Family history · Ongoing investigation

Where the record ends.

I'm tracing the Meason line backward—preserving what the records establish, challenging what copied trees repeat, and leaving the unanswered parts honestly open.

Explore my working family treeFollow the investigationReview the references

Why Meason

I began life with one name and grew up with another.

I was born Shannon Jeremiah Meason in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1978, to Cynthia June Meason. I was adopted by the Cohen family, a Jewish family from the San Francisco Bay Area, and grew up as Andy Cohen.

Adoption was never a secret in my family. My parents were always open about it, and I cannot remember a time when I did not know I was adopted. That openness gave me room to be curious—not because I felt that something was being withheld, but because I knew there was another part of my story waiting to be understood.

That curiosity became serious research when the internet began making genealogical records accessible. Services such as Ancestry gave me a way to move beyond family fragments and copied names—to follow records, compare competing stories, and reconstruct the Meason line one document at a time.

This tree follows my biological Meason lineage. It does not replace the Cohen family that raised me; it helps me understand the history that came before my adoption.

Why this line

A tree can make uncertainty look finished.

The family tree I started from gave Benjamin Meason a father: a Thomas Meason described in copied trees as born in 1755. The name appeared often enough—and in enough other trees—that it looked like an answer rather than a question.

But when I went looking for the record that actually connected them, I could not find one. The relationship itself had no source. Some attached records belonged to different men, and two original wills naming large Meason families did not include Benjamin at all.1819

I tested that repetition directly. Every one of 25 sampled George profiles named Benjamin and Hannah as his parents, and all ten sampled Thomas profiles attached Benjamin as a child. None exposed a record stating either relationship. Agreement across trees showed repetition without independent proof in the visible sources.30

The deeper review exposed an earlier break as well. Benjamin is a well-documented historical person, but no record I have reviewed yet calls George M. Meason his son. Their shared Kentucky-to-Missouri pattern makes the relationship plausible; George's conflicting birth evidence and the absence of a direct relationship record keep it unproved.12526

I do not want to replace one confident story with another. I want to show the line I can support, the assumptions I have had to let go, and the places where the evidence still refuses to give a simple answer.

Documented

Supported by personal knowledge or original records.

Under review

A working relationship or detail that remains plausible but unproved.

Unknown

An open question—not a relationship presented as fact.

My working family tree

The line—and its two open edges—as I know it today.

This is not every person in a family database. It is the working path that explains my connection to the question.

The path reaches George M. Meason, then shows the claimed relationship to Benjamin as unproved. Benjamin's parents remain a separate open question.

Open the tree on its own page →

  1. Starting point

    Present

    Shannon Jeremiah Meason

    Personal knowledge

    My birth name is Shannon Jeremiah Meason; I grew up as Andy Cohen after being adopted. This tree follows my biological Meason ancestry.

  2. Mother

    1958–1991

  3. Grandfather

    1934–1973

  4. Great-grandfather

    1892–1949

  5. Second great-grandfather

    1850–1933

  6. Third great-grandfather

    Birth year disputed · died 1887

    George M. Meason

    Parentage under review

    Four adult censuses and a descendant-held Bible say about 1810, while George’s marker says 1818. His marriage to Martha Reed is documented; the claim that Benjamin and Hannah were his parents is not.252630323334

  7. Claimed fourth great-grandfather

    Born about 1776 · living in 1850

    Benjamin Meason

    Relationship unproved

    Benjamin’s 1801 marriage to Hannah Doom and his Kentucky-to-Missouri migration are supported by original records. His own life is documented; his relationship to George is not.1211132325

  8. Where the record ends

    Before c. 1776

    Benjamin’s parents

    Active investigation

    No parent has been proved. Several Thomas Meason candidates have been tested, but the records do not yet establish the relationship repeated in online trees.1819202122

The bridge generation

George is visible. His parents are not.

The records now give George a clearer life of his own. They correct copied dates, document his marriage to Martha Reed, and explain why his birth year remains disputed. None of them identifies Benjamin as his father.252631323334

  1. 1837

    Clark County, Missouri

    A first marriage, but no parent named

    A recorded minister’s return establishes George M. Meason’s marriage to Elizabeth Hay on November 16. It corrects a copied date and county, but contains no age, parent, guardian, witness, or consent.31

  2. 1840

    Clark County, Missouri

    George marries Martha Reed

    A second recorded return establishes their October 27 marriage and says both lived in Clark County. The original names her only as Martha Reed, without the middle initial repeated in later trees.32

  3. 1850–1887

    Missouri to Texas

    One life, two birth traditions

    Four adult censuses consistently imply birth about 1810, and a descendant-held Bible repeats 1810. George’s photographed marker says 1818. The conflict remains unresolved—and neither chronology names his parents.25263334

A life in motion

Following Benjamin through the records.

