Family of Thomas Parke

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1. THOMAS³ PARKE SR. (ROBERT², ROBERT¹) was born February 13, 1615/16 in Hitcham, Suffolk, England, and died July 30, 1709 in Preston, New London Co., Connecticut. He married DOROTHY THOMPSON 1642 in Roxbury, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, daughter of JOHN THOMPSON and ALICE FREEMAN. She was born Aft. 1621 in Preston Capes, Northamptonshire, England, and died 1709 in Preston, New London Co., Connecticut.

Notes for SR. THOMAS PARKE:

PARKE FAMILY GENEALOGY, by Parks, page 30.

Came to America with his father in 1630, on the "Arbella" and moved with him to Wethersfield in 1639. Abt 1650 moved to Pequot Plantation, (New London) where he became a Deacon in the Church of which the Rev. Richard Blinman, his brother-in-law, they having married sisters, was pastor. He resided in Pequot for about six years and then moved to Southertown, (or Stonington), where he became a Selectman.

After residing in Mystic, within the bounds of Stonington for a number of years, he moved with his son Thomas, Jr., to lands belonging to them in the nothern part of New London, where in 1680 they were reckoned as inhabitants. In 1681 he was Collector of Taxes for New London.

In Octover 1686, he was one of the pititioners to the Legislature for the incorporation of the town of Preston.

In 1698, he, together with his sons Robert and John and nine others, organized the First Church of Christ, of Preston and he became its first Deacon.

He must have been over ninety years of age, although the exact date of his birth has not been discovered.

SWAMP YANKEE, by James Allyn, page 35.

He married Dorothy Thompson, her sister, Mary had married the Rev. Richard Blinman, and another sister Bridget married George Denison.

PARKE FAMILY GENEALOGY, by FS Parks, page 25.

born in Preston EN in 1580. He was a personal friend of John Winthrop. He was a man of means. He did not come to the new world through dire necessity or to better his condition, but rather through a desire to have more religious liberty.

He and his family sailed from Cowes, Isle of Wight, for America, on board the "Arabella", with seventy-six passengers, March 29, 1630, and landed in Boston MA, June 17, 1630, making the voyage in seventy-eight days. He lived for a time at Roxbury MA.

In 1639 he, with his son Thomas, went through the wilderness to Wethersfield CT, with the first settlers there. He resided at Wethersfield CT with the first settlers there.

He was a resident of the town plot of New London for about six years, and then moved to lands which he owned on the Mystic River.

He died in Mystic aged 84 years. His grave is in the White Hall graveyard, at White Hall, Mystic CT. His house was east of the present road and southeast of the burial ground, and stood just south of a small knoll, somewhat rocky.

SWAMP YANKEE, by James Allyn, page 10.

Came from Little Preston in Northamptonshire. His wife was Martha Chapen (Chapin), daughter of Capt. Robert Chapen of Edmundsbury. With their son Thomas Parke they sailed from Cowes in 1630 aboard the Arbella to Salem with John Winthrop. Soon after they moved to Roxbury to join the friends from home. In 1640 the Parke family moved to Wethersfield, and in 1649 to New London to rejoin the Denisons at the new settlement. Robert Park was one of the first to settle the Groton side of Mystic in 1654, and later the town of Preston east of Norwich.

ANCESTORS OF ALDEN SMITH SWAN AND HIS WIFE MARY ALTHEA FARWELL, by Josephine C. Frost, The Hills Press, New York, MCMXXIII, page 157.

Thomas Park, was born in England and died in Preston, CT, July 30, 1709. He owned land in Stonington, CT, which he sold in 1680 and removed to Preston, where he was the first Deacon in Rev. Treal's church. He served in King Philip's War of 1675/6, and he married Dorothy Thompson, born July 5, 1624.

Sources: Daughters of American Colonists Lineage Book; "Princess of Wales"

and PS 1992m /vik 29, No. 1. Also Boston Evening Transcript and Caulkins;

Roberts/Reitwieser; The Blackmans of Knight's Creek; The Winthrop Fleet of

1630; TAG 16/16; Potter-Richardson Memorial; Saturday's Children--A History of of the Babcock Family in America by C. Merton Babcock; The Great Migration

Begins, v3, p1388; Magna Charta Sureties 163-11.

PS: Came to MA in 1630 (probably with his parents on the Arbella).

Winthrop: Son of Robert. He married Dorothy Thompson, daughter of his

father's second wife, and lived in Stonington and New London. Came with his

parents on the Arbella, Winthrop Fleet, 1630.

C.M. Babcock: Thomas Parke, son of Robert, arrived with his parents on the

Arbella 17 June 1630 after a 78-day voyage from the Isle of Wight.

DAC Lineage Book: Thomas Parke was a landowner at Southerton and in 1686 was one of the incorporators of the new town of Preston, Conn.

History of New London, Conn., gives death date and names children. He owned lands in Stonington purchased from his brother-in-law, Rev. Richard Blinman, situated on the east bank of the Mystic River. He disposed of this land and moved to Preston, Conn., in 1680 and was the first deacon of Rev. Mr. Treat's church, organized in Preston in 1698.

BET: Deacon Thomas Parke, born 1627, died 20 July 1709.

Caulkins: Lived in Mystic, within bounds of Stonington, and then he and

Thomas Parke Jr. moved to lands they owned in northern part of New London,

both being recorded as New London inhabitants in 1680. They later were recorded in Preston, and Thomas Sr. was the first deacon in Mr. Treat's church, organized in Preston in 1698. Thomas Sr. died July 30, 1709.l

Roberts/Reitwiesner: Born 13 ______1616, Hitcham, Suffolk, England. Died Preston 30 July 1709. Married Roxbury, Mass., before 28 Oct. 1644.

TAG: Thomas Parke Sr. of Preston. Will dated 5 Sept 1707, proved 9 Aug.

1709. Names wife Dorothy; sons John, Nathaniel and William; daughters Martha,

Dorothy and Alice; grandsons Samuel, son of Thomas Parke, deceased, and James,

son of Robert Parke, deceased.

Memorial: Thomas Parke, 1610/15-1709, son of Robert and Martha (Chapin)

Parke; married Dorothy Thompson.

Migration: His brother William's will mentions 80 acres in Stonington once

owned by his "brother Thomas Park (sic)"

Sureties: Thomas Parke, died Preston, Conn., 30 July 1709, son of Robert

Parke and Martha Chaplin.

Additional info from Ancestral File. One said a Thomas Parke was born

in 1554. He an ancestor? Another said he was born about 1620 in Stonington,

Conn. Either the date or the place is wrong. The Pilgrims came to Plymouth in

1620, and he wasn't born there.

Notes for DOROTHY THOMPSON:

Sources: Daughters of Am. Colonists Lineage Book, AF, Boston Evening

Transcript; History of the Town of Stonington by Wheeler; Roberts/Reitwiesner; The Blackmans of Knight's Creek; The American Genealogist, 13/2; Potter-Richardson Memorial; Magna Charta Sureties.

Roberts/Reitwiesner: Dorothy Thompson, baptized Preston Capes,

Northamptonshire 5 July 1624; died after 5 Sept. 1707. She married her step-brother.

Wheeler: She came to New England with her mother, brother and four sisters, her father, John Thompson, having died about 1627. Older sister with same name died young.

BET: Baptized 5 July 1624.

Blackmans: Dorothy Tompson, died after 1708.

Am. Genealogist: Dority Thompson, baptized 5 July 1624, Preston Capes

Parish, Northamptonshire.

Memorial: Dorothy Thompson, baptized 1624 at Little Preston, Preston Capes, Northamptonshire; married, 1642 Roxbury, MA, to Thomas Parke, 1610/15-1709. They lived in Wethersfield, New London and Preston, CT.

Sureties: Dorothy Tompson, baptized Preston Capes 5 July 1624. Married

by 28 Oct. 1644, Thomas Parke, who died 30 July 1709 in Preston, Conn. She died 1709. [This based on her being named in a 1709 will of Thomas Parke?]

