Hezekiah Parker was born in a travelling van at Kingsley on 29th September 1879. He was the son of Zachariah Parker (born Delamere Forest) and Louisa (nee Jones) who was born at Oswestry. Zachariah was a basket dealer.
The Census of 1881 recorded Hezekiah as Isaiah, aged one year. The family were living in a caravan at Over near Winsford, as they travelled round Cheshire peddling goods. The Parkers had four children: Rosa (10), Rhoda (8), Martha (5) and Hezekiah.
Ten years later the family were living at 11, Chester Road in Over and the father was now a horse dealer. The mother and her two eldest daughters were hawkers and Hezekiah was at school. They had another daughter named Mary, aged two years.
By 1901 they had moved to 175, Delamere Street in Over, where the parents worked as hawkers and Hezekiah was employed as a horse dealer. Rosa was now married and Rhoda had also left home.
Zachariah and Louisa and their daughter Mary were living in a gypsy van in Sutton Weaver in 1911, but there was no mention of Hezekiah. Louisa declared that all her five children were still alive. It is not known exactly where their son was living.
Hezekiah appeared on the absent voters list for Sutton in Spring 1919. He was recorded as being in the Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport Department. He had the service number 375889 and lived at Frodsham Bridge. No service records have been found for him.
Hezekiah’s father passed away in 1918 and his mother in 1920, both in the Runcorn area.
The 1939 Register showed Hezekiah as living at 346, Padgate Lane in Warrington at the house of Alice Hay, who was a widow. Hezekiah was single and employed as a coal carter.
Hezekiah Parker died on 16th August 1962 at Whitecross Hospital in Warrington. He was a retired labourer. He was 82 years of age.