! l ! i i J-'H,\NR SYLYBSTElR: PAR.h'..8. GENEALOGY OF THE PARKE FAMILIES OF CONNECTICUT; INCLUDING ROBERT PARKE, OF NEW LONDON, EDWARD PARKS, OF GUILFORD, AND OTHERS. ALSO A LIST OF PARKE, PARK, PARKS, ETC., WHO FOUGHT IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. COMPILED BY FRANK SYLVESTER PARKS; Member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, of Boston, Massachusetts, and the New London County Historical Society, of New London, Connecticut. WASHINGTON, D. C., 1906. No........... PRIVATELY PRINTED. Presswork by the Columbia Polytechnic Institute Printing- Office, and the General Assembly of the Knights of Labor Printing Office. Portraits engraved by Maurice Joyce Engraving Company, and printed by Henry A. Parks; all of Washington, D. C. TO THE MEMORY OF MY MOTHER, JULIA ELIZABETH SANBORN PARKS; THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED BY THE COMPILER. EXPLANATIONS. HIS genealogy is arranged according to the plan adopted by the New England Historical and Genealogical T Register, which has come into general use, Thus on page 20, the figures on the extreme left of the page denote the successive numbers of the heads of the families which will be taken up again; when a number is omitted before a name it indicates that such a name will not be mentioned again. Thus on page 20, number 10-i. James, etc., we find on page 28, where James is brought up with full particulars and his full family record is given. The small exponent3 figures on page 28 which follow, thus: 2 12 James3 Cady, ( James , Nicholas'}, show the number of generations from the common ancestor, Nicholas Cady. ABBREVIATIONS, -Abt. for about; b. for born; bapt. for baptized; ch. for children; d. for died; dau. for daughter; m. for married ; unm. for unmarried. OLD AND NEW STYLE.-All dates prior to 1742 are supposed to conform to the old style then used. PARKE FAMILIES 5 <.tontente. TITLE PAGE, 1 . DEDICATION, 3 ABBREVIATIONS, - 6 INTRODUCTION, 7 OTHER PARKE GENEALOGIES, 8 PREFACE, 9 ORIGIN OF THE NAME, 12 COATS OF ARMS, 13 SOME ENGLISH PARKE FAMILIES, - 17 ROBERT PARKE AND DESCENDANTS: FIRST GENERATION, 25 SECOND GENERATION, - 29 THIRD GENERATION, 33 FOURTH GENERATION, 42 FIFTH GENERATION; 55 SIXTH GENERATION, - 76 SEVENrH GENERATION, - 107 EIGHTH GENERATION, 161 NINTH GENERATION, 209 TENTH GENERATION, 238 EDWARD PARKS AND DESCENDANTS, 241 PETER PARK AND DESCENDANTS, 257. MISCELLANEOUS PARK FAMILIES, 263 JOHN PARKS, OF EMHURST, ENGLAND, 274 REVOLUTIONARY RECORD, 277 APPENDIX, 301 INDEX OF PARK GIVEN NAMES, 305 INDEX OF OTHER SURNAMES, 316 I:NDEX OF PLACES, - • • l26 PARKE FAMILIES Bbbrevtattone. a. age. ae. aged. b. born. ch. child or children. Co. or co. county or company. d. died or dead. dr. daughter. h. husband. inf. infant. Jr. Junior. m. married, and month. prob. probably. s. son. w. wife. wid. widow. y. young. 1st. first. 2nd. second. And other abbreviations in common use. OF CONNECTICUT. 7 1ntrobuction. This book contains all that it has been possible to learn about the Park, Parke and Parks families of Connecticut. In the main, the facts given are cor­ rect; but mistakes must necessarily occur where information is derived from so many sources. Conse­ quently the compiler can not guarantee the accuracy of any of the statements made in this volume. In many cases the same event has been found recorded as having occurred on different dates. For instance; the birth of one man who is still living, is found re­ corded in a church record as 1825, on a town record as 1827, while he himself says he was born in 1826. Some confusion of dates may occur in the minds of those not familiar with the subject; from the fact that previous to 1752, the legal and ecclesiastical year began on March 25, although it was not uncom­ mon in writing to reckon it from Jan. 1. Conse­ quently many events occurring between Jan. 1, and March 25, are recorded by giving both years. For instance; a child born (as we reckon now,) on Feb. 12, 1743, might be recorded as having been born on "Feb, 12, 1742-3." In tracing one's ancestors, the system of numbers used has been found by the N. E. Hist. Gen. Society to be the most simple. For instance; Scott Parks is found on page 181, as number 1050. By turning back until his number is found, on page 125, his father Lewis, No. 530, will be seen. Going back to No. 530, his father will be found, and so on, either turn­ ing backward or formard, ones ancestors or descen­ dants may be traced. 