Civil War veteran—private in 95th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; survived Andersonville POW Camp, and the steamboat Sultana disaster on the Mississippi River.
Isaac Newton Parker was a son of Mary (née Jenkins) and Joseph M. Parker, born on 23 June 1837 in Hardy County, then in Virginia, now in West Virginia. Isaac was enumerated in that county in 1850 with his family headed by his father, and in 1860 with his family headed by his mother (his father presumably having passed away).
Isaac N. Parker was drafted for service in the Confederate Army, but chose to fight for the Union. He enlisted as a private for 3 years' service on 3 August 1862, and mustered in Company G, 95th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on 19 August 1862 at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio. Just 10 days later, the 95th Ohio took part in the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, which ended in an overwhelming Confederate victory. Five men of Company G were killed or mortally wounded. Most of the regiment was captured, then exchanged on 20 November 1862, and reorganized at Camp Chase until March 1863.
In April 1863, the 95th Ohio joined the campaign against the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi. It participated in the 19 and 22 May 1863 assaults on the fortifications, and in the siege that resulted in the surrender of the city on 4 July 1863. Immediately afterwards, the 95th Ohio joined in the Siege of Jackson, Mississippi, which forced the Confederates to abandon the state capital.
The 95th Ohio's next major engagement was the 10 June 1864 Battle of Brice's Cross Roads, near Baldwyn, Mississippi. Despite outnumbering the Confederates two to one, the Union retreat turned into a panicked rout, with over 1,600 Union soldiers captured or missing. Private Parker was one of the 13 men of his company taken prisoner. He was held captive for 9 months at the infamous Andersonville Prison in Georgia and the Cahaba Prison in Alabama before being exchanged.*
The steamship Sultana was hired to transport paroled Union soldiers up the Mississippi River from Vicksburg to Saint Louis, Missouri. Private Parker was among the nearly 2,000 paroled Union soldiers who boarded the severely overcrowded steamer on 24 April 1865. Shortly after stopping at Memphis, Tennessee, on 27 April, the Sultana's boilers exploded, shattering the wooden vessel and starting an inferno. Nearly 1,000 soldiers are thought to have been killed; the exact number of passenger and crew fatalities is not known. Private Parker was one of the hundreds of survivors taken to hospitals in Memphis. Private Parker made his way to Cairo, Illinois, and then to Camp Chase, Ohio, where he was mustered out on 20 May 1865. Isaac Parker then went to Clark County, Ohio, where his family had relocated during the war.
Isaac N. Parker and Miss Lucinda R. "Standley" were married on 7 December 1865 in neighboring Madison County, Ohio. He farmed on rented land in (or near) Clark County, and in 1870 relocated to East Bend Township Champaign County, Illinois. His elder sister Ann Jane and her husband Washington Cook had settled in that township about 1868, and Lucinda Parker's parents Sarah and John Stanley also settled there in the 1870s.
Isaac N. Parker purchased 40 acres in East Bend Township and farmed there for 4 or 5 years. He sold that land, rented another farm for 2 years, moved again and rented—and later purchased—160 acres in the township's Section 11. He also acquired 180 acres of farmland in Orel Township, Wayne County, southern Illinois.
Isaac N. and Lucinda Parker were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom lived to maturity (and were his heirs): Mary E., Sarah Ann, Frances, Lulu Margaret, Charles Edward, John H., Clarence Stanley, and Frank. "Two children of this family died in infancy, and Etta May at the age of five months."**
Lucinda and Isaac Parker were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served on grand juries and the school board, and was a member of Dewey Post, No. 282, G. A. R.
Isaac N. Parker died from sarcoma of the pancreas on 8 January 1910 in East Bend Township, aged 72 years. His widow Lucinda passed away 16 months later at a hospital in Peoria, Illinois.
Notes
* Private Parker was "Captured June 10, 1864, at the battle of Brice's Cross Roads, Miss.; prisoner at Andersonville and other Rebel Prisons; mustered out May 20, 1865, at Camp Chase, O., by order of War Department." (Ohio Roster Commission, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, vol. 7 (87th – 108th Regiments – Infantry) (Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Press, 1888), p. 270.) In this work, middle initial is "W." On his pension card, middle initial is "N."
"The 95th Regiment will be raised in the counties of Champaign, Madison, Franklin and Licking." (Cleveland Morning Leader, 11 Jul 1862, p. 2.) Many of the men of Company G were from Champaign Co.
"—Among the Ohio soldiers known to have been on board the steamer Sultana at the time of her ill-fated explosion, near Memphis, April 27, are the following: […]
"95th Inf.— […] Isaac N. Parker, [Company] G; […]" ("Ohio Soldiers on Board the Sultana," The Daily Ohio Statesman, Columbus, Ohio, 3 May 1865, p. 3.) Seventeen other soldiers of the 95th Ohio were on the Sultana, but their status was not reported.
** Bio. of Isaac N. Parker in: The Biographical Record of Champaign County Illinois, (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1900), pp. 608-09. Date of birth, parents, siblings, wife, children; accounts of military service and residences. Does not identify family that lived in Clark Co., Ohio.
1850 U.S. Census, 23rd Dist., Hardy County, Virginia; dwelling 478, family 485, lines 1-8, p. 37 (printed), 20 Aug 1850.
1. Joseph Parker, 52, laborer, Virginia.
2. Mary -----, 47, Virginia.
3. William -----, 14, Virginia.
4. Mary Ann -----, 10, Virginia.
5. Isaac -----, 13, Virginia.
6. Rebecca -----, 6, Virginia.
7. Betsy Ann -----, 21, Virginia.
8. Eliza -----, 10/12, Virginia.
1860 U.S. Census, 2nd Dist., Hardy County, Virginia; dwelling 747, family 754, lines 7-12, p. 110 (written), 17 Jul 1860. (P.O.: Moorefield.)
