Goldeneye drake decoy made by Ed Parsons (1856-1937), of Oxford, Maryland. Old working repaint. Decoy has great form and eye appeal. Structurally sound. Great early decoy.

Ed Parsons was born along the Tred Avon River in Talbot County, Maryland, in 1856. At age ten, he moved with his family to Oxford, where he first worked in his uncle’s shipyard. He eventually opened his own ship chandlery and, after establishing a successful business, began carving decoys for himself and for other local hunters. In Talbot County, he and the Elliott twins were the only craftsmen known to produce decoys commercially.

Parsons’ decoys were somewhat smaller and rounder than average, and he consistently carved a shallow concavity beneath the tail. For ballast, he poured melted lead into a one-inch hole drilled into the bottom of each bird. His paint patterns were straightforward but effective. He produced a range of species including canvasbacks, redheads, blackheads, goldeneyes, buffleheads, and mergansers.

One account suggests that Parsons refined his carving abilities while hunting over decoys made by Captain Ben Dye and John “Daddy” Holly. If true, he likely also learned from these early market gunners and skilled carvers that well-made decoys could command “hard money” from hunters who needed them. In his later years, Parsons created some miniature and decorative birds that appealed to early collectors. He is also credited with carving the flying Canada goose that once hung in the Tidewater Inn in Easton, MD.