Willis Melvin Parsons
and Elizabeth Betsy Duff

Willis Melvin F Parsons b 12 Jan 1860 Letcher Co KY d 20 May 1948 on the farm Letcher Co KY, buried lower Parsons Family Cemetery, on the family farm Letcher Co KY, s/o David Parsons and Derinda Ememline Privett. Willis Melvin Parsons m. 5 Jun 1886 Perry Co KY to Elizabeth "Betsy" Duff b 14 Feb 1871 Perry Co KY d 14 Sept 1939 Lexington, Fayette Co KY buried lower Parsons Family Cemetery, on the family farm Letcher Co KY, d/o Daniel Duff and Delila Gambill. Children of Willlis Melvin Parsons and Elizabeth Betsy Duff;

1. Joseph Litton Parsons b 16 Sept 1887 Letcher Co KY

2. Daniel L Parsons b 28 Jun 1890 Letcher Co KY

3. Lydia Adeline Parsons b 1892 Letcher Co KY m. Harry Werner.

4. Delilah Griselda Parsons b 16 Jun 1894 Oven Fork, Letcher Co KY d 14 Jul 1988 Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa Co., CA buried San Jose, CA m. 18 Jul 1912 Oven Fork, Letcher Co KY to Adam Alexander "Alex" Stidham b 10 Jun 1893 Oven Fork, Letcher Co., KY. Child of Delilah Griselda Parsons and Adam Alexander "Alex" Stidham;

I. Lena Dalna "Dal" Stidham b 12 Jun 1913 Oven Fork, Letcher Co., Ky m. 27 Jul 1933 Soquel, CA to Lawrence Hyde "Larry" Archibald b 14 Dec 1912 Soquel, CA

5. Martha Alice Parsons b 21 March 1896 Letcher Co KY m. James Garvey.

6. William Lemuel Parsons b 29 Nov 1898 Letcher Co KY

7. David Arlo Parsons b 26 March 1901 Letcher Co KY

8. Myrtha Isabella "Myrtle" Parsons b 2 April 1902 Letcher Co KY

9. Robert Logan Parsons b 24 April 1905 Letcher Co KY

10. Alta Marie Parsons b 30 May 1909. (see notes) (alternate source gives birth date as 31 May 1909)

11. Patricia Elizabeth Parsons (aka Hattie Parsons - see notes) b 3 Aug 1910 Letcher Co KY

12. Elmer Duff Parsons b 12 April 1913 Letcher Co KY

Thanks to Mary Beth Irion mbirion@aol.com, Emily E Bell emerockrun@aol.com and Lisa Drobot for additions and corrections to this family.

(More from Emily Bell - Received 13 April 2008) I thought I would let you know of a mistake on David and Dorinda's line.

There is no Caroline between John and Willis Melvin. There is no Caroline at all as a child of David and Dorinda. I have their family bible and that name does not appear. All the other information for them has come from that bible. The bible lists the first child as Measie. Her marriage license they write her name as Mazy.

The bible has 4th daughter as Mary Elizabeth, no Ann. I have never seen that name linked to her. The marriage index, it is Mary E. Parsons. You use the name Polly as though it was a given name. It was not, it is a nick-name for Mary. That she married a Hampton is new to us. Who gave you that information. We will have to look into it. She and Frank Sturgill had at least four children. I will get you that information later.

I feel certain that Joseph L. married on the Nov 30, 1974 date. Joseph and Lucinda had a total of 10 children. I will send you that information later also.

Under Willis Melvin's children you have a mistake. You don't have our mother listed. Child 10 and 11 are one and the same persons. Aunt Pat had her name legally changed to Patricia Elizabeth Parsons and we think it should be listed that way. She is the 11th child. The 10th child is our mother, Alta Marie Parsons, b. 30 May 1909.

Martha Emeline Parsons DID not marry. In the bible when they entered her deat (sic) it is as Martha Emeline Parsons.

The marriage you have listed is for Margaret E. Parsons d/o Joseph L. & Lucinda Adams Parsons. I am looking at the marriage index right now for all the Parsons females from 1868 - 1939.

Mary Beth and I have almost all of the census records for these children and some on their children. We have all of the children listed in the settlement of the land after David died. David, then Dorinda and then Willis and his children must have kept all the tax information from the time the land was bought. I inherited all of the reciepts (sic) from 1848 to 1984 when the land was sold to the KY Nature Conservancy. Hope this helps and as I said I will send the information on David and Dorinda's grandchildren later. That is if you want it. Have a great day, it is gray and rainy here. Emily

See Victoria Taylor True Website for more info on the Privett Family