The collection consists of a travel diary, two letters, and two documents recounting Dr. Parker’s Civil War service and Parker’s Battery. The collection dates from 1843 to 1920, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1854 to 1855, and large gaps from 1865 to 1900 and 1907 to from 1920. It is arranged chronologically.

The bulk of the diary records Parker’s trip to England, Ireland, Scotland, and France from September 30, 1854, to March 23, 1855. The trip was a combination of tourism and medical instruction. Parker observed doctors and cases at various medical facilities, especially in Paris, and kept notes on medical procedures and lectures notes. He also visited many places in Ireland, Scotland, and England, including: Trinity College, Delville House, Holyrood Castle, the Tower of London, and the Crystal Palace in England. The diary was used earlier to record medical notes in 1847, a list of library books in 1852, and a meeting of the physicians in Richmond, Virginia in 1843.

The front and back covers of the diary, and several adjacent pages, are detached and the diary is mostly disbound. For preservation, the diary has been divided into two folders (f.2-3). The pages in the diary are not in chronological order; please see the folder list for details. Most pages in the first part of the diary have two page numbers (f.2). Presumably, Parker used the diary prior to 1854, then renumbered the pages when he travelled to Europe. He then abandoned his new numbering system which resulted in duplicate page numbers. Please be mindful of the dates and places on each page. Parker landed in Liverpool, England, on 10 October 1854, and then traveled, in this order, to: Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Melrose, York, Chatsworth, London, Rouen (France), and finally, Paris.