The Sparks family – from Mattawa to Cobalt
After silver was discovered at Mileage 103, tens of thousands of people thronged to the area, intent on finding ways to improve their lives.
The names of the capitalists, the mine owners, and other prominent people of the day received plenty of media coverage. Some are memorialized on the street signs, others have a place in the Mining Hall of Fame.
But the regular folk? In most cases, the hard-working homesteaders and labourers remained anonymous. The stories of their time here have been condensed into one-line entries on the census page, an occasional notice in the society news, possibly an obituary.
Therefore, when we are lucky enough to peek inside a photo album for a glimpse of a pioneering family’s life, we feel compelled to learn more, and to add their names to the record.
Location, location
The Sparks family collection exemplifies the experience of families who came to the Cobalt area during the silver rush. That is, opportunities lured them here, and then, as needs and circumstances dictated, people moved on.
In this case, after Mattawa, those towns are:
- The Tri-Towns – Cobalt, Haileybury, New Liskeard
- Elk Lake, Cane Twp – Osseo and Wabun
- Quebec – Rouyn, Amos, Noranda
- Northern Ontario – Schreiber, Red Lake, Thessalon
- Southern Ontario – Barrie, Toronto
Be sure to check out the various links in this story – you may wish to bookmark them for future reference.
The Cobalt Connection
Only one photo is related to the immediate Cobalt area. Shown above are the employees at the Temiskaming Mine, Coleman Township.
This one was easy
In 1919 Harry Edwin Sparks was the mining engineer at the Temiskaming Mine. In 1922, he married Marion Smith of Haileybury. Father of the bride was George T Smith, former postmaster in Mattawa, but now Inspector of the Temiskaming Mining Division.
Mining, Mattawa, Sparks… locations and occupation matched. Harry E must be related somehow, right? How else to explain the photo in the family album?
Except…
We found no family connection between Harry E Sparks and Abe and Lizzie Sparks. None!
As you’ll find out later in the story, Harry E and at least one of Abe’s sons had similar career paths, but whether they were known to one another is a complete mystery.
This was the first of several false starts.
Sparks fly – the challenges of research
Searching was especially tricky for their second child, prospector Nicholas “Nick” Sparks. His father Abe had married twice before and sired at least thirteen children. As you would expect, we found a great number of “Sparks” entries in the genealogical records.
To complicate matters, Nick had the same name as the founder of Bytown, a name which was repeated through the generations: Nicholas Sparks, Nicholas Sparks Jr., Nicholas Sparks III. It is suggested that the photo above is the “other” Nick Sparks.
In other news
Moving from genealogical records to the newspapers and other online resources, we encountered even more dead ends.
Ottawa’s founding is well documented and is retold in anniversary news editions. Every year, history blogs and newsletters feature a version of the birth of the nation’s capital, and recall the assorted streets and buildings named for Mr. Sparks.
We were excited to find several promising leads in the provincial mining reports. Unfortunately, most hits directed us to companies with head offices on Sparks Street.
And of course, there were all those hits related to common phrases such as “sparks a debate” or descriptions of how the forest fire spread when the wind carried sparks from tree to tree.
You get the idea.
Where were we?
Speaking of detours, let’s return to the subject at hand.
The Sparks at Mattawa, 1901
We’ll start in Calvin Township, near Mattawa, in 1901, at the Sparks farm. Father Abe and Mother Lizzie lived and worked at home. Sons William and Robert were shantymen; Nicholas helped his parents with chores; as, no doubt, did daughter Elizabeth.
Their first-born son Abe was in Alberta, running a hotel, daughter Jane was married to Ziba Scharf and lived in North Gower. Daughter Charlotte lived in Manitoba with her aunt and uncle.
Abraham died on December 13, 1903. He was 79 and Lizzie was almost 50.
Drawn North
At approximately the same time, news of the silver discovery reached Mattawa when Fred LaRose stopped by the general store on his way to Quebec. It wasn’t long before the store owner, Mr. Timmins rushed to make a deal with Larose. And after that? The exodus from Mattawa began – capitalists and labourers made a beeline north.
