52AncestorsFB

Week 45 Prompt: Rich Man

This week’s 52 Ancestors theme is”Rich Man.” My fifth great-grandfather, Captain Robert Parks was rich with kids, and had some money to boot. Of his total fourteen children, only two died as infants. So when he set out for Michigan in 1823, he was traveling with eleven children and his pregnant wife—the oldest about 22 and the youngest a little over a year old. That’s a lot of people making the trek! According to his son’s biography:

They [Robert and his family] traveled to Buffalo, a distance of one hundred and seventy-five miles, with teams, as there was no railroad, and the Erie Canal was not yet completed. The ‘Superior’ was then the only steamer on the lakes; and, as it was not in port, they, with twenty other families, chartered a vessel called the ‘Red Jacket,’ commanded by Captain Wilson, and arrived in Detroit, May 23, 1823. For fifteen miles around the city, there was an almost impenetrable swamp, and Captain Parks’ family were three days in going from Detroit to Troy, a distance of twenty miles. For several weeks they lived in a small log house, the floor of which they covered at night with burrs. In due course of time, a comfortable house was built; then a fine one, and a large and productive farm was cleared and improved.

Robert had previously purchased land from Charles C. Trowbridge on 12 October 1822. This particular parcel was 160 acres described as the southwest quarter of section 8 of township 2N in range 11E. At the time, the land was part of Bloomfield Township in Oakland County, Michigan; today it is in Troy Township. On 10 July 1823, shortly after the family’s arrival, Robert purchased two surrounding federal land parcels: the west half of southeast quarter of section 8 (80 acres) and the east half of the northwest quarter of section 17 (80 acres; this is where Troy High School is today). About six months later, he purchased another parcel: “west one fourth of the North East Quarter” of section 17 (40 acres; I assume it’s supposed to be the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter as that adjoins with his other parcels). Over the years he continued to buy and sell land in the area—all of these purchases were made in cash.

By 1 June 1850, his farm was 120 acres, only 20 undeveloped, valued at $4,000. He had the following livestock, valued at $527:

  • 2 horses
  • 5 milk cows
  • 4 working oxen
  • 140 sheep
  • 5 pigs

He produced the following crops in the year ending 1 June 1850:

  • 200 bushels of wheat
  • 500 bushels of corn
  • 500 bushels of oats

If he produced additional crops or items such as wool, butter or hay, I am not sure. Only the first page of the 1850 agriculture schedule is available for viewing online. I don’t know if they were filmed out of order and not easily accessible or not filmed at all (maybe because they were blank?); it’s on my list to investigate further.

Robert was married first to Mary “Polly” Wheeler SMITH about 1800, likely in New York. She died on 30 June 1844 in Michigan. He married second Elizabeth IRISH between 1844 and 1850, likely in Michigan. Robert and Polly had the following children:

  1. Betsey Parks – born 7 December 1801 in Cayuga County, New York; died 20 August 1856 in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan; married Calvin Price Webster 24 February 1825 in Troy, Oakland, Michigan.
  2. Lucy Parks – born 4 August 1803 (calculated), likely in New York; died 1 March 1824 in Michigan.
  3. Calvin Chapin Parks – born 5 April 1805 in Cayuga County, New York; died 20 October 1860 in Waukegan, Lake, Illinois; married Harriet Thomas between 1826 and 1830.
  4. Allen Minor Parks – born 25 February 1807 in Cayuga County, New York; died as an infant.
  5. Allen Minor Parks – born 26 June 1808, likely in New York; died in 1852; married Sarah Martin on 21 October 1829 in Oakland County, Michigan.
  6. Robert Smith Parks – born 13 May 1810 in Cayuga County, New York; died 8 May 1878 in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan; married Sarah Pearsall 6 October 1831 in Oakland County, Michigan.
  7. Polly Ann Parks – born 26 September 1812, likely in New York; died 4 December 1831, likely in Oakland County, Michigan.
  8. Olive Parks – born 26 December 1813 in New York; died 18 July 1870 in Bloomfield, Oakland, Michigan; married Nelson Madden on 3 June 1832 in Troy, Oakland, Michigan.
  9. Beulah Parks – born 15 December 1815 in New York; last known to be living in Grand Rapids in June 1880; married Jesse Gano 13 January 1845 in Troy, Oakland, Michigan.
  10. George Parks – born 17 October 1817 in Aurelius, Cayuga, New York; died in December 1880 in Ottawa County, Michigan; married Pamelia Wattles on 14 January 1840 in Troy, Oakland, Michigan.
  11. William H. Parks – born 22 November 1819 in New York; last known to be living in Ottawa, Ottawa, Michigan in June 1880; married Welthy J. Thompson on 8 January 1844 in Watertown, Clinton, Michigan.
  12. John B. Parks – born 5 February 1822 in New York; last known to be living in Blaine, Smith, Kansas in March 1895; married Loraine Wattles on 2 June 1842 in Birmingham, Oakland, Michigan.
  13. Emma Parks – born 10 August 1823 in Oakland County, Michigan; died as an infant.
  14. Edward W. Parks – born 17 August 1825 in Michigan (likely Oakland County); died 21 January 1866; married Fanny M. Martin on 27 April 1848 in Troy, Oakland, Michigan.

Sources for this post are available upon request.