Isaac Parsons (Confederate military officer)
Honorable Isaac Parsons | |
---|---|
Member of the James Allen Thomas B. White | |
Succeeded by | Robert Massey Powell Hugh Parrill |
Personal details | |
Born | 13th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment | January 7, 1814
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Isaac Parsons (January 7, 1814 – April 24, 1862) was an American
Parsons inherited his family's
Following the onset of the
Early life and family
Isaac Parsons was born on January 7, 1814, in
Wappocomo
Following the death of James Gregg Parsons on January 25, 1847, his
Political career
Following the ratification of the 1851 Constitution of Virginia, Parsons was elected to serve as a justice of the peace for Hampshire County's District 3 in 1852 and 1853.[6] Parsons served in this office alongside David Gibson, T. M. Davis, and Joseph C. Pancake.[6]
Parsons served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing Hampshire County from 1854 until 1857.[7][8] Parsons represented Hampshire County, which was a multi-member electoral district,[8] in the following sessions of the Virginia House of Delegates: the 1854 session alongside Jesse Lupton;[7] the 1855 session alongside Jesse Lupton;[7] the 1856 session alongside Asa Hiett;[7] and the 1857 session alongside Asa Hiett.[7] Prior to the American Civil War, Parsons was an ardent proponent of Virginia's secession and the passage of an Ordinance of Secession.[9]
Jacob Green affair
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Charles_J._Faulkner_1806-1884_-_Brady-Handy.jpg/150px-Charles_J._Faulkner_1806-1884_-_Brady-Handy.jpg)
In August 1855, Jacob Green, a slave owned by Parsons, escaped from Wappocomo farm with four other slaves from neighboring plantations.[10][11] In October of that year, Green returned to Parsons' plantation in Romney, and persuaded four or five slaves from neighboring farms owned by Parsons family relatives to escape with him to Pennsylvania.[10][11]
A party of eight to ten men, including Parsons and two of his nephews, James "Zip" Parsons III (1831–1893) and a Mr. Stump, went north in pursuit of the escapees. In the course of the pursuit, they captured two of Stump's escaped slaves, who were sent back to Hampshire County.[10][11] James Parsons III was the son of Parsons' brother James "Big Jim" Parsons, Jr. (1798–1858), and his wife Elizabeth Miller Parsons.[12] With information obtained from the two recaptured slaves, Parsons went to Johnstown, James Parsons III to Hollidaysburg, and Stump to Altoona, where they hoped to intercept Green as he headed west on the Allegheny Portage Railroad and Main Line Canal toward Pittsburgh.[11] James Parsons III intercepted Green at Hollidaysburg, but local abolitionists thwarted his attempt to capture Green, and he was arrested and arraigned for kidnapping.[10][11]
Upon learning of the arrest of his nephew, Parsons sought the assistance of
Parsons, Faulkner, and Tucker traveled to Hollidaysburg for James Parsons III's trial.[10] Faulkner provided for Parsons' legal defense, leading to his acquittal as having acted legally under the provisions of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.[11]
In September 1856, Faulkner billed Parsons $150 (~$5,087 in 2023) for his legal services. Parsons disputed the charge. In a series of articles in the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser, he declared that Faulkner had originally offered his services at no cost; that he had been lauded publicly for his generosity in doing so without ever denying that he had been working pro bono; and that he was practicing "duplicity and deception" in trying to win a reputation in his district through "specious acts of munificence".[10]
James Parsons III and his brother William Miller Parsons (born 1835) were later proprietors of the
American Civil War
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Old_Hampshire_County_Courthouse_Romney_WV.jpg/250px-Old_Hampshire_County_Courthouse_Romney_WV.jpg)
Following the onset of the American Civil War, Parsons began serving on Hampshire County's "committee for safety".[17] Parsons served on the "committee for safety" alongside James Dillon Armstrong, John M. Pancake, David Gibson, Dr. S. R. Lupton, John C. Heiskell, J. W. Marshall, W. A. Vance, R. K. Sheetz, Angus William McDonald, James Sheetz, John T. Pierce, James W. Albin, Charles Blue, Robert Hook, R. B. Sherrard, G. W. Gore, George William Washington, and John Johnson.[17] The "committee for safety" continued to meet until May 29, 1861.[17] Parsons, Pancake, and Armstrong were permitted by the Hampshire County Court to execute bonds for and on behalf of the county to raise money to fund "war purposes".[17]
On May 18, 1861, the Hampshire Guards and the Frontier Riflemen convened in front of the Hampshire County Courthouse in Romney before departing to fight in defense of the Confederate States of America.[18] Parsons and a dozen of his men led the wagon train conveying these volunteers to Green Spring on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad mainline, where Parsons and the volunteers departed by train to Harpers Ferry.[18]
Parsons traveled to
Parsons again traveled to Richmond with a supply of cattle, and returned to his company's camp on the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Wappocomo_Romney_WV_2013_07_14_01.jpg/250px-Wappocomo_Romney_WV_2013_07_14_01.jpg)
Lt. Blue and Parrish returned to Sugar Hollow where Parsons was awaiting them, and Parsons set about locating
In 1862, Parsons had part of his family moved from their Wappocomo residence to Shull's Gap on the
Parsons, his sons, and other Confederate soldiers encountered Union Army cavalry along Grassy Lick Run south of Romney on April 24, 1862.[1][29] Parsons carried a double-barreled shotgun, and proceeded to fire his weapon at the Union forces at close range.[29] As Parsons made his escape from the Union Army forces, he saw his son fired upon as he ran across the road, and supposed he had been killed.[29] He traveled to the home of a Mr. Hott, and told him of the news of his son's possible death.[29] Parsons became pale and was helped down from his horse by Hott's sons, so he would not fall.[29] According to Hott, Parsons died moments later.[1][29]
Parsons' body was transferred to Wappocomo for burial in the Parsons family burial ground.
Parsons drafted his own will and testament, and it was proved without issue, and later cited in the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia case French v. French (1877).[33] His wife Susan Blue Parsons died on October 2, 1889[1][34] and was interred alongside Parsons at Indian Mound Cemetery.[31] In her Parsons' Family History and Record (1913), Parsons' relative and family genealogist Virginia Parsons MacCabe said of Parsons: "he was broad minded and conservative, gifted with good common sense and judgment, his honesty and integrity was unimpeachable."[1]
Personal life
Parsons married Susan Blue (1817–1889) on May 18, 1836.
Name | Birth date | Death date | Spouse |
---|---|---|---|
Catherine E. "Kate" Parsons[1] | May 1, 1837[1] | March 24, 1862[1] | Unmarried[1] |
Isaac Parsons, Jr.[1][36] | December 1, 1838[1] | September 11, 1892[36] | Emma C. Waddle, married on November 12, 1867[1][37] |
Sarah Louise Parsons Brady[1] | June 10, 1841[1] | 1923[20] | Isaac T. Brady, married on September 18, 1865[1][20] |
James Donaldson Parsons[1][38] | October 21, 1843[1] | Sarah Maria Pancake, married on April 19, 1871[1][38] | |
Mary Susan Parsons Pancake[1][39] | December 5, 1847[1][40] | January 22, 1923[40] | Joseph A. Pancake, married on March 30, 1870[1][39] |
Virginia B. Parsons Arnold[1] | September 15, 1849[1] | December 20, 1891[1] | George S. Arnold, married on June 8, 1882[1] |
Garrett Williams Parsons[1][41] | May 13, 1852[1] | September 29, 1935[42] | Mary Avery Covell, married on November 12, 1878 West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind principal John Collins Covell[41] )
|
Burr A. Parsons[1] | April 21, 1855[1] | December 8, 1862[1] | Unmarried[1] |
Edith Parsons Waddle[1][43] | January 1, 1858[1] | November 27, 1910[1] | Julius Samuel Waddle, married on June 3, 1891[1][43] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao MacCabe 1913, p. 269.
- ^ a b MacCabe 1913, p. 255.
- ^ a b c d MacCabe 1913, p. 18.
- ^ a b c Zimmerman 2012, p. 9.
- ^ a b c Brannon 1976, p. 315.
- ^ a b Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 160.
- ^ a b c d e Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 47.
- ^ a b "Biographical Information: Isaac Parsons", The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776–2007, Department of Politics, University of Virginia; University of Virginia Center for Politics; University of Virginia Library, archived from the original on March 4, 2016, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b c d e f g Blue 1994, p. 29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Jacob Green, Runaway Slave: The Pursuit of Jacob Green by the Parsons Family and the Problem of Free States", Historic Hampshire County, West Virginia: West Virginia's Oldest County, Charles C. Hall, HistoricHampshire.org, archived from the original on December 29, 2011, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b c d e f g h "What is the Underground Railroad?", Allegheny Portage Railroad, National Park Service website, National Park Service, archived from the original on April 14, 2013, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b MacCabe 1913, p. 260.
- ^ Virginia House of Delegates 1856, p. 246.
- ^ Virginia House of Delegates 1856, p. 454.
- ^ Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 357.
- from the original on October 8, 2015, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b c d Maxwell & Swisher 1897, pp. 548–549.
- ^ a b Blue 1994, p. 1.
- ^ a b c d Blue 1994, p. 4.
- ^ a b c d Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 162.
- ^ Blue 1994, p. 20.
- ^ a b Blue 1994, p. 30.
- ^ a b c Blue 1994, p. 31.
- ^ a b c d e Blue 1994, p. 32.
- ^ Blue 1994, p. 33.
- ^ a b c d e Blue 1994, p. 54.
- ^ a b c Blue 1994, p. 55.
- ^ a b c Blue 1994, p. 59.
- ^ a b c d e f Blue 1994, p. 73.
- ^ a b c d e Blue 1994, p. 75.
- ^ a b "Indian Mound Cemetery: Hampshire County's Most Historic Cemetery - List of Interments", HistoricHampshire.org, HistoricHampshire.org, Charles C. Hall, archived from the original on January 2, 2014, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b c Firelands Historical Society 1907, pp. 1380–1381.
- ^ Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia 1879, p. 466.
- ^ "Death Record Detail: Susan Parsons", West Virginia Vital Research Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, archived from the original on December 13, 2013, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ Munske & Kerns 2004, p. 130.
- ^ a b "Death Record Detail: Isaac Parsons", West Virginia Vital Research Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, archived from the original on March 3, 2016, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ "Marriage Record Detail: Isaac Parsons", West Virginia Vital Research Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, archived from the original on March 3, 2016, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b "Marriage Record Detail: James Donaldson Parsons", West Virginia Vital Research Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, archived from the original on March 4, 2016, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b "Marriage Record Detail: Mary Susan Parsons", West Virginia Vital Research Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, archived from the original on March 3, 2016, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b "Death Record Detail: Mary Susan Pancake", West Virginia Vital Research Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, archived from the original on March 3, 2016, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b c "Marriage Record Detail: Garrett Williams Parsons", West Virginia Vital Research Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, archived from the original on December 13, 2013, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ "Death Record Detail: Garrett Williams Parsons", West Virginia Vital Research Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, archived from the original on December 13, 2013, retrieved December 26, 2013
- ^ a b "Marriage Record Detail: Edith Parsons", West Virginia Vital Research Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, archived from the original on March 4, 2016, retrieved December 26, 2013
Bibliography
- Blue, John (1994). Daniel P. Oates (ed.). Hanging Rock Rebel: Lt. John Blue's War in West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. from the original on May 1, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
- Brannon, Selden W., ed. (1976). Historic Hampshire: A Symposium of Hampshire County and Its People, Past and Present. OCLC 3121468.
- Firelands Historical Society (1907). The Firelands Pioneer, Volumes 16-19. Vol. 16–19. Norwalk, Ohio: Firelands Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
- MacCabe, Virginia Parsons (1913). Parsons' Family History and Record. OCLC 8590919.
- OL 23304577M.
- Munske, Roberta R.; Kerns, Wilmer L., eds. (2004). Hampshire County, West Virginia, 1754–2004. OCLC 55983178.
- Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia (1879). Report of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of Appeals of the State of West Virginia, Volume 14. West Publishing Company. Archived from the original on May 1, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
- OCLC 49385061. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020 – via HathiTrust.
- Zimmerman, Courtney Fint; Aurora Research Associates, Hampshire County Landmarks Commission (August 24, 2012). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Valley View (PDF). United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
External links
Media related to Isaac Parsons (American military officer) at Wikimedia Commons