Mason Barney Esq. (1782 - 1868)

Born 4 Sep 1782 in Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Polly (Grant) Barney — married 2 Nov 1812 in Seekonk, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States

Descendants

Died 1 Apr 1868 at age 85 in Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States

Biography

Mason Barney was born 04 Sep 1782^[1] in Massachusetts.^[2][3][4][5] He was a son of Jonathan Barney and Elizabeth (Betsey) Mason, who was the daughter of Marmaduke Mason.^[6][7][8]

Mason Barney is buried in Thomas Cem. in Swansea, Bristol, MA.

According to Wright's 1917 History of Swansea, Massachusetts, page 88:

Prior to 1801, when he moved to New York, Jonathan Barney built several small vessels on Palmer's river. In 1802 his son, Mason Barney being then less than 20 years of age, contracted to build a ship. Although young Barney was acquainted with the nature of ship building, through his father carrying it on, he himself did not know the use of tools. His courage and self reliance in taking such a contract, when so young and experienced, fore shadowed the character of the future man. By his zeal enthusiasm and determined will he overcame the great difficulties which to most men would have been insurmountable. From the beginning sprung up the ship building business in Barneyville and Mr. Barney's subsequent great prominence in business circles. He sometimes employed 250 men, annually disbursing large sums of money. The sails of the good substantial vessels, which in the course of a half century he built, whitened almost every sea. During his business career he built 149 vessels from the small fishing smack to the ship of 1,060 tons, the largest vessel that had then been launched in this region of New England. It has been publically stated, without denial, that Mr. Barney built more vessels than any other man in this country had built. The financial crisis of 1857 found him with 2 large ships upon his hands, with no market. In them he had invested a large part of his fortune, which was thus entirely dissipated, and he was compelled to give up the business. With him passed the ship building business of Swansea. Mr. Barney died on the first day of April, 1869. The house in which he was born in 1782 which dates from old colonial times, was destroyed by fire some years ago. He was a fine specimen of an earnest, enthusiastic and perservering man. He was unaffected, original in his character, simple in his tastes and habits, always genial and hospitable. In his death the community lost an enterprising, honest and eminent citizen.^[8]

(Note: Barneyville is on the Palmer River between Providence and Fall River. Swansea is north of the Narragansett Bay.)

Helen Brundage Fisher stated that Mason Barney was born 1782 to Jonathan Barney and Elizabeth (Betsey) Mason, and was ship builder at Swansea, Massachusetts. His daughter, Angeline Barney Mason, lived to be 95 years.^[9]

Mason was first married to Martha Smith who was born 07 Aug 1784 and died 21 Dec 1806.^[1]

He next married Polly Grant on 02 Nov 1812 in Seekonk, Bristol County, Massachusetts^[10][2][3] and had the following known children:

1. Martha Barney died 22 Oct 1847 in Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts.^[6] After her death her daughter Amanda F. Franklin appears with Mason and Polly on the census from 1850 to 1865, prior to her marriage to Joseph Hillman in 1867.^{[2][3][4][5][11]}
2. Jonathan Barney was born in 1815 in Massachusetts.^[2][3] He died 02 Dec 1858 in Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts.^[12][13]
3. Mary R. Barney was born about 1818 in Massachusetts.^[2][3]
4. Rodney Sisson Barney was born about 1823 and died 15 Sep 1866 in Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts.^[14]
5. Mason Barney was born about 1829 in Massachusetts.^[2][3][4][5]

Polly died sometime after the 1860 census^[4] and before 1865.^[5]

