The material contained in this guide consists of textual records, newspaper articles, emails, handwritten letters, book chapters, and photographs compiled by Williams College Archives and Special Collections. The materials all relate to the life and memory of one of Williamstown’s first Black residents, Mr. Abraham Parsons. A majority of the documents were written and disseminated by white residents of Berkshire County, specifically with ties to Williams College, to provide their perspectives on the actions, character, and presence of Mr. Abraham Parsons within the White Oaks/Williamstown community. The materials, especially the photographs, have not been converted into digital files for this project in respect of the enduring spirit and tactile essence of Mr. Abraham Parsons that fills the pictures. With this guide, the intention is to give researchers a deeper and detailed perspective of the archival materials pertaining to White Oaks and Abraham Parsons, one that goes beyond standardized archival description. The guide is student created; hence, the information is community derived rather than coming from a dominant historical perspective.
Collections used:
I first encountered the story of Mr. Abraham Parsons after taking Dr. Allison Guess’ “Race, Land, and Dispossession” course, where we went on a tour of the White Oaks community with Dr. Bilal Ansari. The beauty of the crisp breeze and sounds of rolling water were cut short as Dr. Ansari recounted the grim histories of many early Black Williamstown residents, mainly Mr. Abraham Parsons. To hear about a man who defied all odds by escaping slavery, only to be again valued for his bodily attributes and ‘abilities’ by students, faculty, and friends of Williams College, was startling. As a Black man studying at this institution, I had always wondered about the history of Black individuals in the Berkshire area, and I was disappointed, but unsurprised, to hear about the historically negative experiences of Black people in this region.
Mr. Abraham Parsons’ story that is available to us appears to not be much of his story at all, with many of the remaining documents being penned by those who were active participants or witnesses to the oftentimes dehumanizing and degrading treatment he was subjected to. Interestingly, it seems that many of these people had ‘fond’ memories of Mr. Parsons, presenting him as a Williamstown legend and a fan favorite; however, I can only imagine how he truly felt and what words he would use to describe his time in the Berkshires. However, one thing that I have learned through my conversations with Dr. Ansari, Dr. Guess, and Dr. James Manigault-Bryant, is that Black people persevere, and find beautiful ways to do so, in a variety of oppressive environments. Whether it was the mentions of his love for the circus, playing his fiddle, or dancing, Mr. Parsons found ways to have fun and express himself outside of the typical activities that the dominant society insisted he do, solely for their entertainment.
Dr. Manigault Bryant’s Africana Studies capstone course this semester, has solidified the importance of community for Black Studies and the responsibility of Black students, like myself, to look outside of our ivory towers and high gates, into the history of those who have been historically and systemically dispossessed/disadvantaged by institutions I now benefit from. The Black history of this institution and this land are striking to say the least; consequently, I take great pride in making sure the memories of those who came before us are not lost in history. Mr. Abraham Parsons’ memory must be remembered, and more importantly, must be respectfully preserved in an accessible manner for current and future students/generations to interrogate the College’s role in the dispossession of communities of color, and the opportunities for reconciliation that lie ahead of us as a campus community.
Special thanks to Williams College Special Collections Records Manager & Digital Resources Archivist, Jessika Drmacich, and Dr. James Manigault-Bryant.
Hellerman, Lisa. Abraham “Abe the Bunter” Parsons. Undated. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This record includes various ‘mythological’ level stories that circulated about Abraham throughout time, emphasizing the novelty of his bodily features and ‘abilities’. The document features discussion about the location of his (still) missing skull with claims that the Williams College Biology department may have it or that a school janitor accidentally discarded it. This piece portrays Abraham as the 100 year old “Williamstown N-gro” who would participate in commencement ceremonies as a sort of school mascot, and also serve as the butt of countless pranks suffered at the hands of “Williams men”. One story stated within the piece, claims that Williams students would regularly ask him to break cheese over his head and then they’d give it to him to eat. However, one night they hid a grindstone in a cheese wheel they placed in a burlap sack, and he hit his head causing him to bleed heavily (to which the document ends “He didn't live long after that…”).
“Abe, the Bunter:” A Remarkable Old Black Man Who Is Over a Century Old. 1892. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This file cites a St-Louis publication that claims Abraham was most likely the oldest man in western Massachusetts, thus showing the geographical reach of stories regarding him outside of Williamstown. The piece speaks of his “romantic and adventurous career,” as though, to present him as a larger-than-life character. One rumor is featured that claimed Abraham “had a great reputation for killing horses and cows with his head (Probably 20 horses).” Similar rumors circulated about Abraham, setting him up as violent and ‘uncivilized’ in the eyes of white Berkshire county residents.
