Clark-Mason Family Papers, 1775-1981 (Bulk: 1775-1873) Doc 37 Introduction This collection consists of letters, diaries, and other documentation related to Daniel Clark (1752-1854) of Plymouth, Vermont, and his descendants through his daughter, Betsey Clark Weaver (1782-1869). In particular, many papers document the family of Clark s granddaughter, Caroline Betsey (Weaver) Mason (1810-1841), including her children, Norman Nelson Mason (1837-1914) and Caroline Amanda (Mason) Huntington (1834-1912). Family History Daniel Clark (1752-1854) was born, the son of John Clark and Sarah White, in Middletown, Connecticut on 13 October 1752. He was brought up in Chatham, Connecticut, and was trained as a wheelwright. He married Lydia Davidson (died 1843) in January 1780. Some of his children included: Lydia (born 1781), Betsey (1782-1869), Esther (born 1786), Lucy (born 1787), Daniel (born 1792), and John (born 1793). By the time of his marriage, Clark had relocated to Brooklyn, Connecticut, before eventually moving his family to Plymouth, Vermont in 1804. He was a community leader and owned and operated a grist mill and a saw mill for many years. In Plymouth, he also helped found and build the first church in the town. He was a deacon and a Calvinist and had strong religious convictions. Late in life he moved in with his children. In 1843, he had two living children, twenty-eight grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren. Daniel Clark was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He served a total of three years in the militia and was involved in fighting around Boston. He was stationed in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and was on Dorchester Heights when the British evacuated. He also saw service in the Battle of White Plains. Daniel Clark s daughter Betsey Clark (1782-1869) married Caleb Weaver (1778-1872) and their children included Caroline Betsey Weaver (1810-1841), who married Norman Mason (1803-1843) in 1833. Norman and Caroline B. Mason settled in Lowell, Massachusetts, and had two children: Caroline Amanda Mason (1834-1912) and Norman Nelson Mason (1837-1914). After the deaths of their parents, Caroline A. and Norman N. Mason lived with Weaver family relatives. At the time of the 1860 U.S. Census, both were staying with their grandparents, Caleb and Betsey Weaver, in Brooklyn, Connecticut. Norman Nelson Mason served in Company D of the 10 th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. He married Susan Eliza Holmes (1842-1873) on 7 June 1864 in Providence, Rhode Island and was a pharmacist in Providence for most of his life. He and Susan
Clark-Mason Family Papers 2 Mason had a son, Robert Lew Preston Mason. His son, Norman Peirce Mason (1896-1981), is the most recent Mason family member documented in this collection. Caroline Amanda Mason married George Huntington (1835-1916). Based on the letters, she moved to Andover, Massachusetts sometime after her marriage. Scope and Content This collection consists of letters, diaries, and other documents relating to Daniel Clark (1752-1854) of Plymouth, Vermont, and his descendants. Materials connected directly to Daniel Clark include several family letters written during the Revolutionary War as well as a brief diary from 1780. Also included are a later diary (1827-1839), journal (ca. 1839-1844), and book of meditation. Other papers reflect Clark s involvement in his local church, especially his part in founding the first church in Plymouth, Vermont. The bulk of the collection documents Daniel Clark s descendants through his daughter, Betsey (Clark) Weaver (1782-1869) and granddaughter, Caroline Betsey (Weaver) Mason (1810-1841). Many of the letters and other documents from Weaver and Mason family members have had explanatory notes attached, which summarize content and are useful for understanding family connections. Between the 1820s and 1850s, many letters in the collection were written or received by Caroline Betsey (Weaver) Mason and her husband, Norman Mason. Some recurring themes in these letters are health, deaths, occasional weather reports, and local news from both Plymouth, Vermont (where Caleb and Betsey Weaver lived) and Lowell, Massachusetts (where Norman and Caroline B. Mason settled). Other topics of interest include: Lucius Fayette Clark (approximately 1800-1840) and Castleton Academy, courtship letters between Norman Mason and Caroline B. Weaver, education, and friends employed as teachers (including one in Alstead, New Hampshire). There is also a transcription of a letter written by Hannah Brown of Plymouth about a trip to Michigan in 1833 (in folder 8). There are also many later letters related to Norman Nelson Mason (the son of Caroline B. Weaver and Norman Mason) written in the 1850s-1870s, which document his relationships with his sister, Caroline Carrie Amanda (Mason) Huntington, and his wife, Susan Susie Eliza (Holmes) Mason. Norman Nelson Mason served with the 10 th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment during the Civil War and many of his letters with his sister contain news about the campaign in northern Virginia and his views on slavery. He was strongly against slavery and felt the war would go on until slavery was abolished. Three carte-de-visites of Norman Nelson Mason during the Civil War are also included with his Civil War correspondence (in folder 15). Other materials in the collection include a diary kept by Susan (Holmes) Mason, 1866-1869; letters of Robert Lew Preston Mason, 1870-1872; an obituary of Norman Pierce Mason; and locks of hair from several family members.
Clark-Mason Family Papers 3 Related Materials A daguerreotype of sisters Susan Eliza, Ellen, and Hetty Holmes has been separated from the collection and is filed with the library s daguerreotypes in FB-23. Inventory Daniel Clark Doc 37: 1 Daniel Clark, early life, ca. 1775-1915 (includes diary, ca. 1780) 2, family letters (during Revolutionary War), ca. 1775-1782 3, journal and book of meditation, ca. 1839-1844 4, (transcription), and letters, ca. 1776-1788 (photocopies) 5, Plymouth Church, ca. 1804-1817 6, diary, 1827-1839 Norman Mason & Caroline Betsey (Weaver) Mason 7 Norman Mason, letters to Caroline Betsey Weaver, 1830-1833 8, letters from friends and Mason family relatives, 1832-1843 9 Caroline Betsey Mason, letters about Castleton Academy, 1823-1844 10, letters to Caroline B. Weaver and Betsey C. Weaver, 1826-1834 11, letters from Lowell, Mass. to Castleton, Vt., 1838 12 Weaver family letters, 1826-1850 13, letters from Vermont to Norman and Caroline (Weaver) Mason and their children in Lowell, Mass., 1828-1854 14, letters to Caleb and Betsey Weaver in Plymouth, Vt., mostly from from Norman and Caroline (Weaver) Mason and others in Lowell, Mass., 1834-1857 Norman Nelson Mason & Susan Eliza (Holmes) Mason Other 15 Norman N. Mason, Civil War letters with Caroline A. Mason, 1860-1864 16, letters with Caroline A. Mason, ca. 1852-1868 17, letters from friends, ca. 1857-1873 18, letters with Susan Susie E. Holmes, 1862-1872 19 Susan E. (Holmes) Mason, letters and school papers, 1850-1866 20, letters with Caroline A. Mason, ca. 1863-1872 21, letters from her mother and sister, ca. 1862-1871 22, letters, 1856-1871 (includes birthday letters from her mother, 1856-1863; and letters written to Norman N. Mason, 1865-1871) 23, diary, 1866-1869 24 Robert Lew Preston Mason, letters, ca. 1870-1872
Clark-Mason Family Papers 4 25 Norman Pierce Mason, documents, 1981 and undated 26 Photographs 27 Hair 27 Miscellaneous, ca. 1832-1960s October 2016 Ethan Bisbee & Gail Wiese
Clark-Mason Family Papers 5 Folder 19 = H. P. Pratt is a cousin of Susan E. Holmes Folder 22 = Susan Holmes sister = Hettie ; mother is Betsey Preston Holmes Folder 25 = (buildings and CDVs of Susie & Norman N. Mason)