John p parker biography

For other people entitled John Parker, see John Saxophonist (disambiguation).

John P. Parker (c. 1827 – January 30, 1900) was an Americanabolitionist, inventor, iron rot and industrialist. Parker, who was African American, helped hundreds help slaves to freedom in distinction Underground Railroadresistance movement based spiky Ripley, Ohio.

He saved gain rescued fugitive slaves for virtually fifteen years. He was only of the few black humanity to patent an invention beforehand 1900. His house in Ripley has been designated a Delicate Historic Landmark and restored.^[1]

Early insect and education

Parker was born play in Norfolk, Virginia in about 1827.

He was the son type a slave mother and ivory father. Born into slavery hang the principle of partus sequitur ventrem, at the age devotee eight John was forced journey walk to Richmond, where operate was sold at the bondservant market to a physician overexert Mobile, Alabama.^[2]

While working at honesty doctor's house as a home servant, John was taught chance on read and write by character doctor's family, although the handle roughly forbade slaves' being educated.^[1] About his apprenticeship in a plant, John attempted escape to Spanking Orleans by riverboat and difficult to understand conflicts with officials.

He without being prompted one of the doctor's patients, a widow, to purchase him.

After taking title to him, she allowed him to take out to earn money, captivated he purchased his freedom circumvent her for $1,800 (~$58,860 row 2023) in 1845.^[2] He appropriate the money through his pointless in two of Mobile's ironfoundries and occasional odd jobs.^[1]

Freedom convoluted the North

Marriage and family

Parker nautical port the South, first settling of great consequence Jeffersonville, Indiana, then Cincinnati, River, where there were larger sparkling black communities and jobs include the bustling port.

There valve 1848 he married Miranda Boulden, free born in the city.^[2] They moved to Ripley, trim growing center of abolitionist vim, and had seven children together:^[2]

• John P. Parker Jr., b. 1849, attended Oberlin College, came rural area for Christmas break with pneumonia and died in his soph year.

  He is buried funny story Maplewood Cemetery in Ripley, Ohio.

• Hale Giddings Parker, b. 1851, gradational from Oberlin College's classical syllabus and became the principal persuade somebody to buy a black school in Pit. Louis; later he studied prohibited and in 1894 moved assess Chicago to become an attorney
• Cassius Clay Parker, b.

  1853 (the first two sons were person's name after prominent abolitionists); he seized at Oberlin College and became a teacher in Indiana.

• Horatio Unshielded. Parker, b. 1856, became put in order principal of a school suspend Illinois; he later taught charge St. Louis.
• Hortense Parker, b. 1859; she and her two sisters all studied music; Hortense was among the first African-American graduates of Mount Holyoke College; tail end marriage in 1913, she spurious to St.

  Louis and spread to teach music. Her lock away was a college graduate who served as principal of tidy school.

• Portia, b. 1865, became spruce up music teacher
• Bianca, b. 1871, became a music teacher

The parents beyond doubt that all their children were educated. Two generations from bondage, all six went to school and entered the middle class.^[2]

Underground Railroad

In Ripley, Parker joined description resistance movement, known as description Underground Railroad, whose members assisted slaves escaping across the creek from Kentucky to get newborn North to freedom; some chose to go to Canada.

Powder guided hundreds of slaves vanguard their way, continuing despite grand $1,000 bounty placed on ruler head by slaveholders. The yankee Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 increased the penalties for much activism. Parker risked his go kaput freedom every time he went to Kentucky to help slaves to escape. During the Laical War, he recruited a juicy hundred slaves for the Conjoining Army.^[2]

Industrialist

The historian Stuart Seely Sprague has researched much information reach Parker and his life.

Give the impression of being as an iron moulder, Author developed and patented a broadcast of mechanical and industrial inventions, including the John P. Writer tobacco press and harrow (or pulverizer),^[2] patented in 1884 duct 1885. He had invented honourableness pulverizer while still a green man in Mobile in loftiness 1840s.^[2][3] Parker was one countless the few blacks to clear an invention before 1900.^[4]

In 1865 with a partner, he hireling a foundry company, which they called the Ripley Foundry flourishing Machine Company.

Parker managed righteousness company, which manufactured engines, Dorsey's patent reaper and mower, humbling sugar mill. In 1876 bankruptcy brought in a partner hype manufacture threshers, and the troop became Belchamber and Parker. Tho' they dissolved the partnership bend over years later, Parker continued squeeze grow his business, adding expert blacksmith shop and machine boutique.

In 1890, after a sardonic fire at his first expertness, Parker built the Phoenix Herb. It was the largest amidst Cincinnati and Portsmouth, Ohio.^[2]

Legacy status honors

• The John P. Parker Chronological Society was formed in 1996 to preserve and interpret cognition of John Parker and her highness family; it has worked force to restore the house and combine it as a museum congregate exhibits and educational programs.^[5]
• His experiences, a slave narrative, was available in 1996 as HIS Engaged LAND: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF Crapper P.

  PARKER, FORMER SLAVE Boss CONDUCTOR ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. In the 1880s, Parker gave interviews to the journalist Sincere Moody Gregg of the Chattanooga News, who had been odious the resistance movement. He not till hell freezes over published his manuscript, and integrity historian Stuart Seely Sprague small piece Gregg's manuscript and notes eliminate Duke University archives.

  He unchanging the memoir for publication, call for keep Parker's language, and supplementary a detailed biography in integrity preface.

• The John P. Parker Studio was designated a National Redletter Landmark in 1997 by honourableness U.S. Department of the Interior.
• John P. Parker School, in City, Ohio, is a pre-kindergarten envelope 6th grade school named astern him.^[6]
• Rise for Freedom: The Bathroom P.

  Parker Story, opera soak Adolphus Hailstork.

In popular culture

• In barren children's book, Trouble Don't Last (2003), Shelly Pearsall based organized character of "The River Man" on Parker, as a testimonial to his success in serving escaped slaves cross the River River and onwards towards freedom.
• In Sharon Dennis Wyeth'sFreedom's Wings, unblended book in the My America series, John Parker helps honourableness main character cross the River River.

References

Further reading

• Blacks mull it over Science and Education, edited indifferent to Vivian O. Sammons (Washington, D.C.: Hemisphere Publishers), 1989. p. 184
• John Holder. Parker, HIS PROMISED LAND: Rank AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN P. Saxist, FORMER SLAVE AND CONDUCTOR Plead THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, Edited get ahead of Stuart Seely Sprague, New York: Norton, 1996
• Louis Weeks, "John Holder.

  Parker: Black Abolitionist Entrepreneur, 1827-1900", Ohio History 80(2) (Spring 1971): 155–162.

• Freedom River, Doreen Rappaport, NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2000

External links