James Parker (1752 - 1835)

Born 1752 in Monmouth, New Jersey [uncertain]

Husband of Anna (Doty) Parker — married 1780 in New Jersey, United States [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 1835 at about age 83 in Coles County, Illinois, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Brenda Flood [send private message]

Biography

James Parker served with 1776 Project Needs Additional Sources during the American Revolution.

James Parker was an American Revolutionary War Veteran. He might have been born in Monmouth, New Jersey^[1] and served in the 6th and 10th Regiments of Virginia^[2]. Of interest is the James Parker of Somerset, NJ, listed on page 711 in The Office Register of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War because Anna Doty was also from there.

The bible of George W. Parker contains notes probably written by Clara Parker Dempsey (b. 1870 – d. Aug 20, 1931) that state James was in the battles of Monmouth and Cowpens^[3]. The same source says he fought with General Marion, the "swamp fox" which would indicate that he was in the Carolinas. General Marion did not fight at Monmouth or Cowpens.

It is said that James Parker was in the final battle of the Revolutionary War in 1783 at Blue Lick, KY and was discharged on 1 Jan 1780^[4]. Whoever made this remark potentially misconstrued the meaning, and perhaps James was actually in the final major battle of New Jersey, the Battle of Springfield.

Research and yDNA

This profile is part of the Parker Name Study.

• Nathaniel Parker
• Joshua York, and Joshua York
• Quanah Parker's grandfather, Silas Parker
• George Parker b. 1698 Maryland
• Possibly Thomas Parker Somerset, NJ
• John Parker born 11 Nov 1693 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, NJ; died 17 Sep 1732 Perth Amboy, Middlesex, N.J

See Parker Heritage site for discussion of this yDNA group.

See Parker Family Group 5 direct paternal lineages on a time scale.

A letter from George W. Parker states that the family was from Monmouth and Trenton, New Jersey. The Little Egg Harbor, Monmouth descendants do have a 7.1 cM Autosomal DNA Gedmatch between both T507341 and A231995, and UU3985822, a descendant of this James Parker. 7.1 cM is far below the threshold of a reliable match and might indicate a distant match with a common ancestor or a false match.

George Parker is also FG#5 and is a 4.8 cM match between UU3985822 and T043573, 5.2 cM to M132648, 5 cM to M084104, and 5.1 cM to T587028. This is even more distant than the Egg Harbor match but the number of matches appears to indicate true common ancestors.

Immigration

John Alexander Parker, grandson of James, told Della (Gilbert) Strader that the Parker family came from Wales^[6] to Massachusetts in 1718^[7], then Vermont, N.Y., through Pennsylvania down the Ohio River to Butler Co. Ohio. ^[8] There was a second great migration from Ireland in 1718 of the Scots-Irish, that included some English, resulting from the confluence of several factors.

Older researchers have suggested James and Anna came down the Ohio River between 1779 and 1881. This is possible but unlikely. Before 1782 the trip down the Ohio would have been by flatboat or canoe. In 1782 Jacob Yoder was the first to successfully navigate a flatboat down the Ohio River to New Orleans. 1811 was the first year a steamboat made that trip. More likely they made the trip in the year they bought land in Kentucky, 1802. If so, a trip in 1802 it was certainly by flatboat.

Deborah Heal describes a flatboat like this:

"A flatboat was a rectangular, flat-bottomed boat built for short term use. To save time and expense, they were built without keels, which made them much less structurally sound and much more difficult to steer than ordinary boats. These floating shoeboxes were one-way only and the precursor to our modern barges."

The trip took from a little more than a couple weeks to up to a month depending on the water levels. Travel conditions during high water seasons in early Spring and late Fall were usually better. When the travelers arrived at their destinations they lived in their boat until other arrangements could be made. Often they would resell them or disassemble the boats to construct their first cabin.