Botsford, E. Herbert. A Former Campus Character Abe “Bunter”. 1924. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This piece claims that undergraduates and faculty in 1924 were missing out on a “key institution of the former days,” which are the College’s “campus characters of old” (i.e. Abraham, etc.) who are “picturesque figures so familiar to older alumni. Botsford claims that Abraham sold the rights to his head on multiple occasions, including reports that members of the Sigma Phi fraternity were mixed up in this “benevolent” transaction. A featured story claims that upon his death, an autopsy was conducted but nothing unusual was found except a “remarkable thickness of the frontal bone” of his skull. Interestingly, the writer ends by inviting readers “who had a personal acquaintance with old Abe” to comment and “add to the glory of this well known character.”
Hitchcock, John C. The Life and Death of a Legend. 1954. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This article refers to Abraham as “the beloved N-gro,” while including additional inhuman imagery to describe “indomitable Abe’s” rush of “fury line an enraged Jersey bull” towards the cheese block with a hidden grindstone inside. The piece features a story where, at a ‘select party’ in White Oaks, a couple of drunken farmers took turns breaking two inch wood plans over Abraham’s head, to which the author slyly remarks that “Abe was smiling graciously at the gentle sport.” Another tale is included where Abraham’s wife, Elsie, is said to have “convincingly laid him out with an axe, using the sharp side of course” after an argument. Hitchcock continues to paint a demeaning perspective of Abe and his family by positioning Abraham’s appearances at Williams’ Commencement with the following language: “dressed in a black Prince Albert and carrying his stovepipe hat in the “ready position” for many a coin to land in the proffered topper”
Makepeace, C.D. The Life and Death of a Legend. 1954. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This article features a story about Dr. Frank W. Olds, class of 1876, who was going to perform Abraham’s autopsy at the Hopkins undertaking establishment in 1900. Dr. Olds is said to have taken a few students with him to view Abraham’s body, which lay in the Hopkins undertaking rooms on the second floor of the Danforth block, Spring Street. The account also claims that Abraham was given $100 by Harvard Medical School to stake their claim for his skull when he died. However, when he died and a wire was sent to alert Harvard, they responded “not interested.” Additionally, a letter was received at the WIlliams Club in NYC from the old widow of Dr. Olds, stating that “in the clearing out of her house she found in the attic a portion of a human skull with a memo attached to it that it was from the body of Abe Bunter.” She considered throwing it away but wanted the Club to have “this release of a famous character in Williamstown,” which the Club was happy to accept (for some years Abraham’s skull was located on a mantle in the Williams Club library on 39th street in NYC).
The Argo vol.3 no. 10. Williamstown Celebrities: Abe Bunter. 1883. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This account takes a sarcastic and satirical tone throughout, while incorporating such stories like Abraham’s father being a Frenchman and his mother being a South African Jewess only because they claimed to have asked Abraham “as he should know since he was there at the time” of his birth. The writers also poke fun at Abraham’s intelligence by claiming Abraham was “kept back in school for fear of mental exertion” until he was 40 and “his first connection with a school was some time between 1850-1865, when he fell in with a school of shark while taking his semi-annual bath on the Atlantic Ocean.” The article continues to insult Abraham and his family with lines by claiming there is a “dearth of ideas when he opens his mouth” and they were “able to state that his second wife [Elsie] is not a success, regarded from a social standpoint.” A handwritten note on the article claims the piece was written/signed by someone under the false initials B O’L.
Williamstown Vital Records. Undated. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections
These handwritten records are included on the back of the Argo document with figures for 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. It appears to display the racial makeup of Williamstown and the evolution of Abraham’s family unit over time.
The North Adams Evening Transcript."A Famous Character Gone: Life and Death of 'Abe Bunter' Autopsy Today Showed Thickness of Skull." 1900. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This piece claims that Abraham’s autopsy was performed in the undertaking rooms of George M. Hopkins by Dr. J. B. Hull of Williamstown, Drs. F. W. Fuller of Williamstown and Bushnell, and M. M. Brown of North Adams. It reports that a small tumor was found to be growing at the base of Abraham’s skull and two more were found in his left kidney and duodenum; however, doctors claimed those weren't the cause of his death. Interestingly, the report claimed that Abraham liked to dance (clog dance) and visit the circus despite his old age (some of the first potential glimpses we have into things he actually may have enjoyed). He reportedly, close to the end of his life, told the doctor, “if you can pull me through so that I can go to the circus that’s coming to North Adams soon, I’ll ask no more, but I do want to go to just one more circus before I die.”
