Nansemond Co., VA Parker (FG#7)

[Wayne N. Parker]

  When I started my Parker genealogy research in 1991 and had traced them back to Nansemond Co., Virginia only to read that not much was known about the Parker families on Nansemond Co., VA Well I took that statement as a challenge to find all the information that I could, thus begin a quest for knowledge of my genealogy and family history that I am still in pursuit of today.

   When I was a teenager, I read a story in our local newspaper about a man that had been born, raised and died while living in the same house. He lived in two different towns and two different counties in Mississippi, they were Middleton, Carroll Co., MS. Winona, Carroll Co., MS and Winona, Montgomery Co., MS.

  Will that information as a black drop, I will now provide you with a very short version of our history and facts about our early Parker families in Colonial America but first I need to jump to the present time. Our Parker family is part of the Parker y-DNA Project as Family Group #7 (FG#7) *1

   At this time our oldest confirmed Parker ancestor is William Parker. His son Richard Parker and his grandsons Richard, Thomas and Francis Parker all owned land and lived in Nansemond Co., VA. Nansemond Co., VA is no longer a county in VA today but in the 1600’s and early 1700’s it was located in the southeastern part of VA. It was on the border between VA and NC. *2

   In the late 600’s and early 1700’s VA and NC both claimed the same land along their common border. In 1728 and 1729 they resurveyed the border line. The new border moved north so VA lost land and NC gained land. Nansemond Co., VA in 1729 was a much smaller county than it was in 1728. So now the Parker families owned land that was located in Nansemond Co., VA and also land that was now located in Chowan Co., VA and when Gates Co., NC was created from Chowan Co., NC, they now lived in Gates Co., NC (or what used to be Nansemond Co., VA) *3

  Nansemond Co., VA had several court houses fires but there are other sources of records we can use to fill in some of the blanks. The land records (by using a computer program we can plot where our some of our Parker families lived), records that were sent back to England. *4

   We can also use information about their neighbors to expand our knowledge about our Parker families. We have a lot of good information from the counties in NC. *2

   Tar and hogs. This is two of products that our Parker family made their living from. Tar was used by ship maker so it was in heavy demand back in England. *3    *5

Hogs of course were sold for food. *3

So I close the short article about our Parker family with this observation, Today I am proud and humble at the same time to have and to be part of the research team that has increased the knowledge of the Nansemond Parker family.

Wayne N. Parker researcher for P230 of FG#7 and co-admin for Parker Heritage.

*1 http://web.utk.edu/~corn/parkerdna/

*2 http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=REG&db=parker_2008&id=I16149

*3 http://ncgenweb.us/nc/gates/history/

*4 English Duplicates of Lost Virginia Records by Louis des Cognets Jr.

*5 http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-colonial/4069

[Tracie lynne kent fultz]

Hi Wayne, Tracie here. I wonder why at times there are so many unanswered questions on this site. The concern for y DNA is overwhelming. Females know a lot about family and are a great link to families. Like for instance. I happen to have known a lot about my family. But no one knew it. I grew up around my grandma and grandpa Nichols. In return my grandparents took us the grandchildren to the cemetery to the graves of there Parker families. My grandma father James h parkerAnd her mother and her siblings. My grandmother and grandfather talked about our families and where they were from and who there parents were. We females don't pull this stuff out of thin air. Y DNA is not the only link to family trees. Sometimes there is not a male to get the DNA from. So we have to use family records along with other types of DNA to find the links we are looking for.

[Wayne N. Parker]

Hello Tracie,
I can only answer for myself. I too would like to see more DNA information of all kind talked about and exchanged here on Parker Heritage.
I must say sadly at this time my knowledge is and has been focused on y-DNA only because I have taken on the project of connecting all the members of FG#7 back to our common ancestor William Parker. I just have not took the time to educate myself on all the other DNA testing,
I there fore think you could/should take on the role of being the go to person here on PH on the subject DNA other that y-DNA.
I can see that the information on DNA matches other that y-DNA is becoming more and more important to genealogy researchers.
I would love to see a lot more information being exchanged on all types of DNA testing, so I will be looking for you to step up and make it happen.

As for your question about why there is many unanswered question on PH. My answer to this comment is simply "the more I learn the more question I have" finding the answers can/have been very hard at time, We must just asking questions and keep looking for answers.
Wayne

[Tracie lynne kent fultz]

Wayne, I can tell you, several of the women in our family have done the autosomal,and native blood quantum out of Canada, and it is out of this word full of knowledge.Along with amazing family tree passed down in our family and talking with our 80 year + old family members we are learning so much. About our family trees. That so many on this site won't know about. Because there is no concern directed on the female family line. Not to mention, so families have been told sad things about male members of their family's being basic misfit cheats, come to find out through family trees. They were Mormons. I am just saying there is so much more out there to learn.

[Wayne N. Parker]

OK back to my question. Are you going to take on the role of being the lead person on PH that we can go to with our questions about autosomal DNA testing.
Wayne

[Tracie lynne kent fultz]

There is a big possibility I will. I will talk with the women in my family line , and see if they along with myself are willing to share all our research in the DNA testing and extended families with those that disregarded us principle players in P.H.
Tracie.

[Michael Parker]

My first ancestry data came from my grandmother Parker's verbal history and family Bibles she possessed. I videotaped much of her oral history and had my children listen to ask questions. The four of us traveled to cemeteries and old homesteads. Parker is my surname but I research all the maternal lines also. I admit I know little about mDNA but know my yDNA really focused my research from every Parker line to Family #7. I get excited with every match in the yDNA project, especially to 7. I urge you to be a advocate for the Parker women and if you have interest and time, I invite you to become a moderator. Let me know if you want to accept the offer. Mike, owner/mod, P185 Parker Family #7