Friday, June 26, 2020

Michael Masons in Madison County, Alabama, 1820

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

Sorting through the Michael Mason records is tedious but rewarding.

On 22 February 1820, a deed was written from William Goldin and his wife Polly to Michal Mason. Michael Mason is only referred to once in the body as being Michael Mason "Juner." Or was he "Suner"?

Madison Co., AL; Deed Bk F p. 197












The witnesses for this deed are significant:

Madison Co., AL; Deed Bk F p. 197











The witnesses were
"Joseph Mason J acting
Justice of the peace J. Mason JP
Michael Mason J."

One thing is certain; a man could not witness his own transactions, so there were two adult Masons involved in this record. One seems to be a justice of the peace and the other is purchasing land. A later transaction for the same piece of land makes it clear that the grantee was Michael Mason Jr. Therefore, I  tend to think that the Michal Mason who is acting as a justice of the peace was Micheal Mason Sr. and the other justice of the peace was his son Joseph Mason. It is reasonable to think that they would not have been justices of the peace in just one record. They must have been acting in this capacity for other records. Researching this is a project for the future.

This document places Michael Mason Sr. and his sons Joseph Mason and Michael Mason Jr. in Madison County, Alabama by 1820 at the latest.

In 1846, Margaret Mason of McDowell County, North Carolina, and her children sold this piece of land from Michael Mason's estate, and that record is in the Madison County, Alabama records. It is possible that there is a duplicate of it filed in McDowell County, North Carolina.

That deed transaction is recorded in Deed Bk W, page 319 - 321. William H. Mason, acting as attorney for Magaret Mason [widow] of McDowell County, North Carolina sold the land that Micheal Mason purchased from William Goldin to John Bayless. This is likely the same John Bayless who purchased land owned by Rev. Michael Mason Sr. from his widow, Rebecca, in 1838. This transaction lists the heirs of Michal Mason Jr.: Margaret Mason [widow], Elizabeth Spainhour, John J. Mason, Jesse R. Mason, Joseph D. Mason, Matilda Hemphill, Nathan M. Mason, and William H. Mason.


Monday, June 22, 2020

Joseph Mason in Madison County, Alabama

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

More and more evidence in the form of land deeds is stacking up to indicate that the Joseph Mason, who died in DeSoto County, Mississippi in 1852 and is the father of my 3x great-grandfather William Mason, lived in Madison County, Alabama at the same time William Mason lived there.

Three land deeds were recorded involving Joseph Mason in 1822.

On 27 July 1822, Joseph Mason and his wife Mary sold a parcel of land to William Young. Mary Mason released her dower right.  William Young was one of Rev. Micheal Mason Sr.'s sons-in-law, so he was Joseph Mason's brother-in-law.

Madison Co., AL; Deed Bk. H, p. 272




















It must be noted that Joseph's wife in this deed is Mary and not Isabel. Since Isabel was not mentioned when Joseph Mason sold land in Carter County, Tennessee in 1808, it is possible that she was deceased by then. On the 1850 census, Joseph Mason was living alone in DeSoto County, Mississippi. No Isabel Mason can be found on the census in 1850, 1860, and 1870, which indicates that she predeceased him. She is also not included in his probate packet.

On the same day, 27 July 1822, William Young issued a quitclaim deed to Joseph Mason. William Young's wife was Catherine, and she released her dower rights.

Madison Co., AL; Deed Bk H, p. 273 - 274




















The best of the three, from my point of view, is the third deed, which was recorded on page 274. In it Charles Robinson, on 27 March 1822, sold a lot of land to Joseph Mason for $15. Charles Robinson may be Joseph's future son-in-law or the father of his future son-in-law. The witnesses were William Mason and Michael J. Mason, both sons of Joseph Mason.

These documents are bringing me to the conclusion that Joseph Mason was living in Madison County, Alabama in the 1820s, but with a "new" wife. Land deeds also indicate when he left Madison County, Alabama.


Rebecca, Wife of Rev. Michael Mason, Sr.

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

In 1826, when Rev. Michael Mason Sr. wrote his will in Madison County, Alabama, his wife was Rebecca.

