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Deacon Thomas Parke (1616–1709), son of Robert Parke and Martha Chaplin

Dorothy Tompson (bp. 1624–aft. 1709), daughter of John Tompson and Alice Freeman

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Thomas Parke, the son of Robert Parke and Martha Chaplin, was born on 13 ___ 1616 in Hitchen, county Suffolk. [1] He died on 30 July 1709, probably in Preston, New London County, Connecticut. [2] He married Dorothy Thompson. [1]

Thomas's death date is found in his inventory papers.

Dorothy Tompson, the daughter of John Tompson and Alice Freeman, was baptized on 5 July 1624 in Preston Capes, Northamptonshire. [1] She died after 1709.

Dorothy's mother was the second wife of Thomas's father.

Thomas went to Wethersfield (near Hartford), where his first two children were born. He moved to Southerton (later) Stonington in New London County, probably before 1652.

He was on the jury at the 24 April 1649 Particular Court at Hartford. [3, 1: 180]

George Denison, Thomas Parke, Thomas Minor, Thomas Stanton, and Samuel Chesebrough laid out the bounds of Southerton (later Stonington) on 2 March 1659. [4] Thomas was a selectman of Southerton in 1659. [4]

Thomas owned land in Stonington that bought from Reverend Richard Blinman. [4]

The 8 October 1663 General Assembly at Hartford appointed the secretary to send a letter read at court to Deacon Parke to be presented by him to the governor and General Assembly in Massachusetts. [3, 1: 412]

Captain George Denison, Thomas Park, senior, and John Bennet, were chosen "to seek out the country highway and other highways that are needful" and to lay them out at a 2 March 1669 town meeting in Stonington. [4]

The 9 October 1673 General Court granted Captain Edward Palmes 200 acres of previously ungranted land. Palmes sold this grant to Thomas Parke, Sr. and 200 acres on Pachaug River was laid out for Thomas in 1679. [3, 2: 214]

Thomas sold his land in Stonington and moved to (later) Preston in 1680. [4]

Mr. Thomas Parke, Sr., Thomas Tracey, Thomas Rose and others (including Thomas, Jr., Nathaniel and John Parke) petitioned for the liberty to have a plantation on the east side of Norwich and north of New London and Stonington. A Special Court granted the request on 26 January 1686. The new plantation became the town of Preston. [3, 3: 220–3]

Dorothy, the wife of Thomas, was admitted to the church in Preston in 1699. [5]

Thomas Parke, Sr. of Preston, made his will on 5 September 1707; his witnesses took oath on 9 August 1709. He left his estate to his wife Dorothy. He had given real estate to his son John, whom he named his executor, by a deed of 24 August 1693. This was to return to John upon Dorothy's death. He left ten shillings each to Samuel, the son of his deceased son Thomas, and James, the son of his deceased son Robert. He left eight pounds each to his sons Nathaniel and William. His wife was to have ten sheep; his daughters Martha, Dorothy, and Alice to have the remainder. He named his son William and Ebenezer Witter the executors of his estate. The inventory of Thomas, who had died on 30 July 1709, was taken on 8 August 1709 and sworn to by his widow Dorothy on 9 August 1709. [2]

Children of Thomas Parke and Dorothy Thompson:

i. Martha Parke was born on 27 October 1646 in Wethersfield. [6] She died on 14 February 1717. [4] According to Wheeler, she was married to Isaac Wheeler on 10 January 1667 by Thomas Stanton. [4] Isaac, the son of Thomas and Mary Wheeler, was born in 1646. [4] He died on 5 June 1712. [4]

ii. Thomas Parke was born on 18 April 1648 in Wethersfield. [6] Thomas, the son of Thomas, was baptized on 29 October 1679 in New London. [5] He died between 16 November 1698 and 1699. He married Mary, the daughter of Robert Allyn. [4]

Thomas was a member of the Preston church on 16 November 1698. [5]

The widow Mary Parke was admitted to the church in Preston in 1699. [5]

iii. Dorothy Parke was born on 6 March 1652. She died after 8 July 1726. She married Joseph Morgan.

