John Parrott
John Parrott, the banker, was a good natured man and could take a joke with much grace. Here is one: “A broker came to him one day and said: ‘Mr. Parrott, I want to borrow one thousand dollars on a lot of hams in the warehouse.’ ‘All right,’ said Mr. Parrott. It went on for some time and Mr. Parrott looked around for his ham man, but could not find him, but he found the hams and the greater part of the weight of them was maggots. Mr. Parrot was very much disgusted. Time went on for a number of years and another man came to him to borrow money on hams in the warehouse. Mr. Parrott said to him, shaking his finger before the man’s face, ‘No more hams, no more hams,’ and walked off.” It was a standing joke on the street for a long time. This was late in the ’50’s.
In 1858-59 I built two very good houses on the south side of Howard street near Fourth. I lived in one of them about two years and then bought on the north side of Taylor street between Clay and Washington streets and resided there 17 years.