PGM: Which John Mason is the husband of Elizabeth Clark? Dedham, MA 1695

Question

I'm working on descendants of Elizabeth Clark, but this marriage doesn't look right to me.  I think that this John Mason son of Robert & Abigail is married to Hannah Hawes.  But I can't identify the correct John Mason who married Elizabeth Clark.

Can anyone help untangle?

Edit: This is a little downstream from PGM, but not getting many views, so maybe that will help.

Answer 1

Hello M

I've been developing the Mason Name Study, so I thought I would see if I could help you untangle. I found something you might find interesting in a book that already has a source page on WikiTree.  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Descendants_of_William_Shurtleff_of_Plymouth_and_Marshfield%2C_Massachusetts

Volume 1, Page 141:

Jonathan Mason, born in Dedham, 27 May 1705; died in Sturbridge, October 1773; son of John and Elizabeth Clark (daughter of Ephraim and Mary (Bullen).

John Mason, born in Dedham, 6 June 1657; died 1718; son of John and Mary (Eaton) who married 5 March 1651

John Mason, born in England, son of Robert and ____, who died in Roxbury, Massachusetts, April 1637.

Robert Mason, born in England; died in Dedham, October 1667.

Here is a direct link to the page on archive.org: https://archive.org/stream/descendantsofwil01shur#page/140/mode/2up/search/John+Mason

Comments

Thanks!  So if that's accurate that would meant that it would be this John Mason:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Mason-10129

Looks like the month of birth difference is just an old calendar/new calendar mix up.

There's so much conflicting information on this.  I can see that originally Hannah Hawes was attached as a spouse to Mason, son of John & Mary Eaton, and then moved to the other.  Perhaps the spouses just needed to be switched and it was finished half way.  

I'd like to find a little more evidence before making the switch.

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This is seems to be one of those threads that once you start pulling on it....

Looks like there are a lot of conflicting secondary sources.  Some sources have John b 1657 d 1658.

For what its worth here is what I could find on vital recs in Dedham for John Mason.

1651 - 5th day of 3rd month - marriage of John Mason and Mary Eaton
1657 -6th day of 6th month - brith  of John, son of John and Mary
1657 - 23 day of 6th month - bapstims of John Mason, son of John and Mary
1658 - 15th day of 11th month death of John Mason
1676 - 5th day of 11th month marriage of John Mason and Hannah Hawes [John Mason of Hartford Connecticut - see comment below]
1684 - 30 March marriage of John Mason & Sarah Harthorne
1688 - Jan 18 - death of John Mason
1695 - Sep 20 birth of John Mason son of John & Elzabeth
1714 - Apr 9 death of John Mason [Based on the Probate file - this is definitely John the husband of Elizabeth Clarke]
1737 - Aug 23 birth of John Mason, son of Seath and Rebecca

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Another John Mason thread? I just found this tidbit about John Mason of Hartford marrying Hannah Hawes. 

https://archive.org/stream/ancestorsdescend00maso#page/n13/mode/2up/search/John+Mason

or the source page:  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Ancestors_and_Descendants_of_Elisha_Mason%2C_Litchfield%2C_Connecticut%2C_1759-1858%2C_and_His_Wife_Lucretia_Webster%2C_1766-1853  Page 9

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Good find! That looks very helpful. So, based on that source it sounds like John Mason h/o Hannah Hawes is of unknown origin.  (And that the Connecticut death date on Mason-10129 probably belongs to him).

I was thinking that it might be best to separate as unconnected John Mason husband of Elizabeth Clark until the evidence can be sorted to prove his connection to a set of parents.

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And looking more closely, i'm pretty sure John s/o Robert born in 1666 didn't marry Hannah in 1676 when he was only 10 or 11.  Must be a different John.

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Well the first step was actually detangling the Roberts.  There were at least two immigrant Robert Masons, one of Boston married Sarah Reynolds and one of Dedham married Mary Wise.  Both of these Roberts named a son Robert.

It's all straight now.

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I made a source page for the Robert Mason of Roxbury.. source that was listed on Mason-1525 (Robert of Roxbury) and his son, John, Mason-3763 the father of John, Mason-10129

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:A_Record_of_the_Descendents_of_Robert_Mason_of_Roxbury%2C_Mass.