7. Mary Parker, 57, (-0-; $100), Virginia.
8. John -----, 25, laborer, Virginia.
9. Isaac -----, 23, laborer, Virginia.
10. Mary A. -----, 20, Virginia.
11. Rebecca -----, 17, Virginia.
12. James S. C. ----- 1, Virginia.
Hardy Co. was among the pro-Union counties that in 1861 seceded from Virginia, becoming the state of West Virginia in 1863.
"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDP7-1TL : 26 August 2019), Isaac N Parker and Lucinda R Standley, 07 Dec 1865; citing Marriage, Madison, Ohio, United States, p 309, Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus; FHL microfilm. Bride's surname written twice as "Standley." Surname appears in other records as "Stanley."
1870 U.S. Census, Ross Twp., Greene Co., Ohio; dwelling 5, family 5, lines 28-31, p. 174 (printed), p. 1 (written), 7 Sep 1870. (P.O.: Yellow Springs.)
28. Parker, Isaac N., 33, farm hand (-0-; $1,300), Virginia.
29. ----- Lucinda R., 20 keeping house, Ohio.
30. ----- Mary E., 4, at home, Ohio.
31. ----- Sarah, 1, at home, Ohio.
On an 1873 map of Champaign County, Illinois, residents of Section 21, East Bend Township, included I. Parker and W. Cook. (Index to the Map of Champaign Co., Illinois published by Warner & Beers, 1873, Jean E. Koch and Dian M. Strutz, comp. (Urbana, Illinois: Champaign County Historical Archives, 1994.)
1880 U.S. Census, E.D. 9, East Bend Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois; dwelling 119, family 121, lines 29-36, p. 14 (written), 11 Jun 1880.
29. Parker, Isaac N., 43 [head], farmer, self and parents born in Virginia.
30. ----- Lucinda, 32, wife, keeping house; born in Ohio, father in N.J., mother in Md.
31. ----- Mary A., 14, daughter, Ohio.
32. ----- "Sahra" A., 11, daughter, Ohio.
33. ----- Frances, 9, daughter, Illinois.
34. ----- Luly, 3, daughter, Illinois.
35. ----- Charles E., 1, son, Illinois.
36. Newman, Peter, 29, boarder, farmer; self and parents born in Sweden.
• Isaac's sister and brother-in-law, Ann J. and Washington Cook, enumerated in East Bend Twp., dwelling 41, p. 5 (written).
• Lucinda's parents, John and Sarah "Standly," enumerated in East Bend Twp., dwelling 46, p. 6 (written).
• Enumerated on the same page were Union Army veterans Joseph Bartles, William Ald, and S. G. Stevenson.
24 Jan 1884: Filed for an invalid's pension.
Isaac Parker listed as a tenant farmer in Section 11, East Bend Township in: Champaign County Directory and Gazetteer, 1885 (Urbana, Illinois: D. McKenzie & Co., 1885), p. 257.
On an 1893 map of East Bend Township, I. N. Parker shown to own 160 acres—the northwest quarter of Section 11. (Plat Book of Champaign County, Illinois (Chicago: Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1893), p. 32)
1900 U.S. Census, E.D. 13, East Bend Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois; dwelling 215, family 215, lines 4-9, p. 35 (printed), p. 12 (written), 29 Jun 1900.
4. Parker, Isaak N., head, Jun 1837, 67, married 35 years; self and parents born in West Virginia; farmer.
5. ----- Lucinda R., wife, Jul 1850, 49, married 35 years, 10 children (8 living); born in Ohio, father in North Carolina, mother in Ohio.
6. ----- Clarence T., son, Jan 1883, 17, Illinois, farm laborer.
7. ----- Frank, son, Nov 1886, 13, Illinois, farm laborer.
8. ----- Charles E., son, Feb 1879, 21, Illinois, farm laborer.
9. Newman, Peter, boarder, Nov 1849, 50, single; self and parents born in Sweden; immigrated in 1869, 31 years resident in U.S., naturalized; farmer.
"Isaac Parker Summoned," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 8 Jan 1910, p. 7.
"Illinois Deaths and Burials, 1749-1999", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HGBJ-DP6Z : 14 February 2020), Isaac Newton Parker, 8 Jan 1910, Champaign Co. (image 1211/1458).
"Isaac N. Parker of the Town of East Bend in Champaign County, Illinois." Will dated 30 Dec 1909; proved 4 Feb 1910.
"Third: […] beloved wife Lucinda R. Parker […]
"Seventh: […] bequeath the North West Quarter of Section 11 [East Bend Twp.] to my following [seven] named children, viz: Mary E. Swords, Sarah A. Boehle, Lula M. Braden, Charles E Parker, John H. Parker, Clarence Parker and Frank Parker […]
"Tenth: I give and devise to my daughter Frances Woolever and my friend Peter Newman my farm in Wayne County Illinois […]"
Isaac N. Parker's "estate is estimated to be worth $43,000, of which $3,000 is personal [property]." In 2021 dollars, the estate would be worth nearly $1.2 million. ("Isaac N. Parker's WIll," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 14 Jan 1910, p. 1.)
A 1910 map shows that I. N. Parker owned a total of 180 acres in Sections 1 and 12 in the northwest corner of Orel Twp., Wayne Co., Illinois. ("Map of Orel Township," Standard Atlas of Wayne County, Illinois (Chicago: Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1910), p. 32.)
Research notes
The source of the photo of Isaac N. Parker is unknown.
A list of the officers and men of an artillery battery included Corporal Isaac N. Parker. ("Wade & Hutchins' Battery of Artillery," Western Reserve Chronicle, Warren, Ohio, 16 Oct 1861, p. 2.) This unit appears to have been incorporated into the 6th Regt., Ohio Vol. Cavalry. The pension card for Parker, Isaac N. (widow Parker, Lucinda R.) shows service in only "G 95" Ohio Inf."
