James Arthur Sparks was born August 26, 1882, in Taunton, Somerset, England. Florence Emily Lee was born December 12, 1883 in Taunton, Somerset, England. They were married in Somerset in the year 1907. James was employed as a cabinet maker, carpenter and farmer while in England.
The Sparks came to Canada in 1924 with their six sons and following is the information extracted from the diary of one son, Lew W. J. Sparks.
"Came to Canada from England on August the 22nd, 1924 and landed at Quebec on August the 29th, and from there we went on to Winnipeg, arriving there on August 31st, 1924. After staying there a week or ten days we journeyed on to Edmonton arriving there September 12th, 1924. We also stayed there about a week and then my Father, J.A Sparks bought a farm 3 miles east of Wabamun and we left Edmonton and went there September 18th, 1924."
The Sparks family farmed the following half section, N8-53-3-W5. The farm originally belonged to Butcher Smith, the house was built cornerwise as it had originally been a stopping house on the Lac Ste. Anne Trail
One daughter, Florence, was born in Canada in March, 1926, but she only lived for one week. The younger boys walked two and one half miles to the Smithfield School. Rural residents enjoyed the dances and concerts held in the school. Visiting with neighbours was a pleasant diversion.
James Sparks operated a mixed farm until 1943. He milked a large number of cows, supplying milk to the summer residents at Kapasiwin.
Road conditions presented a challenge to all travellers. These roads dodged swamps, skirted hills and avoided sloughs wherever possible. In the 1930s, gravel began to appear on the roads.
The eldest son, Ernest George John, married Catherine Roberts and they had three children. He died on February 14, 1953. The second son, Lewis Walter James, age twenty-two, was secretary-treaurer of the Smithfield School District, president of the Athletic Club, and past president of the Young People's Society. The third son of the Sparks family, Frederick Charles Edwin, age twenty, was popular with everyone. Both Lewis and Fred were drowned on November 12, 1933 while skating on Lake Wabamun. The fourth son of James and Florence Sparks, Ronald Longford, married Joan Best and they had four children. He was residing in Terrace, British Columbia when he passed away on March 7, 1975. Reginald Albert Redwood, the fifth son, married Clara Rose and had two children. He remarried and now resides in Kelowna, British Columbia. Edgar Maurice William, the youngest son, married Margaret Ruth Summers and they have three surviving children. They are presently residing at Darwell, Alberta.
The mother, Florence Sparks, died in Wabamun on April 23, 1934. She was buried in Smithfield Cemetery. Father, James Sparks, passed away in Terrace, British Columbia on September 30, 1964 and is interred in Smithfield Cemetery as well.