The 1830 Madison County, Alabama census shows her to be a woman aged 40 - 49. In their household was a female child age five to nine. If she married around the age of 18, their marriage would have taken place between no earlier than 1799 and 1808, give or take a couple years although she may have married him at later date. Rebecca is much too young to be the mother of my ancestor Joesph Mason. However, she is very likely to be the mother of the female child in the household in 1830. In December of 1838, records were also being entered in the orphan's court of Madison County, which indicates that Michael Mason Sr. had a minor heir. Minor heirs could be either underage children or underage grandchildren, who were children of a deceased child of Michael's

In a deed dated 22 December 1838, Mrs. Rebecca Mason and John K. Ward of Madison County, Mississippi sold a tract of land in Madison County, Alabama to John Bayless.


Madison Co., AL Land Deed Bk R, p. 143
























Several secondary sources list Michael Mason Sr.'s wife as being a Ward, so this record is definitely of interest. At first, I thought that John K. Ward could be a child of Rebecca's from a previous marriage, but after studying records in Madison County, Mississippi, I think he was probably Dr. John Kidd Ward and possibly a nephew of Rebecca's.

The next record found is Rebecca Mason on the 1840 census of Madison County, Mississippi. On that census, she is living near two Ward households. She is a woman 60 - 69 years of age with a female child age 15 - 19 in her household. The overlap between the 1830 and 1840 census puts Rebecca at about 50 years old. These ages are roughly in keeping with their ages on the 1830 Madison County, Alabama census.


Madison Co., MS, 1840 Census







I have not been able to find Rebecca Mason on the 1850 census, but she does appear on the 1860 census in Madison County, Mississippi, which is very light and difficult to read. On that census, she is 85 years of age with a birthplace of Maryland. Significantly, she is living in the home of Jesse B. Ward, so she definitely has a connection to the Ward family. After sifting through what little information I could find on the Wards, I came to the conclusion that Rebecca was probably the sister of James Ward who married Rachel Kidd. It makes sense that Rebecca moved to where she had a family support system. What makes it significant is that she is not with any of the elder Mason children. That would be because she was not their mother.

Persistent googling enabled me to locate another researcher who also feels that Rebecca Mason was a sister to James Ward.

Michael and Rebecca Mason's daughter is still unidentified. Additional records are likely to be found for her in Madison County, Mississippi or in the Madison County, Alabama orphan's court. It is significant that the Ward researcher pinpointed the Wards in Bedford County, Tennessee in 1816 because I recently pinpointed records for a Michael Mason there in the same timeframe. More on that to follow.



Rev. Michael Mason, Sr. - Madison County, Alabama

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

As part of my sorting through Michael Mason records, I decided to try to determine which Michael Mason was a minister in Madison County, Alabama in 1822. Was he Michael Mason Sr. or Jr.? I have seen this profession mostly attributed to Michael Jr. even though the ministerial credentials are filed in the estate records of Michael Sr.


Madison Co., AL Probate Loose Papers Case #928

























These credentials for Reverend Michael Mason of the Methodist Episcopal church were filed in Madison County, Alabama in 1822. Michael Mason Jr.'s estate filings begin in March 1823, so to determine which Micheal Mason was the minister, I looked for the activity of Rev. Micheal Mason after that date. If he was still active, then Michael Mason Sr. would the minister, and if he became inactive, then Michael Mason, Jr. was the minister.

I started looking at marriage record images in Madison County, Alabama that followed the filing of the credentials, beginning in 1822 and going forward in time. Since the marriage records are set up two to a page with the credentials of the person who officiated the marriage at the bottom of each one, this was not a difficult task. What I found was that Rev. Michael Mason continued to marry couples through 1831. Therefore, the Rev. Michael Mason was Michael Mason Sr.

