Parsons Family Papers: Finding Aid mssParsons
Kelly Kress
The Huntington Library
December 2022
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Robert D. and Mary W. Wrenn, December 2022.
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.
Scope and Contents
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.
Processing Information
Processed at the time of accessioning by Kelly Kress in December 2022.
Related Materials
Arrangement
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
Box 1, Folder 1
Charles Adams correspondence
1899, 1905, 1914
Scope and Contents
Postcards and letters to in-laws and parents written during trips abroad.
Box 1, Folder 2
Emma Parsons Adams correspondence
1915-1940
Scope and Contents
Letters from relatives and a Christmas card from Phoebe Apperson Hearst.
Box 1, Folder 3
Emma Howson letter and ephemera
1864-approximately 1900
Scope and Contents
A fan letter and ephemera related to performances and teaching.
Box 1, Folder 4
Emma Howson estate
1928-1947
Box 1, Folder 5
Benjamin Booth Parsons notebook
1835
Scope and Contents
Notebook signed by classmates from Amherst College.
Box 1, Folder 6
Clelia Howson Parsons correspondence and documents
1908-1925
Scope and Contents
Letters from family and friends, including Phoebe Apperson Hearst. Also includes a threatening letter that appears to be from
a debt collector, and mortgage documents.
Box 1, Folder 7
Clelia Howson Parsons estate
1931
Box 1, Folder 8
Clelia Howson Parsons notebooks
approximately 1888-1920
Scope and Contents
Bankbooks and notebooks, one of which is a catalog of wedding gifts.
Box 1, Folder 9
Hosmer B. Parsons correspondence
approximately 1854-1908
Scope and Contents
Business and personal correspondence, including with Enrique Creel, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, and family. There is a brief note
from Senator John Sherman, and several letters to Parsons's sisters, including a childhood letter to older sister Mary Jane
Parsons Murphey.
Box 1, Folder 10
Hosmer B. Parsons correspondence
1907
Scope and Contents
Letters related to property in Central Valley, New York.
Box 1, Folder 11
Hosmer B. Parsons notebooks
1873-approximately 1900
Scope and Contents
Bankbooks and notebooks, primarily financial related. Includes one notebook with notes about Phoebe Apperson Hearst's finances.
Box 2, Folder 1
Hosmer B. Parsons notebook
1902-1907; 1911
Scope and Contents
Notebook and inserted correspondence concerning finances.
Box 2, Folder 2
Parsons and Howson family clippings
1888-1952
Box 2, Folder 3
Parsons family genealogy correspondence and research
1890s
Box 2, Folder 4
Parsons and Howson family genealogy correspondence and research
1958-1997
Box 2, Folder 5
Parsons and Howson family photographs
1873-1923
Scope and Contents
Photographs include Hosmer B. Parsons, Clelia Howson Parsons, Emma Parsons Adams, Emma Howson, and other family members.
Box 2, Folder 6
Parsons family record book
1905
Scope and Contents
Primarily an inventory of household items from the family home in Brooklyn.
Box 2, Folder 7
Homestake Mine and Colorado brochures
1902-1957
Box 2, Folder 8
Mexican mine photographs
approximately 1890s
