stamped the barrels with “U.S.” for United States but Soldiers began referring to the grub as “Uncle Sam’s.” The local newspaper picked up on the story and Uncle Sam eventually gained widespread acceptance !!
• On October 5th, 1813 during the Battle of the Thames in Upper Canada, William Henry Harrison defeats the British, and Native American leader Tecumseh is killed in battle.
• On December 30th, 1813 British Soldiers and their Native American Allies burn the City of Buffalo to the ground. They shattered windowpanes, and threw burning torches into the wooden homes. The invaders pillaged and plundered the reeling community as frightened families fled into the cold and snow on horses, wagons, and sleds carrying their food, hastily collected valuables, and crying children. One resident, Sarah Lovejoy didn’t flee and she paid with her life after being tomahawked while trying to save her dresses from the looting forces. The flames quickly devoured Buffalo and incinerated all but a handful of its 150 buildings.
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Nathaniel was the fourth of seven children welcomed into the World by his North Carolina native parents. Chronologically his older siblings were Simeon Lewis (Born in 1806), Ann (1808) , and Harriet (1810). His younger siblings were Elijah Byrd who is (Born in 1819), Charlotte (1823), and Stephen Lewis (1825).
Patriarch, Stephen Lewis Sparkman a farmer by trade moves his family from Southeast Georgia to the Sunshine State of Florida in 1824. He was the first "white settler" in an area that was at the time called "Alligator" before being designated the name Lake City, Florida.
According to a variety of military service records Nathaniel served and fought with different Florida militias between 1835 & 1840 during the Second Seminole War.
Nathaniel marries his Wife Mary Cason Sistruck who is 11 years his Junior in the late 1840s. Together they would have five children between 1849 and 1856 during the course of their marriage. ( Stephen Melancthon, Mary, Harriet, Elidah (sp?) Byrd, and Sarah Rebecca )
According to census records from 1850 Nathaniel and his family live @ the Melendez Settlement which was near modern-day Brooksville, Florida in Hernando County. enlist with an Independent militia during the Third Seminole War. This particular militia is descended from his family's namesake. (Sparkman's Company of Mounted Volunteers)
** Nathaniel receives Florida land grants in both 1849 and 1855 signed by President Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce. (
** Nathaniel and his Wife Mary Cason Sistruck's eldest child, Stephen Melancthon Sparkman would be elected to represent Florida's 1st District in the United States House of Representatives where he serves from 1895 until 1917...
For reasons we know not, Nathaniel will pass away on February 16th, 1857 at the age of forty three. His now 162 year old Monument is once again respectfully beautiful !!
Nathaniel Kelsie Sparkman... Beloved Husband, Father, and Veteran of both the Second and Third Seminole Wars