Acton Historical Society Blog: Samuel Parlin, Found In Our Own Archives

Press release from the Acton Historical Society:

5/5/2021

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War Mass. Soldiers and Sailors Fletcher Phalen Gazette and Yeoman The Descendants of Nicholas Parlin The Descendants of Nicholas Parlin Samuel first appears in Acton’s town meeting records as a fence viewer in 1776.  He was clearly back from military service in 1780 because he was chosen selectman and assessor in that year.  Starting in 1783, he was chosen regularly for roles such as constable, tithing man, assessor, surveyor of timbers or highways, and school committee.  He was also selected as a member of special committees, for example to deal with abatements to individuals’ taxes and to deal with the selectmen about town expenditures.  He was made a member of the committee to instruct the Convention at Concord in Oct. 1786 (probably the Middlesex County convention dealing with issues that led to Shay’s Rebellion).  In May 1798, town meeting records show that he was selected for a special committee “In a Constitutional mannar to take under Consideration the alarming Situation of our publick affairs and express there minds thereon the Town Expressed there minds agreeable to this article and Chose Jonas Brooks John Edwards Jonas Heald Samuel Parling and Thomas Noys a Committee to publish the Same.”  (This was probably related to tricky diplomatic issues with France.)  It is clear that Samuel Parlin was a trusted figure in town, someone who could handle both money and negotiations amid controversy.According to church records, on Nov. 24, 1791, Samuel Parlin was chosen for the office of Deacon of the First Parish church of Acton.  On April 19, 1792, the record continued that Samuel Parlin having declined, the church chose Simon Hunt who accepted and “took the seat” in August.  While the Parlin genealogy refers to him as “Deacon Samuel,” there is no record that Samuel Parlin actually ever “took the seat” himself.  The story of why he declined the honor never made it to the history books. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War Some Sources Consulted:

• Acton Town Meeting Records and First Parish Church Records, available through Acton Memorial Library here.  Vital Records, Land Records, and Probate Records, available through FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, AmericanAncestors.org.  Military Records, available through Fold3.com.
• Bull, Sidney A. History of the town of Carlisle, Massachusetts, 1754-1920. Cambridge, MA: The Murray Printing Company, 1920.
• Fletcher, James.  Acton in History.  Boston: J. W. Lewis & Co, 1890.
• Lapham, Donald A.  Carlisle, Composite Community (and accompanying map dated 1969).  Carlisle, Mass.: no publisher, c. 1969.
• Massachusetts Historical Commission.  Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System:
  • CAR.169. (Information on 322 West St. Carlisle, recorded by Forbes/Schuler, Sept. 2009)
  • CAR.AK (Information on 1022 Westford St. Carlisle, recorded by Forbes/Schuler, Oct. 2009)
• Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.  Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1896-1908.
• Parlin, Frank Edson. The Descendants of Nicholas Parlin of Cambridge, Mass., 1913
• Phalen, Harold R. History of the Town of Acton Cambridge, MA: Middlesex Printing Inc., 1954.
• Robbins Papers, Jenks Library, Acton Historical Society.
• Tuttle, Horace. Historical Map of Acton.  Boston: Forbes Co., 1890.
• Wilkins, Ruth.  Carlisle: Its History and Heritage.  Carlisle: Carlisle Historical Society, Inc., 1976, 2002.

History of the town of Carlisle, Massachusetts, 1754-1920 The Descendants of Nicholas Parlin of Cambridge, Mass

This press release was produced by the Acton Historical Society. The views expressed here are the author’s own.