Butte County
Biographies
JAMES VAN PARKS
JAMES VAN PARKS.--A patriotic citizen
who has shown his practical patriotism by actual military service, a warm
advocate of popular education, highly respected as an independent and fearless
justice of the peace, James Van Parks, Jr., was born in Oroville, January 5,
1869, the son of James Van Parks, a native of Prince
Edward Island. His father was a ship carpenter and
about 1856 crossed the plains to California and settled
in Butte County.
Soon
afterward the elder Parks located in Oroville and engaged in river mining; he
became experienced in this work and widely known for his cleverness in building
sluices and dams. He followed river mining for some years, and then was elected
constable of Ophir Township,
which at that time included nearly all of eastern Butte
County. So acceptable were his
services that he was frequently reelected and served in all about forty years in that office. He was also for years a messenger for
Wells Fargo Express Company, and journeyed between Oroville and Quincy. Many
times he assisted the sheriff on trips to distant points, on one occasion going
to New York to capture Black
Bart, the noted stage robber; but they did not get him. He was a clever
official, using tact and skill in the pursuit and arrest of criminals who were
more or less numerous in this part of the state in early days. One of a great
many incidents might here be related.
Shortly
after Mr. Parks was first elected constable a noted desperado, who had the
reputation of being a successful gambler and gun-man, arrived in Oroville. A
few nights after his arrival, he and several other men engaged in a gambling
game in one of the local saloons. The desperado was very successful from the
start of the game, finally he was caught cheating by one of the other players
and immediately accused of doing so. The desperado without any warning whatever
pulled his revolver and shot at his accuser, the bullet striking the man on the
inside of the left arm and inflicting a dangerous wound. The desperado without
losing any time drew another pistol from his pocket and with a gun in each hand
backed out of the saloon, defying the crowd to follow. He then went into hiding
in Chinatown. A warrant was issued from the justice
court the next morning and placed in the hands of Constable Parks. Many friends
of the young officer volunteered to be sworn in as deputies to assist him in
arresting the criminal, but Mr. Parks declined the proffered assistance,
stating that he had been elected to the position and that he did not wish to
jeopardize the life of any of his friends; he thought he could handle the
situation himself. By a clever ruse he located the house in which the desperado
was hiding and concealing himself near that house patiently waited for the
criminal to come out. About four o'clock that afternoon his patience was
rewarded by the man coming out onto the front porch bareheaded and wearing a
long linen duster; looking up and down the street, apparently to see if the
coast was clear, he stepped down into the yard and walked around the corner of
the house. No sooner had he turned around the corner of the house than
Constable Parks rushed from his hiding place and peeked around the corner where
the criminal had disappeared. The officer saw his man looking over the back
fence and soon was right at his back. When Mr. Parks was within ten feet of his
man he saw that he had a big pistol in his duster pocket. Stepping up quietly,
he slipped the man's gun out of his pocket and placed it in his own empty
holster. He then tapped the fellow on the shoulder and told him he was under
arrest. The fellow immediately whirled and grabbed for his weapon and was much
chagrined to find that he was unarmed. He admitted to the young officer that he
was his prisoner and tried several ruses to get back into the house before
going into court, but each plea was firmly but politely refused. The man
finally said he hated to go up town bareheaded, whereupon the constable loaned
the man his own hat and then marched him to the judge's office. That official
placed the man under a thousand dollar cash bail, which the criminal
immediately furnished for his appearance in court the next morning at ten
o'clock. That night he "jumped his bail" and was never seen in Butte
County thereafter. The man whom the
desperado shot recovered. Constable Parks was a crack shot with pistol and
rifle. He was a member and assisted in organizing a company of home guards here
in 1861. The Guards were organized and drilled for the purpose of joining the
Union forces if necessary. He remained a member of the company until it
disbanded. Finally he retired from office, in which he had been an influential
Republican. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, and was also an exempt
fireman, having been one of the organizers and a charter member of the Oroville
fire company, in which he was active for many years. He died in Oroville, March
13, 1911.
