PAliKER
PARKER
the Congregational church at Dauby, N.Y., 1812-
27. He was agent for the Auburn Theological
semiiuxr}- ; was pastor at Fabius, N.Y., 1827-32 ;
at Middiefield, Mass., 1832-33 ; conducted a young
women's school at Ithaca, N.Y., 1833-35, and was
sent to Oregon by the
First Presbyterian
church, Itliaca, un-
der the auspices of
the A.B.C.F.M., 1835,
to explore and locate
missions, returning
by the way of the
Sandwich Islands in
1837. He lectured in
the eastern states on
the character of Ore-
gon Territory, enlist-
ed Dr. Marcus Wliit-
man and other mis-
sionaries to work
there, and did much
to set forth the value of that territory, then
in strenuous dispute. He was the first missionary
of the A.B.C.F.M. beyond the Rocky Mountains,
and the discoverer of an easy grade for a rail-
road tlirough the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific
ocean. He was married first to a Miss Sears of
AshHeld, Mass., and secondly, in 1815, to Jerusha
Lord (1790-1857) of Sahsbury, Conn., a niece of
Noah Webster. He is the author of Exploring
Tour Beyond the Rocky Mountains (1838), which
was republished several times, and of which a
London edition was issued. He died in Ithaca,
N.Y., March 24, 1866, and in 1901 a tablet to his
memory was placed in the First Presbyterian
Cliurch of Ithaca.
PARKER, Samuel Parker, clergyman and educator, was born in Boston, Mass., Sept. 10, 1805 ; son of Jolin Rowe and Mary (Hamilton) Parker ; grandson of the Rt. Rev. Samuel and An- nie (Cutler) Parker. He prepared for college at tlie Boston Latin school and was graduated at Harvard in 1824. He was usher and sub-master of the Bos- ton Latin school, 1824-30, and prepared for holy orders under Bisliop Griswold of the Eastern diocese. He was ordered deacon in 1834 and priested in 1835 by Bishop Griswold. He was married, April 20, 1836, to Eliza Pomeroy, grand- daughter of Judge Tlieodore Sedgwick and niece of Catherine M. Sedgwick, the autlioress. He went as a missionary to Stockbridge, where he enacted St. Paul's church and built up a flourish- ing parish. He wjis assistant to Dr. Mulilenberg in the Cliurch of the Holy Communion, New York city ; rector of St. Mary's church, Staten Island, where he erected a stone church ; return- ed to St. Paul's, Stockbridge, and succeeded Dr. Huntington at Grace church, Amherst, wliere he
also built a fine church. He next labored in
New York city ; was rector of St. Pauls, Stock-
bidge, and of Trinity, Lenox, and conducted a
preparatory school at Stockbridge. He was rec-
tor at Christ church, Exeter; Epiphany, Win-
chester ; and Trinity, Melrose, and officiated in
vacant churches in western Massachusetts, includ-
ing Christ church, Sheffield, making his home in
Stockbridge and devoting much of his time to
the public librarj', of which he largely selected the
books purchased and procured funds for its en-
largement. He received the honorary degree of
D.D. from Union college in 1861. He died in
Stockbridge, Mass., Nov. 16, 1880.
PARKER, Theodore, clergyman, was born in Lexington, Mass., Aug. 24, 1810 ; son of John and Hannah (Stearns) Parker ; grandson of Capt. John Parker, an officer at the battle of Lexington, and a descendant of Thomas Parker, the immigrant, Lynn, 1635. Theodore worked on his father's farm and in his shop ; was a student at the public school ; attended a day school in Lexington one term in 1826, where he took up algebra, Latin and Greek ; from 1827 was self-instructed, mak- ing rapid progress, and in 1830 was examined and admitted to Harvard, where he passed his successive examina- tions in each class, but under the rules of the college was not allow^ed to receive a degree. He taught in a private school in Boston in 1831, in a private school in Watertown, Mass., 1832-42, and prose- cuted his post-grad- uate studies, includ- ing theology, in 1834. The honorary degree
of A.M. was conferred upon him by Harvard in 1840. He was ordained pastor of the Unitarian society at West Roxbury, Mass., June 21, 1837, remaining minister of that society until February, 1845, when lie was excommunicated by the Uni- t£irian association on account of alleged heret- ical teachings, and resigned his pastorate. He formed and was installed as pastor of a new society, Jan. 4, 1846, and preached in Boston at the Melodeon, 1846-52, and at Music Hall, 1852-59. TJie new society, aided by the reform movement in Massacliusetts which had reached its height, grew rapidly. Mr. Parker was a leader in effect- ing the escape of runaway slaves in Boston and defended and helped the revolutionary movement of John Brown in the West. He accepted the editorship of the Massachusetts Quarterly and
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