Joseph Parsons Jr. (1647–1729) was an early settler and prominent colonial leader in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

. Parsons Jr. was born in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

on November 1, 1647. His father, Cornet Joseph Parsons Sr., immigrated to America from England around 1635, and was one of the witnesses to the deed that transferred ownership of Springfield from the Native Americans to the English settlers. He later became one of the original settlers of Northampton, Massachusetts. Parson Jr.'s mother,

Mary (Bliss) Parsons Mary Bliss Parsons (1628–1712) was an American woman who was accused of witchcraft, but was exonerated, in 17th-century Massachusetts. Background Parsons was born to Thomas and Margaret (Hulins) Bliss in Gloucestershire, England in 1628. Her f ...

was accused of witchcraft several decades before the far more notorious Salem Witch Trials, although she was ultimately acquitted. Parsons Jr. lived most of his life in Northampton. On March 17, 1669, he married Elizabeth Strong, the daughter of John Strong, the lead elder of the church and prominent resident of the town. Parsons Jr. was involved in several business enterprises in and around Northampton, including grist mills, sawmills, and iron. He later became active in politics; in 1696, he was commissioned as one of the four judges on the Hampshire County Court of Common Pleas, which at the time included all of Western Massachusetts. He served in this capacity until 1719. Parsons Jr. also served as a representative in the Massachusetts General Court; he represented Springfield in 1706 and 1708, and Northampton from 1711-1715, 1717, 1721, and 1724. In addition, he held several other minor offices; in 1700, he was appointed as the first town moderator in Northampton history, and he also served as

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for a number of years. Throughout most of Parson Jr.'s life in Northampton,

Solomon Stoddard Solomon Stoddard (September 27, 1643, baptized October 1, 1643 – February 11, 1729) was the pastor of the Congregationalist Church in Northampton, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He succeeded Rev. Eleazer Mather, and later married his widow aro ...

was the pastor of the church. However, by 1725 Stoddard was 82 years old and unable to fulfill all of his pastoral duties alone. So, the town voted seven members onto a committee to find a suitable candidate to assist, and upon Stoddard's death, replace him as pastor. Joseph Parsons Jr. was one of the members of this pastoral search committee, which ultimately chose

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician ** ''Jonathan Edwards'' (album), debut album ...

, whose tenure as pastor would lead to the Great Awakening. Joseph Parsons Jr. died in Northampton in November, 1729.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Joseph Jr. 1647 births 1729 deaths Politicians from Springfield, Massachusetts People from colonial Massachusetts American people of English descent Members of the Massachusetts General Court 17th-century American businesspeople 17th-century Massachusetts politicians History of Hampshire County, Massachusetts Politicians from Northampton, Massachusetts 18th-century Massachusetts politicians