Mason died 01 Apr 1868 in North Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts.^[6][7] He is buried with his two wives in Thomas Cemetery, Swansea, Massachusetts.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Tombstone photograph for Mason Barney and wives Martha (Smith) Barney and Polly (Grant) Barney at FindAGrave.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD9N-ZZH : 12 April 2016), Mason Barney, Swansey, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States; citing family 282, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} "Massachusetts State Census, 1855," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQ4P-VNS : 11 March 2018), Mason Barney, Swansey, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States; State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 953,977.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZH4-HLR : 12 December 2017), Mason Barney, 1860.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} "Massachusetts State Census, 1865", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQH2-PLF : 1 June 2018), Mason Barney Esquire, 1865.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NW7M-G52 : 10 March 2018), Martha Franklin, death registered on 23 Oct 1847; citing Swansey, Bristol, Massachusetts, v 32 p 65, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 959,810.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHTQ-V2V : 10 February 2018), Mason, Esq. Barney, 01 Apr 1868; citing Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts, reference Page 18; FHL microfilm 1,993,146.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Wright, Otis Olney. History of Swansea, Massachusetts 1667 - 1917. Swansea, Massachusetts. 1917. pp88, 143-145.
9. ↑ Fisher, Helen Brudage. Descendants of James Wesley Brundage of Pleasant Valley, New York. 1978. Self published, West Hartford, Connecticut. p.?
10. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FH8S-VX5 : 5 November 2017), Mason Barney and Polly Grant, 02 Nov 1812; citing Marriage, Seekonk, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 775,840.
11. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N4M8-YQ9 : 24 May 2018), Joseph Hillman and Amanda F. Franklin, 22 Jul 1869; citing Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 1,433,027.
12. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHTQ-FMX : 10 February 2018), Mason Barney in entry for Jonathan Barney, 02 Dec 1858; citing Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts, reference page 4; FHL microfilm 1,993,146.
13. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7JB-W2G : 10 March 2018), Mason Barney in entry for Jonathan Barney, 02 Dec 1858; citing Swanzey, Massachusetts, v 120 p 95, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 960,174.
14. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHTQ-JRF : 10 February 2018), Mason Barney in entry for Rodman Sisson Barney, 15 Sep 1866; citing Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts, reference Page 14; FHL microfilm 1,993,146.

• A document prepared by Helen Brundage Fisher for her granddaughter, Tova A. Fisher. Within that document is a smaller section entitled 3 Great Grandparents. (You may want to upload a copy of this document to the wikitree profile).

• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVG8-G6ZM : 13 December 2015), Mason Barney, 1868; Burial, Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States of America, Thomas Cemetery; citing record ID 115222981, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com. The following information is attached to the FAG record::

Mason Barney Birth 4 Sep 1782 Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA Death 1 Apr 1868 (aged 85) Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA Burial: Thomas Cemetery Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA Memorial ID 115222981 · View Source

(VII) Mason Barney, son of Jonathan, born in 1782, married in 1802 Martha Smith, who died a few years later. He married (second) in 1812 Polly Grant. His children by the first marriage were:

Angeline, born in 1802, married John D. Mason;

Edwin, born in 1804, married Abby Luther;

Spouses

Martha Galusha Smith Barney 1784–1806

Polly Grant Barney 1787–1864

Children

Martha Smith Barney Franklin 1813–1847 Jonathan Barney 1815–1868 Mary R Barney Conkling 1817–1882 Betsey M Barney Smith 1820–1859 Rodman Sisson Barney 1823–1866 Esther G Barney 1825–1844 Mason Barney 1828–1907

• The following record says that the children in Mason Barney and Polly's home were as follows: Mason Barney, age 33, b. MA, and Amanda F. Franklin, age 22, b. MA: "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZH4-HLR : 12 December 2017), Mason Barney, 1860.

• "BillionGraves Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGNS-XT61 : 28 November 2017), Mason Barney, died 01 Apr 1868; citing BillionGraves (http://www.billiongraves.com : 2012), Burial at Thomas Cemetery, Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States.

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Ancestral File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:1:MWJM-H71 : accessed 6 November 2018), entry for Jonathan BARNEY (T6CC-28); record merged from multiple submissions.

• The following record says that Mason Barney, Esq. died at age 80: "Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHTQ-V2K : 10 February 2018), Jonathan Barney in entry for Mason, Esq. Barney, 01 Apr 1868; citing Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts, reference Page 18; FHL microfilm 1,993,146.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to George Brundage for starting this profile.