This was a very enjoyable project and made me smile a lot. In many ways, it was like an Easter egg hunt. If I caught them all, there seventeen marriages performed by Rev. Michael Mason from 1822 to 1831. On 22 September 1825, he married his granddaughter Mary Mason to Robert Kelsey. Mary Mason was a daughter of my ancestor Joseph Mason, who was later found in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

Even though Michael Mason Sr.'s will, dated 19 August 1826, stated that he was weak in body, he continued to perform marriages although they became more infrequent. On 26 November 1826, he married Thomas Hughes and Betsy Ann Young. Thomas Hughes evidently did not live long, and Betsy married as her next husband Daniel A. Lewis, a son of my ancestor John Lewis. Then on 20 January 1829, Rev. Michael Mason performed the marriage of Willis Daugherty and Margaret Lewis. Margaret Lewis was a daughter of my ancestor John Lewis. Now, I can see that my Lewis and Mason families were bumping elbows in the same locale.

Next, I decided to go backwards from 1822 and see if Rev. Michael Mason had performed any earlier marriages. I found one marriage that he performed before he filed his credentials with the county. He had officiated the marriage of John Lusk to Ruthy Mason, another granddaughter, on 3 October 1821. Ruth Mason was another daughter of my ancestor Joseph Mason. This is probably the first marriage that he performed in Madison County, Alabama.

















I found a total of eighteen marriages performed by Rev. Michael Mason. That makes me wonder exactly when he arrived in Madison County, Alabama and if he performed marriages in other locations.

It's a little disappointing that Rev. Michael Mason did not perform the marriage of my direct ancestors, William Mason and Matilda Lewis since William Mason was another of Rev. Michael Mason's grandsons.












Sunday, June 21, 2020

Sorting the Michael Masons

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

I've been collecting additional information on Michael Mason, and I've reached the point that I have to be able to sort out the Michaels in order to make heads or tails out of the information I've found.

To do that, I decided to stop and calculate their ages and relationships to other people. That will allow me to be able to figure out which Michael Mason generated a record or to at least narrow it down to two possible Michaels.

Michael Mason Sr. was, according to the 1830 Madison County, Alabama census born between 1751 and 1760. If he is the father of Joseph Mason who was born in 1777, I would place Michael Mason Sr. at the high end of the spectrum with a birth year around between 1757 to 1751ish. He would be of age by 1772 to 1778. He is the right age to be Joseph Mason's father. At the time of his death in 1832, this Michael Mason had a wife named Rebecca.

Michael Mason Sr.  also had a son-in-law named William Young, who relinquished all claims to Michael's estate in 1832 in Madison County, Alabama. William Young supposedly married daughter Catherine Mason. Meanwhile, an Edmund Young supposedly married Ruth, another daughter of Michael Mason Sr.'s. That means whenever one of these two men appear in a Mason record, I need to pay attention to them.

Michael Mason Jr., son of Micahel Mason Sr., was born, according to the 1810 Burke County, North Carolina census between 1785 and 1794. To get a better feel for his age, I need to look at his children's births. If his son John Jefferson Mason was born in 1809, I would push Michael Jr.'s birth year back to at least 1789ish or earlier. Michael Mason Jr. would have been 21 years old by 1806 to 1810. I would not expect to see him on tax lists, land records, or the census before then. Although he is most certainly the young Michael Mason who is a head of household on the Burke County, North Carolina census in 1810.

Then there is Michael J. Mason who was the son of Joseph Mason. Born in 1806, he is frequently recorded as Michael J. Mason. He would reach the age of 21 in 1827, so I would not expect to see him engaging in legal matters until around that time period.

I stated in an earlier post this week that Michael Mason did not live in Carter, Tennessee. Today's research turned him up there, so I have to revise my thinking. In fact, Michael Mason is turning up in several locations, but for this post, I will focus on Carter County, Tennessee. He begins to appear on the tax list there as early as 1796, but does not pay taxes on land until 1798:

Carter Co., TN Tax List 1798





















That piece of land is for 126 acres. This acreage is suspiciously close to the size of the tract land that Michael Mason Sr. of Burke County, North Carolina sold to Joseph Mason of Carter County, Tennessee in 1808.

