Madness Monday: Priscilla's Parents

Priscilla Mason is my great x3 grandmother. She was born on 3 March 1822 in Lawrence Co., Indiana.  It is generally believed that her parents were Samuel Mason and Nancy Mo(o)re, though I have yet to see conclusive proof (however, a genealogist which I trust and know for a fact sources her work says that they are her parents).  For some reason Samuel is generally credited as being the son of John Mason and Anna Shirley but I do not think that he was.  Here is what is known about Samuel Mason:

  • He was born in either Pennsylvania (according to sons James and John on their 1880 census records), Virginia (according to son Owen's 1880 census record) or Kentucky (according to son David's 1880 census record), probably around 1789/1790.
  • He married a Nancy Moore in Wayne Co., Kentucky on 14 Apr 1806.
  • He died 26 July 1850 in Lawrence Co., IN
I know even less about Nancy:
  • She was born in either North Carolina (according to son David's 1880 census record), Pennsylvania (according to son John's 1880 census record), or Tennessee (according to sons James and Owen's 1880 census records).
Nancy and Samuel lived in Wayne Co., Kentucky until about 1817 when they moved to Lawrence Co., IN.

Some guesses about relatives:

  • Samuel is on the 1810 census in Wayne Co., KY.  There are two other Mason households there at that time, both are headed by a John Mason.  I think one of those Johns is Samuel's father and the other a brother, but it is just speculation.  One of the John Mason's household is listed in the line above Samuel leading me to believe that they are related.
  • There are three Moore households in Wayne Co. at this time, whether they are related to Nancy or not, I do not know.  Nena Moore, Henby Moore and David Moore are the heads.  David could be a relative of my Nancy since Nacy had a son named David, but again, this is just speculation.  David is also listed only a few lines up from Samuel's household.  The youth of the people in that household makes it unlikely that David is more than a brother of Nancy.
  • Samuel was in Lawrence., IN by the 1820 census.  Other Masons there at that time include three John Mason households. There are also four More households, Eliah, Wilson, William and Thomas are heads- I do not think they are related to my Nancy.  In the 1820 census for Wayne Co., there are several Moore households: John S., Elisha, Johnathan, and Samuel but there aren't any Mason households.
  • In the database Kentucky Marriages 1802-1850,  Mason marriages in Wayne, Co. include: Betsy Mason and George Brown on 30 March 1809, Anney Mason and Eli Barnes on 29 Dec 1822 and William Mason and Polly Davis on 13 Mar 1823.  Moores in that database include: David Moore and Anne Craig on 4 Feb 1804, Henley Moore and Mary Jones on 22 June 1805, John S. Moore and Sarah Carter on 20 May 1811, Whaley Moore and UNK. on 11 Nov 1815, Richard Moore and Peggy Jackson on 21 Sep 1816.
Most of Samuel and Nancy's children went to Arp, Smith, Texas in the mid-1800s.   They included sons Andrew, John and David.  Priscilla and a brother of hers, James, stayed in Lawrence Co., IN.  Son Owen went to Monroe Co., Iowa.  Children Mary, Martin and Samuel are still unaccounted for but I think they died young.  If anyone knows anything about this family, PLEASE get in touch with me!

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