Parents are Unknown

See

Thomas Parker, in Anderson, Robert Charles; George F. Sanborn; and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635. (NEHGS, 1999-2011), 5:370.

Bio

Thomas Parker (1605–1683) was one of the founders of Reading, Massachusetts, and a deacon and one of the founders of the 12th Congregational Church in Massachusetts (now the First Parish Congregational Church).

Dea. Parker sailed from London on March 11, 1635, for Massachusetts. He settled first in Lynn, but in 1638 became either the first, or one of the first, settlers of what became the town of Reading. It was first known as Lynn Village, but was incorporated in 1644 as Reading, with a total of seven families living in seven houses. There is evidence that Parker was "conspicuous in naming the town" and that he was related to the Parker family of Little Norton, England, who owned land by the name of Ryddinge.

Parker was a selectman of Reading and was appointed a judicial commissioner. He owned 200 acres of land on the north side of the Ipswich River, but his homestead bordered the east side of the Wakefield (then part of Reading) Common, just northeast of today's Wakefield Town Hall.

Source for above: Wikipedia article on "Thomas Parker"

Thomas Parker who came from England in the Susan and Ellen in 1635 was tne emigrant ancestor of Arthur Henry Parker president and treasurer of the Parker Wire Goods Company of Worcester. The ship sailed March 11 1635. He gave his age as thirty and thus his birth must have occurred in 1605. He settled in Lynn, Massachusetts, where he was a proprietor in 1638. He was admitted a freeman May 17 1637. He removed to Lynn village, afterwards called Reading, was appointed selectman in 1661, and served the town in that capacity for six years and was also appointed a commissioner for trying and defending small causes.

He was active in the building of the church in the new settlement and was elected deacon thereof .He died August 12, 1683 was buried in the old graveyard on the east side of the Reading common and in time the grave was neglected and the location lost. In 1834 the gravestones of Thomas Parker and others were discovered in building a new town hall and since then have been cared for in the cemetery in a lot set apart for the purpose. His will is dated August 3 and was proved December 18, 1683.

Children of Thomas and Amy Parker

1. Thomas born in Lynn 1636 married Deborah had fourteen children died July 17 1699
2. Hananiah born 1638 married September 30 1663 Elizabeth Browne of Reading
3. John born in Reading 1640 married November 13 1667 Hannah Kendall and had thirteen children he was a sergeant
4. Joseph born 1642 died 1644
5. Joseph born 1645 died 1646
6. Mary born December 12 1647 married Samuel Dodge of Beverly son of Richard Dodge had eleven children and died 1705
7. Martha born March 14 1649
8. Nathaniel born in Reading May 16 165 1 He married September 1677 Bethia Polly daughter of John of Roxbury whose wife was Bethia of Deacon William Cowdrey. She was in 1659 and died August 23 1748 at age of ninety years.
9. Sarah born September 30 1653 died October 26 1656
10. Jonathan born May 18 1656 served in the wars died June 10 1680
11. Sarah May 23 1658

Three other children died early life. Pope's Pioneers of gives names of several other children given in the Parker genealogy.

• Alternative Date of Birth: 3/11/1609
• Alternative Birth Location: Browsholme, Wiltshire, England

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born in England in 1609 sailed from London on March 11, 1635 in the expedition of the ships Suzan and Ellin, fitted out by Sir Richard Saltonstall and landed at Lynn, Massachusetts.

from collection of NH Historic Society vol 11

Thomas Parker was born 1609, Little Norton, England. He sailed on the Susan and Ellen in 1635. Arr. Mass Aug. 1635.He first resisted in Area of Lynn mass , which is now saugus Mass , Maybe he married Amy( According to records Amy was her christian name, in England,, Altho there is no record of her in England. he may have married her here. She may not have been English. There's a good chance she may have been native America as they refer to her name Amy as her Christain name.. They had 11 children.After resisting a short time in Lynn , they moved into reading, which then included what is now Wakefield, Mass., where in 1638 he had 30 acres of land. ( records in the Middlesex . Reg.. The lot was on the knoll, north east of the present day Town Hall in Wakefield, Mass. To the west of the homestead of the Rev. samuel Haugh: on the south . the house and mill of John Poole; north extending along the east side of the common , the land of Thomas Weston, and on the east Timothy Willard,John Poole and three acres of meadow land to the south of Poole.

He left London March 11 1635 , age 25, and arr. Mass .same year. the Susan and Ellen was fitted out by Richard saltonstall jr. he and his wife and children, were fellow passengers. The two families were related as shown in Waters' Genealogical gleanings in England,

Thomas Parker became a freeman may 17, 1637. He died 1683. His wife amy died 1690, their r gravestone is the oldest one in the cemetery, in Wakefield,Mass. .

Descendants of this family still reside all over Mass., including towns of Reading, Wakefield and saugus. Don parker and George parker, and his family are of saugus. Georges sons was married to my cousin's daughter, which double parkered her, as we are also directly related to the other Parker family in saugus that arr. in Boston June 1635.

Dea. Thomas, who came over from England in the Susan and Ellen, 1635, at the a. of 30; stopped first at Lynn; was a freeman, 1637. His s. Nathaniel rem. to the West Parish among its early settlers, and was the common ancestor of the West Parish Parkers. Dea. Thomas lived in the eastern part of the town,on the place where his descendant and namesake, and official successor, the late Dea. Thomas lived, and who d. In 1822. His wife's name was Amy. He was Selectman. He d. 1683, a. 78, and his wid. 1690. Chn. Hananiah, b. 1638; Thomas; Joseph, b. 1645, and d. soon; Mary, 1647; Martha, 1649; Nathaniel, 1651; Sarah, 1653, and d. soon; Jonathan, 1656; John.

Sources

1. Wikipedia article on "Thomas Parker"
2. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the ..., Volume 2 edited by William Richard Cutter
3. Collections of the New Hampshire Historical Society, Volume 11By New Hampshire Historical Society Page 4 < GoogleBooks >