Joseph Parker (b. 1805) and Mary "Polly" Hickman (b. 1812) were married in Surry County on Dec. 15, 1830. They raised a large family including Samuel (b. 1834), William (b. 1837), Sally (b. 1839), Mary Emily (b. 1842), Frances (b. 1844), John O'Brien (b. 1847), Joshua (b. 1849), James (b. 1852), and Franklin (b. 1854). Joseph supported his family by farming, a common occupation in those days. He died on Dec. 18, 1880, at the age of 75. Polly followed him in death on Aug. 19, 1892, at the age of 80.
Franklin Parker (b. Dec. 28, 1854) took as his bride Miss Mary Emily Amandaville Snoddy on Feb. 25, 1877, at the home of "Mandy's" grandfather, Daniel Love. Mandy was born Feb. 21, 1856, the daughter of Samual and Susan Jane Love Snoddy.
Frank and Mandy's children were Albert Lawrence (b. Dec. 11, 1877, d. Dec. 31, 1880), Samuel Franklin (b. Mar. 31, 1882, d. June 11, 1888), Edward Blaine (b. July 25, 1884, d. May 12, 1966), Jennie Morelia (b.Dec. 1886, d. Mar. 10, 1905), and Susan Emma (b. June 25, 1889, d. April 28, 1973).
The Parker family lived in the White Plains section on'what is now known as Doss Cemetery Road. Frank's house, still standing, is used as a tobacco barn today, but neighbors refer to the area as "the old Frank Parker place." Frank farmed but added to his family's income by manufacturing tax-paid peach brandy in a liquor still near his home.
Frank reportedly was a very good manager of his own affairs. He kept a record of important information on his family written in his Bible. He duplicated these records on the bottom of his dresser drawer.
Mandy Parker died Aug. 9, 1894, at the young age of 38 years. No record of her grave has yet been found. Six years later Frank married Delia Collins on Mar. 24, 1900. Their children were Leila (b. May 21, 1901), Curtis P. (b. Aug. 4, 1902), Dillard Simon (b. Dec. 15, 1903), Barney Allen (b. Feb. 20, 1905), Sady Murphy (b. Mar. 14, 1907), and Romey (b. June 6, 1911).
Frank died Aug. 15, 1911, of yellow jaundice. His funeral was held at White Plains Baptist Church with burial in the church cemetery along with other members of his family.
My grandfather, Edward Blaine Parker, married Georgia Ida L. Nora Pruitt, daughter of Peter and Flora Stephens Pruitt, on Dec. 28, 1906. Georgia gave her age as 16 but in reality she was only 13 years old at the time, having been born on Mar. 26, 1893. Ed and Georgia raised Elvin, Nannie, Josephine, Sidney, Irene, Rufus, Fred, Calvin, Billy Joe, and John. Two other children died early— Walter, who was born in 1910 and died when he was 15 months old, and another son who was born and died on Nov. 8, 1918.
Ed Parker was a stone cutter until his accidental death at age of 82. He was struck by a car just a short distance from his home and died on May 12, 1966. Georgia died 5 years later on Nov. 29, 1971.
My father is Rufus HardinnParker He was born May 30, 1922. On July 16, 1944, he married my mother, Ruby Louise Horton. She was born Nov. 24, 1927, and is the daughter of Tommy and Nellie Norman Horton. Rufus has worked at various jobs but the occupation he enjoys most is being a "trader." Ruby is a seamstress at a local clothing manufacturer as well as being a talented homemaker.
Rufus and Ruby have Larry Dean (b. Jan. 27, 1947), Virginia Dianne (b. Sept. 9, 1950), and James Harding (b. Dec. 30, 1952). Larry married Glenda Faye Moss and their children are Michael and Kristie. Dianne Married James Edward Culler and they have David, Brandy, and Casey. James married Brenda Sue Ed-wards and they have three sons: James Jr., Jason, and Joseph.
Source: Personal knowledge. – Dianne Culler
John Parker, I, may have been from Mass. before taking land in Virginia and North Carolina. He had land in Grayson County, VA. some of the following children stayed there. Others went to Tenn. His son John settled in Surry County, NC. His children were William, John, Joseph, Joshua, Samuel, Arthur and Susanna. Joseph married 17 Sep. 1800, Elizabeth Denny. Arthur married 1808, Eleanor Ballard. Susanna married Garner Bryant.
