He was born in Oneida Castle, New York on April 17, 1824, the youngest of eight children of Stephen and Sally (née Gibson) Parkhurst.

After graduating from the Oneida Academy, he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in New York in 1847.

He practiced for two years before moving to Michigan in 1849, where he continued to work as a lawyer until 1861.

[2][3] Parkhurst served as colonel of the 9th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, and became Provost Marshal General for the Department of the Cumberland.

[2] John Gibson Parkhurst died at his home in Coldwater, Michigan on May 6, 1906.