﻿Biographical 
  Sketches. 
  125 
  

  

  responsible 
  and 
  sacred 
  duties 
  of 
  Class-Leader 
  and 
  Steward 
  

   in 
  the 
  church, 
  and 
  ma}' 
  truly 
  be 
  called 
  the 
  father 
  of 
  Meth- 
  

   odism 
  in 
  Durham. 
  His 
  usefulness 
  was 
  not 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  

   church, 
  although 
  the 
  christian 
  graces 
  which 
  so 
  beautifully 
  

   adorned 
  his 
  life, 
  and 
  cast 
  about 
  him 
  an 
  irresistible, 
  indefi- 
  

   nable 
  charm, 
  permeated 
  all 
  his 
  dealings 
  with 
  men, 
  both 
  

   private 
  and 
  public. 
  He 
  was 
  often 
  placed 
  by 
  his 
  country- 
  

   men 
  in 
  positions 
  of 
  public 
  trust 
  and 
  honor. 
  For 
  more 
  than 
  

   forty 
  years 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  Justice 
  of 
  the 
  Peace. 
  He 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  

   member 
  of 
  the 
  County 
  Court 
  of 
  Orange 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  

   always 
  discharging 
  his 
  public 
  duties 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  manner 
  as 
  to 
  

   elicit 
  the 
  admiration 
  and 
  confidence 
  of 
  his 
  fellow-citizens. 
  

   Seven 
  times 
  he 
  was 
  elected 
  Mayor 
  of 
  Durham, 
  dying 
  in 
  that 
  

   office. 
  The 
  citizens 
  of 
  Durham 
  would 
  have 
  no 
  other 
  when- 
  

   ever 
  he 
  could 
  be 
  prevailed 
  upon 
  to 
  serve. 
  This 
  of 
  itself 
  was 
  

   a 
  high 
  testimony 
  to 
  his 
  sterling 
  merits. 
  In 
  1850 
  he 
  was 
  

   nominated 
  for 
  the 
  General 
  Assembl}'', 
  and 
  defeated 
  only, 
  

   through 
  a 
  preponderance 
  of 
  anti-temperance 
  feeling, 
  by 
  a 
  

   very 
  small 
  majority. 
  He 
  was 
  an 
  ardent, 
  indefatigable 
  worker 
  

   in 
  the 
  temperance, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  every 
  other 
  good 
  cause 
  which 
  

   contemplated 
  the 
  moral, 
  material 
  and 
  spiritual 
  welfare 
  of 
  

   mankind. 
  He 
  was 
  elected 
  Colonel 
  of 
  .the 
  Militia, 
  before 
  the 
  

   war, 
  against 
  influential 
  opposition, 
  which 
  position 
  he 
  held 
  

   many 
  years. 
  

  

  Colonel 
  Parrish's 
  public, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  private 
  character, 
  occu- 
  

   pies 
  a 
  bright 
  page 
  in 
  the 
  ephemeris 
  of 
  life, 
  and 
  will 
  be 
  

   pointed 
  to 
  with 
  consummate 
  pride 
  and 
  pleasure, 
  as 
  a 
  guid- 
  

   ing 
  light 
  in 
  the 
  formation 
  and 
  development 
  of 
  a 
  patriotic, 
  

   chivalrous, 
  phiIanthroj->ic 
  and 
  christian 
  character. 
  With 
  

   him 
  there 
  was 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  haughtiness 
  so 
  often 
  born 
  of 
  

   affluent 
  circumstances. 
  The 
  high 
  and 
  the 
  low, 
  the 
  rich 
  and 
  

   the 
  poor, 
  had 
  equal 
  access 
  to 
  considerate 
  and 
  courteous 
  au- 
  

   dience. 
  No 
  one 
  in 
  trouble, 
  however 
  humble 
  and 
  obscure, 
  

   ever 
  appealed 
  to 
  him 
  in 
  vain. 
  His 
  temporal 
  benefits 
  were 
  

   always 
  coupled 
  with 
  spiritual 
  benedictions, 
  and 
  no 
  one 
  ever 
  

  

  