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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 2.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1,500 items) |
| Abstract | Thomas Williams Mason was a lawyer and cotton planter who conducted the bulk of his professional activities in and around the town of Garysburg, Northampton County, N.C. After his discharge from the Confederate Army in 1865, Mason took up residence with his wife's family at Longview Plantation, outside Garysburg, and from there supervised both his own planting interests and those of his father-in-law, William Henry Gray. In the years after 1877, Mason was active in state and local politics and as lawyer in Northampton County. In the latter part of his life, Mason often acted as a collections agent for various grocers and purveyors of dry goods in the region. Thomas Williams Mason's papers consist mostly of letters from various cotton factors and requests for legal and collections assistance from various clients. There are also a few items relating to Mason's service on the North Carolina Railroad Commission; some letters addressed to William Henry Gray, mostly relating to sales of cotton and the purchase of various agricultural supplies; and documents addressed to Mason's grandson, Willie Jones Long. The latter relate to a bond issue and plans for construction of a road in Occoneechee Township, N.C. |
| Creator | Mason, Thomas Williams, 1839-1921. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The 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.
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Related Collections
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Biographical Information
Thomas Williams Mason was born on 3 January 1839 at the Brunswick Plantation in Brunswick County, Va. He was named for his first cousin, Nathaniel Thomas Williams, who may have been visiting Brunswick Plantation at the time. Williams gave his namesake the Huon Plantation located in Madison Parish, La., as a birthday gift.
Mason attended the University of North Carolina from 1854 to 1858. Thereafter, he studied law at the University of Virginia, receiving his degree in 1860. During this time, he paid court to Elizabeth Marshall Gray, daughter of William Henry Gray of Longview Plantation near Garysburg, N.C. They were married at Longview on 25 September 1860.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Mason sided with the Confederacy. He was commissioned a lieutenant and assigned as aide-de-camp to General Robert Ransom. Mason attained the rank of captain, seeing action at Sharpsburg, Boone's Mill, and in the Richmond line.
At the end of the war, Mason returned to his father-in-law's plantation to oversee farming operations. In 1877, he was admitted to the bar of Northampton County, N.C. Mason served terms in both houses of the North Carolina State Legislature and was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 1894, and also ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 1896. He served on the North Carolina Railroad Commission from 1891 to 1894, and, from 1885 to 1909, he was a trustee of the University of North Carolina. He was also a judge in Northampton County.
Mason fathered four children, three of whom survived to adulthood. Two of his daughters, Bettie Gray and Sallie Williams, married members of the Long family. The third daughter, Ruth, went blind in childhood and never married.
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Scope and Content
The papers of lawyer Thomas Williams Mason are divided into five series. The first series contains letters from various family members, as well as a number of letters relating to Mason's legal practice and agricultural activities in the town of Garysburg, Northampton County, N.C. It includes letters from his wife, Elizabeth Gray Mason, various cotton factors, and purveyors of dry goods, as well as some items relating to Mason's service on the North Carolina Railroad Commission. In addition, the series contains letters from various parties for whom Mason acted as a legal agent in Northampton County, principally the Petersburg Dry Goods Company. There are also several letters relating to the sale of railroad construction materials belonging to the Westcott and Trenchard Lumber Company to the Edgerton Lumber Company. These papers date from 1874 on. (Note that the bulk of Mason's earlier papers are in the Sally Long Jarman Papers (#4005).)
The second series consists of letters addressed to William Henry Gray of Longview Plantation, Northampton County, N.C. Gray was Mason's father-in-law. His papers include correspondence with various family members, cotton factors, dry-goods merchants, and grocers.
The third series contains letters addressed to Willie Jones Long, grandson Thomas Williams Mason. The correspondence relates to a bond issue and various other matters surrounding the construction of a road in Occoneechee Township, N.C.
The fourth series contains receipts and other documents relating to the cotton farming enterprises of Thomas Williams Mason and William Henry Gray. Included are receipts and bills from various cotton factors, purveyors of dry goods, dealers in farm products, and records of cotton production and sales.
The fifth series consists of a single photograph depicting a large cabinet flanked by the coats of arms of the Mason and Smith families.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Thomas Williams Mason Correspondence and Related Papers, 1874-1918.
Arrangement: chronological.
Personal and business letters of Thomas Williams Mason, lawyer and plantation owner of Northampton County, N.C., include correspondence with his wife, Elizabeth Gray Mason, various cotton factors, and purveyors of dry goods, as well as some items relating to Mason's service on the North Carolina Railroad Commission. In addition, the series contains correspondence from various parties for whom Mason acted as a legal agent in Northampton County, principally the Petersburg Dry Goods Company. There are also several letters relating to the sale of railroad construction materials belonging to the Westcott and Trenchard Lumber Company to the Edgerton Lumber Company. Also included are variety of printed materials including announcements for legal books and journals and advertisements for farm implements and products of various sorts.
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2. William Henry Gray Correspondence, 1856-1885.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence of William Henry Gray of Longview Plantation, Northampton County, N.C. Gray was Thomas Williams Mason's father-in-law. His papers include letters from various family members, cotton factors, dry-goods merchants, and grocers.
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Series 3. Willie Jones Long Letters, 1917-1919, 1943.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters addressed to lawyer Willie Jones Long, grandson of Thomas Williams Mason. The letters relate to a bond issue and various other matters surrounding the construction of a road in Occoneechee Township, N.C.
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Series 4. Thomas Williams Mason and William Henry Gray Financial Papers, 1873-1919.
Arrangement: chronological.
Receipts and other documents relating to the cotton farming enterprises of Thomas Williams Mason and William Henry Gray. Included are receipts and bills from various cotton factors, purveyors of dry goods, dealers in farm products, and records of cotton production and sales.
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Series 5. Picture, 1918.
One photograph featuring a cabinet flanked by the coats of arms of the Mason and Smith families.
| Folder 1/P-5004 |
Photograph of Mason and Smith coats of arms #05004, Series: "5. Picture, 1918. " Folder 1/P-5004 |
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Items Separated
Processed by: John Foster, September 2000
Encoded by: John Foster, September 2000
Revisions: Finding aid updated in January 2002 by Nancy Kaiser.
Revisions: Finding aid updated in January 2006 by Nancy Kaiser.
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