Parham Farms

Andrew Jackson Parham family bible provides list of descendants

Parham Family Bible Our family has a small leather bound antique family bible that belonged to
Andrew Jackson Parham with some family information written inside.
The bible was the property of Milton Parham (referenced on the 1st page)
(Grandson of Andrew Jackson Parham) until his death in 1995. His sons
now share the bible.

I have tried to decipher this information and provide it to you here.
The bible is very fragile and the pages are quite yellow and brittle.
I have included images of the pages below, but some of the writing is
too faint to show up well. Where I was unable to decipher spelling for a
part of a name I used asterisks to indicate what I believe to be letters.
Sometimes it was hard to tell whether something was one letter or two.
The most carefully written information is about Andrew Jackson Parham,
we believe that his wife Phebe kept the bible after his death and then
passed it to her son James Washington Parham, who passed it to his son
son Milton Parham.

The information in this bible fills in some gaps in geneaology records
about Andrew Jackson Parhams descendants.

Information contained in the bible:

Page 1 Written in pencil on a blank page next to the space for
family record appears to be some overflow information

Phebey Caroline Parham
Mary Elizabeth Parham
James Washington Parham
Written below that in pencil, but another handwriting:
Mellie ****** Parham was born March ** 1914
Milton Parham was born July 28 1915
Jessie **** manParham born March 3 1917

Page 2 Written carefully in ink, using fancy script & fine handwriting
on a page titled Family Record
Andrew J Parham was born Nov 30th 1833
Phebe Caroline Ritter was born Sept 19th 1833
Mary Elizabeth Parham was born Oct 15th 1855
James Washington Parham was born Sept 15th 1858
Written below that on the same page in a different ink and hand:
William Archie Parham was born January th 13 AD 1888
James Henry Hailler Parham born January 18th AD 1890

Page 3 Written in ink, using fancy script that matches the page before:
Andrew Jackson Parham and Phebe C Ritter was married September 14, 1851
this annotation appears to be signed by someone with the surname Ritter
Below that, written in pencil is something I was unable to decipher,
but it appears that someone was practicing cursive writing, possibly copying
signature that appears smudged just above it.
Below that it appears that something was written in ink that has
faded away, the impression on the paper is too faint to make it out.
Below that in pencil is: Margaret Mary Parham deseaste May the 28 1899
(we wonder if she was the 1st wife of James Washington Parham)

Page 4 Written in pencil:
****tion Parham was born January the 11900x1 (this entry likely refers to Press Parham born in 1902)
Willie Odell Nichols born Oct 14 1911
(refers to Willie Odell Nichols sometimes listed as Parham) Jack Welsley Putt born May 6 1907
originally not sure why these entry is here in the Parham Family Bible
but interestingly I did find that the mother of these children, Maggie Graves
who is cited as the mother of many of these Parham children,
married a man named Putt in 1906 in Tippah County MS.
andthen married a man named W.P Nichols 1/17/1910
It may be that she married or became the common law wife of Mr. Parham after that.

Page 5 written in ink, using the same ink, hand and fancy script I
refer to on pages 2 & 3
Andrew Jackson Parham deseast August 14, 1863 in the Army at
Gainsville ALA being under Capt Sikes in the 43rd Redgmunt
Written in different ink in a different hand:
Mary Elizabeth Parham diseast July the 8 18x80
Then written in pencil below that:
M M Parham deseast May the 28 18x99

The next page in the introduction to the New Testament Section,
but after that is one more page of writing
Page 6 written in pencil: Tom White, Mellie Parham married May 21, 1932
In ink: Virginia J White was born July 13, 1933
In pencil: Dorothy **ronge White was born Feb 10, 1935
JY Greer and Z L Parham married July 17, 1937
(research indicates this is the marriage of Zora L Parham)
*H Easteel and L M Parham was married May 1, 1937
(research indicates this is the marriage of Lula Mae Parham)
E Parham and MC White married December 31, 1938

In Summary

It appears that Andrew Jackson Parham and Phebe Caroline Ritter
were married Sept 14, 1851 or 1852, and had two children,
Mary Elizabeth Parham born October 15th 1855 and James Washington Parham
born September 15, 1858

James Washington Parham fathered the two sons listed in the family
bible as William Archie Parham born 1/13/1888 and James Henry Hailler Parham
born 1/18/1890 with his his first wife. After her death, he took another wife,
possibly Ellen Dye 12/12/1899, then Maggie Graves Putt Nichols on 4/27/13,the
subsequent marriages were not recorded in the family bible but it was maintained
with the childrens names and and eventually passed to Milton Richard. We are still
researching this and will provide more info when it is available

Based on 1st hand information from Milton Parham, his fathers name
was Jim, some of his siblings names were Jim, Archie, Bill, Mellie, Jessie, Madalee,
Josie, Zora, Lula, Willie & Jack Putt, his father was in his late 50's when Milton
was born. Milton reported that his father was a child during the civil war. Milton's
son, Ken reports remembering a visit with his Uncle Archie who was a very old man
when Ken was between 4-6 years old. Ken remembers his grandmother's name was Maggie
though a Mary is listed on the 1920 census. Ken also remembers an Uncle Press
who had a wooden or prosthetic leg.

Some records list James Henry Hallier Parham as the father to Milton and some of the
others, but this conflicts with what was recorded in the Bible as well as the marriage
and census records. We do not know what became of James Henry Hallier Parham, but
the records do not indicate that he fathered any of the children listed here nor was
he married to Maggie Graves. Union County marriage records book 15 pg 496 indicate that
it was J.W. Parham who married the former Ms. Graves (Maggie Graves Putt Nichols Parham)
and recordation of the births of Jack Putt and Willie Nichols in the Parham Family Bible
alongside the rest of the children support that fact as well.

James Washingtom Parham was likely married to Margaret M Parham who
died May 28, 1899. James Washington Parham then took another wife, ?Ellen Dye? and
fathered Press Parham in 1902, then later took yet another wife, the former
Maggie Graves on 4/27/13, became the step-father to Willie Odell Nichols born 1911,
and fathered Mellie Parham born 1914, Milton Parham born 1915, Jessie Parham born 1917,
Lula born in 1918, Zora born in 1921, and Bilbo (uncle Bill) born in 1923.
The marriages of Lula and Zora are included in this bible, but not their births.

Mellie Parham is listed in the family bible as having married
Tom White on May 21, 1932. There are two children listed below them
in the bible, Virginia J White born 7/13/1933 & another child born 2/10/1935

Milton Parhams 1st marriage was to ???? and he fathered a son named
Cliff. Milton Parham's 2nd marriage was to Ruby Virginia Clements
he fathered two children with Ruby, Kenneth Rex Parham born 1961 (my husband)
and Milton Richard Parham 6/25 /1967 (my brother in law).

Cliff Parham had two children, Barbara & Cliff Jr. and lives in Marked Tree, AR.

Kenneth Rex Parham had one biological child who has chosen to estrange herself from her father. He doesn’t understand what is behind her choice, but respects her right to choose to no longer recognize their relationship. He wishes her the best life, but must protect his heart and chose family bonds with those who would love him and allow his presence in their lives.
Ken has two step-children who he raised, and is the proud Papaw to 3 grandchildren by his non-biological kids that will not appear in the family bible
Milton Richard Parham does not have any children.

The following documents are civil war era documents related to the service and death
of Andrew J Parham while serving the Confederate States of America and the final
payments made to his widow, Phebe Caroline Ritter Parham.

we are still researching and will add more information as it is available.
contact info: ancestry@parhamfarms.com