Chambers County AlArchives History .....The Parnell Peach Farm August 17, 2005
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Gerald K. McGinty, Sr. http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00021.html#0005198 August 17, 2005, 8:24 am

Book Title: 


The Parnell Peach Farm

An interesting venture in the current Valley, AL area was the John Howard 
Parnell cotton and peach farm. Parnell was from a very wealthy family in 
Avondale, Wicklow Co., Ireland, and came to the area in 1867, to purchase 
a "plantation." The 1870 and 1880 census of Chambers Co. (pg. 21/203) shows 
that he was born ca. 1845, and would have been about twenty-two years old at 
the time of his arrival. However, the book, Charles Stewart Parnell, A Memoir, 
that he wrote around 1905, shows his birth date as 1843. 

His mother, Delia Tudor Stewart, an American, was the daughter of Admiral 
Charles Stewart, U.S. Navy, who had served in the Revolutionary War and the War 
of 1812, and from 1813-1815, was Captain of the USS Constitution, known as "Old 
Ironsides.” He was also referred to as the "American Nelson." John Parnell's 
uncle, Charles Stewart, who lived in America, had advised him that after the 
Civil War that great fortunes were to be made here, and advised him to come to 
America. Parnell had just inherited some money and his uncle told him that he 
had the chance to double it. He decided to come and purchased 1,482 acres of 
land from Col. George W. Huguley on July 11, 1867, for $12,000, after seeing it 
advertised for sale in the New York newspapers (Chambers Co. deed book 14, pg. 
768). As the story goes, he took a train from New York to West Point and met 
with Col. Huguley on the front porch of his home. After a few minutes of 
conversation and negotiation, he bought the land for cash in the form of gold 
coin. This land was located on the old Columbus-Berlin road, about eight miles 
south of West Point, near Glass, AL. According to his book, he originally 
purchased this land for growing cotton. Later, he started a peach-growing 
venture on part of the property. The 1870 and 1880 census shows that 
William "Billie" Merna came from Ireland and was the supervisor of Parnell's 
farm, which was later named the Sunny South Fruit Farm (some accounts called it 
Sunny Side). In the 1870 census, Merna is listed as age twenty-five and his 
wife, Maggie, age twenty. Maggie was Parnell's housekeeper. The Merna’s show 
four children in this census, all born in AL. They ultimately had seven living 
children, many of which never married. They are said to have founded the first 
Catholic church in the area, with services originally held in their home. This 
church later became Holy Family Catholic Church in Lanett. After Parnell 
returned to Ireland, Merna worked for the Atlanta & West Point Railroad. He was 
responsible for landscaping in the railroad park. He and Maggie are buried at 
Pinewood Cemetery in West Point.

Parnell is said to have ultimately planted up to 700 acres of peach trees, and 
after they started bearing fruit, shipped them to various markets by train. 
This was said to have been one of the larger orchards in America at the time. 
He is said to have been one of the first growers to ship peaches from the south 
to eastern cities (the peach industry was young, but already well established 
in Georgia). Some of the peaches were used locally to make brandy which was 
sold by the barrel to local customers. An article in the New York Times, April 
22, 1883, reprinted from the Savannah (Ga.) News, reads: "John H. Parnell, a 
brother of the famous Irish leader of that name, owns the largest peach farm in 
the world. It is situated about six miles below West Point. There are 125,000 
peach trees in it, besides a large number of other kinds of fruit trees. They 
cover 700 acres. Mr. Parnell has planted 500 acres of young trees this year, 
and reports his business a paying one. This year's crop will be tolerably good, 
not withstanding the freeze." Parnell was a man of culture and education and 
was a devoted chess player. He frequently went to a chess club in Atlanta. 
Later in life, he was a member of a chess team representing the British House 
of Commons against a team from the U.S. House of Representatives. The moves 
were played over the lines of the transatlantic cable, each move being 
telegraphed across the ocean. He also made frequent trips to New York and back 
to Ireland. 

