Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Name5G/6G GM Penelope Brown 
DeathYork Co, PA
Father6G/7G GF Francis Brown (~1693-~1735)
Mother6G/7G GM Ruth Loftin (~1698-<1735)
Spouses
Birthabout 1725
Deathbefore 10 October 1764, BAL Co, MD1890
Memo(estate administration)
Father6G/7G GF Thomas Sparks (1691-<1727)
Marriage15 July 1749, St. Anne's Parish, Anne Arundel Co, MD1891
Parent-Proof notes for 5G/6G GM Penelope Brown
The will of Francis Brown was cited on a message board for the Sparks family as significant because there just couldn’t have been many women named Penelope Brown in Colonial Maryland. Charles County, where her father lived in 1735, is just a little southwest of Anne Arundel County, where she married in 1749. It is on the same side of the Chesapeake as Anne Arundel.
My Comments notes for 5G/6G GM Penelope Brown
Her marriage to Josias Sparks was documented in church records and cited by the Sparks Family Association and others. No dates are known for her. Penelope is only of passing interest to SFA so they have published no research on her background but I have been able to find some evidence in certain wills that provide the names of her parents.
SFA says that Penelopy (Brown) Sparks, widow of Josiah, was married, second, on April 10, 1770, to Aquilla Wyle. This marriage was recorded in St. John’s and St. George’s Parish in Harford County, Maryland. (In 1770 Harford County was part of Baltimore County -- it was created from and carved out of Baltimore County in 1773.) By 1781 Penelopy and her second husband had moved to Shrewsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania.
Her birth date is a matter of some interest as it could help answer the question of how old Aquilla Wiley was and in that way help determine how he fits in with our Wiley family. Assuming she was, say, over 16 and not yet 24 when she married Josias in 1749, that would suggest she was born 1725-1733.
SFA says that Penelopy (Brown) Sparks, widow of Josiah, was married, second, on April 10, 1770, to Aquilla Wyle. This marriage was recorded in St. John’s and St. George’s Parish in Harford County, Maryland. (In 1770 Harford County was part of Baltimore County -- it was created from and carved out of Baltimore County in 1773.) By 1781 Penelopy and her second husband had moved to Shrewsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania.
Her birth date is a matter of some interest as it could help answer the question of how old Aquilla Wiley was and in that way help determine how he fits in with our Wiley family. Assuming she was, say, over 16 and not yet 24 when she married Josias in 1749, that would suggest she was born 1725-1733.
Parent-Proof notes for Josias (Spouse 1)
Any number of sources believe that Josias was the son of Thomas and I have no reason to think them wrong. There is a paper trail which connects Thomas the elder, a younger Thomas and Josias first in Anne Arundel County and then later in Baltimore County.
The logic is as follows:
A man named Thomas Sparks died in Anne Arundel County, intestate, in about 1727. I have found an estate accounting for him which was found in the records of St. George’s County. I don’t know why there but it clearly stated that Thomas was of Anne Arundel County.
The earliest mention we can find of our ancestor Josiah was his marriage to Penelope Brown 15 Jul 1749 in the records of St. Anne’s Parish of Annapolis (Anne Arundel County).
A younger Thomas Sparks baptized son Samuel in the same parish in 1749. So, he was in the same place as Josias and apparently of a similar age.
By the 1760’s, if not before, both Josias and Thomas Sparks made their way to Baltimore County, in fact the part that would later be Harford. Thomas’s Hawks Nest Point tract was near Deer Creek, a Harford County location, and when Penelopy Sparks remarried after Josias‘ death, her marriage was performed in St John’s/St George’s Parish, the main Harford County parish.
The estate inventory for Josias Sparks of Baltimore County says “no relation in this province but Thomas Sparks”. In this context, a man’s wife and children were not considered his relatives.
So, the logic is that Josias was the brother of Thomas and that both were sons of Thomas who died in 1727. The only mentions of the Sparks surname in Anne Arundel County was one of the three of them and clearly Josias and Thomas moved on, about the same time, to (what would become) Harford County.
