Re: Surname Parmalee
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In reply to:
Surname Parmalee
Jennie Cole 11/21/09
The origin of the surname Parmelee is of debate this side of the "pond". No genealogical records indicate the origin but some historical context does. Maurice Parmelee (with the "e" and often with only one "e" at the end) was said to be French rather than English because he can be found in Belgium. A Hugenot connection was denied by the Hugenot Society. We also find Parmelee in Surrey County England and immediate surroundings. It is said Parmelee translates to "Palmer in the Field" because a devout religious believer carries palms across a golden field during his pilgrimage.This of course is ironic because the Parmelee family were found to be staunch Calvinist Puritans throughout colonial New England; they built and were leaders in the Congregational Church until 1819. The reason we have separation of church and state in the United States is because the Congregational Church of New England used to also be the state. Instead it may have something to do with their legacy as millers, owners of "cornemills" or gristmills and sawmills for generations on both sides of the pond. While in New England they improved themselves through milling and exports, to become first lawyers, first doctors, and first dentists of this country. They pronounced their name "pamly" because everyone used to talk in the colonial era like Bostonians talk today - without the pronounciation of "r". Anyone with the lineage of Parmelee shares in a large piece of American history.