Cora Alice Parker and her mother Emma Watson (c1858 - 9 Dec 1889)
The search for our ancestors is never over! One discovery always leads to another and another. The less I know about an ancestor the more I want to know. My great grandmother Cora Alice Parker Rivers died in 1960. I was only two at the time and have no memory of her. I am from a small town in Louisiana and most of the people there can be traced back several hundred years in the same community. Cora was different, she was from Texas and she was a Parker! That fueled my curiosity!
Prior to my research on this family, I had seen a copy of the death certificate for grandma Cora and it stated her parents were Henry Clay Parker and Emma Watson. As I begun my research on my great grandmother's family, I contacted her son, Clarence Rivers. Uncle Clarence was nearing 90 at the time and he was the only one of Cora's four children still living. He was thrilled to talk about his youth and what little he knew about his mother's family. Interviewing your older family members is imperative to the research. You never know what information they'll remember!
Uncle Clarence told me how his father, my great grandfather, Clarence Sr., had been working on a ranch in Texas when he met Cora. married her and brought her back to Louisiana to live among his family. Clarence and Cora had two children, Eva born 1904 and Houston born in 1907. Clarence was a city Marshall for the small town of Noble, Louisiana and according to Uncle Clarence his parents owned a small general store/restaurant. In 1908, my great grandfather Clarence Sr, accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun. After he was buried, my great grandmother sold some of her property and moved back to Texas to live near her family.
When Cora Parker Rivers left Louisiana, she had no idea that she was pregnant with her 3rd child. Uncle Clarence was born in Lavon, Collin County, Texas on June 30, 1909. Sometime after that, her brother-in-law Cleve Rivers visited her and the children in Texas and he convinced her to marry him and move back to Louisiana with her children. In 1911, Cora and Cleve added a son to their family.
Cora Alice Parker Rivers with Clarence C. Rivers, Jr.
in her lap, Houston Paul Rivers on her left and my
grandmother Eva Gertrude Rivers on her right. (Photo
most likely taken in Lavon, Collin County, Texas)
I was able to gather a few clues from Uncle Clarence as I recorded several conversations with him! He knew her mother had died when she was young and that she had half sister's that helped raise her. Uncle Clarence had a great memory and he recalled when Cora's father had died in the 1920's and how sad she was that she couldn't attend his funeral back in Lavon, Texas. He also told me that on at least on one occasion Cora had a brother named Uncle Bud that came through Louisiana and stopped for a visit.
So these were my clues:
1) Henry Clay Parker and Emma Watson were her parents
2) Mother died while she was young
3) She had step-siblings and a brother
4) She was from Lavon, Texas, close to Dallas
5) She had a brother named Bud Parker
With this knowledge, I began my search. I combed message boards looking for possible links and I even posted a few of my own in search of this family. I checked the census records and found Henry Clay Parker in Texas with wives #1 and #2, I was even able to track him back to Louisiana living with his parents. I found a marriage record for his first wife, Mary Ann Watson...I even found a descendant from one of Henry's sisters...but I the only item I found for Emma was when someone sent me a newspaper clipping that was for the obituary of Emma Parker wife of Henry Clay Parker. She died in 1889 and had been taken to Grayson County for burial.
Over the years I had reconstructed the life of Henry Clay Parker. He was born in Alabama to John R. Parker and Mary A. Lions. In 1850 and 1860 he was his parents and siblings in Union Parish, Louisiana. In 1864 a 20 year old Henry married Mary Ann Watson. He fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy. He and Mary Ann had 4 children with their 3rd child born in 1875 in Louisiana and their 4th child born 1878 in Texas. On the 1800 census he and Mary Ann are listed in Collin County, Texas with their four children. So I know in1880 he was married to Mary Ann and in 1889 Emma Watson Parker passed away.
So, now I had to piece together the 20 years between 1880 and 1890!. The 1900 census listed Henry Clay with his 3rd wife, 39 year old Ellen M. Parker. My great grandmother, 14 year old Cora Parker was in this household and so was a 15 year old Samuel. So far, I had not found Cora's brother Bud which my great uncle had spoke up. I had to continue digging. Eventually I ran across someone that was able to tell me that Bud's given name was Sidney Parker and this was confirmed through census records and Henry Clay's death warrant. Sidney was born in 1882, Samuel in 1884 and Cora in 1886. Those three names are very important!
Over the years, my Parker tree has continued to grow; however, my Watson tree was at a standstill with no roots to help it grow. Fast forward to 2015 and DNA! One day I'm review some of my DNA matches on ancestry. I have this match that I'm looking at because they also have the Craig name in their tree, but nothing is familiar. Then I notice that they have a family of Watsons, then I notice that these Watsons are in Grayson County, TX. Could it be? Could I have found my great grandmother's family. In review this family in my matches tree, I found an Emma who was living with her parents and she was a widow, with no children. I also noticed that Emma's father and a brother was named Samuel, she had a brother Sidney and she had sister named Cora. In my head I heard fireworks going off. Without the DNA this info was be circumstantial...but given the names and the DNA match and the shared matches of that DNA match...I have found my Emma Watson Parker's family!!!!
