Frances Marie Sparks Brown, 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.