This home was built by John Parmelee (1755-1828; Jeremiah, Lemuel, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, John, John) on the eve of the Revolution on property his father gave him in present-day Chester [then Saybrook] along the Killingworth town line. John, who served as a drummer in the war, moved to Vermont, where his father had relocated, and later took his family to Connecticut's Western Reserve, where he lived out the rest of his life on a farm near Sullivan, Ohio. His old house has been incorporated into The Inn at Chester, a modern-day resort and conference center, and is rented out as a suite. Click here to see a sign from the establishment.

Newtown, Conn.
Jedidiah Parmelee

This home was built by Jedidiah Parmelee (1702-1786; Stephen, John, John) and is one of the oldest in Newtown. It's around the corner from his brother Noah's, below.

This house, on 24 Points o' Rocks Road, belonged to Noah Parmelee (1699/1700-1770; Stephen, John, John) and is around the corner from his brother Jedidiah's, above. The left side was built first, with two bake ovens by the fireplace.

A kitchen fire caused significant damage to this home in January, 2006. The house, at 293 Route 148, has been recognized by the Killingworth Historical Society. The home was built by Samuel (1743-1808; Ezra, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, John, John). Investigators determined that the fire started when a pot was left on the stove. Samuel's name can be found in Revolutionary War records.

Henry Barnard Hall, on the Yale campus, was built as a home for Charles H. Farnam. In 1891, it was the residence of Henry R. English. And in 1896, Henry Spencer Parmelee (1844-1902; Spencer "Thomas," Henry, Samuel, Joseph, Isaac, John, John), the man who patented the automatic fire sprinkler, bought it. His son, Henry Francis (1875-1918), lived there until his death. Two years later it was purchased by the university. The building was assigned to the Department of Education, including the Yale Psycho-Clinic (1920-27). In 1925, the building at 28 Hillhouse Ave. was named to honor Henry Barnard, the first U.S. Commissioner of Education.

• Houses Part I: Family homes in Guilford, Conn.
• Houses Part III: Family homes east of the Mississippi.
• Houses Part V: Family homes west of the Mississippi.