8 PARKE FAMILIES ®tbcr Parke Gcncalogtcs. As far as known this book is the first successful attempt to publish a list of the Parke and Parks families of Connecticut. It is said that Paul Park wrote a genealogy of Robert Parke's descendants in 1763. Hezekiah Ripley Parke is supposed to have compiled and written out his branch of the family about 1847. Hudson Hovey Parke attempted a gen­ ealogy of Robert Parke's family about 1887, but did not live to publish it. Mr. Edwin H. Park published a very good genealogy of bis branch of the Robert Parke family in 1902. The" History of Windham County, N. H.," con­ tains a very complete account of the descendants of Alexander Park, who is supposed to have come from Ireland in 1728, and landed in Boston; finally settling in Windham. Bond's "History of Watertown," Mass.,. contains several generations of the descen­ dants of Richard ·Parke, of Cambridge, Mass., who came from London, in the ship "Defence," in 1636. In 1888, Mr. Levi Wesson Park, of Chicago, published a small book: " Family Record of Levi Park, of Bernardston, Mass." Levi was a descendant of Richard. Rev. C. C. Park published a record of the Peter Park family in 1876; and W. J. Park, of Cov­ ington, Ky., published in 1880, "The Park Family of W ashin2"ton Co., Pa." Dr. C. R. Parke. of Bloomington, Ills., compiled in Ms. a list of the descendants of Arthur Parke, of Pennsylvania, who came from Ireland before 1744. The "History of Rye, N. Y.," contains a record of some descendants of Roger Park, who is supposed to have come from France before 1699. OF CONNECTICUT. 9 ~reface. This book is the result of a casual visit to the Boston Public Library, in September 1899. The compiler, then residing in Boston, noticed upon a shelf in that library a History of his native town, Palmer, Mass., and on looking over its pages, came across his own name, together with that of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather Up to that time he had not known his great-grandfather's name and had never had any curiosity to know it. All knowledge of his ancestors, beyond his grandfa­ ther, was embraced in the statement, often made by his father, that: "All the Parks's in this Country were descended from two brothers who settled in Connecticut in sixteen hundred and something." Upon learning that he had had a great-grandfather and his name, Reuben Parks, the idea occurred that HE must have had a father, and curiosity became excited to learn who he was. From that point he started in systematically to · discover the name of his great-great-grandfather, and for three months spent all his evenings poring over genealogies and local town histories, in the Boston Public Library, looking for all items about the family name and taking notes of them. Having obtained considerable information through this source, it was decided to send out circulars to other members of the family, and, if results would warrant it, to publish in book form all the facts that were secured. At that time, however, it was not realized what a stupendous undertaking it would be, 2 10 PARKE FAMILIES The library of the New England Historic Genea­ logical Society, of Boston; the libraries of Worcester, Mass.; Norwich, New London, New Haven and Hartford, Conn.; the Lenox Library, of New York City; the Library of Congress and other libraries in Washington, D. C., that are rich in genealogical data, were searched. Several trips were made from Washington to the New England states to consult various records. The vital, probate, land and church records of many Connecticut and Massachusetts towns were closely scanned for facts relating to the family. Old graveyards, many of them almost forgotten and inaccessible, were visited and many names and dates unearthed, that will become obliterated in a few years through the relentless march of time and the ravages of decay. Over three thousand letters and circulars were sent out to members of the family in all parts of the Country, and much valuable informa­ tion was received through this source. Many facts were found in old family bibles and other old family records, and through personal interviews with living members of the family. It is impossible to mention more than a few of the many who sent valuable data, together with words of encouragement and wishes for success. Mr. Francis R. Parks, of Westfield, Mass., secured the services of Mr. L. M. Dewey, (compiler of the Dewey Genealo­ gy,) who obtained much of the earlier history of the family in Connecticut. Mr. Edwin H. Park, of Den­ ver, Colo., who compiled a genealogy of his branch of the descendants of Robert Parke, placed all the data that he had collected at the service of this vol­ ume. Mr. Joseph H. Parks, of Amsterdam, N. Y., Mrs. A. P. Gilbert, of Logan, Okla., Mrs. Myrta OF CONNE~TICUT. 11 Bossart, of Burton, Ohio, Mrs. A. C. Gilman, of Palisades, N.