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| NOTE: Older features have
been moved to the Archives. |
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 Noteworthy Art Commercial artist Raymond "Ray" C. Parmelee's [1882-
? ; Lewis Hall, Charles Prentice, Theodore Hudson,
Theodore, Abraham, Abraham, Isaac, John, John] work
graced the covers of dozens pieces of sheet music. Over the
years, many copies have been sold on the web, traded by
collectors and framed as art in home-decorating schemes.
Take a look at some of the Ohio native's works -- and listen
to "Polly," probably his most frequently sold cover on the
Web. UPDATED: May 1, 2009
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 Sister Act This 1857 group
portrait, "The
Parmly Sisters,"
hangs in a
gallery in
Washington,
D.C. They're the daughters of dentist
Eleazer Parmly [Eleazer, Jehiel, Stephen,
Stephen, John, John].
|  Honoring a teacher Historian and Pulitzer
Prize-winning author
David McCullough, right,
pays tribute to teacher
Elizabeth Mallory
Parmelee in a commencement address
at Wheaton College shortly before her
death. And we've run across an online
video tribute to her as well.
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Making News
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Escaping the Tsunami James Aaron Parmelee [Benjamin
Edward, George Washington, George
Washington, Moses Edward, Moses,
Oliver, Jonathan, Joshua, John, John] and
his wife, Sureepon, of Bangkok, Thailand,
were visiting their children in Missouri
when the monstrous waves killed about
250,000 people on Dec. 26, 2004.
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Family on a Budget What happens when your parenting
years overlap your retirement years?
Charles and Jan Parmalee of
Albany, N.Y., are finding out. After
having two children in the '90s,
they've added two more youngsters to
their brood. It all comes down to
dollars and sense.
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| Politics: Mr. Congressman  Over the years, I've been asked how Ashbel Parmelee Fitch
(1848-1904) fits into the family. Well, the New York City
lawyer who was four times elected to the House of
Representatives was the son of Edward Fitch and his wife,
Fanny Parmelee (Ashbel, Simeon, Hezekiah, Joel, John,
John). Ashbel was named for his grandfather, a minister who
spent much of his life in Malone, N.Y. Young Ashbel was born
in Moores, N.Y., and studied at the Universities of Jena and
Berlin, Germany, and the Columbia College Law School in New York City. After
joining the bar in 1869, he set up practice in New York City. He was elected to
Congress as a Republican when he was seated in 1887, but he ran as a Democrat in
his next three elections. He served as chairman on the House Committee on Private
Land Claims (52nd Congress) and on the Committee on Election of President, Vice
President, and Representatives (53rd Congress). He resigned in 1893 to accept
Tammany hall's nomination for New York City comptroller. He was elected and
served until 1897, when the Democratic political machine refused to renominate
him; Ashbel's name was placed in nomination at the Republican convention and he
was defeated. He became the founding president of the Trust Company of America
in 1899. Ashbel died in New York City in 1904 and was buried at Woodlawn
Cemetery.
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| Virginia House of Delgates Election  John Oscian [John Oscian, John Oscian, James McGinty, Joseph,
--?--] Parmelee, has lost his second independent bid to become a
member of the Virginia House of Delegates. In the 82nd District election
on Nov. 3, incumbent Republican Harry "Bob" Purkey prevailed with
60.4% of the vote. Democrat Peter Schmidt, polled 35.1%, while John
tallied 4.4%. Purkey has held the seat since 1986. Both candidates took
a shot at him in 2005: Schmidt, a Republican at the time, lost in the
primary; John fell in the general election with 29% of the vote. Purkey amassed
$101,000 for this campaign, Schmidt, 60, owner of a construction materials
company, had $52,000, and John reported $900. John, 66, a retired Navy chief petty
officer from Virginia Beach, campaigned for a 3- to 5-cent-a-gallon gas tax
increase. "A lot of people say boo to this, but if you're going to use the roads, pay
for it," he said. John also said he'd push to make it illegal for motorists to use cell
phones, ban Sunday liquor sales, and legislate against baggy pants. "Black guys
started it and the white guys emulate it," John said. "Exposing their underwear, they
think it's fashionable--but it isn't cool."
