John Mason (c. 1600–1672)
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John Mason (October 1600 – January 30, 1672) was an English-born settler, soldier, commander, and Deputy Governor of the
Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...
. Mason was best known for leading a group of Puritan settlers and Indian allies on a combined attack on a
Pequot Fort The Pequot Fort was a fortified Native American village in what is now the Groton side of Mystic, Connecticut, United States. Located atop a ridge overlooking the Mystic River, it was a palisaded settlement of the Pequot tribe until its destruc ...
in an event known as the
Mystic Massacre The Mystic massacrealso known as the Pequot massacre and the Battle of Mystic Forttook place on May 26, 1637 during the Pequot War, when Connecticut colonizers under Captain John Mason and their Narragansett and Mohegan allies set fire to the ...
. The destruction and loss of life he oversaw effectively ended the hegemony of the
Pequot tribe The Pequot () are a Native American people of Connecticut. The modern Pequot are members of the federally recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, four other state-recognized groups in Connecticut including the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, or t ...
in southeast Connecticut.


Early life and education

Mason was born in Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire, England. John Mason's baptism is recorded in the St. Deny's church records on October 5, 1600 and lists his father as Richard Mason, who was married on May 23, 1600 in Ravensthorpe to Alis Burlyn - Burlyn is probably an error for Butlyn because Alis Butlyn was baptized in Ravensthorpe on September 9. 1576. Alis could be the phonetic version of Alice. Little is known about his youth and life there. Mason was well educated, but it is not known where he was schooled in England or perhaps a military school in the Netherlands. He enlisted in the military in 1624 and then went to the Netherlands to serve in the sectarian Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), where he gained significant tactical military experience, first seeing action in the Breda Campaign. His activities from the earliest days in New England give evidence of training as a military engineer. His prose is vigorous and direct in his regular correspondence with the Winthrop Family and in his history of the Pequot War. By 1629 he was a lieutenant in the
Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...
Campaign and participated in the Siege of s'-Hertogenbosch, literally "The Duke's Forrest" in English, and known historically in French as Bois-le-Duc. He served with Lord Thomas Fairfax under General
Sir Horace Vere Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury (1565 – 2 May 1635) (also ''Horatio Vere'' or ''Horatio de Vere'') was an English military leader during the Eighty Years' War and the Thirty Years' War, a brother of Francis Vere. He was sent to the P ...
in the army of
Frederik Hendrik Frederick Henry ( nl, Frederik Hendrik; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrecht, Guelders, Lordship of Overijss ...
, The Prince of Orange.


Early life in America

In 1632, he joined the great Puritan exodus and sailed from England to the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
, settling in Dorchester where he was promptly appointed as the captain of the local militia. In 1633, he commanded the first American naval task force and pursued the pirate
Dixie Bull Dixie Bull (or Dixey Bull) was an English sea captain, and the first pirate known to prey on shipping off the New England coast, especially Maine. Biography Born in Huntingdon about 1611, he was apprenticed Skinner to his elder brother Seth in 1 ...
, routing him from New England waters. He and
Roger Ludlow Roger Ludlow (1590–1664) was an English lawyer, magistrate, military officer, and colonist. He was active in the founding of the Colony of Connecticut, and helped draft laws for it and the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony. Under his and John Mas ...
planned and supervised the construction of the first fortifications on Castle Island (later known as Fort Independence) in Boston Harbor. In 1634, he was elected to represent Dorchester in the Massachusetts General Court, where permission was granted for him to remove to the fertile Connecticut River valley. In 1635, he settled in Windsor, Connecticut at the confluence of the Farmington River and the
Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
; he lived there for the next twelve years and served as a civil Magistrate and military leader of the nascent
Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...
. In 1640, he married Anne Peck from a prominent Puritan family; they had eight children.


