Documenting the Mason - Culpepper - Butterworth - Bohannon - Marler Clusters

 For several years I've been dealing with an unknown paternal line. I discovered this line when I did my DNA at Ancestry.com a few years ago. I started noticing close relationships (not parent or aunt, but 2nd and 3rd cousin close) that I had no clue where they belonged. They all had the following surnames in common:

Bohannon - Butterworth - Culpepper - Marler - Mason

Who are these people? Why are they in my matches? How am I related to them? This week I have been working on just these questions. Before we get to the DNA we need to document the families that keep coming up. This week I will start with Henry Mason and his wife Elizabeth Culpepper:

Henry Mason (c. 1801 - bef 1866)

Henry Mason was born about 1801 in Georgia, according to his ages in the 1850 and 1860 U.S. censuses. No contemporary records provide a specific birth date or birthplace, and the often-repeated claim that he was born "14 January 1801 in Wrightsville, Johnson County" is not possible. Johnson County was not created until 1858, and Wrightsville was not incorporated until 1866. His parentage is unknown, and no primary or secondary source has been found that identifies his parents.

On 14 January 1828, Henry married Elizabeth "Betsy" Culpepper in Laurens County, Georgia, with the ceremony performed by Justice of the Peace James Mason. The couple spent their entire married life in central Georgia. Their children were born primarily in Washington County, and later records place the family in the area that became Johnson County.

Henry and Elizabeth were the parents of eleven children, documented through census, marriage, and death records:
  • Mary Ann Mason (1829-1870)
  • John M. Mason (1833 - 1862)
  • Sarah Ann Mason (1837-1906)
  • Elizabeth Amanda Mason (1839-1922)
  • Joel Goodman Mason (1841 - )
  • Allie Jane Mason (1842 - 1922)
  • George Raiford Mason (c. 1844 - 1928)
  • Henry Clay Mason (1846 - 1932)
  • Winifred Elizabeth "Winny" Mason (1848 - )
  • Nancy M. Mason (1849 - 1889)
  • Melton C. Mason (1852 - )
Henry appears as head of household in both the 1850 and 1860 censuses, living in the region that later became Johnson County. He worked as a farmer, like many men in rural Georgia during this period.

Henry died before 3 December 1866, when the first administration bond for his estate was issued in Johnson County. A second bond dated 3 June 1867 likely reflects a supplemental or reissued bond, a common occurrence when courts reassessed estate value or required additional sureties. The bonds state that Henry died intestate (without a will). Further details about his estate may be found in the Johnson County probate minutes and estate inventories.

Henry Mason's life is documented through reliable contemporary records -- marriage, census, and probate -- and he is consistently located in the same central Georgia region throughout his lifetime. His origins remain unknown, but his marriage to Elizabeth Culpepper and the large family they raised together are well supported by the surviving historical records.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Culpepper Mason

Elizabeth "Betsy" Culpepper's parentage is not yet proven. She is often listed in online trees as a daughter of David Culpepper and Elizabeth Hogan, but no primary or secondary source as been found to confirm this. Research is ongoing to locate wills or estate records for David and Elizabeth (Hogan) Culpepper, as well as for their documented children, to determine whether Elizabeth is mentioned.

The earliest confirmed record for Elizabeth is her 14 January 1828 marriage to Henry Mason in Laurens County, Georgia, officiated by James Mason, Justice of the Peace. No earlier records have been identified.

Elizabeth and Henry raised a large family in central Georgia. Their eleven known children are:

  • Mary Ann Mason (1829-1870)
  • John M. Mason (1833 - 1862)
  • Sarah Ann Mason (1837-1906)
  • Elizabeth Amanda Mason (1839-1922)
  • Joel Goodman Mason (1841 - )
  • Allie Jane Mason (1842 - 1922)
  • George Raiford Mason (c. 1844 - 1928)
  • Henry Clay Mason (1846 - 1932)
  • Winifred Elizabeth "Winny" Mason (1848 - )
  • Nancy M. Mason (1849 - 1889)
  • Melton C. Mason (1852 - )
Elizabeth appears in census records in Washington and later Johnson County, where she lived for the remainder of her life. Her final confirmed appearance is in the 1880 census, residing in Wrightsville, Johnson County, Georgia, in the household with her son Melton C. Mason. She died sometime after that date; no probate or burial record has yet been identified.

Elizabeth's life is documented through marriage, census, and family records. Her origins remain under active research, but her role as the matriarch of a large Mason family in central Georgia is well supported by the surviving historical evidence.

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