| | John M. Laughary's marriage bond and certificate name his wife twice as "Sarah A. Parks" and once as "Susan A. Parker" (S1350). Her death certificate gives her name as "Susan A. Laughary" and names her parents as "William Parks" and "___ Johnson" (S1483). The death certificate of her son Benjamin F gives her name as "Susan Parks" (S1489). The 1900 (S1300), 1910, and 1920 censuses give her name as "Susan". It should be noted that a "C.M. Johnson" was a bondsman for her marriage.
Her marriage certificate, dated May 21 1874 gives her age as 16, pointing to c1858. Her birthplace is listed as KY with her father born in TN and her mother in KY. Her death certificate gives Mar 10 1858 in Webster Co., KY. The 1900 census has Mar 1858 KY/VA/KY. The 1910 census has a52 (c1858) KY/KY/KY. 1920 has a63 (c1857) KY/KY/KY.
Based on the collected evidence, it is probable that her given name was either Susan A or Sarah A (with Susan as her nickname). Her family name was probably Parks, with Parker as a less-likely possibility. She was probably born in 1858 in KY, with Mar 1858 as a likely month. Her father may have been named William Parks and her mother may have been a Johnson.
There is a birth record for a "Susen A Parker", b 10 Mar 1858 in Hopkins Co., father: John E. Parker, mother: Harriet O. Johnson. This family shows up in the 1850 and 1860 censuses in Hopkins County. Harriett's birth place is given as VA. John's as KY and SC. Problems are that the birth places are not as expected, and the father's name is not "William". Still, the name, birthdate and the fact that her mother's family name is Johnson makes this a promising lead. The idea that the family in the census is the same as the family in the birth record is further supported by the fact that the 1860 census lists a (probable) daughter, Mary F., age 6; this appears to be the same person listed in the birth record for "Mary F. Parks", b 8 Mar 1854, Hopkins Co., f: J.E. Parks, m: Johnson.
I used Ancestry.com to search the 1870 census for Sus* and Sarah Parks or Parker, born 1858 +-2 in KY with a father named William. The only father match was Sarah A Parks, Hopkins Co., c1859 KY, f: William, m: Mary A. This cannot be the Susan of interest because this Sarah was still single and living with her parents in 1880.
Not finding anything better, I am concluding that Susan was probably Susan A. Parks (or less likely, Parker), daughter of John E. Parks and Harriet O. Johnson of Hopkins County.
The 1870 census lists John living with "Mary" Purks (Parks). This fits with a transcribed marriage record (S1196) that shows that John E. Parks married Mary E. Riley on 21 Dec 1865 in Webster Co. Since I cannot find any record of Harriet after the 1860 census, I assume that she died between Aug 1860 when that census was taken, and Dec 1865.
In 1880, the head of the family is listed as E. Mary Parks. and John does not appear, but there are children listed who have the last name "Wiley". This may be the correct version of Mary E.'s last name. My assumption is that John died sometime between Feb 1872 when his last know son was born and June 1880, when the census was taken. There is a burial site in Old Onton Cem, Hopkins County, for J.E. Parks, May 8 1830-June 22 1872, which would fit with this theory.
Another difficulty is that the death certificate of John's son, Benjamin Franklin Parks, born 1872, gives his mother's maiden name as "Johnson", not Wiley. However, this is resolved by a marriage record (S1315) showing that Mary E. Johnson and Willis Wiley, 6 Mar 1856, Hopkins Co. This earlier marriage was probably the source of the children listed in the 1880 census. Perhaps Harriet and Mary were relatives, but I have not proved that.1,8,2,11 |