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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 2.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1400 items) |
| Abstract | The Parks family, like many other Scotch-Irish dissenters, made their way to the North Carolina Piedmont, settling in Rowan County. There, William Parks (1770-1842) was born. He married Mary Beaty (1778-1846) in 1795, and the two had ten children, among them a son, John L. Parks (1822-1906). John Parks married his first wife, Margaret McDowell, in 1848. Following two other marriages and service as a Confederate private, Parks moved to the Hopewell area, near Huntersville in Mecklenburg County, NC, in 1868. There he owned a substantial farm and cotton gin. One of his sons, William Beaty Parks (1851-1929), also became a farmer and was the owner of a general store. W. B. Parks married Nancy Alice Gluyas in 1873. They had three sons, one of whom was the Thomas Parks (1889-1980) who collected this material. The McElraths were related to the Parks by marriage. David McElrath left Scotland for America in 1730, and a son, also David, moved to Burke County, NC. Two of his sons, Robert (1770-1814) and John, married into the McDowell family. The collection includes correspondence, financial and legal items, photographs, and other material relating to ancestors and other relatives of Thomas Parks (1889-1980). Parks collected the material in an effort to document his genealogy, and much of the material concerns the Parks family of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The bulk of the other material concerns the McElrath family of Burke County, North Carolina. |
| Creator | Parks, Thomas, 1889-1980, collector. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical
Information
The Parks family, like many other Scotch-Irish dissenters, made their way to the North Carolina Piedmont, settling in Rowan County. There, William Parks (1770-1842) was born. He married Mary Beaty (1778-1846) in 1795, and the two had ten children, among them a son, John L. Parks (1822-1906).
John Parks married his first wife, Margaret McDowell McElrath, in 1848. Following two other marriages and service as a Confederate private, Parks moved to the Hopewell area, near Huntersville in Mecklenburg County, NC, in 1868. There he owned a substantial farm and cotton gin. One of his sons, William Beaty Parks (1851-1929), also became a farmer and was the owner of a general store. W. B. Parks married Nancy Alice Gluyas in 1873. They had three sons, one of whom was the Thomas Parks (1889-1980) who collected this material.
The McElraths were related to the Parks by marriage. David McElrath left Scotland for America in 1730, and a son, also David, moved to Burke County, NC. Two of his sons, Robert (1780-1814) and John, married into the McDowell family.
Robert McElrath and his wife Margaret McDowell (1819-1854) had at least four daughters and a son. One daughter, Margaret (1819-1854), married John Lindsay Parks (1822-1906). The son, Robert Jackson (1832-1898), married F. Emily Dobson (1832-1907), and owned a large farm in Silver Creek Valley, Burke County, NC.
A notable episode in Robert J. McElrath's life was his participation in the California gold rush. In 1851, McElrath sent several slaves to Tuolumne County, California, under the supervision of a son-in-law, G. D. Dodson, to work in placer mines there. Most of the gold was to go towards substantial debts incurred by McElrath, but the slaves were allowed to keep the earnings from their sixth day of labor each week (see sub-collection 2, folders 2 and 22).
Robert and Emily McElrath had a daughter, Lillie (1868-1897), and a son, John, who worked as a railroad foreman.
The family charts that follow provide additional information.
Parks Family
William Parks (1770-1824) + Mary Beaty (1778-1846)
William B. Parks (1814-1868) + Harriet F. Gibbs
John L. Parks (1822-1906) + (1) Margaret McElrath (1819-1854)
(2) Sarah Alexander (1823-1858)
(3) Sarah Butler (d. 1876)
(4) Elizabeth Williams (1827-1904)
Mary Ann Parks (1849-1950)
William B. Parks (1851-1929) + Nancy Alice Gluyas (1853-1925)
John L. II (1874-1956)
Walter Beaty (1896-1971)
Thomas (1889-1980) + Minnie Brice Ranson (1886-1969)
McElrath Family
David McElrath (fl. 1730)
David + Catherine Averharte
Robert (1780-1854) + Margaret McDowell (1787-1874)
Robert Jackson (1832-1898) + F. Emily Dobson (1832-1907)
Lillie (1868-1897)
John McDowell (1863-1939)
Elisa
Mira
Margaret (1819-1854) + John L. Parks (1822-1906)
Mary Ann (1849-1950)
William Beaty (1851-1929) + Nancy Alice Guyas (1853-1925)
Thomas (1889-1980) + Minnie Brice Ranson (1886-1969)
Florence Vivian (b. 1916) + Philip L. Johnston (b. 1914)
Matilda + G. D. Dodson
John + Elizabeth McDowell
McDowell Family
Joseph McDowell (b. 1715) + Margaret O'Neale
Joseph
Charles
John
Margaret (1787-1874) + Robert McElrath (1780-1854)
Robert Jackson (1832-1898) + F. Emily Dobson (d. 1906)
Elisa
Margaret (1819-1854) + John L. Parks (1822-1906)
Mary Ann (1849-1850)
William Beaty (1851-1929) + Nancy Alice Gluyas (1853-1925)
Thomas (1889-1980) + Minnie Brice Ranson (1886-1969)
Florence Vivian (b. 1916) + Phillip L. Johnston (b. 1914)
Elizabeth + John McElrath (1810-1842)
Hugh
Elizabeth
Hannah
This chart includes only those individuals featured in or important for understanding these papers. Thus, only selected children and marriages are noted. For more detailed genealogical information, see subcollection 1, folder 51.
