52 Ancestors: #5 - The Hunt for James Parker Continues

I'm officially behind in my 52 ancestor posts ... but I knew that would happen. I'm just going to keep plugging away as best as I can, and hopefully I'll catch back up before summer.

Do you have that one elusive ancestor, that makes you want to tear your hair out? Me too!

But I know the answer is out there somewhere ... and every so often I do a quick search in Google for:

"James Parker"+"DeKalb County"+TN+genealogy

just hoping my brickwall ancestor will find a way to contact me from the Great Beyond ... through all the ports and plugs that make up the vast World Wide Web.  Usually, its fruitless but every so often I come across new material ... or a new researcher .... with the same brick wall. ;o) (Misery loves company)

Well, during one these random "while I'm waiting for the microwave to finish" searches I came across some new information in the form of a genealogy report of the Descendants of James Parker which had been uploaded by Deborah Hills Nichols sometime in November of 2012. And her "James Parker" is from ... DeKalb County, TN. 

This could be promising ... 

My "James" first shows up in 1852 in DeKalb County, TN when he marries Catherine Burton.  Since I have no birth date or age at death for him, I've had to make some general assumptions as follows:  

1) His wife, Mary Catherine Burton was born about 1834-1836 ... I figure he had to be near her in age ... so I've estimated that he was likely born between 1830 and 1835.  

2) I've also made the assumption that James likely met Catherine Burton through neighbors or church affiliations (meaning they likely lived near each other and perhaps attended the same church in 1851-52).  So if the Burton family lived in Liberty District, DeKalb County, TN during the 1850 census ... perhaps James is related to another "Parker" family living nearby.  

3) It is also entirely possible that my "James Parker" was an outlaw with a made up name, who showed up one day looking for work at the Burton family farm ... and ended up with a shotgun wedding a few months later ... if so, then all bets are off.  

But if not .... He has to be out there in some record .... somewhere .... Right?? (just nod please)

Let's just brainstorm a little using the Parker family list created by Deborah Nichols.  Her report provided information on over eight generations of Parker descendants who could all claim her "James Parker" from DeKalb County, TN as their common ancestor.  Of course, my James Parker was not listed among them (why couldn't it be just that easy?) ... but it did get me thinking about additional ways to research this brickwall ancestor that I had not tried yet.  Namely, which Parker families can I trace from the area ... 

Since I have not been able to to find my "James Parker" listed in the 1850 Census of the DeKalb County, TN area. Nor have I found a "James Parker" in one of the nine counties surrounding DeKalb County, TN that might be a possibility ... I need to refocus my "Parker" research into what I can figure out ...

UNDERSTANDING WHY GEOGRAPHY
& HISTORY ARE IMPORTANT

First I needed a better understanding of the geography that I was working in.  Having never been to this area ... I really needed to use as many maps and historical information that I could find.  

I know my Burton branch intersected with my Parker branch at some point on a farm in Liberty, DeKalb County, TN sometime before 1852.  So when did DeKalb County, TN become an official county? And what County did "Liberty" fit into before DeKalb County was formed.  To answer some of my questions, I visited the Newberry Library - Atlas of Historical County Boundaries website and generated the following three images.  

I've determined that Liberty Township falls approximately at the "E" in the word DeKalb  in these images.

Overlay of DeKalb County, TN Borders 1800

According to the Atlas, in 1800 the Liberty Township area was part of Wilson County, TN.  Now, I don't know how early my "Parker" branch came to DeKalb County, but Deborah Nichols family branch for her James starts in the late 1760s in Smith County, TN which bumps up to Wilson County at the "K" in DeKalb.  So it is possible that our branches may be related as far back as the early 1800s.

Overlay of DeKalb County, TN Borders 1830

Since my "James" was likely born in the early 1830s, I need to make sure I'm looking in the correct location for possible birth records.  The Liberty area appears to actually be located in Smith County, TN during the 1830s.  And I hadn't looked for a birth record for "James" in Smith County, TN yet.  So there's another possible resource to check out.

Overlay of DeKalb County, TN Borders 1840

And by 1840, DeKalb county was officially formed and looked closer to what it looks like today.

Deborah Nichol's information goes on to mention that a few early births were in a location called "Dismal Creek".  A Google search turned up several suggestions, including a map and a book.  The map pinpoints to an area called "Dismal Road" which is north of Liberty by about 2 or 3 miles and runs along the Smith Fork River.  There is also a cemetery marked on the Google map called "Tubb Cemetery", which gives me even another possible resource for tracking down more "Parker" family information.  Which would be very helpful, especially if I can find a connection between my James and Deborah's James.

Google also gave me a link to the text of a book by Will T Hale, called the The History of DeKalb County, TN, published in 1915.  Again, this was a new resource I hadn't found before.  To my joy, the text is searchable and appears to have information on several "Parker" families who were pioneers in the area. Now, it appears that it is computer generated text from a scanned book, so it's not formatted like a book with pages, so it may take me some time to fully digest and analyse.

But again, it's more information than I had this morning. And that is a good thing.

Bottomline ... I've got some new resources to pursue on this branch once again.  I'm still pushing forward with my plans to do a DNA test this summer, but there are no guarantees that I will connect to anyone with a better documented Parker branch going back to Adam ... at least not right away ... and with my luck lately, it's more likely that if we do connect ... they are stuck with the same brickwall as me.

