MINNIE MAY ELMER (PARKER) 1871-1940

[Ancestral Link: Lura Minnie Parker (Stagge), daughter of Minnie May Elmer (Parker)]

Altha with her parents, Joseph and May Parker

Joseph and May Parker in the Clinton Pioneer Day Parade

Joseph and May Parker on the farm in Clinton, Utah

Birth: July 29, 1871, Ogden, Weber County, Utah, USA
Death: December 6, 1946, Clinton, Davis County, Utah, USA
Married: Joseph Parker

Burial: Ogden City Cemetery, Ogden, Weber County, Utah, USA - Plot: F-1-39-2E

LIFE STORY OF MINNIE MAY ELMER PARKER

My grandmother was born in Ogden, Utah, on July 29, 1871. She was the daughter of Mark Alfred Elmer and Mary Jost. She was christened Minnie May Elmer. She had two brothers and three sisters. Her mother died on April 2, 1925, and her father died on May 31, 1895. Both had lived in Ogden, Utah.

She had her schooling in the Summit School in Clinton, Utah. She went to the Clinton Ward for church. She held a position in the Relief Society for 40 years and finally resigned. She was married to Joseph Parker on September 30, 1886, in the Logan Temple. She was the mother of 15 children, eight sons and seven daughters. They held their Golden Wedding Anniversary on September 4, 1936, at their residence in Clinton, Utah.
(The above was written by Ralph Stagge in 1938 as part of a genealogy class.)

Minnie May Elmer

My grandmother's maiden name is Minnie May Elmer. Her father's name is Mark Alfred Elmer, and her mother's maiden name is Mary Ann Jost. She was born July 29, 1871, in Ogden, Utah. She had two brothers and three sisters. Her mother died April 4, 1925, and her father died May 31, 1895, both in Ogden, Utah. She went to the Summit School in Clinton, Utah. She held a position in the Relief Society of the Clinton Ward for forty three years and then she resigned. She married Joseph Parker September 30, 1886, in the Logan Temple. She had fifteen children, eight boys and seven girls. They had their Golden Wedding Anniversary October 4, 1936, in their home in Clinton, Utah.

P.S. (By Beth Schow Stagge)
Her husband Joseph Parker died November 27, 1940 at Clinton, Utah.  His burial date was December 1, 1940.  Minnie May Elmer died December 6, 1940 at Clinton, Utah.  Her burial date was December 9, 1940.  They were laid to rest side by side in Ogden, Utah, just about one week apart.
Written by Velda May Stagge

My Grandmother's Life Story
My grandmother's name is Minnie May Elmer Parker.  She was born July 28, 1871, the daughter of Mark Alfred Elmer and May Ann Jost Elmer in Ogden on the corner of 26th Street, in the lower part of her grandmother's three story rock house.  At the age of five she moved to Kaysville with her parents.  After two years she moved to Summit Station which is now known as Sunset.  She belonged to the first Sunday School and the first District School in which is now known as Clinton.,  She married Joseph Parker September 30, 1886 in the Logan Temple.  In 1891 at the age of 20 she was put in Second Counsellor in the first Relief Society of Clinton.  They released her in 1906 after holding the position for fifteen years.  They then gave her the position of Second Counsellor again in 1915 and released in 1926.  She then took the position of Magazine Agent for 21 years and also helped with Relief Society teaching for 45 years.  While in Relief Society she helped make several hundred quilts.  Her hobby is making such things as, quilts, flowers, pillows and other embroidery work.  She has started giving her granddaughters quilts on their sixteenth birthday.

She was called upon many different times to take care of the sick people and the deaths because there was not enough undertakers and doctors at that time.  She was always ready to help any one in need and she still is.  One time she was just ready to bake bread when a lady came to get her to go Relief Society teaching in her place because she was unable to go, so she took the bread, put it in back of the buggy and took it up to her sister-in-law's place and had her bake it for her.

She is the mother of 15 children, ten are still living.  She has thirty-eight grandchildren, 37 still living and she also has four great grandchildren.

Her husband and her celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, October 4, 1936 at their residence in Clinton.

She has had the privilege of going to Yellowstone National Park and different sections of Idaho.

Minnie May Parker died December 6, 1940.

This was written June 13, 1939 by her thirteenth grandchild Velda May Stagge.
Found in Velda May Stagge's Book of Remembrance.

She was born on the corner of 26th Street, in the lower part of her grandmother's three-story rock house. At the age of five she moved to Kaysville with her parents. After two years she moved to Summit Station which is now known as Sunset. She belonged to the first Sunday School and the first District School in which is now known as Clinton. In 1891 at the age of 20 she was put in Second Counselor in the first Relief Society of Clinton. They released her in 1906 after holding the position for fifteen years. They then gave her the position of Magazine Agent for 21 years and she also helped with Relief Society teaching for 45 years. While in Relief Society she helped make several hundred quilts. Her hobby is making such things as quilts, flowers, pillows, and other embroidery work. She has started giving her granddaughters quilts on their sixteenth birthday.

