Aunts & Uncles~Nancy (Rivers) Parker: Keeper's Wife at the Poor House"

 The “Aunts & Uncles” series of biographical sketches are Artificial Intelligence (AI) compiled narratives of selected individuals from my Genealogical database.  The selected AI will used the RootsMagic Individual Summary from my Genealogical Software, Roots Magic. All genealogical data is my research material acquired over the past 46 years of research. Today's Biography of Nancy (Rivers) Parker (1833- aft 1866) was compiled with the assistance of Claude Sonnett 4 and is entitled:

"Nancy (Rivers) Parker: Keeper's Wife at the Poor House" 

Early Life and Family Background

Nancy Rivers was born around 1833 in Chesterfield, South Carolina, to William Rivers (1776-1855) and Elizabeth "Betsy" Rivers (died 1847). Growing up in the antebellum South, Nancy came of age during a time of significant social and economic change in South Carolina.

By 1850, when Nancy was about 17 years old, she was still living in her father's household in Chesterfield. This was captured in that year's census, which provides us with a snapshot of the Rivers family during this period.

Marriage and Family

Around 1851, at approximately 18 years of age, Nancy married George A. Parker III, who was born in 1829. Their marriage took place in Chesterfield, South Carolina, and they went on to build their life together in the same county where Nancy had grown up.

Nancy and George welcomed three children:

Elizabeth J. Parker (born 1852)

Samuel Parker (born 1853)

John Parker (born 1854)

Life as Keeper's Wife at the Poor House

The 1860 census provides fascinating detail about Nancy's life at age 27. George had taken on the role of Keeper of the Poor House in Chesterfield County, and Nancy lived there with him and their three young children—Elizabeth (8), Samuel (7), and John (6). The household also included a 40-year-old woman named Hawley Rivers, likely a relative, along with James Lemons (60) and Lavinia Sellers (76), who were residents of the poor house.

This position would have required Nancy to help manage a facility that served as a safety net for the county's most vulnerable residents during a challenging period in Southern history.

The Civil War and Reconstruction Years

The years between 1860 and 1866 encompassed one of the most turbulent periods in American history—the Civil War (1861-1865) and the beginning of Reconstruction. On May 25, 1861, Nancy signed as a witness to a land deed involving her husband George, documented in the Burnt Deed Book of Chesterfield County. This deed transaction occurred just weeks after the Civil War had begun with the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861.

The war years would have brought enormous hardship to South Carolina families. As the conflict progressed, the state saw significant military action, economic devastation, and social upheaval. George passed away in 1869, leaving Nancy to navigate the challenging Reconstruction period.

Post-War Life

Around 1866, Nancy appeared in the Freedmen's Bureau Records in Cheraw, Chesterfield County. She was listed as white, approximately 30 years old (though records show slight variations in her reported age across different documents), with a residence record dated 1865-1872. The Freedmen's Bureau was established after the Civil War to assist formerly enslaved people and poor whites in the South during the difficult transition to peacetime.

Nancy's appearance in these records tells us she was seeking assistance during the challenging years immediately following the war, when South Carolina's economy was devastated and many families struggled to survive.

Later Years

After September 1866, records of Nancy Rivers Parker become scarce. No further documentation has been found following her entry in the Freedmen's Bureau Records, and it's believed she passed away sometime after this date in South Carolina. She would have been in her early thirties.

Nancy's life spanned a remarkable period in American history—from the antebellum South through the Civil War and into Reconstruction—and she navigated these turbulent times while raising her three children and supporting her husband's work serving the community's most vulnerable residents.

Nancy Rivers Parker is my 3rd Great Grand Aunt. 

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1. Based on the 1860 CENSUS for Chesterfield County, SC Nancy was age 27 and borne about 1833. 

1860 CENSUS: Poor House Household, 1860 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, National Archives micro publication Series: M653  Roll: 1217. Family History Library  Film #0805217; page 126, Line 32,  Dwelling 460, Family 460;.

2. 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield District, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield District, South Carolina, Page 179B, Line 16, family 1242, dwelling 1242, Household of William Rivers; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2010); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 851.

3. 1860 U. S. Census, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, page 126, Line 32, Dwelling 460, Family 460, Household of George A. PARKER; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 27 July 2015); citing  National Archives Microfilm M653_1217.

4. Nancy Parker, "U.S., Freedmen's Bureau Records, 1865-1878," Cheraw, Chesterfield, South Carolina, p. 155, Record Type: Residence, 1865-1872; database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1954062:62309 : accessed 20 Dec 2025); citing National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication.

5. George A. Parker born 1829 married Nancy Rivers, daughter of William Rivers and Elizabeth Rivers. George and Nancy's first child - Elizabeth was born abt 1852, age 8 in 1860 Census. In 1850 Census George & Nancy both were single.  They were married in 1851 or maybe early 1852.

6. 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) No ED, Page: 126A; Line 13, Dwelling 431, Family 431, Household of Hawley PARKER; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 22 July 2011); citing  National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 851.

7. The Library of Congress, "Mary Parker, Applicant,vs George Parker and Others," Legal Notice, CHERAW GAZETTE,  Cheraw, South Carolina, 14 February 1837, Page 3, Column 4; Digital On-Line Archives, Chronicling America ( https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : on line May 2024), Historic American Newspapers.

8. Land Deed - George A. Parker to illegible; 29 May 1861; Deed Book #Burnt Book; Page(s) 21; Probate Office; Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina; 27 August 2014.

9. Land Deed - A. W. Davis to G. A. Parker of Marlboro County; 6 September 1869; Deed Book #2; Page(s) 171 & 172; Register of Deeds; Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, SC; February 2024.

10. Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Deed Book# 1: page 462 & 463, G. A. Parker to A. W. Davis Deed; Register of Deeds, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.

11. Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Deed Book# 2: Page# 384, P. F. Spofford, Shff to E. B. White Deed; Register of Deeds, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.