Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

As will be seen, Mr. Mason is of the eleventh generation from William Benedict I, of Not- tinghamshire, and those who are fond of tracing hereditary influences may ascribe his fidelity to the public welfare to the same patriotism which animated his ancestors in the Benedict and Cur- tis lines durmg the early days, when their duties required hard service in camp and on battlefield. Mr. Mason is a native of the town which his an- cestors helped to found, and first saw the liKht June 26, 1842, at No. 13 Franklin street. The house, which was the first Methodist Episcopal church built in Danbury, was moved to its pres- ent location in 1840, and transformed into a dwelling. After attending the public schools of his native place for some time, Mr. Mason began his business career at the age of fourteen as a clerk in N. T. Hoyt's grocery, where he remained three years, and the ne.xt two years were spent in similar employment with William G. Randall. He then entered the department store of Bene- dict & Nichols, being employed as buyer and manager of the hardware department. In 1865 he formed a partnership with David P. Nichols and Samuel C. Smith, and purchased the busi- ness, which they continued under the firm name of D. P Nichols & Co. until 1869. In that year Mr. Mason went to New York City and organized the wholesale grocery firm of Bennett, Hawley & Mason, establishing a store at No. 333 Green- wich street. This partnership was dissolved in 1872, and Mr. Mason became connected with the wholesale grocery of A. J. D. Wedemeyer, on Washington street. New York, where he re- mained until 1889. Returning to Danbury, he then purchased the grocery of Peck & Wildman, and this, until 1893, was conducted under the firm name of Mason & Co., Mr. Mason's son being associated with him in the business. He has also engaged in other enterprises, and is now a director in the Danbury and Bethel Street Railway Company, and vice-president of the Na- tional Building, Bank and Loan Association. In 1889 Mr. Mason began his successful work in municipal affairs. The city having just re- ceived its charter, he was appointed superin- tendent of the water-works, a position which he held until 1891. His administration attracted favorable notice, and in the fall of 1892 he was elected to the office of first selectman by a plu- rality of 659 on the Democratic ticket, the sig- nificance of the achievement being seen when it is recalled that for seven years previous the town had gone Republican by large majorities. He held this office one year, and before the expira- tion of his term he was again appointed (May, 1893) to the post of superintendent of the water- works, which he filled until April, 1895, when he received a recess appointment as postmaster. •'.fiS 234 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. On December 19, 1895, he was formally con- firmed in that position for the term of four years. While serving as superintendent of the water- works he instituted the first systematic record of that department, and having seen the neeil of more business-like methods of keeping the town accounts, he made it his first duty as selectman to inaugurate a better system, which has since been adopted in many other towns in Connecti- cut. During his term the question of building a new almshouse, one of the finest in the State, was voted upon, Mr. Mason's influence being potent in securing a favorable result, and the foundations of the structure were laid before he retired from the office. He also gave great im- petus to the work of improving the roads, and during his year as first selectman the first iron bridges in the town were constructed. He was a member of the committee which revised the present city charter, adopted in 1 897. He has also devoted much time and attention to educational matters, and since 1890 has been a member of the school board of his city. Here, as else- where, his energetic support of progressive meas- ures has won the approval of the best element among his fellow-townsmen. Socially, Mr. Mason is a member of Union Lodge No. 40, F. & A. M.; of Eureka Chapter No. 23, f^. A. M.; of Crusader Commandery No. 10, K. T. ; of the Royal Arcanum; of Pyramid Temple, Order of the Mystic Shrine; of Progress- ive Lodge No. 18, L O. O. F. ; of the order of the Knights of Honor; and is a member of the Connecticut Sons of the Revolution. He is a member of St. James Church (Protestant Epis- copal), and from 1862 to 1869 was a vestryman. In 1867 he was one of a building committee of three who superintended the construction of the present church edifice. On January 4, 1 863, Mr. Mason was married to his first wife. Miss Mary Augusta Bennett, daugh- ter of Austin and Maria Bennett, of Brookfield, Conn. She was born at Lake Mahopac, N. Y., in 1845, and died at Danbury in 1882. Mr. Ma- son formed a second matrimonial union, this time on June 5, 1883, with Miss Annie Evaline Lovell, who was born at New Bedford, Mass., January 13, 1862, the youngest daughter of Henry Sylvanus