There's nothing like the
old family homestead to bring people together. For nearly
four centuries the Parmelees have made their homes
throughout North America, first living in dug-out cellar
holes in Guilford, Conn., to the farmhouses, penthouses,
condos and single-family homes of today.
The longest-surviving Parmelee home stands in
Guilford, just a block east of the Village Green. The
Hyland House, built by George Hyland in 1660 and now a
museum, was home to three generations of Parmelees,
beginning with Isaac (1665-1748/49), John Parmelee Sr.'s
grandson who married Elizabeth Hyland, George's daughter.
Their son Ebenezer
(1690-1777) and his family lived in the house and passed
it on to Ebenezer Jr. (1738-1802), whose portrait hangs in an upstairs bedroom.
The house sits at 84
Boston St., once the main road from Boston to New York
City. Express rider Israel Bissel galloped west past the
Parmelee home about sunrise on April 21, 1775, on his way
from Boston to New York, awakening the town with the news
of the Battles of Lexington and Concord two days earlier.
The house passed out of the family's hands in 1793.
Here is a collection of
old family homes:
|