David Parish was born in 1778 in Hamburg, Germany, where his English grandfather had struck it rich after moving his mercantile business there from Scotland. Constantly seeking adventure, Parish traveled to Philadelphia in 1806 to act as the American agent for a bullion transfer between Spain and France. With the transfer complete, Parish purchased 200,000 acres of land in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties. A prominent land speculator and financier Parish was a key contributor to the American war effort during the War of 1812, giving $7.5 million dollars. Parish moved back to Europe after joining a new banking firm in Vienna. This bank failed in 1825 and, having lost so much money, Parish drowned himself in the Danube River in April 1826.
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