I have been reading this list board daily for 4 years in hopes of finding some mention of my Parchmann ancestors who resided in Mecklenburg in the 17th century. The name Parchmann is relatively rare in Germany, and is also rare (as Parchman/Parchment/Perchment) in the United States.
My original ancestral immigrant from Germany was Nicholas Parchman, who first appeared in American records as part of the Virginia milita in 1758 fighting with Coronel George Washington in the western Virginia and Pennsylvania wilderness during the American French and Indian War (known in Europe as the Seven Years War between England and France) before the capture of Fort Duquesne (later Pittsburgh) from the French. Most of the Parchmans in America (about 250 current families with the name) descend from Nicholas, but there are also about 4 million American descendants (12 generations) in the US. I have searched for 30 years for Nicholas' European origins but have not been successful. He is not listed on any immigrant ships' lists. His 3 sons (Peter, Philip, and John) settled as pioneers on the wilderness frontiers in western Pennsylvania, middle Tennessee, and northern Mississippi, with many of Philip's descendants moving to Texas during the 19th century. One of Philip's grandsons (William Philip King) was the youngest defender to die at The Alamo battle the Texans fought against Mexico for Texas Independence. Texas won and became an independent country before joining the United States.
I corresponded several times over the last 30 years with German Parchmanns found in the telephone directory, but none know much about the family except the legend that we originally came from Parchim. I visited Parchim and Schwerin in 1997 looking for ancestors but found none. I have paid a genealogist to look for Parchmanns in church records and there were a few around Schwerin and near Parchim in the 17th century. I also found some Parchmann families in Westphalia in the late 17th century, according to records at the LDS Family Research Center. Westphalia is closer to the Rhine region, the origin of most Germans who came to America in the early 18th century.
I would appreciate any further information about any known Parchmanns from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Gerry Parchman