Hugh Milo Parks was born in Rock Creek precinct near Crab Orchard December 4, 1845. He was the son of Lewis Corder Parks and Isabelle Jean Deason, and a member of a family that dates its residence in Illinois back to the early pioneer days.
Parks was married September 6, 1874 to Josephine B. Corley. Their first child, a son named Otis Parks, was born October 6, 1875 and died one year later on October 18, 1876.
In the 1880 census, the Parks family was living in the Rock Hill Precinct which was east of Crab Orchard. See the 1876 Williamson County map for more details. Hugh was 34 and Josephine was 29. They had one child; Roscoe Parks aged 2, born in 1877. Hugh was listed as a farmer.
The Parks family had their third child; a daughter named Alma Parks, on September 28, 1886 and around this time moved to Marion.
By the early 1890’s, Parks had bought Lot Two (2), Block Five (5) in the southeast corner of the square where the original county court house was located and where Cox Hardware and Furniture store would be later located. He was associated with J. W. Burnett in the hardware business called H. M. Parks & Co. This is documented in the 1905 Souvenir History book, where it is mentioned that he employed F.M. Sparks in 1894. There were two fire reports dated November, 1896, when the last of the wooden blocks of the square burned causing his store extensive damage and February 2, 1899 when F.M. Westbrook’s store on the corner of S. Market burned. The article stated,” The popping of cartridges in the hardware stock of H.M. Parks made it interesting for those standing on the square nearby and one might be excused for thinking of San Juan Hill as he looked into that well of flames and heard the constant popping of exploding cartridges.”
H.M. Parks served as Williamson County Sheriff from 1894-1898.
When the new town of Goreville was built on the railroad, Zachariah Hudgens moved his store and mill there and Hiram Hudgens and Thomas Bradley opened the first bank with the aid of Charles Denison and H.M. Parks
In the 1900 federal census, Parks was living at 112 S. Mechanic Street which he owned free of mortgage. Parks was then aged 54, Josephine was 50, Roscoe was 22 and daughter Alma was 13. Hugh listed himself as a cattle buyer. Josephine confirmed that she had birthed three children and two survived.
When the Eldorado, Marion and Southwestern Railroad was organized on July 2, 1906, Parks was one of the organizers. The railroad was built from Marion to Pittsburg and tied the coal fields in the east part of the county to the Illinois Central line. Samuel T. Brush was President and H.M. Parks was Treasurer.
On January 2, 1907, Milo Parks was one of the organizers of the Citizens Trust and Banking Company and served as its first President. Its first location was at 805 Public Square.
In 1907, he built the post and press building and owned considerable other property in the city and county.
By the time of the 1910 federal census, Hugh had reached the age of 64 and Josephine was 60. He listed himself as President of the Citizens Trust and Banking Company and they were living at 112 S. Mechanic Street which he owned free of mortgage.
On January 27, 1915, his wife Josephine passed away and was buried in Maplewood Cemetery. She was born October 1849 in Tennessee. Shortly after this, Hugh sold his home on S. Mechanic and started living at his store at 906 Public Square, which is where he was found in the 1920 census at age 74.
Hugh Milo Parks, a pioneer resident of Marion, and one time active in its civic and commercial affairs, died at ten o’clock Thursday morning, March 22, 1928, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. John T. (Alma) Davis at 400 E. College St. where he made his home of late. He had been sick for several days. He was 82 years, 3 months, and 18 days of age at the time of his death.
Children Roscoe Parks and Mrs. Alma Davis of Marion survive. Two sisters Mrs. Ella Perry and Mrs. Paradine Duty, both of Marion and Freeman Parks, also of this city, but now in Hot Springs, Ark., also survive.
Funeral services for H.M. Parks were held at the home of his daughter, Mrs. John Davis of 400 E. College Street, Saturday afternoon. Rev. H.O. Wilson, pastor of the Christian church delivered the funeral sermon. The services were under the auspices of the Masonic order of which the deceased was a member, pallbearers being brother members of the order.
Honorary pallbearers were business associates of Mr. Parks and included J.H. Burnett, T.A. Cox, E.H. Hearn, Martin Davis, James Jackson, William Bundy, Scott Tippy and Freeman Sisk. Flower bearers were Mesdames J. C. Ferguson, Harry Cox, Ruth Gallagher, Charles Fuller, A.C. Corley, J. Winters, Grace Vick, Paul Colp, Ernest Parks, Fred Lough, Paul Swinney, Miss Madge Gahm.
Sam’s Notes:
Otis Parks was born October 6, 1875 and died on October 18, 1876.
Roscoe Anson Parks was born August 27, 1877. In 1922 he was living at 400 E. College which is where his sister Alma later lived and his father died. Roscoe passed away on September 17, 1968 and doesn’t appear to have ever married.
Alma Parks Davis was born September 28, 1886. She married John T. Davis around 1907. They appear to have had only one child named Mary Davis born around January 1910. In the 1910 census, they were living at 513 S. Mechanic Street with one child, Mary. John T. was a coal miner. In 1920, they were living at 306 Benton Street in Eldorado, Illinois with no children in the home, John was still coal mining. When her father died in 1928, they were living in her brother Roscoe’s home at 400 E. College Street. By 1935, during the depression, they were living at 5321 Cornell Ave. in Chicago, Illinois. He was working as a watchman at the Science and Industry Museum. John died in January 1960 and Alma died in March 1960, both are buried in the Parks family plot in Maplewood Cemetery in Marion.
(Extracted from Pioneer Folks and Places, Barbara Barr Hubbs; 1905 Souvenir History, WCHS; Federal Census Records; Marion City Cemetery Records; Marion City Directories; 1928 Daily Republican Obituaries; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 10/02/2013)