Reviewed 22 February 2021.
Isaac Newton Parker was a son of Mary (née Jenkins) and Joseph M. Parker, born on 23 June 1837 in Hardy County, then in Virginia, now in West Virginia. Isaac was enumerated in that county in 1850 with his family headed by his father, and in 1860 with his family headed by his mother (his father presumably having passed away).
Isaac N. Parker was drafted for service in the Confederate Army, but chose to fight for the Union. He enlisted as a private for 3 years' service on 3 August 1862, and mustered in Company G, 95th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on 19 August 1862 at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio. Just 10 days later, the 95th Ohio took part in the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, which ended in an overwhelming Confederate victory. Five men of Company G were killed or mortally wounded. Most of the regiment was captured, then exchanged on 20 November 1862, and reorganized at Camp Chase until March 1863.
In April 1863, the 95th Ohio joined the campaign against the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi. It participated in the 19 and 22 May 1863 assaults on the fortifications, and in the siege that resulted in the surrender of the city on 4 July 1863. Immediately afterwards, the 95th Ohio joined in the Siege of Jackson, Mississippi, which forced the Confederates to abandon the state capital.
The 95th Ohio's next major engagement was the 10 June 1864 Battle of Brice's Cross Roads, near Baldwyn, Mississippi. Despite outnumbering the Confederates two to one, the Union retreat turned into a panicked rout, with over 1,600 Union soldiers captured or missing. Private Parker was one of the 13 men of his company taken prisoner. He was held captive for 9 months at the infamous Andersonville Prison in Georgia and the Cahaba Prison in Alabama before being exchanged.*
The steamship Sultana was hired to transport paroled Union soldiers up the Mississippi River from Vicksburg to Saint Louis, Missouri. Private Parker was among the nearly 2,000 paroled Union soldiers who boarded the severely overcrowded steamer on 24 April 1865. Shortly after stopping at Memphis, Tennessee, on 27 April, the Sultana's boilers exploded, shattering the wooden vessel and starting an inferno. Nearly 1,000 soldiers are thought to have been killed; the exact number of passenger and crew fatalities is not known. Private Parker was one of the hundreds of survivors taken to hospitals in Memphis. Private Parker made his way to Cairo, Illinois, and then to Camp Chase, Ohio, where he was mustered out on 20 May 1865. Isaac Parker then went to Clark County, Ohio, where his family had relocated during the war.
Isaac N. Parker and Miss Lucinda R. "Standley" were married on 7 December 1865 in neighboring Madison County, Ohio. He farmed on rented land in (or near) Clark County, and in 1870 relocated to East Bend Township Champaign County, Illinois. His elder sister Ann Jane and her husband Washington Cook had settled in that township about 1868, and Lucinda Parker's parents Sarah and John Stanley also settled there in the 1870s.
Isaac N. Parker purchased 40 acres in East Bend Township and farmed there for 4 or 5 years. He sold that land, rented another farm for 2 years, moved again and rented—and later purchased—160 acres in the township's Section 11. He also acquired 180 acres of farmland in Orel Township, Wayne County, southern Illinois.
Isaac N. and Lucinda Parker were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom lived to maturity (and were his heirs): Mary E., Sarah Ann, Frances, Lulu Margaret, Charles Edward, John H., Clarence Stanley, and Frank. "Two children of this family died in infancy, and Etta May at the age of five months."**
Lucinda and Isaac Parker were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served on grand juries and the school board, and was a member of Dewey Post, No. 282, G. A. R.
Isaac N. Parker died from sarcoma of the pancreas on 8 January 1910 in East Bend Township, aged 72 years. His widow Lucinda passed away 16 months later at a hospital in Peoria, Illinois.
Notes
* Private Parker was "Captured June 10, 1864, at the battle of Brice's Cross Roads, Miss.; prisoner at Andersonville and other Rebel Prisons; mustered out May 20, 1865, at Camp Chase, O., by order of War Department." (Ohio Roster Commission, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, vol. 7 (87th – 108th Regiments – Infantry) (Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Press, 1888), p. 270.) In this work, middle initial is "W." On his pension card, middle initial is "N."
"The 95th Regiment will be raised in the counties of Champaign, Madison, Franklin and Licking." (Cleveland Morning Leader, 11 Jul 1862, p. 2.) Many of the men of Company G were from Champaign Co.
"—Among the Ohio soldiers known to have been on board the steamer Sultana at the time of her ill-fated explosion, near Memphis, April 27, are the following: […]
"95th Inf.— […] Isaac N. Parker, [Company] G; […]" ("Ohio Soldiers on Board the Sultana," The Daily Ohio Statesman, Columbus, Ohio, 3 May 1865, p. 3.) Seventeen other soldiers of the 95th Ohio were on the Sultana, but their status was not reported.
** Bio. of Isaac N. Parker in: The Biographical Record of Champaign County Illinois, (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1900), pp. 608-09. Date of birth, parents, siblings, wife, children; accounts of military service and residences. Does not identify family that lived in Clark Co., Ohio.
1850 U.S. Census, 23rd Dist., Hardy County, Virginia; dwelling 478, family 485, lines 1-8, p. 37 (printed), 20 Aug 1850.
1. Joseph Parker, 52, laborer, Virginia.
2. Mary -----, 47, Virginia.
3. William -----, 14, Virginia.
4. Mary Ann -----, 10, Virginia.
5. Isaac -----, 13, Virginia.
6. Rebecca -----, 6, Virginia.
7. Betsy Ann -----, 21, Virginia.
8. Eliza -----, 10/12, Virginia.
1860 U.S. Census, 2nd Dist., Hardy County, Virginia; dwelling 747, family 754, lines 7-12, p. 110 (written), 17 Jul 1860. (P.O.: Moorefield.)
