Missing Link (LK=YT)

Missing Link (LK=YT)
King Cyrus Alexander Parks Sr.
and Mahala Tumlenson

PS Newsletter, Vol. 40 No. 3 (2003)

King Cyrus Alexander Parks Sr. (lineage key = YT), the subject of this Missing Links article, is the ancestor of Janie Roesner PS#1228 and Melinda McGregor PS#1095. Janie has collected an impressive amount of information on her Parks lineage but has not been able to locate the earlier ancestry before King Parks Sr., who was born in Tennessee in 1800. With this unusual name, one would expect him to be more easily recognized in the records.

King Parks Sr. married Mahala Tumlenson (Tomilinson or Trammel) in Scott County, Arkansas, in March of 1824. Mahala was born in North Carolina, the daughter of James Tumlenson and Elizabeth Parks. Whether King was related to his mother-in-law has not been determined. According to census and tax records, the Parks family lived in Crawford and Scott Counties, Arkansas, from 1823 through 1840. It is believed that they moved to Texas about 1841. Their names appear on 1850 and 1860 records in Cherokee Co., Texas. Between 1860 and 1870, they moved to Dewitt Co., Texas, and were listed in the 1870 census for that place. King and Mahala Parks were the parents of twelve children. Mahala Parks died in 1870 and is buried in Hebron Cemetery near Yoakum, DeWitt Co., Texas. King Parks Sr. died in 1880 and is buried beside his wife.

Janie’s grandmother was Daisy Dell5 Parks (King Cyrus Alexander1 William J. Sr.2 Isaac E.3 William J.4). She was born on 21 March 1905 in Chickash, Grady Co., Oklahoma, one of ten children of William J. (Buddy) Parks and his wife Rachel Emaline (Emma) Riley.

Daisy was evidently someone who knew what she wanted because when she read in the newspaper that John Mack Kelley was home from the war, she told her sister that she was going to marry that man! Her sister just laughed at her but Daisy met John at a Church meeting and they began going together. They were married June 4, 1923 in New Kirk, Oklahoma. John Mack Kelley was born 2 March 1894 in Cleburne, Johnson Co., Texas, the son of James Kelley and Matilda Gray. The family would like to know more about his early life, especially his service during World War I.

Life was not easy for the family during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. At one time, they had to live in a large tent with their children and also Daisy’s brother Roy Parks and his wife and family. John and Roy worked for fifty cents a day, when they could find work. There was very little food and one day when the two men left for work, they carried with them the last of the meat for their lunch. Daisy prayed that morning and told the Lord that she didn’t have any meat to feed her family; she had staple food but not enough for everyone. When she finished praying, she saw a chicken come into the tent and go behind her trunk. This chicken had come in everyday and laid an egg which was used for cooking. Daisy had never thought about eating the chicken but she decided that this was the Lord’s answer for their supper. When the men came home that night, they were greeted with a big pot of chicken and dumplings for supper. This fed them until they were paid the next day.

In addition to Janie Roesner PS#1228, Melinda McGregor PS#1095 is also an active researcher of the King Cyrus lineage.

Lineage

King Cyrus Alexander Parks Sr. and Mahala Tumlenson (Tomilinson/Trammel). Children:

  1. Unknown PARKS.
  2. Samuel L. PARKS (1824 Ark.-?). Never married.
  3. William Joseph PARKS Sr. (1825 Ark.-?). He m(1) Rebecca DONOHO, 20 Jan. 1846 in Nacadoches Co, TX. Rebecca was born in 1822, MS, the daughter of William Donoho and Jane Addison. Ten children were born to this couple:

    1. King Cyrus PARKS 3rd (?-1933, Allen, OK) m. Nancy E. PARKS.
    2. Jeff Davis PARKS
    3. Isaac E. PARKS (1846-1908) m(1) Martha BARBER on 30 Jan.1867, in DeWitt Co., TX.; Isaac m(2) Nancy VANDIVER. (Isaac E. was Janie Roesner’s ancestor.)
    4. William W. PARKS (1851-1922) is buried in Hebron Cemetery near Yoakum, TX.
    5. Mahala PARKS (1854-?) m. B.G. LUCUS (1847, MS-? ).
    6. Samuel Louis PARKS (1856-bet. 1933/1939) m. Mattie Martha Lucrecia JAMESON in 1897 in Latimer County.
    7. Hiram PARKS (1857-?).
    8. Sarah F. PARKS (1858-?) m. Mr. HARTMAN.
    9. Mary E. PARKS (1859-?) m. Ben STOUT in 1879.
    10. James Abner PARKS (1863-1939, Allen,OK) m. Mattie Martha Susan PRICE.

