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By Jean Caddel
447 Ridge Creek Rd.
Waxahachie, TX 75167
John Buc(k)hannon Parrish was born March 17, 1841, in
Arkansas according to the first census in which we have
found him, 1860, Lamar Co., Texas. He was 19 at the time
and living with his Mother, Julian, age 53, and younger
brother, Isaac T, age 13. According to the 1880 census, his
father was born in Georgia; the 1900 census states
Kentucky, so we are not sure when and where his father
was born or whether he died in Arkansas or Texas, nor
when he died. His mother was apparently born in
Tennessee, so my best guess is that he was born in
Kentucky, but all searches in Arkansas, Kentucky, and
Georgia have been in vain thus far. It seems likely that
there were older children besides, but we have not been
able to establish any relation to the many Parrishs in Lamar
Co. and Fannin Co. except for Fatie E. Davis Sloan.
The only other sibling located to date is an older sister, Fatie "Sadie" E., born ca 1840, who married John W. Davis, son of Thomas and Elizabeth McGinnis Davis, who came to Red River - Lamar Co. about 1841. Fatie and John's only child, Mary Melvina Davis was born ca 1861. John Davis died in the summer of 1862, the same week as his father, Thomas Davis, according to family oral history. Apparently there was an epidemic of measles in Lamar Co. in the summer of 1862, though it is unknown whether they died during this epidemic or not. In October of 1862, Fatie posted bond of $800 and was appointed Guardian of her minor daughter, Mary Melvina. Mary M. married Thomas Langley/Longley on April 18, 1878 in Lamar Co.
On December 22, 1866, Fatie married her second husband, William H. Sloan in Fannin Co., and later the family moved to Jack Co., Texas. William Sloan was in the Civil War, and according to her pension application, #10991, dated 1905 and filed in Jack Co., she was the widow of William H. Sloan, and had been a resident of Jeanette in Jack County for 24 years, since the death of her husband in 1882. Date and place of her death is unknown, but she was living in 1910 in Jack Co. with her sister-in-law and family, Martha Ann Davis (Mrs. John R.) Maxwell. Perhaps she is buried at Roberts Branch next to John R. and Martha Maxwell, where there are several unmarked graves adjacent to the Maxwell graves. Family history says that her daughter and two grandchildren are buried there, but there is no proof of this. What happened to the rest of the family, if any, we do not know.
John Buchannon Parrish and his mother and brother lived in Precinct 5 of Lamar Co., and on June 10, 1861, a group met at Persimmon Grove, just south of Tigertown, and organized under the name of Lamar Cavalry No. 2, with James Hill, Capt. They enlisted at Paris, Texas, March 1, 1862 for a 12 months period, and later joined Co. C, 34th Texas Cavalry, Alexander's Regiment 2, Partisan Rangers. Muster Roll for Feb. 28 to June 30, 1863 shows John B. Parrish still in the army and absent without leave with the remark that transportation from where he enlisted to place of rendezvous was 90 miles. He was present in Feb. of 1864, and last paid Aug. 31, 1863. In statements given when Susannah was filing for Widow's Pension, his sister, Mrs. F. E. Sloan said that he was wounded in Louisiana in 1864, and that she personally went to the hospital at Pleasant Hill in Louisiana and brought him home. Her statement says that he did not sufficiently recover to return again to soldier duty.
John B. and Susannah B. King were married in Lamar Co., on Dec. 6, 1864, by Minister Whiteside. Susannah was born in Tennessee Feb. 7, 1845, and was listed with her parents in Lamar Co., in the 1850 Census. John King, her father, was born ca 1810 in Tennessee, and Rachel, the mother, was born ca 1816, also in Tennessee. About 1849, they came with their five children to Texas. In 1850, Jacob was 11; Catharine, 9; Susannah B., and her twin sister, Arimett, 6; and Louisa 2. What happened to the Kings is a mystery, since Susan(nah) King, age 15, was living with the M. B. Burnette family from Indiana in 1860. The wife was Martha A., age 22; W. D., son, age 7; May J., 1; Pinky E., 1/12. All of the children were born in Texas. Have searched for family links to the Burnettes and drawn blanks there, too.