7. Mary Parker, 57, (-0-; $100), Virginia.
8. John -----, 25, laborer, Virginia.
9. Isaac -----, 23, laborer, Virginia.
10. Mary A. -----, 20, Virginia.
11. Rebecca -----, 17, Virginia.
12. James S. C. ----- 1, Virginia.
Hardy Co. was among the pro-Union counties that in 1861 seceded from Virginia, becoming the state of West Virginia in 1863.
"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDP7-1TL : 26 August 2019), Isaac N Parker and Lucinda R Standley, 07 Dec 1865; citing Marriage, Madison, Ohio, United States, p 309, Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus; FHL microfilm. Bride's surname written twice as "Standley." Surname appears in other records as "Stanley."
1870 U.S. Census, Ross Twp., Greene Co., Ohio; dwelling 5, family 5, lines 28-31, p. 174 (printed), p. 1 (written), 7 Sep 1870. (P.O.: Yellow Springs.)
28. Parker, Isaac N., 33, farm hand (-0-; $1,300), Virginia.
29. ----- Lucinda R., 20 keeping house, Ohio.
30. ----- Mary E., 4, at home, Ohio.
31. ----- Sarah, 1, at home, Ohio.
On an 1873 map of Champaign County, Illinois, residents of Section 21, East Bend Township, included I. Parker and W. Cook. (Index to the Map of Champaign Co., Illinois published by Warner & Beers, 1873, Jean E. Koch and Dian M. Strutz, comp. (Urbana, Illinois: Champaign County Historical Archives, 1994.)
1880 U.S. Census, E.D. 9, East Bend Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois; dwelling 119, family 121, lines 29-36, p. 14 (written), 11 Jun 1880.
29. Parker, Isaac N., 43 [head], farmer, self and parents born in Virginia.
30. ----- Lucinda, 32, wife, keeping house; born in Ohio, father in N.J., mother in Md.
31. ----- Mary A., 14, daughter, Ohio.
32. ----- "Sahra" A., 11, daughter, Ohio.
33. ----- Frances, 9, daughter, Illinois.
34. ----- Luly, 3, daughter, Illinois.
35. ----- Charles E., 1, son, Illinois.
36. Newman, Peter, 29, boarder, farmer; self and parents born in Sweden.
• Isaac's sister and brother-in-law, Ann J. and Washington Cook, enumerated in East Bend Twp., dwelling 41, p. 5 (written).
• Lucinda's parents, John and Sarah "Standly," enumerated in East Bend Twp., dwelling 46, p. 6 (written).
• Enumerated on the same page were Union Army veterans Joseph Bartles, William Ald, and S. G. Stevenson.
24 Jan 1884: Filed for an invalid's pension.
Isaac Parker listed as a tenant farmer in Section 11, East Bend Township in: Champaign County Directory and Gazetteer, 1885 (Urbana, Illinois: D. McKenzie & Co., 1885), p. 257.
On an 1893 map of East Bend Township, I. N. Parker shown to own 160 acres—the northwest quarter of Section 11. (Plat Book of Champaign County, Illinois (Chicago: Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1893), p. 32)
1900 U.S. Census, E.D. 13, East Bend Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois; dwelling 215, family 215, lines 4-9, p. 35 (printed), p. 12 (written), 29 Jun 1900.
4. Parker, Isaak N., head, Jun 1837, 67, married 35 years; self and parents born in West Virginia; farmer.
5. ----- Lucinda R., wife, Jul 1850, 49, married 35 years, 10 children (8 living); born in Ohio, father in North Carolina, mother in Ohio.
6. ----- Clarence T., son, Jan 1883, 17, Illinois, farm laborer.
7. ----- Frank, son, Nov 1886, 13, Illinois, farm laborer.
8. ----- Charles E., son, Feb 1879, 21, Illinois, farm laborer.
9. Newman, Peter, boarder, Nov 1849, 50, single; self and parents born in Sweden; immigrated in 1869, 31 years resident in U.S., naturalized; farmer.
"Isaac Parker Summoned," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 8 Jan 1910, p. 7.
"Illinois Deaths and Burials, 1749-1999", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HGBJ-DP6Z : 14 February 2020), Isaac Newton Parker, 8 Jan 1910, Champaign Co. (image 1211/1458).
"Isaac N. Parker of the Town of East Bend in Champaign County, Illinois." Will dated 30 Dec 1909; proved 4 Feb 1910.
"Third: […] beloved wife Lucinda R. Parker […]
"Seventh: […] bequeath the North West Quarter of Section 11 [East Bend Twp.] to my following [seven] named children, viz: Mary E. Swords, Sarah A. Boehle, Lula M. Braden, Charles E Parker, John H. Parker, Clarence Parker and Frank Parker […]
"Tenth: I give and devise to my daughter Frances Woolever and my friend Peter Newman my farm in Wayne County Illinois […]"
Isaac N. Parker's "estate is estimated to be worth $43,000, of which $3,000 is personal [property]." In 2021 dollars, the estate would be worth nearly $1.2 million. ("Isaac N. Parker's WIll," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 14 Jan 1910, p. 1.)
A 1910 map shows that I. N. Parker owned a total of 180 acres in Sections 1 and 12 in the northwest corner of Orel Twp., Wayne Co., Illinois. ("Map of Orel Township," Standard Atlas of Wayne County, Illinois (Chicago: Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1910), p. 32.)
Research notes
The source of the photo of Isaac N. Parker is unknown.
A list of the officers and men of an artillery battery included Corporal Isaac N. Parker. ("Wade & Hutchins' Battery of Artillery," Western Reserve Chronicle, Warren, Ohio, 16 Oct 1861, p. 2.) This unit appears to have been incorporated into the 6th Regt., Ohio Vol. Cavalry. The pension card for Parker, Isaac N. (widow Parker, Lucinda R.) shows service in only "G 95" Ohio Inf."
Reviewed 22 February 2021.
Civil War veteran—private in 95th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; survived Andersonville POW Camp, and the steamboat Sultana disaster on the Mississippi River.