and Eliza Ann Lovell. Mrs. Mason also came from Puritan ancestry. Her paternal great-great-grandfather was Nathan Briggs, who was born September 22, 1716, and died June 18, 1798. Sarah, his wife, was born January 27, 1719, and died July 15, 1792. They had eleven children, whose names and dates of birth, etc., are as follows (old style); Lidea, December 26, 1745; Sarah, March 19, 1747, died January 18, 1830; Nathan, October 7, 1748; Leonard, Feb- ruary 26, 1750, died November 13, 1844; Mary, October 11, 1751; Stetson, April 16, 1753, died November 28, 1754; (new style): Benjamin and Rachel (twins), March 2, 1755 (Rachel died March 12, 1818); Jesse, May 14, 1757, died March 3, 1841; Hannah, October 5, 1758; and Rowland, September 28, 1760, died October 25, 1 78 1. Leonard, fourth son of Nathan and Sarah Briggs, was born at Wareham, Mass., and died at Sylvanus Lovell's home at Middleboro, Mass. The abstract from the record index of the Revo- lutionary archives of the Commonwealth of Mas- sachusetts reveals the following: Leonard Briggs appears with the rank of private on the muster and pay roll of Capt. Nathaniel Hammond's com- pany, as enlisting July 17, 1775; time of service, five months, twenty days. He appears with the rank of private in a return of Capt. David Nye's company. Colonel Sprout's regiment, as in service seven days, having marched to Dartmouth, on an alarm, September 3, 1778, in the Second Com- pany of Wareham. He appears with the rank of private on the muster and pay roll of Capt. Jacob Haskins' company. Col. John Hathaway's regiment, for service at Rhode Island, enlisted March 19, 1779, discharged April 15, 1779. He also appears with the rank of f)rivate on muster and pay roll of Capt. Simeon Cobb's company, under command of Capt. Samuel Fisher, Third regiment. Gen. Godfrey's brigade, detached for four weeks for service at Rhode Island. He en- listed August 14,1779; time of service, one month and two days. He was taken prisoner by the British and escaped from jail, but suffered ill health ever after because of the exposure and privation endured. He wrote a history of his experiences during the war, which was very inter- esting, but was unfortunately destroyed. He married Hope, daughter of Henry and Lidia Wood. She was born in Maine, October 15, 1757, and died at the home of Sylvanus Lovell, in Middleboro, Mass., February 9, 1837. Eight children came to them: Ancil, born December 26, 1 78 1, was caught in a mill wheel and killed January 18, 1793; Howland, born November 4, 1783, died in Maine suddenly while drinking a cup of coffee; Martha, born November 3, 1785; Deborah, born March 28, 1788, married Aber- deen Keith; Keziah, born September 12, 1790, married Philip Leonard; Hope, born March 5, 1793, married Alen Bronson, and died September 12, 1832; Betsey, born December 24, 1796, mar- ried Foster Keith; Joann, born May 22, 1799, at Middleboro, Mass., died July 11, 1869, at New Bedford, Mass. She married Sylvanus Lovell, who was born at Wareham, Mass., and died at COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 235 New Bedford October 26, 1854. Three children were born to them: Joann Frances, Lucy Ann, and Henr)' Sylvanus, who was born at Carver, Mass., March 4, 1828, and died at New Bedford June 15, 1896. He was married March 23, 185 1, to EHza Ann, who was born at New Bedford, June 5, 1833. the daughter of Samuel and Mary Dunham. Five children came to them: Charles Henry, born May 22, 1852; Walter Herbert, October 18, 1854; Hattie Eliza, June 2, 1856; Caroline F., April 8, i860; and Annie Evaline, January 13, 1862. Annie Evaline Lovell Ma- son's branch of the Lovell family is as follows: Robert Lovell was admitted as freeman in Eng- land in 1635. John, son of Robert, came to Weymouth, Mass., in 1655. James, son of John; Jacob, son of James; Joseph, son of Jacob; Syl- vanus, son of Joseph; Sylvanus, son of Sylvanus; Henry Sylvanus, son of Sylvanus; Annie Evaline, daughter of Henry Sylvanus. Mrs. Mason's maternal ancestors were like- wise of Revolutionary stock. Her great-grand- father, Nathaniel Downs, was born in 1740, and served during the Revolutionary war as a private in Thomas Nickerson's company. Major Z. Wins- low's regiment, on an alarm at Bedford and Fal- mouth, Mass. He married Tabitha , who was born in 1742 and died May 15, 1826. Their silver spoons, all hand-made and engraved Na- thaniel and Tabitha Downs, are in the possession of their great-granddaughter, Mrs. Mason. Fourteen children were born to them: Nathan- iel, Jr., Deborah, Jane, Rhoda, Shubad, Anna, Warren, Tabitha, Temperance, Aca, Lidia, Lucy, Nancy and Mary. Warren was a United States naval officer, and died on a warship June II, 1795, at Norfolk, Va. Mary was born April 23. 1790, and died in 1872. (An elaborate framed memorial, designed and embroidered by her in 1813, is still in the possession of her granddaughter, Mrs. Mason.) On May 17, 1829, she married Samuel Dunham, and died Novem- ber 15, 1870. Two children came to them: Samuel W., born October 19, 1830, and Eliza Ann, the mother of Mrs. Mason.