The Starting Point

On the first day of class Professor Summers asked us each to find an ancestor born before 1900 that we could research. She said it would be easiest if we chose someone that lived in the United States during that time. Since most of my dad's side of the family was living in Holland at that time I decided to chose an ancestor from my mother's side of the family. My first thought was to contact my grandmother. I wanted to research someone who hadn't had temple work done for them yet so that I could eventually do it. My grandma said almost no temple work has been done yet for our family past her grandfather's generation. This is part of the E-mail she sent me:

"Most of the work for my grandparents and Granddad's grandparents is done except for sealing. Not much has been done for the next generation. I have just recently gotten information for my Grandfather Sparks' parents from a second cousin who lives in Centreville. (Her mother and my grandfather Sparks were siblings.)

My grandfather Sparks' father was George H (probably Haslup) Sparks, born 1856, died 1896, and his wife was Mary Anne Gronaw. I'm told she was French, if so the name was changed at some point as Gronaw doesn't sound French. She was born in 1860 probably in Queen Annes County MD and died in 1919, buried in Church Hill, MD, Queen Annes County. I don't know anything else about her, would love to find out more. They were married in Queen Annes County MD. He died at age 40 and left her with one son (my grandfather Halsup Finley Sparks) and four daughters. My Grandfather went to work on a farm at age 14 to help support the family.

I know this is not a lot of information on Mary Anne, if you can't get anywhere with her, let me know and I'll send you someone else."

That was my starting point.