More About DOROTHY THOMPSON:

Christening: July 05, 1624, Preston Capes, Northamptonshire, England

More About THOMAS PARKE and DOROTHY THOMPSON:

Marriage: 1642, Roxbury, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts

Children of THOMAS PARKE and DOROTHY THOMPSON are:

i. ALICE PARKE.

ii. WILLIAM PARKE.

Notes for WILLIAM PARKE:

Source: History of Stonington by Wheeler.

Wheeler and *P* post: Married Hannah Frink Dec. 3, 1684.

More About WILLIAM PARKE:

Christening: 1654

iii. MARTHA PARKE, b. October 27, 1646, Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut; d. February 14, 1716/17, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut; m. ISAAC WHEELER, SR. ¹, January 10, 1666/67, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut; b. 1646, Lynn, Essex Co., Massachusetts; d. January 05, 1711/12, North Stonington, New London Co., CT.

Notes for MARTHA PARKE:

HISTORY OF STONINGTON CT, by Wheeler, page 636.

PARKE FAMILY GENEALOGY, by Parks, page 30.

SWAMP YANKEE, by James Allyn, page 10.

ANCESTORS OF ALDEN SMITH SWAN AND HIS WIFE MARY ALTHEA FARWELL, by Josephine C. Frost, The Hills Press, New York, MCMXXIII, page 157.

Martha was born in 1646, and married Jan. 10, 1667, Isaac Wheeler, son of Thomas. He died June 5, 1712, and she on 14 Feb 1717.

Sources: History of New London by Caulkins and History of the Town of

Stonington by Wheeler; American Ancestors and Cousins of the Princess of Wales;

C. Merton Babcock; Potter-Richardson Memorial.

C.M. Babcock: Martha Parke, daughter of Thomas and Dorothy (Thompson) Parke.

More About MARTHA PARKE:

Burial: Old Whitehall Cemetery, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut

iv. JR. THOMAS PARKE, b. April 18, 1648, Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut; d. Bef. September 05, 1707, Preston, New London Co., Connecticut.

Notes for JR. THOMAS PARKE:

VITAL RECORDS OF NEW LONDON, NEW LONDON CO., CONN.

Thomas Parke ye sonn of Thomas Parke was marryed unto Mary the daughter of Robert Allyn the 4th of January 1672.

Sources: TAG 16/16; History of New London and History of Stonington.

TAG: Thomas Parke, died before his father; son Samuel named in will of Thomas

Parke Sr.

Histories: Married Mary Allyn, daughter of Robert Allyn, Jan. 4, 1672.

v. III ROBERT PARKE, b. November 24, 1651, New London, New London Co., Connecticut; d. 1707, Groton, New London Co., Connecticut.

Notes for III ROBERT PARKE:

Sources: TAG 16/16; History of the Town of Stonington, Conn.

History: Married Rachel, daughter of Thomas Leffingwell, Nov. 24, 1681.

TAG: Died before his father.

vi. DOROTHY PARKE, b. March 06, 1651/52, New London, New London Co., Connecticut; d. Preston, New London Co., Connecticut; m. (1) JABEZ BREWSTER; b. March 16, 1746/47, Norwich, New London, Connecticut; m. (2) UNKNOWN MORGAN, April 26, 1670, New London, New London Co., Connecticut.

Notes for DOROTHY PARKE:

Sources: Caulkins; History of Stonington by Wheeler; P of W; Boston Tran-

script; The Early History of the First Church of Christ, New London, Conn.;

Roberts/Reitwiesner; Harold John Witter.

Caulkins, Wheeler: Married Lt. Joseph Morgan in April 1670.

Prodigy member lists birthplace and children but cites no source.

Church History: Joseph Morgan's wife Dorothy and her sister, Alice

Parker, were baptized 1 Feb. 1670. Also, Dorothy Parker (sic), wife of Joseph

Morgan, joined June 1671. (This about a year after their 26 April 1670

marriage).

