The Parnell Family Website is your online hub for all things Parnell-related. First established for the 2014 Parnell Family Reunion in Augusta, GA, it has been revived by the 2020 Reunion Committee to make Reunion Registration easier, but also to provide all with a central (and private) location to access family information such as history, journals and more. Our hope is that the Website will become a place of community where every Parnell descendant can feel at home.

To further connect with the Parnell Family, join us at our official family Facebook group and Email Newsletter!

(See Contact Us page for details.)
 

The Parnell Family Reunion traces its history to the tradition begun by Willie Hazel Parnell Johnson Holmes, eldest child and matriarch of the family following the passing of her mother, Bertha Ellison Parnell, in 1974. Affectionately known as “Granny” to her many beloved grandchildren, she believed in the importance of family, and thus from the mid-sixties until her death in 1983 she held annual gatherings of her immediate family at Clarks Hill in Augusta, Georgia, which later expanded to an extended Parnell family reunion, beginning with the first at Magnolia Springs Park in Millen, Georgia.

Hazel’s passing in 1983 brought a 15-year hiatus in the family reunion tradition. Following the loss of both Annie Mae Terrell (Hazel’s eldest child) and Albert Parnell (the oldest living male at the time) in the same month in 1996, Katie Malone lamented to her sister Joan Holmes Smiley and her husband Anthony Smiley that the family only seemed to get together for funerals. Her wish was for us to be able to convene for happier things.

Hence with that idea, spurred by the leadership of Joan Holmes Smiley, a determined group of volunteers organized the first Parnell family reunion in 15 years, hosted in Atlanta in 1998. The success of this inaugural event sparked a renewed tradition that was initially held annually until 2000 when the family voted to convene every two years with every other reunion being held in the family hometown of Augusta, Georgia.

2018 year marked the twentieth anniversary of this renewed tradition. Since 1998 we have gathered in destinations from Dale City, Virginia (1999) and New York City (2002) to as far out as Nassau, Bahamas (2008). At times we have joined with other beloved families, such as the Smileys and the Wrights. Always, though, we have managed to keep true to our roots by honoring our ancestors, Sidney Albert and Bertha Ellison Parnell, and the originator of our reunions, Willie Hazel Parnell. As we prepare to host our thirteenth consecutive reunion of this renewed tradition, we hope they all would be proud, for they are always with us.