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

[KariKae]

Fascinating case - I am also looking forward to reading the book when it comes out.

I read a few pages back that Alice might have been burned in a furnace. I do not think this is the case. Flesh makes a terrible stench when burned (think of burning pork chops). Plus, wouldn't a body have to be dismembered to fit into a furnace? I think that would be too messy. Finally, it takes extremely high temperatures to completely burn a body. For these reasons, I think Alice was probably buried in a grave somewhere.

So, who dug the grave? I don't think it was William. That seems like too much work for him. The idea of Anna's ex-husband nearby intrigues me.

I think Anna and William were having a fling and I can't wait to hear the "juicy details". Anna wanted "more". William, like many men having an affair, did not want to leave his wife. Why would a man like William leave his wealthy, connected wife for a Russian housekeeper?

I wonder if William and Anna began talking about killing Alice in a fanciful way. William wasn't really serious, just appeasing Anna. Anna took matters into her own hands. By the time William got home from the trip, the murder had taken place. That is why he was distraught. I don't think he really wanted Alice dead.

On a side note - As someone who has hired household help, it would really freak me out if our housekeeper or nanny was changing her last name to our last name and if my husband was adopting her son. That's way too close for comfort in my book. I would want that person out of our lives asap. I wonder if Alice was looking for another employment situation for Anna. Anna saw her golden parachute disappearing and took action.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Fascinating case - I am also looking forward to reading the book when it comes out.

I read a few pages back that Alice might have been burned in a furnace. I do not think this is the case. Flesh makes a terrible stench when burned (think of burning pork chops). Plus, wouldn't a body have to be dismembered to fit into a furnace? I think that would be too messy. Finally, it takes extremely high temperatures to completely burn a body. For these reasons, I think Alice was probably buried in a grave somewhere.

So, who dug the grave? I don't think it was William. That seems like too much work for him. The idea of Anna's ex-husband nearby intrigues me.

I think Anna and William were having a fling and I can't wait to hear the "juicy details". Anna wanted "more". William, like many men having an affair, did not want to leave his wife. Why would a man like William leave his wealthy, connected wife for a Russian housekeeper?

I wonder if William and Anna began talking about killing Alice in a fanciful way. William wasn't really serious, just appeasing Anna. Anna took matters into her own hands. By the time William got home from the trip, the murder had taken place. That is why he was distraught. I don't think he really wanted Alice dead.

On a side note - As someone who has hired household help, it would really freak me out if our housekeeper or nanny was changing her last name to our last name and if my husband was adopting her son. That's way too close for comfort in my book. I would want that person out of our lives asap. I wonder if Alice was looking for another employment situation for Anna. Anna saw her golden parachute disappearing and took action.

BBM

There was an almost industrial-strength furnace in the basement of Alice's home. They used this for disposing of dead fowl on a regular basis.

I believe Anna was perfectly capable, both physically and mentally, of dismembering Alice if necessary before placing her in the furnace. I agree that would be very messy. Which makes it interesting to me that on the day Alice disappeared, the trash collectors came by. It was their normal practice to go down into the basement to collect the refuse, but on that day the trash was placed out in front of the house. The trash men were told they weren't allowed into the basement.

As to the smell, I agree it would have been terrible, but no one else was at home that day other than Anna. This was a farming area at the time, so smells we consider repugnant weren't out of the norm, IMO. And neighbors would have been used to the smell of the dead pigeons and other fowl coming from the house.

So that's why I think that, like one police officer wrote in his report, Alice Parsons went up in smoke.

But, if Alice was not cremated in her own furnace, then I agree that Anna's ex-husband living nearby is very intriguing.

I am totally convinced that Anna planned everything. I don't feel William knew what was going on until after the fact.

I have a theory as to why William and Anna decided to act when they did. But I have to keep some info to myself, otherwise who would want to read the book??:what:

I really enjoyed your post.

 

[ahmommy]

Any estimate on when the book will be complete? Have you started writing? This has been fascinating!

 

[Marilynilpa]

Any estimate on when the book will be complete? Have you started writing? This has been fascinating!

Thanks for asking. The book is substantially complete. I've been working on it off and on for quite a while. This past year, I've been working on it about 85% of my time.