It doesn't shed any light on the Elizabeth Clark situation, though.

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Thanks, Joe.  Yes that's the problem once you start trying to correct one profile and you pull that string...another problem usually turns up

So the Roberts are fixed, but the John's are still confused. At the risk of being a little hasty, I think I'm going to go ahead and create a new John Mason b about 1652 as the spouse for Hannah Hawes, and remove the death date for John son of John and Mary Eaton.

That still leave the question of which John was Elizabeth Clarke married to.  The only things we know for sure are that they married by 1695, and that he died in 1717 in Dedham.

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Your link isn't working.

My presumption is that the John who married Elizabeth Clark is John, son of John Mason of Dedham.  This is primarily because the dates are right and the marriage occurred in Dedham.  The other Mason families had moved away to Medfield.  

But that leaves the problem of who is this:

• "John Mason, deceased ye 15:11 mo.  1658"  in Dedham.  I believe this is usually thought to be John son of John who was born 6 August 1657.

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Joe:

When I looked at all the vital recs, that's what I thought that son of John Mason and Mary Eaton died young.

Sorry to be dense, but when you say John of Dedham, who would his parents be?

Thanks.

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It's probably the way I separate them in mind.  I have brothers:

1. John Mason of Dedham, (1625-1688),son of Robert Mason and Mary Wise.
2. Robert Mason of Medfield, born 1628, son of Robert Mason and Mary Wise.
3. Thomas Mason of Medfield, born say 1630, son of Robert Mason and Mary Wise.

All 3 named a son John.  John son of Thomas Mason died unmarried in 1677.  John son of John Mason is thought to have died at age 1 in Dedham (but maybe not?), John son of Robert Mason could not have married Hannah Hawes but is potentially the one who married Elizabeth Clark.

 

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Thank, so basically, the one she is currently connected with {Mason-4735)  I think that seems to make the most sense, although it would be nice if there were a probate record or deed that really tied that up.

Turns out that there is already a John Mason b 1652...married to the wrong Hannah.  It didn't turn up in a search, but it showed up when I wen to create the new profile.. 

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John Mason who married Hannah Hawes on 5 January 1676/7 in Dedham died in Hartford on 19 February 1698 in Hartford, Connecticut "Aged 46".  This gives him a birth date of about 1652 which is significantly off of the birth dates of the Johns I gave above - he has to be another separate John Mason (parents unknown).

I now think the John Mason who married Elizabeth Clarke has to be the son of Robert II Mason.

1. John son of John Mason of Dedham, (1625-1688). Born 6 Aug 1657; died 15 January 1658/9.
2. John son of Robert Mason of Medfield.  Born 16 January 1666.  Married Elizabeth Clark c1695.
3. John son of Thomas Mason of Medfield.  Born 3 November 1655; died unmarried in 1677.
4. John Mason, parents unknown.  Born c1652 Married Hannah Hawes 5 January 1676/7.  Died 19 February 1698 in Hartford, CT.

I think that fits all known data.

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Yep.  I agree. Something new may always come to light, but at least this makes sense with what we know.  Before, something was clearly off.

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I've been looking through The Early Records of Dedham, Massachusetts by Hill. In Volume 3, page 61, there is record of Robert Mason being granted permission to purchase a lot from Joseph and John Shawe in 1639.

https://archive.org/stream/earlyrecordsofto03hill#page/60/mode/2up/search/Mason

Is this Robert II moving from Medfield to Dedham?

edit: I looked at dates on profiles again, would this be Robert (Robert II's father) moving to Dedham after the death of his wife?

edit again: Nevermind me trying to guess which Robert until the dust settles from changes currently being made. I'm just going to say here's another possible source...

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Yes, it is Robert Mason the father moving from Roxbury to Dedham.

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Thank you

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Thanks guys! I'll untangle, annotate and update the John Mason who married Hannah Hawes based on this newly located source.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Mason-11239

Answer 2

The Dedham Town Records are online and might be helpful 

(https://web.cortland.edu/wheeler/Genealogy/Appendices/appendix%2000%20V%202.pdf)

Answer 3

Ok, this is off-topic a bit, but did you know that there is a Clark Street in Dedham (I once lived on it!). Possibly a family name for Elizabeth?