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(Deacon) Thomas PARKER

(Deacon) Thomas PARKER

Male 1609 - 1683  (74 years)

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  • Name Thomas PARKER  [1
    Prefix (Deacon) 
    Born 31 Mar 1609  Little Norton, Derbyshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Christened 31 Mar 1609  Norton, Derbyshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Male 
    Residence 1635  Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    When Thomas first arrived in Massachusetts 
    Emigration 11 Mar 1635  [2
    departed from London 
    Confused with another Thomas Parker   [2
    NOT THE Thomas Parker born and baptized in Norton, Derbyshire, England, who died after three months. DO NOT COMBINE 
    FamilySearch ID MV3Q-MQ3 
    Landed in North America 31 Mar 1635  Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Landed at Lynn, Massachusetts 
    Religion 1645  Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Named a Deacon of the first church established in Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony 
    Last Will written 3 Aug 1683  Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    See a photo and a transcription of this will in Memories 
    LifeSketch   [2
    Thomas was listed as age 30 years on ship records of "Susan and Ellen" which sailed out of London March 11, 1635. The Ship Master was Edward Payne. He landed first in Lynn Mass. then moved to Reading, Mass. where he established a church -- was named Deaco 
    Occupation   [2
    He was a deacon of a church. Deacon was not his first name and Thomas was not his middle name. Thomas was his first name. 
    _UID 8C9CA305F0FB47BC8DAE9E67B6D9CA217873 
    Died 12 Aug 1683  Wakefield, Reading, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Buried Y  [1
    Person ID I3094  Carney Wehofer 2024 Genealogy
    Last Modified 12 Nov 2023 

    Father John PARKER,   b. 4 Sep 1567, Little Norton, Somersetshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 17 Jul 1638, Norton, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 70 years) 
    Mother Jane BATES,   b. 1576, Jordanthorpe, York, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Mar 1617, Norton, Derby, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 41 years) 
    Married 2 Jul 1605  Norton, Derby, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F1465  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Amy AYLESWORTH,   b. Abt 1614, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Jan 1690, , Reading, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 76 years) 
    Married Dec 1635  Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Alt. Marriage 25 Dec 1635  Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Children 
     1. Thomas PARKER,   b. 1636, , Lynn, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Jul 1699  (Age 63 years)
     2. Hananiah PARKER,   b. 1638, , Lynn, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 10 Mar 1724  (Age 86 years)
     3. John PARKER,   b. 1640, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     4. Joseph PARKER,   b. 24 Dec 1642, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1644  (Age 1 years)
     5. John PARKER,   b. 1646, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1698  (Age 52 years)
     6. Mary PARKER,   b. 12 Dec 1647, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1705  (Age 57 years)
     7. Martha PARKER,   b. 14 Mar 1649, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     8. (Ensign) Nathaniel PARKER,   b. 16 May 1651, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 7 Dec 1737, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 86 years)
     9. Sarah PARKER,   b. 30 Sep 1653, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 26 Oct 1656  (Age 3 years)
     10. Jonathan PARKER,   b. 18 May 1656, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 10 Jun 1680  (Age 24 years)
     11. Sarah PARKER,   b. 23 May 1658, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
    Last Modified 29 Aug 2016 
    Family ID F1474  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • Thomas immigrated in 1635 on the ship "Susan and Ellen." It is said he was one of three brothers who came to America. Thomas lived in Chelmsford, Reading and Groton, MA.

      INSCRIPTION ON THOMAS PARKER'S TOMBSTONE:
      "Reader weep, prepare to dy, I say,
      For death by none will be said nay;
      One of the 7 of this church foundation,
      So to remain 'til the powerful voice say
      Rise in health a glorious habitation.
      A pattern of piety and of peace
      But now, alas, how short his race.
      Here we mourn, and mourn we must,
      To see Zion's stones, like GOLD LAID IN THE DUST."
      --courtesy of Mary Beth Wheeler.

      Thomas founded the church of Reading where he was Deacon.

      Note: Vice President Dick Cheney is a descendant.

      Thomas was listed as age 30 years on ship records of "Susan and Ellen" which sailed out of London March 11, 1635. The Ship Master was Edward Payne. He landed first in Lynn Mass. then moved to Reading, Mass. where he established a church -- was named Deacon. Married Amy in 1635. He was made a Free Man on 17 May 1637 at Lynn and served as a select man in 1652,1653,1657, and 1661 .

      According to Wikipedia, Parker after arriving in Lynn, Mass. in 1638 he was either the first or one of the first, settlers of what became the town of Reading. It was first known as Lynn Village, but became 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 Ipswich River, but his homestead bordered the east side of Wakefield (then part of Reading) Common, just northeast of today's Wakefield Town Hall.
      ____________________________________
      Additional information, written by a different person than the above:

      I have written notes for Thomas Parker (1609-1683) and his children, at
      https://gw.geneanet.org/larryparker_w?lang=en&p=thomas&n=parker&oc=0&type=tree
      Once there, click on "View note" on the right edge.
      Larry Parker
      Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Thomas
      [email protected]
      _______________________

      Thomas Parker emigrated on the ship "Susan and Ellin", departing London, England on 11 Mar 1635. The ship was fitted by Sir Richard Saltonstall. Because of a connection between Sir Richard Saltonstall and the Parkers of Browsholme (his granddaughter Mary Sunderland married an Edward Parker, born 1602), some have speculated Thomas Parker was part of the Parkers of Browsholme. There is no documentary evidence to support the conjecture. On the ship list, he gave his age as 30, placing his birth about 1605.

      Thomas Parker settled first in Lynn, MA, removing to Reading, MA a few years later, where he was one of seven founding member of the town's first church. He was named deacon of the church in 1645. He died 12 Aug 1683, nine days after making his will, dated 3 Aug 1683, proved 18 Dec 1683. In the 19th century, a number of old gravestones were discovered in a building, including that of the Thomas Parker. The discovered gravestones were then placed together in a section of the cemetery, not over the actual graves.

      Based on the birth estimate from his gravestone, some researchers have also tried identifying Thomas Parker as the son of John Parker and Jane Bates who was baptized on 31 Mar 1609 at Norton, Derbyshire, Eng. This Thomas, however, was buried on 18 Jul 1609. Other researchers have tried to place his birth in Cholderton, Wiltshire. Parker was a common surname, as Thomas was a common given name. There were plenty of Thomas Parkers whose baptisms in England can be found between 1605-1609. No documentation is known to confirm the origins of Deacon Thomas Parker of Reading, MA.

      (This info thanks to Gar Watson)

  • Sources 
    1. [S1160] FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 30 Nov 2022), entry for Jane BATES, person ID LJG2-WT1. (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S1160] FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 30 Nov 2022), entry for Thomas PARKER, person ID MV3Q-MQ3. (Reliability: 3).