My Genealogy Hound

J. H. Parnell, of Marianna, Ark., was born in Southern Alabama, July 4, 1837, and is a son of John and Temperance Jane (Avery) Parnell, the former having been born in Putnam County, Ga., in 1806, and died in February, 1889, a farmer by occupation. He was a Whig in politics, was strongly opposed to secession, and served for some time in the capacity of magistrate. At the time of his death he weighed 225 pounds. His wife was born in South Carolina, and when young was taken to Alabama, where she grew to womanhood and met and married Mr. Parnell. She died about 1850, having borne a family of sixteen children, only the four oldest and the four youngest being now alive. Five sons were in the Confederate army, M. W. Parnell being a lieutenant under Gen. Price; Thomas J. was in the cavalry under Hood, Elijah being under Hood in the infantry, and was killed at Chickamauga; Daniel was in Jeff Davis’s artillery and fired the last cannon at the battle of Bull Run, was taken prisoner to Elmira, N. Y., and after being paroled, died on his way home, his death being caused by exposure. Henry was in Forrest’s army, and after procuring a furlough, came home, where he died of measles. All the brothers-in-law returned safe from the war. J. H. Parnell grew to manhood near Selma, Ala., and in his youth acquired a good English education. He farmed until the close of the war, then engaged in merchandising at Jacksonville, where he remained until 1869, when he immigrated to Osceola, Miss., and followed the same occupation there until 1882, at which time he came to Marianna, and until recently was a merchant there also. For the last six months he has been occupied in the hotel business, which is proving fairly remunerative. He owns some good property in the city and sixty acres of farming land, which is said to be quite valuable. Mr. Parnell is a Democrat, a Mason and a member of the A. O. U. W. His wife, who was Miss Mollie Rigney, was born in Marianna, Ark., in 1868, and is a daughter of Hy. and Cynthia (Webb) Rigney, who were former residents of Huntsville, Ala., the father a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. The paternal great-grandfather of Mr. Parnell was born in England, and came to America many years prior to the American Revolution, his son, the grandfather of our subject participating in that struggle.