* CENOTAPH MEMORIAL

John Parsons

Son of Solomon Parsons and Lydia Sturgill
Grddau of DAR Francis Sturgill and Rebecca Hash
Descendants of Rev War vets Old John Hash, William H Hash Sr, Ephraim Osborne

Called Sq John and Esquire John pronounced Square John

John and his family are not buried here!!
This is a CENOTAPH ONLY. See below!

John Parsons was a Justice of Peace for Ashe county until Alleghany county was founded in 1859.
He was one of the founding Alleghany Commissioners 1859.

DATE OF BIRTH
I have the Parsons family bible that says John was born 1/19/1805.
The Sturgill books says just 1805.

DATE OF DEATH ERROR ON STONE
The Sturgill book has no death date for John.
I have the Parsons family bible that says he died 1/24/1892.
It was written by his family at the time of his death and should be correct.
The stone was done 80 years after his death and was wrong.

MARRIAGES
He married
1 ca 1826 Margaret Gambill, granddaughter of DAR Capt John Cox and DAR Capt Martin Gambill, Grt Grddau of DAR Col William Nall

2 ca 1846 Phebe Laxton, dau of Thomas and Ruth Laxton of Potato Creek Va and Wilkes Cty NC.

SEE THE WIVES FOR CHILDREN.

CEMETERY LAWSUIT
SEE THIS NOTE ABOUT THE REAL/SECOND/OTHER CEMETERY.
The Sq John Parsons family bodies are all buried at their home site on Cindy Lane in Piney Creek, in a destroyed cemetery.
That is the REAL cemetery.

John and family are buried with several babies and many slaves/freed slaves (some of which may be related to the Parsons) at the old home site down the road from Mt Carmel Baptist Cemetery where their memorial/cenotaph stone is.

Sq John founded Mt Carmel with his family. That is why it was chosen for the centotaph

The Home site cemetery was destroyed in the 1980s (the new owner did not want a cemetery on their property and the new owner's prominent lawyer told the Parsons family not to trespass or to complain).
He told us the new owners did not want to be bothered with a cemetery!
NC CEMETERY laws had no teeth then!

Those new owners are now long gone (2015) and the Lawyer is a Supreme Ct Judge!!!!!
The cemetery is still destroyed and the original stones are still lost!!!!
Several slave descendants are researching the slaves' names so cenotaph stones can be put up
The Parsons family is pursuing legal routes to get our real/family homesite/cemetery back and to restore it as is our right.

The family put up this cenotaph/memorial stone here at Mt Carmel with no bones moved.