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The Parke Society Newsletter Issue 2006 - Vol. 43 No. 1 |
We chose Wethersfield because Robert Parke (MA 1630) helped establish the settlement on his return from England in the mid-1600s. The consensus seems to be that holding our Annual Convocation there in September was a good choice; New England in the fall was very enjoyable. The hotel was comfortable and the banquet hall served us well as both a research room and for our annual banquet. An optional tour was offered with our registration, and about half of us were treated to visits to several historic properties and a lunch in the historic Village Tavern. The tour was divided between Old Town Wethersfield on Friday, followed by Historic Glastonbury on Saturday morning. We began with a guided tour of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. These three homes are beautifully restored to their eighteenth-century glory: the 1752 Joseph Webb house, the 1766 Silas Deane house, and the 1789 Isaac Stevens house. Each differed in architecture and furnishings. Our guide's descriptions of the historic use of various rooms and items in them were a great help during this part of our tour. Our one bit of disappointment during this part of our tour was to learn that we would not be able of identify where Robert Parke had built his home, as even the streets shown on the old map [17th Century Wethersfield] had been realigned many years ago. We then proceeded across the street and behind the Old Meeting Hall and Church to the Old Burying Ground. By noon we were ready for an enjoyable lunch for our group at The Village Tavern. ...
Our Banquet speaker was Ruthie Shapleigh-Brown who has 15 years experience with various Connecticut organizations dedicated to preserving gravestones which were carved prior to 1800. She used slides to make several points that may help our cemetery searches. One was to bring out the text on a gravestone a large mirror can catch the sun which when angled so the light crosses the stone at just the right angle really makes the carvings stand out. Another point was that lichen does need to be cleaned off the stones, but use only water and a very soft brush. Spray the plants, wait a few minutes, then gently brush them off. Ruthie also presented pictures of markers produced by a number of the stone carvers that her organizations have identified. ...
During the dinner, Ken Parks, our DNA Testing Coordinator, presented an old family bible that was
being auctioned to one of our own who was related to the original owner.
... (page 1)
Back in December of 2005, a message from one of the Park mailing lists appeared in my inbox alerting list members about a Park family Bible for sale on eBay. I went to the site and took a look at the names and dates listed in the bible. Though I knew this family had no connection to my own Parks line, I decided to bid on it and investigate...
As luck would have it, a few weeks before the Convocation I received an email from John R. Parke,
asking for information about joining the PS and the DNA project, and informing us he and his wife Sue
would be attending the Convocation in Wethersfield. As I began to look at his lineage information, the
location in NJ rang a bell and I went back to the Park family listed in the bible. Sure enough, there
was a connection! Though not in John's direct line
... (page 4)
100 Strong and Growing
Of course, there's nothing special about the century mark in and of itself, but it shows that the database is reaching a size that can effectively offer valuable information to anyone joining the project in the future, as well as continuing to provide clues to those already in the database. Our goal for the coming year is to target unrepresented lineages from our membership to ensure as many Lineage Keys (LKs) are included in the DNA database as possible. There are still lots and lots of distinct Park/e/s DNA haplotypes, or "signatures" out there, so our work is far from over!
Convocation 2006 and DNA Website News
At the recent Convocation 2006 in Wethersfield, CT, I had the opportunity to meet several members for the first time, which is always a pleasure. I had met past President Jeanne Reisler #514 last year in Salt Lake City, and it was good to see her again. It was especially gratifying to meet David Parke #13, and Cecilia Parke #535, two members who contributed so much to the Society long before this newcomer became a member.
The opportunity to spend time in the research room with members and officers was the most gratifying
aspect of the gathering for me, and I wish we were able do this sort of thing several times a year. One of
the happy outcomes of this personal interaction was a conversation [exploring HTML authoring] with our
VP and Webmaster, Curtis Parks...
What this resulted in was a DNA project web page which is now a bit
easier to navigate, with more changes to be added as time permits. With these changes in the web page, as
well as the constantly changing test result information, it is hoped members will visit the DNA project
webpage on a regular basis to see what new information is there. As always, it can be found at:
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/park-e-s
One of my goals with the DNA project webpage is to put an updated analysis for each group online,
rather than here in the newsletter. This would enable members to view the current status of all groups
whenever they wish, rather than wait for a particular group to appear in a newsletter article, which could
be outdated soon after publication due to new test results.
Another addition will be a brief descendant outline showing how each test participant fits into the
family tree, when enough information ...
... (page 5)
An incessant rhythm exists in our world and in our lives. As seasons come and go, so does our life move from youth to adulthood and into the senior years. I enjoy this ever changing seasonal pattern (they being much more noticeable here in Wisconsin, than say, in Arizona or Florida). They keep me from being bored with the weather, and serve as a constant reminder that not all things will remain the same.
And as I prepare for the winter by putting down the flower beds, hanging the storm windows and in general closing up for the year; so also I need to be preparing for the fall and winter of my life. Unfortunately, too many people put off that important task, thereby leaving a lot of puzzled survivors. Decisions will be made, that may not have been the real desire of the decedent. But without instructions, what are the heirs to do?
This came startlingly to mind this fall when a close relative suddenly passed away in his sleep at the age of 49. ...
It would be safe to state that to each of us, our genealogical work is very important. We probably have spent hundreds of hours, if not dollars writing letters, collecting documents and all the other things that go into "doing" genealogy. For many of us, this is a big investment of our time and ourselves. The question I ask here is: What will happen to our work, when something happens to us?
