I found the following in the Southern Historical Collection online. This is the collection at the Wilson Library at UNC-Chapel Hill. Manuscripts Department Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- #4896 FRANCIS MARION PARKER PAPERS Inventory Abstract: Francis Marion Parker was born in Tarboro, N.C., in 1827. He was educated in schools in Greensboro and Raleigh, N.C., and then farmed in eastern North Carolina. In 1861, Parker was elected colonel of the 30th North Carolina Regiment. He served in this position until wounded in May 1864. Parker saw action in several battles, including the Battles of Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania. After the war, Parker continued to manage his plantation until his death in 1905. Papers of Francis Marion Parker and his family, emphasizing Parker�s service in the 30th North Carolina Regiment during the Civil War. The collection includes a handwritten copy of a 1861 letter from Parker to his wife about taking care of the couple�s farm and several biographical essays discussing Parker�s war service, especially in the battles of Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, and Spotsylvania. Also included are a few items relating to Parker�s children and grandchildren, including several items about the family�s survival during Reconstruction, and an essay about the Parkers� 1851 wedding. Online Catalog Terms: Chancellorsville (Va.), Battle of, 1863. Confederate States of America. Army--Military life. Confederate States of America. Army--Officers. Confederate States of America--Social conditions. Confederate States of America. Army. North Carolina Regiment, 30th. Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs. Parker, Francis M. (Francis Marion), 1827-1905. Reconstruction--North Carolina. Sharpsburg (Md.), Battle of, 1862. Spotsylvania Court House, Battle of, Va., 1864. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865. Weddings--North Carolina--History--19th century. Size: 16 items (0.5 linear feet). Date Span: 1861-1949 Provenance: Received from Francis King of New Bern, N.C., in November 1997. Access: No restrictions. Related Collection: Frank M. Parker Papers, 1861-1865 (Private Collection #42), North Carolina State Archives. Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Table of Contents: Biographical Note Series Descriptions Series 1. Francis Marion Parker Papers Series 2. Other Papers BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Francis Marion Parker was born in Tarboro, N.C., in 1827. He was educated in schools in Greensboro and Raleigh, N.C. At 19, he returned to Tarboro and took charge of the family farm. In 1853, Parker moved to Halifax County, N.C., and continued to farm. Parker was one of the founding members of a volunteer military company named the �Enfield Blues,� formed in 1859. In 1861, this group became Company I, 1st North Carolina Volunteers. By October 1861, Parker was elected colonel of the 30th Regiment, North Carolina Troops. He served in this position until a wound in May 1864 left him ineligible for active duty. During the war, Parker saw action in several battles including the Battles of Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania. After the war, Parker continued to manage his plantation and his family until his death in 1905. See also entry for Francis Marion Parker in the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. SERIES DESCRIPTIONS Series 1. Francis Marion Parker Papers 1861-1903. 9 items. Arrangement: chronological. Materials by and about Francis Marion Parker and one letter addressed to Parker. There are two items by Parker: a handwritten transcription of a 15-page letter to his wife written during the Civil War and an undated six-page typescript biographical essay. Also included are three essays about the life and military service of Parker, a short essay describing the wedding of Francis Marion Parker and Sallie Phillips, and a 1903 letter from J. F. Means to Parker. The Civil War letter was written from Camp Fayetteville, Va., and dated 12 September 1861. In the letter, Parker chastised his wife for not writing more often and gave her instructions about managing their farm in his absence. Parker wrote a great deal about his children, especially his daughter Mary who had just begun school. He briefly described the food and living conditions at camp and lamented the fact that his regiment was not intended to return to North Carolina anytime soon. He also noted that his company had lost eight members, all to disease, in the four months they had been together. �There was a great error committed in recruiting so extensively and promiscuously,� he wrote. �We have men in our company who have never been of any benefit whatever to us, or to the Confederate States.� The biographical essay by Parker appears in both typescript and in a handwritten copy. The autograph version, however, is not contemporary with Parker and was probably copied by one of his children. The essay includes an account of Parker�s early life and schooling and a short catalogue of his Civil War activities. The only battles described in detail are the Battles of Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, and Spotsylvania. Of Sharpsburg, Parker wrote, �I cautioned my men to hold their fire until I should give the command, and then to take deliberate cool aim; that I would not give command to fire until I could see the belt of the cartridge boxes of the enemy, and to aim at these. They obeyed my orders, gave a fine volley, which brought down the enemy, as grain falls before a reaper.� No details are given of Parker�s life after the war. Parker�s military experience is also described in an article he wrote for the Wilmington Messenger published 15 September 1895. The article is a sketch of the 30th North Carolina Regiment. In it, Parker listed members of the regiment and described their movements during the war, especially in battles of Sharpsburg and Chancellorsville. There are three undated essays about Francis Marion Parker, written by members of the Bethel, N.C., chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in the early part of the 20th century. The essays are very similar and all rely heavily on the other materials in this collection. Another essay, entitled �An Old Time Wedding,� written by Blake Nicholson and dated 17 December 1902, tells of the wedding of Francis Parker and Sallie T. Phillips in 1851. The author, who was a guest at the wedding, described the other guests, the ceremony, and the reception. Also included in this series is a short letter from J. F. Means to Parker, dated 30 December 1903. Means asked for information about �the spot where Gen Pender fell� on 2 July 1863. There is a hand- drawn map on back of the letter. There are two non-print items in this series: a photograph of Francis Marion Parker in his military uniform and a piece of a blanket which is framed and labelled: �This is a piece of a home woven blanket that was used during the war 1861-1865 by Col. F.M. Parker, 30th Regt. N.C.� Folder 1 Francis Marion Parker to Sallie Parker, 12 September 1861 2 Biographical essay by Francis Marion Parker 3 Sketch of 30th N.C. Troops from Wilmington Messenger, 15 September 1895 4 Essays about Francis Marion Parker 5 �An Old Time Wedding,� by Blake Nicholson 6 J.F. Means to Francis Marion Parker, 30 December 1903 7 Piece of blanket used by Francis Marion Parker P-4896/1-2 Photographs of Francis Marion Parker Series 2. Other Papers 1924-1949. 6 items. Papers of Francis Marion Parker�s children and grandchildren. Included are three items of Haywood Parker, Francis Parker�s son: among them a long letter to Ella Battle in which he reminisced about his father and about the difficult times his family faced during Reconstruction; a pamphlet by Haywood Parker entitled �Recollections and Observations of The Reconstruction Era,� 19 June 1930; and a short 1934 letter to his nephew, Francis King. Also included is a biographical essay about Mary Parker Battle, Francis Marion Parker�s daughter, which was presented by the Bethel Heroes Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy on 10 December 1935. There is also a certificate from the U.D.C., presented to Francis Parker King in honor of his military service in World War II. Also included in this series is a handwritten copy of a speech in honor of Robert E. Lee. The speech is unsigned and undated. Folder 8 Haywood Parker materials 9 �A Tribute to Mrs. Mary Parker Battle,� 10 December 1935 10 Francis Parker King certificate, 19 January 1949 11 Speech in honor of Robert E. Lee, n.d. Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth Street Greenville, NC 27858 Pridgen Discussion Group To Subscribe: [email protected] Home Page for Pridgen Family: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 Pridgen Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl