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.
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| 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.
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