M. D. Mason
M. D. Mason is a representative agriculturist of Allen County, and has passed his entire life on a farm in section 16, Bath township where he was born October 3, 1840. He lives on a farm of 73 1/4 acres adjoining the place of his birth. His parents were Jarvis and Elizabeth (Hall) Mason, the former a native of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and the latter, of Oneida County, New York. The Mason family was founded in America in 1649 by Alexander Maon, who came to this country from England and took up large tracts of land along the seacoast of Massachusetts. Little more is known concerning him, except that he was of Scotch-Irish lineage. Elisha Mason, the grandfather of our subject was a descendant of this Alexander Mason, belonging to the fourth generation, and farmed on the ancestral acres in Massachusetts.
Jarvis Mason was born January 6, 1789, and learned the trade of a stone mason while a boy and built a great many walls with "niggerheads" of boulders. He went to Oneida County where he was married. Later he returned to his native State, but shortly after again went to New York where he lived until his removal to Ohio in 1834, when he brought with his his wife and seven children, leaving two children in the East. They had a family of 15 children, six having been born after their removal to Ohio. Franklin, an elder son, had preceded the family here one year. He was a blacksmith and set up the first anvil used in Allen County; but soon abandoned his trade to take up the more lucrative work of teaming, making trips to Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and other points. General Armstrong related to our subject that he had at one time, about 1836, employed Franklin, who had the only horse team here then, to make a trip to Columbus for cannon, the return journey taking six weeks. Franklin Mason was laid to rest in the cemetery at Lima.
M. D. Mason owns part of the original quarter section entered by his father and cleared and put under cultivation by the family. For many years the family occupied the little cabin, but Mr. Mason has a cozy, comfortable residence and has improved his place until it is equal to the best. He was married October 2, 1866, to Mary L. Snyder, who was born September 13, 1848, in Bath township, and is a daughter of Peter and Clarinda (Edgecomb) Snyder, the former of New York and the latter of Trumbull County, Ohio. Thirteen children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Mason, viz: Clarinda, who married Frank Roeder, of Lima; Elmer, who was murdered in 1904, aged 36 years; Frank, killed in an accident; Pulaski, of Lima; Jennie, wife of Claud Hennen, of Lima; Milton; Luella; Talma, wife of C. D. Miller, of Lima; Nellie, wife of James Richards, of Michigan; Harry; Charles; Donald; and Amy. Mr. Mason is a Republican and has served as trustee three terms; for several years he was on the School Board.