Person Page - 364

     Catharine Mason was born circa 1806 in Bengal, India.² She was the daughter of Col. George Mason.¹ Catharine Mason married Commander William Charles Webber, son of Ven. Charles Webber and Mary Peirson, on 18 November 1829 in St. George, Hanover Square.¹

     Deborah Mason married Roland Cotton, son of Rev. Roland Cotton and Elizabeth Saltonstall, on 3 October 1760.¹

     Elizabeth Mason married John Winslow.¹

     Elizabeth Rogers Mason was born in 1834.² She married Walter Channing Cabot in 1860.^1,2 Elizabeth Rogers Mason died in 1920.²

     Elizabeth S. Mason was born on 5 February 1845.¹ She was the daughter of Amory N. Mason and Joanna Sewall.¹

     Col. George Mason. Bengal Artillery.¹

     George Leonard Mason married Emma Mae Ricker on 13 February 1925.¹

     Hannah Mason married Jonathan Waldo, son of Deacon Cornelius Waldo and Hannah Cogswell, on 28 November 1692 in Boston.² Hannah Mason died in 1726.²

     Jane Mason was the daughter of Rev. Thomas Mason and Helena (Unknown).¹ Jane Mason married Richard Dummer, son of Thomas Pyldrym (alias) Dummer and Joane (Unknown), before 1632.² Jane Mason and Richard Dummer emigrated on 26 May 1632 to New England on the Whale and settled in Roxbury.² Jane Mason died circa 1637 "she was a Godly woman but by the seduction of some of her acquaintances she led away into the new opinions in Mrs. Hutchinson's time, & her husband removing to Nubery she there openly declared herself, & did also (together with other endeavor) seduce her husband & persuaded him to return to Boston; where she being young with child, & ill, Mr. Clark (one of the same opinions) unskillfully gave her a vomit, which did in such manner torture & torment her with the rising of the mother & other violences of nature that she died in a most uncomfortable manner; but we believe God took her away in mercy, from worse evil, which she was falling unto & we doubt not but she is gone to heaven."¹

     John Mason married Elizabeth Spring.¹

     John Alford Mason was born on 10 December 1750.¹ He was the son of Thaddeus Mason and Elizabeth Sewall.¹ John Alford Mason graduated on 17 July 1771 from Harvard.¹ He died on 19 February 1831 in Dorchester at the age of 80 after having been run over by a milk cart the previous August receiving injuries which confined him to his bed.²

     Jonathan Mason married Susannah Powell, daughter of William Powell and Mary Broomfield, on 25 February 1779 in Boston, Massachusetts.²

     Lydia Sewall Mason was born in 1853 in Albany, Vermont.¹ She was the daughter of Amory N. Mason and Joanna Sewall.¹ Lydia Sewall Mason married George O. Drew on 31 March 1884 in Glover, Vermont.¹

     Mary Mason married Rev. John Norton, son of William Norton and Lucy Downing, on 29 November 1678 in Boston, Massachusetts.¹ Mary Mason died in June 1740 in Braintree, Massachusetts.

     Matilda Forbes [or Ford] Mason was born circa 1858 in Binalong, New South Wales.¹ She was the daughter of Robert Mason and Matilda [Unknown]. Matilda Forbes [or Ford] Mason married Lawrence Francis Dunne, son of Patrick John Dunne and Jane A. Murphy, on 21 March 1879 in Burrowa, New South Wales.³ Possibly the Matilda Dunne whose death was registered in 1900 in the Murrumburrah, New South Wales registration district.¹

     Robert Mason married Matilda [Unknown].

     Roswell S. Mason was born in 1857 in Albany, Vermont.¹ He was the son of Amory N. Mason and Joanna Sewall.¹ Roswell S. Mason married Lavinia J. Tichurst on 23 May 1882 in Vermont.¹

     Thaddeus Mason was born on 27 December 1706 in Lexington, Massachusetts.² He was the son of John Mason and Elizabeth Spring.² Thaddeus Mason was baptised on 29 December 1706 at Lexington, Massachusetts.² He graduated in 1728 from Harvard. He married secondly Elizabeth Sewall, daughter of Jonathan/1 Sewall and Elizabeth Alford, on 7 November 1748 at Charlestown, Massachusetts.³ Thaddeus Mason died on 1 May 1802 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 95.²

     Of Odiham, Hampshire.² Rev. Thomas Mason married Helena (Unknown).¹

     Albert Goodale Massey was born circa 1906 in New York.² He was the son of Frank Leavens Massey and Elizabeth Phillips Goodale.¹