I know all too many horror stories about how "Aunt Mabel's" family history stuff was tossed out with the trash because no one realized just how important it was to her, or perhaps to others in the family. ...
What is needed is some sort of a "Genealogical Executor": someone similar to the Literary or Artistic Executor appointed to look after the cultural assets of authors, artists, and composers after their demise. This is a practical matter that can be easily arranged, without any additional cost, and it will give you the comfort and peace of mind knowing that your work and efforts will not be for naught.
I tell my tax clients, incessantly it seems, that they should be making arrangements for the eventualities.
All of us should have a will, a durable power of attorney (separate ones for health concerns and
financial concerns) and a living will, so that our heirs will know our wishes. These are all legal
documents that should be drawn up with the help of appropriate legal and accounting/tax counsel.
But there is an another document which should be available to your successor(s). That may be your "to
be appointed" Executor or Personal Representative. Or it may be someone else to whom you are close
and to whom will fall the immediate tasks upon your demise. This is The Instructions. Mind you, this
document does not replace (or alter the provisions of) the documents previously mentioned. It just
provides guidance until such time as your will is indeed probated.
... (page 6)
As usual I enjoyed our CT Convocation. It was great to have the opportunity to meet with old Parke Society friends and also meet new ones. It was especially nice to meet PS# 914 Elaine Burney and her husband. ... Elaine had lots of photographs on her laptop and we had fun looking through them, although it did take us awhile to realize that we were speaking of the same house—just under different owners...
The following are recent additions to our Library collection:
Roger Parke (b. 1755 Hunterdon Co, NJ - d. 1813 Quebec, Canada). Newell, Lois Ann (Park),
compiler; 2006; (loan fee-$3.) 000/NEW
Roger Parke enlisted in the War of 1812 while living in Monongalia County, VA/WV and died as a prisoner of war in Canada. DNA results have proven his connection to the Roger Parke (K) lineage but thus far, the connecting ancestry has not been found. Ann has thoroughly researched her lineage and carefully recorded the results in this manuscript. For more on Roger's military experience see the 1998 Newsletter Vol. 35 pp.26-27 which has an interesting article, Roger Parks (IV) of Hunterdon County, NJ by Lee R. Christensen. ...
Some descendants of Thomas Parks of Va. Parks, Terry D., PS#511L; compiler; 2005; LK= C; 000/PAR
Terry has provided an excellent manuscript of his branch of the Thomas (C ) lineage down to the present day. This material is not available for loan because it contains material referring to living persons. However, I will be glad to look up information for Parke Society members.
...
[Two additional reference file additions to the Library were also described.]
... (page 8)
Silas Leonard Parks/Peter Glick Parks: material regarding this lineage has been published in the following Parke Society Newsletters: Vol.36, pp.34, 39; Vol. 38, p.14; and Vol.38, p.42. ...
It is thought that Silas L. Parks moved toward Rochester, New York because when a group of 13
families came to Michigan, they called themselves the "Rochester Colony." Even today, there is still a
sign near St. Johns, Michigan which says "Rochester Colony 1836." It is also possible that he lived
elsewhere, probably in New York, and joined the Rochester group just before they left. What is
important is the fact that he is now married to ...
... (page 9)
A few years ago I have a somewhat strong debate with a member of The Society about the need to have genealogical societies with their attendant meetings, dues and all the rest. He pointed out that in this modern age of the Internet and more particularly, the World Wide Web (WWW), such things were really anachronisms, and would soon disappear, just as it was being predicted that libraries as we have known them would soon be closing their doors.
Well, the latter has yet to happen. And I think we can make a very good argument for the needed continual existence of genealogical societies and everything that goes with such organizations. In an earlier article ("Why should I be affiliated with a Society," Newsletter, Vol. 41, No. 3), I made the point that what a genealogical society does is to provide permanence for the records and work of researchers. And if it is well organized and run such an organization can be of long term importance to the genealogical research community.
Being well run does not come without some effort. And this brings us to the first point I want to make. ...
We are always looking for suggestions as to where to hold our Convocations. If you have a possible choice, let us know, by writing the Vice President Curtis Parks, PS#1166 (his address can be found on the inside front page of this Newsletter), with a brief description of the site, and what it might have to offer. We will then put that into the hopper for further consideration by the Board of Trustees. In any event, I look forward to see any and all of you at future Convocations. ...
... (page 11)
...
Ethel Sloan Park, born in Decherd, Tennessee, on December 13, 1883, was one of eleven children born to Lunsford Yandell Park and Isabella Ann Eliza Barron. Ethel spent the first ten years of her life in Decherd, where she first taught herself Morse code and then taught herself to read, there being no school in Decherd at that time. Her formal education began when the family moved to Chattanooga in the early 1890s, and she graduated from Chattanooga High School in 1904 at age 20 as class valedictorian.
Ethel began writing at an early age. Her first published poetry appeared in the Chattanooga Times when she was still a young child. Because her father, also a poet, had great faith in her ability to become a professional writer, Ethel vowed never to sign a manuscript without the Park surname.
In 1903, Ethel met classmate Paul Jordan Smith (b. April 19, 1885, Wytheville, VA), the only child of
Methodist minister John Wesley Smith and Lucy Crockett Jordan. Ethel and Paul exchanged letters
and views on literature, fell in love, and were ...
[A portrait photo of Ethel Sloan Park is included in this article.]
...(page 14)