Amelia Caroline (Evans) Parker (abt. 1836 - 1909)

Born about May 1836 in Indiana, United States

Wife of James S Parker — married 30 Dec 1852 (to 10 Jun 1870) in Marion, Oregon, United States

Died 9 Oct 1909 at about age 73 in Spokane, Washington, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

Caroline Evans was born in 1836, as carved into her grave stone, in Indiana, and according to the 1850 Wapello County, Iowa, Census. ^[1] In this census, the first record I've found of Caroline, she is living with Jacob Thompson and his wife, Rhoda Evans, born in Indiana. Rhoda is possibly Caroline's sister, or her aunt.

Caroline was an intrepid pioneer, and crossed the Plains in 1852 in a wagon train with Evans relatives. They arrived in Linn county Oregon in Sep 1852.

Amelia (Evans) Parker was involved in the westward expansion of the USA (Oregon Trail). See Trails and Wagon Trains.

Caroline Evans, age 16, married James Parker, age 38, on 30 Dec 1852 in Marion County, Oregon.^[2] They were married by minister of the gospel William Simpson.^[3]

James Parker and Caroline had a daughter, Esther, in 1861. She married William Maag.^[4]

Caroline (Evans) Parker passed away 9 Oct 1909, in Spokane, Washington, as carved into her grave stone, age 73, ^[5] Her body was sent to Oregon for burial in Lone Oak Cemetery, Stayton, Marion County, Oregon.^[6]

In summary, Amelia Caroline (Evans) Parker arrived in Oregon Territory, Linn County, in September of 1852, having traveled the Oregon Trail with Jacob Thompson and his wife Rhoda (Evans) Thompson. They were married in Indiana in 1844, and Amelia was not their daughter, because she was born in 1836 in Indiana (see Early Oregonian profile).

Amelia married James Parker, a man at least twenty years older than herself, on December 30, 1852. Early Oregonian profile for James Parker shows he also arrived in Oregon Territory in 1852. That year was exceptionally high for Oregon Trail emigration, but possibly they were on the same wagon train, and knew each other longer than three months. If they were on the same wagon train, then Richard Evans, of Indiana, was also on the wagon train with his wife and children. Amelia Caroline Evans is not found with his family in census records of 1850, but there is the possibility of a relationship - that he was her uncle, cousin, or ? Also Rhoda (Evans) Thompson who she crossed the Oregon Trail with may have been her aunt, cousin or ?

Subsequent to her arrival in Oregon, Amelia was married to James Parker in Marion County, and Amelia lived in Marion County until her death in 1909, and was buried in Marion County, (see Find a Grave).

They had six children, two of whom died young. The remaining four were:

Sarah L Parker, 1 July 1857 – 17 October 1940, m. Lemuel Hobson 25 Jan 1875

Henry J Parker, 1859 - 1948

Esther Parker, 1861 - 1936, m. William Maag 15 March 1883

James D. Parker, 1869 - 5 September 1913, married

In the 1880 US Federal Census, Amelia was widowed, the Head of her Family, and the children listed for her were Henry, age 20, Esther age 18, and James, age 12, all of them born in Oregon, their father born in Vermont, their mother born in Indiana. The eldest daughter, Sarah L. Parker, is found with her mother only on the 1860 census, age 13, as she was married in 1875 to Lemuel Hobson.

The 1900 Census provides new information about Amelia Caroline (Evans) Parker: Amelia was born in May of 1837, and at the time of the 1900 US Census, she was age 63, and a widow. She had six children, and four were living in 1900. Amelia was born in Indiana, her father was born in Tennessee and her mother was born in North Carolina. Amelia could speak, read, and write English; she owned her home free and clear of mortgage, and it was a house not a farm.

Sources

1. ↑ United States Census, 1850, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ4V-H79 : 19 December 2020), Jacob Thompson, Wapello, Iowa, United States; citing family
2. ↑ Marion County, Oregon, U.S. Marriage Records 1849 - 1900, citing Parker, James and Prans, Caroline, married Dec 30 1852
3. ↑ Marion County, Oregon, U.S. Marriage Records 1849 - 1900, citing Parker, James and Prans, Caroline, married Dec 30 1852
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30684572/esther-maag: accessed 13 September 2022), memorial page for Esther Parker Maag (1861–25 Jan 1936),
5. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30089834/caroline-parker: accessed 13 September 2022), memorial page for Caroline Evans Parker (1836–1909), Find a Grave Memorial ID 30089834
6. ↑ The Spokesman-Review, 10 Oct 1909,

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ4V-H79 : 19 December 2020), Jacob Thompson, Wapello, Iowa, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• Marion County, Oregon, U.S. Marriage Records 1849 - 1900, citing Parker, James and Prans, Caroline, married Dec 30 1852, published by Ancestry.com. Page 8 (digital) or page 2 (paper). 'EVANS' has been transcribed 'PRANS', which makes this record difficult to discover without a guide.

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6PM3-PPN?cc=1438024&wc=KGQN-JWL%3A518652601%2C518865401%2C518889101 : 14 June 2019), Oregon > Marion > Sublimity > image 18 of 19; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YB5-Q1W?cc=1417683&wc=XWF4-L29%3A1589412158%2C1589397674%2C1589413141%2C1589395087 : 24 December 2015), Oregon > Marion > Sublimity > ED 87 > image 14 of 17; citing NARA microfilm publication T9, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., n.d.)

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6XCS-BJV?cc=1325221&wc=9BWH-T3F%3A1030550601%2C1030809801%2C1031391901 : 5 August 2014), Oregon > Marion > ED 142 Mehama and Stayton Precincts Stayton town > image 6 of 25; citing NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30684572/esther-maag: accessed 13 September 2022), memorial page for Esther Parker Maag (1861–25 Jan 1936), Find a Grave Memorial ID 30684572, citing Lone Oak Cemetery, Stayton, Marion County, Oregon, USA; Maintained by Beinel (contributor 49591081) .

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30089834/caroline-parker: accessed 13 September 2022), memorial page for Caroline Evans Parker (1836–1909), Find a Grave Memorial ID 30089834, citing Lone Oak Cemetery, Stayton, Marion County, Oregon, USA; Maintained by Beinel (contributor 49591081) .

• The Spokesman-Review, 10 Oct 1909, Sun · Page 7, brief obituary for Amelia Caroline Evans Parker.