Pequot War 1636–1638

The main battle of the Pequot War started in the predawn hours of May 26, 1637 when Colonial forces led by Captains John Mason and lieutenant Robert Seeley, along with their Indian allies, attacked one of two main fortified Pequot villages at Mystic. Only 20 soldiers breached the palisade's gate and were quickly overwhelmed, to the point that they utilized fire to create chaos and facilitate their escape from within. Sergeant William Hayden of Windsor is credited with saving the life of Captain Mason inside the fort, using his sword to cut through the bow-string of one of the Pequot warriors aiming his weapon at Mason. The ensuing conflagration trapped the majority of the Pequots and caused their death; those who managed to exit were slain by the sword or musket from the others who surrounded the fort. Only a handful of approximately 500 men, women, and children survived what became known as the Battle of Mistick Fort.As the soldiers made the exhausted withdrawal march to their boats, they faced several attacks by frantic warriors from the other village of Weinshauks, but again the Pequots suffered very heavy losses versus relatively few by the Colonists. These two defeats broke the resources and spirit of the tribe, who then decided to retreat west to the Hudson River area. They were pursued along the southern coast, with other confrontations at Sachem's Head and the Fairfield swamp, suffering more deaths and capture. Sassacus and his core band did make it to New York, but Sassacus was killed there by the
Mohawks The Mohawk people ( moh, Kanienʼkehá꞉ka) are the most easterly section of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy. They are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people of North America ...
; they cut off his hands and head and delivered them to the Massachusetts Bay Colony without explanation for their actions. Mason recounted his experiences in the Pequot War in his narrative ''Major Mason's Brief History of the Pequot War'', which was originally printed in 1677 by Increase Mather and later reprinted by Thomas Prince in 1736. The most prominent episode in Mason's lifelong career of public service was his overall command as captain of the Colonial forces in the Pequot War in 1637. This was the first declared and sustained conflict in Southern New England, a complex and risky campaign. The large and powerful
Pequot Tribe The Pequot () are a Native American people of Connecticut. The modern Pequot are members of the federally recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, four other state-recognized groups in Connecticut including the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, or t ...
had subjugated other local tribes, killed numerous Colonial settlers and destroyed vital corn crops. The Massachusetts Bay Colony eventually declared war with them, and reluctantly the infant Connecticut Colony was quickly drawn into the conflict. The Pequots greatly outnumbered the colonists, but had inferior weapons and tactics. The colonists also had the guidance and support of numerous Indian allies who were tributaries to the Pequots, especially Mohegan Sachem Uncas, who formed a unique and lasting bond with Mason and also Wequash Cooke. This brief and decisive war, with the
Mystic Massacre The Mystic massacrealso known as the Pequot massacre and the Battle of Mystic Forttook place on May 26, 1637 during the Pequot War, when Connecticut colonizers under Captain John Mason and their Narragansett and Mohegan allies set fire to the ...
in particular, forever changed the complexion of American society. The battle at Mistick Fort was featured in the History Channel series '' 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America,'' and is central to scholarly arguments regarding genocide studies in the colonial era. Following this victory, Mason was promoted to major and received numerous land grants as a reward for his services. Mason's Island at the mouth of the Mystic River remained in his family for over 250 years.


After the Pequot War

In 1640, an event took place that forever changed the political boundaries of the Connecticut River Valley. From its founding until that time,
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
(then called Agawam) had been administered by the
Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...
, along with Connecticut's three other settlements at Wethersfield, Hartford, and Windsor. In the spring of 1640, grain was very scarce and cattle were dying of starvation. The nearby Connecticut River Valley settlements of Windsor (then called "Matianuck") and Hartford (then called "Newtown") gave power to
William Pynchon William Pynchon (October 11, 1590 – October 29, 1662) was an English colonist and fur trader in North America best known as the founder of Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was also a colonial treasurer, original patentee of the Massachu ...
, the founder of
Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...
, to buy corn for all three English settlements. If the Indians would not sell their corn at market prices, then Pynchon was authorized to offer more money. The Indians refused to sell their corn at market prices, and then later refused to sell it at "reasonable" prices. Pynchon refused to buy it, believing it best not to broadcast the English colonists' weaknesses, and also wanting to keep market values steady. Leading citizens of what became Hartford were furious with Pynchon for not purchasing any grain. With Windsor and Wethersfield's consent, the three southerly settlements commissioned John Mason to travel to Springfield with "money in one hand and a sword in the other." On reaching what became Springfield, Mason threatened the local Indians with war if they did not sell their corn at a "reasonable price." The Indians capitulated and ultimately sold the colonists corn; however, Mason's intimidating approach led to the Indians' deepening distrust of the English colonists. Pynchon, an avowed "man of peace," believed in negotiation with the Indians, whereas Mason believed in subduing Indians by force, if necessary. This philosophical difference led to Mason using "hard words" against Pynchon. Pynchon's settlement, however, agreed with him and his philosophy, and that same year voted to separate from the Connecticut Colony and be annexed by the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
. As this local controversy was heating up, the Massachusetts Bay Colony decided to reassert its jurisdiction over the land bordering the Connecticut River, realizing that it was valuable for farming. In 1645, Sir Thomas Fairfax was made commander in chief, and he addressed a letter to Major Mason in Connecticut urging him to return to England, join his standard, and accept a Major-General's commission in the Parliamentary Army to serve in the English Civil War. Mason declined this offer and remained in Connecticut. In 1647, Mason assumed command of Saybrook Fort which controlled the main trade and supply route to the upper river valley. The fort mysteriously burned to the ground but another improved fort was quickly built nearby. He spent the next twelve years there and served as Commissioner of the United Colonies, as the chief military officer, magistrate, and peacekeeper. He was continually called upon to negotiate the purchase of Indian lands, write treaties, or arbitrate some Indian quarrel, many of which were instigated by his friend Uncas. His leadership abilities were unrivaled, which prompted the New Haven Colony to offer him a very lucrative position as manager of their enterprise in relocating to the
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
area. However, he declined the offer and remained in Connecticut.


