Samuel Holden Parsons was born on May 14, 1737 in Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, United States. His father, Jonathan Parsons, was a strong-minded and able preacher, a follower and close friend of Whitefield. His mother, Phebe (Griswold) Parsons, was related to the influential Griswold and Wolcott families. When the theology of Whitefield proved unpopular with the Lyme congregation, the family moved in 1746 to Newburyport, Massachussets.
Samuel Holden Parsons graduated from Harvard College in 1756 and returned to Lyme to study law under his uncle, Matthew Griswold. In 1759 he received his master's degree from Harvard.
Samuel Holden Parsons was admitted to the bar, and settled in Lyme to practise. When only twenty-five Parsons was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly, where he served until 1774. In that year he moved to New London. Through ability as well as influence he was more than once chosen for important offices and, when the Revolution impended, was active in the Connecticut Committee of Correspondence. He was among the first to favor independence and one of the earliest to suggest a colonial congress. Meanwhile he had enlisted in the militia and on May 1, 1775, he became colonel of the 6th Connecticut Regiment. Before joining the troops at Boston, he shared in the taking of Fort Ticonderoga. Acting on information from Benedict Arnold, he promoted the northern expedition in Connecticut and with some friends raised funds for sending Ethan Allen and his men. After the siege of Boston he was transferred to New York and on August 9, 1776, was commissioned brigadier-general in the Continental Army.
At the battle of Long Island he tasted real fighting and barely escaped capture, but for the remainder of the war skirmishes and foraging expeditions were his lot. Stationed almost continuously on the Hudson River or on the Connecticut shore, with little opportunity for brilliance, he was nevertheless an intelligent and conscientious officer. Washington depended upon him for the defense of Connecticut and the arduous work of raising men, procuring supplies, and maintaining the morale of his troops. Because of his position on the Connecticut shore, he also had charge of an important part of the secret service. In December 1779, when General Putnam was incapacitated, Parsons became commander of the Connecticut division, having been the virtual head for over a year. Not until October 23, 1780, however, did an "ungrateful" Congress commission him major-general, a rank suiting his command. Parsons' chagrin over the failure of Congress to recognize his services only added to a discontent that had been growing since the early years of the Revolution. On quitting his practice to enter the army he had invested his small fortune in government securities the value of which had rapidly decreased. With protraction of the war and depreciation of the currency, he became alarmed concerning his large family and as early as December 1777 considered returning to civil life.
As his fears were increased by a steady decline in his health, he frequently applied for leave to resign. He was outspoken in his discontent and did not conceal his intolerance of Congressional inefficiency. Although Parsons' feelings were no different from those entertained by practically every other Continental officer, William Heron made the most of them at British headquarters when he offered to "bring Parsons over. " Heron, who found it advantageous to be "loyal" to both sides, was one of Parsons' spies, but there is no evidence to show that Parsons knew anything of his more intricate and lucrative dealings with the enemy. Moreover, despite his dissatisfaction, Parsons' zeal in serving the Revolutionary cause did not slacken, and Congress showed itself not wholly unappreciative of his services by refusing to accept his resignation until hostilities were over (July 22, 1782).
After the war Parsons settled in Middletown, whence he was sent to the legislature more than once. His later years are chiefly notable, however, for his share in the development of the Northwest Territory. He had early seen the advantage of receiving land in exchange for his government pay-certificates. With this in mind he used his influence to secure an appointment that would give him an opportunity to examine government lands to the westward, and on September 22, 1785, Congress named him a commissioner to extinguish Indian claims to the territory northwest of the Ohio. When the Ohio Company was formed to secure lands for the Revolutionary soldiers in exchange for their certificates, Parsons was one of the promoters and on March 8, 1787, was chosen one of three directors. In October of that year he became first judge of the Northwest Territory and the following April left for Adelphia, now Marietta, Ohio.
So eager was he to provide for his children that at the age of fifty-one he began the life of a frontiersman, never expecting to return to the East and doubtful whether he would see his family again. Doubts which have been raised as to his honesty when in the Ohio Company, although not substantiated, leave a faint suspicion that he may have been too eager for profits. Returning from a trip to Connecticut's Western Reserve where he also had an interest, Parsons was drowned when his canoe overturned in the rapids of Big Beaver River. He died too soon to realize the fortune he had anticipated from his lands on November 17, 1789 and left his wife and seven children in needy circumstances. He has a cenopath memorial in Mortimer Cemetery.
Samuel Holden helped General Benedict Arnold capture Fort Ticonderoga. He was one of the first judges of the Northwest Territory. Parsons participated in Connecticut's Committee of Correspondence and was one of the first people to call for the organization of the Continental Congress. He was also a director of the Ohio Land Company.
On September 1761, Samuel Holden Parsons married Mehetable Mather. Eight children were born to them, one of whom died young.
