Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-10-10
Sampson Mason,

gland Village, aged eighty four. She was the
widow of the late Otis Pratt, and mother Of
Chandler Mason Pratt, Esq, of Grafton Her
father was Melatiah Mason of Thompson, CT,
who deceased about thirty years ago, aged
more than a hundred years. She was the last
| of five generations of family of Masons, more
numerous, probably, than any other family Of
that name in the country. The original an.
cestor, so far as known, was Sampson Mason,
who, the Hon. Francis Baylies lin his memoir
OF Plymouth Colony says, was dragoon in
the army Of Oliver Cromwell. This fact is
corroborated by Backus, in his history of the
Baptists, whose wife, Susannah Mason, was a
granddaughter OF Sampson Mason
The service of Sampson Mason must have
been at an early period of the wars between
the Crown and Parliament, and there can be
but little doubt but that he was one of the ia
NOUS "Ironside Troop" that dealt such de,
structon to the royal army, at Marston Moor
and in other battles And il would require
but little force of Imagination to believe that
Sampson Mason was one of the men to whom
Cromwell gave his very devout and effective
advice, to trust i'll God and keep their pow
der dry"
Sampson Mason emigrated to this country
about the year 1919. On leaving the army
where he supposed he had done much for re-
lgious liberty, he found himself sadly ag
grleved by the persecution of his independent
and puritanical brethren, on account of his
non-contormity with their notions on christian
baptism. He did not recognize the validity Of
any baptism otherwise than by immerson
He was an Anabaptst. That was enough to
provoke the ill will Of his Pedobaptist breth-
rem, and to relieve himself from the discomfort
of such relation to tEem, lie emigrated to
Boston in search of what he failed to find
greater liberty in religious Governments. He
however resided in Dorchester about seven
years, when, with Obadiah Holmes and other
aggrieved Baptists, he sought an asylum in
the underlined territory on Blackstone Riv-
er, then called Sekonke, supposing that
fell within the limits of the Plymouth
Colony, where greater liberation was ex'
tended to different sects of reigionists.
1t turned out however, that he pitched upon
land in Rehoboth, which proved to be under
the Massachusetts jurisdiction and he receiv
ed no law from Parson Newman and his peo
pie. They, however, gave him permission to
sojourn there and hold real estate, provided he
behaced tceH. Sampson did behave well, and be-
came not only a large proprietor of land in
Rehoboth, but also one of the owners OF the
north purchase" since Attleboro' He be.
came man Of substance, and two of his sons
sgnazed themselves in king Phillips war
One Of the Simpsons belonged to the eel
ebrated expedition to Rhode Island, which re.
suited in the determination of the Narragan-
sets for their real or supposed completely with
Phillip. Sampson Mason, appears to have re-
sided i'll the neighborhood of John Brown
long one of the assistants of the Plymouth
colony. He and his sonin law, Thomas Will
lett the first English mayor of New York.
were men Of more liberal cast, and through
their influence, grant and charter were OBJ,
tained from the Plymouth senior court of a
tract Of country lying south of Rehoboth,
called Swanzey, and Bayles says, that Samp-
| son Mason was one of the founders of that
town. The first minister, Mr.. Myles, was
baptist, and the family of Sampson Mason
established another, a SirPrinciple baptist So
ciety, and became the leading settlers, where
the bapfsts have always predominated. 1t
does not appear, however, that Sampson Ma.
son himself, ever removed to Swanzey he
died the last year of Phillips war; in 1776, and
had probably demeaned himself in such way
as to command not only the liberation, but the
respect of his puritan neighbors. The prop
terity of Sampson Mason, in the old colony, is
very numerous and respectable, having en-
braced some half dozen baptist clergymen, OF
no small distinction. Melatah Mason, the ia
| Their of Mrs. Pratt, removed to Uxbridge, III
this county, about ninety years ago, and his
| property here, is also numerous. Other branch
es of the family settled in Providence among
whom, are the late General Mason, and Owen
Mason, A. NJ, now residing there. Other
branches still, are to be found in New York
and Ohio, and there is now residing in Spring
field, o., vertable Sampson Mason ex-mem-
Der Of congress from that district The facts
may not be wholly uninteresting to the public
but my principal object in communicating
them, is for the qualification of no small num-
Der of the readers of the Spy, in the county,
and elsewhere. 1t may be of some interest to
add, in the way of conclusion, that by letter
to the writer from Hon. Jas. M. Mason of Win
chester, Va, he very courtiousy informs me
that there is no connection between his family
and the family of northern Masoas. His an
cester was Col. George Mason, republican
member parliament from StafTordshire, but
who Joined the army of Prince Charles
| (Charles II, and upon the utter defeat of the
royal party at Worcester, by Cromwell, the
colonel emigrated to Norfolk, Va. We have
already seen that Sampson Mason was in the
republican army Of Cromwell and before that
time, for reasons already explained, had emf.
grated to America.
Mr.. Senator Mason very pleasantly and
quantity remarks, that it is not probable that
there was any connection between his family
and that Of Sampson Mason, in England, and
that he is not aware that any of his family
have ever resided north of -" Alason's and Dix.
on's line
Pity, that the hostility which commenced on
tie sangunary field of the fatherland should
be perpetrated in pacific way, in these latter
days for it will no doubt crafty you, MIR,
Editor, to know that the descendants of Samp.
son Mason, in these parts at least, so far as |
am advised, are good Union loving repub
cans.