I am trying to locate my maternal grandmother's biological parents. Rumor has it that she is possibly a cousin to Cynthia Ann Parker but it's a sketchy tale. My grandmother's adoptive name was Sallie Payne Davis Brents (adopted by Humphrey Norris Cowden Davis and wife Martha Davis around 1891 from a 'county farm' between Lebanon and Murfreesboro, TN). Sallie was born in 1888. My aunts did some research years ago and located a descendant of the people who ran the county farm (precursor to an orphanage) and they were told that my grandmother's last name was 'Parker', that her father's name was 'John Parker' and she had two brothers who were also dropped off at the 'county farm', by their father, at the same time. There is possibly a sister named Rosie. The boys supposedly went to live with Parker relatives in Texas, at some point. We assume Sallie's mother died and the father, John Parker (?) could no longer care for the children. So the possible connection to Cynthia Ann Parker is this: According to my aunts, a cousin of mine went to school with a Parker boy in El Paso, TX who told of two Parker boys being adopted from a county farm in Lebanon, TN, as my grandmother was. This source told my cousin they were related to Quanah Parker. So...my aunts were sure these were the biological brothers (I think) of my grandmother but they never proved it. Any ideas on how to find out if any of Cynthia Parker's descendants lived in the Lebanon/Murfreesboro area of Tennessee back in the late 1800's? My aunts said that my grandmother's adoptive parents didn't want to lose her so they changed her name quickly to theirs but the orphanage descendant remembered my grandmother's nick name as being, 'Toad Parker'. So, as you can see, this is a long shot but I'm leaving no stone unturned. Thank you for your help. I will attach a paper my aunt wrote, that may help, as well as a few photos of my grandmother, Sallie.
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My friend Piper Parker Tankersley, of Albany, TX, was descended from Cynthia Ann Parker. Her father and uncle are Quay Frederick Parker and Quannah Parker, sons of Lina and (the late) Fred Parker of Abilene, TX. Quay now resides in McKinney, TX, and would have information and is a warm and approachable person.
sundaytidwell@gmail.com
Sunday,
Thank you for this information. Do you have contact info for Quay? If so, could you send it to my email address at susiealverson@yahoo.com? Thank you so very much.
Cynthia Ann's Comanche name is Nuauh, (pronounced: Naw-you-eye) translated to Comanche means: "Warm Hearted Person." This is the name given to Cynthia Ann. Clifford Edward August Clark (Her oldest living descendent) gave the name to my wife, Laine, in the Comanche way. Topsannah or (Thup-see-ah) translated to Comanche means: "Flower." Thank you.
Cynthia Ann's Comanche name is Nauah (Naw -you -eye) Peta Nocona was her husband and Toupseea was her daughter.
Hi Susie,
I, too, am a (lost Parker). I was adopted in 1969. My father, William Parker, was never told of my existence. I still cannot find him. It's not fair that adoption as it is practiced in the US severes ties between adoptees and their original families. It is cruel.
I have two suggestions. Do DNA testing on the Parker Project through FamilyTreeDNA, you might be able to find you line that way.
Also, if Tennessee has a birth index, try to find your grandmother's original name. Sometimes these birth indexes also contain the maiden name of the child's mother.
Mara,
I'm so sorry to hear that you can't locate your biological father. It IS cruel to sever ties to bio families of adopted children. I can't imagine your pain and frustration. At least I'm only searching for distant relatives vs a parent, as you are. You bear some resemblance to me. Makes me wonder if we're not related. How does the DNA testing work? Who do I contact and what does it cost? The birth index is a good idea but I've been there and done that. With a last name like Parker, it's hard to find anything substantial since it's such a common name. My best hope is to find someone who might know of a Parker man, who lived in Lebanon in 1888, where my maternal grandmother was born. I know he had Parkers in Texas too since that's allegedly where his two sons were taken in by relatives. Keep up the search for your father. Don't give up. But remember, that no matter the outcome, you are special because you are you! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to me. Let me know how it goes with you.
Hi Susie, Thank you so much for your encouragement!
FamilyTree DNA is highly recommended on this website. There is a Parker DNA project there. I've received a lot of matches but have to wait for the direct Parker match. You might have better luck than me and get a good match right away. Here;s the link: http://www.familytreedna.com/products.aspx?type=Female
We do resemble each other. Who knows, maybe I'll be one of your first DNA matches!
Marla, This is very cool. I will definitely do the DNA project. How cool is that, that something like that even exists. I guess we spit on something and mail it some place - lol. Whatever it takes - haha. Thank you so much for your help. I'll let you know how it goes.