Thomson Mason
| Thomson Mason | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Thomson Mason August 14, 1733 Chopawamsic, Stafford County, Colony of Virginia |
| Died |
February 26, 1785 (aged 51) Chopawamsic, Stafford County, Virginia |
| Residence |
Chopawamsic, Stafford County, Virginia Raspberry Plain, Leesburg, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | College of William and Mary |
| Occupation | lawyer, jurist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, planter |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary King Barnes Elizabeth Westwood Wallace |
| Children |
Stevens Thomson Mason Abram Barnes Thomson Mason John Thomson Mason Ann Thomson Mason Chichester Dorothea Anna Thomson Mason Hirst Westwood Thomson Mason William Temple Thomson Mason George Thomson Mason |
| Parent(s) |
George Mason III Ann Stevens Thomson |
| Relatives | brother of George Mason IV |
Thomson Mason (14 August 1733 – 26 February 1785)[1][2] was a prominent Virginia lawyer, jurist, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia.[2] Mason was a younger brother of George Mason IV, United States patriot, statesman, and delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention, father of Stevens Thomson Mason, a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, a member of the Virginia state legislature, and a U.S. Senator from Virginia, and great-grandfather of Stevens T. Mason, first Governor of Michigan.
Early life
Mason was born at Chopawamsic in Stafford County, Virginia on 14 August 1733.[1][2] He was the third and youngest child of George Mason III and his wife Ann Stevens Thomson.[1]
Career
Mason was educated at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia[3] and then studied law at the Middle Temple in London.[3][4] Afterwards, he returned to Virginia and was a burgess in the House of Burgesses representing Stafford and Loudoun counties from 1766 to 1775.[3][4] In 1778, Mason was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and served only briefly before serving as one of five judges in the General Court.[3][4] From 1779 to 1783, Mason was elected a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and served as chairman of the Committee on Courts of Justice.[4]
Raspberry Plain
In 1760, Mason purchased Raspberry Plain in Loudoun County, Virginia[5][6] In 1771, Thomson built the mansion at Raspberry Plain. Upon Thomson's death, the Raspberry Plain estate was deeded to his eldest son Stevens Thomson Mason.[5][6]
Marriages and children
Mason married Mary King Barnes, the only daughter of Colonel Abraham Barnes and his wife Mary King,[3] in 1758.[1] He and Mary had four children:[1][2]
- Stevens Thomson Mason (29 December 1760–9 May 1803)[1]
- Abram Barnes Thomson Mason (24 August 1763–12 January 1813)[1]
- John Thomson Mason (15 March 1765–10 December 1824)[1]
- Ann Thomson Mason Chichester (26 February 1769–29 August 1817)[1]
Mary died on 21 October 1771 in Prince William County, Virginia and was interred in the Mason family graveyard at Gunston Hall and later moved to Raspberry Plain.[1] Six years later on 23 November 1777, Mason married for a second time to Elizabeth Westwood Wallace.[1] He and Elizabeth had four children:[1]
- Dorothea "Anne" Anna Thomson Mason Hirst (10 April 1778–5 May 1822)[1]
- Westwood Thomson Mason (20 December 1780–1826)[1]
- William Temple Thomson Mason (24 July 1782–1862)[1]
- George Thomson Mason (died 1873)[1]
Later life
Mason died on 26 February 1785 at Chopawamsic at the age of 51.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Thomson Mason". gunstonhall.org. Gunston Hall. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- 1 2 3 4 "Mason family of Virginia". politicalgraveyard.com. The Political Graveyard. June 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- 1 2 3 4 5 The Colonial Dames of America (1910). Ancestral Records and Portraits: A Compilation from the Archives of Chapter I, the Colonial Dames of America. Boston, Massachusetts: Grafton Press. p. 808.
- 1 2 3 4 Evisum Inc. (2000). "George Mason: Statesman". Virtual War Museum. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- 1 2 "Raspberry Plain: History". raspberryplain.com. Raspberry Plain. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- 1 2 "Hunt Country Celebrations: Reception Sites". huntcountrycelebrations.com. Hunt Country Celebrations. 2008. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-15.