Memorials › Irina Newman Parks
Irina Newman Parks
15 Sep 1840 – 31 Oct 1911
| Birth | 15 Sep 1840 |
| Death | 31 Oct 1911 |
| Cemetery | Dresden Cemetery Dresden , Navarro County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | James Coston on 16 Sep 2019 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41953202 |
Bio
Irina was Native American, the adopted daughter of Reuben Newman and wife Mary Newman of St. Clair County, Alabama. The family legend was that the Newman family came upon a burned out Indian village. While sifting through the rubble for anything useful, they heard a baby crying. After looking around, they finally found a tiny baby girl hidden beneath some handwoven blankets. They took her, named her Irina and raised her as their own. However, subsequent DNA evidence strongly suggests that she was in fact the daughter of the Newman's unmarried daughter, Clarissa, who was 16 at the time of the baby's birth. Lack of Asian DNA markers strongly suggest that her father may have been of Cherokee descent. This fits the narrative since Ruben Newman was living on ceded Cherokee lands by 1837. Irina's birth was legitimized by the story and the family honor was maintained. The persistence of the myth through multiple family lines strongly suggest that Irina may have never known the truth of her genesis. 20th century interviews with her grandchildren confirm that she indeed bore strong Native American features. Family members recounted her pronounced Indian features with her coal black eyes and hair. Most memorable was that she was jolly, plump and loving to all her family. Irina died in Navarro County at the age of 71 while visiting in the home of her son, James Robert Parks and was buried in the Dresden Cemetery near the graves of two of his infant children. Her husband lived another 11 years and, at his death, was buried in Ellis County at the Oak Branch Cemetery near their son Pinkney Monroe Parks.
Inscription
"Here is one who is sleeping in faith and love, with hope that is treasured in heaven above"
Photos
Family
Parents
Spouse
Siblings
- Henry Byrant Tramel 1849–?
- John "Jack" Tramel 1851–1921
- Harris Tanner Tramel 1853–1934
- Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Tramel Beason 1855–1925
- Mary Ellen "Ellar" Trammel Awtrey 1860–1938
- Benjamin Franklin Tramel 1864–1939
Children
- Margaret J Parks Tims 1860–1908
- John Henry Parks 1869–1915
- Pinkney Monroe "Pink" Parks 1872–1944
- James Robert Parks 1874–1918
- Nannie Belle Parks Gilbreth 1878–1934
- Hattie Irene Parks Thompson 1881–1935
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