Joel C. Parker, the oldest resident dentist of Grand Rapids, Mich., and the second to establish himself in the profession in the city, was born in Gainesville, Wyoming county, N. Y., July 18,1829, and a son of Tilley and Minerva Parker, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of New York state.

Tilley Parker, the father, was a tanner and located in the Empire state when about sixteen years of age. He married Minerva Chase, and in 1854 moved to Madison, Ohio, where his wife died at the age of seventy-four years, when he returned to Wyoming county, N. Y., and died at the home of his daughter, aged eighty-three. There were four children born of their marriage, of whom Dr. Joel C. is the eldest and the only survivor. Of the other three, Lois became the wife of the Hon. Elbert Farman, who was surrogate of Wyoming county, N. Y., was for some years consul-general at Cairo, Egypt, appointed by President Hayes, and was one of the judges of the international tribunal in Alexandria appointed by several Christian nations for a general conference, and is now engaged in the practice of law at Warsaw, N. Y., his wife having died at Warsaw in 1881; Sarah was married to Rev. Lawrence S. Atkins, a Methodist minister, and died at Lima, N.Y., about 1884, her husband being also deceased; the only brother, J. Byron, came to Grand Rapids, learned dentistry under Dr. Joel C., was established in the profession here for a number of years, and, at the age of fifty-five years, died in Asheville, N. C.,. whither he had gone for the improvement of his heath, leaving a wife, who has since passed away, and two children.

Dr. Joel C. Parker was educated in the common schools of his native county and at the Wesleyan university, in Lima, Livingston county, N. Y. Until twenty-one years of age he continued to assist his father at leather making, and then, in the winter of 1851-52 taught a school in Pennsylvania. In 1852, also, he began the study of dentistry with Dr. McCullough, at Castile, N. Y., and a year later came to Grand Rapids, Mich., and has remained here ever since. In 1857 Dr. Parker married Miss Emily J. Stone (daughter of Charles Stone), also a native of Wyoming county, N. Y., born February 29, 1832, and of this union have been born four children: Mary S.; Charles S., now practicing dentistry at Settle, Wash.; Theodore S., who died in 1870, at the age of six years; Grace S., now Mrs. Joseph P. Luxford, of Grand Rapids.

Dr. Parker has kept fully abreast with the front rank in the onward march of the members of the profession, and has absorbed all the phenomenal changes and improvements made in its progress as rapidly as they have been developed, and stands high as a professional man as well as a useful citizen. He is a member of the Michigan State Dental society and of the local dental associations, and has been president of each of these bodies. For fourteen years he was a member of the board of education of Grand Rapids, and for the same amount of years a member of the state board of fish commissioners, and under all circumstances has exercised his influence for the promotion of the public welfare.

Dr. Parker has contributed many articles to the literature of his profession, and is a recognized authority on the science of dentistry. He is a thoroughly practical operator at the dental chair, is a constant student, a deep thinker and philosopher, and an inventor of unsurpassed ingenuity. He is justly entitled to the credit of inventing the telephone about 1874, and this fact can be abundantly attested by Prof. E. A. Strong, of the State Normal school at Ypsilanti, Mich. But the doctor’s professional duties were so onerous and pressing that year that he neglected to put his invention in practical form and push his claim at the patent office. In substantiation of the doctor’s claim as inventor of the telephone, the following correspondence should furnish ample evidence:

GRAND RAPIDS, MAY 9, ’99

My Dear Strong:--Will you kindly write me whether the inclosed drawing is not a substantial reproduction of a rude drawing I made for your inspection some time in the early ‘seventies, to illustrare my idea for an electric telephone? It occurred to me a short time ago that possibly I might fix the almost exact date of my invention. In going back over the mental path that lead to it, I found that my first hint was a representation of the "Reiss telephone." That was published in a journal devoted to the interests of telegraphy—published, I think, in New York, and called—if my memory is correct—"The Telegraphic Journal," It was within a week after seeing the current number that the combination represented in the cut had taken form in my mind and was shown to you. If I could find a copy of that paper, it would fix the date very definitely. You are the only living witness of this early effort of mine; all the others to whom I showed it have passed away. By replying to this you will greatly oblige.

Yours sincerely,

J. C. Parker

To this letter Prof. Strong made the following reply:

My Dear Doctor Parker:--I have always had the dreadful consciousness that I kept you out of a great world-fame and the triumph and profit of a great invention. I say always, for it seems long ago that you came to my house and broached the possibility of telephone communication. Soon after you came again with your idea more matured. You expressed your notion of a combined sender and receiver by a hastily-drawn sketch. My remembrance is on the back of an envelope that I handed you from my pocket for the purpose. The next day I read what I could find on that head and left the drawing at the place of my last search—page 464 of the first volume of the old three-volume edition of Muller Ponillek Physik—the description of the Phonautograph. I saw it there afterward, but forgot it until at Philadelphia during the continued celebration, second visit, when we all heard about the work done on Sunday at the Exposition building, with descriptions of the apparatus. Then I recalled your sketch, which seemed to me essentially similar. Going home I tried to find it, but even after an immense amount of search have never been able to do so. Some years later I tried to reproduce my memory of it by a drawing, but found that my definite recollection was too vague. I could not remember whether you represented the complete circuit or not; whether the electromagnet had a continuous core or a back-piece screwed on; whether you drew a spring to regulate contact between armature and pole, or simply put in the word "spring" etc.

Nor can I remember definitely what I said to you; I only remember that I felt distinctly unfavorable to your endeavoring to perfect and exploit the invention, arising mainly from the fact that making of a complete merchantable article and getting it before the world has always been found so expensive and exacting of time and thought. I know that I indicated this pretty clearly, and here lies my great regret, that I hadn’t sense enough to see that any sacrifice should have been made to render the invention practicable. Of course you might have worked along false lines and have failed to reach the goal ahead of others, but you ought to have had your chance. I felt there was no question but that the diaphragm would reproduce the vibrations of the vocal tones, but I did not believe with force enough for complete audition This is my confession.

Permit me still to subscribe myself.

Your friend,
E. A. Strong

The doctor has also invented several valuable appliance to the art of dentistry, chief among which is a ‘shot swager,’ which he patented in 1895, and which is now in universal; use throughout the dental world.

The doctor has passed a lifetime in Grand Rapids, and is recognized by its people as an affable, intelligent and moral citizen. In politics he was early a whig, and cast his first presidential vote for Winfield Scott. With the coming of the republican party he became a republican, voted for John C. Fremont, the first presidential nominee of this party, and also voted for the first republican mayor elected in the Union, viz: W. D. Foster, of Grand Rapids. Fraternally, the doctor was made a Mason in 1855, in Grand Rapids, has held the highest office of his lodge, that of W. M., Valley City, No. 86. He is also a member of Grand Rapids chapter, No.7.