Meanwhile, J R Booth was buying up mills and shutting them down, which left local Mattawanians out of work.
The Sparks family needed to resolve several pressing issues. The newly developing area of Temiskaming held opportunities worth consideration.
We know the Sparks family came to the area. Precisely when and where is unknown. It’s possible that they travelled between Cobalt and Mattawa until living arrangements were made for their mother and younger sister.
Robert “Bob” Sparks 1880 – 1969
According to his obituary, Robert arrived in the Cobalt region in 1909. When the census was taken in 1911, he was at “Elk City”, as was his brother Nick. Both men worked at jobs that involved “transportation” and “freighting.” Also in 1911, Bob married Johanna “Anna” Elisabeth Gustafson.
In her book, That we may Remember, Jean MacDougall listed the Sparks among the first to settle Cane Township, and Bob Sparks was one of the those who operated a sawmill. In 1921, he was a manager of a lumbering concern. “Anna” was very busy caring for the household and four young boys: Ron, Jack, Robert Jr., and Ken, all under ten-years old. The boy’s uncle Nick was recorded as living and working with the family.
Besides operating his lumber camp, Bob found odd jobs where he could – in 1930, the provincial government contracted him to clear the brush along Cane Township roads. In his book Silver Centre Rediscovered, Peter Fancy describes how, after the mines closed, Bob demolished the wooden structures in the townsite and sold all reusable boards to people in Matachewan.
By 1931, Frank, Mary, Kathleen, and Frederick had joined the family.
Social Media from the 1930s
In the 1930s, the Speaker published the social news from the surrounding communities, including Osseo. For example:
- Mary was in Matachewan,
- Ron was in Kenora,
- Robert Sparks Jr. and his wife, Archiena Bailey had a son in Earlton, but the family later moved to Osseo
- Anna was a member of the Women’s Institute and hosted meetings at her home
It appears that there were some changes at the Speaker in the 1940s – Osseo no longer had a regular column. Perhaps this is why we could not find the news of the Sparks family move to Thessalon. Bob retired from a lumbering company there in 1949. In later years, he moved to Southern Ontario, and he died in Oshawa in 1969. Unconfirmed data on family trees indicate that Anna died in 1972, in Guelph.
The photos below are the adult Sparks children – taken some years after their grandmother Lizzie had died. Mary’s graduation photo, undated, included a notation to her cousin: “to dear Ruth, best wishes, as ever, Mary.” Ruth Maley, you will remember was the keeper of the family history.
Sidebar: Wabun, Osseo, and Kenabeek
Bruce Taylor’s book Place Names of Temiskaming describes the three small railway sidings along the T&NO branch line between Earlton and Elk Lake — Wabun, Osseo, and Kenabeek. These were built around 1912, and their names were chosen by a railway official who admired Longfellow’s epic poem, The Song of Hiawatha.
The Sparks family in Haileybury
It’s not until 1911 that we find a record of the rest of Lizzie’s family. They were all in Haileybury.
William worked at the mines, Charlotte, returned from Manitoba, was a nurse, and their youngest sister Elizabeth was a sales lady. They all lived together—or at least shared the same address. Their mother, Lizzie, lived nearby on Lakeshore Road. We’ll start with the youngest, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Sparks Powell 1888 – 1917
On March 24, 1915, twenty-five-year-old Elizabeth married Thomas William Powell at her mother’s Lakeshore Road home. The newlyweds moved to Toronto, and in August welcomed a son, Thomas Clifford.
Tom, a prospector, continued to work in gold mining exploration in Northern Ontario, leaving his wife and newborn son in the big city. It is unknown where they lived, or if Elizabeth had help with caring for the baby.
Two years later, Elizabeth’s health had deteriorated badly. Newspapers reported that she had been ill “for a long time,” and Tom arranged for her admission to hospital.
