March 22, 2020 4:11 PM

Pages 5075-5094
Whole Number 184

PERSONS NAMED SPARKS FOUND ON THE 1900 CENSUS
OF QUEEN ANNES COUNTY, MARYLAND

Compiled by Russell E. Bidlack

The following compilation of persons named Sparks living in Queen Annes County, Maryland, when the U.S. census was taken in the year 1900 has been made from a careful "reading" of a microfilm copy made from the original at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. A total of 199 individuals with the Sparks name have been found in 60 different households. As will be seen, many of these Sparkses were living in households that were headed by persons not named Sparks. In a number of instances, they were young people employed as farm laborers or servants; some were obviously living with relatives. (The term "servant" was recommended by the Census Office to describe domestic employees.) Because of the importance of family connections, this compiler has copied the complete households in these cases, except for an institution, such as a county farm for poor or disabled people.

In few other counties in the United States were there as many persons named Sparks in 1900 as there were in Queen Annes County, Maryland, and very nearly all of these 199 Sparkses were natives of Maryland. There had been an unusually large number of Sparkses recorded on earlier censuses in this county, many of whom migrated west or south to other states as the years went by, and family relationships to those who remained in Queen Annes County are to be found today throughout the country. When the 1840 census had been taken, there were 15 households headed by persons named Sparks, comprising some 91 individuals. (See pp. 2834-35 of the Quarterly of March 1986, Whole No. 133, for this listing.) A record of those found on the 1850 census of the county was published also in the Quarterly of March 1986, pp. 2840-45, that total being 111 individuals. (Readers are reminded that it was not until 1850 that the name of everyone in each household was recorded on a U.S. census.) The U.S. census of 1900 is especially valued by family historians because that which had been taken in 1890 was almost entirely destroyed in a warehouse fire in January 1921; this was before the invention of microfilming.

As in earlier U.S. censuses, an effective date for the 1900 census was set so that statistics could be compiled regarding the nation's population as of a certain day. As in several earlier censuses, the date for that of 1900 was set as June Ist. All data recorded were, therefore, supposed to represent what had been true on June 1, 1900. Babies born after June Ist that year were not to be recorded even though it was days, even weeks, later that the census taker came to one's home, and persons dying after June 1, 1900, were to be included. Also, it was one's age on June 1, 1900, that was to be recorded for everyone then.

In this transcription, we have included the name of the census taker and the date of his enumeration of each household. Queen Annes County was divided in seven "Election Districts," with names of towns and villages added where appropriate. There were detailed instructions for census takers regarding their reporting of households and families. For example, "transient guests of a hotel are not to be enumerated as of the hotel, unless they are likely otherwise to be omitted from the enumeration; but the proprietor and his family, and those boarders, employees, and servants who regularly sleep there are to be included." It was recognized that, on occasion, such individuals might be recorded twice, by two different census takers, and it was inevitable that a few people would be omitted altogether.

The census taker was to go from house to house, attempting to interview a knowledgeable adult in each family "to ascertain beyond a doubt that the information ... covers all the persons in the family, including not only the immediate members of the family, as the head, wife, and children, but also other relatives living with the family, servants (if they sleep in the house), and persons who live with the family, as boarders, lodgers, etc." Successive numbers were to be assigned in order of visitation to each household and to each family. When more than one family lived in a household,- thereafter these two numbers would differ in the census taker's record. These numbers are useful in searching census records to help to identify neighbors or relatives of a family living nearby.

The names of the members of each family were to be entered with the surname first, followed by forename(s) or initials, in the following order: "Head, first, wife second, children (whether sons or daughters) in the order of their ages, and all other persons living; with the family, whether relatives, boarders, lodgers, or servants. Where the surname was repeated, the census taker was to draw "a horizontal line" in its place. In this transcription, we have substituted ditto marks for these horizontal lines. Of particular value to the genealogist was the requirement that, following the name of the person designated as the family's "Head," there was to be an indication of the "relationship the person bears to the head of the family."

The next column on the census forms provided to the enumerators was designated as "Color or race," with the following instructions: "Write 'W' for white; 'B' for black (negro or of negro descent); 'Ch' for Chinese, 'Jp' for Japanese, and 'In' for Indian, as the case may be." It will be seen that, of the 199 individuals named Sparks on this census, 20 were designated as "B." In earlier censuses of Queen Annes County, both slaves and free Blacks had been recorded, and we may assume that most of these 20 Blacks in 1900 were among their descendants. Those who were shown as Black have been identified in the note sections.

