John Parks born July 15, 1832 in what he described as Indian Territory which no doubt was Kentucky was unschooled and beyond that illiterate. He crossed over into Illinois at some undetermined time. It seems now that his father might have been Wilson Parks-He did give this name to one of his children and his mother might have been Manerva Goodman Parks Croutch-he did name his daugher my great grandmother Menerva Jane.
All of his long life John called himself "Indian man" which might be in reference to his birthplace in Indian Territory. His neighbors called him a "light skinned Indian", but again this isn't much proof. It is also interesting to note that his daughter-in-law called herself "Indian woman". This was a fairly common nickname at this period.
John was a farmer and lived in Williamson County near Creal Springs for most of his long life and his numerous children by his wife Mary Jane Rust were born here. They had married in 1852 in Jackson County.
By the time of the Civil War John was older at about 32 or so with many children-he and Mary Jane had at least 12 or 14 children. The names are difficult to determine and some recording of names obviously was the same child over again like Isebell and Belle and Wilson and Wilton.
Known names of children: Andrew Jackson, Victoria, George W., John, Martha, Sarah, William M., Wilson, Sintha ( Cynthia) , Belle (Isebell) and Minerva Jane.
It would seem that John did indeed enlist in the Civil War for the Union in the 128th Illinois Infantry. There were at least 50 if not more John Parks from Illinois, but the best evidence of his service is the application for pension by his widow in Marion just after his death. She lists 128th Illinois Infantry. He seems to have deserted and come home with many of the other members of this unit and later went back to war with another regiment. Mary Jane was denied a pension due to the desertion.
John did list in his pension records as per another cousin that he had blue eyes and it is intriguing that at least two of his many children also had blue eyes. This is known from a hand tinted period oval photograph of his 2 daughters Cynthia (Sintha) and Belle (Isebell). My great aunt Ruth Burns Mitchell who was the niece of Cynthia and Belle and owned the photograph tells that they were the last in the large family and quite close in both age and companionship. Cynthia had married and returned to their home for the image with Belle who got up from her death bed still dressed in her nightgown for the picture. Belle died that year and Cynthia the next-both from the dreaded scourge of that period-T.B. The date of their deaths can be somewhat determined by the style of their hair-the upswept hair with tendrils and the bun on top complete with comb are very much of the 1890's era-think the images done of the ladies of the Moulin Rouge in Paris by Toulouse Lautrec.
Further Aunt Ruth told me that she could remember both her Parks grandparents and their deaths and that they were buried in Fountain Church Cemetery South of Marion. She told me that there were stones with no dates, but I have been to Fountain Church and can find no stones at all for Parks. BREAKING NEWS ON THIS-WE NOW HAVE A MARKED GRAVE STONE FOR JOHN PARKS)
Sandee Hanahan added another monument for this man in Fountain Church Cemetery and comments:
"The tombstone was in Fountain Cemetery and that I had erected a new one next to the old one which included family info and that Mary Jane’s grandfather was Rev. War patriot.
I also added that I didn’t think he was Indian based on DNA and other info.."
His death certificate can be found in Williamson County records for October 1907. He is listed there as being born in Indian Territory and was 88 years old and a farmer living in Creal Springs. He died of a weak heart.
All of his long life John called himself "Indian man" which might be in reference to his birthplace in Indian Territory. His neighbors called him a "light skinned Indian", but again this isn't much proof. It is also interesting to note that his daughter-in-law called herself "Indian woman". This was a fairly common nickname at this period.
John was a farmer and lived in Williamson County near Creal Springs for most of his long life and his numerous children by his wife Mary Jane Rust were born here. They had married in 1852 in Jackson County.
By the time of the Civil War John was older at about 32 or so with many children-he and Mary Jane had at least 12 or 14 children. The names are difficult to determine and some recording of names obviously was the same child over again like Isebell and Belle and Wilson and Wilton.
Known names of children: Andrew Jackson, Victoria, George W., John, Martha, Sarah, William M., Wilson, Sintha ( Cynthia) , Belle (Isebell) and Minerva Jane.
