George H Sparks-Biographical Sketch

Here is the biographical sketch I put together about George H Sparks for class:


George H Sparks was born in Queen Annes County, Maryland in 1857. He grew up on a farm, as most people in that area do. The majority of Queen Annes County residents were, and still are, dairy farmers. He was named after his father who is also George Sparks. His parents were George and Julia U. Sparks, also both from Maryland. They were married in 1850.


His middle name is probably Haslup but we can’t be sure. We assume this because his son’s name is Haslup and it seems to be a family name.


George was married to Mary Anne Gronaw. She was also from Queen Annes County and was three years younger than him. They had five children; Lillian Hester, Haslup Finley, Mary Bertha, Julia Ethel and Georgia Pearle.


George died in 1919 and was buried in Centerville, Maryland. He lived to be only 62. We do not know the cause of his early death.


Queen Annes County is on the Eastern shore of Maryland, near the Chesapeake Bay. Queen Anne's County is located within one to two hours drive of Washington DC; Baltimore, MD; Wilmington, DE; and Philadelphia, PA. It was organized in 1706 and named after Queen Anne of Britain. The most populated area is Centreville, which is where the Sparks family lived for a time.


George grew up in a household that had slaves. This wasn’t uncommon for the time period but for a time a young black girl was living with his family as a servant. The people of Maryland used to be dependent on slave labor to grow tobacco which was their main source of money.