William Mason (1748 - 1823)

Born 30 Nov 1748 in Overwhaton Parish, Stafford, Virginia

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 26 Apr 1823 at age 74 in Culpepper, Virginia, United States

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Rev. WILLIAM MASON 1748 - 1823

The following biography is adapted from material found at rootsweb [1] which includes material quoted from Lynn Mason's website which has a portrait of William Mason [2] and also quoting Carolyn Britt Anderson's material previously quoted here [3] at genealogy.com forum:-

Birth

William Mason was born on his father's farm in Overwharton Parish, Stafford County, Virginia on November 30, 1748, the eldest son of John Mason and Mary (Nelson) Mason. His birth is found recorded in the parish records of Overwharton Parish, Old Stafford county [4]. William's parents, John Mason and Mary Nelson were farming a property inherited from a maternal great-grandfather William Matheny, 100 acres south of Aquia Creek that William Matheny had willed to William's grandfather William Mason in 1705; land adjacent to Matheny's land on the Hope Patent. [5]

Militia Service

William Mason moved to Culpeper County before the Revolutionary War of 1775. He served as Captain in the Fairfax Militia of Culpeper County, Virginia. Little is known of his Revolutionary War service, although his service is authenticated by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution.

Culpepper County

Soon after the Revolution, William Mason married Lucy Benson, thought to be the daughter of Enoch Benson and Mary D'oail Benson. Together they raised thirteen children on a 200 acre farm east of present day Culpeper, VA and west of the Wilderness Tavern, site of the famous Civil War battle.

Ministry

William Mason was an early Baptist Minister. William was baptized and became a member of Chappawamsick Baptist Church. According to letters and historical accounts, William was a small man with a strong voice that "could be heard in the small Blue Ridge Valley churches singing the praises of the Lord." Elder Mason, as preachers were known in those times was a man "plain in his ways and in his words", whose singular mission was to save souls. (added by Carolyn Britt Anderson) William Mason became a Baptist minister although "he was lacking in eloquence as a speaker but possessed gfits that were incomparably more valuable, such as being simple, grave, sincere, in doctrine Incorrupt and in Language and manner plain." [VIRGINIA BAPTIST MINISTERS--Taylor]. Taylor goes on to say that Elder Mason in his later years "was liable for drinking too much wine" without realising its effects on him.

Being one of the earliest Baptist Ministers in America, his religious life is well documented. His first ministry was at Mt. Poney Baptist Church (now Culpeper Baptist Church). With the dissolution of Mountain Run Church in 1782, Rev. Nathaniel Saunders and most of the remaining members of that congregation came to Mt. Poney. Included in this group were two other ministers : John Price, who eventually moved to Kentucky, and William Mason, who succeeded Pastor Saunders in 1788; the same year in which the "great revival" reached Culpeper, and approximatel y 200 new members were added to the Mt. Poney membership, chiefly through Pastor Mason's ministry. He served that church from 1782 until he retired in 1822, just before his death on April 26th, 1823. Mt. Poney chose Elder John Churchill Gordon to succeed William Mason as pastor.

While serving Mt. Poney, Reverend Mason started other churches in the Culpeper area. He served as their circuit riding pastor until 1822. These Virginia Baptist churches included Robinson River in Madison County established in 1790 by Pastor Mason with 76 members, Gourdvine in 1791, and again when seventy-two members of Mt.Pony church were dismissed to establish Bethel Church, constituted September 30th 1803. On December 3rd 1803, after opening with Divine Worship, some questions were brought up concerning members who transgressed and how the church should deal with such members. Brother William Mason was called by the church, and without a dissenting vote, became Bethel's fist pastor, serving concurrently Gourdvine Church and Robinson River Baptist Church until his resignation in 1822. All of these churches still hold regular services. From 1783 until 1822, Mason officiated at 531 recorded Culpeper County weddings. He was influential in uniting the Separate and Regular Baptists and promoting the cause of missions.

Pastor Mason was described as "a warm advocate of the missionary cause from the time it began to be discussed in Virginia." All the pastors in the Shiloh Association, however, did not feel the same way. Luther Rice, though, helped to change this attitude when he spoke to the Association at its meeting in August 1816. Rice preached twice during the meeting and a collection was taken for missionary purposes. The Association also recommended Baptist missions to the churches.

Through his actions, William Mason left a clear, and sometimes contradictory, record of his beliefs. Prior to the Revolution, there were two groups of Baptists; the Regular Baptists and the Separatist Baptists. The Regulars believed that their ministers should be licensed by the Episcopal Church as required by law. The Separatists believed the work of God was superior to the laws of man and they did not need to be licensed to spread the word of God. Mason was a Regular Baptist, believing that the issue of licensing was trivial and fighting the law took time away from saving souls. After the War, William, along with John Leland, was instrumental in bringing the two groups together.

