Dempsey Parker (1852 - 1930)

Born 24 Feb 1852 in Macon County, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 3 Mar 1930 at age 78 in Merna, Nebraska, United States

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Notes

• When creating children tag them in family photo

Biography

"Father, being opposed to slavery and living in the south east part of Missouri. The war was at it's scarriest stage in 1864. Father had to leave there to save his life. His friends told him the rebels would come to kill him if he stayed there. We only had a short time to get away. Just left stock and everything. Took passage on a steam boat called War Eagle at midnight and started north at St. Louis, Missouri. We had to change boats when we struck the Missouri River. The boat being loaded made slow headway. We was 21 days on the water. Landed at Old Brownville, Nebraska, October 18, 1864. We had contracted measles on the boat and my brother-in-law and my youngest brother died a few days after we landed here.

Father chopped wood over in Missouri for a living. In the spring he rented a farm and raised some good corn that he sold to feed the people in the west. It was hauled in wagons with ox teams. There was about 25 wagons in the train with from 3 to 5 yoke of oxen for each wagon. The Indians attacked the train and killed nearly all the men, scalped one young man named Edward Ono, our nieghbor that got away and came home. I often saw the bare spot on his head where they took the scalp off. I and my older brother went 16 miles to mill with oxen hitched to a sled and got caught in a snow storm. Came near to freezing to death, did not have overshoes or overcoats on. People lived on cornbread when the first railroad was built and was named the Brownville and Ft. Carney Road. Father had the contract of delivering."

This is the first four pages of young Dempsey Parker's hand written diary entitled Nebraska From 1864 to 1929. If there are any other pages their where abouts are unknown. Transcription was done by Connie Beat Sims, great granddaughter of Dempsey Parker, son of Ira Simon/Mary Jane Coker Parker.

Acknowledgement

A special thank you to Connie Beat Sims for her work on the Ira Parker line.

• In 1860^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Year: 1860; Census Place: Randol, Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Roll: M653_611; Page: 334; Family History Library Film: 803611