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- Carrie Parker’s Story…
Carrie Parker was born in Frankfort, Illinois, in Will County. She spent her childhood in Frankfort and came to Waukegan as a young woman, where she lived with her widowed mother, Electa Barney Parker, and widowed grandmother, Electa Morton Barney (yes, there were two generations of women named "Electa!"). She and her sister, Viola, were recorded in the 1880 census in the Barney/Morton household. Carrie had 2 brothers, Andrew and William, and it appears that William died in infancy.
Carrie’s father, Thomas Packard Parker, died fighting in the U.S. Civil War in 1863, leaving her mother Electa widowed with very young children. Eventually, the family came to Waukegan where Carrie would finish high school and marry Peter Rouse (“P.R.”) Simmons.
Carrie lived in a home that would eventually become the site of the Genesee theater in the Waukegan downtown area. Carrie taught at the Blanchard school on North Sheridan Rd. She married Peter Rouse Simmons at the home of her mother and grandmother on April 2, 1885. They had 5 children, 3 of whom preceded them in death: Milton died at the age of 1 year, Chester (“Chet”) died at age 32, and Ethel died at age 43. Loren Thomas Simmons, my grandfather, and Roscoe Elijah Simmons were the other 2 sons, who would live into their 80s.
I have Carrie’s personal bible that was handed down to me from my grandmother; in it are numerous clippings and mementoes related to the local Baptist Church, where she was an active member. My parents used to tell me that my grandmother Celia was not immediately embraced by her future mother-in-law because Celia was of the Roman Catholic faith. They also told me that Carrie forbade alcohol, but clearly my grandfather and great-uncle ignored that teaching as both were known to enjoy their beer (with a sprinkle of salt) and on occasion, a shot of whiskey.
This is a story I would have loved to have known more about; I’m betting there were some interesting conversations about Loren and Celia’s marriage, given how important religion was to Carrie. And I wonder if Carrie lectured her sons on the evils of an occasional drink?!
There are many photos of Carrie, including a couple where she is wearing a necklace that was passed down to me. I love the idea of looking at an image that is 100 years old and seeing a piece of jewelry that I still wear today!
By all accounts, Carrie was involved in many Simmons family occasions and outings. There are several pictures of her with my father as an infant and toddler, as well as group family photos at picnics and other celebrations. A running family joke with my parents was that Carrie always looked SO stern; she rarely smiled in photos and often looked meaner and older than she was. My father and his sister Virginia used to say that their grandmother Carrie was very strict, and from a child’s perspective, kind of mean. This seems unfortunate given how clearly Carrie loved family history and the relationships with relatives now gone.
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Simmons-Truax-Godbout-Ames Family Tree
1861 - 1941 (79 years)
