Deacon William Parke

Born in Preston, England, about 1606. He came to America in 1630 and settled in Roxbury, where he became one of the prominent men of the colony. "He came to New England in the 12th month, 1630, a single man and was one of the first in the church at Rocksbrough." He was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artilery Co., 1638; represented Roxbury, Mass., in the General Court from 1635 to 1667, the longest known term of service under the old charter. He was one of the endowers of the Roxbury free school, the first in the U.S. and the oldest in continued existence in America. He was undoubtedly a man of influence and a power in the colony. The records of the Mass. Bay Colony show that he was always on hand, always on committees, always adjusting difficulties. He was executor of the will of Thomas Dudley and of many others who died during the early days of the Colony. He married Martha, a daughter of John Holgrave, of Salem. He died May 11, 1685, and is buried in the Roxbury graveyard, the stone still being in good condition. He left no descendants of the Parke name, his will, dated July 20, 1684, mentioning three daughters but no sons.

HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF STONINGTON, County of New London, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1649 to 1900, by Richard Anson Wheeler, New London, CT, 1900, p. 527

ORIGIN: Semer, Suffolk

MIGRATION: February 1630/1 on Lyon

FIRST RESIDENCE: Roxbury

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Admitted to Roxbury church as member #6: "William Parke, he came to N.E. in the 12th month, 1630, a single man, & was one of the first in the church at Rocks~brough: he afterwards married Martha Holgrave, the daughter of [blank] Holgrave of Salem. He married the month [blank]" [RChR 74]. Later became a deacon of the church at Roxbury.

FREEMAN: 18 May 1631 (as "Will[ia]m Parks") [MBCR 1:366].

EDUCATION: He signed his will and distributed Bibles among his grandchildren.

OFFICES: Deputy from Roxbury to the General Court, 1644, 1646-51, 1653-54, 1659-68, 1670, 1672-74, 1676-77, 1679/80 [MBCR 2:66, 96, 145, 186, 238, 264, 3:1, 9, 39, 44, 62, 105, 121, 147, 183, 220, 297, 340, 4:1:2, 37, 120, 181, 364, 416, 4:2:1, 30, 41, 71, 100, 117, 142, 294, 313, 330, 362, 448, 507, 550, 560, 5:2, 14, 77, 98, 132, 260]. Committee to pay bills, 1 October 1645 [MBCR 2:136]. Committee to purchase land "for the encouragement of the Indians to live in an orderly way amongst us," 4 November 1646 [MBCR 2:166]. Committee to examine ferrymen of Charlestown, 27 October 1647 [MBCR 2:200]. Committee to choose a new jailer, 22 November 1654 [MBCR 4:1:218]. Committee to treat with the mintmasters, 22 May 1661 [MBCR 4:2:13, 333, 347]. Committee to settle bounds between Dedham and the Indians at Natick, 7 May 1662 [MBCR 4:2:49]. Committee to agree on impost of wines, 11 September 1666 [MBCR 4:2:315]. Committee for Mendon, 7 October 1674 [MBCR 5:26]. Committee to answer soldiers' petitions for relief, 3 May 1676 [MBCR 5:80].

ESTATE: In the Roxbury land inventory of about 1652, William Parke held fourteen parcels, the first five of which had been granted to him: "his dwelling house, and barn, together with yards, orchards and eight acres of arable land"; twenty-five acres of arable land and meadow in the lower calves pasture part of which William Parke bought of Mr. Thomas Dudley; nine acres of woodland; ninety-four acres, three quarters and thirty pole in the second allotment of the last division, the sixth lot; one hundred fourscore and one acres in the four thousand acres; thirteen acres in Springfield (lately the land of Thomas Lamb); one acre and a rood of meadow; nine acres of upland and meadow (lately the land of Isaac Morrill); ten acres of salt marsh (lately the land of John Johnson); twenty-five acres and a half in the woods lately the land of John Pieropoynt); sixteen acres of upland and salt marsh; seven acres within the fence at the training place; one acre more without the fence (lately the land of Mr. Thomas Weld); and half of sixteen acres of woodland (lately the land of Richard Sutton) [RBOP 15-16].

The General Court intended that the lands granted to William Parks and others should be laid out near the bridge over Ipswich River, 27 October 1648 [MBCR 3:145]. Of the four thousand acres granted to Roxbury, "Mr. William Parkes" was to have one hundred and fourscore and one, 18 May 1653 [MBCR 3:300]. Mr. Richard Parker purchased six hundred acres from John Johnson and "Mr. Wm. Parks" before 22 May 1661 [MBCR 2:1:8].

