>While attending the NGS convention in Richmond, VA, I went down to the Virginia Library Archives - requested the Brooke County Petitions to the Virginia Legislature. Among these records I found this:
To the honorable speaker and house of delegates of the commonwealth of Virginia.
The petition of Robert Parks respectfully represents that in the year 1796 he removed from the Kingdom of Ireland to the State of Pennsylvania, where he resided until the year 1803, when he removed to this Commonwealth where he has ever since continued.
Not intending to intermuddle in the politics of the country, and not knowing that omitting to become a citizen would result in his disadvantage, your petitioner neglected to apply for the benefit of the Act of Congress for the naturalization of foreigners. Having lately purchased and procured a conveyance of two lots of ground in Charlestown, Brooke County No. 24 and 68 and erected a valuable brick dwelling house thereon, your petitioner is now advised that being an alien he can not hold the property aforesaid, but that it has escheated to the Commonwealth. To guard against the possibility of loosing the property aforesaid your petitioner prays that your honorable body will pass an act, relinquishing to him all the rights and interest which the Commonwealth have or hereafter to have to the property aforesaid by reason of the purchase aforesaid and your petitioner well ever pray
Robert Parks
Nov 22, 1808
Presented to Courts Justice 12 Dec 1808
Award "reasonable" on 15 Dec 1808
Robert PARK(S) was born in 1773-5 in Ireland. His surname has been spelled with an “s” and without, but his sons dropped the “s”. He left Ireland in 1796 and resided in Pennsylvania prior to settling in Brooke County. He moved to Brooke County, West Virginia and transported cargo down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans on a keelboat in the early 1800’s. Please refer to the article on the keelboats at this web site for an interesting account of this early industry in Brooke County. After selling the cargo and the boat, he would return home via mule or sail to New York and ride the stagecoach home “with the gold belted around him”. Later he settled down and became a farmer. His first wife was Margaret. One article suggests that her surname was ERWIN or IRWIN and that she was born in 1777 in Ireland. Robert built a home on property in Brooke County, and petitioned the state in 1803, because he had neglected to become a naturalized citizen. Therefore he could not legally own the home and land. Fortunately, the state granted his petition and he retained his property. In 1836 Robert purchased 350 acres along the Ohio River, just south of Turkey Run, from Ephraim WELLS. Two years later he sold this property located in Jackson County to his sons, William and Robert Jr. Margaret died on Jan. 8, 1837 and is buried in the Park Cemetery at Skullrun. While an article mentions “other children”, the list below are the only specific names identified.