John Parker, II, who settled in Surry County, NC, was born about 1770175. He died before Nov. 1829. His first wife Sarah died before 1821. Their children were Edmond Parker, b. ca 1795, m. 4 Mar. 1819 Nancy Hickman; Peggy Parker, m. 30 Sep. 1818, Abraham Knott; Mary Parker, m. Benjamin Hinshaw; William Riley Parker, m. 25 Nov. 1826, Patsey Hodge; Joseph Parker, b. 1805, m. 15 Dec. 1830. Mary (Polly) Ann Hickman; Jane Parker; Sarah (Sally) Parker, m. 3 Aug. 1829, Newton Pierce.
John Parker, II remarried 12 Feb. 1821, Polly Pinnion. Their children were Justine Parker, m. 8 Sep. 1839, Edmond Nichols; Lucinda Parker; and Munro (Meky) Sidney Parker. I believe all of John Parker's children were born in Surry Co.
Joseph Parker, b. 1805, d. 18 Dec. 1880, with Mary (Polly) Ann Hickman had nine children: Samuel Parker, b. 1834, went to Kansas, m. Mary Ann Howard; William W. Parker, b. 1837, d. 4 Apr. 1907, Stillwater, OK, m. 13 Mar. 1859, Sarah (Sally) Ann Taylor; Sarah (Sally) Ann Parker, b. 1839, m. 4 Apr. 1859, J. Hardin Lewis; Mary Emily Parker, b. 1842, d. bet. 1892, m. Columbus Cloud; Lethia Frances Parker, b. May 1844, d. 24 Feb. 1909, m. 17 Mar. 1869, James Venable; Jonathan Parker, b. 1848, d. 19 Feb. 1919, m. 2 Jul. 1872, Sarah (Sally) A. Jackson; Joshua Arthur Parker, 1849; James Parker, b. 1852, m. 16 Feb. 1873, Sarah E. Simpson; Franklin Parker, b. 28 Dec. 1854, d. 15 Aug. 1911, m. Mary Emily Amandaville Snoddy.
Sources: Personal research.
—Verna Gorg
Bettie Bethel Creed (b. March 28, 1886) and Joseph Washington Parker (b. Oct. 11, 1880) were united in marriage in Surry County on May 29, 1902 by T. Wesley Wooten, Minister. To this union Parker (b. Jan. 1, 1856), the daughter of Tyre Simpson (b. Nov. 8, 1830) and Martha Nichols Simpson (b. 1835): His father was James H. Parker (b. 1855), son of Joseph William (b. 1805) and Mary Emily "Polly" Hickman Parker (b. 1812). His father died when he was only four months old and his mother married David Draughn the following year. At a very early agJoseph was sent to live with a Mr. Badgett to learn Sa trade.
Bettie's father was George; Thomas Creed (b. May 15, 1858), son of Lazarus Creed (b. 1816) and Winnie Nichols Creed (b. June 15, 1811). Her mother was Minerva Ellen Peelejb. Dec. 10, 1862), daughter of James H. (b. 1805) and Mary Gillaspy Peele (b. 1816).
"Joe" Parker had very little formal education but he did attend a one room school for a while. He was self-taught and he was well-read. He excelled at spelling and was very good in math. Each week he looked forward to reading the Grit magazine from cover to cover. He was an avid reader of Zane Gray's western novels
During the first years of their marriage, Joe and Bettie lived in Winston-Salem, N. C. and Joe was employed as a blacksmith at the Spock Iron Works. After about thirteen years, they returned to the White Plains community in Surry County to establish a homeplace and to farm. The trip home was not easy. Bettie traveled by train with a daughter, 011ie, and the baby, Joddie. Joe moved the'household goods by wagon. This was a two-day journey for Joe and his other three sons, Elmer, Lonnie and Henry. They had to camp overnight in Pilot Mountain, N. C.