Mrs. Parks, who was in maidenhood Miss Margaret Noonan, was born in
Ireland and in her infancy was brought to New York by her parents and
later came with members of her family to California via Panama, settling in San
Francisco for several years.
She came to Oroville on a visit and while here met Mr. Parks. Later they were
married at Sacramento and returned
to Oroville to make their home. Mrs. Parks was one of the organizers and for
many years an officer of the first public library established in Oroville and
was one of the best read and best informed women in this part of the state.
Mrs. Parks died March 31, 1910, the mother of five boys and three girls, viz.:
Daniel N.; Agnes M.; Margaret A.; James V.; A. Lincoln; Matthew F.; John S.;
and Mattie L. Three boys and the girls grew to maturity, while one boy and
three girls are still living. The oldest daughter, Agnes M., married John G. Alm and resides at Enterprise;
Margaret and Mattie live at Oroville where the former is a bookkeeper and the
latter a teacher in the grammar school.
The
only surviving son, James Van Parks, was educated in the Oroville public
schools, and later secured a first grade certificate to teach, taking charge,
when about eighteen years old, of the Magalia school, where he remained three
years in charge of about fifty pupils. He then served as principal of the
Nelson school for two years, then taught at Meadow
Valley, Plumas
County, one term. Thereupon he was
made principal of the Quincy school in Plumas
County and held the position four
years. Each summer for six years he also taught at La
Porte, thus making a six-year service without
vacations. After that he had charge of various schools in Plumas and Sierra
Counties, and for three years was principal of
the Smartville school in Yuba
County, concluding his teaching experience with
one year as principal of the Palermo
school. As a result of these many years of pioneer and superior service in the
schoolroom, Judge Parks holds a life diploma as a teacher.
An
ardent, constructive Republican, Judge Parks was persuaded in the fall of 1906
to become a candidate for the office of justice of the peace and was elected
and entered upon his duties in the following January. In 1910 he was reelected
without opposition, and in 1914 he was again chosen for the office, this time
at the primaries and over two other candidates. How well the Judge deserves
some such consideration as this at the hands of his fellow citizens, and how
well he was prepared for such a responsible office, may be estimated from his
work under adverse conditions in the educational field. Once he taught a school
with seventy-eight pupils in nine different grades, and at La
Porte there was an attendance of sixty pupils
scattered through nine grades. Many times in the spring and fall as much as ten
feet of snow covered the earth, and the pupils came and went on snow-shoes and
skis, the young teacher mastered the skis and also the skates, and being
athletically inclined he played baseball with the boys and went snow-shoeing
and skating with them. He also played on some of the best ball clubs in Northern
California.
Soon
after the election of Judge Parks as justice of the peace, the railroad
construction undertaken here brought into the county a large floating
population of the disorderly and dangerous kind, and crime become more rampant.
His duties, therefore, were at times numerous and onerous; but with untiring zeal
he disposed of each burden of the day and was ready, with the rising of the
sun, for the next day's tasks. Besides serving as justice of the peace the
Judge is a notary and is active in conveyancing.
A
public service rendered by Judge Parks that should not be lost sight of is that
in which he was associated with the military forces of the country. Having
previously served four years in Company F, Eighth Regiment, N. G. C., or until
the company disbanded, he was instrumental in organizing Company I, Second
Regiment, N. G. C., and became the first captain of the company. While serving
with the military companies he became an expert shot with the military rifle,
qualifying as a sharp-shooter. Besides being a member of the Oroville Volunteer
Fire Department, he is president of the City Board of Education, to which he
was elected at the city election in March, 1915.
On
December 25, 1912, in the city of his birth, Judge Parks was united in marriage
with Miss Jennie M. Williams, a native of Cherokee, Butte
County, and the oldest daughter of
David H. and Annie J. Williams, pioneer settlers who are still residing here.
Two children: James V. and John W., bless this union. Judge Parks is a member
of Chico Lodge, No. 423, B. P. O. Elks; of Argonaut Parlor, No. 8, N. S. G. W.,
of which he is past president; the Woodmen of the World; the Modern Woodmen of
America, and several other fraternities.
Transcribed by Sande Beach.
Source: "History of
Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 709-712, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2008 Sande Beach.
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