Printer. Publisher. Revolutionary.

It was nine years ago that Gordon Bond dived into the world of James Parker, who in 1752 brought the first printing press to the oldest township in the state.

KATHY CHANG Gordon Bond signs his new book, "James Parker: A Printer on the Eve of Revolution," which was released in December. Bond spent nine years researching the life of Parker, who in 1752 brought the first printing press to Woodbridge Township. "I was working at a print shop on Main Street [in downtown Woodbridge] and was just walking around when I saw the Parker Press [on Rahway Avenue]," he said. "Before then, I thought Woodbridge was just known for its mall."

Bond recently published "James Parker: A Printer on the Eve of Revolution" with New Jersey Heritage Press, which was released on Dec. 14.

With the help of the township Historical Preservation Commission, Bond received a $3,000 research grant to write a book on Parker.

"This is the first book I ever wrote," he said. "And now I am working on my second book, on the train derailment [that killed 86 people] in 1951."

KATHY CHANG Gordon Bond signs his new book, "James Parker: A Printer on the Eve of Revolution." The train wreck in Woodbridge remains the fourth-worst railway disaster in U.S. history.

During his years of research, Bond met June Parker, a distant relative of James Parker, who traveled up to Woodbridge from Texas. She has since passed away.

"She was in her 80s, and this was the first time she came up here," he said. "She loved it … it was great to help her with the connections, which she had been working on her own for many years."

He also trekked down to Wilmington, Del., where Henrietta Bedford, Parker's niece, left various pieces of the family history to the Delaware Historical Society.

"I saw an old Bible dating back to the 1600s, which was owned by James' mother, Jana," he said. "There were scribbles inside the Bible, of religious passages … it was probably James practicing his penmanship."

The Parker Press on Rahway Avenue is a remake of James Parker's printing press. Bond said he has come across several theories on the location of the original printing press.

In the Rev. Joseph W. Dally's 1873 book "Woodbridge and Vicinity, The Story of a New Jersey Township," he writes that the location of the printing press was at the corner of Amboy Avenue and Grove Street, where the St. James Catholic School stands today.

Another theory, from a 1924 edition of the Woodbridge Independent newspaper, states that there was a printing office on the southerly side of Green Street.

Another theory is that Parker's print shop was burned by the British in 1777. The destruction of the shop is a story repeated many times, and was even memorialized in a painting that hangs in Woodbridge Town Hall.

"The British army did indeed pass through Woodbridge in 1777 during the battle of Short Hills during the Revolution, and they did indeed wreak havoc on the citizens of the town and surrounding areas," Bond said.

In testimonials of damage claims, the Parkers state that the havoc caused around 10 pounds' worth of damage "to part of a printing office."

"No mention is made regarding the loss of a press or any of the valuable stock and supplies that would have been kept for one," said Bond.

He said there is no definitive proof that supports the theories.

"I am still attempting to work out the exact sequence of events and just where New Jersey's first print shop was established," he said.

When Bond started digging for more information about James Parker, he met Robert McEwen, who was treasurer of the Woodbridge Historical Society for many years.

"He encouraged me to write the book," said Bond.

McEwen, who passed away in 2007, was an elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Woodbridge since 1972 and was superintendent of the church cemetery, where Parker and some of his family members are buried.

"We still don't know where Parker's body lies," said Bond.

Township officials erected a gravestone in the church's cemetery in honor of James Parker during the church's 300th anniversary celebration in1969. The gravestone was placed next to several of Parker's family members, including his mother, Jana.

In 1714, James Parker was born in Woodbridge Township to Samuel Parker and Jana Englis. By 1726, at the age of 12, he began an eightyear apprenticeship with William Bradford in New York and learned the printer's trade.

Parker was the second-oldest son of Samuel and Jana. He had an older brother, two younger brothers and two sisters.

Parker went on to become New York's premier printer and a player in several freedom-of-the-press battles. He started The Weekly Postboy and the New-York Gazette. He came back to Woodbridge in 1752 or 1753 and established the first permanent print shop in New Jersey, where he published everything from the bills passed by the provincial Assembly to a magazine to a guidebook for local officials.

Bond documents Parker's history with Benjamin Franklin, a master printer in Philadelphia, who was known for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity.

"Franklin was a mentor to Parker … they were kind of like silent partners," said Bond.

At the same time that Parker opened a print shop in New Jersey, he opened up another in New Haven, Conn., for Franklin, and started that state's first newspaper, The Connecticut Gazette.

In addition to his career in printing, Parker served as the secretary and comptroller for the British postal service in North America. He was appointed by Franklin, who had revolutionized the postal system.

Parker also served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas for Middlesex County. He was commissioned as a captain of a "troop of horse" in the militia and stepped into the pulpit as a lay reader for Woodbridge's Trinity Episcopal Church on Rahway Avenue.

Parker married Mary Ballearu, and they had two children, Samuel and Jane.

Bond said that in his opinion, historians have portrayed Parker in the wrong light.

"Most historians, from [reading] letters [of] the 1760s, have said he comes off as depressing, cranky, kind of a curmudgeon, not so charming a man," he said.

"However, if you look at the whole picture, it was just a bad time for him, with business deals going sour, his son Samuel's sickness … he was just having a bad day."

Bond said Parker had bad luck when choosing business partners. He had very acrimonious breaks with William Weyman and John Holt, which resulted in bitter lawsuits. Weyman effectively stole Parker's New York business out from under him, leaving him with debts, Bond said.

In letters that were written during happier times, Bond said, you see a man with a sense of humor and a much more lively personality. Through his research, Bond learned that Parker was an Anglican and a loyal civil servant, yet he also printed materials for anti-Anglican interests and the Sons of Liberty.

"He believed strongly in the liberty of the press, and like many printers of his day, struggled to find a balance between his idealism and the pragmatic realities of making a living," he said.

In 1769, Parker became embroiled in the controversy over a broadside he had printed for Alexander McDougall in New York. It was critical of the provincial government's handling of the Townsend Acts. The Royal governor's council investigated to discover the author, and a disgruntled former journeyman gave up Parker as the printer. It meant that Parker had to be the government's star witness against McDougall.

In June of 1770, Parker was traveling from New York to Philadelphia to visit the Franklin family on his way to Maryland. He had postal business with the Annapolis postmaster.

Debora Franklin, Benjamin's wife, was concerned for Parker's health. He had been plagued by severe cases of the gout in the latter half of his life. On the return trip, he became ill at Bristol, Pa. He had to be carried across the Delaware River to Burlington, N.J., where he died at the age of 56.

Bond said another interesting fact about James Parker is that there are no known portraits of him.

"The only thing we had was an ad that ran in the paper … the description was a man with blond hair, smooth complexion, and wearing a bright yellow outfit … the bright colors showed a status of wealth," said Bond, who gave the description to his friend Michelle Dansak, a costume expert.

"From the smooth complexion, we determined that probably he did not have smallpox. Michelle interpreted the clothing description, and then we gave the details to my mom, Jacqueline Bond, who is an artist."

An artist's rendition of James Parker is displayed on the back cover of Bond's book.

For more information, visit Gordon Bond's Web site at http://commonbondhistorians.com or call 973-292-7571.