urn:taro:utexas.cah.01300 A Guide to the R. D. Parker Family Papers, 1924-1959 Original EAD encoding by Lauren Algee according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. October 2009 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Parker, Richard Denny R. D. Parker Family Papers 1924-1959 Materials are written in English. 72-31; 2000-074; 2002-104; 2002-149 14 ft. 8 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History,The University of Texas at Austin Richard Denny Parker was an early railroad builder and former chief of two divisions of the Texas Railroad Commission. Biographical Note

Richard Denny Parker was an early railroad builder and former chief of two divisions of the Texas Railroad Commission. Parker graduated from the Univeristy of Texas with a degree in civil engineering in 1898. He began his career with the U. S. Geological Survey surveying Indian Territory before embarking on a railroad career in 1899. Parker worked for the International and Great Northern Railroad and the Houston and Texas Central Railroad before being named chief engineer of the Railroad Commission of Texas in 1908. In 1920 he became chief engineer of the new gas utilities division and was appointed chief in 1927. He resigned from state service in 1934 to become a private consultant until his retirement in 1948. Parker was married to Nona Lee Clement and fathered four sons and one daughter, Lila Anne Parker.

Scope and Contents

The papers relate to the Parker family history and R. D. Parker’s career and the oil business, particularly technical aspects of oil production during the 1930s and 1940s. The records also relate to the operation of the Parker Jersey Farm in Groesbeck, Texas and to various legal and financial interests of R. D. Parker in Austin and throughout Texas. The family-related portion of the papers include R. D. Parker’s genealogical research; correspondence from the Parker, Clement and Connell families of Travis and Milam counties from the 1890s through 1940s; and Nona Clement’s class notes from her tenure at the University of Texas.

Access Restrictions

Restricted access. A portion of the papers is temporarily restricted due to preservation concerns. Contact repository for more information.

Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Connally, Tom, 1877-1963. Culberson, Olin Foran, E. V. Foran, Lester Jester, Beauford Knode, William F. Parker, Nona C. Parker, Richard Denny--Archives. Parker, W. S. Parker, William L. Schoch, E. P. Thompson, Ernest O. Walker, Jay P. Subjects (Organizations) Railroad Commission of Texas Subjects Petroleum engineering. Places Austin (Tex.) Calgary (Alta.) Calvert (Tex.) Corpus Christi (Tex.) Groesbeck (Tex.) Houston (Tex.) Tulsa (Okla.) Union County (Ark.) Preferred Citation

R. D. Parker Family Papers, 1924-1959, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 3F90 R. D. Parker career and business: 3F90 General correspondence: 3F90 D, 1930-1940 3F90 O, 1935-1940 3F91 P, 1929-1943 3F91 XYZ, 1935-1936 3F91 Classified correspondence: 3F91 C. W. Arlitt - B. B. Boatright 3F92 Byrd-Frost: 3F92 Long Lake Project - F. H. E. Oil Company 3F93 E. V. Foran, 1935-1936 – Hagan and Stewart, Almer Hagan 3F94 D. S. Hitt Jr., Big Lake Oil Company – Introductory letters, oil company executives 3F95 George M. Kirkwood – Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association 3F96 Missouri-Pacific Railway, Right-of-way at Greta, Refugio County – R. D. Parker, Social Security claim 3F97 William L. Parker – L. W. Smith, 1938-1940 3F98 Southwest Drilling Company – Jay P. Walker, 1938 3F99 Jay P. Walker, 1939 – H. B. Zachry Company 3F100 General files: 3F100 Accounting – gas properties, 1938-1945 3F101 Genealogy – Legislature 3F102 Long blanks – Portex Oil Company 3F103 Proration schedules, 1936 – Railroad Commission, Oil and Gas Division 3F104 Railroad Commission orders – Railroad Commission tenders 3F105 Recycling articles – repressuring reports 3F106 Spacing orders – Treasury Department 3F106 Legal and financial 3F106 Ad velorem taxes, 1930-1945 3F107 Legal and financial: 3F107 Balance sheets: 3F107 Miscellaneous – Process Oil Company, 1937-1941 3F108 Bills paid, 1937-1940 3F109 Corpus Christi National Bank, 1936-1938: 3F109 Ledger 3F109 Parker 3F109 Foran 3F109 Knode 3F109 Boatright 4M590 1939-1940: 4M590 Ledger 4M590 Parker 4M590 Foran 4M590 Knode 4M590 Boatright 3F110 Miscellaneous: 3F110 Ledger 3F110 Parker 3F110 Foran 3F110 Knode 3F110 Boatright 3F111 Technical reports: 3F111 Amerada Petroleum Corporation and others vs. O. R. Cooper and others 3F111 Camp Drilling and Camp Production Company, 1937 3F112 Centennial Oil Company: 3F112 Plymouth Oil Company, November 1936 – Devonian Oil Company, Motley lease, June 1936 3F113 Devonian Oil Company, Texas and New Mexico, May 1939 – Gulf Oil Company vs. General American, September 1939 3F114 Gulf Oil Company vs. Harry Hanbury, June 1938 – Gulf Oil Company vs. Railroad Commission and O. R. Cooper: 3F114 Post Oak Baptist Church Lot 3F115 Gulf Oil Company vs. Railroad Commission and H. H. Knox – Gulf Oil Company vs. Starnes 3F116 Gulf Oil Company vs. Trico, November 1939 – Joe B. Hurley Estate, Schuler Field, Arkansas Preliminary Drafts 3F117 Joe B. Hurley Estate, Schuler Field, Arkansas, Final Report – E. M. Jones Company, Pressure Maintenance Project, Schuler Field, Arkansas 3F118 Lewis H. Jones Permit Application – Midas Oil Company 3F119 Midstates Oil Corporation vs. Fullerton and Morgan – Pipeline rates and gathering charges, Interstate Commerce Commission, 1938 3F120 Albert Plummer Drilling Company, February 1935 – Pure Oil Company, Van Field 3F121 Regent Oil Company vs. Railroad Commission – Sayfire Oil Company vs. Massad, January 1938 3F122 Selby Oil Company, Cole lease – Tarpon Oil Company vs. Railroad Commission 3F123 Texas Company and Gulf Oil vs. Constantin and Company – Tidewater Oil Company vs. B. H. Roger 3F124 Turman Oil Company vs. Railroad Commission, Brightwell lease, Rusk County – H. B. Zachry, recycling project, Navarro crossing field 3T80 Photographs of office interiors 2.325/A91b Parker family history: 2.325/A91b Genealogical research and correspondence 2.325/A91b “History of the Hanna Family” 2.325/A91b Birth certificates: 2.325/A91b R. D. Parker 2.325/A91b Nona Clement Parker 2.325/A91b David Parker 3H139 Family correspondence: 3H139 Undated 3H140 1885-1906 3H141 1907-1913 3H142 1914-1917 3H143 1918-1919 3H144 1920-1922 3H145 1923-1925 3H146 1926-1934 3H147 1935-1959 3T80 Parker family photographs 2002-104 [RECORDS TEMPORARILY RESTRICTED FOR PRESERVATION REASONS] R. D. Parker’s personal correspondence, family genealogy and business records relating to the Oil and Gas Division of the Railroad Commission and the partnership of Parker, Foran and Knode (later Parker, Foran & Boatwright) and Nona Clement’s class notes from her tenure at UT.