Parnell Corner

Grattan Township, Kent County, Michigan

The community known as Parnell officially received its name in 1889. Fr.James Crumley is giving credit for naming the area after Charles Stewart Parnell, the famous Irish leader. A post office was opened on January 4, 1889, and it operated until September 30, 1903. James Sullivan was the first postmaster. The community of Parnell had existed before it was named, and it continued to thrive even after the post office was closed. The church has always been the center of the community, and a district school was operated at the corner for many years. In addition to naming Parnell, Fr. Crumley is also given credit for building the first store in Parnell in 1888. Fr. Crumley later gave the deed to this store to his niece, Margaret Mooney, on the occasion of her marriage to Emanuel Doyle. One year after Fr. Crumley built his store. Patrick Bresnahan opened a storein Parnell. The post office was later moved into this store also. With two stores operating in Parnell, the Grand Rapids Democrat reported in 1892, "Parnell ranks commercially with Cannonsburg or Grattan Center." There were two stores in Parnell until 1960’s. It is not clear whether the current Parnell store is the same building constructed by Fr. Crumley, or whether Parnell has had three different store buildings. The Bresnahan store was operated by the Bresnahan family until 1919, when it was bought by James Doran. The Doran Family resided in the store until 1948. They only operated it as a store for two years during the Depression. The rest of the time, it was a conveniently large home for a large family. The Dorans sold the building toGeorge Malone and his family. The Malones lived in the store until 1963, and they also reopened the store in direct competition to neighboring Byrne Grocery. The Bresnahan-Doran-Maslone store was torn down in the 1960’s. The current Parnell store was a residence for the Driscoll Family before being operated by John Hefferan as a store. Hefferan Mercantile operated until the 1940’swhen it was sold to William and Veronica Byrne. The Byrnes owned and operated the store along with their daughter Barbara Heether and her husband Jim. Byrne Grocery was sold in 1970 to Robert and Virginia Grile, and they have been the owners since that time.  Besides the church and the stores, there have been many other buildings inParnell. The school was first built by Fr. Crumley in 1893. After the new school was built by Fr. Byrne in 1905, the old building was used for storage by James Doran next to the store, Dan Byrne built a gas station. The building still exists, but the business is no longer in operation. There have also been at least four other houses in Parnell. The rectory was built in 1910 and is a mainstay of the community. On the other side of the school, there was formerly another house. This house was for many years the home of Julia Toohey.After her death, George Malone and family lived in the house. They sold it to Charles Hurley in 1948. Charles and Ella Hurley sold the house to his brother Robert in 1957. The house was moved to its present location on Parnell Road at the end of Kehoe Drive in 1963 to make room for the new school. Robert Hurleystill lives in the house. Another Parnell house is located next to the cemetery. Its present occupants are Lawrence and Karen Schoenborn. The house was built in about 1900 on property owned by Albert and Anna Hefferan as a retirement home for her parents John and Bridget McCarthy died, the home was occupies by Charles and Nellie Malone and family, James and Pauline Doran and family, and also by Jack and Madelyn Hefferan. Jack Hefferan sold the house in the 1940’s to John and Hilda Heffron. In the late 1960’s, Hilda sold the house to the Schoenborns. Behind the rectory, near the current basketball court, was once the location of another Parnell house. This house was known as the Sexton’s house. It was part of the church property and was reserved for the parish sexton. In the 1920’s, the Patrick Fingleton family lived in the house. When Fr. McNeil came to Parnell, the Pat Roberts Family came with him and worked as sexton and lived in the sexton’s house. In 1939. George Malone and his family moved into the sexton’s house. A few years later the house was sold to us and Margaret Jastifer and was moved to McCabe and our Mile Road. Margaret and Carolyn Jastifer still reside in this same house. Another Parnell residence which no longer exists is the Malone farm. Located directly behind the stores. John and Julia Malone had a large farmhouse and barns. The house burned down in 1934. All that remains of the farm is a lone silo. Parnell has been the home to many people and businesses over the years. It cannot be proven exactly who lived in Parnell where and during what years, but the community definitely has a history which visitors and residents should remember.

 

Transcriber: Barb Jones
Created: 23 February 2010