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Robert Parker Fondes papers

6 boxes (3.25 linear feet)

(1849 – 1997)

bulk 1920-1955

Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury, University, Salisbury, Maryland

Identifier 1990.036
Creator(s) Parker-Fondes Family
Acquisition

The Robert Parker Fondes papers were donated to the Nabb Research Center by Robert Parker Fondes through a series of donations from 1990-2004.
Language(s) English
Use Records are open for research. Copyright, including literary rights, belongs to the author(s) or their legal heirs. Permission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Nabb Research Center which extends beyond "fair use."
Preferred Citation "Item, collection title and identifier, box # and folder # (if applicable), Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland."
Attribution Finding aid written by Hallie Kroll, March 2015 with edits and additions by Kenneth Forest, February 2019.
Related Materials

Marasco Family Farm Photographic Prints (1935 – 1942)
Separated Materials

Oversize materials have been placed in the Nabb Research Center’s flat file system.

Library materials have been cataloged and added to the Nabb Research Center’s non-circulating collection.

Artifacts have been housed in the Nabb Research Center’s three-dimensional object storage.
Abstract

The Robert Parker Fondes papers document the lives of the Fondes-Parker family from 1849-1997 in Parsonsburg, Maryland and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic region. Documenting materials include financial records of the Parker family, family heirlooms, photographs, and newspaper articles on Robert Parker Fondes’ genealogical research. The bulk of the materials span from 1920-1955, documenting the farming business and personal lives of Clifford and Maude Parker. Correspondence pertaining to family events is also included.

Biographical History

Robert Parker Fondes was born in Parsonsburg, Maryland in 1927 to James and Tabitha Parker Fondes. His mother’s family, the Parker’s, can trace their roots to the seventeenth century in Maryland. His mother Tabitha received her nursing degree from Mercer Hospital Nursing School in New Jersey before returning to Parsonsburg and marrying James Fondes. The couple settled in Philadelphia, where Robert grew up. Robert’s cousins Walter and Van Parker died as a result of combat in World War II. Their parents, Clifford and Maude Parker were farmers in the Parsonsburg area in the early twentieth century. They bequeathed their home to Robert Fondes at their death.            

Scope and Content Note

Series I: Family Papers

Series II: Research Papers

Arrangement Statement

The Robert Parker Fondes papers have been arranged into two series, FAMILY PAPERS and RESEARCH PAPERS. Family papers document the lives of the Fondes-Parker family. It is further divided into three sub-series, Financial Records, Correspondence and Ephemera. Financial records document the transactions and banking methods of Clifford and Maude Parker, as well as other records relating to land, personal property, and health. Correspondence documents the relationships the family had with each other and the community. The Ephemera series encapsulates the family mementos such as photographs, school papers, and a vintage comic book. Research papers document the genealogical as well as local history research completed by Robert Parker Fondes. Family history papers, newspaper articles, and local history pamphlets are included in this series.

Folders are listed by their location in each box; any given subject may be dispersed throughout the entirety of the collection.

Subject Terms

  • Topical Terms
    • Agriculture
    • Business
    • Court Records
    • Farm Life
    • Genealogy
    • Historic Preservation
    • Parker Fondes Family
    • World War, 1939-1945
    • Family Life
  • Corporate Names
    • L.W. Gunby and Company
    • Parsonsburg Volunteer Fire Company, Inc.
    • R.E. Powell and Company
  • Personal Names
    • Parker Fondes, Robert (1927- )
    • Parker Fondes, Tabitha ( )
  • Location Terms
    • Parsonsburg (Md.)
    • Salisbury (Md.)

Inventory List

The inventory list for this item is hidden due to its length. Click the button below to view it.

Series I: Family Papers

Sub-Series A: Financial Records

Box 1

1. Receipts from Various Vendors, 1914-1950

2. Receipts, Life Insurance Policy, 1920-1943

3. Receipts, Dry Goods Stores, 1907-1950

4. Receipts, Fertilizer Companies, 1907-1948

5. Receipts, US Postage Box, 1947-1982

6. Receipts, Produce Commissioners, 1907

7. Receipts, Automobile and Home Insurance, 1930-1985

8. Receipts, Funeral Arrangements, 1919-1961

9. Receipts, Building Materials Companies, 1920-1985

10. Receipts, Electrical Companies, 1947-1954

11. Receipts, E. S. Adkins & Co., 1947-1961

12. Receipts, Dorman & Smyth Hardware Co., 1904-1913

13. Receipts, J. E. Shockley Co., 1916-1936

14. Receipts, Famers Supply Companies, 1918-1947

15. Receipts, Farmers and Merchants Bank, 1907-1957

16. Receipts, Farmers and Planters Co., 1915-1943

17. Receipts, Kennerly-Shockley Co., 1908-1914

18. Receipts, R.E. Powell & Co., 1906-1924

19. Receipts, John A. Price Co., 1930-1940

20. Receipts, Marvel Package Co., 1932-1941

21. Receipts, C. R. Disharoon & Co., 1907-1930

22. Receipts, the Baugh & Sons Co., 1930-1942

23. Receipts, E.R. Ennis & Bro., 1918-1950

24. Receipts, John M. Gressitt Co., 1907

25. Receipts and Repair Records, Radio, 1929-1940

26. Farming Certifications, C. E. Parker, 1918-1947

27. Automobile Sale Contracts, 1923-1951

 

