Archibald Perry
Park
Source: A History of Texas and Texans by Francis
White Johnson, Ernest William Winkler – 1920, pg. 1469
|
ARCHIRALD PERRY PARK - Among the most prominent men in Paris, Texas, is Archibald Perry Park, a member of one of the most successful law firms in the city. Mr. Park has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession in Paris for nearly a third of a century and has built up an enviable reputation founded on thorough, conscientious work, and close application to the technical side of the law. He is one of the best read lawyers in the city and the thorough preparation which he gives to all of his cases makes him an opponent to be feared. Archibald Perry Park was born in the country in Monroe county, Mississippi, in 1858, the son of Matthew Brown Park. The latter was born in Laurens district, South Carolina, in 1817, coming from the sturdy Scotch ancestry, which gave to the "up-country" of the two Carolinas the strength which made it the backbone of the country during the Revolution. Matthew Brown Park came" to Mississippi about 1842, and came to Texas and settled here after the Civil war. Matthew Brown Park had a brother Thomas, who died in Monroe county, Mississippi; and sisters, Rachel, who married a Mr. Hutchison and spent her life in that county, and Isabel, who married a Park and died in Monroe county, Arkansas. Matthew Brown Park began his life as a planter, having received a good education and being naturally possessed of a fine mind. He therefore made a success of his plantation and until the Civil war broke out led the life of the southern planter. He enlisted in the Confederate army with the first call to arms and participated in the first serious engagement, the first battle of Manassas. He first held a captaincy but was promoted to the rank of major and given command of a battalion in recognition of bravery in action. He served throughout the war, under the command of General Johnston, or in some portion of the Army of the Tennessee. He not only gave his own services to the cause of the Confederacy but he also sent two of his sons to fight for the Stars and Bars, both of whom afterwards became valued citizens of the state of Texas. Major Park or "Brown" Park as he was always known in his Texas home, came into this state shortly after the Civil war, when he was a man in the prime of life, settling on a farm not very far from Paris. Here he settled down once more to farming, making a success of this as he had of everything else he had undertaken. Here he lived until his death in 1906 at the age of eighty-nine. Major Park married Isabel Smith in Monroe county, Mississippi, she like himself, having been born in South Carolina, but having come to Monroe county when it was only sparsely settled. Mrs. Park died in 1879 having been the mother of the following children: Robert J., who served in the Confederate army and died in Lamar county, Texas; Charles T., who was also a soldier of the Confederacy, now living in Paris, Texas; William L., who died in Paris, having spent his life as a farmer; Mrs. M. J. Rose, of Ambia, Texas: Archibald P. and Alvia B., of Paris. Until Archibald P. Park reached his majority he was actively engaged in farming. He had received a good common school education and had had the advantage of studying under the tutelage of Reverend O. P. Stark, who was one of the most successful educators in northern Texas and who conducted a female seminary at Paris. With this good foundation young Archibald Mr. Park, although an enthusiastic member of the Democratic party and an original advocate of Mr. Wilson for the presidency, has never cared to enter the race for political honors. He has, however, attended party conventions as a delegate and he has done much quiet work in behalf of his party. His business interests are chiefly connected with investments in the stock of various corporations, his most important connection in this line, being his position as vice president of the City National Bank. Mr. Park was married in 1880 to Miss Olive Johnson, a daughter of Thomas Johnson, who came to Texas, from Clarksburg, West Virginia. A grand-uncle of Mrs. Park was governor of that state and Waldo Johnson, of the state of Missouri, a prominent politician and a noted lawyer, was also a member of this family. Thomas Johnson had two daughters, Mrs. Park and Mrs. J. C. Conway, of Dallas, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Park have one son, Archibald P. Park, Jr., who has recently finished his high school work in Paris. |
|
Back to South Carolina
Genealogy Trails This is a FREE website |
