Edward Merritt Parker
b. 08/24/1900 - Nansemond Co, VA
d. 11/22/1977 - Jacksonville, FL
2nd Wife:
Nellie D. Atkinson
b. 8/18/1905 - Frostburg, MD
d. 01/19/1993 - Jacksonville, FL
Children:
Living
Living
Notes:
Edward, known as Merritt, left Nansemond County, Virginia and travelled up and down the east coast of the U.S. until eventually settling in Florida.
He worked in the garment district of New York City as a young man and later in life opened a men's clothing store in Florida with his brother, Earl Parker. In keeping with his Virginia roots, Merritt enjoyed riding horses and was a member of riding clubs in Miami, FL. He was also known to enjoy betting on horses a bit. Late in life he kept his own horses in Jacksonville, FL providing many fond memories for his grandchildren.
Nellie Atkinson left home at an early age with Merritt, running away to get married in Gates County, North Carolina. Merritt planned on taking his daughter from a previous marriage to live with him and Nellie, but they left the child with his mother in Nansemond Co instead. The circumstances of why is uncertain. The family returned to Virginia to visit from time to time, but the trips became fewer as time went by.
She also came to love horses, although not as much as her husband. When Merritt died in 77 she moved between her two daughter's families in Florida but spent most of her remaining years in Jacksonville.