     Elizabeth Massey was the daughter of John Massey of Grafton.¹ Elizabeth Massey married John Cawarden, son of John Cawarden and Katharine Gresley.²

     Frank Leavens Massey was born on 10 March 1872 in Cleveland, Ohio.² He married Elizabeth Phillips Goodale, daughter of Henry Deveraux Goodale and Fannie Wait, on 19 September 1901.¹

     Christopher Vaughan Mather married Jane Emilia Tindal, daughter of Charles Grant Tindal and Anne Amory Travers, on 23 November 1897 in St. Mark's, Darling Point.¹

     Rev. Cotton Mather was born on 12 February 1663 in Boston, Massachusetts.³ He was the son of Rev. Increase Mather and Maria Cotton.¹ He graduated from Harvard, A.B., 1678, A.M., 1681; taught school, 1678-85, meanwhile studying theology. An impediment in his speech caused him to devote himself to the study of medicine, but by constant effort he overcame the difficulty and resumed his theological studies. He preached his first sermon in his grandfather's church at Dorchester, Mass., Aug. 22, 1680; and declined a call to New Haven, Conn., in 1681. He was ordained assistant pastor of the North Church, Boston, Mass., as a colleague with his father, May 13, 1685.
He was actively connected with the persecutions of the alleged "witches," and published Memorable Providences relating to Witchcraft and Possessions in 1685, the tendency of which was to increase the excitement. In 1688 he was one of the four ministers that held a day of fasting and prayer for the affected children of John Goodwin of Boston, and he took the eldest daughter to his house in order to observe and prescribe for her strange actions. He became the foremost adviser and wrote Wonders of the Invisible World, being an account of the trials of several witches (1692) concerning the supposed phenomena. During this "reign of terror" two hundred persons were accused, one hundred and fifty imprisoned, nineteen hanged, one pressed to death, and twenty-eight condemned but not punished. When the popular reaction followed he was severely criticised and charged with being its "chief cause, promoter and agent." It was further charged that he "favored the prosecutions for witchcraft, countenanced the executions by his presence, and in various ways urged the terrible work of blood." Several vindications of Mather have been written, including one by William Poole. He partly discovered his error near the close of his life. He was in advance of his age in his method of treatment of the afflicted whether in body or mind. On the fall of the delusion, Mather's influence, which had been great, began to decline, until at length he became the object of much ridicule. He was three times married. He was almost fanatically religious, having been surrounded by holy influences and imbued with the spirit of devotion from early childhood. He composed forms of ejaculatory prayer for use on occasions, and kept weekly fasts, prostrating himself on the floor of his study. He was one of the commissioners for Indian affairs; was an advocate of Christian missions and projected a Society of Peacemakers, to compose and prevent differences and to divert lawsuits. The honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on him by Glasgow University in 1710. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1713, being the first American so honored. His correspondents included scientists and literary men in all parts of the world. Besides his works on witchcraft he is the author of: Magnalia Christi Americana (1702; 2 vols., 1820; 2d ed., 2 vols., 1875); Psalterium Americanum, being an exact metrical translation of the Psalms in prose (1718); Biblia Americana, or Sacred Scripture of the Old and New Testaments (MS.), besides numerous other publications, both in prose and verse. His works are extremely rare, the most extensive collections having been made by the British museum and the Bodleian library at Oxford, the Brinley collection was the best in the United States, and was sold in New York city in 1879.⁴ Rev. Cotton Mather married firstly Abigail Phillips, daughter of John Phillips, on 4 May 1686 at Charlestown before Major Richards (Mr. Russell and Capt. Hutchinson also present.)^5,2 Rev. Cotton Mather married secondly Elizabeth Clark, daughter of Dr. John Clark, on 18 August 1703.^3,4 Rev. Cotton Mather married thirdly Lydia Lee, daughter of Rev. Samuel Lee and Martha? (Unknown), on 5 July 1715.^3,4 Rev. Cotton Mather died on 13 February 1728 in Boston at the age of 65 of his 15 children only two survived him.³ He was buried in Copps Hill burial-ground.³

     Rev. Eleazar Mather was born on 13 May 1637 in Dorchester.¹ He was the son of Rev. Richard Mather and Katharine Holt.² Rev. Eleazar Mather graduated in 1656 from Harvard.² After preaching in North Hampton, Massachusetts, for three years, became in 1661 pastor of the church there.² He married Esther Warham, daughter of Rev. John Warham, on 29 September 1659 in Windsor, Connecticut.³ Rev. Eleazar Mather died on 24 July 1669 in Northampton at the age of 32.¹

