Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Parry, William 1830 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 18, 2006, 9:35 pm

Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908)

  WILLIAM PARRY is one of the oldest settlers and best known residents of Little

Rock township. He has resided on the farm where he now lives thirty-six years,

during which time he has taken an active part in the affairs of the community.

He owns 480 acres of land in Little Rock, his home place being the northeast

quarter of section 26.



  William Parry was born at Anglesea, in North Wales, on March 28, 1830, the son

of Richard and Elenor Parry, both of whom died in their native land. Upon

reaching his majority he came to the United States, arriving in May, 1851. He

went to Waukesha county, Wis., remained there six months only, and then moved to

Iowa county, of the same state, which was his home until his arrival in Nobles

county in 1872. For a few years he engaged in the lumber business, livery

business and other occupations in the town of Mineral Point, and then became a

farmer.



  It was during his residence in Wisconsin that Mr. Parry enlisted for service

in the union army during the civil war. He joined company E, of the 30th

Wisconsin infantry, Aug. 22, 1862, and served until his muster out at

Louisville, Ky., just before his three year term had expired. His regiment was

on provost duty during the entire period of enlistment, in which duty Mr. Parry

saw service in many parts of the country.



  It was during his army service that Mr. Parry conceived the idea of some day

making his home in the new country of southern Minnesota. His duties had called

him to southwestern Minnesota, to the country north of Nobles county, and,

liking the lay of the land, he decided that some day he would return and make

his home there. In the spring of 1872 a party of Dodgeville, Wis., people

consisting of William Parry, William Faragher, Jr., Geo. Hidgins, Henry

Faragher, William Quine, wife and baby, Thomas Quine, William Jones, John Quine

and John Quine, Jr., set out for the new country. Their first stop was in Iowa,

east of Sibley, where all selected land for filing. There they met a man named

Hugh Jones, who told them of the beautiful country lying along the Little Rock

to the north. All accompanied him to the new land and in May the entire party

filed on land in what was later formed into Little Rock township.



  Mr. Parry selected the northeast quarter of section 26 for his homestead. He

then returned to his old home, but came back to his claim on Oct. 4, making the

trip by team, and his home has been on his homestead ever since. He encountered

all the hardships and trials of the pioneer carving a home out of the

wilderness. During the grasshopper days he suffered a partial failure of crops

each year, but managed to harvest a part of a crop each season.



  For four or five years Mr. Parry served as postmaster of Little Rock

postoffice, which was located at his home. He was in charge of the office at the

time of its discontinuance owing to the establishment of rural mail routes. He

served a four year term as county commissioner, having been elected on the

republican ticket from the Fourth district in 1884. He was chairman of the

Little Rock township board for several years and has served on the school board

of his district at many different times.



  Mr. Parry was married at Mineral Point, Wis., Jan. 2, 1860, to Elenor Frances

Campbell. She was born in Ireland in 1837, the daughter of English and Scotch

parents, and came to the United States when a child. She died at the family home

in Little Rock township Feb. 16, 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Parry were the parents of

four children—Eugene, of South Dakota; William, who farms the home place;

Annette and Mary (Mrs. Levi Rue).



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:



AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY

MINNESOTA

BY

ARTHUR P. ROSE



NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY 

WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA 

PUBLISHERS

1908



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