John B. bought land just east and south of Tigertown from the Sparks family, and evidently lived there until they moved to Berwick Community, Jack Co. about 1882. In the 1880 census, he was listed as having spinal meningitis; however he lived until Aug. 16, 1903, when he died in Jack Co. and is buried in Winn Hill Cemetery, Jack Co. Susannah died June 5, 1913, and is also buried in Winn Hill Cemetery, along with several children and other relatives.
There were nine children, all but the last one having been born in Lamar County.
1. John Thomas, born Aug. 28, 1866; married N. Demer Clark on April 19, 1897, in Jack Co.; died Feb. 1907, Jack Co. They lived in the Senate Community, and had five daughters, and also two children who are buried beside their parents.
2. Julian Evelyn "Eva", born May 26, 1868; married Feb. 3, 1887, Jack Co. to Joseph Doty Caddel II; died Nov. 5, 1917 during the flu epidemic in WWI, buried in Winn Hill Cemetery. There were twelve children, two dying very young, and many children and relatives are buried in Winn Hill Cemetery.
3. William "Bill" F., born June, 1870; married 1894 to Jennie Kennedy. They moved to Collin Co., and later to Dallas. They had five children. Bill died in 1926 and both he and Jennie are buried in Allen Cemetery in Collin Co.
4. Jacob Newton, born Sept. 27, 1873; married Amy Rosalie Wilton on Feb. 26, 1911 in Jack Co. They lived in the Berwick Community and had three children, the oldest dying in infancy. Jake died Aug. 28, 1939, and both he and Amy are buried in Winn Hill Cemetery.
5. Susan Della, born June, 1874; married Wade Kennedy, brother of William's wife. They moved to Collin Co., and had four children.
6. Joseph M., born April 28, 1875; died Nov. 29, 1888. He is buried beside his parents in Winn Hill Cemetery.
7 & 8. Emma and Pinkney L. were twins, born Aug. 13, 1881. Emma died March 20, 1893, and is also buried beside her parents.
Pinkney L. moved to Crosby Co., as a young man about 1898, and in 1905, married Bessie English, the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. E. M. English, who settled near Cone in very early years. He was a teacher in Crosby, Floyd, and Hockley Counties, was elected County Judge of Crosby County from 1909 to 1919, and from 1921 to 1923. During the time he was at Crosbyton, I recall hearing my father-in-law, Elmer E. Caddel, his nephew, speak of his Uncle Pink wooing him to the Crosby Co. area when he was quite young and helping him get his first job as a cowhand there. In 1926, Pink L. was elected mayor of Lubbock, after moving to that city. After one term, he was then elected State Senator from the 30th Senatorial District. For several years he was a member of the state democratic executive committee. He ran for Congressman-at-large in 1932 and was defeated in the run-off by George Terrell, Cherokee County. He was a large, robust man with a gift for speech, was a familiar figure at Lubbock gatherings, and Old Settlers Reunions in Crosby Co. he was a manager of the Lubbock Abstract Co., and active in real estate, a member of the Elks, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Lubbock Kiwanis Club, and the First Methodist Church. They had three sons and two daughters.
9. Sterling A., born August 1886, in Jack Co.; married to Elsie Amburn of the Winn Hill Community. She died June 17, 1909, living only one year after their marriage. In 1912, Sterl left Jack Co. to follow a mining career, starting in the copper mines in Bisbee, Arizona, and worked in the lead, zinc, copper and gold mines from the Yukon to Old Mexico. He finally settled in Grass Valley, California in 1934, working in the gold mines there until 1950. He married a second time, and they moved to Sacramento, California. His wife, Leona, died around 1956, but never had any children. He died ca 1970, and both are buried in California.
Note: A great deal of credit for some of this information goes to Hazel Marley of Jacksboro, Texas, who is the daughter of Jacob "Jake" Parrish, and to the Crosby Co, Museum in Crosbyton, Texas, for the information on Pink L. Parrish.
©Ron Brothers and Jean Caddel, All Rights Reserved, 2000
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