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THE ATTIC |
HANSOM
CAB: James C. Parmelee
(1855-1931)
William Samuel, Samuel, Samuel, Ezra, Nathaniel, Nathaniel,
John, John
 Alice
(Maury) Parmelee (1866-1940) and her driver can be seen
on the streets of Washington, D.C., about 1920. She and a
few other women in the nation's capital owned their own
hansom cabs for personal transportation because they
found them easier to board. Though not a part of the
official Smithsonian Collection, the cab was on display
at the museum -- I don't know if it currently is. These
photos are from the Library of Congress, Prints and
Photographs Division.
James and Alice made The Causeway their home in Washington, near the National Cathedral. The house, later sold to Joseph E. Davis, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Belgium and chairman of FDR's third inaugural, for about $500,000. James and Alice were one of the four principal donors to the cathedral, giving $50,000; one of the four main pillars of the building has "Parmelee" written its base. James and Alice died childless and directed that their multimillion-dollar estate be given to various charities. |
Alice's husband, James, worked with W.H.
Lawrence and Webb Hayes, son of distant-Parmelee cousin