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| Cousins in the White House   Two men to occupy the White House are descendants of the
Guilford Parmelees! Rutherford B. Hayes, left, and George
W. Bush were declared victors after close votes and disputed
ballots in Florida. Both were Republican governors who lost
the popular vote but won in the Electoral College by slim
margins.
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Mysteries
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| Mail Call Tucked away in attics, books and libraries, they've come to light -- letters written from and to our ancestors from more
than a century ago. These are our earliest discoveries:
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- 1812: A letter written by Keziah (Hudson) Parmelee,
wife of Theodore [Abraham, Abraham, Isaac, John,
John], in Goshen, Conn., to her brother in Hudson,
Ohio.
- 1814: Letters written to Ethalinda (Parmele) Kaysor
[1786- ? ; Asa, Silas, Abraham, Isaac, John, John] of
Philadelphia, from her father Asa and sister Lucy.
- 1820s: A very young Francis Burdette Parmele writes
his mother, Lydia (Bosworth) Parmele, wife of Henry
[Joel, Nehemiah, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, John, John],
back home in Albany, N.Y.
- 1823: Lydia (Bosworth) Parmele of Albany, N.Y.,
receives sad news from friend Tary Clark of
Philadelphia.
- 1829: A 14-year-old Francis Burdette Parmele of
Albany, N.Y., writes to George B. Smith of
Schenectady, N.Y., looking for work.
- 1831: A three-page letter to 16-year-old Francis
Burdette Parmele of Albany, N.Y., from William
Brown.
- 1831: Two letters written to Lucius Parmelee
[William, Dan, Lemuel, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, John,
John] of Waterbury, Vt., from his mother, father and
siblings in Twinsburg, Ohio.
- 1833: Letter from Francis Burdette Parmele of Albany
to George Smythe of Schenectady, N.Y.
- 1833: The first of two letters from starving artist P.
Ostrander of New York to Francis Burdette Parmele of
Albany.
- 1833: A second letter from P. Ostrander to Francis
Burdette Parmele.
- 1835: Letter from Caroline (Parmele) Cole in Albany,
N.Y., to her brother, Francis Burdette Parmele, who
was attending school in Utica, Ohio.
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- 1836: Letter from Philo Cole to his brother-in-law
Francis Burdette Parmele.
- 1836: Second letter from Philo Cole to his
brother-in-law Francis Burdette Parmele.
- 1837: Letter from Frederick Cole in Albany, N.Y., to
Francis Burdette Parmele in Utica, Ohio, discussing
politics -- the Loco-Focos! -- and religion.
- 1839: Letter from John Patterson in Albany, N.Y., to
Francis Burdette Parmele in Utica, Ohio, and then
forwarded to him in Newark, Ohio, concerning some
medical books.
- 1839: Letter from Fred W. Cole in Albany, N.Y., to
Francis Burdette Parmele in Utica, Ohio, about some
vague business deal.
- Late 1830s: Caroline (Parmele) Cole of Albany,
N.Y., writes brother Francis Burdette Parmele who is
attending medical school in Utica, Ohio.
- 1840: Letter from Francis Burdette Parmele in Albany,
N.Y., to brother-in-law George Bosworth Smythe in
Newark, Ohio, concerning money matters.
- 1856: Letter written to Stewart Dean Palmerlee
[Bryan, John, Bryan, Jonathan, Joshua, John, John]
of East Hampton, Conn., informing him of the death of
his brother William.
- 1862: While held in Ohio, Confederate POW William
Jordan Parmelee [Joseph, Joseph?, Joseph, Joseph,
Isaac, John, John] wrote a letter to his wife Lydia
[Mc Ginty] that was found in a mail bag long after the
war had ended.
- 1862-65: Civil War letters written by Marcus S.
Parmele [Alexander H., Smith, Oliver, Ezra,
Nathaniel, Nathaniel, John, John] to his family in
Rockford, Ill., and penned for Gen. William Rosecrans
while serving as a member of his staff.
- 1863: Civil War letter written by Col. Theodore Weld
Parmele [Truman, Thomas Truman, Thomas, Thomas,
Job, John, John] to George H. Kimball in New
Orleans.
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