She was called upon many different times to take care of the sick people and the deaths because there was not enough undertakers and doctors at that time. She was always ready to help any one in need. One time she was just ready to bake bread when a lady came to get her to go, so she took the bread, put it in the back of the buggy and took it up to her sister-in-law's place and had her bake it for her.

She has had the privilege of going to Yellowstone National Park and different sections of Idaho.
Written June 13, 1939, by her 13th grandchild Velda May Stagge

Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1956 for Minnie May Elmer Parker
Name: Minnie May Elmer Parker

Titles and Terms:
Death Date: 06 December 1940
Death Place: Clinton, Davis, Utah
Birthdate:

Estimated Birth Year: 1871

Birthplace:
Death Age: 69 years 4 months 7 days
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Married
Race or Color:
Spouse's Name: Joseph Parker
Father's Name: Mark Alfred Elmer
Father's Titles and Terms:
Mother's Name: Mary Ann Jost
Mother's Titles and Terms:
Film Number: 2260353
Digital GS Number: 4120547
Image Number: 821
Certificate Number: 95

cause of death: peritonitis, due to ruptured gall bladder, due to arterio sclerosis and chronic nephritis
found on familysearch.org

BIOGRAPHY OF MAY PARKER

Minnie May Elmer Parker, the oldest daughter of Mary Ann Jost and Mark Alfred Elmer was born July 29, 1871, in Ogden, Utah in the lower part of her grandmother's three-story rock house on the corner of 26th Street and Adams Avenue.

When she was five years of age, she with her family moved to Kaysville, Utah.  After two years they moved to Summit Station which is now known as Sunset, Utah.  There were few people living there at that time and she herded the family's cows over the sage brush flats and sand hills in the summer, being careful not to step on the prickly pears, sand lizards, and blow snakes which abounded there.  She belonged to the first L.D.S. Sunday School and the first grade school in the district now known as Clinton.

On September 30, 1886, in the Logan L.D.S. Temple, she was married to Joseph Parker, son of Sarah and William Cope Parker of Riverdale, Utah.

In 1891, when but twenty years of age, she was selected as second counselor to Mrs. Maren Kitchell in the Relief Society of Clinton.  She held the position for fifteen years.

In 1915 she was again chosen as second counselor in the Relief Society and was released in 1926,.  She was Relief Society Magazine agent for twenty-one years, treasurer for several years, and she helped with the block teaching for forty-five years.  For many years she assisted with the sewing and handiwork in the Society during which time she helped make several hundred quilts.

In 1928 the Relief Society gave a party in her honor and presented her with a beautiful ring in appreciation of her thirty-seven years of continuous service to the organization.  She was also active in Farm Bureau work for many years, directing the home economics work in the Clinton District.

Mrs. Parker was called upon many times to help care for the sick and the dead as there were not enough doctors and undertakers at that time.  She was always ready to help anyone in need.  At one time she was just ready to bake bread when a neighbor came to get her to go Relief Society teaching in her place as she was unable to go.  Mrs. Parker placed the bread in the back of the buggy and took it to her sister-in-law to bake while she did the teaching.

Her oldest daughter, Mrs., Ida Stegen, died in 1954, leaving seven children.  Mrs. Parker took the youngest girl, Lois, then but five years old and cared for her until 1959 when ill health forced her to give the child up.

Her hobby was making such things as quilts, flowers, pillows and all sorts of embroidery work, and crocheting and knitting.  As each of her granddaughters reached sixteen years of age, Mrs. Parker presented her with a lovely pieced quilt.

She had a keen sense of humor and always looked on the bright side of life.  She was very industrious and generous.  It was a common sight in the summer months to see her carrying a bucketful and an overflowing lapful of fruits and vegetables from the family garden to can or to give to friends or relatives who called.

She and her husband celebrated their golden wedding anniversary October 4, 1936, with an open house reception at their residence in Clinton.,  They had lived in Clinton all of their married life except for a short time soon after their marriage.

Mrs. Parker had little opportunity to travel as she was too busy raising her large family and attending to her church duties, but she did make several trips to different sections of Idaho and a trip to Yellowstone National Park in June 1939.

She had poor health for almost two years before her death when her usually busy hands had to lie idle, which seemed to hurt her almost as much as the physical pain.

She passed away on December 6, 1940, just nine days after the death of her husband,.

Mrs. Parker was the  mother of fifteen children.  She was survived by thirty-seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and the following sons and daughters; Warren W., Mark L., Laura Stagge, Elmer, O.Dean, Althea Sessions, Roland F., Rose Toone, Elwyn J. and Cecil K. Parker.

Found on FamilySearch.org and contributed by ParkerMarilyn May 15 April 2014