Unfortunately, I have not yet found an agent who wants to handle this type of book. I've been told that no one would be interested in a book where there is no resolution, i.e., no body found and/or no suspect arrested. That may be right, but anyone reading about Alice and her life would probably be able to deduce what happened to her and who the culprits were, IMO.

I'll continue to look for someone to represent me. I've had a couple of agents who said they would be interested in the book if it was fiction vs. non-fiction. But I don't want this to be a fictionalized account, I want it to be true.

If all else fails, there is e-publishing!

 

[Pink Panther]

Thanks for asking. The book is substantially complete. I've been working on it off and on for quite a while. This past year, I've been working on it about 85% of my time.

Unfortunately, I have not yet found an agent who wants to handle this type of book. I've been told that no one would be interested in a book where there is no resolution, i.e., no body found and/or no suspect arrested. That may be right, but anyone reading about Alice and her life would probably be able to deduce what happened to her and who the culprits were, IMO.

I'll continue to look for someone to represent me. I've had a couple of agents who said they would be interested in the book if it was fiction vs. non-fiction. But I don't want this to be a fictionalized account, I want it to be true.

If all else fails, there is e-publishing!

Marilyn - There is some interest on Long-Island crime at the moment and this might be a way of "marketing" your book:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-island/156812-famous-long-island-crimes-12.html

Alice Parson's disappearance is mentioned in the link above.

...Just a thought...

 

[Marilynilpa]

Marilyn - There is some interest on Long-Island crime at the moment and this might be a way of "marketing" your book:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-island/156812-famous-long-island-crimes-12.html

Alice Parson's disappearance is mentioned in the link above.

...Just a thought...

Thanks, Pink Panther!

ETA: I see that someone named OhBeeHave has a post that appears to be taken almost word for word from this thread. LOL. Maybe I should sue for copyright infringement!!

 

[Pink Panther]

Thanks, Pink Panther!

ETA: I see that someone named OhBeeHave has a post that appears to be taken almost word for word from this thread. LOL. Maybe I should sue for copyright infringement!!

Or you might want to think of it as publicity for your upcoming release!

: )

 

[Marilynilpa]

Or you might want to think of it as publicity for your upcoming release!

: )

That's an optimistic point of view, and I like it!

 

[zwiebel]

Marilynilpa, do you know how long Anna lived in England? And Roy's father who was killed - Soni is an Indian or Italian name, but Han Roy? Isn't that Chinese?

Last year Kent got funding to put all its newspaper archives online, with free access. Am just trying to find out how far that has got.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2010/july/28/kents_150-year-old_newspapers.aspx

I am sure a fatal traffic accident would have been covered. Kent also has a really good archaelogy site that lists most names in Kent graveyards, but I couldn't find a Soni anywhere. http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Libr/MIs/MIsSearch.htm

I am very interested in the fate of any early partners. There was a very strong tradition of death by poison in Russia at this time.......

 

[Perodicticus potto]

Roy Kupryanova-Parsons, born in 1926 in Kent (just outside London) England, in 1926. With a birthname of Soni? Died in Dallas, Texas.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=42&gsln=Soni&gsln_x=XO

English census records should reveal exactly who lived in the household at the time.

Unfortunately, the first British census after his birth would have been conducted in 1931, by which time I believe he was already in America. (Also, unless the law has changed recently, the 1931 census won't be released to the public till 2031.)

 

[zwiebel]

I thought we had a census every 10 years! Ah well, nothing like proving you know nothing about your own country in public......wouldn't his birth and parents be recorded in local parish records though? And I'm still hopeful that fatal car accident will appear in a local newspaper of the time. Maybe even coverage of Alice's death with some local background, if reporters made the English connection? 'Local boy inherits American fortune' would have made a good story.

 

[zwiebel]

PP, your post has overwhelmed me with nostalgia - I'm from North London. Is it raining there? It's raining here in Germany, but it's just not the same.

 

[Marilynilpa]

I thought we had a census every 10 years! Ah well, nothing like proving you know nothing about your own country in public......wouldn't his birth and parents be recorded in local parish records though? And I'm still hopeful that fatal car accident will appear in a local newspaper of the time. Maybe even coverage of Alice's death with some local background, if reporters made the English connection? 'Local boy inherits American fortune' would have made a good story.

