Parsons and Company Collection (Queens, N.Y.)
Manuscript Collection 287

Collection Description

Records from Parsons and Company, 1774 - [ca.1884]; 1850-1880 (bulk)
6 cubic ft.
Organization: Arranged by content.
Bills, inventories, journals, ledgers, letterbooks, financial records, payroll records, receipts, daybooks, invoices, and related records of the Parsons family's horticulture businesses in Queens, New York.

Introduction

James Parsons and his sons operated a dry goods business in Manhattan and a nursery business in Queens, N.Y. During the 19th century, the Parsons family intermarried the Bowne Family of Queens. Parsons & Co., originally James Parsons & Sons, dissolved in 1872. Two separate businesses were established, under the names of S.B. Parsons and R.B. Parsons.

Collection Note

Many of the large ledger volumes in this collection were used for record keeping at different times by different family businesses. For initial cataloging purposes, various main categories of records have been established. The collection is comprised of six cubic feet within the following nine series: Bills, Inventories, Journals, Ledgers, Letterbooks, Miscellaneous, Payroll, Receipts, and Invoices. The General Alphabetical Index and Chronological Index (located after the box listing) may be of assistance in locating information.

Research Websites

New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
This site includes a history of Parsons and Company and Kissena Park.

Queens Library - Long Island Division
The library houses a collection of the Parsons' family personal and business papers.

Series I - Bills (B)

Box 1

B1: Bills-Receivables, 1847-1859; Bills-Payable, 1847-1859
B2: Bills-Receivables, 1864-1867

Series II - Inventories (In)

Box 2

James Parson & Sons, 1789-1798
Sales Book A, Posted to Daybook

Series III - Journals (J)

Box 3

J1: Daybook C, 1774-1768

Box 4

J2: James Parsons & Sons, Journal C, 1794-1799
J3: 1795-1801
Letter book, 1795-1800. Inside front cover James Parsons & Sons, Country Letter Book A. Last entry "For future letters of James B. Parsons and Sons see the letter book of Ia and Saml Parsons, in which the letters of the different firms are entered."

Box 5

J4: James Parsons & Sons, Day Book C, 1791-1794
J5: Day Book, 1839-1851

Box 6

J6 Journal A, 1852-1856
J7: Daybook no. 1, 1852-1853

Box 7

J8: Spine G. Hous? sales, 1855-1860
J9: Sales in nursery, 1855-1860

Box 8

J10: Journal, 1857-1860
J11: Spine title Sales Nursery side, 1857-1860

Box 9

J12: Spine title Invoice, G.H. Sales, 1860
J13: Sales, 1866

Box 10

J14: Daybook, 1866-1870
J15: Journal, 1870-1871

Box 11

J16: 1869-1872, Sales

Series IV - Ledgers (L)

Box 12

L1: Ledger Parsons & Co., 1779-1781; Plantings, 1864-1871
L2: Ledger, 1842-1849; Address Lists of Customers, 1858-1859; [Inventory] Appraisal of stock and waggons, implements etc. by Mr. Hendrickson and Mr. Mitchell, March 8, 1847. 2 p. Lists of Plants, ca. 1860s
|
Box 13

L3: Ledger, 1849-1851
L4: Cash, 1852-1853
L5: Sundry Accounts, 1857-1860
L6: Ledger, 1866-1870

Box 14

L7: Cash, 1871-1872
L8: 1872-1875, 1876?

Box 15

L9: 1876-1879
L10: Expense Account, Cash Account, Labor Account, 1879-1884

Series V - Letter Books (Let)

Let1: 1842-1850
Let2: 1850-1868; 1874-1876

Series VI - Miscellaneous (M)

Box 16

M1: Spine title "Profit and Loss B. Expense, Labor, and Interest Monthly totals, 1876-1878"; "Sales/Growth?,1866."
M2: Auction Account, 1879-1880; Address List, 1875?; Inventory of Plant Stock, 1870, 1871; Inventory, R.B. Parsons and Co. p.109-, 1873
M3: R.B. Parsons & Co. Purchases of Foreign Merchandise, 1873

Box 17

M4: Work Done; (also, some pages missing), 1854, 1858-1860, 1856
M5: Bowne Estate Day book, 1867? 1875
M6: Address lists; Wholesale Catalog, 1865

Box 18

M7: Address List, n.d.
M8: Labor Book, 1859-1862
M9: Coal, 1866-1871; New Plants, n.d.; Payroll? 1866-1872

Box 19

M10: Property, Deeds, Mortgages, 1860-1876

Please note: The following ledgers and bound manuscript volumes (M11-M21) were received as part of Mr. Cornell Jaray's gift, along with the volumes of the Parsons Co., and may or may not be related to that collection.

