Margaret W. Hammer

MARGARET SPARKS was named after her mother ELIZABETH MATTHEWS SPARK’s sister Margaret Matthews.
Burial: Swan Cemetery, two miles west of Lynnville, Jasper County, Iowa

Write-up about JESSE MILLS HAMMER on page 530 of the 1912 book Past and Present of Jasper County Iowa: “Jesse Hammer… was born October 4, 1820, in Jefferson county, Tennessee. There he grew up, received what education he could in the rude schools of those early days and there he married, his wife dying in early life, leaving him with two sons. In 1846 he joined his father, who decided to leave that country since he was opposed to slavery and his views had been resented by his neighbors, and they all came to Iowa. He settled in Jasper county and was destined to become quite prominent and influential.
“Here he married Margaret W. Sparks, daughter of John R. Sparks, who owned a flour mill at Lynnville, of which mill Jesse Hammer later became miller, operating the same successfully for a number of years. He later became miller of Doctor Warren's mill near Oskaloosa. He was the owner of two hundred acres of land in Newton township. He was elected the first sheriff of Jasper county. but refused to serve. His marriage with Margaret Sparks was the first of record in this county. His brother Seth was the first recorder of the county, having been elected in 1846 or 1847; another brother. Elisha, was captain of Company G, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, in the Civil war.
“Jesse Hammer was married four times, his first wife having been a Miss Hackney, of Tennessee, and they were married in Jefferson county, Mr. Hammer's wedding suit having been cut out by Andrew Johnson*, later President of the United States, who lived in the adjoining county. By his second wife, Margaret Sparks, was born Dr. Marion R. Hammer… he being their oldest child. In all, Jesse Hammer was the father of fourteen children.
“John R. Sparks, mentioned above, was not only known as the proprietor of the mill at Lynnville but he was also a large land owner, and at one time paid the largest tax of any one in Jasper county. He was prominent in the early industrial life of the county, having established the first flour mill, the first saw mill and the first carding mill in Jasper county, all being erected near Linnville. Two sons of his, William Henry and Matthew T… were soldiers in the Civil war, having served in the Fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry; they were captured at Tunnel Hill in 1864 and incarcerated in Andersonville prison, where they died. The death of Jesse Hammer… occurred on Sept. 2, 1873 at Richland, Iowa, whither he had gone on a visit.”
About Margaret Sparks’ brothers (sons of J.R. Sparks) William Henry and Matthew T. Sparks: Tunnel Hill is a town in Whitfield County, Georgia. The general area of Tunnel Hill hosted many engagements and camps throughout the course of the war. The Andersonville prison, officially known as Camp Sumter, was the largest Confederate military prison during the American Civil War. The site of the prison is now Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville, Georgia. A Union soldier described his entry into the prison camp: "As we entered the place, a spectacle met our eyes that almost froze our blood with horror, and made our hearts fail within us. Before us were forms that had once been active and erect;—stalwart men, now nothing but mere walking skeletons, covered with filth and vermin. Many of our men, in the heat and intensity of their feeling, exclaimed with earnestness, "Can this be hell?" "God protect us!"
Despite the preceding write-up's statement that Jesse's "marriage with Margaret Sparks was the first of record in this county," page 331 of the same book specifically notes they were the second couple married, and names the first couple.

• About President Andrew Johnson and that 1841 wedding suit: In 1826, Johnson (1808-1875) arrived in Greeneville, Greene Co., TN after fleeing an apprenticeship in Raleigh, NC. He chose to remain there after learning that the town's tailor was planning to retire. He purchased the tailor shop, which he moved from Main Street to its present location at the corner of Depot and College streets. He was inaugurated Vice President in early 1865 and a month later became America’s 17th president upon Abraham Lincoln's assassination.
  

Two sons of Jesse Hammer also served in the Civil War. According to Thomas Jefferson Hammer’s 1917 book Biography of Seth Hammer, page 46, Aaron Thompson Hammer and John Henry Hammer served under Jesse’s brother Capt. Elisha Hammer in Company G, 7th Iowa Cavalry. Their cousin Enos Hammer, son of Jesse and Elisha’s brother Henry Hammer, served and died under Capt. Hammer’s command.