We will start with the oldest known Parker relation.
George Washington Parker is believed to have been born in Alabama, January 18th, 1847. George would me my Great Great Grandfather. I do not recall where I got the exact birth date from. It was always rumored that Ethel Bell Parker Baldwin had done extensive family history research many years ago. Possibly she was able to discover this information. I will continue to look through my information to see if I can attribute the date. The year can be found in the U.S. & International Marriage Records, 1560 - 1900. Also the census's that George is found corroborate this year.
In 1860 there is a Geo Parker living with a Thomas and Jane McKinney in Post Office New Hope, Madison County, Alabama. His birth state is listed as Alabama and he is listed as attending school - he would have been 13 years old. Could he be a relative of the McKinney's? That is unknown. Many of the online research information on this Parker line state his children were born on McKinney Mountain - is that a reference to the home of the McKinney's where George was living in 1860? I believe this to be the correct George Parker partly because the McKinney link but also because living only a few houses away is George's future wife, Sarah Elizabeth Cloud.
George Washington Parker married
Sarah Elizabeth Cloud on 16 April 1865 in Madison County, Alabama. This information is found in the online Marriage Records. Sarah Elizabeth Cloud is the daughter of James Madison Cloud and Louisa Marie Mann. This is from the Family Data Collections posted online in Ancestry. There is one record that contradicts this and that is the Death record for Sarah - it lists her mother as Caroline Mann and not Louisa. The 1850 Census record corroborates the mother as Louisa.
In 1870 George and Sarah are found living in Madison County, Gurleysville Post Office. They have two children by this time, Louisa age 4 and James age 2. This would be James Madison Parker - my Great Grandfather. Also living with George and Sarah are a black family - William and Maria Love and their two children. George's profession is listed as a farmer - with William Love listed as a farm laborer. The census lists George's birth state as Alabama, Sarah's as Tennessee and Louisa and James as Alabama. George and Sarah as able to read and write as indicated on the census as well.
In 1880 George and Sarah are still residing in Madison County, Alabama. They now have 4 children living with them. They are James age 12, William age 7, Elizabeth age 4 and George age 1. Louisa is no longer living by 1880. George's profession is still listed as a farmer.
There are no more records that reference George Washington Parker. It is unknown who his parents were. George is not living by the 1900 Census that finds Sarah with some of their children living in Huntsville, Alabama. I have found online tree's that list his death date as 25 January 1895 in New Hope, Alabama. It appears George was born, lived, and died in the same vicinity his whole life. We know he went to school and was able to read and write - and like most men in that era he was farmer and earned his living the old fashioned way - with his back and bare hands.
George and Sarah had the following children - each of which I will cover in future posts:
1. Louisa Jane Parker - born 13 April 1866 in Madison County, AL, died 14 Nov 1873 in Madison County, AL
2. James Madison Parker - born 23 February 1868 in Madison County, AL, died 5 October, 1949 in Salt Lake City, UT. James married Elizabeth Ellen Cloud.
3. William Lottie Parker - born 27 August 1874 in Madison County, AL, died in 1952 in Owens Cross Roads, AL. William married Mollie Talley.
4. Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bell Parker - born 20 February 1877 in Madison County, AL, death is unknown. It is not known if she married.
5. George Archie Parker - born 14 January 1879 in Madison County, AL, died 26 January 1949 in Vernal, Uintah County, UT. It is believed that George married Frankie Hill in Arkansas.
6. Preston Garrett Parker - born 25 May 1882 in Madison County, AL, died 15 Jul 1940 in Provo, UT. He was never married.
7. Mary Ellen Parker - born 12 November 1883 in Madison County, AL, died 24 August 1965 in Caldwell, Canyon County, ID. She married Porter Dallas Bowers.
8. Thomas Gordon Parker - born 16 Nov 1885 in Madison County, AL, died 5 July 1961 in Washington. He married Margaret Buchanan Shepherd.
There are some assumptions out there on who the father of George Washington Parker is. Some have linked this George Washington Parker to parents Alfred Parker and Mary Chestnut. Alfred and Mary do have a son named George Washington Parker. This George can be found in separate census's than my George in 1860, 1870 and 1880. I have not been able to prove or disprove that they are indeed my George's parents. Considering the separate census's - and the distance between the two locations (about 300 miles) - one could assume they are not the same person. But - I have yet been able to prove that.
Okay - this was a bit long for my first person post. I doubt they will all be this long - but who knows. I do recall some other information that I have seen over the years - like a Will for the grandfather of Sarah Elizabeth Cloud that referenced her husband, George Washington Parker, but I have been unable to locate it now. I need to do some more searching - because that would be interesting information.
I don't know if any photo's exist of George or his wife Sarah. I will be posting some photo's of some of his children. Until then....thanks for reading!
