Dempsey Parker (abt. 1789 - 1873)

Husband of Frances (Hargis) Parker — married 16 Dec 1815 (to about Mar 1873) in Dixon Springs, Smith, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died Mar 1873 at about age 84 in Fountain Head, Sumner, Tennessee, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Kristina Wheeler [send private message] and Jim Williamson [send private message]

BEFORE AMENDING HIS PARENTS, PLEASE SPEAK WITH ME SO WE CAN COMPARE NOTES AND AGREE ON PROOF FIRST. They are set as per the documentation I have.

There were 2 Mills Parkers in North Carolina at the same time, and several Miles Parkers as well. We have two locations, North Hampton and Gates. There is Debate as to which of these is Dempsey's father, and who is his mother. I currently have them listed as the documentation I have. It is not believed that Mills and Miles are the same person, it is believed they are different. If we can find confirmed proof they are the same I am open to that option.

As time allows I am adding my proof and documentation here, right now my focus for entering is on confirming his children,

Acknowledgement

The majority of information shared in this profile could not be accomplished without the work of Connie Beat Sims.

This profile is in the process of being built, as as I have time will be attaching all document information and proof.

Research Notes

1850 Census - John Parker with Matilda - what relation?

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Siddy Jenkins is a possible mother, but is not certain. Connie did research in the past and provided this guidance. We are currently looking for DNA relatives to do a triangulation.

I looked at Sidney or Siddy or Liddy Jenkins many years ago as a possible for Mills Parker, and it may well be, but look on the 1790 census, there is a Mills Parker in Gates County and also a Mills Parker in North Hampton County. Pretty sure the one in North Hampton used another name part of the time since he was never found again. The Mills in North Hampton had 1 male white person over 16 living with him and three males under 16 and one white female besides his wife I assume. So he had to have been married before if the first male was his child and the remaining 4 children were quite a few for someone who was married in 1786

• Determine who the Edward was in the 1860 Census

Biography

Preface from Connie Beat Sims:

I have decided to stop and get as much of Dempsey Parker's history down on paper as I can manage. I have been collecting information and photos for about 10 years and want to preserve the information in the best way I an at this moment. The search continues even while I am writing this preface.

According to the war of 1812 records we received for Dempsey, of which most pertain to his attempts to obtain a pension for the injury he received during the war of 1812 when he fought against the Red Sticks (creek Indians) in a battle of Horseshoe Bend in what is now called Alabama in 1814.

Dempsey, was according to the records received from the National Archives, 23 years old on Dec 26 or 27 of 1813 when he signed up with Captain John B Long's company 39th Regiment of USA Regulars commanded by Col Thomas N Benton. I tend to use this age as proof of Dempsey's age, but know there were other ages shown on at least one census and in these papers I found one instance where in July of 1848 they said he was 56 and on the first census I believe he was shown to be born about 1787. But for the most part and in numerous places he is shown to have been born in 1790 and in his last testimony for the pension hearings i August 1871 he was said to have been 80 years of age. I believe he was born in 1790.

He signed up for his year tour of the war in 1812 in Gallatin, Tennessee, a short distance from Nashville where the company would be assembled to March to Horseshoe Bend. He was released in Dec of 1814 when his year was up. The papers also state he was born in North Hampton, NC.

When Dempsey Parkers Youngest son, Daniel Webster Parker, filed an Indian Claim Form with the Government in an attempt, like so many other Parkers and Hargis's Families, to obtain some of the Government money being paid to descendants of the Eastern Cherokee Families whose land was taken from them and they were moved along the Trails of Tears to Oklahoma we discovered new information.

Dempsey Parker's Wife, Frances Hargis Parker whom he married Dec 16, 1815 in Dixon Springs,Tennessee was the granddaughter of a full blooded Cherokee Indian or so it is written in all the Hargis Family History.

Despite the fact that no money was available for these claims as Jeannie Long Jacobs Hargis was not living on the reservation when her tribe was taken from their land, but was living with her husband, Richard Hargis. The application gave us more information on Dempsey Parker's family.

Daniel said his grandfather Parker's name was Mills Parker. He also said he had 7 brothers and 4 sisters. The brothers were named, the sisters were not, but we have been able to identify all the children through other means.

