Biographical Sketch of Francis M. Parker
Francis M. Parker, born on May 23, 1852, in Howard County, Indiana, received his early education there before moving to Washington Township, Missouri, with his family in 1866. After completing his education, he farmed until 1873, when he ventured to Kansas. Following a challenging year plagued by grasshoppers, he returned to Missouri. Parker later opened a restaurant and boarding house in Jamesport. He married Martha Melton on November 10, 1878, in a union that further rooted him in Missouri.