The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-22
NINETY YEARS WITHOUT A HAT.
Illinois Pioneer who Has Gone Bure-
headed All His Life.
From The st. Louis Post-Dispatch.

headed All HIS Life.
From the st. Louis Post-Dispatch.
John Parker never wore a hat. He is in
his S9th year. For more than two-t thirds
of his life he has gone barefooted. He had
a picture taken three years ago in his
bare feet. It-was the first photograph ne
ever had made. Mr.. Parker is the father
OF eight children, Of whom seven are liv-
ing. He is a farmer, and is worth $4,000
He resides at the village Of Honey Creek.
in the southern part of Crawford county.
Illinois His younger brother, James
Parker, lives somewhere in Missouri
Il was born in Knox county, Ohio. OCT
l6, 1915" said Mr.. Parker. MY father was
Samuel Parker of Hardin county, Ken,
lucky, who went TO Ohio in 1903 My
mother was Sarah Newman an English
woman. They were married in Virginia
In 1916 my parents left Ohio and moved
10 Fort AlisOn-in what is now IHinojs-on
the west bank of the Wabash river NV
father had become acquainted with The
country while a soldier in the war of 1872
ana pre-empted claim, although he never
obtained 4 patent from the government.
He finally settled within a mile and q
halI of where the town of Flat Rock now
away The woods were fun Of Indians
FOR the first eighteen months we lived i'm
SIDE OF the fort The Indians soon learned
TO know me, because / always went bare
headed, and l became very friendly win
|@hem, I was nothing but a child ana tbo,.
citen invited me 20 visit their camps ans
villages. ana
Even at that time the Indians worA
loHq OF whisky. Nincennes was great
trauinS post, and almost every Indian
used to buy jug of whisky after dieno.
ing of the articles he had for sale
Il was married in Crawrord count.
1873 think il was. My wife's name n,ar
Phepe Garter She has been dead 800
many years. We had eight children W.
was married Illinois had been a r,s,,,1,,,,
OF the union for fifteen years. and SIN -
was little more than a vast wilderross
Inc people were all backwoodsmen rn5
their style OF living was very sinD1a For
months at time they had no brood ~
cept what was made out of cracker core,
lnat was much like baked hominv ~,
the taste of IL soon became alnost ,,ri,' ''
able III 'eir-
For a long time there was not a min
Ia the country Our first task e,,or,,
morning was to crack enough corn !,
make bread for breakfast Fina1I,, -
mllis were introduced They Were usuo1I,.
run win eight horses and could orioI
about one bushel of corn in two hours,
IN those days people made their o,,,,
shoes. The wife was usually as eI;I".'i
as the husband, and together in two 49,
ana two nights, they could malve epo.,.,,,
shoes to last an ordinary family All VIII
ter And they were expensive then. e.,
bit of upper leather we had cost fron, -
to So nom %
The women made the cloth for o,,u
ciothins. There was no such thiny as
the Manufactured cloth we know to-5.'.
The women picked the sheep ana 49,
carded and spun the wool warped II ar6
woVe H. ana made our clothes. But mosf
of US wore buckskin, when coma
dressed and made as soft as a eloge Nv
also raised flax and cotton. and ug,t
grades of cloth were made from Inc nv
girl had a good pair of shoes and C.i,
co dress she considered herself wen az
soF society Calico cost from sly to 90