From: KyArchives Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2012 2:46 PM To: Ky-Footsteps Subject: Parker,.Sallie.(sarah).Ann.Clarke.(older).Shelby.PHOTO-Person Parker, Sallie (sarah) Ann Clarke (older) Shelby County KyArchives Photo - Person Source: John Todd Willis Name: Sallie (Sarah) Ann Clarke (older) Parker Photo can be seen at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ky/shelby/photos/parker6173gph.jpg Image file size: 295.3 Kb Sallie Ann Clarke Parker Birth: Dec. 3, 1832 Frankfort Franklin County Kentucky Death: Apr. 9, 1924 Abilene Taylor County Texas The following is an obituary on Sallie Ann Clarke Parker from an Abilene, Texas newspaper: MRS. R. H. PARKER 91, DIES AT HER HOME WEDNESDAY Hundreds of friends and acquaintances in Abilene and West Texas learn with regret of the death of Mrs. R. H. Parker, who passed away at her home at 1243 South Second and Butternut street, Wednesday night at 9:50 o'clock, at the remarkable old age of ninety-one years, four months and one week. She had been ill only a few days when the end came and all of the family were present except two daughters and the only son, who were unable to be here on account of illness and distance to travel. The funeral has been set for Friday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock from the new First Presbyterian Church, with Dr. T. S. Knox officiating. The life of "Grandma" Parker needs no eulogy. It speaks for itself. She was a living example of the purest, sweetest, kindest and most lovable life that could be lived by a mortal being and a devout Christian. The history of the life of Mrs. Parker dates back to Dec. 3, 1832, when she was born in Frankfort, Ky., an daughter of Joseph Clarke, an elder in the Presbyterian church and his father before him was also an elder in the same church. Miss Sallie A. Clarke (maiden name of the deceased) joined the church at the early age of eleven years, under the preaching of the once well known, Rev. Stuart R. Robinson, whose name is today revered in the state of Kentucky. The mother of Miss Sallie Clarke, died when she was only six years old. On Nov. 20, 1851, Miss Sallie A. Clarke was married to Robt. H. Parker in Frankfort, Ky. To this union twelve children were born, ten daughters and two sons. Besides these twelve children, Major and Mrs. Parker reared three grandchildren and one orphan boy. After living in Frankfort a number of years, the family moved to Burlin, Mo., and later to Lexington, Mo., which was before the Civil war. In 1861 the family moved to Texas and located at McKinney, where they lived until 1869, when the family moved to Shreveport, La., where Mr. Parker was in the service of the government. He was a major in the Civil War. After spending some four years in Shreveport, the family moved back to the old home in McKinney, Texas, where they remained until they moved to Abilene on Dec. 31, 1883. Abilene was then a village, the town having been organized in March, 1881. Upon moving to Abilene, Major Parker became connected with the M. T. Jones Lumber Company, one of the two lumber yards in Abilene at that time. Later on Major Parker established the R. H. Parker Lunber Co. on the property just east of the present homestead, where the Coca Cola Bottling Works plant is located. Major Parker died on Sept. 15, 1896. The old home in which Mrs. Parker died was built in 1885 and has been the home of Mrs. Parker these forty years and during all this time, despite the fact that other members of the family lived there with her, the old home was always Mrs. Parker's home and never lost its identity to other members of the family. Of the twelve children born to Major and Mrs. Parker, eight survive. Those who have gone on before are Joseph Clarke Parker, and three daughters Mary, Jennie and Roberta. The living children are Mrs. Hallie Adams, Dallas; Mrs. Bettie Kelly, Denver, Colo.; Mrs. Sallie Willis, Abilene; John T. Parker, Hurley, N. M.; Mrs. Maggie Cox, Abilene; Mrs. Lavinia P. McDaniel, Abilene; Mrs. Neva Woodward, Dallas, and Mrs. Nellie Jack, Beaumont. The son and Mesdames Jack and Kelly are unable to be here for the funeral. Grandmother of 35. Mrs. Parker was the grandmother of thirty-five grandchildren, of whom twenty- one are living and there are also fourteen great-grandchildren. Mrs. Parker was the oldest member of the First Presbyterian church both in years and service and for many years was the teacher of a Sunday School class. Most of her children were reared in a country home, remote from churches, and she taught them the catechism out of her own head and reared her children in the good old fashioned way, adhereing to the very strictest rules of Christian living. Mrs. Parker was always cheerful and no one ever heard her say an unkind remark about anybody. She was friend to all and sought to do all she could to help humanity. Always a worker in the church, she looked forward to the opening of the new First Presbyterian Church and her funeral will be the first to be held in the new edifice. Just one week exactly before she passed away, she visited the church and while there offered a prayer on her knees. She attended church Sunday before last on the last day that the congregation worshiped in the Carnegie Library Auditorium, prior to moving into the new church the following week. At the request of Mrs. Parker, Mrs. S. M. Alexander will sing a solo at the funeral service and there will be special numbers by the choir, and it was the requested wish of the deceased that the choir master, Mr. Henry Morgan, preside over the music at her funeral, assisted by Mrs. Jesse Walker. Mrs. Alexander will sing "Come Thou Disconsolate." Mr. Morgan will sing "Face to Face." Other members of the choir were selected at her request, and some of the songs that will be sung were requested by her. The pall bearers will be eight grandsons, four sons of Mr. and Mrs. T. M. Willis and four sons of Mr. and Mrs. George W. McDaniel. John T. Willis of Waco arrived in Abilene this morning and Parker Willis of Wichita Falls came in yesterday. Yancey C. McDaniel, who was out of the city arrived Thursday morning. The other grandsons are George, Robert and Julian McDaniel and Grant and Tom Willis. The present pulpit in the First Presbyterian Church was given to the church 40 years ago by the husband of the deceased, who assisted in construction of a number of the old churches of this section of West Texas. Submitted by: T. Bradford Willis http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00031.html#0007638 This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/