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Scope and Content
The bulk of these papers consists of correspondence and financial and legal documents relating to the Parks and McElraths. The collection reflects the genealogical interests of Thomas Parks, as indicated by many notes on family history included in the correspondence. There is also some specifically genealogical material in the collection, including printed and typescript materials relating to Parks genealogy. Various writings, photographs, and account books round out the collection.
In order to facilitate the use of this collection, it has been divided into two subcollections, one containing items related largely to the Parks family and the other related largely to the McElraths.
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Series Quick Links
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1. PARKS FAMILY.
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Series 1. Parks Family: Correspondence, 1852-1981.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence of the Parks family, most with various relatives and friends (including correspondence from the McElraths-folder 7), and some letters to business and legal contacts. Notable items include letters from John L. Parks to his wife and brother during an 1852 trip to Texas (folder 1) and two letters of the Civil War era (folder 3). Matters discussed consist almost entirely of genealogy, farming, and routine business and family affairs.
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Series 2. Parks Family: Financial and Legal Items, 1777-1940.
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Subseries 2.1. Deeds and Indentures, 1777-1929.
Arrangement: chronological.
Deeds and indentures tracing land dealings of the Parks family and the history of their tract of land in Mecklenburg County.
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Subseries 2.2. Wills and Related Items, 1846-1905.
Arrangement: chronological.
Wills and various related items (such as property inventories) relating to the Parks family.
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Subseries 2.3. Slave Documents, 1853-1857.
Arrangement: chronological.
Two bills of sale for slaves and a physician's bill for treatment of slaves of John L. Parks.
| Folder 20 |
Slave documents, 1853-1857 #04464, Subseries: "2.3. Slave Documents, 1853-1857." Folder 20 |
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Subseries 2.4. Receipts and Other Financial and Legal Items, 1825-1940, and Undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Receipts, promissory notes, and account sheets tracing Parks family agricultural and business activities. Many of the receipts are for state, local, and national taxes, and insurance payments.
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Series 3. Parks Family: Ballads and Poems, 1829,
1834, 1886.
A manuscript copy of a poem by John L. Parks as a child, a hand-written shape-note tune-book, and a collection of ballads.
| Folder 41 |
Ballads and poems, 1829 #04464, Series: "3. Parks Family: Ballads and Poems, 1829, 1834, 1886." Folder 41 |
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Series 4. Parks Family: Printed Materials, 1840-1917.
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Subseries 4.1. Matrimonial Advertisements, 1909, 1917, and undated.
Two "matrimonial catalogs" and two advertisement sheets for matrimonial agencies of the early 1900s, apparently utilized by one of the Parks or McElrath's in his search for a wife.
| Folder 42 |
Matrimonial advertisements, 1909, 1917, and undated #04464, Subseries: "4.1. Matrimonial Advertisements, 1909, 1917, and undated." Folder 42 |
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Subseries 4.2. Other Printed Material, 1840-1979, and undated.
Various advertisements, newspapers and newspaper articles, obituaries, church publications, and other printed materials that reflect the daily life and interests of the Parks family.
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Series 5. Parks Family: Other Papers, 1781-1950s.
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Subseries 5.1. Military Documents, 1781-1864.
A substitute's certificate from the Revolutionary War, some records (mostly photocopies) documenting John L. Parks's service in the Confederate Army, and other items.
| Folder 48 |
Military documents, 1781-1864 #04464, Subseries: "5.1. Military Documents, 1781-1864." Folder 48 |
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Subseries 5.2. Blueprints, 1905, 1920, undated.
