Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Parsons Family Papers
mssParsons
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Parsons family papers
Identifier/Call Number: mssParsons
Physical Description:
0.83 Linear Feet
(2 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1835-1997
Date (bulk): 1870-1925
Abstract: Materials documenting the family relations and business interests of Hosmer B. (Buckingham) Parsons, Clelia Howson Parsons,
and their family.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
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.
[Identification of item]. Parsons family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Robert D. and Mary W. Wrenn, December 2022.
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.
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.
Processed at the time of accessioning by Kelly Kress in December 2022.
Arranged alphabetically by person and then by format.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Banks and banking -- United States -- History
Families -- United States -- 19th century
Families -- United States -- 20th century
Female friendship
Gold mines and mining
Business letters -- United States -- 19th century
Business letters -- United States -- 20th century
Family papers -- United States
Genealogies (histories)
Creel, Enrique C., 1854-1931
Hearst, Phoebe Apperson, 1842-1919
Howson, Emma, 1844-1928
Parsons, Clelia Howson, 1845-1931
Parsons, Hosmer B. (Hosmer Buckingham), 1846-1908
Wells, Fargo & Company