Inventory of the James M. Parks Papers, 1858-1896
Collection Number 5112-z
Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Contact Information:
- Manuscripts Department
- CB#3926, Wilson Library
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
- Phone: 919/962-1345
- Fax: 919/962-3594
- Email: mss@email.unc.edu
- URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/
- Processed by
- Matthew Turi
- Date Processed
- March 2003
- Encoded by
- Matthew Turi
- Date Encoded
- March 2003
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Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- Southern Historical Collection
- Creator
- Parks, James M., 1810-1897.
- Title
- James M. Parks Papers, 1858-1896
- Call Number
- 5112-z
- Extent
-
- About 50 items
- Abstract
- James M. Parks was a surveyor, farmer, school teacher, and moneylender who lived on Jonathan Creek in Haywood County, N.C. The collection includes letters written by Parks to his adult son, William M. Parks, between 1858 and 1896. In addition to details about family, health, children, and recent events, Parks's letters delve deeply into the realities and practices of his various vocational interests, including agriculture, surveying, money lending, and teaching. These activities, especially land surveying and money lending, caused Parks to be quite interested in political and economic matters, and his specific concerns about money, the courts, and Haywood County politics are reflected in extensive passages in his letters. Parks also wrote about some of the difficulties he had raising young children as a widower. Some family history materials are also included.
Administrative Information
- Alternate Form of Material
- Contents of this collection and additional historical information may be found in: Farlow, Betsy C., ed. Your Letter Came to Hand in Due Time. Burlington, N.C.: Parsimonia Books, 2002.
- Preferred Citation
- [Identification of item], in the James M. Parks Papers #5112-z, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Copyright Notice
- Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Online Catalog Headings
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
- Agriculture--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Agriculture--North Carolina--Haywood County.
- Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs--19th century.
- Farms--North Carolina.
- Haywood County (N.C.)--Commerce.
- Haywood County (N.C.)--History.
- Haywood County (N.C.)--Politics and government
- Haywood County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
- Jonathan Creek (N.C.)--History.
- Meteors--Observations--History--19th century.
- Moneylenders--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- North Carolina--Politics and government--19th century.
- Parks, James M., 1810-1897.
- Parks, William M., 1835-1919.
- Single fathers--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Surveyors--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Teachers--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Widowers--North Carolina--History--19th century.
Biographical Note
James M. Parks (1810-1897) was a surveyor, farmer, school teacher, and moneylender. In 1832, he married Mary Matilda McCulloch (1812-1838), and they had three children: Jane McCulloch Parks Grey (1833-1883), William M. Parks (1835-1919), and Mary E. Parks Hunter (1838-1876). In 1854, Parks married Louise Rowann Parks (1830-1865) and, shortly thereafter, they moved to Jonathan Creek in Haywood County, N.C. Parks and his second wife had two children: Sarah H. Parks Boyd (1854-1933) and James A. Parks (1855-1945).
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These letters were written by James M. Parks to his adult son, William M. Parks, between 1858 and 1896. James Parks, who lived on Jonathan Creek, N.C., was an acute observer, and these letters contain a wealth of detail about the lives that were lived in Haywood County, N.C. In addition to details about family, health, children, and recent events, Parks's letters delve deeply into the realities and practices of his various vocational interests, including agriculture, surveying, money lending, and teaching. These activities, especially land surveying and money lending, caused Parks to be quite interested in political and economic matters, and his specific concerns about money, the courts, and Haywood County politics are reflected in extensive passages in his letters. Parks also wrote about some of the difficulties he had raising young children as a widower.
Also included is a photocopy of "A Record of Births, Marriages, and Deaths for the Family of James Parks" and typescript copies of letters relating to family history.
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Detailed Description of the Collection
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