Ralph George Parker (1869 - 1939)

Born 24 Dec 1869 in Durbanville, Cape, South Africa

Ancestors

Husband of Daisy (Pillow) Parker — married 3 Oct 1918 in The Church of the Transfiguration, Bellville, Cape Province, South Africa

Descendants

Died 2 Mar 1939 at age 69 in Observatory, Cape, Cape Province, South Africa

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Susan O'Carroll [send private message] and Mike Parker [send private message]

Biography

Ralph George Parker's grandfather George Francis Parker (Senior) arrived in the Cape of Good Hope as a teenager in 1820, with his parents and 2 younger brothers. They were independent settlers and had to make their own way in their new country. George's parents found it hard and after some years, left for Australia with his 2 brothers, and settled in north Sydney. George was successful in business in Cape Town and bought the farm Altydgedacht in 1851.Altydgedacht [1] is an historical farm in the Durbanville area, about 30 km from Cape Town. The farm, originally called de Tijgerbergen was established in 1698, under the governance of Simon van der Stel, and owned by Elsje van Suurwaarden. Although he was a successful merchant, George was not a very successful farmer and went insolvent. Ralph's father, George Francis Parker (Junior) took over the farm in 1868, the year before Ralph's birth.

Birth

Ralph was born at Altydgedacht on 24th December 1869. He was the son of George Francis Parker Junior and Mary Elizabeth Berry. He was the youngest of their 6 children and was baptized at All Saints church in Durbanville, on 10th April 1870. ^{[1] [2]}

Ralph's mother died in 1870 when he was 3 or 4 months old. His father did not remarry but raised his 6 children on the farm with the help of his sisters.

Occupation

Ralph worked on the farm and after his father died in 1915, despite being the youngest son, Ralph inherited Altydgedacht. It passed to him in 1921 when he was 51 years old. It is uncertain why it took 6 years for this to occur. He was the 3rd generation of the Parker family to farm Altydgedacht, and was helped by his brother Frederick who worked on the farm and lived there for the rest of his life, outliving Ralph by 8 years.

Ralph was a general farmer but was focused on viticulture and wine making. He was the first to plant Barbera grapes at Altydgedacht and he implemented several other innovative changes. When Ralph took over the farm, wine was made using traditional methods, in large oak vats, called stukvate, which had been imported from Germany in 1903. Ralph switched to using concrete and stainless steel vats. He also converted to a gravity feed, using the natural hillslope, instead of using tractors and pulleys for crushing grapes and pumping juice (Walters 2013: 101). ^[3]

Marriage

On 3rd October 1918, Ralph married Daisy Pillow in the Anglican Church of the Transfiguration, in Bellville, South Africa. She was 19 years old and he was 48. ^[4]They had 3 sons born between 1919 and 1925 and Daisy threw herself into farming, establishing a dairy on the farm.

Australia

In 1931, Ralph went to Australia. ^[5] It is uncertain whether this was a wine related trip or whether he visited relatives.

Death

Ralph passed away on 2nd March 1939, ^[6]aged 69, at Groote Schuur Hospital in Observatory, Cape Town. He'd been suffering from pneumonia and emphysema for a couple of weeks and developed a severe deep vein thrombosis in his leg. While in hospital he suffered a fatal cardiac embolism, as a result of the DVT. He was buried at the Durbanville cemetery. ^[7] Probate was granted in 1939.^[8]Ralph's death occurred a few months before the start of WWII, when his sons were minors aged 19, 18 and 14 years old. His sons all went away to war, when they were old enough and Ralph's widow Daisy managed the farm and dairy. She died in December 1945, aged 45, a few weeks after the end of the war. Her eldest son was by her side when she passed, and her youngest son Denis, who had by then joined the Air Force, returned to manage the farm, aged just 20.

Altydgedacht today

Ralph's youngest and middle sons lived at Altydgedacht and started families on the farm. His eldest son studied medicine in England and settled there and his middle son moved to Zambia within a few years. Ralph's youngest son was tragically killed in 1954 and Ralph's daughter in law Jean took over running the farm, after Ralph's elder 2 sons agreed to sell her their shares in the farm.

Ralph's grandsons John and Oliver Parker have continued the wine making tradition, becoming the 5th generation of Parkers at Altydgedacht and successfully establishing it as a wine estate in 1985. Parts of the farm have been sold off to developers over the years and in 2017 the Parker family partnered with the van der Merwe family. Altydgedacht continues to produce unusual varietals, with the 6th generation of Parkers now involved in the farm.

Sources

1. ↑ South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVS4-5KT1 : 6 November 2014), George Francis Parker in entry for Ralph George, 10 Apr 1870; citing Baptism, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, p. 99, William Cullen Library, Wits University, Johannesburg.
2. ↑ Baptism record for Ralph George Parker; Church of the Province of South Africa, Vol I, Pg 99, No 393, 10th April 1870, All Saints Church, Durbanville. Extract of original dated 14th September 1971, held in Parker family collection.
3. ↑ http://www.vassa.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/VASSA-Journal-27-final-text-ver3.pd
4. ↑ https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-23589-4737-98?cc=1468076&wc=SFVC-SPN:44975801,44975802,45327401,45327402
5. ↑ UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 View Image View Record NameRalph ParkerArrival Age61Birth Date1870Port of DepartureAustraliaArrival Date12 May 1931Port of ArrivalLondon, EnglandPorts of VoyageCape Town; Sydney; Durban; Fremantle; Adelaide; LiverpoolShip NameCeramicShipping LineWhite Star Dominion LineOfficial Number135474Household Members
6. ↑ South Africa, Cape Province, Civil Deaths, 1895-1972", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QM-737K : 24 June 2016), Ralph George Parker, 1939.
7. ↑ Name Ralph George Parker Death or Burial Place Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa Death or Burial Longitude 18.650337000000036 Death or Burial Latitude -33.838157 Cemetery Durbanville Cemetery Death Date 2 Mar 1939
8. ↑ South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court, 1834-1989", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:C33Y-7QMM : 27 April 2020), Ralph George Parker, 1938-1939.

• http://www.topwinesa.com/?page_id=28
• Information obtained from living relatives, and from personal visits to Altydgedacht by Susan O'Carroll
• Vernacular Architect Society of South Africa, Vassa Journal No 27, June 2013, Pages 27 - 40.
• National Archives of South Africa, Vol 6/9/5245, Ref 63350, Parker Ralph George, Estate Papers, 1939.