Author: James Edward Mitchell
At age 75, John Parker appeared at Coles County (Co) Circuit Court in Illinois and submitted a signed affidavit under oath that he was born 6 Sep 1758 at Baltimore Co, Maryland. The only record of his age in existence was recorded in his father’s family Bible, now, within the declarant’s possession. His parents were not made a matter of record.

John Parker stated that he enlisted initially as a Private in the VA State Rgt. during, Oct, 1777 for 12 months service in Capt. (No First Name Given) Fields company; commanded by Col. Slaughter attached to the 1st VA Bgde., MajGen’l Nathanael Greene’s 1st Division of the Continental Army, American Forces. John’s 2nd twelve month tour was begun during Oct 1779 for 12 month duration before his discharge by Capt (Charles Miles) Collier. Parker advised the Court that he was selected as a draftee within a VA Militia Draft Class raised for Culpeper County and Capt (Charles Miles) Collier’s company; commanded by LieutCol (Morgan) Alexander. Parker’s company was ordered to Winchester, VA and later, he was posted at Ten Mile Creek, a tributary of the Monongahela River about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PA). See: Staff Officers of Organizations, 2nd Virginia (VA) Rgt., Majors –Alexander Spotswood, John Markham, Morgan Alexander, et al., pg 857 Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution by John H. Gwathmey, publ. by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore,

The source of John Parker’s Approved Pension Application i.e., S.32435 was Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters; see, http://revwarapps.org/s32435.pdf

Attesting in Court at Coles County, Illinois toward Parker’s character, good reputation and standing within the community were Miles Hart, a Protestant clergy member and associate of the applicant pensioner, W.M. Woodall.
Parker was pensioned (S.32435) at a rate of $80.00 per year commencing on
4 Mar 1831 for US Military Service as a private for 2 years in Virginia.
The identify of Charles Miles Collier’s name stemmed from an identification made reviewing the Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, Baltimore, 1979, pg 168.

The declarant stated in Court that he resided at Culpeper Co, VA when he volunteered his service during the Revolution. Since the end of the war, he resided 17 years in Georgia, before removing to Hickman Co, Tennessee, then during 1815 to the Illinois Territory (1818, a State).

John had married in Virginia at age 21, Sarah White, wrote author Clovis H. Brakebill, American Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Texas publ. by Henington Publishing Co., Wolfe City, Texas 75495 Copyright 1998, pg 78. Three of their sons were born within Virginia prior to the family’s resettlement to Georgia where another son was born. After age 42, John Parker and Sarah his wife moved West across the Broad River to TN, where sons Silas and Benjamin were born. By 1815, John and wife, Sarah was in his mid-fifties and resettled with the family to Illinois and eventually at Crawford Co, where a granddaughter, Cynthia Ann was born. Also, John, a brother was born in 1830, while their grandfather John had found his leadership role within the Pilgrim Destination Baptist Church as elder John Parker.

During 1832, Parker traveled with a party from Illinois to the Red River over -The Royal Road i.e., ‘El Camino Real de los Tejas’, now a National Historic Trail between Mexico City and the Spanish capital of the province of Texas. The new settlers had received permission from Spanish authorities in San Antonio de Bexer to establish a remote congregation near the Navasota River, now in Limestone County, Texas where the rolling hills of the Great Plains begin. [Official, Spanish law forbade the creation of Protestant, Reformed or evangelical organizations near jurisdiction districts of the Roman Catholic Church.]

Writer, Clovis H. Brakebill wrote that in Jul 1833, an ox-drawn wagon party of 25 families, each with certification for a league of land (4,428.4 acres) per family made way across the Mississippi River into Arkansas Territory and Louisiana to Northeast Central Texas at Fort Houston, Palestine, now. After resupply, and wagon repairs the party reached their destination mapped and surveyed as Fort Parker near Groesbeck, Limestone Co, Texas at Latitude: 31.56382 and Longitude: -96.54792
After 3 years, the pioneer families of John and Sarah Parker and a brother, Daniel Parker had successfully built a gated, protective stockade with ‘cabin’ housing and a trading post with a chapel room. Other families had built openly upon their tracts to farm and raise livestock. Increasingly, area native Indian tribes recognized that settlers meant danger to increasing the numbers of new arrivals of Anglo-Americans and well-armed Ranger patrols.

A large Native American war party attacked Fort Parker on 19 May 1836 and, massacred male family members. Elder John Parker, age 77, was killed and butchered. Benjamin and Silas Parker, brothers were killed outside the stockade gates. Many Parker family females and children escaped from the raiding party through an obscure 2nd gate at Fort Parker. A few individuals were wounded including Sarah Pinson Parker, a 2nd wife of John Parker; source, Wikipedia.org; see, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Parker_massacre