Biography:
Mrs. Grace Paroway/Paraway was at least 78 years old when she died in 1880. She is buried in Ellsworth Cemetery, near Westminster, Maryland.
We know little about her and her life. She was born in Maryland, likely enslaved. The 1800 Census records that over 103,000 enslaved people lived in Maryland (inclusive of the District of Columbia). Another nearly 19,000 free people of color lived in the area. Therefore, it is highly likely that Mrs. Paroway was enslaved at birth.
By 1850, she was free and married to Mr. Nicholas Paroway. She was his second wife, and they may have had at least one child together, as he was probably about 30 years her senior. Following his death in 1876, she lived with two young people, who may have been her grandchild and great-grandchild, although they are not recorded as such.
Mrs. Grace Paroway died on September 5, 1880 in Westminster. She is buried in Ellsworth Cemetery, next to her husband.
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