Author: Parker, John
Biography:
PARKER, John (fl 1831-2)
The Pilgrimage of Ormond, a sophisticated imitation of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, has been reliably attributed to "John Parker" on the basis of a presentation copy signed by the author that is now in the Brown University Library; The Lay of the Last Pilgrim is "by the author of." Both works were published in Charleston SC. A brief note by the author at the beginning of Ormond expresses admiration for Byron and asks readers to excuse the seeming vanity of an author following in his footsteps. It is barely possible, that he was the Charleston plantation-owner and lawyer of that name, John Parker IV (1759-1832), who was a member of the Continental Congress 1786-8; however, biographical records do not indicate that he had any literary interests. His eldest son John Parker V is a better candidate. He was born in Charleston on 31 Oct. 1787, married Emily Smith Rutledge (1797-1827) in 1812, with her had eight children of whom seven grew to maturity, and died at Goose Creek SC on 3 Sept. 1849. He was also a plantation-owner. (ancestry.com 1 Oct. 2025) HJ