     Rev. Increase Mather was born on 21 June 1639 in Dorchester, Massachusetts.² He was the son of Rev. Richard Mather and Katharine Holt.¹ He pursued his studies under the Rev. John Norton of Boston, and graduated from Harvard in 1656. He at once began preaching and delivered sermons in Dorchester, at his father's church. In 1657 he joined his brother Nathaniel in England. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, 1658, and preached until his return to Boston, 1661. On May 27, 1664, he became pastor of the North church, Boston, of which his brother Samuel (1626-71) had been the first pastor. During his pastorate the discussion arose as to the right of non-communicants to bring their children to baptism, and Mr. Mather united with President Chauncy and John Davenport in opposing the "half-way covenant" established by the general synod, but he subsequently consented to it in a modified form. He was the prime mover of the "Reforming Synod" called by the General Court Sept. 10, 1678, to consider "what are the evils that have provoked the Lord to bring his judgment on New England." The judgments were: King Philip's war; the small-pox; the fires of 1676 and 1679, and a general falling away from the strict notions and habits of the first settlers.
In 1681, upon the death of President Oakes of Harvard, he was offered and declined the presidency. He officiated, however, until the election of John Rogers in 1649, and upon Rogers's death, in 1685, he was requested by the overseers to act as president until further settlement could he made. In 1683, upon the threatened withdrawal of the charter of Massachusetts, he was foremost in advocating its retention. The agents of the general court consequently became Mather's bitter enemies. He was selected as agent to lay the grievances of the colony before the King upon the annulment of the charter, and remained abroad as colonial agent, 1688-92. His expenses meanwhile greatly exceeded his compensation and he was obliged to pledge his property. The result of his labors was a charter uniting Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Maine, and the territory from Sagadahoc to the eastern extremity of Nova Scotia. Sir William Phips was nominated governor, and he with Mather returned to Boston, May 14, 1692. A vote of thanks was tendered him by the lower house for his faithful endeavors to serve his country. He was instrumental in promoting the union between the Presbyterians and Congregationalists; obtained a confirmation of the charter of Harvard college in 1685, and in 1692 he obtained from the general assembly an act incorporating the college. By this act, wherein Mather was made president, the college was enabled to confer degrees, particularly those of bachelor and doctor of theology, In 1701 he withdrew from the office and was succeeded by Samuel Willard. He devoted the remainder of his life to philanthropy and to literature. In April, 1715, he received a unanimous invitation from the ministers of the province to represent them at the coronation of King George I., but advancing years led him to decline. "He had great faith in signs and prodigies," and delivered discourses concerning earthquakes, inundations, wars and other calamitous events. He was also a firm believer in witchcraft, and assisted his son Cotton in publishing his books on the subject. The honorary degree of D.D. was conferred on him by Harvard in 1692, it being the first degree of the kind conferred in America.
He is the author of: Life and Death of Rev. Richard Mather (1670); Important Truths about Conversion (1674); A Discourse Concerning Baptism and the Consecration of Churches (1675); A History of the War with the Indians (1676, new ed., 1862); A Relation of Troubles of New England from the Indians (1677, new ed., 1864); Cometographia, or a Discourse Concerning Comets (1683); Remarkable Providences (1684, new ed., 1856); Several Papers Relating to the State of New England (1690); Dying Pastor's Legacy (1722.)³ Rev. Increase Mather married Maria Cotton, daughter of Rev. John Cotton and Sarah Hankredge, on 16 March 1661/62 in Dorchester ?² Rev. Increase Mather married secondly Anne Lake, daughter of Capt. Thomas Lake and Mary Goodyear, in 1715.^1,4 Rev. Increase Mather died on 23 August 1723 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 84.²

     Joseph Mather was the son of Rev. Richard Mather and Katharine Holt.² Joseph Mather died young.¹

     Nathaniel Mather was born on 20 March 1630 in England.² He was the son of Rev. Richard Mather and Katharine Holt.¹ Nathaniel Mather graduated in 1647 from Harvard.³ Was vicar of Barnstable, Devon, 1656-1662, pastor of the English Church in Rotterdam, his brother's successor in Dublin 1671-1688, and then until his death pastor of a church in London.³ He died on 26 July 1697 at the age of 67.²