Joseph M. Parke

Parke’s lengthy 1898 obituary

described him as “the last survivor of those who were prominently identified with the

early history of Carroll County.”

Born in Pennsylvania, Joseph Parke arrived in Maryland in 1831 as the first principal of

Manchester’s newly founded Manchester Academy. While serving as principal, he

obtained a law degree, then began a short political career as a Democratic member of

the Maryland House of Delegates. He later ran for Register of Wills in Carroll County

several times and won the office, but relinquished his political involvement at the state

level after serving as a member of Maryland’s 1851 Constitutional Convention.

Twice during his lifetime Parke owned local newspapers, thus exercising a good deal of

influence in the county. For eight years before the Civil War he was owner, editor, and

publisher of the Democrat and Carroll County Republican, a Democratic paper. After the

war he bought the Democratic Advocate, another paper championing the Democratic

Party, but owned it only a short time.

After serving several long terms as Register of Wills, Parke devoted himself to

practicing law in the county court system. According to his obituary, “His knowledge

of testamentary law was probably more extensive than that of any member of the bar

in this county. In fact, few if any lawyers in this State were as familiar with that branch

of legal learning.” His obituary also called him “one of the best known and highly

venerated citizens of this county…He was a man of noble presence and his venerable

form was a conspicuous figure on the streets of Westminster for fifty-eight years….”