Many of you may have known Gerald Parsons. He was extremely
helpful for researchers for years at the Onondaga County
Library in Syracuse, NY. This is his obituary from the
Syracuse newspaper.

Wednesday, December 31, 2003

EDITION: Final SECTION: Obit PAGE: B4 LENGTH:

TYPE: OBITUARY

Gerald J. Parsons December 29, 2003

Gerald J. Parsons, 79, of Syracuse, passed away Monday
evening, December 29, 2003 at Crouse Hospital after a
lengthy battle with cancer. Mr. Parsons was born in
Syracuse, NY and graduated as valedictorian of his
class in June 1942. He served in the army during World
War II, from March 1943 through January 1946. He was a
member of the 275th Engineer Combat Battalion 75th
Division during the Battle of the Bulge, continuing
with them in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany
receiving credit for the Ardennes Central Europe and
Rhineland Campaigns. He was honorably discharged in
January 1946.

Mr. Parsons attended Syracuse University where he
received an A.B. in history in 1949 and a Master of
Science in Library Science in June 1950. He is a
member of Beta Phi Mu international library science
honor society.

Mr. Parsons began his professional career in 1950 in
the Rochester Public Library where he served as head
of the Education, Philosophy and Religion Division. He
joined the staff at the Syracuse Public Library (now
the Onondaga County Public Library) in September 1958,
he retired from there in March of 1986 after almost 26
years as the librarian of the Local History and
Genealogy Department.

Mr. Parsons published his first piece of historical
writing in 1942, since that time he has published
numerous genealogical articles including many in the
American Genealogical magazine where he was a
contributing editor from 1952 to 1982. He was a book
review editor for Tree Talks the journal of the CNY
Genealogical Society. In January 2003, Mr. Parsons
published Our Parsons Heritage, which represented 66
years of research. In November 2003, he published his
last work, The Wilson Family.Mr. Parsons was elected a
Fellow of the American Society Genealogists in
September 1955 the highest honor on can achieve in the
field of American Genealogy. He was a member of
numerous organizations including the CNY Genealogical
Society, Onondaga Historical Association and the
Alumni association of Syracuse University and its
School of Information Studies.

Mr. Parsons is survived by a brother and
sister-in-law, Paul and Joy Parsons of Chesapeake,
Virginia, formally of Liverpool, NY; a nephew, Brian
Parsons of Portsmouth, Virginia; a niece, Cynthia
Sullivan of Hannibal, New York; two great- nephews;
two great-nieces; a cousin, Stuart Wilson of
Liverpool, New York and numerous extended family
members.

Services will be 11:30 a.m, Saturday at Fairchild &
Meech DeWitt Chapel, 3690 Erie Blvd. E., calling hours
will be 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the funeral chapel.
Spring burial will be in South Butler Cemetery.

Contributions may be made in Mr. Parsons name to the
Onondaga County Public Library or the Onondaga County
Historical Society.