NY NY - Alice Parsons: Heiress, Long Island, 1937

[Pink Panther]

The Parsons, Williams, McDonell's family histories are incredibly interesting but I have now come to a complete and utter standstill on the main subjects of this case. Without some additional information or leads, I don't know where/what else to look for!

: (

 

[Pink Panther]

I have no idea what was in the police reports but I suspect that Alice may have been missing even a day or two before she was reported missing. I don't know who the postmistress thought she saw but given that she was the only one to have seen Alice that day, I'm inclined to think that perhaps she had THOUGHT she'd seen her but really hadn't. I think that Alice was murdered and her body was either buried or incinerated (in the basement) well before she was declared missing. I have not found any mention of Alice being seen the day before or the week before or the month before her disappearance. Who is to say that the day/evening her husband contacted the police is the day/evening that she "disappeared"?

jmo

ETA - Well, I suppose she was seen at least a month before she disappeared because she apparently amended her will to include Anna and Roy as benefactors within the month that she disappeared. Ehem.

 

[Pink Panther]

Apart from references made re. His honeymoon/combined work (also documented in his passport application), I have found no reference to William having ever worked.

Excluding the prestigious "gentleman poultry farmer" title....

 

[Marilynilpa]

I have no idea what was in the police reports but I suspect that Alice may have been missing even a day or two before she was reported missing. I don't know who the postmistress thought she saw but given that she was the only one to have seen Alice that day, I'm inclined to think that perhaps she had THOUGHT she'd seen her but really hadn't. I think that Alice was murdered and her body was either buried or incinerated (in the basement) well before she was declared missing. I have not found any mention of Alice being seen the day before or the week before or the month before her disappearance. Who is to say that the day/evening her husband contacted the police is the day/evening that she "disappeared"?

jmo

ETA - Well, I suppose she was seen at least a month before she disappeared because she apparently amended her will to include Anna and Roy as benefactors within the month that she disappeared. Ehem.

Alice was seen the morning she drove William to the train station. She stopped to purchase gas and the attendant saw her. I'll try to find the link for you.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Apart from references made re. His honeymoon/combined work (also documented in his passport application), I have found no reference to William having ever worked.

Excluding the prestigious "gentleman poultry farmer" title....

He worked for the Barcolo Company in Buffalo, New York for a while. I have no idea what he did there. That is the company that invented the Barcolounger.

Other than the brief stint working for W. H. Parsons Paper Company, and the job at Barcolo, I believe he was unemployed.

 

[Pink Panther]

Marylinpa - Have you been able to find any official records that show that William had served in WW I? On his passport application he mentions that he has travelled abroad with the navy but doesn't give dates. His father attaches a note to the application (to expediate the procedure) that states that "he served as an ensign on one of the destroyers of the late war", but doesn't give any specifics. I have not been able to find any records for William being drafted. I have found both Oliver and John (his brother's) draft cards but nothing at all for him.

ETA - On his 1940 census (when he was already in California listed as married to Anna with son Roy) he states that he never did the navy or military.

???

 

[Marilynilpa]

Marylinpa - Have you been able to find any official records that show that William had served in WW I? On his passport application he mentions that he has travelled abroad with the navy but doesn't give dates. His father attaches a note to the application (to expediate the procedure) that states that "he served as an ensign on one of the destroyers of the late war", but doesn't give any specifics. I have not been able to find any records for William being drafted. I have found both Oliver and John (his brother's) draft cards but nothing at all for him.

ETA - On his 1940 census (when he was already in California listed as married to Anna with son Roy) he states that he never did the navy or military.

???

I was never able to find anything to confirm that William was in the military. Like you, I found draft cards for Oliver and John but not for William.

 

[Pink Panther]

Confirmation of his graduation from Yale:

"William Henry Parsons, Jr., was born in New York City,
May 29, 1888.

William Henry Parsons, his father, born in New York City
in 1859. and a graduate of Yale in 1882, is a paper merchant
and manufacturer, of the firm of Parsons & YVhittemore. and
resides at Glen Cove (Long- Island), New York. Mrs. Parsons
was Laura Wolcott Collins. Other relatives besides his father
who graduated from Yale were Oliver YVolcott, 1747. Oliver
Wolcott, 1778. R. G. Rankin, 1826, J. P. Parsons. 1885. uncles;
and Herbert Parsons. 1890, a cousin.

