Edward Smith Parsons Papers, 1883-1943 (Bulk: 1916-1921)
2 records storage boxes, 1 flat box (2.5 linear ft.)
Terms of Access and Use:
There is no restriction on access to the Parsons Papers for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes.
Requests for permission to publish material from Parsons Papers should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Edward Smith Parsons was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 9, 1863. He was educated at the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, Amherst (BA 1883) and Yale (BD 1887), and was ordained in the Congregational Church in 1887. After serving as parson of the First Congregational Church in Greeley, Colorado, for four years, he joined the faculty of Colorado College as an English professor in 1892. Parsons was vice-president of the college (1898-1916, and dean of the Department of Arts and Sciences (1901-1917). However, his vocal opposition to President William F. Slocum (AC 1874), which caused Slocum to resign, made him unpopular with the trustees, who in turn forced his resignation in 1917. Parsons' dismissal caused considerable public outrage, and the trustees offered to reinstate him conditionally. Parsons declined the offer, however, and moved to Marietta College (Ohio), where he served as President from 1919 to 1936 and as President Emeritus from 1936 to 1943.
Parsons was a founder of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, an active member and official of the YMCA, and a member of various other social and academic organizations. He edited Milton's Minor Poems for the Cambridge Series, and wrote several scholarly articles, including "The Earliest Life of Milton" (English Historical Review, January 1902; republished as part of Colorado College Studies, vol. X, 1903); "A Christian Critique of Socialism"; "The Social Message of Jesus"; etc. Parsons married Mary Augusta Ingersoll on December 4, 1889, and was the father of six children. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 22, 1943.
Correspondence and news clippings, mainly regarding Parsons' dismissal from Colorado College as a result of his opposition to President William F. Slocum (AC 1874); diaries; scholarly notes and papers on John Milton; and miscellaneous booklets.
This collection is organized into five series:
There is no restriction on access to the Parsons Papers for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes.
Requests for permission to publish material from Parsons Papers should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
[Identification of item], in Parsons Papers [Box #, Folder #], Amherst College Archives and Special Collections, Amherst College Library
| Processed: | 2003 April |
| By: | Sarang Gopalakrishnan 2006, Student Encoding Assistant |
| Listed by: | Sarang Gopalakrishnan 2006, Student Encoding Assistant |
| Edited by: | Peter Nelson, Assistant Archivist |
| Contact Information |
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Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Robert Frost Library
PO Box 5000 Amherst, MA 01002-5000 Phone: (413) 542-2299 Fax: (413) 542-2692 Email Reference Form: http://www.amherst.edu/library/archives/askus URL: http://www.amherst.edu/library/archives |
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Series 1: CORRESPONDENCE,
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1903-1943
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Series 1, Correspondence, 1903-1943, is organized into two sub-series: A. Correspondence and Notes Regarding Parsons' Dismissal from Colorado College, 1916-1921. Notes include statements made by female employees and a group of faculty members at the college regarding the conduct of President Slocum, and documentation of Dean Parsons' dismissal from the college by the board of trustees. Material in this sub-series is organized chronologically by year. B. Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1903-1943. The bulk of this correspondence dates from 1940-1943 and concerns an article that Parsons was preparing for publication, "Concerning 'The Earliest Life of Milton'," which was published in June 1942. Correspondence is arranged chronologically. |
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Sub-Series A: Correspondence and Notes Regarding Parsons' Dismissal from Colorado College
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Correspondence
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1915-1916
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Box 1: folder 1
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Correspondence
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1917
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Box 1: folder 2
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Correspondence
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1917
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Box 1: folder 3
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Correspondence
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1917
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Box 1: folder 4
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Correspondence
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1917
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Box 1: folder 5
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Correspondence
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1917
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Box 1: folder 6
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Correspondence
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1918
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Box 1: folder 7
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Correspondence
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1918
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Box 1: folder 8
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Correspondence
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1918
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Box 1: folder 9
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Correspondence
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1919
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Box 1: folder 10
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Correspondence
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1919
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Box 1: folder 11
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Correspondence
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1920
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Box 1: folder 12
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Correspondence
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1921
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Box 1: folder 13
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Undated Correspondence
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n.d.
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Box 1: folder 14
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Sub-Series B: Miscellaneous Correspondence
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Correspondence - miscellaneous
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1901-1933
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Box 1: folder 15
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Correspondence - mostly concerning an article Parsons was preparing, "Concerning 'The Earliest Life of Milton'," which was published in June 1942
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1940-1943
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Box 1: folder 16
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Series 2: DIARIES,
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1883-1943
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Series 2, Diaries, 1883-1943, are personal notes entered on an almost daily basis. Several of the diaries are "Line-a-Day" books with each page showing entries for the same day over a four or five year period. There is a gap in the diaries from 1889 to 1899. |
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3 diaries
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1883-1884
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Box 1: folder 17
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4 diaries
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1884-1886
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Box 1: folder 18
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4 diaries
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1886-1888
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Box 1: folder 19
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2 diaries
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1900-1905
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Box 2: folder 1
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3 diaries
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1906-1921
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Box 2: folder 2
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2 diaries
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1921-1930
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Box 2: folder 3
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3 diaries
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1930-1943
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Box 2: folder 4
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Loose materials removed from diaries
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1883-1943
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Box 2: folder 5
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Series 3: SCHOLARLY RESEARCH ON JOHN MILTON,
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1877-1936 AND N.D.
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Series 3, Scholarly Research on John Milton, 1877-1933 and n.d., consists of notes and articles related to Parsons' scholarly research about the poet John Milton. |
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The Puritan Epic, the Paradise Lost
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 6
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"On the Study of Paradise Lost"
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 7
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"The Puritan Scholar and His Book"
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 8
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Harry Martin," "Marvell and Cromwell," "Milton and Cromwell
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 9
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"Milton's Life and Times"
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 10
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"Milton and His Blindness"
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 11
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"Poetical Epithets of the Nightingale"
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 12
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The Youth of Milton," "The Character of Milton's Satan
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 13
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"Milton and Vane"
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 14
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"Milton: The Puritan Youth"; "Milton's Musical Friend" (on Henry Lawes) and "Milton's Young Friends" (based on his "Sonnet to Mr. Lawrence")
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 15
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Articles on Milton
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1933, n.d.
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Box 2: folder 16
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Ms of Parsons' article on "The Authorship of the Anonymous Life of Milton," related notes and correspondence
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[1935]-1936
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Box 2: folder 17
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Notes and articles on Milton
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1877, 1884, n.d.
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Box 2: folder 18
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Materials relating to Milton, miscellaneous
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1883-1943
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Box 2: folder 19
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Series 4: MISCELLANEOUS,
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1915-1917, n.d.
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Series 4, Miscellaneous, 1915-1917, consists of printed matter related to Parsons' work during World War I after leaving Colorado College. |
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Miscellaneous printed matter: "English for Coming Americans" lessons and teacher's aids; 3 items related to Army Y.M.C.A., Camp Meade, Maryland, 1917
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1915-1917, n.d.
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Box 2: folder 20
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Series 5: NEWSCLIPPINGS,
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1903-1921
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Series 5, News Clippings, 1903-1921, consist of loose newspaper clippings and a scrapbook documenting Parsons' career. |
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Loose clippings
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1916-1921
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Box 2: folder 21
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Scrapbook with news clippings
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1903-1917
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Box 3: folder 1
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