Timothy Parker & Tennie Rountree of Sarem

Sally’s Grandparents:

Timothy E. Parker 1859 – 1927 | parents
& 1894 Emily Hortense Rountree 1870 – 1952 |parents
of Sarem, Gates Co, NC

Timothy Edward Parker and Emily Hortense Rountree were married at home* four p.m. on 21 March 1894.
*Home being the John A. Rountree home located approximately two miles from Sunbury, N.C.

Timothy E Parker 1925

Timothy Parker, son of James Brown Parker and his wife Priscilla Hayse (Hayes), was born 12 September 1859 at Sarem, Gates County, N.C.
Timothy Edward Parker departed this life on the 2 February 1927 at Sarem of pneumonia.
He was a farmer.
“When Edward, Timothy’s oldest brother, died from blood poisoning ca 1880 they buried him under the shade of a tree that used to stand in a corner of a field.” As recalled by J.B. Parker of what his father said his father told him.
Timothy took Edward for his middle name to honor his brother’s memory; Tennie Parker related to me, her granddaughter, in 1952.
Timothy attended school at Reynoldson Institute. My Grandmother told us of this prank of the students. One night the boys collected all the fence rails for miles around and managed to put the principal’s “ox” in a pen at the top of an old pine tree and then, removed their ramp. Amazed, the head man assembled the boys, congratulated them on their deed. “Now young men, you can just get my animal safely down from that perch.” They did.

1925: Grandmama Hortense, Uncle Pomp, Grandpoppa Tim, Uncle Bill Parker

by the Deacons of Reynoldson Baptist Church. “That on 2 February 1927, God in his providence did take from our midst our beloved Brother Timothy E. Parker. Brother Parker was 67 years of age. He had been a member of Reynoldson Baptist Church for 50 years and was a deacon for 23 years. He loved his church and was faithful in attendance. He was never happier than when he was rendering some service to his church, he gave liberally of his means and was ever ready to do all in his power to advance the cause of the Lord. He was a good and kind neighbor. He loved his friends and was ever ready at all times to do them a kindness. He was a man of high character and a perfect gentleman. He took part in all public affairs and stood for what he believed to be right, honest and just. He was a kind and affectionate husband and father.
He leaves a wife, one son and one daughter. He spent all his life in the community in which he died. We can honestly say that a good man has gone to be with his Lord and Master. His body was laid to rest in the family cemetery. FIRST. We extend to the bereaved family our deepest love and sympathy. SECOND. We send copies of these resolutions to his wife, to his son, and daughter and to the Biblical Recorder. And put a copy in the minutes of this church. Respectfully submitted, M P Ellis; E S A Ellenor; M J Lawrence; J C Holland; I A Hines

Ola, Tennie, and Beaurie ca 1901

Uncle Dorsey Rountree and
Ola, Tennie and Beaurie 1950

My father liked to tease Mother by saying her father was what he called a “one-mule” farmer who kept bees on the side. (Grandpoppa had a mule for plowing and a carriage horse.) My mother’s retort was, “Poppa did only have “one-mule” on his farm, but he kept all his farming gear and equipment either in barns or under shelter safe from the elements.”
Grandpoppa also kept about six hives of bees.
My grandmother was not too keen on having all those hives in her garden.
The day after my grandfather died, she claims she went over to the hives. Rapped to get the bees attention. She told the bees, “Your master is dead and you bees had just best find another home because I am not tending to you.”
And she didn’t and eventually, the bees all went elsewhere to live.
Emily Hortense Rountree, daughter of John Abner Rountree and his wife, Emily Jane Sanderlin Dudley Walker, was born 27 August 1870.
Tennie Parker departed this life 1 June, l952, at Maple Lawn, Hertford Co., N.C, the home of her daughter, Ola Moore.
Hortense Rountree attended Sunbury Male & Female Academy, where she excelled as a student. Her parents had wanted her to attend Chowan College, but Hortense said, “No, you know you cannot afford to outfit me with clothes as fine as those the other girls will be wearing. I just will not go and be humiliated there. I will become a milliner instead.” Part of her marriage agreement with Tim was that he would build her a shop in the front yard of their home where she could continue to make and sell women’s hats.

My Grandmother told about the time the stew was hot enough for Tim.
“one day I was making a kid-stew. The last time I had made it, Tim claimed it was not seasoned as hot as kid-stew should be. So this time I put in an extra pod of red pepper when I was seasoning the stew. Then it happened that Tim came by and saw the pot of stew cooking, so he snuck in an extra pod of pepper. And a little later his mother discovered the stew cooking in the kitchen unattended and remembering Tim taste, she too put in an extra pepper. Yes, the stew was indeed hot enough for Tim.”

* William and Sally Dudley died when their boat capsized during a hurricane sometime in the mid-’90’s. (Did their older children die with them?) Emily Jane Rountree, who was keeping the children for their parents’ holiday, became their guardian. In 1898, Emily Jane Rountree, their grandmother died during a small pox epidemic. Tennie, who was at her mother’s bedside as the nurse, returned home after the funeral with her brother’s four youngest children to raise.

Tim and Tennie bought an organ for their parlor. All of the girls learned to play it, Ola, Emma, Alice, and Katie. Mama says that when one of the girls would be courting that pair would sit on the love seat in the parlor while the rest of the family would gather around the organ singing songs. Judson Elder and some of Uncle Pomp’s crowd were usually present also.

