Individual Details
Richard Parke
( - 12 Jul 1665)
Source of birth and death information: Richard Park's date of birth is estimated by many historians to be about 1602. The exact date of his birth, as well as the identity of his parents, is still unknown. The date of his death is recorded in Massachusetts Vital Records.
Richard Park and his wife Margery were married prior to immigrating to America, and together they had three known children: Thomas, Isabel and Elizabeth. The family sailed on the 'Defence' from London to Boston, Massachusetts, arriving with Reverend Thomas Shepard's company on October 3, 1635.
A miller by trade, Richard first settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1642, he was listed in records as the "proprietor" of Cambridge Farms (in an area that now sits within the boundaries of Lexington). In 1647, Richard and his family removed to Newton, Massachusetts, becoming one of its founding families. While in Newton, he served in many positions for the community, including constable. Richard also served upon the committee charged with laying out the highways of Newton and surrounding areas.
Margery died in March 1656 and is buried in the East Parish Burying Ground. In September 1656, Richard married Sarah Collier Brewster, widow of Love Brewster. Sarah is remembered in Richard's will of July 12, 1665, which was witnessed by Elder Wiswall and Captain Hugh Mason.
In this will, Richard leaves to his "only son Thomas" all his housing and lands in Newton, to be passed to Thomas after the death of Richard's second wife, Sarah. All but the 600 acres with buildings was equally divided between Richard's two daughters, Isabel and Elizabeth. In the inventory of his estate, taken by John Sherman and John Spring on October 19, 1665, the dwelling house, barn, outhousing and 600 acres of land were appraised at £660; 20 acres elsewhere was appraised at £100; and the whole of his estate was valued at £972.
Though a home was provided for her in Newton through Richard's will, widow Sarah removed to Duxbury after his death, reuniting with the Plymouth First Church.
Nativity:
As stated above, the exact date of Richard Park's birth, as well as the identity of his parents, are unknown. Argument has long persisted regarding whether Richard Park was English (inferred from the origin of his voyage) or Scottish (per oral history passed down through many lines). Y-DNA evidence provided through the Parke Society Y-DNA project now supports a Scottish heritage rather than a British heritage, with all documented American descendants of Richard matching at 111 markers to descendants of documented Scottish lines immigrating to Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Research is ongoing and will be updated as available.
Biography researched and written by Evelyn Park Blalock. Please do not publish elsewhere without providing full and proper credit. Thank you.
Richard Park and his wife Margery were married prior to immigrating to America, and together they had three known children: Thomas, Isabel and Elizabeth. The family sailed on the 'Defence' from London to Boston, Massachusetts, arriving with Reverend Thomas Shepard's company on October 3, 1635.
A miller by trade, Richard first settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1642, he was listed in records as the "proprietor" of Cambridge Farms (in an area that now sits within the boundaries of Lexington). In 1647, Richard and his family removed to Newton, Massachusetts, becoming one of its founding families. While in Newton, he served in many positions for the community, including constable. Richard also served upon the committee charged with laying out the highways of Newton and surrounding areas.
Margery died in March 1656 and is buried in the East Parish Burying Ground. In September 1656, Richard married Sarah Collier Brewster, widow of Love Brewster. Sarah is remembered in Richard's will of July 12, 1665, which was witnessed by Elder Wiswall and Captain Hugh Mason.
In this will, Richard leaves to his "only son Thomas" all his housing and lands in Newton, to be passed to Thomas after the death of Richard's second wife, Sarah. All but the 600 acres with buildings was equally divided between Richard's two daughters, Isabel and Elizabeth. In the inventory of his estate, taken by John Sherman and John Spring on October 19, 1665, the dwelling house, barn, outhousing and 600 acres of land were appraised at £660; 20 acres elsewhere was appraised at £100; and the whole of his estate was valued at £972.
Though a home was provided for her in Newton through Richard's will, widow Sarah removed to Duxbury after his death, reuniting with the Plymouth First Church.
Nativity:
As stated above, the exact date of Richard Park's birth, as well as the identity of his parents, are unknown. Argument has long persisted regarding whether Richard Park was English (inferred from the origin of his voyage) or Scottish (per oral history passed down through many lines). Y-DNA evidence provided through the Parke Society Y-DNA project now supports a Scottish heritage rather than a British heritage, with all documented American descendants of Richard matching at 111 markers to descendants of documented Scottish lines immigrating to Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Research is ongoing and will be updated as available.
Biography researched and written by Evelyn Park Blalock. Please do not publish elsewhere without providing full and proper credit. Thank you.
Events
| Christen | 4 Jun 1605 | Semer, Suffolk, England | |||
| Marriage | 1625 | England - Margery | |||
| Immigration | 3 Oct 1635 | Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts |  | ||
| Death | 12 Jul 1665 | Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts | |||
| Will Dated | 12 Jul 1665 | Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts | |||
| Burial | East Parish Burying Ground, Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts | |  |
Families
| Spouse | Margery ( - 1656) |
| Child | Thomas Parke (1628 - 1690) |
| Child | Isabel Parke (1628 - 1665) |
| Child | Elizabeth Parke (1631 - 1690) |
Notes
Immigration
The family sailed on the 'Defence' from London to Boston, Massachusetts, arriving with Reverend Thomas Shepard's company on October 3, 1635.Burial
See: 1st Settlers Monument (no headstone remains), Plot 432Burial Location:
The Old East Parish Burying Ground is the resting place for all of the founding families of Newton. In 1654, families living south of the river started holding religious meetings locally rather than making the journey to Cambridge. John Jackson provided an acre of land for a burial ground and for a meeting house, and this remained the only burying site for residents of Newton until 1781. A monument was placed in memory of Newton's founders in 1852, erected by the descendants of the first settlers. At the time inscriptions were recorded, only six headstones from the earliest inhabitants were still standing. However, their memory lives on through their descendants.
The original acre was added to three times, and the cemetery was used continuously until near the end of the 1800s. The final addition to the burying ground was made in 1834. Family members dying in Newton after 1781 may be found here in the East Parish Burying Ground, in the West Parish Burying Ground (opening 1781), or in the South Parish Burying Ground (opening 1802).
The position of the Parke Society regarding a "son" Richard:
(proven through the Parke Society's paternal DNA project)
"The Karl Eaton Parks volumes represent a lineage which descends from Richard's 'son' Richard to a third generation Richard, generally known as Lt. Richard Parks, and DNA testing has confirmed the suspicions that these two Richards were NOT connected to the immigrant Richard [arr. 1635]. Lt. Richard Parks does NOT match Richard [arr. 1635] genetically." -Ken Parks, President of the Parke Society and manager of the Parke Society's paternal DNA project, July 2014
As the paternal DNA project of the Parke Society has proven that this other Richard had no familial relationship with Richard Park who arrived aboard the 'Defence' in 1635, PLEASE do not link a "son" Richard to this memorial. Thank you.
Endnotes
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