Roberts/Reitwiesner: Dorothy Parke. Born New London 6 March 1652. Died in

Preston, New London Co., Conn.

More About UNKNOWN MORGAN and DOROTHY PARKE:

Marriage: April 26, 1670, New London, New London Co., Connecticut

vii. JOHN PARKE, b. September 10, 1656, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut; d. March 21, 1716/17, Preston, New London, CT; m. MARY WITTER, Bef. 1686, Preston, New London Co., Connecticut; b. February 20, 1664/65, Preston, New London Co., Connecticut.

Notes for JOHN PARKE:

Parke Family Genealogy by FS Parks, page 39.

He was a very prominent man, being a Rep various years from 1683 to 1716. From his father he received land in Preston, by deed, in 1693.

Capt. John Parke received his title for services in King Philip's and other colonial wars.

Sources: Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut, Vol. 3; N.E. Marriages Prior to 1700;

History of Stonington by Wheeler;

Potter-Richardson Memorial; Daughters of American Colonists Lineage Book;

Colonial Families of the United States; Harold John Witter.

Marriages and Wheeler: John Parke, married Mary Witter.

N.E. Marriages: Lists his birth and death dates and says his widow, Mary, married (2) Rev. Salmon Treat. The Parkes had a child in 1686, indicating they were married before 1686. John Parke resided at Stonington, Norwich and Preston, Conn.

Gen. & Family History of CT Families, v3: John Parke of Preston.

Daughters of Am. Colonists Lineage Book: John Parke, son of Thomas and and Dorothy (Thompson) Parke.

Colonial Families of the United States, v.6: A grandson, John Parke, married Elizabeth Miller. [An Elizabeth Miller married (2) Edward Stallion.]

Memorial: John Parke, 1660-1716, married Mary Witter.

Harold J. Witter: Capt. John Parke, born Mystic, Conn., 10 Sept, 1656; died Preston, Conn., 21 March 1716/7, son of Thomas Parke and Dorothy Thompson.

Served in King Philip's War and other colonial wars. Representative to General Court for several years.

Notes for MARY WITTER:

Sources: Gen. and Fam. Hist. of State of CT, v.3; History of Stonington by Wheeler; Gens of Conn. Families, v2; 160 Allied Families; Potter-Richardson Memorial; NEHGR, v5, p343; Harold John Witter.

The Wheeler book gives most of the details about Mary Witter, and it says certain deeds corroborate those details.

Gens of Conn Fams: "Mary Married John Parke of Preston had a Daughter by hime her name Abigail. married to Christopher Avery."

160 Families: Mary Witter, born 20 Feb. 1665.

Memorial: Mary Witter.

NEHGR: Mary Witter, born 20 Feb. 1665 (Lynn, Mass., records).

Harold J. Witter: Mary Witter, born 9 or 20 Feb. 1664/5 at Lynn, Mass.

Baptized 23 May 1703 [Why so late? A Baptist thing, or baptized into another church? Probably the latter, since her second husband was pastor of the First Church of Preston.] Married (1) Capt. John Parke and (2) Rev. Salmon Treat.

More About JOHN PARKE and MARY WITTER:

Marriage: Bef. 1686, Preston, New London Co., Connecticut

viii. NATHANIEL PARK, b. February 28, 1676/77, New London, New London Co., Connecticut; d. January 1717/18, Preston, New London Co., Connecticut.

Notes for NATHANIEL PARK:

Geer Genealogy, by Walter Geer, page 15.

In 1701 he was allotted land in Voluntown for service in Colonial wars. They resided in Preston CT

Researching this line is Maria Richardson at richardzon@aol.com

Sources: The Blackmans of Knight's Creek; History of Stonington.

History of Stonington: Married Sarah Geer.

Blackmans: Nathaniel Park, died 1718.

Endnotes

1. Compiled by N. Grier Park II. Edited by Donald Lines Jacobus, Ancestry of Lorenzo Ackley & his wife Emma Arabella Bosworth, (Woodstock, Vermont 1960).