Parley Hewett Rice (1845 - 1902)

Born 26 Mar 1845 in Batavia, Genesee, New York, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Leora Azubah (Smith) Rice — married 5 Mar 1866 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

Died 5 May 1902 at age 57 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

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Biography

Parley was the subject of several news articles during his life. One tells of his hired hand taking his horse and carriage to town to purchase goods for the farm. The man left in the morning and when he hadn't returned by nightfall, the police were contacted. Turns out the hired hand made it to town sold the horse to one man and the carriage to another and with the money skipped town. The horse and carriage were returned to Parley, but the purchases were out the money.

Perhaps the biggest story was rather an odd legal case in which he was embattled. The headlines read, " A Divided Family Parley Rice Asked for $10,000 By His Son's Wife." Parley's son William married a neighbor girl, Julia Simond who was Catholic, they had grown up together and fell in love. Parley was not happy about her religion, so before the two married, Julia said she would stop being Catholic, After a few months of marriage, she just couldn't do it and started practicing her faith again. William was alright with her being Catholic, but his father, Parley was not. He began talking badly about her to William and not long after William left her. Julia blamed Parley for this and she sued him for $10,000 for destroying her marriage. This was a very sensational story. The next headline read, " Julia Rice's Claim On Which She Bases A $10,000 Suit. A Peculiar Jury Called to Try a Peculiar Case." The Court's decision favored Julia in part, and she was awarded $3000. The case went on between 1894-1895.

The newspapers across Michigan picked up on another story about Parley. This one came from Jackson, Michigan, two counties away from Parley. The headlines read, "Premonition of Death" In the first week of May 1902, Parley went to visit the undertaker and made arrangements for a funeral and ordered a coffin. He told the undertaker it was for him and that he would need it because he was going to die on Sunday. He went about his business the rest of the week. On Saturday evening he took to his bed. When the stroke of midnight chimed on the clock, his wife said to him, "I guess your premonition was wrong." To which Parley replied, "The clock is fast," and immediately died as predicted.

Sources

• Year: 1850; Census Place: Batavia, Genesee, New York; Roll: M432_508; Page: 209B; Image: 56.
• Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1875 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: ks1875_14; Line: 1.
• Year: 1870; Census Place: Home, Nemaha, Kansas; Roll: M593_440; Page: 29B; Image: 85798; Family History Library Film: 545939.
• Year: 1880; Census Place: Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Roll: 586; Family History Film: 1254586; Page: 316A; Enumeration District: 142; Image: 0629.
• Year: 1900; Census Place: Comstock, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Roll: 720; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 0107; FHL microfilm: 1240720.
• "Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1940", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FCJD-BJL : 25 April 2016), Parley H. Rice and Leora A. Smith, 1866.
• Kalamazoo Gazette, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Friday, June 15, 1894, Page: 5. A Divided Family Parley Rice Asked for $10,000 By His Son's Wife
• Kalamazoo Gazette, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Tuesday, December 17, 1895, Page: 1. Julia Rice's Claim On Which She Bases A $10,000 Suit. A Peculiar Jury Called to Try a Peculiar Case
• Jackson Citizen Patriot, Jackson, Michigan, Friday, May 9, 1902, Page: 7. Premonition of Death
  • Kalamazoo Gazette, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Friday, July 3, 1891, Page: 5. He Has Made Good Time. Parley Rice's Hired man Steals and Sells his Horse