For some reason, the Parmelees often served as
drummers, making them also responsible for summoning residents to
events in the days before meeting halls had bells. Note that
several members of the family served as drummers during the Revolutionary War.
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- Abraham 1717-1795
[05-0168] (Abraham, Isaac, John, John)
Ensign, lieutenant; of Goshen, Conn.
He was commissioned an ensign in the East Company
of the Goshen Train Band at the Colonial
Assembly's October, 1762, session. At the
October, 1766, session he was made a lieutenant.
He also served in the Revolutionary War.
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- Jehiel 1718-1776
[03-0042] (Joshua, John, John)
Lieutenant; of Guilford, Farmington, Wallingford
and Litchfield, Conn.
He was commissioned lieutenant of the 2nd Train
Band at Farmington in 1759. He had two sons, Joshua and Joel, who served
in the Revolutionary War.
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- Joel 1679/80-1748
[05-0018] (John, John)
Ensign, lieutenant; of Durham, Conn.
Commissioned lieutenant of the Durham Train Band
by the Colonial Assembly in the October, 1727,
session. At the May, 1729, session he was
commissioned a lieutenant. See his tombstone.
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- John
"Jr." 1612/1687/88
[05-0003] (John)
Drummer; Guilford, Conn.
He was hauled into court on Jan. 1, 1656/57 to
answer "a common fame or report of his
inordinate drinking upon a Trayneing day of late,
appearing in his gestures et&c. ..."
Testimony shows that he managed to upset pails of
water set out at a couple neighbors' homes with
his drum. He was fined.
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- Nathaniel 1645-1676
[05-0008] (John, John)
Lieutenant; Guilford and Killingworth, Conn.
On Sept. 28, 1666, the town of Killingworth
agreed to pay him 40 shillings per year to beat
the drum on Sabbath days to summon residents to
worship services and to maintain the drum at his
own expense. He may have fought in King Philip's War.
On a 1994 trip to Clinton, Conn. [once part of
Killingworth], I was told that as late as the
1980s one of his descendants was a bell ringer at
the Congregational church.
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- Nathaniel 1697-1759
[01-0039] (Nathaniel, Nathaniel, John, John)
Lieutenant; of Killingworth, Conn.
He was commissioned a lieutenant in the North
Society (today's Killingworth) train band by the
Colonial Assembly on May 10, 1739.
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- Oliver 1734-1816
2nd lieutenant; of Bethlehem and Woodbury, Conn.,
and Fairfax, Vt.
[03-0084] (Jonathan, Joshua, John, John)
He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in Capt.
Samuel Elmore's Company, the 3rd Company of the
colony's 4th Regiment. He later served in the Revolutionary
War.
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- Samuel 1737-1807
[05-0185] (Joseph, Isaac, John, John)
Lieutenant, of Guilford, Conn.
Named a lieutenant in the 5th Company of the
colony's 7th Regiment at the colonial assembly's
October, 1770, session, and again at the May,
1775, session. He later served in the Revolutionary War.
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- Stephen
1669-1736
[05-0105] (Stephen, John, John)
Guilford and Newtown, Conn.
A history of Newtown notes that he was hired to
beat the drum for church services, village
meetings and other public gatherings until Jan.
9, 1764, "when Abel Bottsford became bell
ringer."
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