Richard Parsons was born into slavery at Meadow Farm in 1813. His mother, Nancy, had been purchased by Mosby Sheppard of Meadow Farm in 1809. After 1831, Nancy is not mentioned again in the Sheppard family accounts, and there is no record of the father of Nancy's children. Richard remained at Meadow Farm through emancipation. In 1881, he earned enough money to purchase property adjacent to the Sheppard farm. There, Richard and his wife Mary raised four children: Joseph (c. 1870), Thomas (c. 1872), Cornelius (c. 1875), and Rosa (c. 1875). Thomas Parsons remained with the Sheppard family, working for John Sheppard's grandson, Sheppard Crump, and his wife Elizabeth Adam. Thomas died in 1939, marking the end of a 120-year connection to Meadow Farm.