John Parker II

John Parker, who was born about 1725 in North Carolina, moved from Edgecombe County to Duplin County about 1757. He settled along the west side of Little Coharie Creek in the part of Duplin that became Sampson County in 1784. John Parker became a prominent landowner and planter is considered the first Methodist in Sampson County. Services were held in his house as early as 1785. In 1788, Bishop Francis Asbury of the Methodist Church preached at the Parker home on his trip through North Carolina. A "skeleton pulpit" was built for the occasion and was kept by family members for many years. John's son, Francis, became a Methodist minister and was reportedly ordained by Bishop Asbury. William, Thomas, Sessums and Nicholas Parker, all sons of John, were "worthy and pious men" who helped establish Methodism in Sampson County.

After John's death about 1805, the old home place where services had been held for twenty years, passed to his son Luke Parker, who was considered irreligious. Luke, however, deeded two acres of land for ten shillings on October 2, 1809, for the purpose of erecting a house of worship for the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1816, a log church was built on the property at the urging of Nicholas Parker and was known as Parker's Meeting House. In 1842, the church moved to its present location, a short distance from the original site and is known today as Andrews Chapel Methodist Church.

It is interesting to note that although John Parker was a devout Methodist, he owned a still to produce alcoholic spirits. In his will, he included a specific bequest of the "still" to his son, Luke Parker. The inventory of his estate, taken in 1806, included "1 Three gallon jug the same full of brandy" and "1 case of 14 half Gallon Bottles 7 of them full of brandy." Stills were valuable property owned by prosperous persons in early America and were commonly passed on by the owners to their wives or children in their wills.

Sources: "From Rev. Miles P. Owen's Journal of 1867 About Methodism in Sampson," Andrew Methodist Chapel, File 3254, Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina and Oscar M. Bizzell, ed., The Heritage of Sampson County, North Carolina (Newton Grove, NC, 1983), 75-76, 81.

JOHN13 PARKER II JOHN12, THOMAS11, RICHARD1O, JAMES9, WILLIAM8, ROBERT7, EDMUND6, GILES5, EDMUND4, RICHARD3, EDMUNND2, RICHARD3 LE PARKER, ADAM 2 de ALCANCOTES, PETER1
 


He was born 1725 in Sampson County. North Carolina, and died 10 Feb 1806 in Little Coharie, Sampson County, NC.

He married RACHEL SESSUMS 1750 in Sampson County,  North Carolina, daughter of NICHOLAS SUSSUMS and ELIZABETH HOOKER.

She was born 1733 in Edgecomb County. NC, and died 1800 in Sampson County, NC.

Children of JOHN PARKER and RACHEL SESSUMS are:

i. JOHN PARKER III, b. 23 Feb 1753, Beaverdam Township, Sampson County, NC; d. 07 Jul 1836, Bladen County, NC; m. RHODA BEDSOLE; b. 1755, NC d. Unknown, Bladen County, NC.

ii. JOSIAH PARKER, b. 1755, Sampson Co. North Carolina; d. Unknown, Unknown; m.

SARAH SPAULDING; b. 28 Sep 1758, Chelmsford, Ma.; d. 28 Od 1803, Unk.

iii. LEWRANEY PARKER, b. 1755, Sampson Co. NC; d. Jun 1840, Sampson County, NC. m. GREGORY CLARK, 1771; b. 1752, Sampson County, NC, d.Jan 1837, Lexington County. SC.

IV. NICHOLAS PARKER, b. 05 Ju11758, Sampson county,  NC; d. 21 Jun 1835, Sampson county,  NC; m. EUZABETH OWEN; b. 10 Aug1761, Sampson county, NC; d. in 1842, Sampson County,  NC