Photograph of the Texas Historical Commission marker for Thomas Middlebrook Willis (June 27, 1859 - November 27, 1937) in Abilene, Texas. Text: Born in Bainbridge, Georgia, Thomas Middlebrook Willis was an important early leader in Abilene. Willis moved to Waco, Texas with his parents, Dr. Thomas L. and Mrs. Letitia Willis, in 1866. T. M. Willis first came to this area in 1878 to investigate range possibilities. In 1883, after graduating from the law school of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, he moved here and established a practice. In 1886, Willis married Abilene resident Sallie Parker (1865 - 1954); the couple had eight children. Also in 1886, he was elected city attorney. Willis later also served as city judge. In 1937, the Abilene Reporter-News honored him, among others, as one of the city's founders.

Photograph of John T. Willis, Sr. on a bankers camping trip. He stands in between two other men, Bob Adams on the left and Fritz Fulwiler on the left. Willis wears a hat and holds a pipe in his mouth. The campsite is visible behind the men.

Photograph of the Sallie Ann Clarke and Robert Henry Parker home in Abilene, Texas. This structure was the first two-story frame house in the town, located at the corner of 2nd Street and Butternut. The house contains a covered porch with a balcony above, with two chimneys. A gutter along the roof carries water to a cistern for rainwater at left. A white picket fence demarcates the house's lawn. The Parker family sits on the porch in front of the main door, and a small child looks out the window at left.

Photograph of the Sallie Ann Clarke and Robert H. Parker home in Abilene, Texas. The house is a two-storied building with a hip roof and vines and trees obscuring walls and windows for privacy. A hedge of bushes grows along the road at right. Under a small grove of trees and shade sits Sallie Ann Clarke Parker in a wicker rocker, wearing a black dress and surrounded by family.

Photograph of John T. Willis, Sr. in a group portrait with three other men. Willis is seated in the lower left hand corner.

Photograph of Sallie Ann Parker and Thomas Middlebrook Willis' home in the 900 block of Poplar Street, Abilene, Texas. The house is a two-story home with clapboard siding, a covered front porch, narrow windows, a small balcony on the second floor, a hip roof, and lightning rods on top. The lot is demarcated with a short wooden picket fence, with an arched picket gate partially opened at center. Two women, the one in the threshold of the front entrance holding a child, stand on the porch of the house, looking forward. Three children stand between the women.

Photograph of the home of Thomas Middlebrook Willis at 402 Peach Street in Abilene, Texas. It is a two-story wooden house, with a picket fence and a porch. There are trees in the front yard. A note at the top of the photo reads: "402 Peach St just back of Momma's house on Jeanette." Sallie Ann Parker Willis is seated on the porch.

Scrapbook page covering Buffalo Gap, Texas. These photos cover and identifies various people and views from the railroad that runs through Buffalo Gap.

Photograph of the first two-story frame house in Abilene, Texas, located on the corner of South 2nd Street and Butternut Street. It was the home of Robert Henry Parker. A group of people, believed to be the Parker family, are gathered on the covered porch.

Photograph of the first two-story frame house in Abilene, Texas, located on the corner of South 2nd Street and Butternut Street. It was the home of Robert Henry Parker. A white picket fence borders the property.

Members of the Parker family, who were living at the time this photograph was taken, are arranged in two rows. From left to right, along the front row, seated: Hallie Parker Adams, Sallie Ann Parker Willis, Sallie Ann Clarke Parker (mother, holding a book), and Bettie Parker Kelly. From left to right, along the back row, standing: Lavinia Parker McDaniel, Margaret "Mag" Parker Cox, John Todd Parker, Nellie Parker Davis, and Neva Parker Woodward. A further list of Parker family members, including some who had died by the time of this photograph, is included on the back of the picture.

Photograph of the Parker family posing together for a photograph at the Sallie Ann Clarke and Robert Henry Parker house in Abilene, Texas. From left to right, in the front row, seated on the porch steps: Lavinia Parker McDaniel and Nellie Parker Jack. From left to right, in the middle row, seated on wooden rockers: Hallie Parker Adams, Sallie Ann Clarke Parker (mother), and Bettie Parker Kelly. From left to right in the back row, standing: Sallie Parker Willis, Neva Parker Woodward, and Margaret "Mag" Parker Cox.

Photograph of the west side of the Sallie Ann Clarke and Robert H. Parker home. At left stands Margaret Parker Cox (1860–1940) in a light-colored gown. At center, seated in a white wicker rocker, is Sallie Ann Clarke Parker (1832–1924). At right stands Samuel Roberson Cox, Sr. (1855–1942), Margaret's husband, in a coat.

Photograph of an early day picnic near Abilene, Texas. Roberta Parker, a school teacher and a daughter of Sallie Ann Clarke and Robert Henry Parker, stands in the back row, far right (with a hat?). A man to her left holds a tall bamboo fishing pole. Musical instruments are held by three people, including guitars and a banjo. A woman seated in the front row with a bonnet holds a shotgun in her lap; to her left, a man holds a bottle of beer on the rug.

Photograph of Sallie Ann Parker Willis, wife of Thomas Middlebrook Willis. She wears pearls, a white rose on her shirt, and glasses. Her hair is pulled back.

Photograph of Sallie Parker Willis, left, John Todd Willis, Sr., right. Margaret Ann Hudson stands in front of them holding a doll.

Photograph of Thomas Middlebrook Willis. He wears a double breasted coat and stands next to a chair. He holds a book at his side.

Photograph of Thomas Middlebrook Willis. He wears a double breasted coat, and has a handlebar mustache.

Photograph of a young man and woman. The man is wearing a light color suit and dark color bow tie. To his right is the woman wearing dark color clothing.

Photograph of Hallie Parker Adams (1857–1928), daughter of Sallie Ann Clarke and Robert Henry Parker of Abilene, Texas. She wears a dark-colored dress embellished with embroidery and looks towards the left of the photographer.

Photograph of an miniature oil portrait of Harriett L. Julian Clarke, the daughter of Dr. Charles Julian and Jane Moore Julian and the mother of Sallie Ann Clarke Parker. She married Joseph C. Clarke. She was born September 30, 1798 and died September 21, 1838. According to family tradition, the portrait was painted in France.

Photograph of Ivan Dale Mayberry (1887–1967) of Mission, Texas. He has long hair, wears a plaid dress and a hat, and holds a thin rope. Mayberry is buried in Elmwood Memorial Cemetery in Abilene, Texas.

Photograph of Dr. John Todd Parker, the father of Robert Henry Parker. He is a middle-aged man in this portrait.

Photograph of Margaret "Mag" Parker Cox (1860–1940), kneeling at left, and Sallie Ann Clarke (1832–1924), seated at right. They both wear dark-colored clothes and pose with a black dog in front of them. A house is in the background; this photo was taken on the yard of the Sallie A. Clarke and Robert H. Parker house in Abilene, Texas.