Stephen Parr and Mary Davis

All that is known of Stephen Parr’s parents is his father. He too was named Stephen,¹ and he died 1742, in New Castle County, Wilmington, DE, USA. So far, all that is known about Stephen’s wife Mary Davis is her approximate death date which was 31 Dec 1810 or 1811, Elizabethtown, Ohio County, Ohio, USA.

LAND RECORD

      This Indenture made this nineteenth of August in the fifth reign of our sovereign lord, George III, of Great Britain and in the Kingdom of Great Britain in the year 1765, and Stephen Parr and David Jones of Mill Creek Hundreds, Newark and the county of New Castle, and Rachel, his wife of the other part for the sum of 20 pounds in lawful money, the ground situated south of the town of Newark, and the Hundreds of Mill Creek to the mouth of racoon Branch, beginning by the estimation one hundred-seventy acres of land together with all singular buildings, improvements, and waters rights liberties, appurtenances whatsoever to the said tract of land above described, to the John Richardson, his yearly Quit-rent and services – to the chief, lords of, and subject to the principal money and interest mortgage therof made to the trustees of the land office of New Castle. the Attorney and Attornies for the said Thomas Duff, the Constituent, by name to acknowledge, grant and deliver this indenture in open Court of Common Pleas for the county of New Castle.

Thomas Duff, Sheriff

Additional information about this story
Description Land record during the reign of George III

Stephen Parr who married Mary Davis was born 1733, and died 1819. Their eldest a son was named Nathaniel. Nathaniel Parr was born in 1767, and died in 1826.

NATHAN PARR KILLS TWO INDIANS

      The first blood shed in making the settlement at the Flats of Grave Creek, was that of two indians killed by Nathan Parr. A few years after the Parr family settled on the hill back of the Flats, the eldest son Nathaniel, went out one afternoon to hunt, and late in the afternoon, he saw a deer drinking from a pool of water in little Grave Creek, which he shot, dressed and hung up out of the reach of wolves and went home intending to return and get it the next morning.
      Five indians came along early in the morning and found the deer hanging where it was left and knowing that some one would be after it, lay in ambush to wait the arrival, and when young Parr attempted to take the deer down, they fired at him, and one of the bullets striking him and breaking his hip.
      He was by a large tree against which he leaned, resting on one foot, he quickly raised his gun and shot one indian and then the other. His strength giving away, he fell to the ground by a pile of small stones with which he made a vigorus defence against the attack of the other three, who attempted to attack him with their tomahawks.
      They were young indians and appeared to be very afraid. The fact that he struck them a number of times with stones, and kept up a fusillade of stones, they withdrew and carried their two dead companions away with them.
      After the first fire they did not attempt to use their guns and it was thought that they had run out of ammunition. The three indians were seen later in the day. Parr was made a cripple for life by the encounter.

Reference: Historical Collections of Moundsville, Brantner. This story is also recorded in History of the Panhandle, J. Newton.
   The Royal Parr family, of Manchester, Ohio have another version of the story as told to them by their ancestor Isaac Parr, son of Nathaniel. Nathaniel was taking a mule-pack across the mountains with salt for a new settlement and the indians attacked him.

Reference: Royal Parr, Manchester, Ohio.
Reference: The Parr Family by Lucille Parr, pg 30-31.

Additional information about this story
Description: The first blood shed in making a settlement at the Flats of Grave Creek.
Location: The Flats of Grave Creek

And . . . yet another story:

GRANDVIEW SETTLEMENT

      In 1802 the extreme eastern part of Newport was made separate and named “Grandview”, meaning just that a grand view of the beautiful Ohio River, at a regular meeting of the quarterly session.
      In 1808 the settlers had become numerous enough to give the settlement a definite form. It lined the banks of the Ohio River beginning with Alec Alpin’s house, over two miles in Grandview, extending down the Ohio River embracing the fields of Henry Dickerson, Nathan Parr, David Smithers, Joseph Holdren, Benjamin Ridgeway and Joseph Burris. All today that is Grandview Territory.
     The first election for the township officials was held in 1808 Monday of the following April. Among those appointed to office was Nathan Parr as appraiser of houses. In the following year he was appointed as one of the overseers of the poor. In 1815, 1816, and 1817 He was elected Justice of the Peace for Grandview.
      *His son-in-law, Henry Sheets, laid out and developed the first town lots in New Matamoras and Grandview.

*Refence: Fred C. Sheets, M.D., Okla. City, Okla; History of Washington County, Ohio. –W.P. Williams, 1879

Reference: The Parr Family by Lucille Parr, pg 30.
Additional information about this story
Description: Naming Settlement
Date: 1802
Location: Eastern part of Newport

Below is a record showing Land Grants from Presidents Madison and Monroe to Nathanial Parr, Marietta, Meigs County, Ohio – 1815-1822

Nathaniel married Mary Dougherty. Mary was born 28 Sep 1776 and died 11 Sep 1831, Grandview, Washington, Ohio, USA.

