Page Name

Report from Heritage Genealogical College

Report for the Parents of Thomas Bryant Parker

Thomas Bryant Parker was report to of been born in Grayson County, Virginia on October 1, 1797, I found that when he took out his own endowments in the Nauvoo Temple on the 20 th January 1846 that he stated his birth date and his place of birth to be the same as stated before.   These can be found at Salt Lake Family History Library on microfishe in the US/CAN are on the 2 nd floor of the library.   The micro fiche number is 6051326 on fishe 1 of 3 page 149.   In my research I also found that the only Parker families in Grayson County, Virginia were all related to each other in some way.   As they all sold land to one Parker in 1807, I will say more about this latter.   This also happened in 1805 in Surry County, North Carolina.   I searched the tax records for Grayson County, Virginia from 1794 thru 1818 and will now detail what I found there.

Tax Records for Grayson County, Virginia

This was   the year that Thomas Bryant Parker was born, so we have four possible men, that could be his father, or do we.   These taxes are collected in the months of March - August for the prior year, so this would mean that they are really for the year 1796.   So this means that there were four men in 1796 in Grayson County.

Tax Records for Grayson County, Virginia (continued)

According to this tax record we now only have 2 men by the name of Parker being tax for the previous year taxes.   So this would mean that Thomas Bryant Parker would have to be a son of one of these two men.   Or could there have been others there that just didn’t pay their taxes for the previous years.   It is hard to say as Samuel shows up again in 1799 but doesn’t seem to be paying for two years of taxes.   So my conclusion is that Thomas Bryant Parker is the possible son of either William or Joseph.   Joseph is listed in the tax records until the year 1805. While William is listed in them until 1807.   These tax records were found at the Salt Lake Family History Library on Film 2024556 in the US/CAN area located on the second floor of the library.

Now lets take a look at the land records in 1805 there was a land sale between (Joseph Parker, Arthur Parker, Samuel Parker, Joshua Parker, William Parker & Susannah Bryant) these people were the grantors, and had their place of residence as Grayson County, Virginia and John Parker the grantee, with his place of residence as Surry County, North Carolina.   This was in Surry County, North Carolina and can be found on a film at the Salt Lake Family History Library.   The film number is 344623 and is located in the US/CAN area on 2 nd floor of the libray.   It was book L of Surry County, North Carolina Land Deeds and page 190.

In 1807 again I find a land deed record for these same individuals, this time though the grantors are all the same except for John Parker being on the grantor list and Samuel Parker being the grantee.   This is how the grantors are listed.   William Parker, Joshua Parker, Arthur Parker, and Susannah Bryant all of Grayson County, Virginia, John Parker of Surry County, North Carolina, and Joseph Parker of White County, Tennessee.   Sold land to Samuel Parker of Grayson County, Virginia he received 209 acres, and also to Robert Nicholls of Grayson County, Virginia he received 89 acres in this sale Elizabeth Parker the wife of Joseph Parker is listed as one of the Grantors on the sale of land to Robert Nicholls.   These land deeds can be found at SL-FHL in US/CAN area on the second floor, on film 31746 on book 2 pages 312-314.

So if this Joseph is the father of Thomas Bryant we need to look in White County, Tennessee for him.   Now if it is William who is the father of Thomas Bryant we run into a major road block.   As I said earlier Joseph leaves the Grayson County taxes records in 1805 while William leaves them in 1807.   The census records for Virginia do not exist for the years of 1790 and 1800.   Also missing are the census records for Grayson County, Virginia in 1810.   Thomas Bryant Parker is in Missouri by 1825, where is he in 1820?   I have not been able to find him on the 1820 census.   Is he still with his father, or is he out on his own, or is working and living with someone else? Thus we have a major hole in his life if he is the son of William, as William seems to of left Grayson County, Virginia around 1807 and I have not been able to find any conclusive proof where he went to.   I did find two Wm Parker’s in the 1810 census of Kentucky, one in Cumberland County and one in Campbell County both of them have sons listed in the right age group for Thomas Bryant Parker.

Let us look at how the counties were formed in Virginia first, then we will look at North Carolina.   We find that Grayson County was formed from Wythe County in 1792 thus we will need to find the land and tax records for Wythe County for the following years 1789 through 1792.   In 1789 Wythe County was formed from Montgomery County which was formed from Fincastle and Botetourt Counties in 1776.   Fincastle County was formed from Botetourt County in 1772, also Fincastle County was discontinued in 1777 as it was divided into Montgomery, Washington, and Kentucky Counties, and Kentucky County was discontinued 1780 as it was divided into Fayette, Jefferson and Lincoln Counties in the state of Kentucky.   Botetourt County was formed from Augusta County in 1769.  

Surry County, North Carolina was formed from Rowan County in 1770.   So if John Parker the father of all these children (Joseph, Joshua, Arthur, Samuel, John, William and Susannah Bryant) came to America in or around 1770 from Northern Ireland then and settle in Botetourt County, Virginia or Surry County, North Carolina.   So we will have to look for land and tax records for these two counties and church records for the same two counties.

We didn’t know whether this was the correct William although it looked like a real possibility with knowing that Thomas Bryant Parker was born in Grayson County, Virginia.   The marriage information for Thomas Bryant Parker’s first marriage was verified in Howard County, Missouri in 1825.   A look at the land records of Howard County, Missouri showed only one Parker listed.   His name was William B. Parker.   (FHL film # 0,963,444) William B. Parker bought land from Amos Dixon in 1819.   The deed states that both Amos Dixon and William B. Parker were from the town of Camden in South Carolina.   Thomas Bryant Parker’s marriage in 1825 was the only male Parker marriage in the early years of Howard County.   He married Catharine Hamet Book 1 page 147.   Also, the only other Hamet marriage was a Louisana Hamet to Ephraim Snell September 26, 1826 Bk. 1 page 170.

With a specific location in South Carolina, Kershaw District, was searched.   The town of Camden is in that District.   A search of the deed index of Kershaw District, South Carolina, shows a lot of Parkers.   (FHL film # 24043 Deed Index of Kershaw District, South Carolina.)   One was named William Brown Parker.   He was also listed as an heir (son) of another William Parker and his wife, Ann.   All the names of William and Ann’s children are listed in the deed index.    This is probably Thomas Bryant Parker’s father and grandfather.   The family could have moved from the Grayson County, Virginia area after Thomas Bryant Parker was born.   The 1800 census of Kershaw District, South Carolina shows that a William Parker had two sons under the age of 10; (Thomas Bryant would have been 2 or 3 years old at this time.) One daughter between 10-16 and a male between 26-45 and a male over 45.   There are two females 26-45.   (1800 Census Kershaw District, South Carolina www.heritagequestonline.com.)   This could be William and Ann Parker and one of their married children (William B???, his wife and their small sons.)   William Brown Parker was not listed separately on the census for 1800.  

More research needs to be done in South Carolina and also in the North Carolina / Virginia border where Thomas Bryant Parker was born.   (Grayson County, Virginia.)   We have enjoyed working on your family and believe that this new information will help your research.