John Parker Collection, circa 1850-2008 | Sargeant Memorial Collection

By Sarah Osorio

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Collection Overview

Title: John Parker Collection, circa 1850-2008

ID: 001/01/MSS 2014-002

Primary Creator: Parker, John A. (1944-2014)

Extent: 24.0 Boxes

Arrangement: Arranged by subject matter in rough chronological order.

Date Acquired: 11/12/2014

Subjects: Burlesque (Theater), Families--Virginia, Ghent (Norfolk, Va.), Norfolk (Va.), Norfolk (Va.)--History

Forms of Material: Advertisements, Birth announcements, Booklets, Books, Certificates, Clippings (information artifacts), Deeds, Diplomas, Dog tags (military tags), Lists (document genres), Manuscripts, Maps (documents), Mirrors, Negatives (photographs), Novels, Photocopies, Photographs, Portraits, Posters, Report cards, Thermometers, Yearbooks

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Personal papers, photographs, and manuscripts of John Albert Parker, Jr. of 539 Warren Crescent in Ghent, Norfolk, Virginia. Items include birth and marriage announcements, school diplomas, and miscellaneous mementos. Photographs include family members, especially his wife Rose Marie Norwood Parker and his parents. The photographs also include the Parkers' wedding, John Parker's service in Vietnam from 1967-1968, circa 1990s holiday parties at Kirn Memorial Library, houses and scenes of Ghent, and John and Rose Marie's cats. Manuscripts include at least 10 unpublished novels written by John Parker as well as four manuscript copies of his published nonfiction volume Thirteen Blocks: A Social History of Early Ghent in Norfolk, Virginia.

The collection also includes materials collected by Parker relating to the neighborhood of Ghent and the city of Norfolk. Materials include 1900 and 1910 census transcriptions from Ghent, The Ghent Homeowner's Manual, and a heavily notated copy of Ghent: John Graham's Dream, Norfolk, Virginia's Treasure. Materials relating to Norfolk, Virginia include volumes 3-5 of Shank's Raw Materials, pin-up advertisements for local businesses, a circa 1900 property assessment ledger organized by street name, and two circa 1940-1942 posters advertising Rose La Rose at Gaiety Theatre on Main Street.

Finally, the collection contains papers relating to Fergus Reid, his wife Mary Wilson Chamberlain Reid, and their daughter Helen de Lustrac. Materials include family photographs, receipts and correspondence.

Subject/Index Terms

Burlesque (Theater)
Families--Virginia
Ghent (Norfolk, Va.)
Norfolk (Va.)
Norfolk (Va.)--History

Administrative Information

Repository: Sargeant Memorial Collection

Access Restrictions: This collection is open to all researchers.

Use Restrictions: The status of copyright for these materials is governed by Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. C.). Copyright restrictions may apply.

Acquisition Source: Estate of John Parker by donation

Preferred Citation: John Parker Collection, MSS 2014-002, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1: John and Rose Marie Parker Personal Papers],
[Box 2: John Parker's Novels],
[Box 3: John Parker's Novels],
[Box 4: John Parker's Novels],
[Box 5: John Parker's Novels],
[Box 6: John Parker's Novels],
[Box 7: John Parker's Novels / Novels],
[Box 8: Ghent],
[Box 9: Ghent],
[Box 10: Ghent / Norfolk],
[Box 11: Norfolk],
[Box 12: Norfolk],
[Box 13: Fergus Reid / de Lustrac Papers],
[Box 14: Photographs],
[Box 15: Photographs],
[Box 16: Negatives],
[Box 17: Norfolk Property Assessments],
[Box 18: Oversized],
[Box 19: Oversized],
[Box 20: Oversized],
[Box 21: Oversized],
[Box 22: Oversized],
[Box 23: Oversized],
[Box 24: Oversized],
[All]

Box 1: John and Rose Marie Parker Personal Papers

Folder 1: Photographs, John Parker Family, circa 1920s-1990s
Folder 2: Stamp Album, For the Purchase of United States War Savings Bonds, circa 1942
Folder 3: Baby Book, Rose Marie Norwood, 1942
Folder 4: Birth Announcement, John Parker, 1944 January 25
Folder 5: Book, Your Birthday January 25, 1990
Folder 6: Test, Kuder Preference Record, Personal, Form AH, circa 1948
Folder 7: Magazine, The Alumni Review, 1950 May
Folder 8: Clipping, Charm School student Evelyn Dale, 1954 August 8
Folder 9: Report Card, Rose Norwood, 1954-1955
Folder 10: Yearbook, The Pilot, Norview High School, 1958
Folder 11: Diploma, Old Dominion College, John Albert Parker, Jr., 1965 June 6
Folder 12: Dog Tag and Nameplate, John Parker, circa 1967
Folder 13: Announcement, Marriage of Rose Marie Norwood to John Albert Parker, Jr., 1970 May 29
Folder 14: Deed of Trust and Buyers Closing Statement for 539 Warren Crescent, 1975 November
Folder 15: Correspondence, A Gift of Love: Letters from John Albert Parker 1967-1968, for Aunt Vera & Uncle Sam, 1979
Folder 16: Notebook, John Parker's personal memoir notes, circa 2005
Folder 17: Proclamation, Commendation to John Parker, Jr. by Mayor Paul D. Fraim, 2008 August 24
Folder 18: Sketch, Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck at General Reference Desk, undated
Folder 19: Correspondence, Howl of the Wolf Agency to Rose Marie Parker, undated