The Kingston Historical Society congratulates Markus McParland, author of Community Collection for Kingston NJ, a new resource for understanding Kingston, NJ.
On May 27th, 2026, Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission awarded Markus the 2026 Young Historian Award.
The event was captured on YouTube:
Markus McParland of Franklin Township was honored for his incredible contributions to local history, including authoring a comprehensive 570-page book detailing the rich history of the village of Kingston, New Jersey. Beyond his extensive writing and research, Markus is dedicated to giving back to the community through regular lectures at local libraries and historical society events.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo7m8SCsCYg
Along with this prestigious recognition, Markus was awarded a $500 scholarship to support his continued academic pursuits.
Markus worked on this project while a student at YingHua School in Kingston, and presented a talk to the Historical Society in 2023:
https://www.khsnj.org/community-collection-for-kingston-nj-2023-video/
The book, is available at Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/community-collection-for-kingston-nj-markus-mcparland/1143512764
He is now a student at Notre Dame High School, in Lawrenceville, NJ.
PS: In 2023 Markus received the following commendation from Franklin
Township, Somerset County:
https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/franklintwpnj/63704bfc-7013-11ed-9024-0050569183fa-f80ed482-43e7-4748-a6dc-f6046c7db524-1697827491.pdf
Markus McParland Commendation
Deputy Mayor Anbarasan presented the following commendation:
WHEREAS, Markus McParland is currently a resident of Franklin Township and a freshman at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, Markus reads, writes and speaks fluent Mandarin and is currently training in Taekwondo where he has earned his 2nd degree Black Belt; and
WHEREAS, as part of his community project, Markus put together articles, stories and photographs resulting in a published 300+ page book on the history of Kingston, entitled “Community Collection for Kingston, NJ”;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Mayor and Council of the Township of Franklin, County of Somerset, State of New Jersey hereby commend and recognize Markus McParland for his exemplary accomplishments and wish him well in his future endeavors.