Planas Parer: A new heartland

A bolt from the blue from a distant relative Ramon Rodés who lives in Catalonia has re-imagined our Parer heritage. He has made a connection between Anton Parer our previously earliest known Parer and his father and then a further 15 generations beyond. It’s a staggering revelation and rejuvenates a new pilgrimage to explore these discoveries.

It’s amazing to think that we can now trace the family back 25 generations and 659 years all the way to Pere Parer and his will at Planas Parer in 1358.

Banyuls-sur-Mer connection a bust

In the 1960s Gonza Shiel nee Parer with John Gartlan Parer’s help thought they had found the connection to our heritage in Banyuls-ser-Mur. Many decades and visits have passed with the belief that Anton was born in Banyuls-sur-Mer and his son Antonio travelled to Santa Perpetua de Mogoda and his son Pau to Alella where they both operated flour mills.

The Banyuls-sur-Mer connection was perhaps a leap of imagination from a company truck spotted in Madrid sporting our surname. Many decades have passed and no inroads have been made into working out any relatives before Anton Parer or indeed any real evidence of a connection to the Banyuls-sur-Mer Parer’s..

Until now…

Jaume Parer y Marfà: The biggest break through in decades

Shelly Kelly’s online Parer family tree has cast it’s net far and wide and has finally reeled in the Catalonian connection it seems many of us have been waiting a lifetime to fathom.

The connection is with a Catalonian based relative called Ramon Rodés who has done an enormous amount of research. His research shows that Anton had a brother Pau and a sister Francesc. Ramon is descended from Francesc.

Our family tree has, for many moons, had Anton as the father of Antonio. This information suggests that they are the same person.

Importantly to us his research has shown that the parents of Anton/Antonio were Jaume Parer y Marfà and Teresa Casanovas y Barnadas who married in 1764 in Santa Perpetua de Moguda.

Jaume was born in 1724 on a farm called Planas Parer which is located in Sant Feliu de Codines, Catalonia, Spain. His death certificate in 1787 is on the page opposite with his details in the first entry. This is 19km from Santa Perpetua de Moguda and in the same line another 13km to Alella. A far more likely migration than one from Banyuls-sur-Mer.

PARER

At 29 July 1810 in the villa of Sant Feliu de Codines, bishop of Barcelona, Jaume Parer died of inflammation at age 75. A natural miller of this villa, husband of Teresa Casanovas, son of Joan Parer (labourer) and Madalena Marfà, spouse is dead, and the 31 ecclesiastical burial was given to his body in the tomb of the Bosc Rufets house. Four offices with five priests were held. He received the holy sacraments. He will held by the rector of Santa Perpetua de Mogoda.

An extended family tree

The start of the new family connections are highlighted in the family tree above. The Australian Parers are descendants of Pau “Pablo” Parer y Renom, our new friend Ramon Rodés is from his brother Francesc Parer y Renom. Amazingly this goes back a further 14 generations to Pere Parer in 1358. Currently the generation count for this is at 25 and covers 689 years.

The family tree below is from inside the Parer de Planas building.

Note the family shield and Planas Parer in background

Left hand side mid-family tree

Right hand side mid-family tree

Where is Parer de Planas?

The farmhouse Parer de Planas is located northeast of the small town (less than 6,000 people) of Sant Feliu de Codines, Catalonia, Spain.

The town is situated 40km directly north of Barcelona, 20km north of Santa Perpetual de Mogoda where initially Jaume Parer y Marfa, then his son Anton Parer y Casanovas operated his flour mill and 33km north of Alella where Pau Parer y Renom had his flour mill at Casa Sors.

Parer de Planas isolated in the countryside 2.5km north-east of the town, in a rural area on the raised planes surrounded by fields. Sant Felieu de Codines is situated at 500m elevation above sea level and Parer de Planas at 650m with a rise and valley complete with creek between the two.

Planas de Parer – The Parer Farmhouse

The Parer Planas is a farmhouse documented in Sant Feliu from the thirteenth century with records of the Parer’s living there though baptisms and wills back to 1358 some 658 years ago. These are derived from files of traditional scroll records that Ramon has researched.

El Perer de les Planes is a farmhouse in Sant Feliu de Codines (Vallès Oriental) and is included in the Inventory of the Architectural Heritage of Catalonia.

The buildings are from different eras. The house was burned by the French during the War of Independence (1792–1802) and was restored and partly built by the canon of Solsona Joan Perer, relative of the owner’s family. On the lintel of the door there is an inscription that says: “Françesc Perer de Plantes. 1810”.

In the 11th century documents reference the building El Perer de les Planes. The name “Perer” is related to the genealogy of Parer, historic and current, owners, and “Plans” is a toponym that tells us where the farm is located.

The buildings are from different eras. The house was burned by the French during the War of Independence (1792–1802) and was restored and partly built by the canon of Solsona Joan Perer, relative of the owner’s family. On the lintel of the door there is an inscription that says: “Françesc Perer de Plantes. 1810”.