    William Joseph m(2) Martha J. EVETTS in 1872 in DeWitt Co, TX. Martha was born in 1851 in Texas. Four children:

    1. Robert E. Lee PARKS (1873, TX-?).
    2. John J.R. PARKS (1875, TX-?).
    3. Annie C. PARKS (1877, TX-?).
    4. Nancy E. PARKS (1880, Dewitt Co., TX-?).

  4. Joanna PARKS (1827 Scott Co., Ark-?) m. Edmund ARRINGTON on ?? Nacogdoches Co, TX. Edmund was born in 1823 in Arkansas.
  5. Elizabeth Ann PARKS (1833-1848, Cherokee Co., TX) m. Isaac DONAHO, 15 Aug 1845 in Nacogdoches Co., TX. Isaac was born 1823, MS, the son of William Donoho and Jane Addison. One child listed:

    1. William J. DONAHO (1846 Cherokee Co., TX?).

  6. Mary Jane PARKS (1836-1912) m(1) James Benjamin COOK. James was born 13 Jul 1834 at Milledgeville, GA, the son of Caswell Cook and Margaret Garrison. They had two children:

    1. Walter T. COOK.
    2. Margaret (Maggie) COOK.

    Mary Jane m(2) John Stell (1830 TN-1859 TX) on 24 July 1851, in Cherokee Co., TX. They had six children:

    1. Josephine (Josie) STELL
    2. Sara Ann STELL
    3. Elizabeth M. STELL
    4. Betty STELL
    5. John William STELL
    6. Cyrus H. STELL (b. 27 Jul 1854 Dewitt Co., TX.)

    Mary Jane m(3) Richard Alexander WILLIAMS on 25 Sept.1870 in Dewitt Co., TX. They had one child:

    1. Theodocia (Docie) WILLIAMS

  7. Sarah Matilda PARKS (1838, Ark.-?) m(1) Hilary GOODSON (?-abt.1860) about 1855. There were three children of this marriage:

    1. Mary Catherine GOODSON
    2. Martha Ann GOODSON
    3. William Alexander GOODSON

    Sarah Matilda m(2) John David (Jack) COOK, SR. on 12 Sep 1861. John (1836, Cawford Co., GA – 1908 Dewitt Co., TX) was the son of Caswell Cook and Margaret Garrison. They had two children:

    1. Margaret Matilda COOK
    2. Caswell Young COOK Jr.

  8. George W. PARKS was born 1840 in Arkansas.
  9. Nancy Catherine Parks (1841 TX – 1873 Lavaxa Co., TX) m. James Benjamin COOK in Dewitt Co., TX. James (1834 GA – ?) was the son of Caswell Cook and Margaret Garrison. They had seven children:

    1. Joseph Samuel COOK
    2. Jefferson Davis COOK
    3. Mary Cornelia COOK
    4. Anna J. COOK
    5. James Washington (Doc) COOK
    6. William Caswell (Bill) COOK
    7. Martha Viser (Mattie) COOK

  10. Alcy C. PARKS was born 1844 in Texas.
  11. Rebecca PARKS (1847 – ?) m Caswell W. COOK (1837 GA – 1918 TX) on 6 Oct 1859 in Cherokee Co., TX. They had eight children:

    1. John D. COOK
    2. Martha Elzabeth COOK
    3. Nancy Catherine COOK
    4. Josie COOK
    5. James COOK
    6. King Thomas COOK
    7. Eliza Saphone COOK
    8. Hazelton COOK

  12. King Cyrus Alexander PARKS, Jr. (1850 – 1892), m Alcesta DARST (1855 – 1913) in 1869 in Scott Co., Ark. Mary was the daughter of Richard Darst and Mary Hodges. They had ten children:

    1. Idena (Ide) PARKS (1870 – 1910) m. John RIDWAY on 13 Feb 1890.
    2. Lillie Ann (Lil) PARKS (1872 – 1925) m. Roy Hollan (1874 – 1936) on 20 Oct 1896 in Hebron Baptist Church.
    3. Mary Estelles (Tellie) PARKS (1874 – 1951) m(1) Cad BLACKBURN; m(2) Joe SHRIVER; m(3) William Hennissee KIRK on 11 Feb 1889 [note: marriages may not be in correct order]
    4. Marion Joann (Manie) PARKS (1875 – 1955) m. William Rector WILLIAMS on 6 Dec 1893.
    5. Sarah Ophelia (Freedie) PARKS (1877 – 1958) m. Hery Harrison (Hack) HOLLAN.
    6. Weyman A. PARKS (1882/3 – 1929).
    7. Cyrus Elmer PARKS (1885 – 1901).
    8. Margaret Mahala (Maude) PARKS (1887 – 1907) m(1) James Thomas BENBOW; m(2) Dallas HAYES.
    9. Samuel Lewis PARKS (1889 – 1954)
    10. John Henry PARKS (1892 – 1954) m. Claudia GRANBERRY