John Wesley & Elizabeth Ann (Parks) Carroll

            It is common knowledge that the origin of the surname “O’Carroll” is Ireland . Apparently when my forefathers reached American soil, they chose to drop the “O”. John Wesley Carroll, JR was the seventh generation from the Emerald Isle. His G-G-G-G-G-Grandfather arrived in the New World in or prior to 1638. He was patented 700 acres of land in James County , Virginia . Apparently, they were Irish rovers for they soon migrated to North Carolina and Tennessee . Some continued westward but J. W. Carroll, SR chose to remain in McMinn County , Tennessee .

            Both Ireland and Britain may lay claim to the Parks families. How our Parks came to be Cherokee Indians is a mystery but Native Americans did take European names. When almost all of them were rounded up in 1838 for the forced march, called the “Trail of Tears”, to Oklahoma , some escaped and hid for years. Without a doubt they are our ancestors and chose the name Parks. It is also possible that a “Parks” was accepted into the tribe as a Cherokee. Many, many Scot-Irish married the Cherokee and were counted in the Indian census. Anna Elizabeth Parks was born in 1852, only 14 years after the “roundup”.

            It is not known how Annie and John JR met but they were wed in 1873; he was 24 and she was 21 years of age. At some point after 1880, they settled in Sale Creek with at least one daughter, Florence , who was affectionately called “Flossie. She was joined in the next several years by “Emmie” (Emma), “Lepty” (Lepta), “Bessie”, “Dot” (Asbury Dodson-I don’t blame him for wanting to be called Dot), “Lillie”, Anna Mae, and Burke Prady.  I have given up trying to make sense in the naming pattern. Apparently, the mother was called “Ma” so I think it a safe assumption that John was called “Pa”. How do I know she was called “Ma”? I have a postcard, dated 1915, from “Emmie” to Annie

Carroll and it began “Dear Ma”.

            Since John worked in coal mines, I believe it was that industry that brought them here. It was hard, back-breaking work but it was available. In later years, John lost a hand in a mining accident. You don’t get rich mining coal unless you own a mine and it is doubtful that he ever owned one. All family pictures indicate that they were not poor by any means. The children were well dressed with nice shiny shoes, pretty dresses, and the outlandish large hats. Dot enjoyed his hats, wore neck ties, and owned a watch. In addition, many photographs were taken of the children; only one family photo has John Wesley in it. Most folks could not afford them. Where the money came from is anyone’s guess. The house they lived in was painted white. As of the early 1920’s they lived on the east side of what is now US Highway 27 about three quarters of a mile south of the center of Sale Creek.

            In 1905, tragedy struck the family. Dot took his own life with a pistol. He and other family members are buried in the Patterson Cemetery . Why there? We don’t know but it must have been by invitation from the Patterson’s. They lived nearer to the Welsh Cemetery . One by one the siblings went their way. Bessie married an Allen; Lepty married Jack Suggs and eventually moved to Bay City , Michigan . Emmie married Willie Hawkins; Lillie married an Adams , Mae married Logan Alexander, and Burke went into the Army in WWI. He later married Minnie Rash.

            My father remembers his grandmother faintly. He remembers three distinct things about her. One, she dipped snuff, and two, she did not like kids. When he reflected on her, he said, “She was a mean old woman”.  The third thing was she had a letter from Burke while he was in the war; after reading it, she declared, “Little Burky got his hell-e-meter shot off”.  (Helmet, Ma, h-e-l-m-e-t!) She didn’t want kids around her and apparently she didn’t want J.W. around either. She was one tired old squaw and he was a tired old tinker. She raised so much cane that John W. packed up and left; he stopped in Hazard, KY and remained there until he died. No one knows when. Annie later packed up and was headed somewhere but word was reported back to Mae that she died in enroute while in Knoxville , TN. End of story. We know no details.

            I wonder! I wonder if she missed old John Wesley and just wanted to be near him or-did she know she was going to die and just wanted to aggravate him one last time. Either way, both reached the end of their trails around 1925 and I have been unable to locate any record of their deaths or burials. No matter what they were I’m still very proud of my Irish and Indian heritage-and them.

Compiled and Submitted by Rexford C. Alexander
rexcalex@bellsouth.net