Published as it appeared on May 10, 1894, in the Corvallis Times, Page 7, Column 3.
Old Mr. Parker, living three miles south of Philomath, died Monday.
Editor’s notes: A published obituary for Mr. Parker could not be immediately found but through online research, the following could be gathered about his life.
Alfred Parker was born Sept. 12, 1814 in Wyoming County, New York, to Elias Parker and Dorothy Fletcher. Alfred was the sixth of 10 children. He was the grandson of Leonard Parker, who fought in the Revolutionary War.
As a young man, he moved to Wisconsin and on July 10, 1849, married Amanda Richardson in Racine. The couple had three children — Elias in 1850, Charles in 1852 and George in 1859.
In the 1850s, the family moved to Plum County, Iowa. By 1860, census records place Alfred and his family in Oneida, Iowa, working as a farmer. The 1870 census shows the family in the same location.
Alfred’s wife, Amanda, died in 1875 and the 1880 census places him living with his son, Charles, on a farm in Holman, Iowa.
Alfred’s relocation to Oregon appears to have occurred not long before his death, however, it’s not known for sure exactly when he came to Oregon. An obituary for his oldest son, Elias, who died in 1930 and is also buried at Mount Union Cemetery, provides a possible timeline. According to the obituary, Elias moved to Oregon in 1895 via Nebraska “spending four months and five days on the road.” Extended families often made big moves together and it’s possible that Alfred was among those on the long journey to Oregon. The reference to 1895 does not fit since Alfred died in 1894 but that could’ve been an incorrect estimate by a survivor of Elias on the move (a few years too late, for example).
Alfred Parker, 79, died May 7, 1894, presumably at a residence three miles south of Philomath as mentioned in the newspaper item.