William Mason owned slaves, but worked (again with Leland) to push the legislature to pass laws phasing out the institution of slavery, which he called "evil".

Another insight comes from a small rebellion that rose in Mason's own congregations. The disagreement was over clothing. Some members believed that it was their duty to wear "plain black" clothing to show piety. William quickly put down the rebellion with simple logic; proclaiming that the Lord didn't look at your clothes when you arrived at the gates of Heaven. Therefore, his congregations would not waste time that could be spent saving souls, trying to force their will on others.

William's attitdes were probably learned from his father, John Mason. John was an Episcopalian and a member of Overwharton Parish in Stafford County, VA. He and many of his peers, were extremely leery of the Episcopal establishment. These doubts about the Church became evident as early as 1680 when the Vestry of Overwharton Parish became involved in a dispute with the Rev. Mr. John Waugh. The 'liberal' Virginians wanted to abolish the Church's role as agent of the state. The Church had the power to levy and collect taxes or tithes, sharing the proceeds with the State. (The role was abolished before the Revolution.) Rev. Waugh disagreed with the 'liberals' and ran for a seat in the House of Burgesses to help insure the Church's role. He probably won because all of the parish members were told that their voting against the Reverend was a mortal sin and would land them in Hell.

This infuriated the Vestrymen of Overwharton Parish who accused Waugh of "constantly meddling in politics". Rev. Waugh is probably responsible for the original doctrine of the "separation of church and state'. Virginians of that time believed that you couldn't serve God and the King at the same time. Anyway, the Baptist Church came into existence in Virginia after that. It is probable that John's skeptical attitudes rubbed off on his son, who became one of the leaders in the Baptist Church of post-Revolutionary Virginia.

Death

Rev. William Mason died in Culpeper County, Virginia on the 26th April 1823 [6]

Rev. William Mason's Will

The will of William Mason names all of his children - James, John, Ann, Judith, Benson, Nelson, William, Lucy, Elizabeth, Silas, Mary, and Phillip.

CNIDR Isearch-cgi 1.20.06 (File: 95)

Will written 17 Sept 1821; one codicil 12 Oct 1822; probated 22 May 1823.

The text of the will -

In the name of God Amen I William Mason of the County of Culpeper and the State of Virginia being in common health and of sound & disposing mind and having a desire to dispose of what worldly goods it hath pleased the Almighty God to bless me with I do make this my :ast Will and Testament in manner and form as follows -

1st My Will and desire is that all my Just debts & funeral expenses be first paid

2nd I give ot the Children of my Son James Mason decd Twelve pounds to be equally divided between them all or their representatives

3rd I give unto my Son John Mason one feather bed and furniture

4th My Will and desire is that my Executors hereafter named do sell all the remainder of my personal property on a (creadel? maybe credit?) of twelve months and my land on such (credit?) of the situation of the debts I may owe at my death And I do give my Executors full power of the situation if my debts require it to sell my lands or such part for Cash as shall in their opinion be required for the Interest of my Estate and after paying all my just debts & funeral expenses my Will & desire is that they do divide the balance of my estate between all my children and their representatives , Ann Sims and the children of James Mason deceased Polly Graves the heirs of Judith? Cornelius decd. John Mason, Benson Mason, Nelson Mason, William Mason, Lucy Wright, Betsey Wilson, Silious Mason, & Philip T. Mason & their heirs and it is my Will & desire that what debts I pay for my son Philip T. Mason before my death and those I may be bound for be deducted out of his proportion of my Estate when a division takes place. It is my sincere wish that some one of my children purchase my negro man, Arch, as I do not wish him to be sold out of the family unless it should be his choice to be with or near his wife And lastly I do constitute and appoint my friends Reuben Moore and Richard (I.orT.] Tutt executors to this my Last Will and Testament In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seale this 17th day of September 1821.

Teste

William Mason (seal)

Tho. Hall

James R M Conochee

Codocil

I William Mason being of sound mind and disposing Memory and Reflecting on a Clause of the Written Will I do make this codicil to alter and change that part of my Estate that I gave to my Son Philip T. Mason after paying the debts I am bound for him I do give the balance of his proportion to his children for their support and Education and for that purpose It is my Will and desire that my Executors do so secure of that my son Philip T. Mason do only have a support with his children and it is my will and desire he have no further controle their such support as that part of my Estate will Justify and it is my desire that this be considered as a part of the written Will in Witness whereof I do hereunto set my hand and seale this 12th day of October 1822

William Mason (seal)

Acknowledged in presence of

xxxx? Broadus

Wm Boolen? 9perhaps Jr. afterwards?)