In his will, dated 20 July 1684 and proved 30 July 1685, "William Parke of Roxbury being old and weak of body" bequeathed to "my children now alive being only two daughters both married, my eldest daughter being now wife unto Samuel Williams of Roxbury, she having many children now alive through the mercy of God ... to my son Samuel Williams besides what I had given to him before to him in behalf of the children which he had by my daughter his wife ... to his son John Williams I give £50 and unto his son Parke Williams I give £100 ... out of the great pasture and meadow ... to his eldest son Samuel Williams six score pounds which will grow due for him to pay for the houses, orchards and other lands I sold unto him, also £20 more ... which I give unto Ebenezar, Deborah, Martha and Abigail all the children of my said son Samuel Williams unto whom I give all my great pasture and all the meadow adjoining thereunto containing by estimation twenty-four acres"; to "my son Samuel Williams for which of the children of my daughter he please ... after the decease of my beloved wife Martha Parke, or at my decease, my said son giving in to my said beloved wife that he pay unto my said wife yearly ... £6," fence to be maintained by Samuel Williams; to "my said son in the behalf of his children as aforesaid the one half of my woodland ... reserving liberty to my wife to take wood of said woodland for her own fire as long as she live or so long as she shall remain my widow; if she shall be married to another man yet she shall have paid unto her as long as she live £12 per year as long as she live ... by my son Samuel Williams and Sam: Will: junior and William Williams and my son Smith..."; to "my son Isaac Williams's children besides what I had given to him before, I give unto his son William whom I have brought up ever since he was three years old being given unto me by his dear mother with the consent of his father at the time when she lay sick on her deathbed, I give unto him my said grandson William Williams all that sixteen acres of meadow and upland be it more or less lying in Roxbury ... now in the occupation of Robert Peirpont by lease from me"; to "the said William Williams all that six acres by estimation be it more or less adjoining upon Stoney River ... with about four acres of land ... lately the land of Lawrance Whittamore ... also ... seven acres ... called Small Gains now in the occupation of my grandson Samuel Williams" he to maintain a sufficient fence and pay a small sum to "my wife"; to "either John Williams or unto Eleazer Williams unto which of them father Isaac Williams please to give unto one hundred and eighty acres ... in Stonington upon Latrops Hill, eighty acres that was my brother Thomas Park's land and one hundred acres adjoining to that eighty acres ... also all that meadow of mine lying ... [by] Mistike River ... containing ... five acres ... to enter upon said meadow immediately after the decease of my brother Samuel Park ... also I give unto his son William Williams £50"; to "Hannah Williams £25 ... leaving all the rest of my daughter's children to be provided for and what their father please to add"; to "one of the sons named all the remainder of my land in Stoningtown" excluding John or Eleazer Williams who are receiving the one hundred and eighty acres aforementioned; to "my son and daughter Smith besides what I have given to them before ... if it shall please God to bestow a child or children upon them to live and to enjoy it ... but if it should please God ... to deny them such a blessing of a living child or children" they to enjoy the lands for their lifetime after the decease of "my beloved wife" and if they remain childless the land to revert to "my grandchildren as shall be then alive after the decease of my son and daughter Smith to be equally divided" they to pay "my wife" £6 per year as long as she lives and pay the school yearly "my donation"; also "I reserve to my wife the parlor and some room in the cellar or any other needful for her comfort"; and "if my said son and daughter Smith do not see cause to come to live in my said house" then "neither he nor my son Samuel Williams are to fell any timber to sell"; to "my brother Samuel Park unto him in behalf of his son Robert or William, one hundred acres of land given to me by the town of Stoningtown ... it not being yet laid out"; to "my said brother fifty acres of land adjoining unto that land which he have in his possession of about one hundred acres ... which my said brother have built his house upon ... also all my meadow so long as he live to mow"; to "my beloved wife Martha whom I make my sole executrix ... one chest which she will choose with all that therein is as her own and not to be prised ... also all my debts due unto me ... she paying all my debts and legacies and funeral expenses ... also all my moveables ... also £24 per annum as long as she live or remain my widow"; "every child and grandchild or grandchildren shall have each of them a new Bible bought and given unto them out of what I have given unto my beloved wife"; to "the poor of Roxbury" £5; "my three sons forenamed" overseers [SPR 6:499].