BBM

That would make a great headline, even if it wasn't true! Roy actually did not benefit greatly from Alice's death, other than a smallish amount left to him in Alice's will.

Roy joined the military, then later became an artist. While he and his wife lived a fairly comfortable life, they were not wealthy by any means.

I haven't spent a great deal of time looking into Roy's background so it's really interesting to read your posts.

What I have learned is that Anna gave varying accounts of who Roy's father was. She claimed he was a member of Russian royalty (sorry, can't recall his name); an artist/student (Soni, who allegedly died in a car accident); and, last but not least, Alex Kuprianov, Anna's ex-husband.

Soni is the probable father, since his name does appear on the birth records. It would be interesting to pursue that a little further.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Unfortunately, the first British census after his birth would have been conducted in 1931, by which time I believe he was already in America. (Also, unless the law has changed recently, the 1931 census won't be released to the public till 2031.)

By 1931, Roy was already in the U.S. At that time, he was still Roy Kuprianova/Kuprianov. When Anna became a U.S. citizen in 1936, she changed her last name to Parsons, and Roy became Roy Parsons.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Marilynilpa, do you know how long Anna lived in England? And Roy's father who was killed - Soni is an Indian or Italian name, but Han Roy? Isn't that Chinese?

Last year Kent got funding to put all its newspaper archives online, with free access. Am just trying to find out how far that has got.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2010/july/28/kents_150-year-old_newspapers.aspx

I am sure a fatal traffic accident would have been covered. Kent also has a really good archaelogy site that lists most names in Kent graveyards, but I couldn't find a Soni anywhere. http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Libr/MIs/MIsSearch.htm

I am very interested in the fate of any early partners. There was a very strong tradition of death by poison in Russia at this time.......

BBM

I love the way your mind works!

I'm not sure how long Anna lived in England. I've focused most of my research on the backgrounds of Alice and William. The questions you've raised are really good, and I can see now that perhaps I should "flesh out" Anna's background a little.

I'll dig through my info on Anna and see what I have regarding her life after Russia, and I'll post it here.

Gosh, you guys are really coming up with some good stuff.

 

[zwiebel]

Do you have a date for Anna's arrival in the US? That would give a window (between birth of child and emigration) for the auto accident death.
ETA, sorry, just saw your post above.

 

[zwiebel]

If any of the documents you have mention Anna lived anywhere in Eynsford, Kent, then there MAY?? be some truth to her impoverished white Russian tale. There were strong family links between English and Russian royalty and Eynsford, Kent, is the home of the Hart Dykes ( English aristocrats) and their family seat, Lullington Castle. I knew a family member and they told me about a link once, a great aunt. But I can't recall if she was French or Russian. So that's pretty rubbish sleuthing on my part.

 

[zwiebel]

Absolutely no connection to that family at all. But I've found my old friend, so this is one bit of rubbish sleuthing that has made me happy!

 

[Marilynilpa]

If any of the documents you have mention Anna lived anywhere in Eynsford, Kent, then there MAY?? be some truth to her impoverished white Russian tale. There were strong family links between English and Russian royalty and Eynsford, Kent, is the home of the Hart Dykes ( English aristocrats) and their family seat, Lullington Castle. I knew a family member and they told me about a link once, a great aunt. But I can't recall if she was French or Russian. So that's pretty rubbish sleuthing on my part.

No, that's definitely not rubbish sleuthing.

I know little about where Anna lived, I more or less picked up her life when she began working for Alice and William Parsons. But I will definitely look into this more. In fact, I'm rather disgusted with myself right now for not exploring Anna's background more. I really should find out more about her.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Do you have a date for Anna's arrival in the US? That would give a window (between birth of child and emigration) for the auto accident death.
ETA, sorry, just saw your post above.

Anna and Roy sailed from Southampton on the Mauretania, arriving in New York City on June 5, 1930. Roy was 4 years old at the time.

On the ship's manifest, it indicates Roy was born in London, England in approx. 1926, and his ethnicity was Russian.

So the window would be from approximately 1926 until June 1930.

You really seem to have a knack for this kind of thing!