I did a genealogical search for the Parchman family history in the mid 70s and found most of the Parchmans who have lived in America since 1770 until 1900 in various archives and censuses. I put together a family history which I circulated at the time to various family members. I collected boxes of correspondence and documents which I put aside until retirement. I hope now to return to the task and complete the family tree. I have about 500 Parchman names between Nicholas in 1773 and the 1900 census and can put most of them in the tree (except for slaves who took the name, but even for those, I have census records of names in 1870 and also slave schedules in censuses of 1850 and 1860). I will try to respond to queries about relationships, but have not yet done much since 1900. There are only about 500 Parchman families in America today, so we are a rare name here and also in Germany, where Parchmanns tell me we originated from the Parchim area in Mecklenburg. I've been to Parchim and Schwerin, the capitol of Meclenburg, and there are no Parchmanns there now. There are at least 124 Parchmanns in the German telephone directory, however. I hope to find someone who can connect our family there. Meanwhile, I have requested the responsibility to assume the administration of this site so I can respond to queries. Of interest is the fact that about 30 Parchmans were soldiers in the Civil War, mostly for the confederates, but some for the Union. I have the military records available from the National Archives, if anyone is interested. (My own gggrandfather Benjamin was captured by General Grant at the fall of Fort Donelson in Tennessee, and spent the rest of the war in a Chicago prison for confederate POWs. He moved with his family and several relatives from Tennessee to Arkansas before 1870.)

There is some contradiction between my records and some of the family tradition in Texas, since some of the Texas ancestors in Mississippi descended from one of 3 brothers (John, Aquilla, and Peter, all of which were sons of Phillip, the son of Nicholas, according to census records), all of whom died or were divorced before the 1850 census first listed children's names. Since John and Peter had about 10 children each listed in the 1830 and 1840 censuses, and many of these had started their own families before 1850, it is not yet possible to say which brother was the father of each child. Aquilla died after 1823, and some of his children may have been adopted by John or Peter. This could account for the legend that Aquilla was the ancestor of several families. I will try to locate marriage, land, death, and probate records in Mississippi to help clear up the problem. Any help would be appreciated.

Two of the brothers fought in the America Revolution, which makes their descendants eligible for the DAR, if anyone is interested.

Lonnie Gerald (Gerry) Parchman (8th generation in America)