Daniel Morgan Parkinson (October 20, 1790 – October 1, 1868) was a farmer, hotelier,

state militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve ...

officer, and holder of various offices in frontier

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, including in the legislature.

Background

Parkinson was born on October 20, 1790, in

Carter County, Tennessee Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,356. Its county seat is Elizabethton. The county is named in honor of Landon Carter (1760–1800), an early settler active in the ...

, sixth son of Scottish immigrant Peter Parkinson. His mother, born Mary Morgan, was the sister of Founding Father

Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (c. 1736 – July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and the boy was named after his famous uncle. His father dies when he was two years old, and he was unable to spend much time in formal study, instead taking up

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. He married fellow Tennessee native Elizabeth Hyder (a cousin of General

Wade Hampton Wade Hampton may refer to the following people: People *Wade Hampton I (1752–1835), American soldier in Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and U.S. congressman * Wade Hampton II (1791–1858), American plantation owner and soldier in War of 1812 * ...

), with whom he had three sons. He left his home in

White County, Tennessee White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,351. Its county seat is Sparta. White County is in the Cookeville Micropolitan Statistical Area. History On September 11, 1806, a ...

and moved his family to various areas in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

where

lead mining Lead () is a chemical element; it has symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, lead ...

was booming. He and his sons tried lead mining but didn't like it. After serving in the 1827

Winnebago War The Winnebago War, also known as the Winnebago Uprising, was a brief conflict that took place in 1827 in the Upper Mississippi River region of the United States, primarily in what is now the state of Wisconsin. Not quite a war, the hostilitie ...

, Parkinson moved to New Diggings, then on to Mineral Point, in what was then

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

, where he ran an inn with his wife Rebecca "...a most excellent and popular landlady...." When the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...

broke out, Daniel and his son Peter Parkinson served as

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of the

territorial militia ''Territorial Militia'' () is a 1935 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Bonnard and starring Antonio Gandusio, Rosina Anselmi and Leda Gloria.Chiti & Poppi p.224 The film's sets were designed by the art director Virgilio Marchi. Synopsis A ...

under

Henry Dodge Moses Henry Dodge (October 12, 1782 – June 19, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was Democratic member to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Bla ...

, including in the decisive

Battle of Wisconsin Heights The Battle of Wisconsin Heights was the penultimate engagement of the 1832 Black Hawk War, fought between the United States state militia and allies, and the Sauk and Meskwaki tribes, led by Black Hawk. The battle took place in what is now Dan ...

. Six foot six inches in height "with bone, muscle and flesh to correspond", he was accounted an expert Indian fighter. During the war, the Parkinsons spent some time in the stockade of Fort Defiance, five miles southeast of Mineral Point. In 1832 Daniel bought 80 acres of land in

Willow Springs, Wisconsin Willow Springs is a town in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 758 at the 2010 census, up from 632 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Calamine is located in the town. Geography Willow Springs is in ...

in Lafayette County, a half mile from the fort, on the Military Road from Mineral Point to Galena. In 1833 he began building his hotel, tavern and home there on the hilltop. This two-story

I-house The I-house is a vernacular architecture, vernacular house type, popular in the United States from the colonial period onward. The I-house was so named in the 1930s by Fred Kniffen, a cultural geographer at Louisiana State University who was a sp ...

building, called the Prairie Spring Hotel, was still standing in 2021. with

Public office

Parkinson, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, was elected a delegate to the

1st Wisconsin Territorial Assembly The First Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory convened from , to , and from , to , in regular session. The Assembly also convened in special session from , to . The first session was held at Belmont, Iowa County (in present-day L ...

(which met thrice between October 25, 1836, and June 25, 1838); and again for the

Third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

, which met twice between December 7, 1840, and February 19, 1842. In 1837 he was involved in incorporating the village of Mineral Point. In 1846 he represented Lafayette County at the first Constitutional Convention. In 1849 he served in the new state of

's second

State Assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

. In 1850, he was the Democratic nominee for the

Wisconsin's 5th State Senate district The 5th Senate district of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate. Located in southeast Wisconsin, the district is composed of parts of western Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County, and eastern Waukesha County, Wiscons ...

, but lost to Whig Levi Sterling. In the 1850s he served on the Lafayette county board of supervisors, representing Willow Springs.

Death and heritage

Parkinson outlived three wives. He died on October 1, 1868, at his Willow Springs home, accompanied by his son, Peter Parkinson, who had by that time himself served in the Assembly.Tenney, Horace Addison & David Atwood. ''Memorial Record of the Fathers of Wisconsin: Containing Sketches of the Lives and Career of the Members of the Constitutional Conventions of 1846 and 1847-8. With a History of Early Settlement in Wisconsin'' Madison: David Atwood, 1880; pp. 126-28

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parkinson, Daniel People from Carter County, Tennessee People from New Diggings, Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Army officers American hoteliers American people of the Black Hawk War 1790 births 1868 deaths People from Willow Springs, Wisconsin 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature