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:
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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?
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