The logic is as follows:
A man named Thomas Sparks died in Anne Arundel County, intestate, in about 1727. I have found an estate accounting for him which was found in the records of St. George’s County. I don’t know why there but it clearly stated that Thomas was of Anne Arundel County.
The earliest mention we can find of our ancestor Josiah was his marriage to Penelope Brown 15 Jul 1749 in the records of St. Anne’s Parish of Annapolis (Anne Arundel County).
A younger Thomas Sparks baptized son Samuel in the same parish in 1749. So, he was in the same place as Josias and apparently of a similar age.
By the 1760’s, if not before, both Josias and Thomas Sparks made their way to Baltimore County, in fact the part that would later be Harford. Thomas’s Hawks Nest Point tract was near Deer Creek, a Harford County location, and when Penelopy Sparks remarried after Josias‘ death, her marriage was performed in St John’s/St George’s Parish, the main Harford County parish.
The estate inventory for Josias Sparks of Baltimore County says “no relation in this province but Thomas Sparks”. In this context, a man’s wife and children were not considered his relatives.
So, the logic is that Josias was the brother of Thomas and that both were sons of Thomas who died in 1727. The only mentions of the Sparks surname in Anne Arundel County was one of the three of them and clearly Josias and Thomas moved on, about the same time, to (what would become) Harford County.
Census History notes for Josias (Spouse 1)
He died long before any Census was taken.
My Comments notes for Josias (Spouse 1)
Robert W Barnes says this about Josiah: “He was born probably in Anne Arundel County by 1729 and died in Baltimore County by 10 Oct 1764 when Penelope Sparks administered his estate. They married at St. Anne's in Annapolis. Penelope married second in 1770 Aquila Wyle. Josiah and Penelope had issue: Francis, Josiah, Elizabeth, Thomas and Matthew.”
The Sparks Family Association (SFA), now defunct, published a newsletter on persons of this surname. That is quite a large group and consists of many different unrelated immigrant ancestors and their respective descendants. It is a not uncommon name. Occasionally, they discussed the two men named Josias and their families.
SFA issue “Whole Number 22” had an article on Josiah and Penelope. “Josiah Sparks Sr., the earliest definite ancestor of this line, was born about 1729. The earliest official record pertaining to him was his marriage in the records of St. Anne's Parish Annapolis to Penelope Brown on 15 Jul 1749. By 1759, Josiah and Penelope had moved to Baltimore County.
One deed involving Josiah Sparks is on record in Anne Arundel County. It is dated December 9, 1749, and records the sale of fifty acres of land by Josiah Sparks to Doctor James Doull. This tract of land was called 'Hunting Park' and was located in Frederick County, Maryland. Doctor Doull, who was a resident of Frederick County, paid 'twelve pounds Maryland currency' for the tract. Josiah Sparks was identified in this deed as being a 'planter of Ann Arundale County in the province of Maryland.' How he had come into the possession of this land has not been learned -- perhaps he was a resident of Frederick County at an earlier date.
By 1759, Josiah Sparks had moved to Baltimore County, Maryland, for in that county on August 7, 1759, he received a mortgage from Gale Frizell.
Josiah Sparks died in 1765 in Baltimore County. Unfortunately, he did not leave a will. His wife, Penelopy, was appointed administratrix. Her inventory of Josiah's estate has been preserved -- it was dated June 17, 1765, and amounted to slightly over 84 pounds.”
The reference to Frederick County seems totally random and there is nothing else in the records to indicate any connection between Josias and that county. However, it is interesting because there were other Sparks in Frederick County quite early. The Sparks Family Association reports that the Sparks family was intertwined with the Daniel Boone family. Jonas Sparks (descended from William Sparks of Queen Anne's County, MD and Joseph Sparks of Frederick County, MD) moved to Rowan County, NC in 1754 where he met up with Daniel Boone and moved with him in 1773 to settle what would become Kentucky. It is surprising that we are not connected with the Boones in other ways as Daniel was born in Berks County, PA and the family lived there until about 1750, as did our early Mertz and related ancestors.
