I have received a notification of a 37 of 37 marker match to the Parks
DNA project by Carey Parks. Carey’s
oldest proven ancestor is James Parks born about 1796 in Tyrone, Ireland (five
years after my James Parks was born in Virginia) who emigrated from Ireland
around 1821 to Pennsylvania and died in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in 1861. DNA results this close suggest a close
relationship within five or fewer generations.
It is possible James Parks 1796 and my James Parks 1790/91 were cousins,
but there is a 1-5 generation possibility. I don't feel it is likely these two James were first cousins, but we will sure try to find out.
There is still much to research, which hopefully will be enhanced by
Carey’s plans to travel to Ireland in the spring. I have a cousin, Sonya, also a Parks
genealogist, who is visiting in Washington, D.C. She will see if she can locate anything on
this connection at NARA.
Following is information sent by Carey on his findings on this ancestor:
From History of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania:
James Parks (William B.
Parks father) was born in Tyrone,
Ireland, where he was reared and educated, attending the common schools
adjacent to his home. When twenty-five years of age he determined to seek a new
home for himself amid new surroundings and accordingly emigrated to the United
States, settling in Allegheny county
Pennsylvania, where he spent the remainder of his days. At the early age of
fifteen years he married , and the
death of his wife occurred nine months later. He married a second time, this
wife dying one year later, survived by one child, and at the age of twenty-five
years he married his third wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Woods, in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, and they had eight
children: Alexander, deceased; Martha, Nancy, Alice, deceased; Ann Jane,
William B., mentioned hereafter; Thomas, and James, deceased. It appears that Carey's James' father was William Parks, born about 1778 in Ireland.
A reference I found on Accessible:
HISTORY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY. Thomas Cushing. A. Warner & Co, 1889,
p. 128.
TOWNSHIPS AND BOROUGHS (CONTINUED).
PENN TOWNSHIP.
January 16, 1850, Robert Logan, Thomas Davison and Daniel Beeber were
appointed by the court to view the boundaries of a new township to be formed
from the northern part of Wilkins. July 8, 1850, by decree of court, a division
of the latter was confirmed agreeably to their report, and the territory
adjoining the Allegheny river erected into Adams township, the other portion
retaining the name of Wilkins. August 31, 1850, the action of the court was
reconsidered, and the name changed to McNair, but the records are silent as to
the time when the present name was adopted. How often the name may have been
changed in the meantime is matter of conjecture. Among the settlers here prior to the Revolution was Thomas Wilson. He
secured a patent for four hundred acres under the name of Wilson’s mount in
1788, but had made his first residence here in 1770, removing to Fort Pitt in
1776.
Other early settlers were:
Thomas Sampson and sons John, James, William, Thomas, David and
Alexander; John Johnson and son James; John Duff and sons James, William, John,
Alexander, David, George and Samuel (the last now living at the age of
eighty-one); William Parks and sons
James, John, David, William, Robert and Thomas; Alexander Damster and son
James; William McQuay and sons John, Samuel and Thomas; Charles Johnson and
sons John, James, William and Andrew; Henry Morrow and sons John, James, Henry
and Hugh; Robert Donaldson and son Hugh; Samuel Ferguson and sons Enoch,
Samuel, Isaac and James;
Normally, New Hampshire natives don't play golf in February:
.jpg)
