Guide to the James Parker (1725-1797) and John Parker (1729-1762) Papers 1752-1781 MG 287
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Papers 1752-1781MG 287Inventory prepared by Irina Peris, November 1999, as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
 The New Jersey Historical Society
52 Park Place
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Contact: NJHS Library
(973) 596-8500 x249
© 2006 All rights reserved.
The New Jersey Historical Society, Publisher
Inventory prepared by Irina Peris, November 1999, as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Finding aid encoded by Julia Telonidis. April 2006. Production of the EAD 2002 version of this finding aid was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Finding aid written in English.
Biographical NoteJames Parker (1725-1797), the son of Janet Johnstone (d.1741) and John Parker (1693-1732), served in the colonial military as a young man. Some time after 1746, he left the army and partnered with Beverly Robinson and Andrew Johnston in a mercantile business. The company traded with the West Indies and in 1750-1751, Parker traveled to Jamaica for business reasons. Soon after this trip he settled in Perth Amboy, New Jersey to manage the family estate, which included the mansion known as “The Castle.” He married Gertrude Skinner (d.1811), the sister of Cortlandt Skinner (1727-1799), and with her started a family. Parker served in a number of different capacities throughout his lifetime. He was an agent for the East Jersey Proprietors; an agent for the Hunterdon and Sussex County properties of Sir Robert Barker, an absentee landlord; a lawyer; a councilor under Governor William Franklin (1764-1775); and mayor of Perth Amboy (1771). In 1775, he declined the appointment as one of Perth Amboy’s delegates to the Provincial Congress, choosing instead to stay neutral during the escalating conflict. Though he had loyalist connections and sympathies, he remained neutral and moved his family to the farm he called “Shipley” in Bethlehem (now Union), Hunterdon County, New Jersey. In November of 1777, James Parker and two others were taken as loyalist hostages to ensure the safety of patriot captives. Parker was soon allowed to return to his family at “Shipley,” where they remained until the end of the war. In 1783, the Parkers moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey for two years before returning to the family home in Perth Amboy. James Parker died on October 4, 1797, leaving his son, James (1776-1868), to manage the remaining family lands. John Parker (1729-1762), James Sr.’s younger brother, served for five years (1745-1750) as a midshipman on board the British vessel Chester, and soon after sailed to Jamaica, Virginia, and Newfoundland. He then earned the rank of colonel through his service in the campaigns against the French in 1755 and 1756, and at Fort William Henry in 1757. In 1761, he was taken prisoner at Martinico, where he died on February 15th of the following year. John Parker never married. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Content NoteThe John Parker account book dates from 1752 and documents his commercial transactions while in Virginia. The volume records such activities as the sale and purchase of sugar, cider, and coffee. The account book is part of a large notebook which also contains the earliest section of James Parker’s diary. The diaries of James Parker date from May 16, 1778 to September 21, 1779; January 1, 1780 to October 8, 1780; and January 1, 1781 to October 8, 1781 – the time period that Parker and his family lived at “Shipley” in Huntington County, New Jersey. The entries largely consist of farming and business records that deal with such things as planting techniques and work injuries. Parker also comments on such matters as slave labor, cattle sales, prices, land sales, early lotteries, the cost of education, and news of the war. This last topic includes such subjects as the movement and quartering of troops (December 1778), the collection of grain and cattle for the army (January 1780), and militia summonses (June 1780). Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsAccess RestrictionsPhotocopying of materials is limited and no materials may be photocopied without permission from library staff. Use RestrictionsResearchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission. The New Jersey Historical Society complies with the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code), which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Return to the Table of Contents Return to the Table of Contents Related MaterialManuscript Group 18, Parker Family Papers (Perth Amboy, NJ) Manuscript Group 546, James Parker (1725-1797), Lawyer, Journal Manuscript Group 747, James Parker (1776-1868) and Cortlandt Parker (1818-1907) Daybook Administrative InformationPreferred CitationThis collection should be cited as: Manuscript Group 287, James Parker (1725-1797) and John Parker (1729-1762) Papers, The New Jersey Historical Society. Acquisition InformationThis collection was donated by Charles W. Parker in 1932. Return to the Table of Contents BibliographyHistory of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men. Return to the Table of Contents Container List
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