The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-02-19
DEATH OF JOSEPH M. PARKE.
An Aged Citizen Passes Away After a Life
Well Spent.

| IS
years ago, and at the celebration of the semi
centennial OF the organiza ton of the county
on April IL, 1887, Mr.. Parke was again ;
prominent figure, and wrote for this papeI
some "reminiscences of the organization of tht
county and events leading up to it. Mr.
Parke was perhaps the oldest member of the
Bar in this State. and only retired from active
practice last fall.
\ SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
Joseph Maxwell Parke was born February
6, 1910, in Salisbury township, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, about one mile north o.
Parkesburg. His father, George W. Parke
was born October 18, $780, and died February
25, 1860. His mother was Mary, daughter O.
John Fleming, of the neighborhood of Coates
vile. She died in February, 1917. His
maternal grandmother was Slaymaker, OF
Pequea, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and
his paternal grandfather was Joseph Parke,
who was born in Chester county, Pennsyl-
vania, December u, 1887, and died near
Parkesburg, July =, 1928. His paternal
grandmother was Ann Maxwell, of Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania. His great grandfather
was John Parke, who died July %, 1884, and
his great great-grandfather was Arthur Parke,
who came to this country with his family from
county Donegal, Ireland, some time prior to
1924, and settled in West Fallowfeld town.
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and died
there in February, 1740 The Parke family
is of the Scotch. Irish Presbyterian stock. and
went to North Ireland at an early period from
Scotland or England. Joseph Maxwell Parke
is survived by two brothers. George w. and
DR.. Charles r. Parke, of Bloomington, Hi
nOis, the latter a half brother by his fathers
second marriage. In 1928, at the age of thir-
| teen years, he left home to attend a classical
school started by his uncle, Rev. Samuel
! Parke, a Presbyterian clergyman, at Slate
Ridge, now the town of Delta, York county,
| Pennsylvania, near the Maryland line. After
a few years spent in studying the Latin and
Greek languages and other studies, prepare
tory to entering college, he was employed by
his uncle as a teacher in the same academy.
He had Il number of pupils of about his own
age, some from Hartford county, Maryland,
| and among them was the late DR.. Francis
| Butler of Westminster. In 1929 he left Slate
Ridge to attend college at Canonsburg, Wash
| ington county, Pennsylvania, then in consider
| able repute under the management OF Rev.
Matthew Brown, and graduated in 1881, at
the age of twenty-one, Ill class OF thirty one
students. Having his mind fixed on the pro-
fession of the law, and with a view of assisting
himself thereto, as well as improving his eju-
cation. he determined to engage for a time in
| teaching. Seeing an advertisement i'll the
Philadelphia Saturday Erening Post that a
classical teacher was wanted in Manchester,
| (then Baltimore county, Carroll county, he
| visited that place and became the first princi-
| pal of Manchester Academy, about Deem
| Der |, 1881. He continued as such until 1889,
with an intermission of Il year. In April,
| 1895. he was married to Amanda, second
daughter of George Moter. of Manchester,
who died several years ago. OF large family
| of children, five survive their parents, viz:
| Francis H., wife of Edwin X. Gernand, of
Baltimore; George Motter Parke, former
Register of Wills of Carroll county; Mary
Lettia, who has been several times married;
Josephine. widow of j. Edwin Taylor, and
John Fleming Parke.
In 1899 Mr.. Parke was nominated on the
| Democratic ticket and elected to the House
of Delegates For some years he had devoted
| his spare time to the study of law under the
direction of the late Charles F. Mayer, of
| Baltimore, aud after the adjournment of the
! Legislature in the spring of 1910 he was adj
mitted to the bar in Baltimore city by the
Baltimore County Court. In April, 1910, he
removed to Westminster, where he has ever
since resided About the same time he pur
chased the Democrat and Carroll County
| ReDubHcan, which had been started at West
minister bv William Shipley in February, 1898,
and had been conducted by him for two years.
The editing of that paper, with some practice
! of law, occupied Mr.. Parke's attention until
| ls4S, when he disposed of his interest in the
paper to j. L. H. Bringman, who had pur-
| chased half interest in it two years before.
| During the eight years of his editorial control
there were three memorable Presidential
| campaigns-in 1910, between Harrison and
| Van Buren, in 1874, between Clay and Polk,
and in 184S, between Taylor and Cass.
Though an ardent politician and devoted to
| I NJ De-, l-n'- al lNS I'm.
ANA honorable and commanded the respect of
! his political opponents. He was one of the
| three Democrats elected from Carroll county
| TO the constitutional convention in 1851.
| and in it he supported the most advanced
measures of reform, including representation
| strictly according to population and the cleo
tion of nearly all officers by the people.
Tnon the death of John Baumgartner, in
| 1858, who was the first register OF wills
elected under the new constitution, Mr..
| Parle was appointed by the Orphan Court
| TO fiji that vacancy. He held the office from
January 81, 1858, until the election Ill that
| fall. when he was nominated by his party and
elected for six years. In 1889 he was re-
elected for another term of six years. In
! 1865 he declined to he candidate for that
office. because, as he conceived, the Union
| narty. with which he had acted during the
! civil war. had become merged into the Re
publican party, and he had supported General
| Mcclellan. the Democratic nominee tor
| President in 1864. In 1865 he purchased the
| Democratic Elaborate. Il newspaper started III
| November. 1868, by William IL. DAVIS, IN
| the place of the old carroll Comfy Democrat,
| DESTROYED by mob in April, 1860, and by lis
aid contributed to the success OF the Demo
! cratic and Conservative party IN the county
and state. Under the constitution adopted
ro,.- n, bf RpuIStpr of w Ills
! became necessary. and he was again nomi-
mated and elected to that office for SIX years.
! On his election he sold the DEM0CEATIc AD-
yoCArE to W. II. Davis. who sold it soon at
| forwards to Messrs. Henry and VIM. b. Van
! derford. Mr.. Parke held the office OF Reg
/ lister of Wills for nearly nineteen years: re-
firing in December, 1873, since which time
he devoted himself to the practice OF his
profession
In 1850 he was Il strenuous supporter OF
| Stenhen A. Douglas for the Presidency, and
| of the COMPROMISES introduced into Congress
! TO heal the breach between the North and
| South. When the war broke out he adhered
| TO the Northern Democracy, and warmly sup
| ported the cause of the Union, carefully dis
| eliminating between the government and the
nartv conducting it believing that the South by
! lis rejection of Senator Douglas and its seces-
| sion from the Northern Democrats, had caused
! Mr.. Lincoln's election.
| When the war was over, Mr. Parke favored
the policy of President Andrew johnson to
restore the era of good feeling between the
sections. and to admit the Southern states at
once to their rights in the Union. He be-
| lieved that there were mutual errors. and that
the North was not so clear of blame as to en-
title her to demand humiliating terms of the
| South.
The funeral will take place tomorrow Sun
day) afternoon at 2 O'Clock at Grace Luth-
eran Church, this city.
Local Legislation.
| NJ, LII ronnirinn the County COmmlS.