The Michael Mason in Carter County, Tennesse in this time early timeframe is too old to be Michael Mason Jr. He is also not designated as a Sr. or a Jr. because at this point Michael Jr. is not of age, so there is not another Michael Mason of age to confuse him with. By the time Michael Mason Sr. sold that tract of land to Joseph Mason in 1808, Michael had removed to Burke County, North Carolina, where his son Michael Jr. was also of age, so it was necessary for him to use the designation of Sr. in that land transaction. That means I might push Michael Mason Jr.'s birthdate back to 1787ish or earlier.

There are a lot more Micheal Mason records to wade through, but I am going to go through them slowly.


Saturday, June 20, 2020

Michael Mason Sr., Died Madison Co., AL, 1832

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

The next Mason records to consider are those of Michael Mason Sr., who died in Madison County, Alabama c. 1832. There are probate folders for Michael Mason in Madison County. One is for Michael Mason Jr. and the other is for Michael Mason Sr. There is reason to think that some documents may have been mixed up between the two files. The folder for Michael Mason Sr. is labelled (Rev.) Michael Mason. Most researchers believe that Michael Mason Jr. who predeceased his father in about 1822/23 was the M.E. minister. His credentials can be found in Michael Mason Sr's file folder. The folders themselves are twentieth-century, so they are not period folders. Whoever created the files cross-referenced them, and it is evident they had trouble sorting out the two Michaels. At the time of his death, Michael Mason Jr.'s wife was Margaret while Michael Mason Sr.'s wife was Rebecca. Michael Mason Jr.'s estate was being inventoried in 1823, so he is obviously not the Michael Mason whose will is dated 1826.

The only Michael Mason on the 1830 Madison County, Alabama census was 70 - 79 years old with a female who was 40 - 49 years old. Additionally, there was a female child aged 5 - 9. While this Michael Mason is old enough to be the father of Joseph Mason born in 1777, the female living with Michael Sr. is clearly not old enough to be Joseph's mother.

Among the documents in Michael Mason Sr.'s folder is this one of interest to the descendants of Joseph Mason:

Madison Co. AL; Probate Loose Papers Case #928

"To The Hon. Samuel Chapman
Judge of the County Court of
Madison County Alabama
Sir
I have no objection to the will of Michael Mason (my father) being proven in open court and admitted to record and as I am satisfied with said will.
August 5th 1832
I am yours
Joseph Mason
Witness Daniel Johnson"

It looks like the back of this paper may have had writing on it, but that side was not microfilmed. It may have revealed where Joseph Mason was when it was written.

Michael Mason Sr.'s will named only his wife Rebecca. It is a brief will, leaving everything to her. No children were mentioned let alone named in his will. It was witnessed by William Young, John J. Bain, and John Ward. It was filed on 17 August 1832, recorded in Minute Book 7, p. 354.  There is a notation that it was recorded on 27 March 1839 in Orphan Records Book 8 p. 414.

Doing the math makes it clear that Mathew Mason Sr.'s wife Rebecca would have been far too young to be Joseph Mason's mother. The admittance of this will in orphan's court in 1839 suggests that Mathew Mason Sr. may have had a young daughter with Rebecca.

More documents need to be sought. At least I know where to look.






















Friday, June 19, 2020

Joseph Mason, Carter County, Tennessee c. 1806 - 1808

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

My 3x great-grandfather William Mason was born in Tennessee c. 1804 while his wife Matilda Lewis was born in Kentucky c. 1807. They married in Madison County, Alabama in 1823. Their children were born in Alabama and Tennessee and Texas.

Generally, speaking when I am researching a family, I like to see that a couple was in the same place on the day they married and that they were at least in the same region long enough to have a courtship before they married.

Although Matilda Lewis and her siblings married in Madison County, I know that Matilda and her siblings lived in neighboring Jackson County, Alabama with their father John Lewis.

What of William Mason and his family? Were they in residence in Madison or Jackson County, or was he a single man living on his own in that area? I know that the estate records of his father Joseph Mason are in DeSoto County, Mississippi and that most of William's siblings lived there. However, I have found their marriage records in Madison County, Alabama, which suggests that they lived there as a family unit before removing to Mississippi. I have seen other researches state that my Joseph Mason married Isabel Peoples in Carter County, Tennessee in 1800 and that he is the son of Michael Mason Sr. of Burke County, North Carolina, who was the father of Rev. Michael Mason Jr. who died in Madison County, Alabama. Those assertions, however, have been made without documentation. Can I reasonably tie together all of these people, who are found in so many locations? Well, it's worth a try.

