Parmenius Smallwood was the son of George Smallwood and Ann Lloyd. He was born on April 27, 1782 in Charles Town, Jefferson Co, Old Dominion Virginia (now West Virginia). He married Deborah Brown, also from Old Dominion Virginia, on June 23, 1807 in Washington Co, MD. By 1808, they had moved to Champaign Co, OH. Parmenius served as a soldier in the war of 1812. The family moved to Macon Co, IL in the fall of 1824, five years before the county was organized and five years before Decatur had a name. Their home was located in Creek township, near the site of the old Coulter mill in an area known as Stevens Creek. It was reported that the Parmenius Smallwood family owned ground from Decatur all the way to Clinton. There is a document dated 26 May 1830 signed by Abraham Lincoln requesting that the place for voting be changed from the Parmenius Smallwood cabin to the log courthouse in Decatur. Along with his son, George D. Smallwood, he built a saw mill in 1830 in the NE quarter of section 5 of Creek Twp, De Witt County. A saw and grist mill was erected by Parmenius on Salt Creek, section five, in the year 1835. Smallwood lived near Decatur and placed the mill in charge of his sons, George, Samuel and Daniel. These sons kept "bach" in a cabin, on the banks of the creek, except when relieved of the tedium of housekeeping by a sister, who remained part of the time with them. This mill was patronized by people from an extensive tract of country. It filled a long existing need. People no longer had to go 20 miles for a sack of meal or flour, or as many did, pound corn with a maul. Parmenius and Deborah were the parents of 15 children:
Tamzon R. Smallwood b. 9 May 1808
George D. Smallwood b. 31 Mar 1810
John B. Smallwood b. 5 Nov 1811
Samuel A. Smallwood b. 27 Apr 1813
James M. Smallwood b. 8 Nov 1814
Daniel M. Smallwood b. 1 May 1816
Amanda Emily Smallwood b. 17 Feb 1818
Elizabeth H. Smallwood b. 1 Dec 1819
Douglas B. Smallwood b. 16 Jul 1821
Parmenius Ashbury Smallwood b. 31 Aug 1824
Sarah J. Smallwood b. 27 Jul 1827
Susan C.V. Smallwood b. 14 Feb 1828
Joseph P. Smallwood b. 10 Jul 1829
Asbarinah Smallwood b. 8 Dec 1830
Gideon Piat Smallwood b. 16 May 1833

Parmenius became a hotelkeeper. His hotel was located where St. Theresa's Catholic School is now in Decatur, Macon Co, IL. One of the most interesting relics of the Smallwood family is a black and white ink tintype, which is now the property of a descendant of Parmenius, George Armstrong of Clinton, DeWitt Co, IL. Another item is a daguerrotype of the sturdy pioneer and his wife. The daguerrotype is now is the possession of James Heskett, another descendant in Clinton.