Parsons prepared for Yale at the Hill School. He was a
member of the Wranglers, the Mohegans, Hill School Club, and
Yacht Club. He was also a member of the Freshman relay
and track teams. Psi Lpsilon. Wolf's Head. In Freshman
year he roomed alone at 242 York Street ; in Sophomore year
with Hewes. Roome. E. A. Morse, and E. C. Roberts at 22
College Street : in Junior year with Hewes and Roome in
238 Durfee : in Senior year with Hewes and Roome in 5
Yanderbilt.

Parsons* future occupation is undecided. His permanent
address is 324 West End Avenue, Xew York City."

 

[fred&edna]

I thought I read that Wm Parsons worked for the US military (Navy?) in some capacity while living in California with Anna.

 

[Pink Panther]

I thought I read that Wm Parsons worked for the US military (Navy?) in some capacity while living in California with Anna.

Yes, I remember reading that too...But on the 1940 census, neither he nor Anna list themselves as working and he fills out "no" in both columns for military and navy.

Hmmm...

 

[Pink Panther]

Apart from the 1940's census of her living in California as William's wife and Roy's mother, Anna disappears off the face of the earth...I have been unable to find any mention of her after that. No application for a passport, no death certificate of any kind, a public telephone listing (maybe early 50's) and then, that's it. Part of what makes it difficult to find her is that she could have used any one of her many names (Anna Parsons, Mrs. William Parsons, Ann(e) Parsons, Anna or Ann(e) S Parsons, Ann(a) K Parsons, etc...

I've searched every possible name variation and have not found a thing. She must have been buried (and recorded) somewhere!

ETA - She could have also remarried either before or after William died and changed her name entirely. (I've tried to search for her via birthdates and that hasn't amounted to anything either.)


Spefically, this is the public listing:

U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta)

Name: Wm H Parsons
Gender: M (Male)
Residence Year: 1957
Street Address: 322a
Residence Place: Monterey; Pacific Grove, California
Occupation: Box
Spouse: Anna S Parsons
Publication Title: Polk's Monterey - Pacific Grove (Monterey County, Calif.) City Directory

No more K for Kupryanova! Back to S for this listing!

Oh and...If one clicks the ancestry link, Roy is still there with them at the same address and he's 31.

 

[Pink Panther]

I'm noodling with the idea that Roy may very well have been William's son. There is evidence that William was in London at the right time for Roy's conception. (He was already married to Alice and so...What to do? What a JAM!)

The counter to all of this would be that Roy gave his son Ravi an Indian name...But, if his mother tried to pass him as someone else's son (and that someone else was Indian) this wouldn't be so hard to connect. Roy either knew or didn't know the truth of his biological father and either way, he could have named his son with an Indian name. He was after all an artist, so who knows?

Any thoughts?

 

[Pink Panther]

Anna tried to enter the States in 1924 (before Roy was born) and was deported back to France via England. She seems to have remained in England. There are records that show that the US investigated her in 1925 (in relation to Cheklosovakia - I have no idea why). Did she try to re-enter under a different name? I can't understand why they would have been looking into her information the year after she tried to enter???

Finally, she managed to enter with Roy in 1930. She listed her "husband" as Alexander Kuprianoff (he wasn't married to her anymore) but her papers show that she and Roy entered after having been released to "husband". Was it Alexander that released her? There is nothing to indicate that it was him or not. It could have been someone else.

Without access to investigative/police files, it's impossible to really understand who/what was happening around Anna's entry into the US.

William was from a well-to-do family and therefore couldn't openly help her get in...

Did they maybe try a few times and eventually find another way?

 

[Pink Panther]

Marilynpa - Have you looked at this photograph? Do you think this could be Anna? (In between Alice and her brother Howard)?

https://plus.google.com/photos/1040...42411975619409/5232643143703576226?banner=pwa

 

[Marilynilpa]

Anna tried to enter the States in 1924 (before Roy was born) and was deported back to France via England. She seems to have remained in England. There are records that show that the US investigated her in 1925 (in relation to Cheklosovakia - I have no idea why). Did she try to re-enter under a different name? I can't understand why they would have been looking into her information the year after she tried to enter???