It would seem that John did indeed enlist in the Civil War for the Union in the 128th Illinois Infantry. There were at least 50 if not more John Parks from Illinois, but the best evidence of his service is the application for pension by his widow in Marion just after his death. She lists 128th Illinois Infantry. He seems to have deserted and come home with many of the other members of this unit and later went back to war with another regiment. Mary Jane was denied a pension due to the desertion.
John did list in his pension records as per another cousin that he had blue eyes and it is intriguing that at least two of his many children also had blue eyes. This is known from a hand tinted period oval photograph of his 2 daughters Cynthia (Sintha) and Belle (Isebell). My great aunt Ruth Burns Mitchell who was the niece of Cynthia and Belle and owned the photograph tells that they were the last in the large family and quite close in both age and companionship. Cynthia had married and returned to their home for the image with Belle who got up from her death bed still dressed in her nightgown for the picture. Belle died that year and Cynthia the next-both from the dreaded scourge of that period-T.B. The date of their deaths can be somewhat determined by the style of their hair-the upswept hair with tendrils and the bun on top complete with comb are very much of the 1890's era-think the images done of the ladies of the Moulin Rouge in Paris by Toulouse Lautrec.
Further Aunt Ruth told me that she could remember both her Parks grandparents and their deaths and that they were buried in Fountain Church Cemetery South of Marion. She told me that there were stones with no dates, but I have been to Fountain Church and can find no stones at all for Parks. BREAKING NEWS ON THIS-WE NOW HAVE A MARKED GRAVE STONE FOR JOHN PARKS)
Sandee Hanahan added another monument for this man in Fountain Church Cemetery and comments:
"The tombstone was in Fountain Cemetery and that I had erected a new one next to the old one which included family info and that Mary Jane’s grandfather was Rev. War patriot.
I also added that I didn’t think he was Indian based on DNA and other info.."
His death certificate can be found in Williamson County records for October 1907. He is listed there as being born in Indian Territory and was 88 years old and a farmer living in Creal Springs. He died of a weak heart.
John Parks born July 15, 1832 in what he described as Indian Territory which no doubt was Kentucky was unschooled and beyond that illiterate. He crossed over into Illinois at some undetermined time. It seems now that his father might have been Wilson Parks-He did give this name to one of his children and his mother might have been Manerva Goodman Parks Croutch-he did name his daugher my great grandmother Menerva Jane.
All of his long life John called himself "Indian man" which might be in reference to his birthplace in Indian Territory. His neighbors called him a "light skinned Indian", but again this isn't much proof. It is also interesting to note that his daughter-in-law called herself "Indian woman". This was a fairly common nickname at this period.
John was a farmer and lived in Williamson County near Creal Springs for most of his long life and his numerous children by his wife Mary Jane Rust were born here. They had married in 1852 in Jackson County.
By the time of the Civil War John was older at about 32 or so with many children-he and Mary Jane had at least 12 or 14 children. The names are difficult to determine and some recording of names obviously was the same child over again like Isebell and Belle and Wilson and Wilton.
Known names of children: Andrew Jackson, Victoria, George W., John, Martha, Sarah, William M., Wilson, Sintha ( Cynthia) , Belle (Isebell) and Minerva Jane.
It would seem that John did indeed enlist in the Civil War for the Union in the 128th Illinois Infantry. There were at least 50 if not more John Parks from Illinois, but the best evidence of his service is the application for pension by his widow in Marion just after his death. She lists 128th Illinois Infantry. He seems to have deserted and come home with many of the other members of this unit and later went back to war with another regiment. Mary Jane was denied a pension due to the desertion.
John did list in his pension records as per another cousin that he had blue eyes and it is intriguing that at least two of his many children also had blue eyes. This is known from a hand tinted period oval photograph of his 2 daughters Cynthia (Sintha) and Belle (Isebell). My great aunt Ruth Burns Mitchell who was the niece of Cynthia and Belle and owned the photograph tells that they were the last in the large family and quite close in both age and companionship. Cynthia had married and returned to their home for the image with Belle who got up from her death bed still dressed in her nightgown for the picture. Belle died that year and Cynthia the next-both from the dreaded scourge of that period-T.B. The date of their deaths can be somewhat determined by the style of their hair-the upswept hair with tendrils and the bun on top complete with comb are very much of the 1890's era-think the images done of the ladies of the Moulin Rouge in Paris by Toulouse Lautrec.
Further Aunt Ruth told me that she could remember both her Parks grandparents and their deaths and that they were buried in Fountain Church Cemetery South of Marion. She told me that there were stones with no dates, but I have been to Fountain Church and can find no stones at all for Parks. BREAKING NEWS ON THIS-WE NOW HAVE A MARKED GRAVE STONE FOR JOHN PARKS)
Sandee Hanahan added another monument for this man in Fountain Church Cemetery and comments:
"The tombstone was in Fountain Cemetery and that I had erected a new one next to the old one which included family info and that Mary Jane’s grandfather was Rev. War patriot.
I also added that I didn’t think he was Indian based on DNA and other info.."
His death certificate can be found in Williamson County records for October 1907. He is listed there as being born in Indian Territory and was 88 years old and a farmer living in Creal Springs. He died of a weak heart.
All of his long life John called himself "Indian man" which might be in reference to his birthplace in Indian Territory. His neighbors called him a "light skinned Indian", but again this isn't much proof. It is also interesting to note that his daughter-in-law called herself "Indian woman". This was a fairly common nickname at this period.
John was a farmer and lived in Williamson County near Creal Springs for most of his long life and his numerous children by his wife Mary Jane Rust were born here. They had married in 1852 in Jackson County.
By the time of the Civil War John was older at about 32 or so with many children-he and Mary Jane had at least 12 or 14 children. The names are difficult to determine and some recording of names obviously was the same child over again like Isebell and Belle and Wilson and Wilton.
Known names of children: Andrew Jackson, Victoria, George W., John, Martha, Sarah, William M., Wilson, Sintha ( Cynthia) , Belle (Isebell) and Minerva Jane.
It would seem that John did indeed enlist in the Civil War for the Union in the 128th Illinois Infantry. There were at least 50 if not more John Parks from Illinois, but the best evidence of his service is the application for pension by his widow in Marion just after his death. She lists 128th Illinois Infantry. He seems to have deserted and come home with many of the other members of this unit and later went back to war with another regiment. Mary Jane was denied a pension due to the desertion.
John did list in his pension records as per another cousin that he had blue eyes and it is intriguing that at least two of his many children also had blue eyes. This is known from a hand tinted period oval photograph of his 2 daughters Cynthia (Sintha) and Belle (Isebell). My great aunt Ruth Burns Mitchell who was the niece of Cynthia and Belle and owned the photograph tells that they were the last in the large family and quite close in both age and companionship. Cynthia had married and returned to their home for the image with Belle who got up from her death bed still dressed in her nightgown for the picture. Belle died that year and Cynthia the next-both from the dreaded scourge of that period-T.B. The date of their deaths can be somewhat determined by the style of their hair-the upswept hair with tendrils and the bun on top complete with comb are very much of the 1890's era-think the images done of the ladies of the Moulin Rouge in Paris by Toulouse Lautrec.
Further Aunt Ruth told me that she could remember both her Parks grandparents and their deaths and that they were buried in Fountain Church Cemetery South of Marion. She told me that there were stones with no dates, but I have been to Fountain Church and can find no stones at all for Parks. BREAKING NEWS ON THIS-WE NOW HAVE A MARKED GRAVE STONE FOR JOHN PARKS)
Sandee Hanahan added another monument for this man in Fountain Church Cemetery and comments:
"The tombstone was in Fountain Cemetery and that I had erected a new one next to the old one which included family info and that Mary Jane’s grandfather was Rev. War patriot.
I also added that I didn’t think he was Indian based on DNA and other info.."
His death certificate can be found in Williamson County records for October 1907. He is listed there as being born in Indian Territory and was 88 years old and a farmer living in Creal Springs. He died of a weak heart.
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