Evening star., 1915-02-14

GunSton Hall passed from the keSterS.
1t has come now into possession of
family. described to the Rambler by
soldier friend of his as one of the most
delightful in the land.
The Mason family in Virginia grew to
be numerous one and there are
Mason homes" in many localities IN the
state. George Mason the Great was the
fourth American George Mason, being
the great-grandson of George Mason
who came to Virginia after the royalist
disaster at Worcester and landed at
Accokeek. One of this Masons fellow
refugees was Col. Gerard Fowke, a son
of Roger Fowke of Brewood Hall and
Gunston. a hamlet in Staffordshire.
Thus the name of Gunston Hall repre-
sents a Fowke memory and not an an
cestral hall of the Masons in England.
The original Gunston Hall was stand
ing when it was visited in 1865 by
James M. Mason. 1t was then owned
by the Clifford family, who had owned
Boscobel, near Gunston, where Charles
II lay concealed after Worcester
In March, 1855, George Mason, 1st,
obtained a patent to lands in that part
of Northumberland county which be-
came Westmoreland county. Among
his neighbors were John Washington.
.,
and who settled on Bridges creek, or it
may have been Popes creek. about a
mile and a half to the south: Col.
Gerard Fowke, John Leare, Thomas
Lunsford. and Capt. Giles Brent. George
Mason. 1st died about 1856. George
Mason. Cd. lived somewhere on Dogue
Neck. perhaps on the lands on which
William Fairfax. the cousin and Vir-
ginia agent of Thomas Lord Fairfax,
built Belvoir. In 1892 he was sheriff
of Stafford county. out of which Fair
fax county was created. In 1896 he
bought of William Sherwood 2,100 acres in
Dogue Neck and 200 acres near Little
part Of the Mount Vernon property. In
1904 he bought the land on which the
village of occoquan stands now. and
in 1714, with James Hereford, he
village of Accotink stands.
Thus Mason George, 2d) was married
to Mary Fowke. daughter of Gnrard
Fowke. I'd, of Charles county. Md. At
her death he married Elizabeth Waugh,
daughter of Rev. John Waugh. and he
married third time, but the name of
that wife seems not to have been pre-
served. He had numerous children as
the result of the three marriages, and
they married into the Fitzhugh, Mercer.
Dinwiddfe and Bronaugh families.
George Mason. Sd. was the fir<t son
of Mason, Cd. and Mary Fowke. He was
sheriff of Stafford county and was a
member of the Spotswood "Gn1den
Horseshoe" expedition to the Glue
Ridge in 1915. He was also 'comman-
der-in-chief of all his majesty's militia
in the county of Stafford" He was
member Of the house of burgesses and
was married, in 1921. to Anne Thomson.
daughter of Stevens Thomson. attorney
general Of Virginia. Breaking with the
Virginia administration of Gov. Hugh
Drysdale, who had succeeded Spots
wood, he removed to a beautiful seat on
Chicamuxen creek. Charles county,
Nd, and the Rambler has often stood
on the site of the house. In 1885 he
was drowned by the capsizing of the
sai1boat in which he was returning
home after a visit to Virginia.
1t was this George Mason, Sd, who
obtained the patent to the island at
Washington called Analostan, and to u
tract of land opposite Georgetown.
where he established the ferry, which
continued for a century. and which was
finally succeeded by toll bridge,
about on the site of the Aqueduct
bridge. That was not the first ferry.
however, for Peter Aubrey had estab-
lished one below Ana1ostan Island.
Mason bought out Aubrey and estab-
lished new ferry over the river. above
the upper end of the island.
George Mason, Sd, in 1925, was liv-
ing at the Mason home at Occoquan
Neck, the place being called Wood
bridge. There and in that year his