Parentage is unresolved, but Benjamin himself is not a shadow. Original records trace a coherent life from Kentucky into northeast Missouri.124101112131415

  1. 1800–1804

    Nelson County, Kentucky

    An original-record foothold

    Tax returns place Benjamin in Nelson County in every year from 1800 through 1804. The 1803 and 1804 returns also record two enslaved people in his taxable household—a part of this family history that should not be omitted. Other Mason and Mayson households appear nearby, but proximity does not establish kinship.4

  2. 1801

    Nelson County, Kentucky

    Benjamin and Hannah marry

    An original bond dated August 18 says Benjamin Mason and Hannah Doom were both over 21, ruling out the often-copied 1783 birth year for Hannah. The county register records their marriage on August 27.23

  3. 1802

    Nelson County, Kentucky

    A signature and an associate network

    Benjamin signs a guardian bond as “Benjn Meason” alongside members of the Weller, Hubbard, and Langley network. The record establishes presence, not kinship.5

  4. 1811–1817

    Bardstown area, Kentucky

    Public and church life

    Records place Benjamin in civic and Baptist networks. In 1811 the annual names him in association work and strongly indicates that “B. Mason” represented Mill Creek. In October 1815 he was seated when the new Salem Church at Bardstown entered the association, then represented Salem again in 1816. Other messengers were selected in 1817; that is not evidence he left the church.7892435

  5. 1820

    Shelby County, Kentucky

    The family moves east

    The accepted census household fits Benjamin, Hannah, and their growing family. A same-name Nelson County household belongs to someone else.10

  6. 1829–1835

    Ralls and Monroe Counties, Missouri

    A documented Missouri migration

    The 1829 patent identifies Benjamin as a Ralls County resident. A separate 1835 patent grants him Monroe County land, where the 1840 census later records his household.11121314

  7. 1835/36

    Monroe County, Missouri

    A remembered church beginning

    An eyewitness recollection written in 1884 places Benjamin and his wife among Union Christian Church’s founders in May 1835 or 1836 and says Benjamin served as an elder.16

  8. 1847–1850

    Woodlawn, Monroe County, Missouri

    Postmaster and household head

    Federal registers name Benjamin as Woodlawn postmaster in 1847 and 1849, and the 1850 census records his household in Monroe County.115

  9. After 1850

    Monroe County, Missouri

    An estate and burial lead awaits the original

    A later family account reports that Benjamin’s 1853 will directed burial beside Hannah on a Monroe County farm. The original Will Book B entry remains restricted, and neither its wording, the farm, nor the burial ground has been verified.232729

The inherited branch

Two relationships need proof.

The tree I inherited connected George to Benjamin, then gave Benjamin a father: a Thomas Meason described in copied trees as born in 1755. Both links looked settled because they were repeated so often.

The trouble is that plausible is not the same as proved. George and Benjamin form a coherent family hypothesis, but no reviewed record names their relationship. Above Benjamin, separating the same-name men and reading the original wills turns one tidy answer into several distinct candidates.

Two documentary edges remain open

Plausible, not proved

Benjamin as George’s father

George and Benjamin share a coherent Kentucky-to-Missouri pattern, but no reviewed record calls George a son or heir. Four adult censuses and a descendant-held Bible say 1810; his marker says 1818. The earlier chronology keeps the household-slot theory plausible without proving it.12526303334

Strongly disfavored

Thomas Meason senior

His 1779 will names eleven children but not Benjamin. That omission weighs strongly against him as Benjamin’s direct father, but a will need not name every child and is not categorical proof.18

Strongly disfavored

The Hempfield Thomas

His will explicitly identifies his six youngest children. Benjamin—who would have been a child—is not among them.19

Still open

The 1788 Nelson County Thomas

An original 1788 deed places Thomas Meason in Nelson County. In 1795, Thomas Mason of Logan County sold the same 300-acre Rough Creek tract. The exact-property match strengthens the identity trail, but neither deed names Benjamin.2021

Increasingly important

Another Mason or Meason family

The records expose several distinct same-name families and men later combined in online trees. Benjamin may belong to a different line altogether.181922

The evidence ledger

What a record says—and what it doesn't.

A document can be genuine and still not answer the question I am asking. Each conclusion needs a boundary.

1801 marriage bond

Establishes

Benjamin Mason and Hannah Doom intended to marry and were both over 21.

