Avie Lee Parton

Avie Lee Caroline Parton was the mother of Dolly Parton, the fourth of her 12 children. Her 11 pregnancies, the tenth being twins, in 20 years made her a mother of 12 by the age of 35, and she cared for the large family in the mountains of East Tennessee. Often in poor health, she still kept house and entertained her children with Great Smoky Mountain folklore and old ballads, and Dolly Parton credited her own musical abilities to her mother's influence.