Rachel Parker was an African-American woman who came to California as a slave. Although slave marriages were not legally recognized, she was unofficially married to another slave, Jeremiah Parker, who bought his freedom for $600 in 1853 and bought Rachel's freedom for another $600 by 1857. Rachel and Jeremiah Parker started a successful farm in Pleasant Grove and had a son named David Nelson Parker. Jeremiah Parker and Rachel Parker are buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery on Howsley Road.

Census, Sutter County Real Property Records, and newspaper articles document the Parkers of Pleasant Grove.