Summary Information
Rufus Parks Papers
1837-1858
Micro 734
1 reel of microfilm (35mm)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Record book kept by Rufus Parks, the first land officer in Wisconsin Territory, who later was active in politics and served as superintendent of schools in Summit, Wisconsin. Included are records of land purchases and registrations (giving purchaser's name, section, and amount paid), accounts (including item prices), and copies of letters concerning the formation of school districts, common grain storage facilities, and difficulties with the federal government.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-micr0734 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Born in Westfield, Massachusetts, Rufus Parks was the son of Warham Parks (a Revolutionary regimental officer) and Rebecca Gorham; educated at Phillips Andover Academy, Andover, Massachusetts; and began his career as a merchant in Boston. Appointed the first land officer of the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 by President Andrew Jackson, he moved to Milwaukee in that year. When the Whigs came into power in 1842, he was relieved of his position. His wife was Harriet Eliza Fairservice (1815-1917). They had three sons: Warham (1840-1899), Marshall Hutchinson (1854-1887), and Nathanial Gorham (1859-1884). In 1846 they moved to Summit, Wisconsin, where Rufus became the superintendent of the school in 1849. He also served as a member of the First Wisconsin Constitutional Convention in Madison in 1846. A fervent abolitionist, he joined the Republican Party and was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 1867. Parks died in Summit in 1878.
Scope and Content Note
The record book documents Parks' first twenty-one years in Wisconsin. The entries include records of land purchases and registrations, accounts with individuals for purchases and for labor done in exchange, the formation of school districts, accounts with eastern land speculators, records of common grain storage bins, and difficulties with the federal government. Of particular interest are the letters concerning land transactions including one to Judge James D. Doty.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Original loaned for microfilming by Mrs. Rose Wyssling of the Hawks Inn Historical Society, Delafield, Wisconsin. 1979. Accession Number: M79-98
Procesed by Gregor Trinkaus-Randall and Max J. Evans, April 1979.
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