Parnell’s first residence was a log house located about 1/2 mile from McGinty, 
AL that was the former residence of Rev. Tyre Freeman, primitive Baptist 
minister. He later purchased a larger home from the Huguleys, which had large 
columns across the front, and lived there for the balance of his stay. He 
remained single while in AL. In 1872, his brother, Charles Stewart Parnell, 
came over from Ireland, and visited him for three weeks. Charles was a famous 
Irish agitator that was later president of the Home Rule Conference and the 
Irish League. He was also a member of Parliament. He is sometimes referred to 
as "the uncrowned king of Ireland.” He visited John when he was younger, around 
twenty-five years old, and before his political career started, and being used 
to the life in metropolitan London, found it difficult to accept 
the "primitive" ways of early Alabama. He is said to have been shocked to find 
his brother living in a two-room log cabin and associating with the "common 
folks." However, it is said that while he was in Chambers Co., he enjoyed his 
contacts with the larger plantation owners. He shot quail, caught catfish and 
hunted fox. He tried to persuade his brother to return to Ireland, but John was 
in the middle of establishing his plantation and declined. During his visit, 
the brothers went to Birmingham on the train. Along the way, they were involved 
in a train wreck where Charles was injured but he later recovered. 

After setbacks such as a crop failure in 1883, Parnell sold his plantation to 
the A. M. Eady Co., for $5,068 (Chambers Co., deed book 19, pg. 40). However, 
he continued to spend much time in America, had a fruit business and was 
investing in other American fruit farms as late as 1891. One account shows 
that, before returning to Ireland,  he moved to Macon Co., AL and worked at the 
plantation of Benjamin W. Walker near Cowles Station (now Milstead). An article 
in the February 17, 1892 LaFayette Sun reads, "Mr. Lanier of West Point now 
owns the once famous Parnell peach orchard and is having the trees cut down and 
the soil is being prepared for corn and cotton. So, the peach business, which 
brought many dollars to this community for a number of years, is a thing of the 
past. It was a great help to the needy in this country and Mr. John Parnell 
will be greatly missed by that class." Today, the West Point Mfg. Co. stands on 
his original land. 

Parnell died May 3, 1923 and his obituary in the New York Times reads: "Dublin, 
May 3 (Associated Press) John Howard Parnell, brother of Charles Stewart 
Parnell, the famous Irish statesman died today. He was born in 1843 and spent 
many years in the United States, engaged in fruit and cotton growing. From 1895 
to 1920 he was Member of Parliament for South Meath. He was married to Olivia 
Isabella Smythe in 1907 and is survived by one son." His obituary in the Irish 
Times reads: "Parnell, May 2, 1923, at his residence, Sion House, Glenageary, 
after three day's illness, John Howard Parnell, City Marshall. Deeply regretted 
by his sorrowing widow and relatives. Funeral private. No flowers by request." 
He is said to have sat in the House of Commons as a member from Meath, under 
his brother's leadership. 

Despite the failure of this early peach growing venture in Alabama, he is 
credited with being one of the pioneers of the peach industry that later 
flourished in the south.  During his stay, he was a very influential and 
important citizen in the area. In 2001, several members of the Charles Parnell 
Society from England visited Valley, AL and were shown the land where John 
Parnell's farm was located. The West Point Stevens Co. mill and warehouse now 
occupy this area. A line of peach trees was planted on the original land, along 
River Road, in front of the warehouse, in memory of John Parnell. It is named 
The John Parnell Memorial Park.

There is an excellent essay on John Parnell, written by John D. Fair, which was 
published in the Alabama Review, April 2005.  It is titled, "Parnell and 
Peaches: A Study in the Construction of Historical Myth." 

This story is reproduced from the book "Our McGinty Family in America" by 
Gerald K. McGinty, Sr. It is offered here with the permission of the author. 

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/chambers/history/parnell.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/alfiles/

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