George Mason I
George Mason I (5 June 1629 – 1686)[1][2] was the American progenitor of the prominent American landholding and political Mason family. Mason was the great-grandfather of George Mason IV, a Founding Father of the United States.[1]
George Mason I | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Mason 5 June 1629 |
| Died | 1686 (aged 56–57) |
| Resting place | Accokeek, Stafford County, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Cavalier, House of Burgesses member, Stafford County sheriff, Stafford County county lieutenant, justice of the peace, Stafford County militia colonel, planter, businessperson |
| Spouse(s) | Mary French Margaret Allerton Frances Norgrave |
| Children | George Mason II |
| Relatives | great-grandfather of George Mason IV |
Early life
George Mason was born in Pershore, England, on 5 June 1629.[1][3] He was the third of seven children of yeoman farmer Thomas Mason and his wife Ann French.[1][2] George Mason was christened at Pershore Abbey, Holy Cross Church, Pershore, Worcestershire, on 10 June 1629.[1][2]
Political involvement in England
George Mason I was a Cavalier during the reign of Charles I of England. Thomas Mason was against Charles I's execution in 1649. He became a captain, commanding a troop of horse in Charles II's army. When the Royalist forces were defeated at the Battle of Worcester by Oliver Cromwell in 1651. Being on the losing side George and younger brother William Mason hurriedly left England.
Arrival in Virginia
Mason probably arrived at Norfolk, Virginia on the ship Assurance in 1652.[2][3] Mason was accompanied by his younger brother William, cousins and neighbors from England, Thomas and Gerard Fowke of Staffordshire.[2][3] He settled in Westmoreland County, Virginia in the early 1650s and was associated with the naming of Stafford County when it was formed from Westmoreland County in 1664.[3] Mason eventually settled permanently near an Indian village along Accokeek Creek on a hill between present-day State Routes 608 (Brooke Road) and 621 (Marlborough Point Road) in Stafford County.[3] He named his residence Accokeek, later rechristened Rose Hill.[3] The property was named for the now extinct Accokeek tribe which inhabited present-day Prince George's County, Maryland. Accokeek plantation began as 650 acres (2.6 km2) and gradually increased to 1,150 acres (4.7 km2) in size.[3]
Political involvement in Virginia
Mason represented Stafford County in the House of Burgesses and in 1670, he served as the county's second sheriff.[3] Mason served as Stafford County's county lieutenant in 1675. Mason also served as a Justice of the Peace and vestryman.[3] Mason also served as a colonel in Stafford County's militia.[3] In the Acts of the Assembly for 1675, 1679, and 1684, Colonel Mason was actively engaged in defending his frontier county against the Indians.
Marriage and children
Mason married Mary French in 1658.[1][2] He and Mary had one son:[1]
- George Mason II (1660–1716)[1]
Mason married secondly to Margaret Allerton in Stafford County, Virginia in 1661. They had 3 sons:[5]
- Isaac Mason (1661-1689)
- Richard Mason (1662-1693)
- William Mason (1663-1686)
Mason married thirdly to Frances Norgrave in 1669 in Stafford County, Virginia.[1][2] They had one daughter, Sarah E. Mason, born in 1672.
Later life
Mason died in 1686.[1] His body was interred in 1686 on a hillside at Accokeek in Stafford County, Virginia.[1][3] His gravesite is currently unmarked.[3]
Masonvale
George Mason University, named in honor of Mason's great-grandson, re-established its Naming Committee to research and select names for its campus facilities and infrastructure.[6] The committee agreed upon the name "Masonvale" for its faculty and staff housing community in the northeast section of George Mason University's Fairfax Campus.[6] The appendage of "vale" was derived from George Mason I's birthplace, Pershore, which lies in an agricultural region known as the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire, England.[6] To unify the naming theme within Masonvale, the names "Pershore" and "Evesham" were then used as street names for the community.[6] Other street names used are "Bredon Hill," "Cotswolds Hill," and "Staffordshire."[6] All are regions of Old Worcestershire where many of Mason's ancestors once resided.[6]
References
- Gunston Hall. "George Mason I". Gunston Hall. Archived from the original on 15 January 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
- French Family Association (2008). "Children of Dennis French, A.2". French Family Association. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
- Lee Woolf (7 April 2002). "George Mason gets memorial in D.C." The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
- "George Mason b. 5 Jun 1629 Pershore, Worcester, England d. 1686 Accokeek, Stafford County, Virginia: Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties". www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- Dave Andrews (18 December 2008). "History Is a Guide in Selecting Name for Faculty and Staff Housing Community". The Mason Gazette. Retrieved 21 March 2008.