Horn-u-Copia's Display of Makers

When John Stratton moved his manufacturing to Europe , Charles Parsons served as his principal US Agent from 1869 to 1883.

• 1843 Charles Henry Parsons born in Hartford, CT on April 17th
• c1867 Parsons, importer, #141 Maiden Lane, home #2 Harrison; he may have shared space with Milo Parsons who sold oil at the same address
• 1869 Parsons starts working as an agent for Stratton & Co., #55 Maiden Lane in Manhattan; home on E. Warren St. in Brooklyn; agent for Stratton until 1883
• 1874 Parsons moves to #303 Clinton St. in Brooklyn
• 1875 census has him back at Harrison St., musical instrument maker
• 1880 census has him at #308 Clinton St., musical instruments
• 1883 forms Charles H. Parsons & Co., #292 Broadway, NYC; his home is now at #308 Clinton St.
• 1883 musical instruments, #292 Broadway
• 1890 store still at #292 Broadway
• 1892 listed as a ‘Commercial Traveler’ in the NYS census
• 1932 Parsons dies in Brooklyn on December 9th, age 89

Brass instruments found have a shield logo and their style matches the 1880s date range. The Eb cornet in the top photo is a match to one in the Stratton catalog of c1894 so he was probably using the same European maker listed as ‘M. Goulet / Paris’. Parsons was likely only an importer.

He went on to be president of Hutchins Mfg. Co, in 1886. (Heald was foreman 1883-5) By 1890, he was no longer involved in musical commerce. At the Hutchins company, they experimented with aluminum brass instruments. However, It is also possible that this is case of mistaken identity, as there was also a real estate developer and prominent native citizen of that city of the same name.

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