By the end of 1826, my ancestor Joseph Mason had removed from Madison County, Alabama to Fayette County, Tennessee.
He sold 132 acres of land in Madison County, Alabama to his brother-in-law Edmund Young for a hefty $4,540. The witnesses to this deed were Joseph's other brother-in-law William Young and John J. Bain. Since John J. Bain was also a witness to the will of Joseph's father Rev. Michael Mason, Sr., it is time to suspect that he may have been more than a neighbor or friend. He could be another brother-in-law. This deed transaction was dated 25 December 1826. They were transacting business on Christmas Day?! One important feature of this particular deed is that wife Mary is not included and did not release her dower, suggesting that she is deceased.
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| Madison Co., AL; Land Deeds Bk L, p. 261 |
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| Madison Co., AL; Land Deeds Bk L, p. 262 |
However, just add a little confusion to the mix, a Joseph Mason married a Mary Robertson in Madison County, Alabama on 13 June 1824. That is two years after my Joseph Mason and his wife Mary sold a property in Madison County. Is this the same Joseph? If it is, is this an indication of another wife? Have two wives named Mary died by 1826??
On 19 May 1826, Joseph Mason filed an occupant claim for 100 acres in the Eleventh District of newly created Fayette County, Tennessee. One of his property boundary markers was a beech tree, marked "J M." This land grant was finalized on 3 December 1827.
Joseph Mason was still in Fayette County, Tennessee in when the 1830 census was taken. On that census, he does not have a wife.
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| Fayette County, Tennessee 1830 |
Joseph Mason's household was recorded as 02111001-011
Two males 5 - 9 [b. 1825 - 1821] =
One male 10 - 14 [b. 1820 - 1816] =
One male 15 - 19 [b. 1815 - 1811] = George Mason?
One male 20 - 29 [b. 1810 - 1801] = Michael J. Mason?
One male 50 - 59 [b. 1780 - 1771] = Joseph Mason
One female 5 - 9 [b. 1825 - 1821] =
One female 10 - 14 [b. 1820 - 1816] = Catherine A. Mason ?
I am having trouble accounting for all the people in Joseph Mason's household. When I am working with an early census, I always want to see more people in a household than there should be than fewer. I already know that I have not accounted for all of Joseph Mason's daughters. Could these younger children be from wife (wives?) Mary? Could a widowed son with children be living with Joseph? Could Joseph be raising the children of a deceased daughter? In addition, Joseph may have had other children who did not survive to adulthood. I also have a sneaking feeling that not all of his children may be accounted for in his probate. There is an Edmund Mason born in Alabama, who is also in DeSoto County, Mississippi in 1850, and he is the right age to be a son of Joseph's, but I don't think he was included in the probate record. Edmund Mason could have been named after Joseph's brother-in-law Edmund Young. Edmund Mason removed to Texas and lived until near the end of the century.
As usual, I seem to be generating more questions than answers.
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