Dempsey and Frances lived for some time in Sumner Co., but ended up in Smith Co., Tennessee and then in Macon Col, By the 1860 census. By 1870 they were living with their son, James G. Parker and his wife Rhoda Whitson Parker in Sumner county. Dempsey died in 1873 and it is believed Frances also died in the 1870's as she was no longer living with James.

The early years

Dempsey was born to Mills Parker and an unconfirmed mother in 1790^[1] in North Hampton, North Carolina.

Family life

Dempsey married Frances "Fanny" Hargis ^{[2][3] [4]}. Together they would have 11 children:

• Ira Simon Parker (1817-1899) ^[3][5][6]
• James Gilbert Parker (1819-1888)^[5][6]
• Harvey Burton Parker (1824-1897)^[6]
• Louisa Parker (1825-1880)^[6]
• Sarah Parker (1827-1860)^[6]
• Frances Caroline Parker (1829-1897) ^[4][6]
• Alfred Parker (1833-1863)^[4]
• Catherine Parker (1834-1880) ^[4]
• Isaac Newton Parker(1836-1901) ^[4]
• Elvis Brooks Parker (1841-1862) ^[4]
• Daniel Webster Parker(1842-1909) ^[4][2]

The family home

Pictures^[7] are included of the property which we believe to have been Dempsey and Frances Hargis's last home site. The home remains found here are on the 177 Acres owned by Dempsey Parker in what is now CATO near the intersection of Dog Branch, Scanty Branch and Dixon Creek roads up Scanty Branch toward Massey Hollow.

This property is in the care of Rick Evitts who along with Arlis Ground (a relative) and Rick Phillips first found the property. Rick Evitts said the property had changed considerably in the last 20 years and that at one time you could see the twin chimneys above the trees which would not have been alive when Dempsey lived there so the surroundings have changed.

Arlis has provided us with a drawing as we are looking towards the chimney on the left side of the photo between two trees. It is believed the rocks in the foreground may have been the foundation for a porch. The second chimney cannot be seen from the photo, but there is another photo showing it.

The sketch provided by Arlis as to what the home probably looked like. He has a made a note of the longitude and latitude. Arlis doses for graves, which is a bit like water witches in the Midwest. We believe he may have found some graves on the property and we found stones which may have been the stones which marked the graves of Elvis Brooks Parker, Sarah Parker Thompson and Alfred Parker, all brothers and sisters.

Throughout the years

The 1790 census for North Hampton Co., NC shows Mills Parker down the page 9 spaces. There are two males over 16 years of age and three males under 16 years of age and 2 free white females. This probably means that Dempsey had at least two or three brothers and a sister. if he was born after the census he may have had Four brothers.

The 1820 census^[5] shows:'

• Name Dempsey Parker
• Home in 1820 (City, County, State) Gallatin, Sumner, Tennessee
• Enumeration Date August 7, 1820
• Free White Persons - Males - Under 10 2 Ira Simon & James G
• Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44 1 Dempsey
• Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25 1 Fannie
• Number of Persons - Engaged in Manufactures 1
• Free White Persons - Under 16 2
• Free White Persons - Over 25 1
• Total Free White Persons 4
• Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other 4

In 1830^[6]the census shows:

• Name Dempsey Parker
• Home in 1830 (City, County, State) Smith, Tennessee
• Free White Persons - Males - Under 5 1 Harvey Burton Parker
• Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14 2 Ira Simon & James Gilbert
• Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39 1 Dempsey
• Free White Persons - Females - Under 5 2 Frances and Sarah
• Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9 1 Louisa
• Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39 1 Fannie
• Free White Persons - Under 20 6
• Free White Persons - 20 thru 49 2
• Total Free White Persons 8
• Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored) 8

The 1850 Census, district number 8, Macon County, Tennessee on the 17th of September, 1850^[4] shows Dempsey living in Dwelling #555 at age 63. With him are Frances, 52, Frances C 21, Alfred 17, Catharine 16, Isaac N 13, Elvis B 10 , Daniel W 7. All of the children, including Frances, had attended school in the past year, and both Dempsey and Alfred were Farmers. However Frances (52) could not read, nor write. It confirms also that Dempsey's state of birth was North Carolina and Frances's was Tennessee. There is no real estate value listed for Dempsey's household.

The other homes near him were #551 John Andres, #552 Eli McDuffy, #553 John Parker (possible relative), #554 Ira S Parker (Dempseys son), #556 Abigah Massey and #557 Joseph Coker.

