i have at last found out the roots of Mark Parker, i have his baptism record from Ashford in Middlesex in 1841, funny thing is there is nothing in BMD
I know that his parents were my GG grandparents, Mark and Sarah Parker
Mark born 1819 Ash Common to travelling chimney sweep Mark Parker and his wife Elizabeth, they were living in a caravan at Longerend farm, Ash
I cannot find any record of Mark or Elizabeths births, i did find Elizabeth in the 1851 census living in Frimley next door to her daughter Dinah grainger (nee Parker), she died the same year, her place of birth is Unknown
Sarah and Mark or their son Mark dont turn up in any census returns until 1871, by this time Marlk senoir had died in 1866 in Epsom
Sarah was born in Frensham, Surrey in 1821 to John and Sarah Wilson, John was a "Chair Bottomer" from East Acton
Mark junior turns up in every census from 1871 to 1911 either lving in Cheam or sometimes on Epsom Common, with wife Alice and loads of kids, they had 11, 2 of which died in infancy
Mark and Alice were married in Claygate in 1865
the only other record i have of Mark Parker senior is at his daughter Matildas wedding in Barking in the 1850's, she married Samson Hoadley from a travellers family which originally came from Leicester
I have a tree for the Parkers going back to the late 1700's if anyone is interested
i have a very interesting piece from a Surrey newspaper which tells of the death of sarah from a binge drinking session, the headline is "warning to all drunkards", quite a thing from in 1882 i should think, it tells how she was taken home from the pub in Frimley on a hand cart by her daughter and left in a chair where they found her in the morning
Neil