We only have one photo of Carolyn. But we also have a photo of her home, her husband and her two daughters. Carolyn was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts on 12/20/1837. She passed from pneumonia in Quincy, Massachusetts as a young mother on 2/15/1866. It is from her older daughter, Mary, from whom I descend.
Caroline’s Portrait
Verbal history tells us that the original portrait lives with a cousin on Cape Cod. We have this photograph of that portrait to share. I have that the portrait was done in 1862, which would have been 4 years before her death.
Carolyn was born to Samuel K. Parker and Sally Bailey in Stoneham, Massachusetts. She had an older brother Francis, 3 years older, and an older brother, Warren 2 years her senior who died in childhood and a younger sister, Clara, 10 years younger than her.
Carolyn wrote to her family weekly when she moved to Quincy and mentions political events. She also mentions her sister, Clara to whom she writes. The letters have been typed out for reading on this Website.
John Page Jr.
Caroline married John Page Jr on January 17, 1859. He is descended from the Bedford, Massachusetts Page Family. Specifically, John is the Great, Grandson of Nathaniel Page well known to be the one who carried the first Flag to represent our country at the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
He outlived her, remarrying, having a son and living to the age of 68.
Caroline and John’s Home.
John and Carolyn at first lived in Woburn, where they had Warren and Mary. They then bought a home in Quincy, Massachusetts at 178 Washington Street. This is where Alice was born.
John set up a tannery in the barn. In this photograph, John stands, hands on hips in front of the door of his barn. He is wearing a leather apron which would be what he would wear while tanning.
This home no longer stands. A Commercial Bank now sits on the property. I don’t have a date of this photo but I do know that John was living here in 1864 and died in 1902. He died in an accident in the tannery at the age of 68 years old.
Worth noting is that Carolyn only lived here 3 or 4 years. She would have moved here when she was about 26 with one toddler. Here she gave birth to a second daughter and then passed from pneumonia 2 years later. She was here in this house with her family for only a few years. But the letters she wrote and their descriptions of her life, children, family and home live on and provide us with her voice. For that I am so grateful.
Caroline’s Children.
We are so fortunate to have this photo. Carolyn gave birth to three children. This is Mary and Alice.
Mary is seated, she is my Great, Great Grandmother. The girl standing is Alice, 2 years younger.
Carolyn had a son, Warren in 1860 who died as an infant, which is ironic as she had a brother, Warren, who also died as an infant. She then had Mary the following year in 1861 , then 2 years later had Alice. Carolyn died 2 years after that in February of 1866.
Caroline’s Timeline
Here my lineage to Carolyn.
Susannah Allen > Ruth Balentine b.1939 > Sarah Kohler b.1921 > Inez Allen b.1889 > Mary Page b.1861 > Carolyn Parker b.1837
The Link to Caroline’s Letters
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