From "History of Wheeling City and Ohio County, West Virginia and 
Representative Citizens," by Hon. Gibson Lamb Cranmer, 1902. 

Typed by Laurie Birks Dean 

pp. 559-560
R. H. PARKER, who has been continuously since 1885 engaged in business 
in the city of Wheeling, conducts a French dry cleaning establishment at 
No. 22 Eleventh street.  He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 
March, 1850.
	Mr. Parker received his intellectual training in the public 
schools of his native city, and from the time he was eight years old 
assisted his father in business.  At an early age he embarked in the 
fish and oyster business, but because of ill health decided to leave 
Springfield.  He objective point was Florida, but he stopped at 
Vermilion, Ohio, to visit an uncle.  He began newspaper work at Huron, 
Erie county, on the Huron Reporter, and later worked on a Sandusky 
paper.  His health improving, he removed to Wheeling, West Virginia, in 
1885, and took charge of a hat factory owned by L. S. Wilson, at No. 34 
Sixteenth street.  He continued there for eight months, and then 
embarked in business for himself.  He leased the second floor of the 
building on Main street, occupied by W. P. Bachman as a millinery store, 
and began business in 1886, with four employees.  His trade increased 
rapidly and that number grew to 25 people.  Being obliged to give up his 
rooms there, he leased the second story of the building owned by Mr. 
Paxton at No. 1213 Main street, where he conducted his factory for six 
years.  In recent years straw goods have been getting cheaper, as a 
result of the duty taken off, and as a result Mr. Parker dropped out of 
that line, and has engaged in French dry cleaning, making a specialty of 
laundrying lace curtains.  He has made a success of this enterprise, and 
employs a number of assistants.
	In 1892 Mr. Parker was united in marriage with Angeline S. Hall, 
who was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, and whose home had been in 
Steubenville, the county seat thereof, until after her marriage.  Her 
father was an old resident of Steubenville, but now makes his home in 
Wheeling, - he also has two other daughters residing at Wheeling.  Mr. 
Parker was educated at Steubenville and for several years was a teacher 
in the public schools of that city.  After her marriage she came to 
Wheeling with her husband, and her formed a partnership with Mary Ruchty 
in the millinery and notions business at No. 22 Eleventh street.  Miss 
Ruchty had been forewoman for Mr. Parker for some years previous to his 
marriage.  The three continued together in the hat business until April, 
1899, when Mr. Parker engaged in French dry cleaning in the same 
building.  Since that time Mrs. Parker and Miss Ruchty have continued in 
the millinery and notion business alone, employing three assistants and 
an errand boy.  The business of the two firms occupies three floors and 
Mr. and Mrs. Parker reside above the store.  They are members of the 
Fourth Street M. E. church, and Mr. Parker is a member of the choir.  In 
politics, he is a Republican.  His portrait is shown on a preceeding 
page in proximity to this.