What happened to Austin Sparks?... Where DNA & paper trails work together
I have finally discovered what happened to my elusive distant relation Austin Sparks. I didn’t have to find him. It’s not as though he is a direct descendant, not finding him would not have effected my family tree, he was not a brick wall that mattered, but…there is always the question at the back of my mind: what happened to Austin Sparks?
Firstly, let me explain who he is and where he fits in to my tree. Austin Sparks was born in Anstey, Hertfordshire; his birth was registered in the first quarter of 1853. His parents were George Sparks, a carpenter, and Lydia Gipps. Austin was the middle child of nine, the second son. His eldest sister Mary Ann was my great-great-grandmother on my father’s mother’s side. My Nana’s family had lived in Anstey and the surrounding villages for years, resulting in a bit
