William Temple Thomson Mason

William Temple Thomson Mason
Born William Temple Thomson Mason
July 24, 1782
Raspberry Plain, Leesburg, Virginia
Died 1862
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Resting place
Old Episcopal Churchyard, Leesburg, Virginia
Residence Temple Hall, Leesburg, Virginia
Nationality American
Ethnicity European American
Citizenship United States
Alma mater The College of William & Mary
Occupation planter, businessperson
Religion Episcopalian
Spouse(s) Ann Eliza Carroll
Children Temple Anna Mason
Nicholas Carroll Mason
Maria Louisa Mason
Mary Carter Mason
Charles Carroll Mason
Euphan Mason
Ann Elizabeth Carroll Thomson Mason Magill
Westwood Thomson Mason
William Temple Thomson Mason, Jr.
Thomas Henry Carroll Mason
John Thomson Mason
Parent(s) Thomson Mason
Elizabeth Westwood Wallace
Relatives nephew of George Mason IV

William Temple Thomson Mason (July 24, 17821862)[1] was a prominent Virginia farmer and businessman.

Early life

William Temple Thomson Mason was born on July 24, 1782 at Raspberry Plain. "Temple", as he was known by his family, was Thomson Mason's third child and youngest son with his second wife Elizabeth Westwood Wallace.[1][2] He was named after his father’s cousin, Sir William Temple, in England.[2] While still in his infancy, Temple's father died on February 26, 1785 and he was left in the care of his mother and older half-brothers.[1][2]

At the age of 19, Temple was sent to the College of William and Mary to obtain a gentleman’s education.[2] He spent two years at the college, graduating in 1803.[2] Having reached the age of 21, Temple received a parcel of land in northern Loudoun County near Leesburg not far from Raspberry Plain, the house in which he grew up.[2] According to Thomson Mason’s last will and testament, recorded in Stafford County on September 26, 1784, he bequeathed to Temple, his brother Westwood Thomson Mason and their half-brother, Abram Barnes Thomson Mason, several hundred acres of land along the Potomac River.[2] On November 29, 1803,[2] at the Loudoun County Courthouse in Leesburg, the three brothers filed a document in which they partitioned the land, with Temple receiving 757 acres (3.06 km2).[2]

Family and career

Temple Mason built his home, Temple Hill, in the Federal style between 1810 and 1812. On June 16, 1812, Temple married Ann Eliza Carroll, daughter of Nicholas Maccubbin Carroll and Anne Jennings, in Annapolis, Maryland.[1][2] Their first child, Temple Anna, was born at Temple Hall in 1813.[1][2]

Temple Mason not only oversaw the management of his prosperous Temple Hall farm, but also became involved in the community life of Leesburg.[2] He served as a vestryman at St. James Episcopal Church and oversaw the polls during elections in Loudoun County.[2] As a mark of his increased social standing in the community, Temple's estate became a hub of Leesburg society[3] and was visited by Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette during his grand tour of the United States on August 9, 1825.[2][3] Lafayette was accompanied by President John Quincy Adams and former President James Monroe, who was then residing at his Oak Hill plantation in southern Loudoun County.[2] The three gentlemen witnessed the baptism of Mason's two youngest daughters at Temple Hall with Lafayette serving as godfather for Mary Carroll, and Adams and Monroe serving as Maria Louisa’s godfathers.[2][2][3]

Later life

On January 2, 1857, six years after the death of his wife, and at the age of 75, Temple sold Temple Hall to Henry A. Ball for the sum of $50,000 and retired to Georgetown in Washington, D.C.[2][3] Temple Mason died in 1862 and was interred in the Old Episcopal Churchyard in Leesburg.[1][2]

Children

Temple and his wife Ann had at least eleven children:[1]

Relations

William Temple Thomson Mason was a nephew of George Mason (17251792);[1] son of Thomson Mason (17331785);[1] half-brother of Stevens Thomson Mason (17601803) and John Thomson Mason (17651824);[1] first cousin of George Mason V (17531796);[1] first cousin once removed of Thomson Francis Mason (17851838), George Mason VI (17861834), Richard Barnes Mason (17971850), and James Murray Mason (17981871);[1] uncle of Armistead Thomson Mason (17871819), John Thomson Mason (17871850), and John Thomson Mason, Jr. (18151873);[1] and great uncle of Stevens Thomson Mason (18111843).[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 Gunston Hall. "William Temple Thomson Mason". Gunston Hall. Archived from the original on February 11, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 Eugene M. Scheel & John S. Salmon (December 13, 1988). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Catoctin Rural Historic District" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (October 25, 2008). "Temple Hall". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved February 17, 2008.