B. about Nov 1626 in Great Burstead, England
M. about 1651 in (probably) Massachusetts
Wife: Sarah
D. 7 Jan 1669 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Jacob Parker was one of five brothers who were among the earliest settlers of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. The Parker brothers came from Great Burstead, England, where Jacob was born in 1626 to John and Anne Parker (he was baptized on November 19th). Great Burstead was a small village just south of the town Billericay in southern Essex County. Along with older brothers James, John, Abraham and Joseph, there was an older sister, Anne, and a younger brother, Joshua, who likely died young. Jacob and his brothers received some sort of education, at least enough so that they were literate.
It’s not known when Jacob arrived in America, but it’s thought to have been around 1650, and a couple of his brothers were already living in Massachusetts for several years. Jacob married a woman named Sarah; her last name is unknown and it’s not known if they were married before or after Jacob migrated. Between 1652 and 1667, they had nine children, all of whom lived to adulthood.
During the early 1650s, the Massachusetts colony was spreading inland, and several new towns were formed northwest of Boston. The process involved groups of men who purchased and divided up large tracts of unsettled land, who then requested to be given township status. Jacob and his brothers joined a group of 29 men who petitioned to form the town that became Chelmsford. The effort was successful and it’s thought that the Parker brothers were to first ones to settle there. Jacob’s daughter Sarah, born in January 1654, was only the second child born in Chelmsford.
For the next 15 years, Jacob was involved in many early activities to establish the town. In 1658, he became the first town clerk, helping to keep the records of land ownership and other official business. He was also a selectman starting in 1662. Of his brothers, only Abraham stayed in Chelmsford, with the other three moving to towns nearby.
Jacob died on January 7, 1669 at the age of 42. His wife Sarah remarried in 1675. Jacob was the 3G grandfather of Franklin Pierce.
Children:
1. Jacob Parker — B. May 1652, Massachusetts; D. 31 Oct 1694, Malden, Massachusetts; M. Joanna Call (1659-1737), about 1676, Malden, Massachusetts
2. Sarah Parker — B. 14 Jan 1654, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 26 Sep 1739, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Nathaniel Howard (1640-1709)
3. Ruth Parker — B. about 1655, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 18 Sep 1719, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Pelatiah Adams (1646-1725), about 1673, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
4. Thomas Parker — B. 28 Mar 1656, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 8 May 1698, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Mary Fletcher (1658-1714), 21 Oct 1678, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
5. Tabitha Parker — B. 26 Feb 1658, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 31 Jan 1742, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Stephen Peirce (1651-1733), 18 Nov 1676, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
6. Rebecca Parker — B. 29 May 1661, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 25 Mar 1754, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. (1) Jonathan Danforth (1659-1711), 27 Jun 1682, Billerica, Massachusetts; (2) Joseph Foster (1650-1721), 1718, Massachusetts
7. Benjamin Parker — B. 8 Aug 1663, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 14 Apr 1742, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Sarah Howard (1667-1741), 14 Jan 1691
8. Rachel Parker — B. 9 Mar 1665, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. John Floyd
9. Mary Parker — B. 8 Sep 1667, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 6 Jan 1763; M. Thomas Waite (1660-1742)
Sources:
History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Wilson Waters, 1917
“The English Origin and Ancestry of The PARKER Brothers of Massachusetts and Their Probate Aunt, Sarah Parker, Wife of Edward Converse,” NEHGS Register, Vol. 153, 1999
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