Edwin Charles Parsons (1892 - 1968)

Born 24 Sep 1892 in Holyoke, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Died 2 May 1968 at age 75 in Sarasota, Florida, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Judy Dimmick [send private message]

Biography

Edwin Parsons was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

Captain Edwin Parsons served for the United States of America in World War I
Service started: 1917
Unit(s): French Foreign Legion
Service ended: 1918

Rear Admiral Edwin Parsons served in the United States Navy in World War II
Service started: 1942
Unit(s):
Service ended: 1954

Rear Adm. Edwin C. Parsons, a hero of two world wars and the last ace of the Lafayette Escadrille, died at age 75 on May 2, 1968 in a Sarasota, Fla., hospital. Parsons learned to fly in California in 1912. He served with the United States Ambulance service before enlisting in the French Foreign Legion. After the outbreak of World War I, he worked his way to France as an assistant veterinarian on a horse transport and joined the Lafayette Escadrille.

During 1917-1918 he received the French Medaille Militaire, the Croix de Guerre with eight palms, the Legion D'Honneur, the Cross of Leopold and the Belgian War Cross. Parsons was credited with destroying 8 enemy aircraft in aerial combat, earning the honor of being called an ACE!

During World War II, Edwin Parsons received the U.S. Bronze Star for heroism in the Pacific, and following the war he was a member of the first class of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving as a special agent for three years.

Parsons went to Hollywood in the 1920's as a script writer and technical expert, then he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1934 and continued to advance, becoming a Rear Admiral by the time he retired in 1954. One more major achievement was writing a book, "The Great Adventure", reprinted later as "I Flew With the Lafayette Escadrille."

Edwin was in an obituary on 3 May 1968 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States. He died (age 75) in about 1968 in SARASOTA, Fla.^[1][2]

Sources

1. ↑ Obituary: "U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current"
   The Central New Jersey Home News; Publication Date: 3 May 1968; Publication Place: New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA; Clipping
   Ancestry Record 61843 #537943788 (accessed 26 November 2022)
   Name: Edwin C. Parsons; Gender: Male; Death Age: 75; Birth Date: abt 1893; Birth Place: Holyoke, Mass.; Marriage Date: 1955; Residence Place: California; Death Date: Abt 1968; Death Place: SARASOTA, Fla.; Obituary Date: 3 May 1968; Obituary Place: New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA; Newspaper Title: The Central New Jersey Home News; Spouse: Catherine Gardner McKay.
2. ↑ Burial: "U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current"
   URL: Find A Grave: Memorial #13039037
   Ancestry Record 60525 #90655291 (accessed 26 November 2022)
   Edwin Charles Parsons burial (died on 2 May 1968) in Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, United States of America.

• 1919 Passport Application: "U.S., Passport Applications, 1795-1925"
  National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Roll #: 724; Volume #: Roll 0724 - Certificates: 69500-69749, 15 Mar 1919-17 Mar 1919
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1174 #756257 (accessed 26 November 2022)
  Name: Edwin Charles Parsons; Age: 26; Birth Date: 24 Sep 1892; Birth Place: Holyoke, Massachusetts; Residence Place: Springfield, Massachusetts; Passport Issue Date: 15 Mar 1919; Father: Frederick D Parsons; Has Photo: Yes; Certificate Number: 69563.

• Birth: "Massachusetts, U.S., Birth Records, 1840-1915"
  Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840-1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5062 #3499894 (accessed 26 November 2022)
  Edwin Charles Parsons born on 24 Sep 1892, son of Frederick D Parsons & Grace Steele, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA.

• https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/315788

• https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FX6G-ZLX

• http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31748

• http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/ecparsons.htm

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Charles_Parsons