LAND BELONGING TO NATHAN PARR AND HIS WIFE

      After Nathan and Mary Dougerty were married, they lived for a time on Wheeling Island, Ohio County, Virginia. Nathan bought a few tracts of land there but sold them beore removing to Ohio.
      Mar 5, 1798, Issac Wilson and Margaret, his wife sold to Nathan Parr, 50 acres of land at the mouth of Coon’s Run for $400. Bk. 4, Recorder’s Office, Wheeling, W.Va.
      Nov 4th, 1800 Nathan Parr and Mary, his wife, sold 50 acres of land on Coon’s Run to Phillip Hupp, Rec. Off. Wheeling, Bk 1.
      April 2, 1809 Nathan Parr and Mary, his wife, sold to Benj. Fish, 175 acres at Parr’s settlement at the Flats of Grave Creek, Ohio County, Virginia.
      January 2, 1801 Nathan Parr purchased a parcel of land from James Ross of Allegheny County, Pa, known as “Long Reach” for the sum of $400, in Washington County, Ohio (Formally a land grant by the United States to James Ross – dated Jan 15, 1798).
      Dec. 26, 1815 Land Grant to Nathan Parr, from the President of The United States, James Madison.
      August 14, 1820 – Land Grant to Nathan Parr, from the President of The United States, James Monroe.
     Nathan also purchased land from Mr. Risher.

Reference: The Parr Family by Lucille Parr, pg 29.
Additional information about this story
Description: Disposition of Nathan’s lands.
Date: 5 Mar 1798
Location: Wheeling Island, Ohio County, Virginia.

Nathaniel Parr married Mary Dougherty had a son named George Hamilton Parr who was born 1806, Meigs County, Ohio, USA and died 1874, Meigs County, Ohio.

 George Hamilton Parr married Margaret Rinard. Margaret was born in 1810, in Letart Falls, Meigs County, Ohio, USA, and died 1856, in Letart Falls, Meigs County, Ohio, USA.

George Hamilton and Margaret (Rinard) Parr had a son named Nathan A. Parr who was born 1833 and died 1901. Nathan A. Parr married Minerva McDade. Minerva was born 1835.

Below is a copy of Nathan’s Military Record showing him as being “Mustered Into Service” as 2nd Corporal, at Cottage, West VA, on 17 Aug 1863.

Nathan A. Parr and Minerva McDade rest in the Letart Falls Cemetary, Great Bend, Meigs Co., Ohio, USA.

George Hamilton and Margaret (Rinard) Parr had a son named Hamilton A. Parr who was born in 1862, Great Bend, Meigs County, Ohio, USA, and died in 1929, Great Bend, Meigs County, Ohio, USA. His picture is shown here on the right.

NEWSPAPER CLIPPING

      Hamilton A. Parr was educated in the county school of West Virginia High School at Letart, Ohio and Syracuse College; settled at Great Bend in 1888. He was in business with his father Nathan A. Parr, dealing mostly in potatoes and shipping, largely to New Orleans. After Mr. Parr retired from Business he engaged extensively in farming. A staunch Democratic worker, cast his first Presidential vote for Grover Cleveland in 1884. He has been a member of the County Central Committee for over 10 years, served on the Board of Elections for over 4 years, and was a Delegate to many State Conventions. He helped to nominate both Pattison and Harmon, and although he never held a public office himself, yet he was considered the strongest man in the county during poliitical campaigns.

Reference: Bryan Parr, St Albans, West Virginia.
Additional information about this story
Description: The Democratic Party of Ohio Published in 1918
Date: 1918
Location: Meigs County

Hamilton A. Parr married Cora Roseberry. Cora Roseberry was born Cora Roseberry 8 Feb 1870, Cottageville, Jacksonville, West Virgina, USA, and in 1942, died while living in Great Bend, Meigs Co., Ohio, USA.

Hamilton A. and Cora (Roseberry) Parr both rest in the Letart Falls Cemetery, Meigs County, Ohio

Hamilton A. and Cora (Roseberry) Parr had a son named Bryan Parr who was born 1896, and died 24 Jan 1973, in St. Albans, Kanawha, West Virgina, USA. The picture on your left is that of Bryan Parr. I believe he was about 20 years old (circa 1916). Bryan Parr married N. Marie Sturgeon.

Bryan Parr was a 50 Year Mason. He received a 50 Year Certificate from the Grand Lodge of Ohio, in 1971.

The picture on your right is that of Bryan when in Great Bend about 1930, when he was 35 years of age.

Bryan and Marie (Sturgeon) Parr are pictured below, in front of the home built in 1894 by his father (Hamilton A. Parr), in Letart Falls, Ohio. This picture was taken 31 May 1971.

Bryan and Marie (Sturgeon) Parr’s children are pictured below: Ruth Marie, Ham (me!), Catherine, and Cora Ann Parr.

Picture taken November 1948, at 2419 Washington Ave., St.Albans, West Virgina, USA.

My sisters [Ham] Catherine and Ruth are pictured below with my father Bryan Parr, while in Indiana, in 1962.

Bryan now rests in the Letart Falls cemetery,
in Great Bend, Meigs County, Ohio, USA.

If you think you may be descended from my Parrs feel free to email, Judy Parr (short for Hamilton). Ham passed away 26 November 2022.

Footnotes: ¹ Page 10 of Lucille Parr’s book The Parr Family states: “1742 – came into Court, Stephen Parr, an orphan son of Stephen Parr late…”.