WYLIE ASTIN PARKER

The following bio was taken from page 335 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

Wylie Astin Parker, son of Emmanuel and “Polly” Austin Parker, moved his family to Rusk County from Green County, Georgia in 1852.  They built their home in the Shiloh Community.  Several members of his family came with him, settling in nearby communities along the Rusk-Panola County line.  He and his wife, Elizabeth Carson Parker, had thirteen children.  Four sons served in the Civil War, with one of these killed and two returning to their home as cripples.

These children and descendants of this couple have upheld the overall traits of their forefathers in that all have been industrious, conscientious Christians, holding family, God, and country most dear.  It can be said that this prolific family is a big reason for one to mind his tongue, lest he speak ill of kin to kin here in Rusk County.

Some of the surnames of their Rusk County descendants include: Lyle, Rainwater, Rousseau, Whitehead, Husband, Mims, Keeling, Harrington, Kyle, Tipps, Guy, Johnson, Welch, Dickerson, Threadgill, Pinkerton, Griffin, Orr, Gilbreath, Philips, Faulkner, Williams, Hancock, Maxfield, Fryman Patrick, Webb, and Ramsey.

This information was taken from the Parker Family History, compiled in 1960 by Wylie A. Parker, III, a 1907 graduate of Baylor University and a dedicated educator for over fifty years, in Dallas.

“The accomplishments of this host of descendants of Wylie Astin Parker would fill volumes if published in book form.  Suffice it to say that these members of the large Parker Family have been true to the trust committed to them through this century and a half of fruitful living.  They have been, all along, home lovers and community builders.  They have made the world much better for having lived and wrought in these difficult times.  We thank God for them.”

Submitted by Doris Threadgill