The Rhoads history^[9] suggests that James was born in Connecticut^[10] and states he was brother to Captain Jonathan Parker of Willington Connecticut, son of Nehemiah Parker.

Others infer James was from New Jersey based on his marriage to Anna Doty who was born there. The 1860 census for Westfield, Clark Co., Illinois shows that George was born in New Jersey, not Kentucky. Johnathan's daughter, Mahala, states her father was also born in New Jersey on the 1880 census. Samuel's family listed him as born in Pennsylvania on the mortality schedule.

This lends support to the theory that James and Anna married in New Jersey or elsewhere in the east, and maybe the family tradition that they were married in Elizabethtown, Kentucky is transposed from the marriage of their son Jonathan and Mary Newman, or that of George Parker and Sarah Jane Allen as outlined in the letter authored by George W. Parker.

Family tradition says James and Anna were married in Elizabethtown Kentucky. Their oldest son was born in November of 1781 so that marriage presumably was early in 1781 or late 1780. Elizabethtown was only established as a set of blockhouses in 1779^[11] so such a marriage would be quite early in the settlement of that area. No records of that type exist for that period.

If James and Anna were married in New Jersey their migration to Kentucky may have occurred during the larger migration west. Statistically this is more probable. It might make sense that they didn't migrate until 1802 and bought White Oak Run when they arrived.

We know that the James and Anna lived in Kentucky because they bought land at White Oak Run (road or river), Nelson Co. Kentucky in 12-30-1802 from David and Elizabeth Luce^[12], and sold it again to Thomas Johnson in 6-17-1808^[13].

Also, their son Johnathan and Mary Newman have recorded a marriage bond 5-29-1804 in Nelson Co. Kentucky^[14].

Further evidence that there was a second James Parker in Nelson Co., Kentucky, before 1802 is the marriage bond ^[15] for Mary Parker in 1791. That James signed the bond. The James Parker of Crawford Co. made his mark for his land purchase instead of signing, suggesting he was not literate. It is possible the early records were for a different James Parker.

Some histories say the family left Kentucky due to hostilities with native Americans. This appears unlikely because the last documented raids in that area of Kentucky were in the early 1790s^[16]. The Parker son's were marrying in Ohio and more likely they left Kentucky at that time in search of land at that time.

Timeline

The following is not necessarily factual. It is a compilation of events, some factual and some, perhaps, not. See also, Atlas of Historical Boundaries.