In 1860^[2] He is living in Dixon Springs. Dempsey confirms the land is worth about $1,500 and his personal estate is $600. In the home are Dempsey 70, Frances 62, Daniel 18, Edward Parker 20(a likely family member) and Elizabeth 21

In 1870^[8]

Dempsey reaches out to his son Ira

As his father hadn't heard from him in some time, Dempsey wrote a letter to Ira on June 12, 1867 ^[3]

Dear Son, I have concluded to renew our correspondence, and I have undertaken to rite you another short letter not knowing whether it will ever meet your eye or not and whether you are dead or living and if it has been the will of kind providence to preserve your precious life until this letter that comes to hand and you can read it it will be some satisfaction to you to hear from us once more in this life."

I have not heard anything from you since Harvey's last letter which was dated Nov 1866 at that time he informed me of having received a letter from you a short before. I have many times wandered off to the spring in hopes of hearing from you or both of you. But hasn't yet obtained the object of my wish. I will now tell you how we doing at present. your mother's not so good as we desire still tripping (death - word above tripping) about at her business and I expect as well as is common to her advanced age and my self of my health and strength you will better get when I tell you that I have just finished making 26 tobacco hogs heads for John Ligon my self and I am now helping Dany in his little farm which is small but very fine."

"Nate(could be Nettie) and family is doing moderately well. Dan is not enjoying very good health if he could confine himself to a moderate course of labor he would I think improve his health he labors to hard and consequently renders his health feeble we have plenty to live on meat bread sugar coffee, butter , milk, chickens and anything and everything thing necessary to our comfort but this lack of things is do or at as a general thing  excuse"

"Corn is worth 4 dollars per barrel, bacon 12 1/2 per pound, coffee beans 3 cents, sugar 20 cents, flour 8 cents per pound. The people as a general thing is nearly out of debt the bankruptcy law have paid off many millions dollars of which not much ever would or could have been paid(2 unreadable words) of this health of this section of the country is good at this time, "

"Though there has been very many deaths and some of your relations Elley(or Eddy) Cosby and Lucy Nelson are dead, old Dick Brooks and family is not getting along or living as they should. I am going to mail this not knowing whether you will ever see it or not and I must request of the survivors of the family to apprise me of what ever misfortune may have and let me know and relive my great anxiety. I will come to a close by subscribing our love your affectionate parents until death."

"Dempsey & Fany Parker over on bottom signed as well by Ella & JO Chapman

Land Claims

In the Claim for Indian Land that Dempsey's children made through William Hargis and Jennie Jacob^[9] They list their grandfather Parker as being: Mills Parker. On that claim the brothers and sisters were listed as:

• Ira Parker
• Harvey Parker
• James Parker - death about 1882
• I. Newton
• E. Brooks - death about 1863
• Alfred - death about 1863.

Sources

1. ↑ 1790 Census for North Hampton Page 9
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Year: 1860; Census Place: District 4, Smith, Tennessee; Roll: M653_1272; Page: 303; Family History Library Film: 805272
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Personal letter in custody of Kristina Wheeler
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7} 1850 Census, district number 8, Macon County, Tennessee on the 17th of September, 1850 "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCD5-HNY : 4 April 2020), Dempsy Parker, Macon county, part of, Macon, Tennessee, United States; citing family 555, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.)
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} 1820 U S Census; Census Place: Gallatin, Sumner, Tennessee; Page: 334; NARA Roll: M33_124; Image: 193 "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLT-42K : accessed 5 June 2020), Dempsey Parker, Gallatin, Sumner, Tennessee, United States; citing p. 334, NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 124; FHL microfilm 193,686.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6} 1830; Census Place: Smith, Tennessee; Series: M19; Roll: 181; Page: 83; Family History Library Film: 0024539
7. ↑ Photos attached taken by Connie Beat sims while touring the family property
8. ↑ Year: 1870; Census Place: District 17, Sumner, Tennessee; Roll: M593_1566; Page: 830A; Family History Library Film: 553065 "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD84-BZQ : 19 March 2020), Dempsy Parker in entry for J C Parker, 1870.
9. ↑ Copy of Indian Land Claim Page 2

Acknowledgement

• Parker-16937 was created by Jim Williamson through the import of BA Combined Tree for DNA Matching_2015-06-18.ged on Jun 19, 2015
• Profile Adopted by Kristina Wheeler