Wilson, Francis H. Letter to Ms. Hall. 2007. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This letter is penned by Francis Wilson, who claims to be a distant relative of Abraham and that many of the stories regarding Abraham told by “articles and students were not 100% right.” She also asserts that her grandparents and oldest uncle, Joe, knew Abraham and his family in White Oaks. Unfortunately, she states that none of her relatives in those days had the money needed to dispute false claims and lies about Abraham even though many people knew the stories were fabrications, especially the stories about him selling the rights to his head. This is the only record present within his file that is authored by a Black individual and the only piece to interrogate the validity of the many ‘myths’ surrounding Abraham’s life in the Berkshires.
Photograph of Joseph Jackson Jr. Undated. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This photograph is attached to Francis Wilson’s letter, depicting her oldest uncle, Joseph Jackson Jr., in North Adams. Jackson’s father, Joe Sr., was said to have befriended and cared for the Parsons family during Abraham’s life.
Tenth Census of the United States. 1880. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This census details that Abe and Elsie lived in Williamstown.
Twelfth Census of the United States. 1900. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This census details that Joseph Jackson Sr. and his wife, Mary (Francis Wilson’s grandparents), lived in Williamstown around the time Abraham was alive.
Springfield Union. "Hardest Head in the World: Death of Abe Bunter, Centenarian, Whose Head Made Him Famous." Undated. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This article racistly remarks that “the development of the outer part of the old n-gro’s [Abraham] head rather than that of the inner that brought the ‘darky’ into the ranks of famous men.” It also includes a differing perspective regarding Abraham and the axe incident by claiming his ‘angry son’ struck him in the head instead of his wife, Elsie. Additionally, Abraham is said to have “possessed an ancient violin” and was prepared to deliver one of his “break-down entertainments” at a White Oaks party before the drunken farmers resorted to smashing planks on his head for their entertainment. In an experience known all too well by Black residents of White Oaks, one day “a member of the board of selectmen drove to the door and informed the old couple [Abraham and Elsie] that it had been decided best to take them to the town farm”
Abe, the Bunter. Circa 1869. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This document reports that Abraham’s White Oaks “dwelling was bounded on either side by two brooks.” One day after a bad flood “turned his lands into a lake,” Abraham is said to have taken his family to a “rocky eminence in the center of the flood” where they remained for “a day and night.” Abraham then was able to craft a pontoon from the drifting boards and brush amidst the waters that “completely ruined his land” as he had “no insurance on his property and that everything is a dead loss.” The article ends with the words: “help him if he applies to you.”
Williams Athenaeum. Locals. 1875. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This piece claims that Abraham “tried to mortgage his skull, to be delivered at death, to a freshman, for a pair of pants.”
Williams Athenaeum. 1881. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This piece also identifies his youngest son, “Toad,” as the one who hit him with an axe instead of his wife. It continues to paint Abraham according to an outside perspective as “cheerful and voluble as ever” in the midst of family and economic hardship.
Riggins, Edwin N. "Twilight of a Legend: Abe the Bunter." 1897. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This article features two sketches and a photograph from Edward Riggins ‘97. It details Riggins’ process of coercing Abraham to pose for these illustrations, which are later disseminated as sequels to the 1954 Alumni Review piece by Hitchcock ‘50 and Makepeace ‘00.
Niles, Grace G. The Hoosac Valley: Its Legends and Its History. 1912. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This book features a few names of Black residents who lived in White Oaks including Abraham Parsons, Ishmael Tite (Titus), and others. It details that Elsie, Abraham’s wife, was the daughter of Stockbridge Chieftain Orcombreight and a Black woman named Phoebe.
Williams College Gulielmensian. Nune!. 1874. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
Here, Abraham is jokingly awarded “Emeritus Professor of Antique Garments and Terpischore” by Williams students
The Old Williams. Undated. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
The article recounts the story of Abraham using his head to break down a burning Spring Street store door, but concludes with the jab: “for a consideration, of course.” It also unilaterally states that Abraham’s “greatest distinction was his honorary membership in the class of 1890, with which group he marched in the Commencement Parade.”