M11: Ingersoll, Rev. William H. The Christ Ideal in Sacred Art.1885. 1 vol. Holograph.

Box 20

M12: Howell, Mills; E.F. Howell, successor to N.W. Howell; Ledger 1875-1900 (p. 193); Grain Ground, p. 434-1883
M13: [Howell??] 1868-1869 Day Book. Groceries sold
M14: Day Book, 1835-1836, 1839. John C. Vanderveer?; Formerly of Flat Lands, now of Flatbush

Box 21

M15-M18: Arithmetic exercise books; holograph
M19: Henry Franklin Letter Book, 1814-1816
M20: Continental Insurance Company of the City of New York; Policies. Isaac Peck, Flushing, Agent. 1871-1876.
M21: Alphabetical index to accounts? Letter book? Sundry accounts? Parsons & Co.?

Series VII - Payroll ( P)

Box 22

P1: Payroll(?), 1861; Receipts of the Homestead Coal, 1859-1861; Journal, 1860

Series VIII - Receipts (R)

R1: Bills Receipted, 1872-1874
R2: Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Express Receipts, 1877-1884

Series IX - Invoices (S)

Box 23

S1: 1850-1861
S2: 1860-1861

Box 24

S3: 1863-1865
S4: 1865-1866

Box 25

S5: 1868-1869
S6: 1870-1872

Box 26

S7: 1876-1879
S8: 1869

Parsons & Company: Chronological Index

No Date
Address list - M7
New Plants - M9
Subdivision Drawings? - J2
1774-1768: Daybook C - J1
1779-1781: Ledger - L1
1788-1796: Sales Book A - In1
1789-1798: Inventories - In1
1791-1794: Daybook C - J4
1794-1799: Journal C - J2
1795-1800: Country Letter Book A - J3
1795-1801: Journal - J3
1839-1851: Day Book - J5
1842-1849: Ledger - L2
1842-1850: Letter Book - Let1
1843: Receipts of the Homestead Farm - P1
1847: Appraisal of stock... - L2
1847-1859: Bills Payable - B1
1847-1859: Bills Receivables - B1
1849-1851: Ledger - L3
1850-1861: Invoices - S1
1850-1868: Letters - Let2
1852-1853: Daybooks no.1 - J7
1852-1853: Cash - L4
1852-1856: Journal A - J6
1854: M4
1855-1856: Sales in Nursery - J9
1856 - M4
1855-1860: Sales - J8
1857-1860: Sundry Accounts - L5
1857-1860: Sales Nursery Side - J11
1858-1860: Journal - J10
1858-1859: Customer Address Lists - L2
1858-1860: M4
1859-1861: Coal - P1
1859-1862: Labor Book - M8
1860's ?: Lists of Plants - L2
1860: Sales - J12
1860: Journal - P1
1860-1861: Invoices - S2
1860-1876: Property, Deeds, Mortgages - M10
1861: Payroll (?) - P1
1863-1865: Invoices - S3
1864-1867: Bills Receivables - B2
1864-1871: Plantings - L1
1865: Address List; Wholesale Catalogue - M6
1865-1866: Invoices - S4
1866: Sales - J13
1866: Sales/Growth? - M1
1866-1870: Ledger 0 L6
1866-1870: Daybook - J14
1866-1871: Coal - M9
1866-1872: Payroll? - M9
1867?: Bowne Estate Day Book - M5
1868-1869: Invoices - S5
1869: S8
1869-1872: Sales - J16
1870-1871: Journal - J15
1870,1871: Inventory of Plant Stock - M2
1870-1872: Invoices - S6
1871-1872: Cash - L7
1872-1874: Bills Receipted - R1
1872-1875: L8
1873: Purchase of Foreign Merchandise - M3
1873: Inventory - M2
1874-1876: Letters - L2
1875: Bowne Estate Day Book - M5
1875?: Address Lists - M2
1876?: L8
1876-1878: Expense, Labor, Interest Monthly Totals - M1
1876-1879: L9
1876-1879: Invoices - S7
1877-1884: Receipts - R2
1879-1880: Auction Account - M2
1879-1884: Expense, Cash, Labor Accounts - L10

Parsons & Company: General Alphabetical Index

Address Lists L2, M2, M6, M7
Auctions Account M2
Bills B1-2, R1
Bowne Estate Day Book M5
Coal M9, P1
Expense, Labor, Interest M1
Inventories IN1, L2, M2
Invoices S1-8
Journals J1-16, P1
Labor Book M1, M8
Ledgers L1-10
Letter Books Let1-2, J3
Payroll M9, P1
Plants L1, L2, M9
Property, Deeds, Mortgages M10
Purchases of Foreign Merchandise M3
Receipts P1, R2
Sales J13, M1
Subdivision Drawings (?) J2
Work Done M4