Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mt. Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Mrs. Mary (Tempie) H. C. Parker "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore Mrs. Mary Hinton Caraway Parker was one of the outstanding poineer teachers in North Carolina & she was a native of Wayne County. She was born in 1842 on a plantation called "Venecei" near the old town of Everettsville. She was the daughter of William Pope & Temperence Middleton Caraway. The Caraways came originally from Princess Ann County, Virginia, to Craven County in 1728 & in 1743 they received large land grants on the Neuse River in what is now southern Wayne County. They established a thriving plantation. William Caraway built a fine house in the Greek Revival style which was later destroyed by fire. The village of Everettsville was a new village on the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad & was located between Dudley & the Neuse River. The village was largely made up of plantation families & there were two churches, a Masonic lodge & an academy. Young Mary Caraway attended this academy which was two & a half miles from her home. Her parents had a fine library at home & she was brought up to read widely. She had an avid interest in botanical subjects & horse back riding. Mary Caraway completed her studies at the Everettsville Academy & then attended the Wayne Female College in Goldsboro. T. M. Frost was president of the college when she graduated in 1858. Her diploma stated that she was proficient in science, English literature, Greek, Latin, French & music. She went back & took post graduate work in music & law. She kept a diary for the years of 1860-61 in which she talks much about the beginnings of the War Between the States. Her first teaching job was at the Everettsville Academy where she taught the more advanced students & also piano. According to her diary some of her school patrons were the Hines, Cobb, Collier, Whitfield, Lane, Hooks, Everett, Daniel & McKinney families. During the War Between the States young Mary Caraway did work at the Confederate Hospital in Goldsboro & did sewing for Confederate soldiers. She was a real artists in doing fine needlework, some of which is still treasured by her descendants. Her family attended the Everettsville Methodist Church & the pastor was the famous Dr. Charles F. Deems, who later was president of Greensboro College & much later was founder of the Church of the Strangers in New York. (Vanderbuilt Church) Young Mary became engaged to Dr. Deems' son, Lt. Theodore Deems who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. Years later she visited the Deems family in New York. In 1865 William Caraway died & young Mary had the responsibility for operating the plantation & helping to rear her brothers. She continued to teach school. In 1873 Mary Caraway met & married Captain Joseph A. Parker of Nanesmond County, Virginia. He was a widower with four daughters. She & Mr. Parker had four children: William, James Alfred, Thomas Wesley & Temperance Parker. They went to live in Laurinburg where she founded & operated a private school for 28 years. She took a personal interest in all her students & she had a special gift for coaching plays, giving recitals, church programs & Christmas plays. Late in life Mary Parker went to live with her daughter, Mrs. Alvis L. Harris in Greensboro, where she died on March 8, 1930. This was written about her at that time, "Her pupils do not forget her, nor the inspiration she gave. Her descendants honor her memory. And North Carolina owes to her the esteem those who give their days & time more than the age asks of them - a plus quality of personal achievement." ============================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Guy Potts ==============================================================