Frontier Religion: Elder Daniel Parker - His Religious and Political Life

Imbibing the promise of Jeffersonian egalitarianism, some Americans in the early nineteenth century sought to gain positions of leadership in politics and religion. Born in 1781, Daniel Parker was such a leader. A controversial figure among frontier Baptists in Tennessee, Illinois, and Texas, he also achieved political prominence. From 1822 to 1826 Parker held a seat in the Illinois Assembly. After immigrating to Texas, he became an acquaintance of Sam Houston and sat in the Texas Provisional Go…