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| Stucco duplex typical of Westerly Gardens |
Major Seth Mason was a distinguished veteran of the War of 1812 who, after the war, built Wheatlands, a white-columned stone estate that would become the center of the African trade for the emerging wheat farms of the surrounding Shenandoah Valley.
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| Auction block in the front lawn of historic Wheatland, Clarke County, VA |
Major Mason's granddaughter Rebecca Kern spent summers on the sprawling plantation before marrying a northern headmaster and relocating to Bound Brook, New Jersey after the Civil War. The aging Mrs. LaMonte would recall the places of her childhood when naming the new streets of the family's Westerly Gardens subdivision. It's a good thing her grandfather didn't name the manor for his secondary crops. Slaveland Lane wouldn't have survived civil rights. Tobaccoland Alley? Let's not go there!
Wrong Wheatland! Maj. Seth Mason's plantation was in Frederick Co. VA about 1 mile from White Post, just south of Double Tollgate. He moved from Sussex Co. in 1811 and his family is not associated with George Mason.
ReplyDeleteRight Wheatland, wrong county and road names, which must have changed in the intervening 150 years. I've visited this Wheatland twice and seen the Mason cemetery with memorial plaque to Major Seth Mason placed there by his granddaughter Rebecca Kern LaMonte. Her letters housed in the NJ State Archives confirm correspondence with him. I did, however, read somewhere (wish I could find the source) that Seth Mason was a stepson into the family whose inheritance had been legally questioned.
ReplyDeleteWhere were you able to find evidence of a familial relationship between George Mason and Major Seth Mason? I've searched to find that link and have not been able to come up with one. Could you please site the source for this so I can end my angst? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI read about Seth Mason's lineage in either an obituary or biographical sketch at the Clarke County VA library in Berryville. I regret that I didn't copy it, but recall it saying that his inheritance of part of Wheatland was contested because he was raised by his single mother who was never married to Seth's father.
ReplyDeleteA History of the Valley of Virginia by Samuel Kercheval, first edition in 1833: “Seth Mason has lately built a spacious stone dwelling, stone barn and stable, on the waters of Crooked Run, in the County of Frederick. The buildings are erected on a beautiful eminence, and command a fine view of the Blue Ridge…”
ReplyDeleteShenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia ..By Thomas Cartmell, 1909: “Wheatland the home of Mr. Joseph A. Miller, was established in the early part of the 19th Century by Maj. Seth Mason…. This estate can be seen on the Front Royal Turnpike, North of Nineveh, where under the good care of Mr. Miller…..friends still enjoy Virginia hospitality.”
Crooked Run feeds Lake Frederick in Frederick Co., Va. The dam is named Wheatlands Dam and is listed as such in federal inspection reports. Wheatlands is located between Crooked Run and the road that runs from Front Royal to Winchester, in Frederick County, a good 35-40 miles from the Wheatland Manor located near Purcellville, Loudon Co., Va., that is shown in your photo. I have visited the house and graveyard and the house is not the same house shown in your photo
Seth Mason was neither a member of the George Mason family nor an illegitimate son. He was born in 1776, the son of Maj. William Mason and his wife, Lucretia, of Sussex Co., VA. Maj. Seth Mason, and his only sibling, Joseph, are mentioned in their father's 1781 will probated in 1782 in Sussex Co., Va. The brothers are also mentioned in the will of their grandfather Maj. John Mason, and their uncles, Joseph and John Mason, Jr.. Major Seth Mason had a son, Seth Mason Jr., who received a smaller share of his estate than some of the other children of Maj. Seth Mason - perhaps that is where you became confused. Maj. Seth Mason's mother also died during the Rev. War and so he was raised by his uncles. He received an inheritance of approx. 500 acres in Sussex Co., which he increased to 800 acres before relocating in 1811 to Frederick Co., Va.
ReplyDeleteI (and this blog) stand corrected by John Martin's good research. I'll have to revisit Wheatlands in Frederick County, Virginia, and hope that Mr. Martin will have the chance to stop by Bound Brook, New Jersey, perhaps for the July 4th reading of the Declaration of Independence at Betsy Ross Campground, an event initiated by and conducted at land donated by the descendants of Major Seth Mason.
ReplyDeleteDavid,
DeleteI wish I had checked back sooner. Thanks for your kind invitation.
I am also researching Seth Mason and his descendants through his daughter Elizabeth Mason Timberlake. Being on the west coast, I do not have easy access to primary sources, so my information is necessarily suspect, however, another researcher reproduced snippets of a December 12, 1838 will that purports to state "I Seth Mason being now more than 72 years old." (http://home.comcast.net/~p.a.miller/genealogy/docs/mason/death/index.htm.) It is also the document that connects Elizabeth Timberlake to Seth Mason. Nevertheless, that would put Seth Mason's birth date on or before 1766. Do any of you know whether that is an accurate representation of the 1838 will? Is there any primary source for Seth Mason's birth? I would appreciate any reference to information you have on the excellent information provided here. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHey, Scott, just want to update your link. I had to move my site, so those Mason records are now at:
Deletehttp://www.pamiller.net/docs/mason/death/index.htm
Regards and good luck to all in the hunt,
Pam in CA
Scott,
DeleteI viewed the same on-line information and found it helpful. However, there were some discrepancies with what I found when I obtained a copy of Seth Mason's will from Frederick Co., VA. My transcription of the beginning of the will reads: Seth Mason’s Will
"In the name of God Amen Dec’r 12, 1838. I Seth Mason being now more than sixty two years old and knowing that death cometh to all men especially to the aged, but being now of sound discerning mind have thought it
best to make and give handy(?) some direction as to such wordly estateas it has pleased God to bless me with...." He later added a codicil listing what he had already given to each of his children so that could be figured into the settlement of the will by his executors. He specifically listed "Advances made to David Timberlake who married my daughter Elizabeth" in the amount of $2650.00. Good luck in your research.