Founding of Norwich

In 1659, Major Mason moved from the mouth of the
Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
to the head of the Thames River, together with his son-in-law Rev. James Fitch and most of the Saybrook residents, and founded the town of
Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...
. The land "nine miles square" was purchased from Mohegan Sachem Uncas, who also signed all the territory in his tribe's domain over to Mason as a protector and administrator. Questions regarding title and control of these thousands of acres created legal disputes which lasted for seventy years; the Mohegan Land Case actually consisted of several cases and appeals making their way through various courts in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and even back in London, England before the
Lords Commissioners The Lords Commissioners are privy counsellors appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom to exercise, on his or her behalf, certain functions relating to Parliament which would otherwise require the monarch's attendance at the Palace of Wes ...
. Several of the Major's Mason's descendants in the role of the Tribal overseers, went bankrupt and even died in England in the process of defending the Mohegan land rights. During his twelve years in Norwich, John Mason served for nine years as Deputy Governor (1660 to 1669), and he helped to write the Connecticut
Charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
. He served as acting Governor from 1661 to 1663 while Governor
John Winthrop Jr. John Winthrop the Younger (February 12, 1606 – April 6, 1676) was an List of colonial governors of Connecticut, early governor of the Connecticut Colony, and he played a large role in the merger of several separate settlements into the unif ...
went to England to obtain approval of the Charter from King Charles II. John Mason was one of the most trusted men in Connecticut during his three and a half decades of residence there, in both civil and military matters. In his latter years, the formal colony records referred to him simply as "the Major," without forename or surname.


Later life and death

In the summer of 1670, Mason acted as an intermediary between
Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...
and the Connecticut government regarding a boundary dispute between Rhode Island and Connecticut. In 1669, pleading old age and infirmities, he retired to a revered advisory position, but he suffered painfully in the last years of his life from cancer, which was then referred to as the "strangury". He died on January 30, 1672, from complications related to cancer. He is buried, although unmarked, in the Post-Gager cemetery with the other founders of Norwichtown, Connecticut.


Family

John Mason married his first wife (name unknown) in 1634 at Dorchester; she died in the spring of 1638 at Windsor. They had a daughter named Israel who was born in the winter of 1635 at Windsor; she married John Bissell Jr. on June 17, 1657 at Windsor. They had nine children. He died in 1693 and it is uncertain when she died. Mason married Anne Peck in July 1639 in Hingham, Massachusetts. Anne was born on November 16, 1619 in
Hingham, Norfolk Hingham is a market town and civil parish in mid-Norfolk, England. The civil parish covers an area of and had a population of 2,078 in 944 households at the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census, increasing to 2,367 at the 2011 Cen ...
, England and died in 1671 in Norwich, Connecticut. She was the daughter of Rev. Robert Peck, who was born at Beccles,
Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
, England in 1580. Peck was a talented and influential clergyman and Puritan who had fled his Hingham, Norfolk, England church after the crackdown by Archbishop Laud. Matthew Grant included "Captain Masen" in his list of "some omitted in former records being gone yet had children born here", and credited him with four children born in Windsor. These would include the daughter Israel by his first wife, and then Priscilla (b. 1641), Samuel (b. 1644), and John (b. 1646) with second wife Anne. Children born at Saybrook, Connecticut were Rachel (b. 1648), Ann (b. 1650), and Daniel (b. 1652); and then Elizabeth was born at
Stonington, Connecticut The town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington (borough), Connecticut, Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and W ...
in 1654. Mason's sons Samuel, John, and Daniel were also military officers and prominent civil servants. Many subsequent descendants served as military officers, doctors, lawyers, and reverends in America.


Memorials

After the Civil War, a statue movement was sweeping the nation, and local citizens and organizations were erecting monuments of heroes and patriots everywhere. The prominent citizens of Mystic, Connecticut decided to create a larger than life bronze and granite monument of Major John Mason, the commander of the Colonial forces in the 1637 Pequot War, the very first declared and sustained conflict in the early colonies. In 1889, the John Mason statue, carved by sculptor
James G. C. Hamilton James G. C. Hamilton ( ? ) was an American sculptor active in Cleveland, Ohio from about 1887-1898. According to ''Artists in Ohio'', he was said to be a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and according to the ''Building News an ...
, was placed at the intersection of Pequot Avenue and Clift Street in Mystic, near what was thought to be the location of the fortified Pequot village where the Mystic Massacre occurred. After the Pequot War, the Colonial government declared the once dominant Pequot Tribe to be extinct, even though a few survivors and descendants continued to remain in their former territory. They were ignored, along with occasional complaints about the statue being on the sacred site where their ancestors perished. The statue remained there for 103 years, until the early 1990s when the modern-day Pequots managed to obtain federal recognition, at which point former and new complaints about the statue could no longer be ignored. Studying the sensitivity and appropriateness of the statue's location on a cultural "sacred site", a committee chartered by the Town of Groton, Connecticut recommended that it be relocated. In 1996, the State of Connecticut (DEP/Parks Dept.) decided to relocate the statue of Major John Mason to the Palisado Green in Windsor, Connecticut at , which is where John Mason lived at the time of the war. The original plaque which glorified him for the war victory was removed and given to th
Mystic River Historical Society
and a new plaque replaced it, outlining the Major's entire career. This essentially re-birthed the statue to now represent John Mason in a more balanced and comprehensive manner for a lifetime of public service, including many prominent accomplishments as the principal founder of the Connecticut Colony. * Commander of first American Naval task force against the pirate
Dixie Bull Dixie Bull (or Dixey Bull) was an English sea captain, and the first pirate known to prey on shipping off the New England coast, especially Maine. Biography Born in Huntingdon about 1611, he was apprenticed Skinner to his elder brother Seth in 1 ...
1633 * Lieutenant at Dorchester and Civil Engineer of initial fortifications at Castle Island in Boston Harbor, later known as Fort Independence, 1634 * Deputy for Dorchester to Massachusetts Bay Colony General Court, 1634–1635 * Captain and Commander of Colonial forces in the Pequot War 1637 * Deputy for Windsor to Connecticut Court, 1637–1641 * Assistant to the Connecticut Court, 1642–1659, 1669–71 T Civil List 35* Commander of Saybrook Fort 1647–1659. * War committee for Saybrook, May 1653, October 1654 * Major General - chief military officer of the United Colonies 1654–1672 * Deputy Governor of Connecticut Colony, 1660–1668 * Acting Governor from 1661 to 1663, while Gov. John Winthrop Jr. went to London to obtain approval of the Charter from King Charles II * Commissioner for United Colonies, June 1654, May 1655, May 1656, May 1657, May 1660, May 1661 * Patentee of the original Connecticut Constitution - Royal Charter, 1662 * Overseer (first Indian Agent) and Administrator of Mohegan Lands 1659–1672 In honor of Norwich's bicentennial in 1859, The Mason Monument Association was formed and money was donated to erect a Founders Monument in the original burial grounds at Bean Hill. Major John Mason was their leader and this monument is also referred to as the Mason Monument but includes the names of all the 38 original settlers.


Estate

On February 10, 1634 "Captayne Mason" received a grant of in Dorchester. He drew of meadow beyond Naponset in lot #73. In the Windsor land inventory on February 28, 1640, John Mason held seven parcels, six of which were granted to him: "a home lot with some additions to it", ; "in the Palisado where his house stands and mead adjoining" ; "in the first mead on the north side of the rivulet, for mead and addition in swamp" ; "in the northwest field for upland" "with some addition on the bank side"; "over the Great River in breadth by the river twenty-six rods more or less, and continues that breadth to the east side of the west marsh, and there it is but sixteen rods in breadth and so continues to the end of the three miles"; "of land by Rocky Hill"; and "by a deed of exchange with Thomas Duy ewey... on the east side of the Great River in breadth eighteen rods more or less, in length three miles". On January 5, 1641 Connecticut court ordered "that Captain Mason shall have of ground, for him and his heirs, about Pequot Country, and the dispose of 500 more acres to such soldiers as joined with him in the service when they conquered the Indians there". On July 12, 1644 John Mason of Windsor sold to William Hosford of Windsor in a little meadow with addition of swamp. On September 11, 1651 "the island commonly called Chippachauge in Mistick Bay is given to Capt. John Mason, and also of upland and of meadow near Mistick, where he shall make choice". Henceforth, this island became known as Mason's Island, situated at the mouth of the Mystic River in
Stonington, Connecticut The town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington (borough), Connecticut, Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and W ...
. It was owned by the Mason family from 1651 to 1913. On March 14, 1660 the "jurisdiction power over that land that Uncas and Wawequa have made over to Major Mason is by him surrendered to this Colony. Nevertheless for the laying out of those lands to farms or plantations the Court doth leave it in the hands of Major Mason. It is also ordered and provided with the consent of Major Mason, that Uncus & Wawequa and their Indians and successors shall be supplied with sufficient planting ground at all times as the Court sees cause out of that land. And the Major doth reserve for himself a competence of land sufficient to make a farm". On May 14, 1663 the court granted "unto the Major, our worshipful Deputy Governor, of land for a farm, where he shall choose it, if it may not be prejudicial to a plantation already set up or to set up, so there be not above of meadow in it". On 13 October 1664, the "Major propounding to the Court to take up his former grant of a farm, at a place by the Indians called Pomakuck, near Norwich, the Court grants liberty to him to take up his former grant in that place, upon the same terms as it was granted to him by the Court". On May 20, 1668 the "Major desiring this Court to grant him a farm" of about , for "one of his sons, his desire is hereby granted (provided there be not above of meadow) and Lt. Griswold & Ensign Tracy are hereby desired to lay it out to him in some convenient place near that tract of land granted Jer miahAdams, it being the place the Major hath pitched upon, the name of the place is Uncupsitt, provided it prejudice no plantation or former grant". On May 9, 1672 "Ensign Tracy is appointed to join with Sergeant Tho as Leffingwell in laying out to the Major and Mr. Howkins their grants of land according to their grants".


Descendants

John Mason's descendants number in the thousands today. Some of his notable descendants include; *
David Brewster Sir David Brewster KH PRSE FRS FSA Scot FSSA MICE (11 December 178110 February 1868) was a British scientist, inventor, author, and academic administrator. In science he is principally remembered for his experimental work in physical optics ...
is an American journalist. * Diane Brewster was an American television actress. * Martha Wadsworth Brewster, (1710 – c. 1757) a poet and writer and one of the earliest American female literary figures. *
Catherine Drew Gilpin Faust Catharine Drew Gilpin Faust (born September 18, 1947) is an American historian and was the 28th president of Harvard University, the first woman to serve in that role. She was Harvard's first president since 1672 without an undergraduate or grad ...
(born September 18, 1947), is an American historian, college administrator, and the president of Harvard University. *
James Rudolph Garfield James Rudolph Garfield (October 17, 1865 – March 24, 1950) was an American lawyer and politician. Garfield was a son of President James A. Garfield and First Lady Lucretia Garfield. He served as Secretary of the Interior during President Th ...
, (October 17, 1865 – March 24, 1950) was a U.S. politician, lawyer and son of President
James Abram Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...
and First Lady
Lucretia Garfield Lucretia Garfield ('' née'' Rudolph; April 19, 1832 – March 13, 1918) was the first lady of the United States from March to September 1881, as the wife of James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States. Born in Garrettsville, Oh ...
. * Harry Augustus Garfield, (October 11, 1863 – December 12, 1942) was an American lawyer and academic. He was the eighth president of his alma mater, Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. * John Mason Kemper, was the 11th headmaster at
Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...
* John Forbes Kerry, (born December 11, 1943) is the 68th Secretary of State of the United States and former senior United States senator from Massachusetts (served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee). * George Trumbull Ladd, was an American philosopher and psychologist. *
Brice Lalonde Brice Lalonde (; born 10 February 1946) is a former green party leader in France, who ran for President of France in the Presidential elections, 1981. In 1988 he was named Minister of the Environment, and in 1990 founded the green Ecology Gener ...
, is a former socialist and green party leader in France, who ran for President of France in the Presidential elections, 1981. In 1988 he was named Minister of the Environment, and in 1990 founded the Green Party Génération Ecologie. *
W. Patrick Lang Walter Patrick "Pat" Lang, Jr. (born May 31, 1940) is a commentator on the Middle East, a retired US Army officer and private intelligence analyst, and an author. After leaving uniformed military service as a colonel, he held high-level posts i ...
. US Army officer, US Intelligence Executive, and author. *Marcus Mason Maronn, Founder, President of the Mason Family Memorial Association Inc. * Jeremiah Mason, was a United States senator from New Hampshire. * John Sanford Mason, (August 21, 1824 – November 29, 1897) was a career officer in the United States Army who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. *
Robert Noyce Robert Norton Noyce (December 12, 1927 – June 3, 1990), nicknamed "the Mayor of Silicon Valley", was an American physicist and entrepreneur who co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel Corporation in 1968. He is also credited wit ...
, nicknamed "the Mayor of Silicon Valley", was an inventor of the integrated circuit or microchip. *
Robert Charles Winthrop Robert Charles Winthrop (May 12, 1809 – November 16, 1894) was an American lawyer and philanthropist, who served as the speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a descendant of John Winthrop. Early life Robert Charles ...
, was an American lawyer and philanthropist and one time
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...
. *Patricia Dutcher-Walls, Presbyterian scholar and author, Professor at University of Toronto and University of British Columbia.


See also

*
Robert Seeley Robert Seeley, also Seely, Seelye, or Ciely, (1602-1668) was an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who helped establish Watertown, Wethersfield, and New Haven. He also served as second-in-command to John Mason in the Pequ ...
*
John Oldham John Oldham may refer to: *John Oldham (colonist) (1592–1636), early Puritan settler in Massachusetts *John Oldham (poet) (1653–1684), English poet * John Oldham (psychiatrist), American psychiatrist *John Oldham (engineer) (1779–1840), Iris ...


References


Further reading

*Allyn, James H. "Major John Mason's GREAT ISLAND" pub. by Roy N. Bohlander. (1976) Lib. of Cong. Cat. No. 76-49716 *Bradstreet, Howard
The Story of the War with the Pequots Re-Told
(1933) *Caulkins, Frances Manwaring History of Norwich, Conn. 1866 *Cave, Alfred A
''The Pequot War''
(University of Massachusetts Press, 1996) *''Ellis, George. John Mason in Sparks Library of American Biography (2nd series, III, 1844).'' *Haynes, Williams. "Connecticut's own Major" - A Profile of John Mason (1600-1672) The Pequot Press Inc. Essex, Connecticut (1955) *Maronn, Marcus Mason.
The John Mason Statue Report
' by the Mason Family Memorial Association (Mystic, CT 1996) *Mason, John
''A Brief History of the Pequot War''
(1736) (reprinted by J. Sabin & sons, 1869) & reprinted by Helman-Taylor Co. 1897 from the collections of the Mass. Historical Society. *Mason, John
''A Brief History of the Pequot War''
(1736) (annotated online electronic text edition df *Mason, Louis. B.
The life and times of Major John Mason of Connecticut
1600-1672'' (Putnam, NY. 1935). *Oberg, Michael L. ''Uncas First of the Mohegans Cornell University Press 2003 Ithaca, NY.'' *Public Records of Colony of Connecticut, (Vols. I and II) Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT. *Stiles, Henry R. M.D
History of Ancient Windsor
1859, Cornell University Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, John (1600) 1600s births 1672 deaths Kingdom of England emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony People from Windsor, Connecticut New England Puritanism American Puritans People of colonial Connecticut People of colonial Massachusetts Magistrates of the Connecticut General Court (1636–1662) Pequot War People from Mystic, Connecticut People from Dorchester, Massachusetts