Col. Joseph Parker Rice

Lt. Col. Joseph Parker Rice, Ashburnham MA. 1821-1862. Original painting once hung in the "Old State House in Boston".

Lt. Col. Joseph Parker Rice (1821 – September 1, 1862) was an American military officer, state legislator, community leader, and artisan who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born into a foundational family of wood craftsmen in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, he rose to become the Lieutenant Colonel and second-in-command of the 21st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. He was killed in action at the Battle of Chantilly and was subsequently honored with one of the largest public military funerals in the region's wartime history.

Military Service Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, Rice was heavily active in the local Massachusetts militia system, notably serving as a colonel of the 9th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia (MVM) before the war. He later commanded the Ashburnham Light Infantry, earning a reputation as a stern, highly disciplined drillmaster of "iron will.

At the outbreak of the war in April 1861, Rice rallied his local militia company to volunteer for federal service, enlisting roughly 80 men from the town.

Family Legacy and Early Career Rice was born in March 1821 to Joseph Rice and Susan (Balcom) Rice.

His brother, Oran Sebastian Rice, diverged into horology, learning the trade of watchmaking specifically to complement the work of his uncle, Reuben Rice Conn (father of the noted biologist Herbert William Conn). In the 1850s, Reuben Rice Conn had established a pioneering jewelry studio in nearby Fitchburg, Massachusetts. By uniting their skills, this family network laid the groundwork for a generational commercial dynasty.

Children and Business Legacy The couple's children went on to solidify a significant historical footprint within the Worcester County business landscape: Frederick William Rice: Trained deeply in the generational watchmaking and jewelry-crafting arts under the direct tutelage of his uncle Oran. Memorial Portrait: Around 1880, a formal memorial portrait was commissioned from a wartime photograph. It initially hung in the Old State House in Boston before being permanently relocated to the Westminster/Ashburnham Public Library.