A woman named Dorothy Sparks has posted this information to a Sparks Genealogy Message Board: ”Josiah Sparks died about 1769 at My Lady’s Manor in Baltimore County. He and his wife Penelope had two sons: 1.) Francis who married Cassandra Wright daughter of Bloyce Wright and Mary Talbott and 2.) Matthew who married a widow who actually was Cassandra’s sister. Josiah and Penelope attended St James Parish Church.”
Obviously, there were other children not named by Dorothy, but this is a very interesting post because Bloyce Wright and Mary Talbott also had a son named John Talbott Wright whose daughter was Elizabeth Ann Wright. Elizabeth Ann married Josiah Sparks Pearce who was the son of William Pearce and Ruth Sparks. Ruth was a granddaughter of Josiah and Penelope. This kind of intermarriage among the same families over several generations is simply not at all uncommon in Northern Baltimore County in that time period.
The Sparks Family Association (SFA), now defunct, published a newsletter on persons of this surname. That is quite a large group and consists of many different unrelated immigrant ancestors and their respective descendants. It is a not uncommon name. Occasionally, they discussed the two men named Josias and their families.
SFA issue “Whole Number 22” had an article on Josiah and Penelope. “Josiah Sparks Sr., the earliest definite ancestor of this line, was born about 1729. The earliest official record pertaining to him was his marriage in the records of St. Anne's Parish Annapolis to Penelope Brown on 15 Jul 1749. By 1759, Josiah and Penelope had moved to Baltimore County.
One deed involving Josiah Sparks is on record in Anne Arundel County. It is dated December 9, 1749, and records the sale of fifty acres of land by Josiah Sparks to Doctor James Doull. This tract of land was called 'Hunting Park' and was located in Frederick County, Maryland. Doctor Doull, who was a resident of Frederick County, paid 'twelve pounds Maryland currency' for the tract. Josiah Sparks was identified in this deed as being a 'planter of Ann Arundale County in the province of Maryland.' How he had come into the possession of this land has not been learned -- perhaps he was a resident of Frederick County at an earlier date.
By 1759, Josiah Sparks had moved to Baltimore County, Maryland, for in that county on August 7, 1759, he received a mortgage from Gale Frizell.
Josiah Sparks died in 1765 in Baltimore County. Unfortunately, he did not leave a will. His wife, Penelopy, was appointed administratrix. Her inventory of Josiah's estate has been preserved -- it was dated June 17, 1765, and amounted to slightly over 84 pounds.”
The reference to Frederick County seems totally random and there is nothing else in the records to indicate any connection between Josias and that county. However, it is interesting because there were other Sparks in Frederick County quite early. The Sparks Family Association reports that the Sparks family was intertwined with the Daniel Boone family. Jonas Sparks (descended from William Sparks of Queen Anne's County, MD and Joseph Sparks of Frederick County, MD) moved to Rowan County, NC in 1754 where he met up with Daniel Boone and moved with him in 1773 to settle what would become Kentucky. It is surprising that we are not connected with the Boones in other ways as Daniel was born in Berks County, PA and the family lived there until about 1750, as did our early Mertz and related ancestors.
A woman named Dorothy Sparks has posted this information to a Sparks Genealogy Message Board: ”Josiah Sparks died about 1769 at My Lady’s Manor in Baltimore County. He and his wife Penelope had two sons: 1.) Francis who married Cassandra Wright daughter of Bloyce Wright and Mary Talbott and 2.) Matthew who married a widow who actually was Cassandra’s sister. Josiah and Penelope attended St James Parish Church.”
Obviously, there were other children not named by Dorothy, but this is a very interesting post because Bloyce Wright and Mary Talbott also had a son named John Talbott Wright whose daughter was Elizabeth Ann Wright. Elizabeth Ann married Josiah Sparks Pearce who was the son of William Pearce and Ruth Sparks. Ruth was a granddaughter of Josiah and Penelope. This kind of intermarriage among the same families over several generations is simply not at all uncommon in Northern Baltimore County in that time period.