Box 2

1.   Receipts, Automobile Repairs, 1948-1957

2.   Receipts, Appliance Repairs, 1948-1956

3. Receipts, Utilities, 1948-1961

4. Receipts, Membership, Sons & Daughters of Liberty, 1917-1938

5. Receipts, Membership, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, 1918-1957

6. Coupon Book, Ice from W. F. Messick Company, 1937

7-9.Checks and Balances, Clifford and Maude Parker, 1927-1957 5

10. Checks and Balances, Clifford Parker, 1982-1985

11. Check Books, 1945-1957, 1982-1988

 

Box 3

1.   Loans to C.E. Parker, 1924-1935

2. Land Records, 1911-1948

3. Tax Records, 1906-1957

4. Medical Records, 1910-1985

5. Military Service Records, 1917-1942

6. Beneficiary Paperwork, Junior Order of the United American Mechanics, 1943-1958

7. Legal Documents, Guardianship of Clifford Parker, 1979-1985

8. Nursing Home Documents, Clifford Parker, 1982

9. Deed, Gravesite of Clifford Parker, 1943

Sub-Series B: Correspondence

10. Correspondence, From Various People, To Clifford and Maude Parker, 1930-1957

11. Correspondence, From Various People, To Maude Parker, 1957

12. Correspondence, From Various People, To Tabitha Parker Fondes, 1912-1985

13. Correspondence, From “Jimmy” Fondes, To Helen Fondes, 1963 March 3

 

Box 4

1. Postcards, From Various People, To the Parker Family, 1954-1984

2. Correspondence, From Various People, To Walter Parker, 1942-1943

3. Correspondence, From Various People, To Robert Parker Fondes, 1989-1997

Sub-Series C: Ephemera

4. Contents of Walter Parker’s Wallet, 1940-1946

5. Photographs, Parker-Fondes Family, 1900-1970

6. Photograph Book, Tabitha Parker Fondes, 1910-1915

7. Ephemera, Walter Parker in High School, 1936-1937

8. Report Cards, Tabitha Parker, 1904-1906

9. Nursing Certifications, Tabitha Parker, 1915-1954

10. Photocopies of Tabitha Parker’s Nursing School Notes, undated

11. Ephemera, Robert Parker Fondes in High School, 1941-1943

12. Passports, James and Tabitha Fondes, 1963-1968

13. Grammar Book, 1867

14. Grade Book, Martha E. Jackson, 1870

15. Autograph Book, Tabitha “Bessie” Parker, 1908

16. Hymn Book, “The Old Story in Song. Number 2”, 1908

17. Comic Book, “Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang”, 1923 January

18. Records of Floral Tributes, Funeral of Laura Parker, 1938 December 6

19. Greeting Cards, From Various People to Fondes Family, 1930s and 1940s

 

Series II: Research Papers

Box 5

1. Genealogical Research, Parker Family, undated

2. Book Draft, “From the Attic to Military Museums” by Robert Parker Fondes, 1996-2000

3. Newspaper Articles, Robert Parker Fondes, 1990-1997

4. Pamphlet, “125th Anniversary of Parsonsburg”, 1992 August

5. Research on Delmarva Indians, 1994-1995

6. Publications, History of the Methodist Church on Delmarva, 1970-1990

7. Publications, British Cultural Events, 1970

 

Box 6

1. Grammar Book, 1867

2. Scrapbook, 1968

3. Account Book, 1932-1940

4. Tintypes, Fondes and Parker Families, 1880s and 1890s

 

Oversize

1. Photocopied Death Records of James and Tabitha Fondes, undated

2. Charcoal Portrait, Grandparents of Tabitha Fondes, circa 1915

3. Oversize Valentine’s Day Card, From Mary Emily to Unknown, undated

4. Oversize Valentine’s Day Card, From Helen Fondes to Unknown, undated

5. Marriage Record, Clifford and Maude Parker, 1918 November 27

6. Joke Card, Golden Slipper Restaurant, undated

7. Trailways Eastern Shore Bus Schedule, 1956

8. By Laws, Parsonsburg Volunteer Fire Company, Inc., undated

9. Elementary School Graduation Certificate, Walter Parker, 1933 June 1

10. High School Diploma, Walter Parker, 1937 June 1

11. Magazine, “Companion Family Talks”, 1913 October

 

Library Materials

1.      From the Attic to Military Museums, Robert Parker Fondes, 2001

 

Artifacts

See Nabb Center Staff

Attachments

None