Jonas Parker, Jr. was the youngest child of Jonas, Sr. and Lucy Monroe. Born on July 10, 1753, he was only 21 years old when he stood on the Green and witnessed a British soldier bayonet his father to death on April 19th, 1775. His father’s cousin, John Parker was Captain of the Lexington Militia and he was related closely to a number of others standing there beside him including the Harrington’s and the Munroe’s. Lucy Munroe was his mother and Sarah Harrington his maternal grandmother. The Parker’s were neighbors of Jonas Clarke, having purchased some land from the reverend when the family moved to Cambridge Farms before Jonas, Jr. was born. His father was a wheelwright and it is likely that Jonas learned this trade as well. At the time of the Battle, Jonas had already lost two of his siblings, Jonas (the first) who died at age 3 in 1750 and his sister Sarah who died in 1768 at the age of 20. (Possibly in child birth). Another sister, Lucy was deaf and dumb, but lived to the age of 73 under the care of her uncle, Thomas. His remaining siblings, Thaddeus, Nathan and Eunice have little information written about them. Following the Battle, Jonas enlisted in what was known as the Cambridge Alarm and served 5 days under Capt. Parker from May 6th through May 10th in 1775. The following year he served in Captain John Bridge’s company, in Col. Eleazer Brook’s regiment when they were dispatched to Roxbury. He again served only 5 days from March 4th through March 8th. (with Lt Francis Brown and others). On August of 1776 he married Martha Hosly of Billerica and produced four children, Patty born in Feb of 1777, Betty in November of 1778, John in November of 1780 and Jonas, Jr. in March of 1783.
Sadly Both Jonas and his youngest son, Jonas, Jr. died in 1783. Our Jonas died 4 days after his 30th birthday on July 14 and his young son on August 9th, listed only as the widow’s child in the town’s records. It appears that only his son, John, married and had children, both girls, Martha born in 1810 and Abigail in 1811. Thus ended the Parker line from Jonas, Jr. I am searching for his burial site so that I can pay my respects to this young man who endured so much death and died so young.