George Parrott

George Parrott was born on December 26, 1831, in Paris, France, the son of Charles (1808-1870) and Elizabeth (b. 1812).

Charles and his wife Elizabeth took their family, left France and immigrated to the United States settling in Michigan sometime between 1843 and 1845. By 1860 Charles had settled his family in Lowell, Kent County where he worked as a farmer; also living with him was another son Jacob and his family. Indeed Charles lived the rest of his life in the Lowell area.

George married New York native Helen (1833-1921) and they had at least five children: Lafayette (b. 1851), Anna (b. 1853), Nancy, (b. 1857), Frank G. (1861-1894) and Chester (b. 1867).

George and his wife probably settled in Lowell, Kent County, where his father settled by 1860.

In any case, George was 29 years old and residing in Lowell, Kent County, Michigan, when he enlisted in Company C on May 13, 1861; he was promoted to Corporal in early August of 1861. George Miller of Company A, who was from Bowne, Kent County and probably knew Parrott before the war, wrote home on August 18, 1861 that Parrott had been promoted to Corporal of Company C, and he wrote on September 10, 1861 that Parrott had been promoted to the rank of “light Corporal.”

By May of 1863 George was a Division provost guard, and he was employed as a provost guard at Corps headquarters in June and July. He was mustered out on June 20, 1864, at Detroit.
After he left the army George returned to Michigan and settled back into Lowell. He and his wife and children were living on a farm in Lowell in 1870, near his parents and his brother Jacob. By 1880 he was farming and living with his wife and children in Lowell, Kent County, and by 1887 and 1888 George was living in Alto, Kent County, and indeed he probably lived out the remainder of his life in Alto where, in 1890 he was suffering from stomach trouble and reportedly unable to work.

In 1880 he applied for and received a pension (no. 425031).

George died on January 23, 1892, probably in Alto, and was buried in Merriman cemetery: C-91-2.

His widow applied for and received a pension (no. 395813).