American Revolutionary War casualty. Born c.1744, 34-year-old Captain Thomas Parcel (a.k.a. Parsil) was mortally wounded at the Battle of Connecticut Farms (present day Union, NJ) in June 1778. He was consequently brought to his home*, where he died under the shade of a large locust tree on the second anniversary of the declaration of American independence, July 4, 1778. Predeceased by two baby daughters, Lucy and Elizabeth, Captain Parcel's survivors included his younger brother Nicholas, who was killed two years later at the Battle of Springfield, NJ. All are buried here, as is his widow, Lois. Although she later remarried, she chose to be buried at the Captain's side after her death 44 years later. The patriotic Parsil brothers' brown sandstone steles, cut by the same carver, feature soul effigies of the portrait type, which was typical of the latter part of the colonial era. The Captain's bears a grimly Puritanical inscription that harks back to earlier days:
"Inclosed (sic) within this gloomy Mansion lies
One who was regarded good and wise
When Death's dark Cloud obscured ye vital Sight
Life's Sun waxed dim & plunged ye Shade of Night
Attend ye Fair ye wise surround the Tomb
Peruse these lines to know your Doom"
*This tree and the more than 300-year-old Parsil House, located near the burial ground at 423 White Oak Ridge Road, were razed by luxury home contractor Ron Zemel in March 2011. Zemel, who had purchased the property, declined to wait for the local zoning board to hear the case for the removal of the house to a location nearby.
"Anonymous" gravestone photo taken by Nikita Barlow in March 2006.
"Inclosed (sic) within this gloomy Mansion lies
One who was regarded good and wise
When Death's dark Cloud obscured ye vital Sight
Life's Sun waxed dim & plunged ye Shade of Night
Attend ye Fair ye wise surround the Tomb
Peruse these lines to know your Doom"
*This tree and the more than 300-year-old Parsil House, located near the burial ground at 423 White Oak Ridge Road, were razed by luxury home contractor Ron Zemel in March 2011. Zemel, who had purchased the property, declined to wait for the local zoning board to hear the case for the removal of the house to a location nearby.
"Anonymous" gravestone photo taken by Nikita Barlow in March 2006.
American Revolutionary War casualty. Born c.1744, 34-year-old Captain Thomas Parcel (a.k.a. Parsil) was mortally wounded at the Battle of Connecticut Farms (present day Union, NJ) in June 1778. He was consequently brought to his home*, where he died under the shade of a large locust tree on the second anniversary of the declaration of American independence, July 4, 1778. Predeceased by two baby daughters, Lucy and Elizabeth, Captain Parcel's survivors included his younger brother Nicholas, who was killed two years later at the Battle of Springfield, NJ. All are buried here, as is his widow, Lois. Although she later remarried, she chose to be buried at the Captain's side after her death 44 years later. The patriotic Parsil brothers' brown sandstone steles, cut by the same carver, feature soul effigies of the portrait type, which was typical of the latter part of the colonial era. The Captain's bears a grimly Puritanical inscription that harks back to earlier days:
"Inclosed (sic) within this gloomy Mansion lies
One who was regarded good and wise
When Death's dark Cloud obscured ye vital Sight
Life's Sun waxed dim & plunged ye Shade of Night
Attend ye Fair ye wise surround the Tomb
Peruse these lines to know your Doom"
*This tree and the more than 300-year-old Parsil House, located near the burial ground at 423 White Oak Ridge Road, were razed by luxury home contractor Ron Zemel in March 2011. Zemel, who had purchased the property, declined to wait for the local zoning board to hear the case for the removal of the house to a location nearby.
"Anonymous" gravestone photo taken by Nikita Barlow in March 2006.
"Inclosed (sic) within this gloomy Mansion lies
One who was regarded good and wise
When Death's dark Cloud obscured ye vital Sight
Life's Sun waxed dim & plunged ye Shade of Night
Attend ye Fair ye wise surround the Tomb
Peruse these lines to know your Doom"
*This tree and the more than 300-year-old Parsil House, located near the burial ground at 423 White Oak Ridge Road, were razed by luxury home contractor Ron Zemel in March 2011. Zemel, who had purchased the property, declined to wait for the local zoning board to hear the case for the removal of the house to a location nearby.
"Anonymous" gravestone photo taken by Nikita Barlow in March 2006.
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