Home > United States of America > Ohio > Licking County > Ellis Chapel Cemetery > John J Parks

John J Parks

Birth	:	10 Dec 1823
Death	:	19 Feb 1914
Burial	:	Ellis Chapel Cemetery, Licking County, USA
Coordinate	:	39.9989548, -82.3292694
Description	:	There has been a lot of confusion about the identity of Elizabeth Parks. One of the most prevailing ideas is that she is Anna Elizabeth Irwin. I would like to prove who Elizabeth Parks was and that Anna Elizabeth Irwin is a mix up of John J Parks wives' names. What do we know, how do we know it and how much do we trust the information? First, we have her gravestone in the Ellis Chapel Cemetery. It says "Elizabeth wife of John Parks born Oct 22 1824 died Sep 7 1899". It is an old stone now, it... Read More	There has been a lot of confusion about the identity of Elizabeth Parks. One of the most prevailing ideas is that she is Anna Elizabeth Irwin. I would like to prove who Elizabeth Parks was and that Anna Elizabeth Irwin is a mix up of John J Parks wives' names. What do we know, how do we know it and how much do we trust the information? First, we have her gravestone in the Ellis Chapel Cemetery. It says "Elizabeth wife of John Parks born Oct 22 1824 died Sep 7 1899". It is an old stone now, it looks original, John probably had it set there. I would trust it. The second set of clues are the Censuses. The handwriting can be atrocious and the names can get mangled and hard to figure out, the ages can be really off, but generally they seem to be pretty trustworthy. Let's start with the 1850 Census for John Parks, they live in Franklin Township, Licking County, Ohio. John Parks is 25, his wife Sarah is 23, and the children are: Nuson 5, William 3, and Martha 1. In the 1860 Census there is no Sarah, Nuson, William or Martha listed with John Parks. Instead, John Parks 34, is listed with Elizabeth Parks 32, Phebe Parks 5 and Lydia Redman 8. My original hypothesis was that the children died of some disease and Sarah died in childbirth. John has remarried and has a new family. I also assumed that Phebe was John and Elizabeth's daughter and Lydia Redman was some sort of relative. Later, I found out that John's daughter, Martha Parks, living nearby with Elijah & Mary Irwin in 1860. But I could not figure out who Elizabeth was. I spent countless hours looking for an Elizabeth that was about 22 in the 1850 Licking County Census and beyond. Maybe Elizabeth was an Irwin. Maybe she was Sarah's sister, or a cousin. I found nothing, no one matched. In 1870 Census John and Elizabeth Parks remained in Licking County. You can see his small farm on the 1880 Atlas for Licking County. Their girls have moved out. Daughter Phebe Parks lives next door as domestic help. Lydia Redman has moved to Adams County, Ohio. She is listed as Lydia 'Redin' and is domestic help for 81 year old Frederick Mathews and the Elgin family. The third clue comes in the form of Elizabeth Park's obituary. It states, "Besides her husband she leaves one daughter Mrs. Jason Clark, to mourn her death" One daughter, only one daughter? Ok, Martha is Sarah and John's daughter according to the 1850 Census. Phebe is married to Harvey Snelling, not Jason Clark, wait, I thought she was Elizabeth and John's daughter! Not according to the Obituary. It is Lydia Redman that is Elizabeth's daughter! Lydia is Mrs Jasper [not Jason] Clark. I missed a clue right under my nose! Elizabeth was married before and has a daughter! Next, we have the Death Certificates for Elizabeth, Martha, Lydia, and Phebe. Death Certificates can be a wealth of information, depending on who gives the information, but they can also be very wrong. Elizabeth Parks Death Record from 1899 Licking County, does not list her parents, but it states her birthplace was Adams County, Ohio. Martha Parks Hartman's Death Certificate from 1928 says her mother was "Anna Irwin". The informant was Martha's daughter-in-law. This information maybe confused. The 1850 Census has Martha's mother as Sarah. This, I suspect is where the "Anna" Irwin came from. This is also why Martha was with Elijah and Mary Irwin in the 1860 Census, they were her maternal grandparents! Later in 1928 Lydia "Lottie" Margaret Clark's died. She also had an Obituary. It was posted in the Newark Advocate, it said: Lottie [Lydia] Margaret Clark 76 wife of Jasper Clark. "She was born May 20, 1852 in Adams county, the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Walter Redden." Her Death Certificate says her mother was Elizabeth Mathews and her father was Walter Redden [Redman]. It also states that all three of them were born in Adams County Ohio. He is NOT the Walter Frank Redman from Licking County, Ohio 1832-1915. Lastly, in 1940 Phebe Catherine Parks Snelling's Death Certificate says her mother was Sarah Irvin [Irwin]. In conclusion, these facts have shown that Elizabeth Parks is Elizabeth Mathews Redman Parks. She is the daughter of Frederick and Phebe Mathews. She is in the 1850 Scott Township, Adams County Census with them, page 1 of 32 (Ancestry numbers) Family number 2417, His name is almost indecipherable. Elizabeth was born in Adams County, Ohio, where she married Walter Redman, who was also from Adams County. Lydia Margaret Redman was born from that union in 1852. Not long after, Walter died, leaving Elizabeth a widow with a small child. Meanwhile, in Licking County, Ohio, John J Parks' first wife, Sarah Irwin, has died, perhaps in childbirth. The widower has two small children Martha and baby Phebe. He goes to visit his parents in Adams County. His father, James Parks Sr, is the local miller and they are close neighbors to the Mathews. So, John Parks the widower marries the widow Elizabeth Mathews Redman and they go back to Licking County to live on his small farm and raise their family. Barbara Cordell Carithers aka becorcari Thank you. Contributor: becorcari (48023715)

