Show BISHOP JOHN PARKER the subject of this sketch whose has already been noticed in the was the son of john and ellen parker and was born in ley lancashire england feb 1811 he was among those who heard the gospel preached by the elders in the early days of the english mission was amons among the first of his family to receive the message and became beame a member of the church by baptism in 1838 he was soon afterwards ordained and his faithful labors in that country as a minister of the gospel were attended with considerable success in adding numbers to the church in lm 1846 he migrated with his three motherless children to nauvoo and was among those who were favored with the ordinances of the temple before his expulsion from that city in the general exodus of the saints in 1840 he with his bis then somewhat numerous family acquired by marriage with an estimable widow lady found it necessary to find employment by which they might be able to procure the nee necessary essary means to enable them to join the main body of the church at that time moving to the western wilds at as early 1 date as possible for this purpose ur ose he removed his is family amily to st louis ouis where here his success in realizing reali realizing zin t the eo object t of his sojourn was a special man manifestation i e tion of gods favor to those whose hearts are set upon the up building of his kingdom while there he was not unmindful of the wants of the poor poo r nor of the needs of the branch of t the he church there but his generous cout contributions ri were quite in keeping with hi his s success in business and his bis d departure altare from that place was recognized as an appreciable loss to both the s spiritual and temporal interests of the ranch branch in 1852 he gathered up his bis family and effects and journeyed across the plains to salt lake city in charge of the company with which he traveled arriving about the first of october of that year here be located in view of making a permanent home but in 1862 he be was called upon to go and assist in building up tile the settlements in the southern part of the territory in answer to the call he with the prin principal cipal part of his family repaired repaired reT aired I 1 forth forthwith with to virgen on the vargen ir en I 1 I 1 river elver where he engaged with his bis c characteristic alous energy as a zea zealous worker in all those general improvements requisite to transform a dreary i desert land into pleasant and desirable homes in this he labored with his own hands and byais by his example encouraged others whose hearts and faith were not so strong in efforts needed to bring water upon t the e land and make it fruitful as a Dos sible dwelling place for man on the day of haq may 1864 he was ordain ordained edi a bishop by J rest of the twelve apostles and officiated in that capacity to the great satisfaction of the people of the ward as well as the presiding authorities to the day of his death which occurred on the of march last his tailing health has for some years prevented to some extent that thai active service which characterized his career in every place were energy was feces i sary alry in connection with great wisdom to achieve important results but the wisdom of his counsel which was eagerly sought was equal to every emergency and brought him honor both b emergency in I 1 n his bishopric and as a judge in israel his well spent life of 75 years was less blemished with indiscretion less characterized with individual selfish ambition than the lives I 1 I 1 ves of ordinary mortals usually are his labors were tor for the dead as well as the livina living and departed ones will ever honor his h I 1 s name for acting a part so eminently in unison with a saviors regard for the welfare of ef others and in keeping with the highest order of celestial law revealed to man he lived to see aee and bless his third generation and left a posterity almost as numerous as were his years to bless and revere his name in generations and eternities to come ile he rests in peace and his bis reward is sure COM |