Springfield Republican (assumed). "Death of Old Abe Bunter: Familiar Character Passes Away at Williamstown." 1900. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
The article claims that “the couple [Abraham and Elsie] lived in an old tumble-down shanty at White Oaks” with an aged and rugged horse who Abraham would use to travel to circuses and cattle shows. It claims, “Probably there have been few local characters more famous in their times and localities than ‘Abe Bunter’ in Williamstown.”
Body of Old Negro Dissected and Then Hastily Buried. 1900. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This article reports that, after his death, “no previous announcement of his funeral was made, not even to his relatives, leaving only 5 people to show up.” Additionally, “Selectman Sanford refused to send a carriage to the town farm to bring Abe’s wife to the funeral” and left the Williamstown “famous character” with a procession consisting of only the hearse.” Interestingly, “at the graveyard, George B. Waterman of the cemetery commission refused to permit burial unless Elsie was there so he sent a carriage of his own to get her.” The article ends with the author stating, “The hasty manner in which the poor old man’s remains were disposed of has aroused much criticism in Williamstown, where he was held in a sort of veneration as a local character.”
Niles, Grace G. The Hoosac Valley: Its Legends and Its History. 1912. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
The book features a photograph of Elsie and her sister sitting in White Oaks making white oaks baskets at the George Adams Cabin opposite the Chapel.
Eckerson, Wayne. A History of White Oaks Neighborhood in Williamstown. 1981. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This independent study project details information on a few Black White Oaks residents, including Abraham. It also confirms that white Berkshire residents used to commonly refer to White Oaks as “N****r Hill” due to the prevalence of Black people living there.
Perry, Caroll. A Professor of Life. 1923. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
Perry claims that Abraham’s cranium became his “chief financial resource, it was literally his capital” since he “hypothecated his skull for the interest of Science” to no less than a half-dozen different students. Perry also states that near the end of his life, Abraham said, “It has always been worth a great deal to me to be a n****r.” No further explanation or interpretation is given to his statement. Lastly, the book includes a joke about Abraham’s skull being discovered later in history as Homo Bunteris, alongside “the Neanderthal Man, the Rhodesian Man, and the Man of Piltdown.”
Renzi, Ralph R. Letter to Dr. Edwin N. Riggins. 1956. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
In this letter, Renzi thanks Riggins for the photos and sketches he sent of Abraham for the May issue of the Alumni Review (Forwarded to him by William B. Bliss Jr.
Brown, Sylvia K. ‘Parsons family’ email to Dorothy Wang and Kevin Murphy. 2019. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
In this email, Sylvia Brown notes discrepancies in census data for the Parsons family from 1860-1880 (with no online census for 1890). It also details the names of Abraham’s children: Ira, Abe, Mary, and Theodore.
Perras Jr., Louis. Letter to Williams College. 1932. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
In this letter, Louis Perras Jr. asks for information regarding the ‘incident’ where Williams College students were paying an “old colored gentleman money for his head to be turned over to the College for medical study.” Perras Jr. wanted to know “the man’s name, how much was paid for his head, when he died, and information of the sort.”
Secretary to the President. Letter to Louis Perras Jr. 1932. Subject Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This response letter from the Williams College Secretary to the President to Louis Perras Jr., claims that the College had little information other than the man’s name (Abraham Parsons “commonly known as Abe Bunter”). The Secretary suggests for him to reach out to William S. Cooper who lived on Hoxsey Street as he was “familiar with many stories connected with the College and the town.”
Riggins, Edwin N. Sketch of Abraham Parsons for the Alumni Review. 1896. Persons Photograph Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
On the back, Riggins writes that this sketch was drawn in his room (College Hall) during Junior Year and states that this is one piece of 3 portraits he has (this one, one without a hat or clothing, and a small snapshot in hat and “full regalia.”
Notman, J. Photograph of Abraham Parsons. Undated. Persons Photograph Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This photo is interestingly titled ,“Abe” Bunter, with parentheses around his actual name instead of the nickname (Yes Abe is short for Abraham, but it still has much more to do with him as a person than Bunter).
Photograph of Abraham Parsons. Undated. Persons Photograph Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
Writing states that this photo was a gift of Prof. M_____ on the back. Abraham is in a suit.
Photograph of Abraham Parsons. Undated. Persons Photograph Files, Williams College Archives and Special Collections.
This photo of Abraham shows him sitting with hat in hand and a stoic look in his eyes. There is a handwritten note on the back asking if this man was the one people talked about splitting wood with his head.