At last, after 3 years of looking, we finally found my Gr-Grandfather in August. This weekend my mom and I travelled to Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Texas to place a headstone and meet cousins that we never knew we had. John Pinkney "Pink" Sparkman was born in 1862 in Mississippi. (We're now looking for which part of Mississippi). By 1870 he was living in Hopkins County, Texas with a man named John B. Sparkman and his first wife Sarah. I haven't found him (yet) between 1871 and 1891, but have clues that lead me to Texarkana, Texas and Hot Springs, Arkansas. In 1892, we found his marriage record to Lula Edith McDonald in Van Buren, Crawford, Arkansas. By 1900, he and Lula and their 2 surviving children were living in the Indian Territory, in or around Wetumpka. It was here in 1902 that my Grandfather, George Latha "Lathy" Sparkman was born, along with his 3 younger brothers. By 1910, Pink and Lula and had separated. She was living in Stonewall, Pontotoc, OK and he was living in Fitzhugh, Pontotoc, OK. Lula's father resided near Stonewall and I found his obituary in a 1912 newspaper. It was after this, that she and the children moved into or near Ada. As for Pink, nobody seemed to know where he went, but I found a clue on a cassette tape recording that my father had made of my Grandfather. On that tape, George stated that his father "was buried somewhere down there in Texas". Looking through Texas has been a daunting prospect and slow going. In early August a lady in Texas did a lookup for me through the Texas death Index and found a death certificate for "Pinky Sparkman". One thing led to another and I was finally able to prove that this Pinky Sparkman and my John Pinkney Sparkman were one and the same. Placing the stone has finally brought closure to this chapter of our family history. Meeting our Sparkman relatives and continuing the research on this lineage, will enrich our lives. So when you hit that brick wall, don't give up. You never know when, or where, you might find the clue you need. Rebecca Ramsey Gr-Granddaughter of John Pinkney "Pink" Sparkman