First up, are a couple of land deeds from Carter County, Tennessee. They raise as many questions as they answer.

From Michael Mason Sr. to Joseph Mason is this deed:


Carter Co., TN; Deed Bk B, p. 27




















In a deed dated 31 July 1806, Michael Mason Sr. of Burke Co., NC deeded 127 acres Joseph Mason of Carter Co., TN for $200. This land was on Buffalo Creek and was bordered by Samuel Bogart Jr.'s land. The witnesses were Thomas Wyatt and Anna Peoples. It was registered on 23 September 1806.

This definitely looks promising. Since Michael Mason Sr. is disposing of a piece of property, when and from whom did he acquire it?

The short answer is that he bought it three years earlier.

Carter Co., TN; Deed Bk A, p. 414


















This deed dated 12 February 1803 indicates that Michael Mason of Burke County, North Carolina purchased the same 127 acres from Samuel Bogard (sic) Sr. of Carter Co., TN for $200. The land description is identical to the 127 acres in the deed from Michael Mason Sr. to Joseph Mason. The witnesses were Thomas Wright and Christopher McInturf. It was registered on 5 May 1803.

Curiously, Joseph Mason only held this piece of land for a short time and then doubled his money on it.

Carter Co., TN; Deed Bk. B, p. 211



















In a deed dated 16 December 1808, Joseph Mason sold the same 127 acres to David Pugh for $550. The witnesses were David McNabb and Thomas Wright. It was registered on 19 July 1809. No wife was named, and there was no release of dower rights.

It is worth noting that witness Thomas Wright also gave surety for Joseph Mason's marriage to Isabel Peoples. Does her absence from this deed record suggest that she is already deceased?

What can be made of these land deeds? Michael Mason Sr. seems to have never lived in Carter County, Tennessee, yet while living in Burke County, North Carolina, he heard about a piece of land all the way over in Carter County, Tennessee that he wanted to buy? Granted, those counties are only about 60 miles apart. Still, Michael Mason seems to have never moved there. It seems more likely that Joseph Mason who lived in Carter County, Tennessee found a farm he wanted to buy but could not afford, so his father bought it, and Joseph reimbursed it him for it when he could. During that five year time period, he probably made improvements that raised the value of the property - built a house and outbuildings, cleared fields, planted crops and orchards, etc. Did he sell this property in order to relocate somewhere else? Another county? Another state?


Sunday, June 14, 2020

John D. Lewis, Estimating His Birth Date

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

Knowing when and where an ancestor was born is a considerable aid in locating that ancestor's records and making additional family connections. So, when and where was John D. Lewis born?

John D. Lewis died in McNairy County, Tennessee in 1842 prior to the 1850 census, which would have revealed a possible birthplace for him. So far, no other documents have surfaced to reveal where he was born. Let me repeat that, so far, no other documents have surfaced to reveal where he was born. If you are thinking, but...but...he was born in Albemarle County, Virginia! That will be addressed in another post.

When John D. Lewis was born is a little easier to estimate. The 1830 Jackson county census places him in the 40 to 50 year age category. That would make his birth 1780 at the earliest and 1790 at the latest. Since he had a son born near 1799, I would place his birth as closer to 1780 perhaps 1779 or 1778 at the earliest. That would make him 19 to 20 years old when his son was born. That is a reasonable age for having children.

