JOHN D. PARRISH (1839 - ABT 1895; age 56)

FATHER: Marcus Winchester Parrish (TN) (1818 – ABT 1869; age ABT 51)

MOTHER: Frances (Fanny) Proctor-Parrish-Bragg (TN) (1817 – ABT 1889; age ABT 72)

PARRISH/PROTOR FAMILY:

John was the oldest child of Marcus Winchester and Francis (Frances) "Fannie" Proctor-Parrish. He was born in Sumner County, TN where the Proctor and Parrish families were close friends.  Between 1844 and 1847, Marcus and Francis (Fannie) and their three children departed TN to farm in Fayette County, IL (1950 Census).  Marcus and Fannie then moved to MO (birth records of Rebecca Ann Parrish). With the lure of free land (160-acre homesteads), the couple and their (now) 6 children arrived in Weatherford, Parker County, Texas in 1859 (per the 1860 census and 1869 voter rolls). 

The 6 living children of Marcus and Fannie: were JOHN D. PARRISH (TN 1839 – UNK After 1889); Jesse Lambert (J.L.) Parrish (TN 1841 – 1918); Nancy R. Parrish (TN 1844-1928); Martha Rose Parrish-Sisco-Roberts (IL 1851-1935); Henry Marcus Parrish (IL 1852 – 1916); and Rebecca Ann Parrish-Pearl (MO 1857-1913).

JOHN D. PARRISH

LIFE AFTER ARIVAL IN PARKER COUNTY, TX:

1861: As required by law, John (age 23), his brother Lessie Lambert (J. L.) Parrish (age 20), and his father (age 43) enlisted in the Confederate Army. They joined the Confederate's 8 battalion of mounted rifles, who primarily defended Texas from Comanches.

1865: The war ended, allowing the men to return to their families, but the conflicts with the Comanches remained for another 10 years. The war certainly complicated the courting process for young John D. Parrish.

ABT 1869: John's father, Marcus W. Parrish died ABT 1869 (age 51) a short 10 years after arriving in Parker County, TX. No records were found of the burial location.  Note: The burial location of all of the Parrish's (and their spouses) who died in Parker County in the late 1800's and early 1900's remains unknown, suggesting burial in the old Weatherford Cemetery, which has many lost records, or a family graveyard on the Weatherford, Parker County farm(s) that has been erased by time.

1870:  The 1870 census records show John's mother (Fannie) as a widow living with her youngest son, Henry Marcus Parrish and youngest daughter Rebecca Ann Parrish. At the time, John (age 30 per census records) was living separately with his 1st wife Martha E. (age 18 and an unknown maiden name) and their 1-year-old son (Theo W. or Thomas W.), who apparently died before 1880. This suggest that John was 28 and Martha was 16 , when she became pregnant with Theo.

1878: Martha died sometime after the birth of their third child (Richard D. Parrish) in 1877 and prior to John marrying Mary Horton in 1879. John would have been 40 in 1879 and the age of his new wife Mary is unknown. No records, other than the marriage record, were found on Mary, suggesting she was a widow and her maiden name is unknown. 

1880: The railroad came to Weatherford in 1880, bringing civilization in the way of wood boards for construction, barbed wire, and other basic goods. The 1880 census documented that John D. was living in Weatherford, Parker County as a widower with his mother (Fannie Proctor-Parrish-Bragg), his "new" step father William Bragg. William Bragg was of the famous Bragg clan who settled Young County and were attacked by 600 Comanches in the famous "Elm Creek Raid" of 1864. Also living in the home were John's three living children (George, Willie, and Richard).

There was no mention of Mary Horton-Parrish in the 1880 census. Did Mary Horton Parrish died shortly after the November marriage, or did she have a change of heart and leave the county and her children (unlikely)? Young Theo (Thomas) had died by 1880.  

John's sister, Nancy R. Parrish-Blythe suffered a tragic mental illness episode in 1880 and was hospitalized for the remainder of her life. 

JOHN AND MARTHA'S THEE LIVING CHILDREN:

George Henry Parrish (ABT 1871 – UKN AFTER 1912). George was born between ABT 1871. At age ABT 19, George married Mary E. Parrish, the oldest daughter of his uncle Jessie Lambert (J. L.) Parrish. The couple were were 1st cousins.  George and Mary had two living children, Freddie (Fred) Parrish (1890 – 1964) and Chester Cleveland Parrish, Sr (1892-1961). Mary died sometime shortly after the birth of Chester in 1892. The burial location of Mary is presumed to be near the farm south of Ranger, Eastland County, TX, as it is assumed both were living with or near Mary's father J. L. Parrish who moved to his new 640-acre farm in Eastland County sometime around 1889. 

Very little is know of George's life, other than his stay in the state penitentiary during the 1910 federal census. The last record of George was in 1912, with an address in Ft Worth where he was working for the railroad and living with Chester (age 20). The burial location of George is unknown.

Willie J. Parrish (ABT 1875 – UKN). She/he has no recorded after 1880. The 1990 Census burned loosing all marriage records. If female, she may have been married by the time of the 2000 census, taking a different name. If male, the most likely outcome was his death prior to the 2000 census.

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Richard D. Parrish (1877 – AFTER 1900). Little can be confirmed about Richard D. Parrish. A Richard "F." Parrish, from Weatherford, TX of a similar age was discharged from the U.S. Army in April 1902. One of the census workers (1980 or 1900) could have made a mistake when documenting his middle initial. A Richard Parrish, of the same age, was in a Ft Worth prison in 1900.

1886: John's brother-in-law, Sidon Blythe, charged with an unknown crime lost his appeal in a state court of appeals. He escaped to the Indian territory, abandoning Nancy's and his three children.  The courts granted guardianship to John's brother J. L. Parrish, as John (the oldest brother) was a widower attempting to raise his three children.

1888: William Bragg died ABT 1888, and like all the Parishes, he was presumed buried at an unknown location in the Weatherford, Parker County area.

1889: John sold 20 acres out of the Easley patent acquired by his father. In September 1889, he married his third wife, Sarah J. Smith.

1890: The federal 1990 census records burned, leaving a huge gap in knowledge regarding family history.

1894: John and Sarah, and John's brother Jessie Lambert (J.L.) sold an additional 80 acres of the 160-acre Easley Patent acquired by their father (who died in 1869). Both sons were living in Eastland County at the time, where J. L. had purchased 640 acres south of Ranger, TX. This is the last record of John D. Parrish or Sarah J. Smith-Parrish.

2000: J. L. Parrish and his wife Rasa were living in Eastland County, south of Ranger, TX with their two youngest children, John's oldest son (George Parrish), and George's two children (Fred and Chester). The 2000 census has no record of John, or his 3rd wife Sarah J. Smith-Parrish. This suggests John had died by 2000 and is presumed buried in Parker County, with one or more of his 3 wives and his parents.  

Compiled in honor or John D. Parrish for the descendants of Marcus Winchester Parrish by Lee Davis, Granbury, TX February 2023