Isaac Newton Parker was a son of Mary (née Jenkins) and Joseph M. Parker, born on 23 June 1837 in Hardy County, then in Virginia, now in West Virginia. Isaac was enumerated in that county in 1850 with his family headed by his father, and in 1860 with his family headed by his mother (his father presumably having passed away).
Isaac N. Parker was drafted for service in the Confederate Army, but chose to fight for the Union. He enlisted as a private for 3 years' service on 3 August 1862, and mustered in Company G, 95th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on 19 August 1862 at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio. Just 10 days later, the 95th Ohio took part in the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, which ended in an overwhelming Confederate victory. Five men of Company G were killed or mortally wounded. Most of the regiment was captured, then exchanged on 20 November 1862, and reorganized at Camp Chase until March 1863.
In April 1863, the 95th Ohio joined the campaign against the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi. It participated in the 19 and 22 May 1863 assaults on the fortifications, and in the siege that resulted in the surrender of the city on 4 July 1863. Immediately afterwards, the 95th Ohio joined in the Siege of Jackson, Mississippi, which forced the Confederates to abandon the state capital.
The 95th Ohio's next major engagement was the 10 June 1864 Battle of Brice's Cross Roads, near Baldwyn, Mississippi. Despite outnumbering the Confederates two to one, the Union retreat turned into a panicked rout, with over 1,600 Union soldiers captured or missing. Private Parker was one of the 13 men of his company taken prisoner. He was held captive for 9 months at the infamous Andersonville Prison in Georgia and the Cahaba Prison in Alabama before being exchanged.*
The steamship Sultana was hired to transport paroled Union soldiers up the Mississippi River from Vicksburg to Saint Louis, Missouri. Private Parker was among the nearly 2,000 paroled Union soldiers who boarded the severely overcrowded steamer on 24 April 1865. Shortly after stopping at Memphis, Tennessee, on 27 April, the Sultana's boilers exploded, shattering the wooden vessel and starting an inferno. Nearly 1,000 soldiers are thought to have been killed; the exact number of passenger and crew fatalities is not known. Private Parker was one of the hundreds of survivors taken to hospitals in Memphis. Private Parker made his way to Cairo, Illinois, and then to Camp Chase, Ohio, where he was mustered out on 20 May 1865. Isaac Parker then went to Clark County, Ohio, where his family had relocated during the war.
Isaac N. Parker and Miss Lucinda R. "Standley" were married on 7 December 1865 in neighboring Madison County, Ohio. He farmed on rented land in (or near) Clark County, and in 1870 relocated to East Bend Township Champaign County, Illinois. His elder sister Ann Jane and her husband Washington Cook had settled in that township about 1868, and Lucinda Parker's parents Sarah and John Stanley also settled there in the 1870s.
Isaac N. Parker purchased 40 acres in East Bend Township and farmed there for 4 or 5 years. He sold that land, rented another farm for 2 years, moved again and rented—and later purchased—160 acres in the township's Section 11. He also acquired 180 acres of farmland in Orel Township, Wayne County, southern Illinois.
Isaac N. and Lucinda Parker were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom lived to maturity (and were his heirs): Mary E., Sarah Ann, Frances, Lulu Margaret, Charles Edward, John H., Clarence Stanley, and Frank. "Two children of this family died in infancy, and Etta May at the age of five months."**
Lucinda and Isaac Parker were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served on grand juries and the school board, and was a member of Dewey Post, No. 282, G. A. R.
Isaac N. Parker died from sarcoma of the pancreas on 8 January 1910 in East Bend Township, aged 72 years. His widow Lucinda passed away 16 months later at a hospital in Peoria, Illinois.
Notes
* Private Parker was "Captured June 10, 1864, at the battle of Brice's Cross Roads, Miss.; prisoner at Andersonville and other Rebel Prisons; mustered out May 20, 1865, at Camp Chase, O., by order of War Department." (Ohio Roster Commission, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, vol. 7 (87th – 108th Regiments – Infantry) (Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Press, 1888), p. 270.) In this work, middle initial is "W." On his pension card, middle initial is "N."
"The 95th Regiment will be raised in the counties of Champaign, Madison, Franklin and Licking." (Cleveland Morning Leader, 11 Jul 1862, p. 2.) Many of the men of Company G were from Champaign Co.
"—Among the Ohio soldiers known to have been on board the steamer Sultana at the time of her ill-fated explosion, near Memphis, April 27, are the following: […]
"95th Inf.— […] Isaac N. Parker, [Company] G; […]" ("Ohio Soldiers on Board the Sultana," The Daily Ohio Statesman, Columbus, Ohio, 3 May 1865, p. 3.) Seventeen other soldiers of the 95th Ohio were on the Sultana, but their status was not reported.
** Bio. of Isaac N. Parker in: The Biographical Record of Champaign County Illinois, (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1900), pp. 608-09. Date of birth, parents, siblings, wife, children; accounts of military service and residences. Does not identify family that lived in Clark Co., Ohio.
1850 U.S. Census, 23rd Dist., Hardy County, Virginia; dwelling 478, family 485, lines 1-8, p. 37 (printed), 20 Aug 1850.
1. Joseph Parker, 52, laborer, Virginia.
2. Mary -----, 47, Virginia.
3. William -----, 14, Virginia.
4. Mary Ann -----, 10, Virginia.
5. Isaac -----, 13, Virginia.
6. Rebecca -----, 6, Virginia.
7. Betsy Ann -----, 21, Virginia.
8. Eliza -----, 10/12, Virginia.
1860 U.S. Census, 2nd Dist., Hardy County, Virginia; dwelling 747, family 754, lines 7-12, p. 110 (written), 17 Jul 1860. (P.O.: Moorefield.)