v. Nathaniel Parke died about 1718. [9] He married Sarah Geer on 28 February 1678 in New London. [9] Sarah, the daughter of George and Sarah (Allyn) Geer, was born on 27 February 1659 in New London County. [9]

Nathaniel, his wife Sarah, and their children Daniel and Nathaniel, were all baptized on 14 August 1681 in New London. [5]

vi. Robert Parke died by 5 September 1707. He married Rachel, the daughter of Thomas Leffingwell on 24 November 1681 in Norwich. [4][7] Rachel was born on 17 March 1648 in Saybrook. [8]

Robert was a member of the Preston church on 16 November 1698. [5]

Mary Parke of Groton, administratrix of the estate of Robert Parke, posted bond on 30 September 1707. Inventory on his estate was taken by James Avery and Richard Williams and sworn to by his widow on 30 September 1707. His estate papers give the names and ages of his children: James, 22, Rebecca, 25, Joanna, 15, Jemima, 13, Hezekiah, 12, Robert, ten, Keziah, seven, Margaret, five, Dorothy, four, Rose, nine months. [10]

vii. William Parke died between 9 July and 10 October 1727, probably in Preston. He married first Hannah Frink on 3 December 1684 in Preston. [11] Hannah, the daughter of John and Grace (Stevens) Frink of Stonington and the granddaughter of John and Mary Frink of Ipswich, was born in 1661. [4] Hannah, the wife of William, died on 28 March 1705 in Preston. [11] William married second Hannah Plympton on 3 October 1707 in Preston. [11] Hannah, the second wife of William, died on 1 January 1712 in Preston. [11] William married third Mary ___ on 11 July 1716 in Preston. [11] Mary, the third wife of William, died on 15 October 1726 in Preston. [11]

William was admitted to the church in Preston on 1 January 1699 and he and his wife owned the covenant that day. [5]

William Parke of Preston made his will on 9 July 1727; his witnesses took oath on 10 October 1727. He named his sons Joshua and John Parke and his daughters Hannah, Judith, Deborah, and Martha Parke. [2]

vii. Captain John Parke died after 5 September 1707. He married Mary ___. She married second Salmon Treat of Preston.

John was a member of the Preston church in 1698. [5] Mary, the wife of John, was admitted to the church in Preston on 23 April 1699. [5]

James Avery, Daniel Brewster and William Parke took oath to the inventory of Captain John Parke on 12 June 1715. His inventory of 29 May 1716 amounted to 1,141 pounds and included the old farm on which Deacon Thomas Parke lived. Salmon and Mary Treat acknowledged their receipt of Mary's thirds on 13 June 1717. [2]

References

1. Gary Boyd Roberts, "The New England Ancestry of H.R.H. The Princess of Wales," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 36 (1982): 85–103.

2. Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609–1999," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9049) > New London > Probate Records, vol. A–B, 1675–1716, image 226 (Thomas Parke, Sr.); Hartford > Probate Packets, Palmer, Thomas–Peck, A, 1675–1850, images 606–13 (Thomas Parke, Sr.); images 640–4 (William Parke); images 463–98 (Captain John Parke).

3. Charles J. Hoadley, The Public Records of the State of Connecticut, vols. 1–3 (Hartford: Press of the Case, Lockwood and Brainard Co., 1894–1922)

4. Richard Anson Wheeler, History of the Town of Stonington (New London: Press of the Day, 1900), 13, 104, 165, 376, 528, 636–7.

5. "Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630–1920, database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3032) > vol. 79 New London, images 315–6; vol. 92 Preston, images 141.

6. "Wethersfield Vital Records, 1635–1665," The American Genealogist 9 (1932): 27. Births of children of Thomas and Dorothy.

7. Vital Records of Norwich, 1659–1848 (Hartford: Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut, 1913), 1:30, 33.

8. Sylvester Nash, "Records of Saybrook, CT.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 4 (1850): 136, 139.

9. H. Minot Pitman, "Geer Notes," The American Genealogist 33 (1957): 193–8.

10. Donald Lines Jacobus, "New London (Conn.) Probate Records," The American Genealogist 14 (1937): 16.

11. "Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630–1870," online database, AmericanAncestors.org > Preston > 149–54.

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15-Mar-2023