Parsons family papers, 1835-1997, bulk 1870-1925

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Summary

Abstract:
Materials documenting the family relations and business interests of Hosmer B. (Buckingham) Parsons, Clelia Howson Parsons, and their family.
Extent:
0.83 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Parsons family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection documents the business and personal activities of several members of the Parsons and Howson families, including Hosmer B. (Buckingham) Parsons (1846-1908), his wife Clelia Howson Parsons (1845-1931), and their daughter Emma Parsons Adams (1872-1961). Hosmer Parsons's materials include correspondence with Mexican banker Enrique Creel and senator John Sherman, and other letters related to his mining and land interests. There are also several letters to his sisters, including one written when he was a child. Clelia Howson Parsons's papers include additional family correspondence, notebooks and bankbooks, and estate documents. There are also letters from family friend Phoebe Apperson Hearst to both Clelia Howson Parsons and Emma Parsons Adams, as well as a notebook kept by Hosmer Parsons presumably related to Hearst's finances. The collection also includes a notebook kept by Hosmer Parsons's father Benjamin Booth Parsons (1810-1887), written while he was attending Amherst University in the 1830s. Materials related to Clelia Howson Parsons's sister Emma Howson (1844-1928) include a fan letter, a Howson family performance advertisement, and estate documents. The collection also includes family photographs, clippings, and genealogy correspondence and research. There are also photographs of a Mexican mine, and ephemera related to the Homestake Mine in South Dakota and railroads in Colorado, presumably related to Hosmer B. Parsons's business interests.

Biographical / historical:

Hosmer B. (Buckingham) Parsons (1846-1908) was born in Madrid, New York, and was a prominent banker with Wells Fargo, eventually becoming president of the company's New York office. He also served as the personal attorney to Phoebe Apperson Hearst. Hosmer Parsons and Clelia Howson Parsons (1845-1931) married in 1870 and had one child, Emma Parsons Adams (1872-1961). Clelia Howson Parsons was born in Hobart City, Tasmania, Australia, and grew up in a family well known for their opera and music theater performances around Australia, Europe, and the United States. Her sister Emma Howson (1844-1928) had a long career as a touring singer in Europe and the United States, before immigrating permanently to the U.S. in the 1880s, where she worked as a music teacher.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Robert D. and Mary W. Wrenn, December 2022.
Processing information:

Processed at the time of accessioning by Kelly Kress in December 2022.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by person and then by format.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Parsons family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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