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is John J Parks's memorial?
John J Parks's memorial is located at: Ellis Chapel Cemetery, Licking County, USA.
When did John J Parks death?
John J Parks death on 19 Feb 1914 in
Where are the coordinates of the John J Parks's memorial?
Latitude: 39.9989548
Longitude: -82.3292694

Family Members:

Spouse

Sarah Ann Irwin Parks

(1827 - 1859)

Elizabeth Mathews Parks

(1824 - 1899)

Children

Nuson Parks

(1845 - unknow)

William Parks

(1847 - unknow)

Phebe Catherine Parks Snelling

(1855 - 1940)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Ellis Chapel Cemetery
Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9989548, -82.3292694

2. Franklin Township Lutheran Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0054400, -82.3673400

3. Oak Hill Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0120000, -82.2923000

4. Pleasant Chapel Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0359000, -82.3093200

5. Linnville Cemetery
Linnville, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9564500, -82.3479300

6. Emma Courson Cemetery
Linnville, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9541950, -82.3365210

7. Spring Grove Cemetery
Marne, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0477982, -82.2941971

8. Fleatown Cemetery
Fleatown, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9956410, -82.4041880

9. Fairmount Cemetery
Amsterdam, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9603004, -82.3855972

10. Sanford Cemetery
Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0106010, -82.4041977

11. Veach Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0348750, -82.3954740

12. Dawes Arboretum Mausoleum and Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9837200, -82.4100400

13. Bowling Green Cemetery
Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0661011, -82.3249969

14. Licking County Childrens Home Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0582720, -82.3708760

15. Mount Calvary Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0358009, -82.4030991

16. Brushy Fork Cemetery
Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0433100, -82.2624800

17. Beard-Green Cemetery
Jacksontown, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9757180, -82.4133560

18. Jacksontown Cemetery
Jacksontown, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9686012, -82.4116974

19. Old Stone Church of Christ Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0323400, -82.2416000

20. Cedar Hill Cemetery
Brownsville, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9453600, -82.2535300

21. Seymore Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0581020, -82.4001260

22. Cedar Hill Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0685997, -82.3863983

23. Hull Cemetery
Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 39.9714630, -82.2257140

24. 6th Street Cemetery
Newark, Licking County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0569000, -82.4094000