The inventory of the estate of Deacon William Parke late of Roxbury deceased was taken 28 May 1685 and totalled £1750 13s., including real estate valued at £1500: "great pasture and meadow twenty-four acres," £300; "houses, barn, orchard homstead eight acres," £300; "four acres of land with an orchard and buildings," £140; "the Hilly Field and meadow adjoining nine acres," £100; "Small Gains (so called) being about seven acres," £80; "sixteen acres of land lying on Stony River meadow," £140; "six acres of upland lying on Stony River," £40; "forty acres of woodland," £100; and "five hundred acres of land in Stoningtown," £300 [SPR 9:233].

BIRTH: Baptized Semer, Suffolk, 21 April 1607, son of Robert and Martha (Chaplin) Parke [McArthur-Barnes 98-99; Granberry 286].

DEATH: Roxbury 11 May 1685 ("Deacon William Park").

MARRIAGE: By 1637 Martha Holgrave [RChR 74], daughter of JOHN HOLGRAVE. She died at Roxbury on 25 August 1708 "in her 94th year," widow of "Deacon William."

CHILDREN:

i THEODA, b. Roxbury 26 July 1637; m. Roxbury 2 March 1653[/4] Samuel Williams.

ii HANNAH, b. Roxbury 28 August 1639; d. Roxbury 24 June 1655.

iii MARTHA, b. Roxbury 2 March 1641/2; no further record.

iv SARAH, bp. Roxbury 19 November 1643 [RChR 115]; bur. Roxbury 8 September 1644.

v JOHN, b. Roxbury 30 June 1645 [RChR 116]; bur. Roxbury 17 June 1646 "the son of Willia[m] Park not a year old" [RChR 173].

vi DEBORAH, bp. Roxbury 16 February 1646/7 [RChR 117]; bur. Roxbury 14 August 1649.

vii JOHN, bp. Roxbury 13 May 1649 [RChR 118]; bur. Roxbury 4 May 1663 [RChR 177].

viii DEBORAH, bp. Roxbury 26 March 1651 [RChR 119]; m. Isaac Williams.

ix Son (twin), bur. Roxbury 1 June 1653 [RChR 175].

x Daughter (twin), bur. Roxbury 1 June 1653 [RChR 175].

xi WILLIAM, bp. Roxbury 8 October 1654 [RChR 120]; d. Roxbury 14 July 1656 [RChR 176].

xii HANNAH, bp. Roxbury 26 September 1658 [RChR 122]; m. Hingham 6 April 1680 (John Smith "married to Deacon Parke's daughter" [NEHGR 121:206]).

ASSOCIATIONS: Several of the siblings of William Parke followed him to New England some years later (some of them named in his will) [Granberry 285-88], and by 1639 Robert Parke, father of William Parke, had also arrived. On 28 February 1629/30, a Robert Parke of Easterkeale, Lincolnshire, wrote to JOHN WINTHROP, expressing his interest in making the migration to New England in 1630 [WP 2:212-13]. The only evidence we have that he did make the voyage is a statement by Savage that Robert Parke "went back the same year carrying an order by our Governor to his son John in England to pay money, which is in my possession and may be the earliest bill of exchange drawn on our side of the water" [Savage 3:347]. This document has disappeared from sight, and until it reemerges, the evidence that Robert Parke was in New England so early as 1630 seems quite slight.

COMMENTS: The date of arrival as stated by Eliot in the Roxbury church record corresponds with the arrival of only one ship, the Lyon on its first voyage of 1631.

On 23 May 1650 William Parke was ordered to appraise and oversee the estate of John Woody of Roxbury [MBCR 3:191, 306]. With John Johnson he was overseer of the will of Joseph Weld, 22 May 1651 [MBCR 3:238]. He had power of attorney 19 October 1652 to make sale of lands in Dedham sometimes of Samuel Cooke of Dublin, Ireland, gentleman [MBCR 3:290]. He was administrator of the estate of James Astwood, 15 May 1654 [MBCR 3:347]. With John Johnson, he was in 1661 an executor of the estate of Thomas Dudley, Esq. [MBCR 4:2:9].

William Parke witnessed the Nipmuck deed, 10 February 1681/2 [MBCR 5:367]. William Parke of Roxbury was attorney to Joseph Dorney, who was in turn attorney to Margaret Carwithen, 1 August 1647 [Aspinwall 80]. "W[illia]m Park" took a bill for payment in sugar at Barbados from John Robinson and assigned it to Thomas Webber, 14 November 1648 [Aspinwall 166].

Vincent Potter assigned Henry Kenninge an apprentice for eight years to William Parke on 26 June 1639 [Lechford 101]. Parke was executor to the will of GEORGE ALCOCK [Lechford 386].

Source: http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/c/h/Beverly-J-Schonewo...

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Mar 3 2018, 21:48:25 UTC

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