A diagram of a fluid pump and storage device, two blueprints of proposed additions to the Hopewell Presbyterian Church graveyard (where many of the Parks family are buried), and two surveyor's drawings of Parks property.
| Folder 49 |
1905, 1920, undated #04464, Subseries: "5.2. Blueprints, 1905, 1920, undated." Folder 49 |
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Subseries 5.3. Genealogical/Historical Material, 1950s-1960s.
Typescript, manuscript, and photocopied material related to the history and genealogy of the Parks family.
| Folder 50-51 |
Genealogical/historical material, 1950s-1960s #04464, Subseries: "5.3. Genealogical/Historical Material, 1950s-1960s." Folder 50-51Folder 50Folder 51 |
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Series 6. Parks Family: Volumes, 1836-1915.
Arrangement: chronological.
Account books used by the Parks family in their business and farming activities.
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Series 7. Parks Family: Pictures, circa 1860, 1955.
Black and white photographs relating to the Parks family.
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2. MCELRATH FAMILY.
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Series 1. McElrath Family: Correspondence, 1820-1969.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence of the McElrath family, with relatives, friends, and business and legal contacts, including some letters from members of the Parks family (folders 2, 4-6). Many of the letters discuss religious activities, genealogy, and agriculture, but most deal with routine family matters.
Notable items include correspondence from James McElrath, G. P. Dodson, and W. P. Robinson, all three of whom oversaw the working of a claim during the California gold rush from 1851 to 1852. The three North Carolinians sent letters to friends and family back home, describing the daily life of those working the claims and mentioning the use of slaves in the mines (see folders 2 and 13 and related financial items in folder 22). Another notable letter, received by the McElraths from a relative in Tennessee, mentions action taken to avert a slave insurrection in 1860 (folder 5).
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Series 2. McElrath Family: Financial and Legal Items, 1777-1937.
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Subseries 2.1. Deeds and Indentures, 1779-1907.
Deeds and indentures recording land transactions of various members of the McElrath and related families.
| Folder 14 |
1779-1816 #04464, Subseries: "2.1. Deeds and Indentures, 1779-1907." Folder 14 |
| Folder 15 |
1825-1907 #04464, Subseries: "2.1. Deeds and Indentures, 1779-1907." Folder 15 |
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Subseries 2.2. Slave Documents, 1827-1857.
Two bills of sale, a deed granting a slave to a physician (probably in consideration of services), and a physician's bill for a visit to one of the McElrath slaves.
| Folder 16 |
Slave documents, 1827-1857 #04464, Subseries: "2.2. Slave Documents, 1827-1857." Folder 16 |
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Subseries 2.3. Receipts and Other Financial and Legal Items, 1777-1937.
Receipts, promissory notes, and other items tracing the business and farming activities of the McElraths and their relatives. Notable items are a receipt for gold dust from the Brindletown mine, Burke County, North Carolina, dated 24 April 1835, and items related to the McElraths gold prospecting activities in California, including a record of the slaves' share of the gold (folder 22).
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Series 3. McElrath Family: Writings, 1870, undated.
A cure, notes, and songs for a July 4 celebration; a penmanship sample; and three articles by F. Emily Dobson, wife of Robert Jackson McElrath.
| Folder 90 |
Writings, 1870 and undated #04464, Series: "3. McElrath Family: Writings, 1870, undated." Folder 90 |
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Series 4. McElrath Family: Printed Material, 1890-1969.
Advertisements and other printed material, some of which relates to the history of the McElrath and McDowell families.
| Folder 91 |
Printed material, 1890-1969 #04464, Series: "4. McElrath Family: Printed Material, 1890-1969." Folder 91 |
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Series 5. McElrath Family: Genealogical/Historical Items, 1859-1984.
Largely typescript and manuscript materials (some copies of newspaper articles) tracing the history of the McElraths and McDowells
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Series 6. McElrath Family: Volumes, 1909.
Account book recording work done by John McElrath and including some genealogical information.
| Folder 94 |
Volume, 1909 #04464, Series: "6. McElrath Family: Volumes, 1909." Folder 94 |
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Series 7. McElrath Family: Pictures, circa 1860, 1955.
Photographs relating to the McElrath family.
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Items Separated
Processed by: John Beam, October 1986
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
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