Location
Lois Williams Parker
Topics
Description
Parker was born in Thicket, Texas, part of a family that settled in Southeast Texas after the Civil War, noted for establishing local sawmills. She worked as a librarian at Lamar University (1959-1967), and was deeply involved in researching, documenting, and protecting the local area. She collected pioneer tales and oral histories, and contributed “Tales from Uncle Owen” in Ab Abernethy’s book, Tales of the Big Thicket, compiled a 2800-entry reference, Big Thicket of Texas: A Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography (1977), and was active in the Texas State Historical Association, Texas Folklore Society, and East Texas Historical Association. Beyond her work in the historical and library science fields, she was also engaged in grassroots conservation, serving on the board of the Big Thicket Association, focused on creating and expanding the Big Thicket National Preserve.
Location Notes
Given Parker’s deep family roots in Thicket, Texas, and her strong research work on the history of the area (see Early Settlers of the Big Thicket: The Williams Family – A Brief History, 1966), a marker might fit well there. It is a small community, so there are not many public property options, but one possible marker site could be at the Thicket and Votaw Fire Department station, at 27142 FM 787 in Thicket.
Bibliography
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Lois Williams Parker. Early Settlers of the Big Thicket: The Williams Family—A Brief History. Self-published, 1966.
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Lois Williams Parker. The Big Thicket of Texas: A Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography. Arlington, Texas: Sable Publishing Corp., 1977.