Dr Samuel Parsons (1786-1857)

He was born at Redding, Connecticut, where he acquired his medical education. In 1811, he came to Ohio and was one of the first physicians to practise in Columbus. He was elected to the Ohio General Assembly in 1843 and for several years was the President of the Franklin Branch of the State Bank of Ohio. He acquired significant interests in railroads and owned valuable real estate, establishing a fortune which lay the foundation of the Parsons family fortune. The story goes that when the Big Four Railroad was looking for a right of way into Columbus there was considerable competition between Dr Parsons and a neighbour over whose land would be used. Dr Parsons shrewdly offered the railroad-men a gift of property on which to build their station and in return they chose his land on which to bring the train into Columbus. This, "made his heirs many years later owners of valuable land in the heart of the city". Parsons Avenue in Columbus, on which his son built Parsons Place, is named for Dr Parsons.