7. Mary Parker, 57, (-0-; $100), Virginia.
8. John -----, 25, laborer, Virginia.
9. Isaac -----, 23, laborer, Virginia.
10. Mary A. -----, 20, Virginia.
11. Rebecca -----, 17, Virginia.
12. James S. C. ----- 1, Virginia.
Hardy Co. was among the pro-Union counties that in 1861 seceded from Virginia, becoming the state of West Virginia in 1863.
"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDP7-1TL : 26 August 2019), Isaac N Parker and Lucinda R Standley, 07 Dec 1865; citing Marriage, Madison, Ohio, United States, p 309, Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus; FHL microfilm. Bride's surname written twice as "Standley." Surname appears in other records as "Stanley."
1870 U.S. Census, Ross Twp., Greene Co., Ohio; dwelling 5, family 5, lines 28-31, p. 174 (printed), p. 1 (written), 7 Sep 1870. (P.O.: Yellow Springs.)
28. Parker, Isaac N., 33, farm hand (-0-; $1,300), Virginia.
29. ----- Lucinda R., 20 keeping house, Ohio.
30. ----- Mary E., 4, at home, Ohio.
31. ----- Sarah, 1, at home, Ohio.
On an 1873 map of Champaign County, Illinois, residents of Section 21, East Bend Township, included I. Parker and W. Cook. (Index to the Map of Champaign Co., Illinois published by Warner & Beers, 1873, Jean E. Koch and Dian M. Strutz, comp. (Urbana, Illinois: Champaign County Historical Archives, 1994.)
1880 U.S. Census, E.D. 9, East Bend Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois; dwelling 119, family 121, lines 29-36, p. 14 (written), 11 Jun 1880.
29. Parker, Isaac N., 43 [head], farmer, self and parents born in Virginia.
30. ----- Lucinda, 32, wife, keeping house; born in Ohio, father in N.J., mother in Md.
31. ----- Mary A., 14, daughter, Ohio.
32. ----- "Sahra" A., 11, daughter, Ohio.
33. ----- Frances, 9, daughter, Illinois.
34. ----- Luly, 3, daughter, Illinois.
35. ----- Charles E., 1, son, Illinois.
36. Newman, Peter, 29, boarder, farmer; self and parents born in Sweden.
• Isaac's sister and brother-in-law, Ann J. and Washington Cook, enumerated in East Bend Twp., dwelling 41, p. 5 (written).
• Lucinda's parents, John and Sarah "Standly," enumerated in East Bend Twp., dwelling 46, p. 6 (written).
• Enumerated on the same page were Union Army veterans Joseph Bartles, William Ald, and S. G. Stevenson.
24 Jan 1884: Filed for an invalid's pension.
Isaac Parker listed as a tenant farmer in Section 11, East Bend Township in: Champaign County Directory and Gazetteer, 1885 (Urbana, Illinois: D. McKenzie & Co., 1885), p. 257.
On an 1893 map of East Bend Township, I. N. Parker shown to own 160 acres—the northwest quarter of Section 11. (Plat Book of Champaign County, Illinois (Chicago: Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1893), p. 32)
1900 U.S. Census, E.D. 13, East Bend Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois; dwelling 215, family 215, lines 4-9, p. 35 (printed), p. 12 (written), 29 Jun 1900.
4. Parker, Isaak N., head, Jun 1837, 67, married 35 years; self and parents born in West Virginia; farmer.
5. ----- Lucinda R., wife, Jul 1850, 49, married 35 years, 10 children (8 living); born in Ohio, father in North Carolina, mother in Ohio.
6. ----- Clarence T., son, Jan 1883, 17, Illinois, farm laborer.
7. ----- Frank, son, Nov 1886, 13, Illinois, farm laborer.
8. ----- Charles E., son, Feb 1879, 21, Illinois, farm laborer.
9. Newman, Peter, boarder, Nov 1849, 50, single; self and parents born in Sweden; immigrated in 1869, 31 years resident in U.S., naturalized; farmer.
"Isaac Parker Summoned," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 8 Jan 1910, p. 7.
"Illinois Deaths and Burials, 1749-1999", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HGBJ-DP6Z : 14 February 2020), Isaac Newton Parker, 8 Jan 1910, Champaign Co. (image 1211/1458).
"Isaac N. Parker of the Town of East Bend in Champaign County, Illinois." Will dated 30 Dec 1909; proved 4 Feb 1910.
"Third: […] beloved wife Lucinda R. Parker […]
"Seventh: […] bequeath the North West Quarter of Section 11 [East Bend Twp.] to my following [seven] named children, viz: Mary E. Swords, Sarah A. Boehle, Lula M. Braden, Charles E Parker, John H. Parker, Clarence Parker and Frank Parker […]
"Tenth: I give and devise to my daughter Frances Woolever and my friend Peter Newman my farm in Wayne County Illinois […]"
Isaac N. Parker's "estate is estimated to be worth $43,000, of which $3,000 is personal [property]." In 2021 dollars, the estate would be worth nearly $1.2 million. ("Isaac N. Parker's WIll," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 14 Jan 1910, p. 1.)
A 1910 map shows that I. N. Parker owned a total of 180 acres in Sections 1 and 12 in the northwest corner of Orel Twp., Wayne Co., Illinois. ("Map of Orel Township," Standard Atlas of Wayne County, Illinois (Chicago: Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1910), p. 32.)
Research notes
The source of the photo of Isaac N. Parker is unknown.
A list of the officers and men of an artillery battery included Corporal Isaac N. Parker. ("Wade & Hutchins' Battery of Artillery," Western Reserve Chronicle, Warren, Ohio, 16 Oct 1861, p. 2.) This unit appears to have been incorporated into the 6th Regt., Ohio Vol. Cavalry. The pension card for Parker, Isaac N. (widow Parker, Lucinda R.) shows service in only "G 95" Ohio Inf."
Reviewed 22 February 2021.
