Researching John Parry

Parry was born in Newmarket (now known as Trelawnyd), Flintshire, in north-east Wales. Prior to his conversion to Mormonism, Parry was a Campbellite minister and was the leader of a church in Newmarket called "John Parry's Association", which was fashioned after the teachings of Alexander Campbell. In 1846, Parry and his wife Mary Williams were baptized by Mormon missionaries. About the Parrys, one commentator has stated that they were "in all likelihood the most distinguished of the Welsh to join the Church up to that time, and [their conversion] caused great excitement among other Welsh Mormons".

In 1849, Parry and about 100 Welsh Mormons sailed from Liverpool to America. Upon arriving in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on May 17, 1849 Mary Parry died of cholera. Parry continued the Mormon pioneer journey to Utah Territory and arrived later in 1849.

At the October 1849 general conference of the LDS Church, Parry conducted 85 Welsh converts in singing several musical numbers. After the conference, church president Brigham Young invited Parry to formally organize a church choir that could provide music at future church conferences. Parry thus proceeded to organize what would later be called the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Parry was the conductor of the choir until 1854, when he was succeeded by Stephen Goddard.

Like many early Latter Day Saints, Parry practiced plural marriage. In 1851, he married Patty Bartlett Sessions, and over the next two years he would marry Grace Ann Williams—a sister of his deceased wife Mary—and Harriet Parry, one of his first cousins. Parry was the father of 12 children.

Parry died in Salt Lake City and was buried there.

Edwin F. Parry, a son of John Parry, was a Mormon hymnwriter.

Parry was born in Harrogate. His brother is named Mark and works at Collier Park Golf in Perth, Western Australia. He won several high-profile amateur tournaments including the Danish and Spanish Amateur Championships, and represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup before turning professional at the end of 2007.

Parry won the 2009 Allianz Golf Open Grand Toulouse on the Challenge Tour. He ended that season in 14th place on the Challenge Tour Rankings to earn his card on the top level European Tour for 2010. During his rookie season he won the inaugural Vivendi Cup to secure a one-year exemption on the tour. Parry was unable to follow up his win and in 2021, he was playing on the third-tier PGA EuroPro Tour.