After leaving the hospital, Elizabeth came north to visit her mother in Haileybury. This was November, 1917. One day, she left the house “to go for a walk.” She did not return. Her body was found the next day, in Lake Temiskaming, near the shipyard. Though the press said an inquest would “probably be held”, none was reported.
Sidebar: Thomas William Powell 1883 – 1975
You may recognize Tom Powell’s name: he is frequently mentioned in mining and geological reports from Quebec. His 1922 discovery of a gold-quartz-carbonate vein triggered the gold rush to Noranda.
Sidebar: Recalling the Great Fire of 1922
The Sparks family would have experienced the October 4, 1922 fire, but exactly to what extent is unknown.
When the 1921 census was taken, Lizzie and Nicholas were living together in Haileybury, while Robert and his family were in Cane Township. We believe that William was with them.
On October 4, 1922, fire swept through the region, from Elk Lake to the west, Englehart in the north, and as far south as North Cobalt. Historical accounts note that Cane and Tudhope lay within the burned area. Osseo was “partially burned”; the Roman Catholic Church and Lalonde’s store were destroyed. From Bruce Taylor, above, we learned that Kenabeek was mostly spared, and used as a relief station.
Jean MacDougall later wrote:
There was never any loss of life in Cane from fires—the T&NO railway was a saving friend on two or three occasions, evacuating settlers to Earlton. It appears that the Fire of 1922 was the greatest single factor in changing the whole way of life of everyone in the township…
The day after the fire, snow fell. For many settlers, the future suddenly looked bleak.
Robert and his family somehow made it work.
What of Nicholas and Lizzie on Blackwall Street? Nearly all of Haileybury was destroyed, including their neighbourhood.
Obviously, we know they survived. Again, just how they made it happen is unknown. Like so many others, they carried on.
William Henry Sparks 1878 – 1951
We know the least about William. He was very much in the background of this story, from beginning to end.
From the census records, he appears to have taken work wherever it could be found—labouring in mining or farming—and almost always with other family members. He stayed at times with his sisters in Haileybury, with Nicholas in New Liskeard, and most often with Robert and his growing family in Cane Township.
William is curiously absent from the 1921 census. Instead, Nicholas Sparks appears twice: once as a prospector in Haileybury, and again as a labourer in Cane Township. Given William’s usual occupation as a labourer, it is possible the Cane Township entry was recorded in error.
It is also easy to imagine William accompanying Nicholas on prospecting trips. In 1931, the brothers were living together in an apartment building in New Liskeard—Nicholas listed as a prospector, William as a labourer, “mostly farming.”
We found no obituary for William, only a modest “Card of Thanks” in which, curiously, William was not named. Instead, Mr. and Mrs. Sparks expressed gratitude for the kindness shown to them during their bereavement—and for the loan of the cars. The Speaker ran a “Notice to Creditors” regarding William’s estate. He died on or about July 3, 1951.
Charlotte Sparks Maley 1879 – 1950
We know a bit more about Charlotte.
When the 1901 Census was taken, Charlotte lived in Winnipeg with her Aunt Charlotte (Purdy) and Uncle Isaac Langley. She felt compelled to return home to her family at some point afterward.
By 1911, now working as a nurse, she and her siblings lived with the Walter Jenkins family on Blackwall St, Haileybury near Lakeshore Road.
She met a grocery salesman named N. William Maley from Barrie who was probably in the area on one of his business trips to New Ontario. He was a widower, with a four-year-old daughter, Ruth.
Charlotte married William In 1918, and the young family moved to Barrie. Frank Wm Maley was born in 1919. In his later years, he recalled travelling to New Liskeard and Cane Township to visit his grandmother and his cousins.
N William Maley died in 1949, and Charlotte a year later, in 1950.
Nicholas Sparks 1884 – ca 1953
After the move from Mattawa, Nick worked with his brother Bob in Elk Lake – possibly in mining or, lumbering, or both.
As we noted in William’s story, Nick was enumerated twice – in 1921 in Cane Township as a labourer, and in Haileybury as a prospector. Our gut feeling is that the Haileybury entry is correct.