Finally, she managed to enter with Roy in 1930. She listed her "husband" as Alexander Kuprianoff (he wasn't married to her anymore) but her papers show that she and Roy entered after having been released to "husband". Was it Alexander that released her? There is nothing to indicate that it was him or not. It could have been someone else.

Without access to investigative/police files, it's impossible to really understand who/what was happening around Anna's entry into the US.

William was from a well-to-do family and therefore couldn't openly help her get in...

Did they maybe try a few times and eventually find another way?

The U.S. had a "quota" of certain nationalities, including Russians fleeing the Revolution. Once that quota was filled, the U.S. would not accept additional immigrants.

I don't have my copy of the original manifest from Anna's first attempt to enter the U.S. IIRC, the letters Q.E. are somewhere on her entry. That indicates she was deported due to the quota being met.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Marilynpa - Have you looked at this photograph? Do you think this could be Anna? (In between Alice and her brother Howard)?

https://plus.google.com/photos/1040...42411975619409/5232643143703576226?banner=pwa

I've seen it, and I've wondered about the mystery woman. I suppose she could be Anna - the height and hair color seem right.

I wonder if Anna ever socialized with Alice's side of the family? They certainly didn't seem fond of her after Alice disappeared.

 

[Pink Panther]

The U.S. had a "quota" of certain nationalities, including Russians fleeing the Revolution. Once that quota was filled, the U.S. would not accept additional immigrants.

I don't have my copy of the original manifest from Anna's first attempt to enter the U.S. IIRC, the letters Q.E. are somewhere on her entry. That indicates she was deported due to the quota being met.

Yes. You're right. I went back and looked and she had a stamp Q.E. I've looked it up and they were also most likely to deport women with children if their spouses didn't pick them up. She did mention Alexander K on her form as it was written in over a typewritten Ohio address (where he was living) but I guess he didn't come to pick her up.

 

[zwiebel]

Anna tried to enter the States in 1924 (before Roy was born) and was deported back to France via England. She seems to have remained in England. There are records that show that the US investigated her in 1925 (in relation to Cheklosovakia - I have no idea why). Did she try to re-enter under a different name? I can't understand why they would have been looking into her information the year after she tried to enter???

Finally, she managed to enter with Roy in 1930. She listed her "husband" as Alexander Kuprianoff (he wasn't married to her anymore) but her papers show that she and Roy entered after having been released to "husband". Was it Alexander that released her? There is nothing to indicate that it was him or not. It could have been someone else.

Without access to investigative/police files, it's impossible to really understand who/what was happening around Anna's entry into the US.

William was from a well-to-do family and therefore couldn't openly help her get in...

Did they maybe try a few times and eventually find another way?

I know someone with extensive knowledge of Czech history so I'm going to ask if they have any idea about this.

Do you have any photos of Roy as an adult? Especially any colour ones. I would have thought it would be possible to tell from his skin colour if he was half indian. If his father was an anglo-indian, his skin colour wouldn't necessarily give any clue at all, of course.

To be honest, Anna seems to have invented her history as she went along, to suit the circumstances. I wouldn't put it past her to have been less than honest about the father of her child, would you?

 

[zwiebel]

Just thought, is there public access to wills in the US? Anna will surely have made sure William left everything to her. And perhaps in turn, she left something to Roy? Perhaps it would be possible to trace her that way?

 

[zwiebel]

Okay, I had a little chat and here's the theory my friend has come up with;

Early 20s, Czechoslavakia was a liberal democracy but with strong support among some groups for communism too. If Anna stopped there on her way out of Russia, and her father really was within the Czar's (distant) close circle, and her husband was in the military, the Czech government might have found her useful in weeding out the communists in their midst. They would likely have been in regular contact with their Russian counterparts.

After being refused entry to the US in '24, Anna might have made a special plea for herself. My friend has pointed out that communist-party members were regularly being attacked and their meetings broken up at this time, in the US.

She might have offered her Russian expertise as a reason for letting her in in '25, in the US fight against 'reds under the bed'. Her references would have been in Czechoslavakia; hence the reason for the US running a check on her there.

My friend has also said it's highly likely she would have been called upon in the run-up and during WW2, if that was the case, and she could have asked favours in return.

He said to ask if anyone has any files of Anna's that have come back with censored or blacked-out names/lines. Or anything very obviously missing. (Not that he's a retired spy or anything).*

So, have they?