The Sparlin, Sperlin, and Sparling families all seem to descend from a single man, a German named Steuffel von Speurling who settled in County Limerick, Ireland in the early 1600s. In his descendants the name underwent various transformations -- Sparling seems to be the most common. The connection to this family is as yet undetermined.
The following is taken from this reference.
Please be aware that the identification of Andrew Sparlin as the father of John Sparlin who married Nancy Parsons, Sarah (Sparlin) Hunt, and Fannie (Sparlin) Core is not proven, although there is some supporting evidence.
Andrew "Sparland" shows up on the 1810 census of Morgan Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, living very near to Daniel Hunt, father of William Hunt, Sarah Sparlin's husband. He evidently had died by 1820 as a Sarah Sparlin is enumerated as a head of family in the same location (listed as over 45 years of age). She is absent from the 1830 census and had apparently died by that time.
It is conjectured that this is the same person as the Andrew "Sparling" who was on the 1787 assessment list for Washington County, Maryland, shown as owning a 150 acre tract called "And Rum" in Salisbury and Conchoteague Townships (p. 48, MSA S1161-11-3, 1/4/5/54), and who is listed on the 1790 census of Washington County, with two males under the age of 16, and four females total (presumably including his wife).
According to "Pennsylvania German Pioneers" (Ralph Beaver Strassburger: Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, 1964), there was an Andreas Sperling who immigrated into the port of Philadelphia aboard the "Sally," and took the "usual qualifications" on October 5, 1767. This could be the same as the Andrew Sparling of Washington County, Maryland and the Andrew Sparland of Greene County, Pennsylvania. It is also probably this same man who signed the Oath of Allegiance to the State of Maryland in 1776. Based upon these pieces of information, Andreas Sperling, born in Germany, is conjectured to be the father of Fannie, John, and Sarah Sparlin.
Nickname: "Zonie"
source: "The Story of Brantley County Georgia" Pg. 178.
source: