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[54]-Greenberry Parker
For years our favorite and most frustrating genealogical challenge has been finding the
parents of Greenberry Parker of Vigo County, Indiana.

Greenberry Parker was born 1810-1850, possibly in South Carolina. He died before the

1850 census in Vigo Co IN. He married Monroe Co IN, 11 Dec 1834,Eli zabeth

Willoughby, daughter of Elijah and Susannah (Leachman) Willoughby. She was born ca

1813 in Tennessee, and died before 12 Jun 1900, Worth Co MO. She married second

Christopher Howard, Vigo Co IN, 9 Sep 1851. Christopher was born 1809 in Kentucky

and died before 1860 in Vigo Co IN, murdered while taking money to the bank. Elizabeth

and Greenberry had the following daughters:

1. Mary Ann PARKER was born in 1840.

2. Rhoda Jane PARKER was born in 1842 in IN. Rhoda Jane died in Worth Co MO, in

1888. Although she has a cemetery marker with that date, she was back with James in the 1910 census, 67 IN VA VA. On 11 Jul 1867 she married James Francis MORELAND, son of Enoch MORELAND & Irena STEVENS, in Vigo Co IN. Born on 15 Aug 1843 in Irvine, Estill Co KY. James Francis died in Worth Co MO, on 13 Jan 1916. They had the following children:

Wilson (1868-)

ii.

Stanley (1870-)

iii.

Gena (1874-1887)

iv.

Enoch W (1876-)

Ora (1880-)

vi.

Azella Maud (1882-1965)

3. Margaret Ellen PARKER was born on 7 Nov 1843 in Vigo Co IN. Margaret Ellen

died in Foss, Washita Co OK. On 20 Dec 1861 Margaret first married Reuben Webster

TURNER, son of Greenville Person TURNER & Deborah WEBSTER, in Vigo Co IN.

Born on 1 Feb 1829 in Fayette Co IN, Reuben Webster died in Foss, Washita Co OK, on 10 Nov 1905 [or 1915]. They were divorced on 25 Oct 1883 in Worth Co MO. They had the following children:

Florence Jane (1862-1938)

ii.

Robert Harrison (Died as Child) (1864-1879)

iii.

Lillian Iula (1866-1945)

iv.

Anna Samantha (1869-1942)

Mable Edna (Died as Child) (1872-)

vi.

Roza Dell (1874-1901)

vii.

Leroy Paul (1877-1944)

viii.

Blanche Violet (1880-1970)

On 11 Mar 1893 when Margaret Ellen was 49, she second marriedStewa rt

Benjamin McCORD in Worth Co MO. Born on 4 Oct 1831 in TN, McCord died in

Denver, Worth Co MO, on 19 Feb 1902/3. They were divorced on 24 Sep 1901 in Grant

City MO.

These documents are known for Greenberry:
1. His 11 Dec 1834 marriage license in Monroe Co IN, to Elizabeth Willoughby.1
2. The 1835 estate settlement for his father-in-law, Eliijah Willoughby of Monroe

County.2
3. 1838 and 1839 land grants in Clay Co IN.3
4. Sales of land in Clay and Vigo Counties, Indiana, in 1837.4

1 Monroe County IN Marriage record, in Shirley Barnet Spetman, Our Tree and Its Branches.

2 Monroe Co IN Probate record for Elijah Willoughby, 5 Sep 1835, with signature of Greenberry

Parker made in Clay Co on 30 Sep 1835. Clay Co IN Deeds, 23 Feb 1839.

3 Parker, Green B IN, Clay 9/1/1838 Vincennes NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Section 31, 13 N, 7 W.

