Find A Grave contributor.

From her Find A Grave biography:
I started researching my grandpa's surname Parks 1979-1982. Raised my son resumed my quest with full force in 1997. Not taking no for an answer.
Jock Parks had his own way of doing genealogy. He may have not known that was what he was doing, but he was searching for those "Lost Parks Of Chariton County Missouri"
My Great "Aunt Corie" gave me a few simple clues. With those few clues it has been a long and hard search spanning nearly 30 years.
From the letters that had been written for her to personal interviews when I returned from a 2 year tour in North Africa with an oil company. This is what she had to say.
1. Papa was orphaned when he was 2 1/2 years old raised by some people in Chariton County she did not know. I found out for you Aunt Corie
2. Papa's mother was Amelia White. (McAllister, Moore, Parks)
3. Amelia had a half brother Aquilla Jones that sent "Aunt Corie", Lucy & Violet to school. When I asked her why he didn't send grandpa to school, her answer was "He was needed on the farm." Daisy was already grown, married and starting a family.
4. He had a sister, Sarah, married a DeHaven, lived in the Rocheport area and that was all she knew about her. (I found her Aunt Corie)
5. He had a brother Noah and he moved to Imperial California.
I wanted to know what happened to make Columbus an orphan. I thought it would be simple. Little did I know. Ever since then I have hit one brick wall after another. I have tromped, traced and tracked Chariton, Howard, Randolph, Boone, Audrain, and a few in between and beyond.
Probate records burned in 1861 during the Civil War. Then the entire courthouse burns in 1960 to the ground. "Have you checked Tax Records, you say?" They were stored on the stairwell to the tower. "When the Walls Come Tumbling Down" Lemuel's probate court record was empty. Amelia dies approximately 2 months later.
This is only naming a few of the brick walls.
Oh! yea along comes internet. Wow that really helped! Everybody and their brother in Chariton County was trying to connect Lemuel to Perterson Parks Sr's family. It didn't fit, it was like sticking a square peg in a round hole. "You all what about John Parks, I ask?" Well I just don't know anything about him. So the search was on. Since that time I have had Nathan Parks family, Sarah Parks Littleton family, Will Parks family and a Dehaven descendant, get in contact with me and agree, I was onto something. Read in between the lines, read their dash. The paper proof is not there, but the heart is.