EDWARD S. PARKER

The following bio was taken from page 333 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

 Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

 My great grandfather, Edward S. Parker, married Rebecca Astin in 1846 and moved from his home in White Plains, Georgia, to Rusk County near Minden in January of 1853.  He served in the Confederate Army as a shoemaker at Tyler, Texas.  He died October 14, 1904 and was buried in Shiloh Cemetery, seventeen miles south of Henderson, with his wife.  Beginning with Edward Parker, each generation of the family has served the country in some branch of the armed services except my father, who was to be called for service a few days after Armistice, November 11, 1918.

My grandfather, Robert Thomas Parker, was born December 22, 1846 in White Plains, Georgia.  He also served in the Confederate Army.  He had one brother, Jasper Parker, and two sisters, Georgia Parker and Elizabeth Parker Gage.  Robert married Adelade Wallace (April 22, 1847- March 3, 1941) and farmed until his death on August 5, 1929.  Robert and Adelade had six children: E.C. Parker, (June 24, 1868-March 13, 1946); James C. Parker (April 3, 1873-March 26, 1935); Zetta Elizabeth Parker (June 29 1876-June 7, 1915); Ludie; Sudie Parker Milam; and John Luther Parker (my father), born June 19, 1879.  John Luther married Susan Terry Grant (May 18, 1978).  He died March 22, 1944, and she died February 2, 1960.  Both are buried in Shiloh Cemetery.

John Luther and Susan Terry Parker had two children.  One died in infancy.  Roy D. Parker, Sr. was born February 3, 1910, in Rusk County, Texas.  He attended school nine years at Shiloh, one year at Minden and one year at Henderson High School, graduating in May 1929.  He attended the college of Marshall two years and Tyler Commercial College, where he completed a general business course.  Roy married Helen C. Connor (April 11, 1918) on December 25, 1940, in Morris County.  He served forty-two months in the U.S. Navy during World War II.  Helen, a former teacher, is a homemaker.  Roy and Helen now live in Henderson, Texas, where he owned and operated Parker’s Home Furnishings for a number of years.  He is now retired and enjoys hunting and football.  The Parker family are devout Christians.

Roy and Helen have four children.  Their first son, Roy D. Jr., born January 18, 1943, graduated from Henderson High in 1961, and married Effie Yvonne Wright on September 2, 1967.  “Denny” served forty months in the Army Medical Corps as a captain during the Vietnam War.  He is now area entomologist for the Texas A & M University Extension Service at Corpus Christi.  He and his wife have three children: John Michael (September 2, 1969), Preston Scott (September 15, 1972), and Christopher Todd (July 25, 1977).

The second Parker child, Dorothy Jean, born July 22, 1945, graduated from Henderson High School in 1963.  She married Bobby Royce Delafield on June 2, 1967.  Bob and Jean, both former schoolteachers, live in Mineola, Texas, where Bob is a State Trooper and Jean is a homemaker.  They have three children: James Kevin (Nov 16, 1970), Emily Susan (February 13, 1975), and William Kyle (August 9, 1978)

John Connor Parker, born April 1 1948, graduated from Henderson High School in 1966.  He married Janet Sue Conway on May 29, 1970.  John served eighteen months in the army during the Vietnam War.  He is now an electrical engineer and owns a plastics manufacturing company.  He and Janet live in Tyler, Texas, and have three children: Damon Grant (April 22, 1973), Colin Andrew (December 2, 1977), and Connor Austin (October 27, 1981).

The youngest Parker child, Emily Ann, born August 17, 1949, graduated from Henderson High School in 1967.  She is now a successful attorney with Thompson-Knight Law Firm in Dallas, Texas.

Submitted by Roy D. Parker, Sr.