Alvah Parsons, named Orolany Parsons in the 1850 and 1860 census records, was the first born child of Benjamin Parsons and Lydia Bennett. He may even have been born before they were married, as according to the Mortality Schedule of the 1870 census, he was 22 years old in February of 1870, which means he was born before March 1848, and Benjamin and Lydia were married 27 August 1848. But then again, ages are often wrong in census records.
So poor Alvah didn't live long, having drowned at the age of 22. His death is recorded only in the census, and very briefly, telling how but not where he died. Since he was a sailor, it's likely he drowned at sea. There is no record of his burial anywhere, so that may be the case.
It's not known what kind of sailor he was, though he was probably a merchant marine. Below is a picture of the front page of the sheet music for a song, published in 1868, about a man who misses his sweetheart. It depicts a typical sailor of the time. The Library of Congress has information about the music at their website.
This song is still being performed; you can hear it in this YouTube video:
Alvah's sister Etta is also listed on the mortality schedule. She died in November of the previous year of cholera infantum. So Benjamin and Lydia lost two children in the space of three months.
So poor Alvah didn't live long, having drowned at the age of 22. His death is recorded only in the census, and very briefly, telling how but not where he died. Since he was a sailor, it's likely he drowned at sea. There is no record of his burial anywhere, so that may be the case.
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| Mortality Schedule 1870 Census |
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| Taken from Smithsonian website |
This song is still being performed; you can hear it in this YouTube video:
Alvah's sister Etta is also listed on the mortality schedule. She died in November of the previous year of cholera infantum. So Benjamin and Lydia lost two children in the space of three months.