While getting settled, purchasing and clearing land, and building outbuildings, Joseph did black-smith work at the White Plains Buggy Co. and also shod horses and repaired equipment for the state while Old 601 Highway was being constructed. He began construction of his seven-room farmhouse on Simpson Road in the early years of the Depression.
Running a self-contained farm and being a blacksmith at the same time were not easy tasks. Joseph was never idle. He planted tobacco, raised hogs to butcher, produced vegetables to use and sell, kept beehives for honey, and made home-made molasses and lye soap. He planted fruit trees and always had farm animals to care for. He also managed to keep six teenaged boys busy. Frequently they accused him of always planning things to make life difficult for them; such as, getting up fodder on Saturday afternoons, when they wanted to pursue other more personal activities.
Bettie was industrious as well. Cooking and caring for her large and growing family was a tremendous responsibility. She, however, man-aged to make household items, sew clothing, and quilt bed quilts. She owned one of the first Home Comfort cooking ranges and.a Daisy churn. She greatly enjoyed socializing with family, friends and " neighbors. In the summertime on Sundays,
Joseph Washington Parker, Wife — Bettie Bethel Creed Parker and daughter 011ie Frances Parker, ca. 1903.
The Parker family was deeply touched by WWII. Four of the young men from this family, Henry, Joddie, Leonard, and Clarence were inducted into the Navy. Hazel's husband, John Byrd, was also serving his country as an infantryman in the Army. Sunday gatherings changed to ones of worry and concern. Censored letters were read and reread for clues about the whereabouts of the naval ships on which the men were stationed, or the battle-grounds where John might be fighting. A secret code was worked out by members of the family which aided in keeping up with their whereabouts. Newspapers were avidly read, and photos of war heroes — those killed in action, and those missing in action, and those serving — were displayed in the windows of The Mount Airy News office and the J. C. Penney store. The Parker family members were proudly displayed along with the others.
All this concern affected the health of Bettie Parker, who had taken on the added task of caring for her aging parents in her home. She died on November 24, 1943 before the end of WWII. Her passing marked the demise of the Parker family as an entity.
Joe started a small grocery store across the road from the homeplace and built living quarters for himself at the rear of the building. Hazel and her family helped him operate the store until. her husband was discharged from military service. Then the Byrds built a house beside the store building and Joe made his home with them until his death, March 21, 1958. Both Bettie and Joe Parker were buried in the cemetery at White Plains Baptist Church.
The eight children born to this couple were:
Sources: Family memories, census and marriage records of Surry Co., tombstone inscriptions, and personal knowledge.
—Pauline Parker Badgett
Joseph Wallace Parker (Joe) was born September 23, 1887, to Rual Hamilton Parker and Mary Ann Vestal Parker. Rual was the son of Thomas B. and Rodie Millsap Parker. Mary Ann Vestal was the daughter of David and Sarah Delphine McMasters Vestal.
Phebe Parker was born August 30, 1885, to Noah Wilson Parker and Tennessee Stinson Parker. Noah Wilson Parker was the son of George Parker and Kesiah Adams Parker. Tennessee Stinson was the daughter of Nathan and Leah Stinson.
Joe and Phebe were married at the home of Noah and Tennessee Parker. The old home-place is located near Nebo and is partially standing today.
As a young married couple, Joe and Phebe went west to Deertrail, Colorado, to try their luck at homesteading. Joe's brother, Mack Parker, and his wife, Bessie, had a homestead in Deertrail. Mack Parker had gone to Iowa as a young man to find work; there he met and married Bessie Hutchens.
Joe and Phebe did not stay long in Colorado because Phebe became homesick. The young couple moved back to North Carolina, lived at Rockford for a while, and then moved across the river to a house located just in back of the house Mamie Carter lives in today. They were living near the river during the great flood of 1916 as remembered by their oldest son, Clarence Parker.
After trying their luck at homesteading and living on the river for a short time, Joe and Phebe lived most of their married lives on a farm between Nebo and Union Grove Church. They raised five children on this farm and had one daughter to die as a small girl.
Joe made his living by working at a sawmill and as a carpenter. He was very good at working on clocks and made most of his own parts for them. Phebe looked after the house and the children did most of the work on the farm.
