Let's start at the beginning. Marion's family migrated to the Syracuse area from Northampton, Mass. sometime in the mid 1800s. The Parsons ancestor who came to this country circa 1630 from England was Cornet Joseph Parsons. He married Mary Bliss . Marion's family are decendents of the eldest of Joseph and Mary's 13 children. Edwin Clarke Parsons and Julia Armstrong Parsons settled first in a brick house on Onondaga Road, where Marion's oldest sister, Grace (my grandmother) was born. Then they settled in another brick house located on W. Genesee Street. The house is still in the family and is owned today by Geddes Historian, Jim Jerome. Can you imagine owning and living in the very house once lived in by your great great great grandparents? Not only does Jim and his family live in the family homestead, he has managed to keep, maintain, and make industry out of all the property that originally belonged to the house.
When fire destroyed the house where Marion grew up in the late 1800s, she and her family lived for a while in this house, her grandparents, Edwin and Julia's house, while the house at 2709 W. Genesee St. was being rebuilt.
This is a picture of the house today. Though there have been many improvements, Jim and his wife have maintained the style and look of the 19th century home.