Parker Family

• John Parker b. July 13, 1729 d. Sept 17, 1775
  
• Lydia Moore Parker b. Jan 18, 1731 d. Dec. 15, 1822
  
  
  Seven Children:
  
  • Lydia b. Nov 8, 1756 d. 1810
    
  • Anna b. Jan 11, 1759
    
  • John b. Feb 7, 1761
    
  • Isaac b. May 12 1763
    
  • Ruth b. Dec 1, 1765 d. Mar 12, 1838
    
  • Rebecca b. June 28, 1768 d. Jan 10, 1851
    
  • Robert b. April 15, 1771

Family Background

Fifteen years after the Pilgrims landed, the first Parker came to this country from England
The first Parkers to move to Lexington in 1712, were from Reading and settled in the south part of town. By a deed dated June 12, 1712, John Cutler sold to John Parker land at Cambridge Farms containing "one small mansion house and about sixty acres of land more or less". Captain Parker was born in that house on Spring Street.

Captain John Parker was a successful farmer, a skillful joiner and a good mechanic.
He enjoyed reading, both religious and secular books.
He chose the teachers for the town school.


• Collector
  Loyal Assessments known as "the stamp act" were levied upon colonial towns. The collector received the document and was obliged to collect its quota or go to jail.
  
  
• Assessor
  John Parker was assessor in 1764, 1765, 1766 and 1774. The assessor determined how much each family paid based on property, number of buildings, servants livestock and stock in trade.
  
  
• Captain of Minutemen
  Captain Parker, possessing an ability to organize and a willingness to fight for freedom, was elected captain at age 46. On April 19, 1775 he commanded 135 Lexington shopkeepers and farmers againse 1000 English soldiers. He showed great coolness and bravery, ordering his men to load their guns, but not to fire unless fired upon. Although 8 of his men were killed that morning and several severly wounded, he collected his company and marched to meet the enemy on their return from Concord. He was suffering from a disease which proved fatal the following September when he marched with a portion of his company to Cambridge. He again marched on May 6, and with a larger detachment on June 17.

1775

He was 46 years old and father of seven children. Although he was not a well man, he was a successful farmer, a skillful joiner. Reverend Jonas Clarke and he spent hours in his study at the Hancock-Clark House discussing political issues. He was very interested in town politics.

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Later in Life:

Although his health was failing in May he marched with 45 of his company to Cambridge to form a guard as part of a ring around Boston. The plan was to keep the British bottled up. He was in Cambridge again with 60 men in June, the day of the Battle of Bunker Hill. He died of Tuberculosis on September 17, 1775.