Under the column for sex, the letter "M" or "F" was to designate male or female. Of particular interest in the 1900 census was the provision not only for the age of each person, but for the month and year of his/her birth. Age was to be that as of June 1, 1900. As will be seen, some persons providing information to the census taker lacked portions of this information.

Marital status was to be reported, whether single (S), married (M), widowed (Wd), or divorced (D). In most instances, census takers reported even infants as "S," but others left it blank for children. Here we have omitted the (S) for all persons under 14. For those reported as married (M), the number of years of marriage was to be given, but this question "need not be answered by widowed or divorced persons." For couples married less than one year, a zero was to be entered. We can sometimes deduce that a spouse had been married before, as in the family of W. B. Sparks appearing on page 5089 of this compilation. Although he and his wife, Ann Sparks, had been married only 11 years, his son, William D. Sparks, was 19 years old. That Ann was a second wife is confirmed in the biographical sketch of William B. Sparks appearing on page 5095; he had been married to his first wife, Lucy Crossley, in 1881; she had died in 1887.

As had been required on the 1890 census lost to us, so, also, in 1900, the number of children of each married woman was to be noted, along with the number still living on June 1, 1900. From these numbers, we are often reminded of the high infant mortality rate that existed in the 19th Century. This information was not required for widows, but some census takers recorded it for them. This information is given here in the notes following each entry.

Place of birth was required for each person listed, as had been true in censuses beginning in 1850, but that pertaining to one's parents had first appeared in the 1890 census (now lost). The intent was obviously related to determining statistics of the foreign born in the U.S., but for today's family historian this information can be of value in tracing one's ancestry.

The occupation, trade, or profession of the head of each household was to be recorded on the 1900 census, along' with that of family members ten years or older who were "gainfully employed." The question was also asked regarding the number of months such individuals had been out of work.

Under the heading "Education," the number of months that a child had attended school "during the year ending June 1, 1900," was to be recorded. A zero was to be entered for any "person of school age who did not attend school at all during the year. "In many instances, however, census takers simply left the space blank. Three other questions were asked of everyone regarding education: whether the person could read and write, and whether he or she spoke English. All persons transcribed here spoke English, and nearly all of the adults could read and write. We have included in the note at the end of each entry the information regarding and the LACK OF ABILITY to read or write, except for small children.

Questions were also asked of each household or family head regarding whether he/she owned the house or farm in/on which the family lived, or whether he/she was a renter. If there was ownership, it was also asked whether there, was a mortgage. This information is also given in a note at the end of each entry in this transcription.

A separate part of the 1900 census pertained to agricultural production, but this has not been searched for the present transcription.

The 1900 census forms provided to census takers were 19 and one-half inches long; and 18 and five-eighths inches wide; they were printed on two sides, with spaces for 50 entries on each side. Before microfilming these sheets, they were numbered, the front side labeled A and the back side B. We have recorded these as page numbers. Queen Annes County is comprised of 200 two-sided sheets, paged from l-A through 200-B. Not all of these pages are completely filled. The entries that follow are given in page order from the film.

Editor's Note: Readers interested in the Sparkses appearing; on the foregoing census records are reminded of the following: The person considered by the census taker to be the head of a household is given first, and the relationship of each succeeding individual to that head is given opposite his/her name, with his/her sex, i.e., (M) or (F). The month and year of birth follow; then the person's age as of June 1, 1900. The marital status of each person follows, if he/she is 14 or older: (M) for married; (S) for single; and (W) for widow or widower. The place (state or country) of the person's birth follows, with that of the person's father and mother. Census takers used various forms of abbreviation for places; here we have substituted today's Postal Service's standard two-letter abbreviations for the states. As seen, a very highpercentage of Sparkses on this census had been born in Maryland, as had most of their parents.

Several questions were asked of individuals for the 1900 census in addition to those for which data have been provided opposite each name in this compilation. This information appears in notes following each entry in the above compilation. Married women (sometimes also widows) were asked the number of children they had had and the number still living on June 1, 1900. (All data, including ages, were to be recorded as of the first of June 1900.) The occupation of each person who worked outside the home was to be recorded, with the number of months during the previous year he/she had been unemployed. House or farm ownership or rental was asked of the head of each household.

The race of each person was to be ascertained by the census taker, as well as whether he/she could read and write, and whether he/she could speak English. Because English was spoken by everyone included in the above compilation, we have omitted this item, and because nearly all adults could read and write, we have noted (under Notes) only those who could not do so.