• 1718 Immigration through Wales.
• 1750 Bradrock Road cut from Maryland to District of Kentucky.
• 1752 James Parker born.
• 1775 Daniel Boon cuts Wilderness Trail.
• 1778-6-28 Battle of Monmouth, recounted by Anna Doty.
• 1779 Blockhouses constructed where Elizabethtown, KY, would later be founded.
• 1780 District of Kentucky divided to form Jefferson, Lafayette, and Lincoln.
• 1780-1 James Parker discharged.
• 1780-5-12 Defeat of Americans at Charleston – Marion forms irregulars.
• 1780-6 Battle of Springfield, NJ, the last major battle for New Jersey.
• 1780-1781 James Parker and Anna Doty marry.
• 1781-1-17 Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina.
• 1781-11-20 Johnathan Parker born.
• 1782 Samuel Parker born.
• 1782-8-15 Loyalists attack Bryans Station, Kentucky, beginning the Battle of Blue Licks.
• 1782-8-19 Battle of Blue Licks.
• 1783 Revolutionary War ends.
• 1785 George David Parker born in New Jersey. Some say Nelson Co., Kentucy.
• 1787 James Mercer Parker born.
• 1790 A James Parker on Nelson Co., Kentucky tax roll.
• 1791-4-8 A James Parker signs a bond for the marriage of his sister, Mary Parker, to Richard Worth.
• 1792 Kentucky becomes a state.
• 1792 Hardin Co., Kentucky formed.
• 1793 A James Parker is listed on the militia census in Freehold Township, Monmouth, New Jersey^[17].
• 1794 William Parker born.
• 1797 Elizabethtown founded.
• 1800-5-7 Indiana Territory formed.
• 1802-12-30 James and Anna buy land at White Oak Run near Boston, Kentucky.
• 1804-5-29 Mary Newman and Johnathan Pleasant Parker marry in Nelson Co, Kentucky.
• 1808-6-17 James and Anna sell White Oak Run.
• 1808-7-28 Sarah Jane Allen marries George David Parker in Butler Co., Ohio.
• 1808-9-8 Sarah Newman marries Samuel Parker in Butler Co., Ohio.
• 1810 Burtonville (Boston) formed, Nelson Co., Kentucky.
• 1811-10-22 Susannah Randall marries James Mercer Parker, Butler Co., Ohio.
• 1812 War of 1812.
• 1812-7-30 James and Anna move to Muskingum Co., Ohio.
• 1812-7-31 James and Anna buy land in Knox Co., Ohio.
• 1814-8-21 A Samuel Parker discharged from Samuel Ashton's company, Ohio, War of 1812. Many of this company were from Butler Co., Ohio.
• 1815-2-17 War of 1812 ends.
• 1815-4-10 Tambora erupts causing a major climate change for 3 years, initiating Irish potato famine and migration from eastern coast to Ohio basin.
• 1816 John Parker says his family moved to Fort Allison, Lawrence Co, Illinois.
• 1818-11-5 James and Anna buy land^[18] in Montgomery Township, Crawford Co., Illinois.
• 1818-12-3 State of Illinois formed.

Burial

Probably^[19][20] Parker Cemetery #2, Hutton Township, Coles County, Illinois, USA, but according to Parker Pathways he may be buried in the Jones Cemetery between the two wives of Johnathan and no stone marks his grave.

His great grandson, George Newman Parker states he is buried in the Parker Cemetery on the south side. Such a rock does exist next to Harriet Austin's stone near where George Parker and his family is buried.

Possibly the person that returned to Crawford Co. was the son Samuel as recounted here.

Myths Busted

Over the generations many of the Parker stories and history have been attributed to Anna and James but there is clear evidence that some of these stories were actually about other family members. For example, one story reports that George Sr. was married in Elizabethtown but we know that is not true.

• Middle name of David probably was a transcription error from the James David Parker that performed the first DNA test for this branch that placed the family in FG#5.
• The father and mother of James are unknown. Any suggestion that they've been identified needs to be documented.
• James and Anna were likely married in New Jersey, not Elizabethtown, KY. This assumption is because their son, George, reports on the 1860 census that he was born in New Jersey. The confusion likely derives from a) there is another James in the same region of Kentucky earlier than this James, and b) their son Johnathan was indeed married in Elizabethtown.
• There is no current record that Ann's name was Rebecca. See Anna's page for more detail.
• There is no proof that James was enlisted during the Revolutionary War. There are many James Parkers that are enlisted but no pension record to support that he was one of those. Quite a lot of the fighting took place in New Jersey during the early fights and it is likely he did fight but he might not have been enlisted or he might not have been able to prove his enlistment for the pension.
• Many James Parker revolutionary war pensions exist, but none are for a James Parker from Illinois or Indiana. All James Parkers that applied for pensions were living on the east coast.
• There were Parkers at the battle of Monmouth.
• There is no current documentation supporting that a Parker was at the battle of Cowpens.
• There is no current documentation supporting that a Parker was at the battle of Blue Licks. However, the name Allen does appear there.
• If James was in New Jersey in 1780 he very likely could have been in the Battle of Springfield.
• Nothing seems to substantiate that the Parkers moved to Muskingum, OH. There is a Samuel Parker that bought land there, but he stayed and appears in subsequent census records. Therefore that Samuel can't be the son of James and Anna. If it were true, then maybe they stayed with a relative? Recall that the Parkers were moving West and Muskingum is substantially East and North of their known migration route.