At a Court held for Culpeper County the 19th day of May 1822 The Last Will and Testament of William Mason decd was exhibited to the Court and proved by the Oath of Thomas Hall and James R M Conochee the Witnesses thereto and the Codicil thereon endorsed was proved by the Oath of Wm Boolen as one of the Witnesses thereto And the same together with the said Codicol is Ordered to be Recorded And at a Court held for said County the 21st day of May 1823 Reuben Moore one of the Executors there in named came unto Court and in? his motion certificates? granted him for obtaining probat thereof and given bond and security according to Law And at a Court held for said County the 22nd day of May 1823 Richard I. or J. Tutt the other Executor there in named came unto Court and on his motion certxxxxx? is granted him to join in the said probat he having also made oath thereto and given bond and security according to Law

teste XXX? Lightfoot CC

[Transcription by Kathleen Bowen]

descendants of William and Mary Mason

Father: John Mason b: 1723 in Stafford Co., VA.

Mother: Mary Nelson b: 1723 in Stafford Co., Va.

Marriage 1 Lucy Benson b: ABT 1752 in Va.

* Married: in Fairfax, Culpepper, VA

Children

1. Children James Mason

2. Children John Mason

3. Children Nelson Mason

4. Children William Mason

5. Children Lucy Mason

6. Children Mary Polly Mason

7. Children Philip T. Mason

8. Children Ann Mason b: 19 MAR 1771 in Culpeper Co., Va

9. Children Benson Mason b: 1782

10. Children Judith Mason b: ABT 1784

11. Has Children Elizabeth A. Becky Mason b: JUN 1789 in Culpeper Co., Va

12. Has Children Silurious Silas Mason b: 21 OCT 1791 in Culpeper Co., Va

13. Has No Children Armstead Mason

William Mason's son Silas emigrated from Virginia to Kentucky and arrived in Marion County, Missouri around 1832. Silas's son James moved to Ralls County, Missouri where his son Alfred was born and died. Alfred's son Carl was born in Ralls County and owned grocery stores in Missouri and Kansas, returning to Hannibal, Missouri in neighboring Marion County during the Deepression. Carl's son and my father, Carl Jr. was born in Kansas, and like so man of the WWII generation that served in the military, lived in many places including Kansas, Missouri, Alaska, California, Ohio, and Texas. He eventually settled in Central Georgia where he died in 1991. submitted July 26, 1998

Sources

• http://www.gunstonhall.org/library/masonweb/p20.htm#i998

(from the P C Copeland genealogical charts at Gunston Hall Library)

• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gma&id=I41
• Some Prominent Virginia Families, Volumes 1-2 by Louise Pecquet du Bellet [7]
• Virginia, Overwharton Parish Register, 1720 to 1760, Old Stafford County by William F Boogher https://archive.org/details/virginiaoverwhar00will
• CULPEPER FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH HISTORY and artlicles by Taylor on early Virginia Bapt. ministers; Green and Scheel's history of Culpeper Co.
• ELDER WILLIAM MASON in Early Churches of Culpeper County, Virginia: Colonial and Ante-Bellum Congregations edited by Arthur Dicken Thomas, Jr., Ph.D. and Angus McDonald Green
• The Baptists in Culpeper - Southern Biographies and Genealogies, 1500s-1940s

Notes

Note HI833(Research): Fredricksburg, Culpeper Co., VA Court Records

Birth Sampson (slave) about 17 or 18 years old in 1810 or 1811

Defendant Jesse Nalle (commissioner); Richard Johnston Tutt (commissioner); James Miller (commissioner); Daniel Brown; John G. Brown; John Brown (estate)

Deponent / Affiant Robert Green; Moses Baughan; Phoebe Brown; Archibald Hawkins; Joseph Spicer; J.C. Gibson; Philip T. Mason; Silas Mason; William Coone Jones; Thomas Wolfe

Doctor Thomas Wolfe - treated Sampson (slave)

Family William Mason, father of Silas Mason

Family William A. Brown, uncle of Richard Brown

Family Richard Brown, brother of John G. Brown

Locality Culpeper Co.; Madison Co.; KY

Overseer William Coone Jones, overseer of F.S. Jones - 1819

Plaintiff Francis S. Jones

Slave Sampson; Abraham; Lewis - property of the John Brown estate

Administrative Information

Record title Jones vs Nalle

Year recorded 1821

Collection CR-SC-H

Record ID 155-8

End Notes

Preserved by City of Fredericksburg

Processed by Margaret Anne Crickman

Extracted by Barry L. McGhee

Extracted on 9/5/2002

Acknowledgements

This biography was first created by Kelly Glenn through the import of Test Glenn Gedcom.ged on Mar 14, 2014.