The complete household for John Lewis was 220001 - 01101

Family:
Two males under n 0 - 4 [born c. 1826 - 1830]: unknown
Two males 5 - 9 [b.c. 1821 -1825]: unknown
One male 40 - 49 [b.c. 1781 - 1790]: John Lewis
One female: 5 - 9 [b.c. 1821 - 1825]: unknown
One female 10 - 14 [b.c. 1816 - 1820]: Susan Lewis (a daughter)?
One female 20 - 29 [b.c. 1801 - 1810]: unknown
Slave:
One male 10 - 24

This census suggests that the unknown female aged 20 - 29 is too young to be the mother of John D. Lewis's known children but old enough to be the mother of the unknown children. She could be a daughter of John Lewis's, but her children's ages do not fit his known grandchildren's ages. It is possible that she is Celia (Lewis) Babb, but only if Celia had three children who died or are unknown. Those three children, however, do not fall within her marriage to William Babb, which took place in Madison County, Alabama in 1824. Of course, William could have been married previously with another set of older children. Alternately, this unknown woman could be a widowed sister or sister-in-law.

The main take away is that the mother of John D. Lewis's first set of children, presumed to be Susan Daniel, is likely to be deceased at this time. If the John Lewis family has been correctly identified in Knox County, Kentucky in 1810, then it reveals a woman with a birth pattern of a baby every two years. At that pace, it is not surprising that she was deceased by 1830.

Also interesting is Nancy Lewis who is living next door. Since this census is not in alphabetical order, she is living near John Lewis. Her age category of 50 to 60 makes her too young to be John Lewis's mother. With a house full of children she is likely to be his widowed sister-in-law although she could be a spinster sister, raising someone else's children. She is worth researching because she may lead to the rest of John Lewis's family. An interesting spin on this is that she could be a very young, widowed step-mother to John Lewis. That seems a little far fetched, but not impossible.








By 1840, John Lewis was in McNairy County, Tennessee. The complete household for John Lewis was 000100001 - 100011 and slaves 01010001.

Family:
One male 15 - 19 [b.c. 1821 - 1825]: unknown
One male 60 - 69 [b.c. 1780 - 1771]: John D. Lewis
One female 0 - 4 [b.c. 1836 - 1840]: Emily Lewis
One female 20 - 29 [b.c. 1811 - 1820]: Susan Lewis (a daughter)?
One female 30 - 39 [b.c. 1801 - 1810]: wife Jane Lewis
Slaves:
One male 10 - 23
One male 36 - 54
One female 10 - 23




John Lewis's age on the McNairy County, Tennessee census is consistent with his age on the 1830 Jackson County, Alabama census. The overlap of those two censuses would make his birth date fall in the vicinity of 1780 perhaps a year or two earlier. That overlap occurs if John Lewis is placed at the high end of the age range on the 1830 census with an age of near 49 and at the low end of the age range on the 1840 census age with an age of near 60. If he was near 50 in 1830, he would be near 60 in 1840.

The unknown male may be one of the males from the 1830 census.

With a birth date of about 1778 to 1780, there are several things we can guess about John Lewis. When he died in 1842 he was close to 60 years old, give or take a year or two. He was too young to serve in the Revolutionary War. This is born out by the fact that he did not receive a Revolutionary War pension, and his widow Jane never applied for one on behalf of herself and their young daughter Emily. Since Jane only drew a child's share from his estate, a Revolutionary War pension, if she qualified for one, would have enhanced the quality of her life.

John Lewis might have participated in the War of 1812. He also might have participated in the Creek War of 1836 although he would have been well into his 50s by then.

There is still a lot to flesh out about John D. Lewis and his children, and being able to place them in the context of a time period opens up the possibilities.

Saturday, June 6, 2020

My Grandparents


©  Kathy Duncan, 2020


At one point, my grandparents all lived in the same small town - Avery, Texas. Some of them knew each other from a very young age. 

This is one of my favorite pictures, which I've told is too blurry to restore. My maternal grandmother, Bertha Brown, is tugging on my paternal grandfather, Fred Duncan's, tie. He was twelve, and she was about nineteen. He told me that he had a terrific crush on her and that she always teased him by calling him her "boyfriend."

This photograph captures that time in their lives perfectly. Even though it's blurry, I can see my grandmother still had long hair and a cheerful, toothsome smile, so I know that it was taken before she was stricken by the flu. I would guess this photograph is from about 1918 or 1919. 



Fred Duncan and Bertha Chapman