You will recall that Nick’s brother-in-law Tom Powell discovered gold in Quebec in 1922. Maybe Powell hired Nick as part of the exploration crew. Then, perhaps, after the rush to Noranda, Nick joined forces with other prospecting syndicates.
No matter how he made the switch from homesteader/timberman/labourer to mineral man, from this point on, all documentation referred to Nicholas Sparks as prospector.
Prospecting in Quebec
When describing the prospecting trend to Quebec, Peter Fancy wrote about Nick’s exploration work in Montbray Township. There, Sparks held ten claims “located less than a half mile from the Nipissing Robb and a short distance south of the Consolidated Mining & Smelting Co. Properties.”
Nick kept good company – among his associates at that time were Noranda’s Ed Horne and Red Lake’s Lorne Howey.
Nick was still in Quebec in the late 1920s. He and his partner John H Murray of Haileybury staked a property in Cadillac Township in 1929 which became Tonawanda Mines, Limited in 1934. The board of directors included New Liskeard’s Charles E Rea, president and M McFarlane secretary. D Jarvis, K Willard, and Nick Sparks were also on the board.
Tonawanda Mines
The Tonawanda Mines company hired mining engineer Douglas Mutch to conduct diamond drilling on the property, with results promising enough to sink a shaft. Exploration work continued into 1936. Unfortunately, drilling was suspended late that year due to water shortages.
All eyes were on Cadillac Township in 1937. The National Post ran a special feature profiling the scores of companies that were active in the area, including Nick’s project. “Drilling on the property of Tonawanda Mines did not, the Post understands, produce tangible results and work was suspended, pending refinancing.”
The Tonawanda Mines was in business for a few years more, this time with properties in the Larder Lake and the Timmins areas. Whether Nick Sparks was involved with the company during the late 1930s is unknown.
By the way
The National Post credited the O’Brien Gold Mines for growing financial interest in the region. That company’s mine manager? None other than Harry Edwin Sparks who we met him at the beginning of this story. No relationship family-wise, but it’s hard to imagine that he and Nick did not cross paths.
A pause
When the Tonawanda Mine company was incorporated in 1934, Nick was fifty years old. Later that year, he was called home to attend his mother’s funeral.
It appears that he decided to stay with his sister Jane and brother-in-law Ziba at their Montreal Road home north of Russell, Ontario. His name is included with the Scharfe [sic] family on the 1935 voters’ list.
Red Lake
A decade later, we find Nick in Red Lake. He oversaw exploration work for the Transterra Mines, a property he staked 1944. News reports said that Nick “had considerable experience with mining progress in the Red Lake district.” Whether that means weeks, months, or years we cannot say.
The above photos were taken after the Red Lake Hotel fire which occurred July 1, 1945. The disaster claimed nine lives, and many more were injured.
From the Virtual Museum Community Stories: The Red Lake Hotel, a four storey, 58 room, wooden structure, burned to the ground in the middle of the night. The only thing available to fight the fire was a pump down at Howey Bay and a double length of hose. By the time the Department of Lands and Forests arrived with their twelve hoses, it was too late to save the hotel.
Toronto home base
Speculation: Married life
Please note, that we cannot confirm the conclusion of Nick’s story. What follows is speculation only.
Somewhere along his prospecting travels, or in Toronto, Nick met a woman named Anna or Anne. Did Nick meet her in Haileybury or New Liskeard? Or Quebec or Red Lake? Was she staff or a tenant at the Elliott Hotel, in Toronto? Was she related to one of his prospecting pals, such as Ford Edwards?
Around 1948, they purchased a house in New Toronto, today, Etobicoke. If this was our Nicholas, he would have been 65. He, a prospector, appears with Mrs. Sparks at this address on the 1949 voters list.
Thanks to the Toronto Public Library digital street directories, Mr. and Mrs. Sparks lived at 35 Twelfth Street, New Toronto up to 1953. After this time, his name no longer appears. Mrs. Anna/Anne Sparks continued to live here until 1961, supplementing her income by renting rooms.
