Descendants of William Parker and Elizabeth Yeomans

As far as we know, William Parker was the son of Thomas Parker and Mary Newbold who were married on October 4, 1778 in the parish of Coleorton in Leicestershire. There was another son named Thomas and it is not known when he was born.
William Parker was christened on 4 June 1781 and his sister Elizabeth was christened on 26 December 1784, both in Coleorton.
On 24 October 1810, there was a double ceremony when William Parker married Elizabeth Yeomans and Elizabeth Parker married William Percival in the parish of Breedon on the Hill, Leicestershire. Elizabeth Yeomans, christened 31 October 1784, was the daughter of Charles Yeomans and Elizabeth Walker, who were married on 22 July 1776 in the parish of Whitwick, Leicestershire. Charles and Elizabeth had four children: Sarah, Ann, Charles and Elizabeth. Sarah married Richard Wainwright and Charles married Letitia Wainwright. Ann married William Stone. There is a burial registered in Coleorton parish on 7 January 1816 for Thomas Parker, age 75, and we believe this is probably William's father. No record of a will has been found. Charles Yeomans, however, did leave a will, proved in 1816, leaving the grist mill to his son Charles and naming his daughters as beneficiaries after the death of his wife.
William Parker and Elizabeth Yeomans had 9 children: William, Elizabeth, Thomas, Mary, Letitia, Sarah, Ann, Charles and Edmund.
The family left England in 1832, sailing from Liverpool to New York on the Cumberland. The ship left on September 21 and arrived 13 November after 54 days on the ocean. From New York the family travelled by steamboat up the Hudson River to Albany, then followed the Erie Canal through Troy and Brockport to Buffalo. They then journeyed to Alden in Erie County where William and Ann Stone (Elizabeth's sister) were residing.
Before leaving England, William Parker began keeping a diary and continued making entries until his death in 1864. Although some parts are illegible, there are many clues that help us put together the Parker history.
It seems that the last place of residence was Bridge Casterton, better known as Great Casterton or Casterton Magna, in Rutland, not far north of Stamford, Lincolnshire. William said goodbye to his brother Thomas at "Kings Cliffe Lodge." There is a place called King's Cliffe south of Stamford in Northamptonshire. Another entry says "left Swannington and left my family at night." William's sister Elizabeth Percival and also the Yeomans lived in that area of Leicestershire.
In his diary, William kept an account of all the expenses incurred. Either he himself saved up the money for this emigration or someone else financed it. Perhaps his wife inherited money from her father's estate.
After arriving in Alden, William and the older children immediately found work. The men threshed wheat, cut wood, planted corn. William Sr. began to "ditch" for "Mr. Chessbro." Sarah, Mary and Elizabeth took domestic jobs, it appears, until they got married. The younger children started school in the spring of 1833. William Jr. and Elizabeth both married in October of 1838. Elizabeth married William Green. They knew each other before leaving England and William had come over earlier. The Greens settled in Michigan where William had purchased property in Springfield Township, Oakland County.
William Parker married Sarah Davis, who he met after arriving in Alden. They lived in Alden and Darien Centre until Sarah's parents moved to Westfield in Chautauqua County and the young couple followed in 1840. One by one the other Parker daughters married and moved to Michigan. Mary Parker married George Peak in 1840 and they lived at Alden and Aurora until 1845. Sarah Parker married Samuel Foster and Ann married his brother Frederick in 1842. Letitia married Nolton Bigelow in 1852.
The three remaining brothers were Tom, Charles and Edmund. Charles and Edmund built a sawmill in 1850 and Tom worked for them. They sold the mill in 1853 for $1800. These three brothers bought land in Ontario, Canada and remained there for the rest of their lives. Thomas married Louisa Schmieding of Alden about 1856. Charles and Edmund married two Hoyt sisters from Alden, daughters of Isaac and Lassonia Hoyt. Charles married Frances at Alexander, New York in 1852 and Edmund married Rebecca Ann (Annie) in 1859 at Alden.
The parents, William and Elizabeth Parker, followed their daughters to Michigan and made their home with Mrs. Green until Elizabeth died in 1858. William spent some time with Thomas in Ontario and returned to Michigan in 1863. He died at Sarah Foster's home July 20, 1864. William and Elizabeth are both buried in the Bigelow family cemetery.

 

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Published by Barbara Lee Page barbleepage@shaw.ca