Before he was married, Joe worked for the Southern Railroad. While he was working for the railroad, Joe was involved in a train wreck; two locomotives collided. Joe's leg was broken, and a friend of his was killed. One of the things this author remembers most about Joe Parker was his great love for the railroad.
Joe Parker had four brothers and one sister. His brothers were: Mack, Clint, Jim, and Simon. The sister was Jetty Parker Neal.
Phebe's family was larger. She had five brothers and five sisters. Her brothers were: Isaac Jourdan Glenfield, Tandy Earlie, Rudolph Montgomery, Lillington, and Sebon Beauford. Her sisters were: Filena, Eliza Della, Buanna, Leona, and Minnie.
Joe and Phebe had six children. Eva, born November 27, 1909; Clarence, born January 28, 1911; Thad, born September 17, 1912; Fred, born July 20, 1919; Zena, born November 12, 1921; and Thelma, born November 5, 1926. Thelma died as a child.
Eva Parker, the oldest child, never married. She lived and worked in Winston-Salem for several years before moving back to Yadkin County to stay with Joe after Phebe's death. After Joe's death, Eva lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, with a cousin of hers, Naomi Bryant. Eva died December 24, 1980, and was brought back to Yadkin County and was buried in the cemetery at Mt. Pleasant Church.
Clarence Parker married Ola Hutchens Mickles; they have no children. Ola has two sons and a daughter by a previous marriage. Clarence has always been a farmer.
Thad Parker married Beulah Caudle; they had no children. Thad served in the army during World War II. He made his living by farming. Thad died March 12, 1976, and is buried in the cemetery at Union Grove Church.
Fred Parker married Elva Jester. They had four children: Ray, Jo Ann, Donald Lee, and Sandra. Fred worked as a carpenter for years and is now Construction Inspector for the U.S. Department of!Agriculture
Ray Parker married Linda Utt. They have three children: Gina, Matthew, and Michael.
Jo Ann Parker married C.D. Miller. They have two daughters, Angelee Dee, and Anna.
Donald Lee Parker died as a young man; he is buried in the cemetery at Mt. Pleasant Church.
Sandra Parker married Roger Adams. They have no children.
Zena Parker married Carl Thomas McCormick. They had two children, Kay and Paul. Carl died March 5, 1945, as the result of an automobile accident and is buried in the cemetery at Mt. Pleasant Church. Several years after Carl's death, Zena married Robert E. McCormick, Jr. They have one son, Robert Dale.
Kay McCormick married Ronda Lee Brown. They have one daughter, Kimberly Jean, who is married to Jerry Wayne Martin of Martinsville, Virginia.
Paul McCormick married Sandra Thone. They have two sons, Paul 11, and Lee Carlton.
Thelma Parker, ,the youngest of Joe and Phebe's children, died February 19, 1930, at the age of four, of diphtheria.
Phebe Parker died September 22, 1950. Joe Parker died June 21, 1971. They are buried in the cemetery at Mt. Pleasant Church, Route One, Boonville, North Carolina.
— Kay McCormick Brown
Max Parker was born to Mr. Samuel D. Parker and Mrs. Hessie O. Parker on August 31, 1932. Max was the third child out of five. He was born at Dobson in Surry County. His family later moved to Boonville and then to the Courtney Community.
Max Parker's wife, Coleen Y. Cook Parker, was born to Robert Lee and Vertie Viola Anderson Cook on July 2, 1937, in Iredell County. Coleen was the youngest of fourteen children.
Max and Coleen were married on August 20, 1955, by Charles Dunn in York, South Carolina. Then they lived in Courtney. Then on October 4, 1956 in the Davie County Hospital, Coleen and Max had their first child who was a girl and they named her Sheila Jelane Parker. On June 26, 1977, Sheila married Brian Dezern Mosteller from Boonville. At this time they have no children.
Max and Coleen had another daughter on November 1, 1960, also at Davie County Hospital. They named her Robin Yvonne Parker. On June 16, 1979, Robin married Christopher Logan Brown. Robin and Chris have no children either.
On February 20, 1967, Max and Coleen had their last daughter who was. named Melissa Dawn Parker. Melissa attended Courtney Elementary and will attend Forbush High. The family belongs to the Courtney Baptist Church.