Children's Birth Location per 1880 Census

There are three primary sources for identifying where each of the children were born. This helps place James and Anna Parker in those locations at that time. The sources are: the 1850 Mortality Schedule, the 1860 Census, and the 1880 Census. The report for each of the children and grandchildren of James and Anna Parker follows: I canvased the 1880 census for each of the grandchildren of James and Anna Parker. Here is a report of what each said for their parents birth location. Not many of this generation lived until 1880.

Johnathan Parker

• Mahala Parker: Father NJ, Mother KY

Samuel Parker (family stated he was born in PA on the 1850 mortality schedule)

• John Parker: Father PA, Mother KY
• George F Parker: Father KY, Mother KY
• Rachel Jones: Father KY, Mother KY
• Julia Ann Ford: Father NJ, Mother VA

James Mercer Parker

• Eveline Parker: Father KY, Mother VA
• James L Parker: Father KY, Mother VA

George Parker (self identifies b. NJ on 1860 census)

• John A Parker: Father KY, Mother KY
• David A Parker: Father NJ, Mother PA
• Jepthah Parker: Father NJ, Mother KY

William Parker

• Catherine Jane Parker: Father KY, Mother KY
• Samuel Parker: Father VA, Mother KY
• Alan B Parker: Father IL, Mother KY

Sources

1. ↑ A letter from George W. Parker
2. ↑ Parker Pathways, Page 1
3. ↑ Parker Pathways Newsletter, May 1998, Vol 6, No 2.
4. ↑ Parker Pathways, Page 2, source unknown.
5. ↑ Family Tree Parker Family Groups.
6. ↑ How four British migrations defined America
7. ↑ Parker Pathways, Page 1
8. ↑ Sargent Papers, Statements of Mrs. Joseph Strader, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
9. ↑ Antecedents and Descendants of Margaret Ann Rhoads Smith 1860-1949
10. ↑ Antecedent and Descendants of Margret Ann Rhoads Smith, 1957, Francis Brown, Page 32.
11. ↑ City of Elizabethtown
12. ↑ Parker Pathways, Page 4, specifies Deed book 6, Page 150.
13. ↑ Parker Pathways, Page 6, specifies Deed book 6, Page 683.
14. ↑ Parker Pathways, Page 5
15. ↑ "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5ZD-29N : 9 March 2021), Richard Worth and Mary Parker, 8 Apr 1791; citing Marriage, Nelson, Kentucky, United States, various county clerks and county courts, Kentucky; FHL microfilm 9,667.
16. ↑ Hardin County History Museum, The History of Hardin County.
17. ↑ Return of the Militia, May 14th 1793, Monmouth County, New Jersey
18. ↑ Deed #1093, dated 15th June, 1822, filed in Vincennes, Knox Co, Indiana.
19. ↑ History of the Parker Pioneer Cemetery Hutton Township, Coles County, Illinois, Rev 18
20. ↑ Letter from George Washington Parker

• Parker Pathways: some ancestors and descendants of James Parker (ca. 1752-1835) and Anna Doty (1765-1830), 1986, K.J.P. Brown, in English.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #11311852
• Early American Roads and Trails
• http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/b/a/r/Denise-Renee-Bartos/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1060.html
• Brian Bowman, firsthand knowledge. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Brian and others.
• Mayflower Society Application Database: "Community Trees," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:QVQ1-MNS : accessed 22 November 2021), entry for James Parker, cites sources; "Mayflower Pilgrim Genealogies" file (2:2:2:MMXD-DP8), submitted 24 February 2020 by FamilySearch.

• "United States Census, 1820", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHGQ-S9B : Thu Oct 05 11:20:10 UTC 2023), Entry for James Parker, Junior, 1820.
• "United States Census, 1830", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPY-XYD : Tue Oct 03 02:20:40 UTC 2023), Entry for James Parker, 1830.