Isaac Newton Parker was a son of Mary (née Jenkins) and Joseph M. Parker, born on 23 June 1837 in Hardy County, then in Virginia, now in West Virginia. Isaac was enumerated in that county in 1850 with his family headed by his father, and in 1860 with his family headed by his mother (his father presumably having passed away).
Isaac N. Parker was drafted for service in the Confederate Army, but chose to fight for the Union. He enlisted as a private for 3 years' service on 3 August 1862, and mustered in Company G, 95th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on 19 August 1862 at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio. Just 10 days later, the 95th Ohio took part in the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, which ended in an overwhelming Confederate victory. Five men of Company G were killed or mortally wounded. Most of the regiment was captured, then exchanged on 20 November 1862, and reorganized at Camp Chase until March 1863.
In April 1863, the 95th Ohio joined the campaign against the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi. It participated in the 19 and 22 May 1863 assaults on the fortifications, and in the siege that resulted in the surrender of the city on 4 July 1863. Immediately afterwards, the 95th Ohio joined in the Siege of Jackson, Mississippi, which forced the Confederates to abandon the state capital.
The 95th Ohio's next major engagement was the 10 June 1864 Battle of Brice's Cross Roads, near Baldwyn, Mississippi. Despite outnumbering the Confederates two to one, the Union retreat turned into a panicked rout, with over 1,600 Union soldiers captured or missing. Private Parker was one of the 13 men of his company taken prisoner. He was held captive for 9 months at the infamous Andersonville Prison in Georgia and the Cahaba Prison in Alabama before being exchanged.*
The steamship Sultana was hired to transport paroled Union soldiers up the Mississippi River from Vicksburg to Saint Louis, Missouri. Private Parker was among the nearly 2,000 paroled Union soldiers who boarded the severely overcrowded steamer on 24 April 1865. Shortly after stopping at Memphis, Tennessee, on 27 April, the Sultana's boilers exploded, shattering the wooden vessel and starting an inferno. Nearly 1,000 soldiers are thought to have been killed; the exact number of passenger and crew fatalities is not known. Private Parker was one of the hundreds of survivors taken to hospitals in Memphis. Private Parker made his way to Cairo, Illinois, and then to Camp Chase, Ohio, where he was mustered out on 20 May 1865. Isaac Parker then went to Clark County, Ohio, where his family had relocated during the war.
Isaac N. Parker and Miss Lucinda R. "Standley" were married on 7 December 1865 in neighboring Madison County, Ohio. He farmed on rented land in (or near) Clark County, and in 1870 relocated to East Bend Township Champaign County, Illinois. His elder sister Ann Jane and her husband Washington Cook had settled in that township about 1868, and Lucinda Parker's parents Sarah and John Stanley also settled there in the 1870s.
Isaac N. Parker purchased 40 acres in East Bend Township and farmed there for 4 or 5 years. He sold that land, rented another farm for 2 years, moved again and rented—and later purchased—160 acres in the township's Section 11. He also acquired 180 acres of farmland in Orel Township, Wayne County, southern Illinois.
Isaac N. and Lucinda Parker were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom lived to maturity (and were his heirs): Mary E., Sarah Ann, Frances, Lulu Margaret, Charles Edward, John H., Clarence Stanley, and Frank. "Two children of this family died in infancy, and Etta May at the age of five months."**
Lucinda and Isaac Parker were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served on grand juries and the school board, and was a member of Dewey Post, No. 282, G. A. R.
Isaac N. Parker died from sarcoma of the pancreas on 8 January 1910 in East Bend Township, aged 72 years. His widow Lucinda passed away 16 months later at a hospital in Peoria, Illinois.
Notes
* Private Parker was "Captured June 10, 1864, at the battle of Brice's Cross Roads, Miss.; prisoner at Andersonville and other Rebel Prisons; mustered out May 20, 1865, at Camp Chase, O., by order of War Department." (Ohio Roster Commission, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, vol. 7 (87th – 108th Regiments – Infantry) (Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Press, 1888), p. 270.) In this work, middle initial is "W." On his pension card, middle initial is "N."
"The 95th Regiment will be raised in the counties of Champaign, Madison, Franklin and Licking." (Cleveland Morning Leader, 11 Jul 1862, p. 2.) Many of the men of Company G were from Champaign Co.
"—Among the Ohio soldiers known to have been on board the steamer Sultana at the time of her ill-fated explosion, near Memphis, April 27, are the following: […]
"95th Inf.— […] Isaac N. Parker, [Company] G; […]" ("Ohio Soldiers on Board the Sultana," The Daily Ohio Statesman, Columbus, Ohio, 3 May 1865, p. 3.) Seventeen other soldiers of the 95th Ohio were on the Sultana, but their status was not reported.
** Bio. of Isaac N. Parker in: The Biographical Record of Champaign County Illinois, (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1900), pp. 608-09. Date of birth, parents, siblings, wife, children; accounts of military service and residences. Does not identify family that lived in Clark Co., Ohio.
1850 U.S. Census, 23rd Dist., Hardy County, Virginia; dwelling 478, family 485, lines 1-8, p. 37 (printed), 20 Aug 1850.
1. Joseph Parker, 52, laborer, Virginia.
2. Mary -----, 47, Virginia.
3. William -----, 14, Virginia.
4. Mary Ann -----, 10, Virginia.
5. Isaac -----, 13, Virginia.
6. Rebecca -----, 6, Virginia.
7. Betsy Ann -----, 21, Virginia.
8. Eliza -----, 10/12, Virginia.
1860 U.S. Census, 2nd Dist., Hardy County, Virginia; dwelling 747, family 754, lines 7-12, p. 110 (written), 17 Jul 1860. (P.O.: Moorefield.)
