Person:Robert Parker (54)

He embarked with his family from Liverpool, 23 Mar 1856, on the Enoch Train, part of a group of 431 Mormon emigrants (mostly English but including some from other parts of Europe). They arrived at Boston 1 May 1856 and immediately traveled by rail to Iowa City for the trek to Utah. Full details & the passenger list can be found at the "Mormon Migration" website (hosted by BYU).

An attorney originally from Preston, Lancashire (now living in Los Angeles), runs the Preston Digital Archive at Flickr:

The Parker family occupied a terraced house in Victoria Rd., Avenham, in Preston for two or three years before emigrating to America (i.e., c.1852).

These are the parents of Robert LeRoy Parker, A/K/A Butch Cassidy, the famous American outlaw. Butch Cassidy's Father, Maxmilian Parker, left Preston with his family in 1856 at age 12 to follow the Mormon faith and settled in Beaver, Utah.

Robert LeRoy Parker ("Butch") was born in Beaver, Utah in the early hours of 29 March (Friday the 13th) 1866, in the middle of a Ute Indian attack. And the rest has been written by those far more competent than I.

A great many people believe that Butch Cassidy was born in Preston. This is simply not true. Nor did he ever visit the town, having spent his entire (eventful) life in North America and Mexico.

Maxmilian's father, Robert Parker, had an interesting life. Robert was born in Burnley in 1820 and for a time he was a street urchin in Manchester, begging for farthings to help relieve the family debts, even turning to stealing for a while. In 1843 he met and married a girl from Colne. Shortly thereafter the newlyweds moved to Accrington to be close to the Mormon Church. Robert changed his ways and progressed well within the Mormon community. This culminated in Robert being called to be president of the Preston Mission. Robert moved his family from Accrington to Preston in 1853 to take up the appointment.

Robert Parker was Charles Dickens's (distant) cousin and it was said that because of his childhood experiences on the streets of Manchester and London that he became Dicken's inspiration for Oliver Twist.

Some of this is from [www.prospector-utah.com/butch.htm www.prospector-utah.com/butch.htm].

COMMENTS:

MIDDLE FORD MISS:
I read in some papers about Mormons in the area, that Charles Dickens based his account of an emigrant ship in The Uncommercial Traveller on a true life account, maybe he was seeing off Mr. Parker from Liverpool Dock.

PRESTON DIGITAL ARCHIVE:
The ship they boarded at Liverpool was the Enoch Train. I'm not an expert on Dickens but there may be a connection. This also raises the question: When Dickens visited Preston and formed his images of Coketown, was there a meeting with the Parker Family?

MIDDLE FORD MISS:
Neither am I, but it's a possibility isn't it? Do we know when Dickens visited Preston and when the ship sailed? He visited in 1854, so that was while they (the Parkers) were still living in Preston. Maxmilian Parker arrived at Boston Harbour on the 26th May 1856.

Ann Campbell Gillies set off from Liverpool aboard the Samuel Curling in May of 1856. From Boston they went to Iowa. In Iowa they traveled, or should I say walked, with the first handcart company, set up to cheaply move emigrants to Salt Lake City. They traveled with Capt. Edmund Ellsworth's Handcart Co. and walked a distance of 1,300 miles.

Acrington, Lancashire, England, 1851 UK census:^[2]

Parker, Robert Head 31 yrs Warper b. Lancashire (Burnley)

      Ann Wife 32 yrs b. Lancashire (Marsden)

      Maximilian Son 6 yrs Scholar b. Lancashire (Accrington)

      Martha Alice Dau 4 yrs b. Lancashire (Accrington)

      Arthur Son 11 mos b. Lancashire (Accrington)

Beaver County, Utah, 1860 census^[3]

Parker, Robert 40 yrs Far[mer] (real estate = $200; personal estate = $250) b. England

      Ann 41 yrs b. England

      Maximilian 16 yrs b. England

      Martha 14 yrs b. England

      Arthur 10 yrs b. England

      Ada 5 yrs b. England

      Ellen 6/12 yr b. Utah Territory

Beaver County, Utah, 1870 census^[4]

Parker, Robert 50 yrs Factery Hand (real estate = $300; personal estate = $300) b. England

      Ann 50 yrs Keeping House b. England

      Adah 15 yrs At Home b. England

      Ellen 10 yrs b. Utah Territory

      Caroline 8 yrs b. Utah Territory

Washington County, Utah, 1880 census^[5]

Parker, Robert 60 yrs Post Master b. England (parents, b. England)

      Anna 61 yrs Wife Keeping house b. England (parents, b. England)

      Caroline 18 yrs Dau at home b. Utah Territory (parents, b. England)

Washington County, Utah, 1900 census^[6]

Parker, Robert 80 yrs (b. Mar 1820) (marr. 57 yrs) b. England (parents, b. England) (immigrated 1856) Dry Goods Merchant

      Ann 81 yrs (b. Mar 1819) (9 children, 5 living) b. England (parents, b. England) (immigrated 1856)

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Find A Grave.

   Find a Grave

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Lancashire, England. 1851 Census Returns of England and Wales. (General Register Office)
   folio 323, p. 38 (151 Water Flats).
3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Beaver, Utah, United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration Publication M693)
   p. 729, dwelling/family 1010/915.
4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 Beaver, Utah, United States. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   p. 10B, dwelling/family 93/83.
5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 Washington, Utah, United States. 1880 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   ED 93, p. 370B, dwelling/family 42/43.
6. ↑ ^6.0 6.1 Washington, Utah, United States. 1900 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   ED 175, p. 241, dwelling/family 423/442.