Individual 2265: Thomas Parvin

Individual Record 2265

Name} Parvin, Thomas

Family History} Hancock

Title}

Race}

Sex} Male

Birth: Date} Fam 1731

Place}

Marr.: Date} Cal 1764

Place} (Link)

Death: Date} Fam 1823

Place} , Bourbon, Kentucky

Burial: Date} Cir 1823

Place}

Grave Marker}

Source 1}	1250=Family history
Source 2}	1274=Family history
Source 3}	1275=Family history
Source 4}	1276=Geog history
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Source 10}

Parents: } Thomas Parvin & Catherine ?
Relationship No.} None

1st Household No.}

Occupation 1} School teacher
Occupation 2} Typesetter

Religion/Church} Friends/Quaker

Spouses: First} Unknown female
Total Number of} 1?

Notes: Thomas worked as an apprentice printer under William Bradford in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, years before he moved his family to Kentucky.

Thomas apparently arrived at Crow's Station, near Danville, Kentucky, with his family in 1784. Two years later Thomas moved about one-half mile below Stroud's Station, in what is now Clark County, with the John Constant and James Stamper families. The place was then called Constant's Station since it was on John's land. Constant's Station at that time consisted of four houses in a quadrangle on the south side of a lane running down to Strode's Creek. James Stamper had a double house with a partition in the middle. Stamper's family occupied one half and Thomas Parvin's family occupied the other half. Thomas was poor and had many children.

Thomas and his family were at Constant's Station when two of his little children who had been gathering spices alone were killed by Indians in 1785 or 1786.

Thomas was a weakly little man and was a school teacher at Strode's Station (the first school in Clark County, Kentucky) for some time. A year or so later, Thomas received several calls from John Bradford (no relation to William Bradford of Philadelphia, above), who had been appointed public printer by the state. John wanted Thomas to come to Lexington to set up and print the Kentucke Gazette — the first printing in Kentucky. But Thomas had not printed in 20 years and his hands trembled badly from the palsy. He doubted that he could help. At length Bradford sent one of his brothers who induced Thomas to come to Lexington temporarily.

When Thomas arrived in Lexington in the summer of 1787 there was only a path where Main Street was later to be. As one contemporary said jimson weeds grew so thick you couldn't see a hog on either side ten feet from the path. Type was brought down from Pittsburg and Thomas set the type for the first issue of the Kentucke Gazette. On 11 Aug 1787, Bradford gave Thomas, the first journeyman printer in Kentucky, the honor of striking the first sheet. Thomas was the first person who worked in the office of the Gazette.

After three months Bradford asked Thomas to move permanently to Lexington and stay on the paper. As other workers developed their skills, Thomas cut back to one day a week and taught school in Lexington.

Later Thomas moved to Bourbon County, near the Clark County line, were he lived until his death in about 1823.

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Photo} None

Immigr'n Date}

Port}

Education: Grade} or Top 2 Degrees}

Military: Service} for the State of}

Health Condition}
Cause of Death}

Last Updated
by} Dan Hancock

Date Updated} 2 Nov 2010
Date Created} 19 Oct 2010

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