Frances Marie Sparks Brown
De Leon, Comanche County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(October 17, 1849 - January 1, 1934) Frances Marie Sparks, a native of North Carolina and daughter of Daniel and Kezziah Sparks, married Thomas Brown in 1865. They lived in Grayson County, Texas, before moving to a 410-acre farm near here about 1876. During the 1880s and 1890s Frances served as a midwife and lay doctor for families in the area. Known as "Aunt Fanny" she often rode 6-8 miles by horseback at night to deliver a baby. Despite her husband's death in 1912 Frances skillfully managed her farm and reared 12 children while continuing to nurse many of her neighbors back to health. (1993)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in North Carolina in 1849, Frances Marie Sparks married Thomas Brown in 1865 and moved to a 410-acre farm near here around 1876. Through the 1880s and 1890s, "Aunt Fanny" served as midwife and lay doctor, often riding six to eight miles by horseback in the dark to deliver a baby. After her husband's death in 1912 she managed the farm, raised twelve children, and kept nursing her neighbors to the end of her long life in 1934.
Why it matters
Her story honors the frontier women whose medical skill and grit sustained isolated rural communities long before professional doctors reached them.
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Related people
- · Frances Marie Sparks Brown
- · Thomas Brown
Themes & tags
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