Meanwhile ... the hunt for James Parker continues ...

Love & Aloha,
CuznAmy

Where's James Parker?

On October 6, 1857 in Lawrence County, Missouri, Mary Catherine (Burton) Parker and her father Samuel M Burton and her brother E(benezer) D(ale) Burton initiated the probate process for the estate of James Parker, deceased.  (Below are copies of the documents I received from the probate file out of Lawrence County, Missouri.)

Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate any additional information regarding James' death or location of his burial.  With only his marriage and probate records to go on, I have no information regarding his age at the time of his marriage or his death from which to calculate a birth date.

I recently have found a family tree submitted to FamilySearch by a Bette Vermillion that speculated that James may have been born about 1830 in Smith County, TN, but I have no contact information to reach her for further information.  And another researcher that I've communicated with about ten years ago (Jan Lopez, who was researching the Vermillion family -- who married Catherine after James death) posted a query in 2008 in the Springfield Missouri "Leader" newspaper which indicated James Parker was "killed in about 1857 supposedly by bushwackers". Unfortunatley I've not been able to reach her by any of the email addresses I have currently to find what her source for this information may have been (though I speculate it was "family lore"). ;o)

After 20+ years of research ... my Parker line has hit the proverbial BRICKWALL I'm afraid.  Lawrence County, Missouri was formed in 1845 but did not keep any death records until about 1883, so I have given up hope of finding a death record in the county records.  I have not been able to locate a grave listing on any online database so far, and I have not been able to find a listing for any newspaper publication at the Missouri State Archives that would have been published in or near Lawrence County in 1856 or 1857 that might list a news article or notice of death.

At this point, I think I need to seriously consider participating in a DNA surname study and see if we connect with any of the Parker lines already in the study.  Hopefully we will connect with a Parker line that can trace its roots back further and then I can try to backtrack down the line of descendants.

Probate File for James Parker

Lawrence County, Missouri

Filed October 6, 1857

Transcribed:  

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS That Mary Catherine Parker as principal and Samuel M Burton and ED Burton securities are held and firmly bound unto the State of Missouri in the sum of three hundred dollars which sum well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, firmly, jointly and severally by these presents, signed with our hands and sealed with our seals, and dated this 6th day of October 1857.

The condition of the above bond is, that if Mary Catherine Parker administratix of the estate of James Parker, deceased, shall faithfully administer said estate, account for, pay and deliver all money and property of said estate, and perform all other things touching said administration required by law, or the order or decree of any said court having jurisdiction, then the above bond to be void, otherwise to remain in full force.

Signed sealed and acknowledged  and approved by me in vocation this 6th day of October 1857. 

Wm W Gay, Clerk

Mary Catherine (X -- her mark) Parker  {SEAL}

Samuel M Burton {SEAL}

E.D. Burton {SEAL}

Transcribed:

State of Missouri      )
County of Lawrence )

In the matter of James Parker's estate

Mary Catherine Parker says that, to the best of her knowledge and belief the names of the heirs of the said James Parker, deceased and their places of residence, are respectively as follows.  Samuel M Parker, Sarah Elizabeth Parker and Goodman Brown Parker.  All of whom reside in the County of Lawrence in the STate of Missouri, that the said James Parker died without a will, that she will make a perfect inventory of and faithfully administer all the estate of the deceased, and pay the debts as far as the assets will extend and the law direct, and account for and pay all assets which shall come to her possession or knowledge.

Mary Catharine (X - her mark) Parker

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 6th day of October 1857.
Wm W Gay, Clerk

I'm not going to transcribe these next documents at this time, but they relate to the inventory of assets declared by Mary Catherine Parker, and the last two are certificates showing the appraised value of the assets, totaling $132.25 in 1857 (which would be equal to a little over $3000 in assets as of 2010). 

I have not found any record of land being purchased by James Parker in Lawrence County, MO.  And since his father-in-law and brother-in-law are listed in his probate file (rather than any Parker relative), I am of the belief that James and Catherine likely lived with her parents after marriage, and also when they moved to Missouri.  Chances are none of his Parker relatives moved with him to Lawrence County, MO (meaning if he had sibilings they likely remained in Tennessee).  I'm beginning to think James was an orphan ... and had no relationship with his parents or siblings (if any) at the time he met and married Mary Catherine Burton.  I guess only time will tell if I can successfully break down this brickwall.

Until then ...


Love and Aloha,
Cuzn Amy

James Parker and Catherine Burton 04 January 1852

Source Information:  Ancestry.com. Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.  Original data: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville, TN, USA: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilm.

James Parker and Catherine Burton were married 04 January 1852 in DeKalb County, Tennessee by the Justice of the Peace.  Currently, I do not know when James was born, nor the names of his parents.  Catherine was 16 years old at the time of her marriage to James.  The above marriage record does not state any information regarding parental consent, so I need to find out what was the legal age to marry without consent in Tennessee in 1852.

Transcribed: 
James Parker and Catherine Burton
Issued 2nd January 1852
By virtue of the above License, I have this day solemnized the rites of Matrimony between the parties therein named in presence of respectable witnesses given under my hand this 4th day of January 1852. John B Scott, J.P. for DeKalb County