During the winter of ’27-28 while Tennie was away being the housemother at the local teacherage, a fire destroyed the Parker Home.
She returned home to live in her store where she had sold ladies’ hats trimmed to suit. There amid the ruins and ashes of her house, she planted a garden and tended her memories. Her flowers grew in abundance.

Home of Tim and Tennie Parker ca 1910 — photo ca 1910
Tennie Parker in the chair, “Sister,” and Tim Parker,
the person is side yard was unidentified.
I believe “Sister” is Kate Dudley Eure.

Evidently, Grandmother’s home enjoyed a 4-star rating with the “drummers,” peddlers, and Hoboes, who regularly traveled the rails that ran by her home going South in the winter and North in the summer. She provided them all with hot meals and a place to spend the night. Before the house burned, they slept on a day bed that she had kept for them which sat on the dog-trot or breezeway (porch) between the house and the kitchen. Afterward, she just gave them a blanket and sent them to the barn to sleep. There was one man in particular that for years showed up every spring and fall without fail. She referred to him as “the wild goose.” My cousin J. B. remembers seeing “the wild goose” on his last visit ca 1932. “I had gone with Daddy before breakfast to milk the cow when all of a sudden “the wild goose” climbed down out of the barn with his blanket, chatted awhile with Daddy, then got some breakfast from grandmother, and went on his way.”

J.B. Parker remembering his grandmother:
There was this one time that Grandmother got mad with my father.
One Sunday returning from Church, as we came to a stop in the yard, Dad says,
“All out for home! All, who are not home, should be!”
And although she had been invited to stay for dinner, Grandmother was insulted,
“Beaurie, Take me home, now!!”

Grandmother would not go anywhere late. Once Dad was late in picking her up one Sunday and she refused to go to church with us saying she did not want to arrive late.
“But, why? I’m the Sunday School Superintendent! Nothing is going to happen until I get there to get things going.”
“Yes, but they will all be there sitting — waiting for us to arrive.”

My sister Julia Lawrence tells of the time we were going over to Gates County for a family reunion one Sunday in 1939. Daddy was driving the big old red Chrysler. In the car was Mother, holding the baby Arthur, Daddy, and Miss Conwell were in the front seat, and the back was Grandmother holding me, Helen, John, Julia, and Jane.
As we were leaving Ahoskie, who should we see thumbing for a ride but John Robert Parker and his college roommate. Daddy stopped to ask the young men if they wanted to ride on the roof. “Uncle Raynor, I will hold all six if you can get us to Gates County before Uncle Beaurie says Amen.” As the boys piled into the car under the children, Grandmother says, “You’ve got a good chance, John, because Beaurie won’t start to pray until I get there!” That was when John Robert realized that she was riding in the car seated on the back seat, also — you should have seen his face!

Children of Timothy Parker and Emily Hortense Rountree:
1. Gladiola “Ola” Parker 1 February 1895 at Sarem -31 January 1974 Ahoskie.

age 10 Ola age ca 16

married 20 May 1925 at Sarem, John Raynor Moore 1892 – 1969 Maple Lawn
2. Timothy Beaurie Parker 18 June 1896, at Sarem – 1984 at Sarem
married 5 Jan 1921 Lillie Waff Smith 1896 – 1976

Lillie and Louise Beaurie Parker ca 1922

Children of William Dudley and wife, Sally Sanderlin*:
1. Kate Dudley 28 Sept 1886 Camden Co – 6 March 1945 Gates Co
married Luther Mills Eure 8 March 1886 – 23 December 1939
both buried at Eure Christian Church, Eure, NC
2. Alice Dudley 6 May 1889 – 23 December 1905, age 16
3. William Wallace Dudley Sept 1891 –
Married ?
4. Emma Dudley 12 Nov 1893 – 1954
married 4 Jan 1911 Tom Brown Parker 1886 – 1958 Gates Co, NC
5. Charles Dudley Sept 1883 — lived Dolly Walker household
married Mary Worrell

Grandmother 80th Birthday Party
Tennie Parker with her brother, Dorsey Rountree,
all her grandchildren + Frances Neebes
her two children Ola and Beaurie and their spouses, Raynor Moore and Lillie Parker,
Blanche Parker and Warren Nebles. Richard Turner took the picture.

Raleigh Keeter relates this story re his Uncle Tim Parker in “Feather Beds, Bed Steads, Iron Pots & Hogs.” “One cold day in late fall Uncle Tim was helping one of his neighbors with the hog killing chores. It was the custom for people to help each other with this hard work. After killing the animal and removing the hair, the men carved the carcass into pieces for the smokehouse. Practically every part of the hog was used for something. They slaughtered many during the day, and the processing of the meat took several days. The fat, cut into pieces, was cooked down to make the lard. The scrap pieces of meat were ground up and seasoned for sausage. The ladies of the host family would usually prepare dinner at noon and supper at the end of the workday for the crew of workers. On this particular day, the men had finished their work and were waiting for their meal when one broke out some hard cider and began passing it around. Uncle Tim was not a drinker, did not know how to pace himself. The jug made the rounds several times; Everyone sat down to eat supper, but Uncle Tim began to feel ill. The room was spinning around. He sat there as long as he could but realized that he was going to have to get outside for some fresh air. Since the door kept moving by, he decided that the next time the door came around he would make his move. He made his move but missed the door and ended up in the corner of the kitchen with a big clatter of falling pots and pans.”