Joyce Hudnall Sparks Collection

Tarrant County Archives > Holdings > Named Collections > S > Sparks, Joyce Hudnall

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The materials in the Joyce Hudnall Sparks Collection were delivered to the Tarrant County Archives by Tarrant County Historical Commission member Evelyn Cushman on behalf of Joyce Sparks. The collection was assembled in 1988 by Cushman in anticipation of publishing a history of the Avondale and Haslet communities using the research done by Sparks. At the time, Sparks wanted her research to be documented and archived but was not able to do it herself. Her research included oral history interviews that she conducted as well as an interview she gave to members of the Tarrant County Historical Commission. 

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The Joyce Hudnall Sparks Collection contains photographs and research on Avondale and Haslet families, churches, schools, local politics, land development, downtown development and the Staley Ranch. It includes 15 cassette tapes containing oral history interviews with residents from Haslet. The materials were compiled by Sparks from her own family's records and from the families in these communities. They are dated from the early 1900s to the 1980s.

Group class photograph outside of the Haslet Public School building, circa 1920

Class photograph outside of the Haslet Public School building (nonextant), circa 1920

Materials in this collection consist of the following files arranged by subject:

  • Avondale: History, with copies of newspaper clippings
  • Haslet and Avondale schools: History - copies of photographs, programs, administrative records, newspaper clippings
  • Haslet and Avondale schools: History - group class photographs with some students identified, 1910s-1940s
  • Haslet: History - origin of the town name; copy of early plat of downtown
  • Haslet: History - newspaper clippings about residents
  • Haslet: History - copies of photographs and newspaper clippings
  • Haslet: History - handwritten notes made by various contributors 
  • Haslet: Abstracts of Title
  • Haslet: Biographies, with information provided by the families
  • Haslet: Churches - copies of a short history of Haslet Baptist Church and Methodist Church
  • Haslet: Downtown - copies of images of buildings, copies of plat and land records
  • Haslet: Government - copies of records and newspaper clippings
  • Haslet: Avondale Club, copies of 1950 scrapbook pages
  • Haslet: Perot Group development plans, circa 1987
  • Haslet: Staley Ranch - recollections, notes, copies of photographs
  • Evelyn Cushman’s notes from her communication with Joyce Hudnall Sparks, 1980s

Oral History Interviews with the following people:

  • Elvis Ray "Pete" Lewis and Lallie (Smith) Lewis
  • Mrs. Pete Burnett
  • Doris Shelton Marcus
  • Ninna Fay (Frank) Brown
  • Emma Frank
  • Mable Greenwood / Eastwood
  • May Godbey
  • Bobby Laster
  • Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Ritchey
  • Pearl (Holt) Haney
  • Maude (Sanders) Ritchey
  • Mrs. Harvey
  • Mrs. Clampitt
  • Lucilla (Laird) Haney
  • Bob and Finis (Moon) Smith
  • Joyce Sparks

Please note: The cassette tapes containing the interviews are not digitized or transcribed. Contact the Tarrant County Archives for information about accessing the audio content.