Melissa Parker
Noah Wilson Parker was born September 20, 1850 in Yadkin (Surry) County, North Carolina. Noah was the youngest son of George Parker and Kessiah Adams Parker. George Parker was the first of the Parkers to settle in this area; he came from Virginia. He was born in 1804. 'Kessiah was the daughter of George Adams and Lezabeth Thornton. She was bom in 1810.
Noah Wilson Parker married Tennessee Stinson January 16, 1873. They were married at the home of Leah Childers in Boonville, North Carolina. T. W. Reece and D. J. Parker were the witnesses present at the marriage. They were married by Justice of the Peace, N. H. Vestal.
Tennessee Stinson was born July 2, 1854. She was the daughter of Nathan Stinson and Leah Reece Stinson.
Noah and Tennessee made their home near Mt. Nebo in Yadkin County. They had a total of thirteen children, two died as babies.
The names of the children were: Isaac Jourdan Glenfield, Filena, Eliza Della, Tandy Early, Buanna, Leona, Phebe Cazilia, Rudolph Montgomery, Lillington C., Minnie, Sebon Buford.
Isaac, born November 8, 1873, died at an early age of Black Measels.
Filena, born October 9, 1875, married William Spaugh. She died in childbirth.
Della, born August 9, 1877, married Sam Alldred: Sam and Della's children were: Sam Jr., Minnie, Charlie, Montgomery, Julius,
Noah Wilson Parker, Tennessee Stinson.
Mary, Edgar, Cyrus, and Bill. Della made her home in Winston-Salem.
Tandy, born October 21, 1879, married Dusty Carter. Their children were: Effie, Sadie, Gertie, Lonnie, and Lawrence. Tandy married Lois Hutchens after Dusty died and their children: David Harold, Shirley, Jimmy, Larry, Charles, and Buddy.
Buanna, born October 19, 1881, died at age 6 years with the "croup."
Leona, born August 30, 1883, married a Mr. Tauber and moved to Baltimore, Maryland. They had two children, Lillington and Filena.
Phebe, born August 30, 1885, married Joseph Wallace Parker and they had six children: Eva, Clarence, Thad, Fred, Zena, and Thelma.
Rudolph, born September 8, 1887, married Lillie Wallace. They had no children. Rudolph was an electrician and lived in Winston-Salem.
Lillington, born November 27, 1889, married Flossie Williams and they had five children: Kathleen, Curtis, Helen, Bruce, and Ronald. Lillington madei his home next to his parents.
Minnie, born November 29, 1891, married Jasper "Jap" Newsome. Their children: Clyde, Bill, Margaret, Lorene, Ruth, and Bessie Mae. Minnie and Jap made their home in Mullins, West Virginia. Jap worked in the coal mines.
Sebon, born September 22, 1893 married Ella Spainhour and they had three children: Fileria, Oswald, and Ruby. Sebon's second marriage was to Margie Stokes Brendle. Sebon and Margie didn't have children.
Noah Wilson Parker died August 16, 1927. Tennessee Stinson Parker died May 22, 1931. They are buried at Boonville Cemetery, Boonville, North Carolina.
Noah and Tennessee's children were very close to their parents. Found in the old Parker Bible were several letters written to Noah and Tennessee by some of the older girls that left home and went to live in Winston. The letters would address them as "My dear Pappa and Mamma" and would end with "God be with you till we meet again."
Kathleen Parker Brookshire remembers that her grandmother Tennessee had a loom over the old kitchen and she would go up there and weave cloth and she could knit socks without hardly looking at them. Kathleen also remembers her grandmother cooking in the firplace in the old kitchen.
On July 4, 1998, I wore my great-grandmother Tennessee Parker's Black Sunday Bonnet in the East Bend Fourth Of July Parade. Our church, Forbush Friends Meeting had a float in the parade celebrating 100 years. My grandmother was Phebe Parker, daughter of Tennessee, and my mother was Zena Parker McCormick, granddaughter of Tennessee.
Sources: Family. Bible, census records, death certificates, marriage bonds, family members, neighbors.
Kay McCormick Brown