Sometimes it takes years...but in the end...it's all worth the wait! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to add them below.
Happy hunting,
Ruth
Prior to my research on this family, I had seen a copy of the death certificate for grandma Cora and it stated her parents were Henry Clay Parker and Emma Watson. As I begun my research on my great grandmother's family, I contacted her son, Clarence Rivers. Uncle Clarence was nearing 90 at the time and he was the only one of Cora's four children still living. He was thrilled to talk about his youth and what little he knew about his mother's family. Interviewing your older family members is imperative to the research. You never know what information they'll remember!
Uncle Clarence told me how his father, my great grandfather, Clarence Sr., had been working on a ranch in Texas when he met Cora. married her and brought her back to Louisiana to live among his family. Clarence and Cora had two children, Eva born 1904 and Houston born in 1907. Clarence was a city Marshall for the small town of Noble, Louisiana and according to Uncle Clarence his parents owned a small general store/restaurant. In 1908, my great grandfather Clarence Sr, accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun. After he was buried, my great grandmother sold some of her property and moved back to Texas to live near her family.
When Cora Parker Rivers left Louisiana, she had no idea that she was pregnant with her 3rd child. Uncle Clarence was born in Lavon, Collin County, Texas on June 30, 1909. Sometime after that, her brother-in-law Cleve Rivers visited her and the children in Texas and he convinced her to marry him and move back to Louisiana with her children. In 1911, Cora and Cleve added a son to their family.
in her lap, Houston Paul Rivers on her left and my
grandmother Eva Gertrude Rivers on her right. (Photo
most likely taken in Lavon, Collin County, Texas)
I was able to gather a few clues from Uncle Clarence as I recorded several conversations with him! He knew her mother had died when she was young and that she had half sister's that helped raise her. Uncle Clarence had a great memory and he recalled when Cora's father had died in the 1920's and how sad she was that she couldn't attend his funeral back in Lavon, Texas. He also told me that on at least on one occasion Cora had a brother named Uncle Bud that came through Louisiana and stopped for a visit.
So these were my clues:
1) Henry Clay Parker and Emma Watson were her parents
2) Mother died while she was young
3) She had step-siblings and a brother
4) She was from Lavon, Texas, close to Dallas
5) She had a brother named Bud Parker
With this knowledge, I began my search. I combed message boards looking for possible links and I even posted a few of my own in search of this family. I checked the census records and found Henry Clay Parker in Texas with wives #1 and #2, I was even able to track him back to Louisiana living with his parents. I found a marriage record for his first wife, Mary Ann Watson...I even found a descendant from one of Henry's sisters...but I the only item I found for Emma was when someone sent me a newspaper clipping that was for the obituary of Emma Parker wife of Henry Clay Parker. She died in 1889 and had been taken to Grayson County for burial.
Over the years I had reconstructed the life of Henry Clay Parker. He was born in Alabama to John R. Parker and Mary A. Lions. In 1850 and 1860 he was his parents and siblings in Union Parish, Louisiana. In 1864 a 20 year old Henry married Mary Ann Watson. He fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy. He and Mary Ann had 4 children with their 3rd child born in 1875 in Louisiana and their 4th child born 1878 in Texas. On the 1800 census he and Mary Ann are listed in Collin County, Texas with their four children. So I know in1880 he was married to Mary Ann and in 1889 Emma Watson Parker passed away.
So, now I had to piece together the 20 years between 1880 and 1890!. The 1900 census listed Henry Clay with his 3rd wife, 39 year old Ellen M. Parker. My great grandmother, 14 year old Cora Parker was in this household and so was a 15 year old Samuel. So far, I had not found Cora's brother Bud which my great uncle had spoke up. I had to continue digging. Eventually I ran across someone that was able to tell me that Bud's given name was Sidney Parker and this was confirmed through census records and Henry Clay's death warrant. Sidney was born in 1882, Samuel in 1884 and Cora in 1886. Those three names are very important!
Over the years, my Parker tree has continued to grow; however, my Watson tree was at a standstill with no roots to help it grow. Fast forward to 2015 and DNA! One day I'm review some of my DNA matches on ancestry. I have this match that I'm looking at because they also have the Craig name in their tree, but nothing is familiar. Then I notice that they have a family of Watsons, then I notice that these Watsons are in Grayson County, TX. Could it be? Could I have found my great grandmother's family. In review this family in my matches tree, I found an Emma who was living with her parents and she was a widow, with no children. I also noticed that Emma's father and a brother was named Samuel, she had a brother Sidney and she had sister named Cora. In my head I heard fireworks going off. Without the DNA this info was be circumstantial...but given the names and the DNA match and the shared matches of that DNA match...I have found my Emma Watson Parker's family!!!!
Sometimes it takes years...but in the end...it's all worth the wait! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to add them below.
Happy hunting,
Ruth
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