And after that, frustratingly, the trail goes dark.
Rest in Peace
We could find no obituary, no cards of thanks, no mention of local residents from Osseo or Thessalon making a trip to Toronto. Nothing. Yet, someone arranged for Nick’s burial in the family plot.
The three Mattawa brothers, Robert, William, and Nicholas are all laid to rest at Rosegrove Cemetery on Highway 65, west of New Liskeard. Nearby are Cameron and Kenneth. The graves are marked with wooden crosses and brass plaques carry the names, but no dates.
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Purdy Sparks (1854–1934)
After the 1922 fire, Lizzie may have stayed for a time with either of her daughters in southern Ontario.
In the spring of 1924, she sent a postcard to “Sharlet,” saying she had arrived home in New Liskeard safely and that Nick had met her at the station. Where “home” was exactly is not known.
By 1927, Nicholas—who lived elsewhere in town—had purchased the Lakeshore Road house where he and his mother stayed when he was not away prospecting.
Charlotte’s son Frank Maley remembered spending his summers visiting his grandmother and cousins in the late 1920s. The Pringle Studio photo above was taken on one of those visits.
By then Lizzie was in her late seventies. Nicholas was frequently away. Even with neighbours’ help, maintaining a house and yard on her own must have been a burden—and a worry for her daughters.
Around 1930, Lizzie moved to Barrie to live with the Maleys. She died there late in 1934 and is buried in the Anglican cemetery.
Sidebar: The Neighbours on Lakeshore Road
Another puzzle we encountered was a subset of photos of New Liskeard’s Pringle family.
You’ll note that the Lizzie Sparks photo above, the one with Lizzie, her two daughters, and grandson Frank, was taken at the Pringle Studio. The Sparks knew A W Pringle through his work, but that alone doesn’t explain the number of Pringle family photos that indicate a more familiar and intimate relationship, one that lasted well after Lizzie died in 1934.
The above suite of Pringle photos are captioned as they were found in the Sparks family album, spelling errors and all. In the Billy Pringle image, 17 yrs, he is standing in front of what was the Zahalan house, built south of the George Taylor residence, on Lakeshore Road. The “four unnamed people” in winter are standing in front of the same house on Lakeshore. We now know that they are mother Janet Pringle and her three children.
During the 1920s, the photographer Andrew William “Will” Pringle and his family lived on the east side of Lakeshore Road, as did Lizzie and Nick Sparks. They were next-door neighbours.
The Pringles
Before she met Will, Janet “Jennie” Dubreville established the Salvation Army in New Liskeard in 1905. Meanwhile, he was an early photographer in New Liskeard. He documented the 1907 rush to Gowganda and Elk Lake, which compelled him to sell his business and take up prospecting. He opened the Pringle and Fox Studio in Elk Lake in 1909.
A year later, he opened a studio in Charlton and lived with his family who had settled there. His father John was a timber man. Still on the move, Pringle returned to New Liskeard in 1910 and arranged to buy back his studio business on Whitewood Ave, across from the library.
And then, in 1911, he married Janet – he was 34 and ready to start a family. Between 1913 and 1920, the couple had three children – Bill, Hazel, and Edra. Jennie died in 1957, and Will in 1967.
Thanks to Ruth
Sparks descendants were in about every mining community within range of the Tri-Towns, and then some. Including Sudbury, where the search query originated, and, as it happened, reached its conclusion. Thanks to Ruth Maley for her role in compiling this collection, and to her nephew for sharing with us.
Throughout this research project, we learned more about the experiences of those who came to our region in general, and a wee bit more about the Sparks family in particular.
We sent the original photos to the heritage agencies outside of our area – Schreiber, Red Lake, and Rouyn-Noranda.
Today we share with our readers. To view the digitized images, visit our website.
Before we sign off, a quick note of thanks to Lise Marie Heroux for her encouragement, top-notch genealogy skills, and delightful sense of humour. All in all, it was a most enjoyable dive down that research rabbit hole!