Sarah Jane (Allen) Parker (abt. 1783 - 1830)

Wife of George David Parker — married 28 Jul 1808 in Butler, Ohio, United States

Descendants

Died 11 Dec 1830 at about age 47 in Hutton, Coles, Illinois, United States

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Biography

Sarah Allen was born in either 1783^[1] or 1779^[2] maybe in Culpeper, Culpeper, Virginia, United States, possibly the daughter of James Allen and Elizabeth (Clendenin/Clendennen) Allen^[3][4]. A separate profile is available for Sarah "Sally" Allen due to differences in the available facts between what is known of George's first wife and the daughter of James and Elizabeth Allen.

George Washington Parker said Sarah's maiden name was Allen^[5].

An alternate source says Sarah was the daughter of Hiram Levi and Eveline Priscilla (nee DOTY) Hartson^[6]

Another possibility raised is that Sarah was daughter of Henry Young and Solomea Pfeiffer. The only documentation presented for this relationship is a partial DNA match to members of Sarah's Parker descendants. While there may be a family DNA connection of some sort, Henry would have only been 22 when Sarah was born and he didn't marry until three years after her birth.

Her children that survived to the 1880 census reported her birth location as follows.

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

She married George Parker on July 28, 1808 in Butler County, Ohio^[7]. Since George Parker does not appear on the 1807 census^[8] one can assume the Parkers had not yet moved to that county.

She died on December 11, 1830 in Hutton, Coles, Illinois, United States only 2 months after her mother-in-law and is presumed buried next to or near her^[9].

Birth and Burial

Katherine Jane Brown's book, Parker Pathways, lists Sarah's date of birth as 1783. When a replacement memorial was added for her in the Parker Cemetery in 2022 that was the date used on the stone.

1783 would place her age at 25 when she married George. In 1930 C. O. Dempsey speculated that Sarah might be the daughter of James and Elizabeth Allen of Nelson Co, KY, born in 1779. A birth year of 1779 would mean she was 29. The 1830 census shows that Sarah was between the age of 40 and 49 at that time, placing her birth year between 1781 and 1790 so the 1779 year would be too early for this Sarah and casts doubt on any statement that she was the daughter of James Allen and Elizabeth Clendennen.

It isn't known how she got from Nelson, Kentucky to Butler, Ohio if she was the daughter of James Allen and Elizabeth Clendennen.

She is buried in the Parker Pioneer Cemetery on the south east quadrant next to George. Graves were marked by field stones placed there by J A L Parker but someone has moved the rocks. Fortunately, Samuel Sargent papers contain a map to the precise location. In August of 2022 a formal memorial was added according to Samuel Sargent's map but the memorial company placed it a few feet askew and to the East of where Samuel Sargent indicated the old rocks would be found. The memorial likely overlays the graves.

Sources

1. ↑ 1830 Census of Clark Co, Illinois, Ancestry.com.
2. ↑ The 1779 birth date may have been the research of Mrs. C. O. Dempsey of Charleston, Illinois.
3. ↑ The Indianapolis Star, 27 Apr 1930, Sun Page 68
4. ↑ Parker Pathways, Katherine Jane Brown, page 324
5. ↑ Letter from George Washington Parker under Anna (Doty) Parker's profile.
6. ↑ Pilgrim Edward Doty Society
7. ↑ https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q21W-CTHG
8. ↑ 1807 census Butler County, Ohio
9. ↑ https://archive.org/download/parker-pioneer-cemetery/Parker%20Pioneer%20Cemetery.pdf

• Citation "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q21W-CTHG : 8 March 2021), George Parker and Sarah Allen, 28 Jul 1808; citing Marriage, Butler, Richland, Ohio, United States, Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus; FHL microfilm.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #72004827
• Mike Leahy's notes, Ancestry.com. Mike's notes about Sarah note birth date as 26 Sep 1779, and death in Sulivan, Indiana, so the individuals may be two separate people.