The paperback edition of my research, Brimstone and Butchery: The Parker Family’s Pilgrimage to Texas, is now available. There’s information in the book you won’t find published anywhere else, and I truly hope it exceeds your expectations. Here’s the link: amazon.com/Brimstone-Butcher… Drawing from family records, religious writings, and historical sources, the opening chapters trace our Parker family’s origins in Virginia and their migration across the early American frontier through Georgia, Tennessee, and Illinois. These chapters examine the religious convictions that shaped the family, with particular attention to the influence of Elder John Parker and the controversial theology of his son, Daniel, while placing their experiences within the broader expansion of American settlement. Subsequent chapters follow the Parkers into Mexican Texas and the turbulent years surrounding the Texas Revolution, culminating in the Comanche attack on Fort Parker in 1836. Particular attention is given to the captivity of Rachael Parker Plummer and the struggles of her father, James Parker, as he sought to reconcile the family's profound misfortunes. The final chapters explore the Parkers' long aftermath and the family's enduring legacy in Texas. I greatly appreciate your consideration in reading and sharing my research. God Bless Texas!

Have a great afternoon, friends! Pic: San Augustine, Texas, in abt 1939 by Russell Lee

On this day in 1839, Reuben Ross, standing in for Alonzo B. Sweitzer, seriously wounded Ben McCulloch in a duel. The encounter and its aftermath exemplify the persistence (and absurdity) of the Southern code duello tradition in the Republic of Texas and the ineffectiveness of the antidueling law passed by the Congress of the republic in 1836. The bad blood between McCulloch and Sweitzer began during their 1839 race for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives and intensified during their subsequent involvement in the pursuit of Indians who had raided Gonzales County. After a lengthy exchange of insults, Sweitzer's friend Ross delivered a formal challenge to McCulloch, who refused to accept on the grounds that Sweitzer was not a gentleman. Ross, however, was an acceptable substitute, and the two faced off with rifles at forty paces in a field two miles north of Gonzales. Ross, a trained duelist, shot McCulloch in the right arm, a wound that left him permanently crippled. With honor apparently satisfied, Ross sent his personal surgeon to tend to McCulloch and expressed his regret at having "to meet so brave a man in a private encounter." McCulloch was indicted for "setting at nought the quiet and good morals of this community" by "wickedly, willfully, and maliciously" accepting Ross's challenge, but the district attorney chose not to prosecute. The violence continued, however, as McCulloch's brother Henry shot and killed an obstreperous (and reportedly intoxicated) Ross a few months later, and the quarrelsome Sweitzer died in a pistol duel with Robert S. Neighbors in 1841. Ben McCulloch went on to serve as a Confederate general during the Civil War and was killed in the battle of Pea Ridge. Source: @TxStHistAssoc Pic: Ben McCulloch

Have a great week, friends. Pic: San Juan, Texas, in abt 1939 by Russell Lee

Have a blessed Sunday, friends. Pic: Renner, Texas, in abt 1913

Good morning, friends! God Bless Texas!

October 2, 1835: The Battle of Gonzales COME AND TAKE IT!

The latest episode of “Texas Monthly Presents: The Story” features several members of our Parker family sharing their perspectives. If you have questions about the family’s history or our comments, I’m happy to offer more context. Enjoy your evening, friends. pbs.org/video/a-complicated-…

On this day in 1849, the first prisoner, a convicted horse thief from Fayette County, entered the partially completed Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville. The facility held only three prisoners in 1849, but by 1855 it housed seventy-five convicts, and by 1860, 182. In 2018 there were six prison units and a prison transfer facility located in the city of Huntsville, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was responsible for more than 146,000 adult inmates at units throughout the state. @TxStHistAssoc

Have a great day, friends! Pic: Greenville, Texas (ca. 1900)

Good morning, friends. Pic: Crandall, Texas (ca. 1900)

Have a great week, friends! Pic: Nemo, Texas, in abt 1909

Have a blessed Sunday, friends. Pic: Arlington, Texas, in abt 1908

Have a wonderful Saturday, friends! Pic: Hamilton, Texas (ca. 1900)

Have a great day, friends! Pic: Breckenridge, Texas, in abt 1920

For anyone interested in our Parker family’s history, descendants of Elder John Parker (1758 MD - 1836 TX) will be featured in “A Complicated Past,” an episode of Texas Monthly Presents: The Story. It premieres September 27 on PBS. Thank you @katy_vine and @TexasMonthly for visiting with our family and God Bless Texas! Here’s the preview link: pbs.org/video/a-complicated-…

Good morning, friends. Pic: Gatesville, Texas, in abt 1908

Good morning, friends! Pic: Slaton, Texas, in abt 1914

Have a great afternoon, friends! Pic: Love Field, Dallas, Texas (ca. 1918)

Have a nice day, friends. Pic: Vernon, Texas, in abt 1939 by Russell Lee

So very thankful for all the first responders from across Texas! Although we have a lot of fire damage to the landscape, the Hydra Fire in Bosque County is at 35% containment with zero structures lost.