Parker, Greenberry IN, Clay 8/1/1839 Vincennes NW 1/4 of NW 1/4 of Sect 28, twp13N, R7W.
Parker, David IN, Clay 8/1/1839 Vincennes E 1/2 of NW 1/4 of Section 31, twp12 N, R 5 W.
Compare Parker, Jacob IN, Vigo 5/5/1828 Vincennes, \u201cof Sullivan Co IN,\u201d W1/2 of SE 1/4 of
Section 20, twp 11 N, R 9 W.
Parker, Jacob IN, Vigo 12/31/1831 Vincennes, W1/2 of SW 1/4 of Section 20, twp 10 N, R 10 W.
Parker, Jacob IN, Vigo 4/10/1832 Vincennes, E1/2 of SE 1/4 of Section 30, twp 11 N, R 9 W.
Parker, Jacob IN, Vigo 3/18/1837 Vincennes N1/2 of SW 1/4 Efract\u2019l Section5, twp10N, R10W.
Parker, Jacob IN, Vigo 3/20/1837 Vincennes W1/2 of SE 1/4 of Section 15, twp 10 N, R 10 W.
Parker, Jacob IN, Vigo 3/20/1837 Vincennes E1/2 of NE 1/4 of Section 15, twp 10 N, R 10 W.

4 Both deeds I have in which Greenberry Parker sold land in Clay and Vigo Co IN reflect the land

grants he recorded per the Bureau of Land Management images: Vigo Co IN Deeds, 29 Apr 1837.

NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Section 31, 13 N, 7 W. He also sold NW 1/2 of Section 28, 13 N, 7 W.

5. His 1840 census: Vigo Co IN, Nevins Twp, p 793: Green Parker,00001/10001.5
The couple\u2019s first child was Mary Ann Parker. This indicates he was born
between 1810 and 1820.

6. His widow\u2019s 1850 census, Vigo Co IN, Lost Creek Twp, 157-162. Elisabeth Parker 37 TN cannot read & write; Mary A 10 IN in school; Rhoda 9 IN in school; Margaret Parker 6 IN in school.

7. His wife\u2019s remarriage on 9 Sep 1851, Vigo Co IN.6

8. One daughter, Rhoda (Parker) Moreland said in her 1880 census that he was
born in South Carolina.7 The other daughter, Margaret Ellen (Parker) Turner,
later McCord, said Indiana in 1880, unknown in 1900, US in 1910, and Indiana
again in 1920. The other daughter, Mary Ann, has not been located in 1880 or

later.

9. A 1975 letter from one of his descendants saying his family came to Indiana

from Kentucky and that he died of tuberculosis.8

Certain coincidences9 in their lives lead me to believe that Greenberry had a

brother, Robert David Parker, as follows:

5 Throughout this study, I am assuming all census data is correct as recorded.

6 Marriage record, Vigo Co IN, 9 Sep 1851. Also, Vigo County, Indiana, Index to Marriage

Record 1840-1920,W PA. Original Record Located: County Clerk's O; Book: C-B;Page: 223.

7 Rhoda J (Parker) Moreland was in Worth Co MO, age 38, IN SC TN. Margaret (Parker) Turner

was in Livingston Co MO, age 34 IN IN TN. Rhoda died in 1888.

8 Pansy (Phillips) Peters, Mar 1975, letter to Evelynne Alvis. Pansy wrote that Greenberry had

tuberculosis. \u201cThe doctor in Kentucky advised him to seek another climate. They went by wagon
to Indiana. There was no road. The father and older brothers were observing Indians, close by,
among the trees.\u201d If this is an accurate relation of the family\u2019s move to IN, it must have been
before 1834, and does give some indication of Greenberry\u2019 family. Pansy wrote that Margaret
Ellen was a child at the time and told to lie flat in the wagon, to avoid being hit by arrows.
Actually, Margaret was born in Vigo Co, so a sister might have been indicated.

9 Recently recovered Willoughby family Bible fragments include the marriage of Robert and

Mary (Richey) Parker as well as that of Mary Willoughby and James Richey. This strongly
supports my theory that Robert was a brother of Greenberry Parker, who married Elizabeth
Willoughby. Unless there is a still unknown connection between the Parkers or the Richeys and
the Willoughbys, this relationship is the only reason for the inclusion of that marriage record.