7. Mary Parker, 57, (-0-; $100), Virginia.
8. John -----, 25, laborer, Virginia.
9. Isaac -----, 23, laborer, Virginia.
10. Mary A. -----, 20, Virginia.
11. Rebecca -----, 17, Virginia.
12. James S. C. ----- 1, Virginia.
Hardy Co. was among the pro-Union counties that in 1861 seceded from Virginia, becoming the state of West Virginia in 1863.
"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDP7-1TL : 26 August 2019), Isaac N Parker and Lucinda R Standley, 07 Dec 1865; citing Marriage, Madison, Ohio, United States, p 309, Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus; FHL microfilm. Bride's surname written twice as "Standley." Surname appears in other records as "Stanley."
1870 U.S. Census, Ross Twp., Greene Co., Ohio; dwelling 5, family 5, lines 28-31, p. 174 (printed), p. 1 (written), 7 Sep 1870. (P.O.: Yellow Springs.)
28. Parker, Isaac N., 33, farm hand (-0-; $1,300), Virginia.
29. ----- Lucinda R., 20 keeping house, Ohio.
30. ----- Mary E., 4, at home, Ohio.
31. ----- Sarah, 1, at home, Ohio.
On an 1873 map of Champaign County, Illinois, residents of Section 21, East Bend Township, included I. Parker and W. Cook. (Index to the Map of Champaign Co., Illinois published by Warner & Beers, 1873, Jean E. Koch and Dian M. Strutz, comp. (Urbana, Illinois: Champaign County Historical Archives, 1994.)
1880 U.S. Census, E.D. 9, East Bend Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois; dwelling 119, family 121, lines 29-36, p. 14 (written), 11 Jun 1880.
29. Parker, Isaac N., 43 [head], farmer, self and parents born in Virginia.
30. ----- Lucinda, 32, wife, keeping house; born in Ohio, father in N.J., mother in Md.
31. ----- Mary A., 14, daughter, Ohio.
32. ----- "Sahra" A., 11, daughter, Ohio.
33. ----- Frances, 9, daughter, Illinois.
34. ----- Luly, 3, daughter, Illinois.
35. ----- Charles E., 1, son, Illinois.
36. Newman, Peter, 29, boarder, farmer; self and parents born in Sweden.
• Isaac's sister and brother-in-law, Ann J. and Washington Cook, enumerated in East Bend Twp., dwelling 41, p. 5 (written).
• Lucinda's parents, John and Sarah "Standly," enumerated in East Bend Twp., dwelling 46, p. 6 (written).
• Enumerated on the same page were Union Army veterans Joseph Bartles, William Ald, and S. G. Stevenson.
24 Jan 1884: Filed for an invalid's pension.
Isaac Parker listed as a tenant farmer in Section 11, East Bend Township in: Champaign County Directory and Gazetteer, 1885 (Urbana, Illinois: D. McKenzie & Co., 1885), p. 257.
On an 1893 map of East Bend Township, I. N. Parker shown to own 160 acres—the northwest quarter of Section 11. (Plat Book of Champaign County, Illinois (Chicago: Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1893), p. 32)
1900 U.S. Census, E.D. 13, East Bend Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois; dwelling 215, family 215, lines 4-9, p. 35 (printed), p. 12 (written), 29 Jun 1900.
4. Parker, Isaak N., head, Jun 1837, 67, married 35 years; self and parents born in West Virginia; farmer.
5. ----- Lucinda R., wife, Jul 1850, 49, married 35 years, 10 children (8 living); born in Ohio, father in North Carolina, mother in Ohio.
6. ----- Clarence T., son, Jan 1883, 17, Illinois, farm laborer.
7. ----- Frank, son, Nov 1886, 13, Illinois, farm laborer.
8. ----- Charles E., son, Feb 1879, 21, Illinois, farm laborer.
9. Newman, Peter, boarder, Nov 1849, 50, single; self and parents born in Sweden; immigrated in 1869, 31 years resident in U.S., naturalized; farmer.
"Isaac Parker Summoned," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 8 Jan 1910, p. 7.
"Illinois Deaths and Burials, 1749-1999", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HGBJ-DP6Z : 14 February 2020), Isaac Newton Parker, 8 Jan 1910, Champaign Co. (image 1211/1458).
"Isaac N. Parker of the Town of East Bend in Champaign County, Illinois." Will dated 30 Dec 1909; proved 4 Feb 1910.
"Third: […] beloved wife Lucinda R. Parker […]
"Seventh: […] bequeath the North West Quarter of Section 11 [East Bend Twp.] to my following [seven] named children, viz: Mary E. Swords, Sarah A. Boehle, Lula M. Braden, Charles E Parker, John H. Parker, Clarence Parker and Frank Parker […]
"Tenth: I give and devise to my daughter Frances Woolever and my friend Peter Newman my farm in Wayne County Illinois […]"
Isaac N. Parker's "estate is estimated to be worth $43,000, of which $3,000 is personal [property]." In 2021 dollars, the estate would be worth nearly $1.2 million. ("Isaac N. Parker's WIll," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 14 Jan 1910, p. 1.)
A 1910 map shows that I. N. Parker owned a total of 180 acres in Sections 1 and 12 in the northwest corner of Orel Twp., Wayne Co., Illinois. ("Map of Orel Township," Standard Atlas of Wayne County, Illinois (Chicago: Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1910), p. 32.)
Research notes
The source of the photo of Isaac N. Parker is unknown.
A list of the officers and men of an artillery battery included Corporal Isaac N. Parker. ("Wade & Hutchins' Battery of Artillery," Western Reserve Chronicle, Warren, Ohio, 16 Oct 1861, p. 2.) This unit appears to have been incorporated into the 6th Regt., Ohio Vol. Cavalry. The pension card for Parker, Isaac N. (widow Parker, Lucinda R.) shows service in only "G 95" Ohio Inf."
Reviewed 22 February 2021.
Inscription
ISAAC N.
PARKER
CO. G, 95 REGT.
OHIO VOL. INFT.
1837—1910
Family Members
Siblings
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