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Size | 1.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1,500 items) |
Abstract | John Young Mason, from Greensville County, Va., graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1816. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia, 1831-1837; served as secretary of the Navy, 1844-1845 and 1846-1849; was attorney general of the United States, March 1845-September 1846; and served as United States minister plenipotentiary to France, 1854-1859. Personal and professional correspondence of John Young Mason and of members of his family. Original items are chiefly letters addressed to Mason, secretary of the Navy, 1844-1849, mostly about such matters as gaining government employment and routine naval operations. There are also letters about various political matters, and letters from managers of Virginia plantations that Mason owned, Day's Neck and Fortsville; from Simon Fraser Blunt describing San Francisco and other places in California; and to Mason's daughter Emily and her husband, Robert Jones Barksdale, about finances and family matters. Typed transcriptions on microfilm consist chiefly of family correspondence of Mason, his wife, Mary Ann Fort Mason, their children, members of the families of the spouses of their children, and cousins. These letters relate primarily to family news and activities on Mason's plantations. There also are scattered professional letters to Mason and letters from John Y. Mason Junior, a purser in the Navy, from China, Europe, California, and Hawaii, 1845-1851; from Lewis E. Mason, managing a plantation in Coahoma County, Miss., 1840s; and from St. George Tucker Mason, with the French Army after the Civil War. |
Creator | Mason, John Y. (John Young), 1799-1859. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Updated by: Kathryn Michaelis, February 2010
Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
John Young Mason, from Greensville County, Va., graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1816. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia, 1831-1837; served as secretary of the Navy, 1844-1845 and 1846-1849; was attorney general of the United States, March 1845-September 1846; and served as United States minister plenipotentiary to France, 1854-1859.
Back to TopPersonal and professional correspondence of John Young Mason and of members of his family. Original items are chiefly letters addressed to Mason, secretary of the Navy, 1844-1849, mostly about such matters as gaining government employment and routine naval operations. There are also letters about various political matters, and letters from managers of Virginia plantations that Mason owned, Day's Neck and Fortsville; from Simon Fraser Blunt describing San Francisco and other places in California; and to Mason's daughter Emily and her husband, Robert Jones Barksdale, about finances and family matters. Typed transcriptions on microfilm consist chiefly of family correspondence of Mason, his wife, Mary Ann Fort Mason, their children, members of the families of the spouses of their children, and cousins. These letters relate primarily to family news and activities on Mason's plantations. There also are scattered professional letters to Mason and letters from John Y. Mason Junior, a purser in the Navy, from China, Europe, California, and Hawaii, 1845-1851; from Lewis E. Mason, managing a plantation in Coahoma County, Miss., 1840s; and from St. George Tucker Mason, with the French Army after the Civil War. Also included is an undated volume of notes on world geography and English history from 827 to the reign of Elizabeth I, apparently written by Mary Ann Fort before her marriage to John Mason.
Back to TopFolder 1a |
Original finding aid |
Folder 1 |
January-July 1844 |
Folder 2 |
August-September 1844 |
Folder 3 |
October-December 1844 |
Folder 4 |
January-March 1845 |
Folder 5 |
April-December 1845 |
Folder 6 |
January-June 1846 |
Folder 7 |
July-December 1846 |
Folder 8 |
January-April 1847 |
Folder 9 |
May-December 1847 |
Folder 10 |
January-September 1848 |
Folder 11 |
October-December 1848 |
Folder 12 |
January-April 1849 |
Folder 13 |
May-June 1849 |
Folder 14 |
July-September 1849 |
Folder 15 |
October-December 1849 |
Folder 16 |
1850-1852 |
Folder 17 |
1853-1868 |
Folder 18 |
1869-1870 |
Folder 19 |
1871-1898 |
Folder 20 |
Undated and miscellaneous |
Folder 21 |
Volume 1: Manuscript book, undatedApparently written by Mary Ann Fort. Pages 1-28 contain geographical and topographical notes on various countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Pages 29-88 are blank. Page 89 (the last numbered page) and the 25 subsequent pages contain notes on the monarchs of England. Inside the front cover of the volume are a small photograph of an unidentified woman, a fragment of a hand-drawn map, and a certificate discharging "Adolphus H. Alexander" from the U.S. Army. |
Image P-1546/1 |
Photograph of Ellna C. Smith and an unidentified man, undatedAn accompanying envelope reads: "Ellna C. Smith--died Tuesday, Sept 14th, 1869 in Lowndesboro, Alabama. 'Asleep in Jesus'!" |
Reel 1-2
Reel 1Reel 2 |
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1813-1889 |