Does not establish

It names no parent, guardian, residence, or family relationship.2

Nelson tax and civic records

Establishes

Benjamin’s Nelson County presence from 1800 through 1804 and a recurring network of associates.

Does not establish

People who signed bonds or served beside Benjamin cannot be treated as relatives without additional evidence.4567

1829 and 1835 land patents

Establishes

The 1829 patent explicitly identifies Ralls County residence; the 1835 patent establishes Monroe County land ownership, followed by a Monroe household in 1840.

Does not establish

Land ownership alone does not prove residence, place of origin, parentage, or a relationship to neighboring patentees.111314

Thomas Meason wills

Establishes

Two prominent Thomas candidates named extensive groups of children without naming Benjamin.

Does not establish

Negative evidence can weaken candidates, but it does not identify the correct father.1819

1788–1795 Rough Creek deeds

Establishes

The exact 300-acre tract passed from a Nelson County Thomas Meason to a Logan County Thomas Mason identity trail.

Does not establish

Neither deed names Benjamin, and the records do not independently identify the seller as Thomas born in 1755.2021

1795 Logan County deed

Establishes

William Mason was expressly the eldest son of a Thomas Mason of Logan County.

Does not establish

It does not establish that this Thomas sold the Rough Creek tract or that Benjamin was another son.22

1825 Jacob Doom heirs deed

Establishes

Hannah, wife of Benjamin Mason, was formerly a Doom and was an heir or representative of Jacob Doom.

Does not establish

The deed does not literally call Hannah a daughter or identify her mother.17

George’s census and grave marker

Establishes

George M. Meason’s adult census sequence and a descendant-held Bible give birth about 1810; his Texas marker gives 1818, while the Bible note and marker agree on an 1887 death.

Does not establish

None of these sources names George’s parents. The Bible lacks a title page and ownership chain, and the marker’s informant and erection date are unknown.25263334

Public-tree citation audit

Establishes

The disputed relationships are widely repeated: all 25 sampled George profiles named Benjamin and Hannah, and all ten sampled Thomas profiles attached Benjamin.

Does not establish

None exposed a record stating either parent-child relationship. Repetition across trees is not independent corroboration.30

Why the answer is still missing

The blockers are specific.

01

The decisive records are not remotely accessible

Benjamin’s reported will and key probate volumes remain restricted to archive or affiliate-library access. Search results and derivative summaries cannot substitute for the original estate images.23

02

The records often stop one sentence short

Bonds, deeds, church minutes, and land patents place Benjamin precisely, but the records reviewed so far do not state who his parents were.258911131819202122

03

Name matches are unusually dangerous

Benjamin, Thomas, William, Joseph, Mason, and Meason recur across distinct households and families. County and surname alone are not enough.4181922

04

The inherited tree needs record-by-record review

A controlled citation audit found the same relationships repeated across 35 sampled profiles without a relationship-specific source. Original records also separate incompatible same-name households from the target family.1101214181930

What I'm pursuing now

Four doors still open.

Recover Benjamin’s Missouri estate

Obtain Monroe Will Book B and the connected probate, settlement, inventory, and bond records.23

Retrieve the Mill Creek church article

Obtain the complete March 1990 article, read its notes and source description, and follow only a concrete lead into admissions, dismissals, letters, membership, or family entries.36

Read three publications from Benjamin’s death period

Inspect the October and November 1853 Christian Evangelist issues and the surviving 23 November 1853 Paris Mercury issue for a notice, elder’s sketch, survivors, or estate announcement.434445

Research checkpoint · September 2026

I have a documented life for Benjamin, a plausible but unproved bridge from Benjamin to George, several weakened parent candidates, and no proved parent above Benjamin. That is less tidy than the tree I began with—and much closer to the truth.18192021222526303334

One descendant-held Bible now takes the family story back to George, but not beyond him. Other Bible entries, letters, photographs, church records, or material connected to the Mason or Meason families of Nelson, Logan, Ralls, or Monroe Counties may hold the missing connection.34

Share a family lead

References

The records behind the story.

Each footnote leads here. These citations identify the record, where it can be found, what it supports, and the boundary of what it can establish.

Links point to public provider or repository pages. Some services require a free account, subscription, or affiliate library access. No private tree export, living-person data, or restricted image is published here.

  1. Reference 1

    1850 United States census — Benjamin Mason household

    1850 U.S. census, District 59, Monroe County, Missouri, p. 139a; NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 407.

    Open census image ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin’s age of 74, reported Virginia birthplace, Hannah’s presence, and the Monroe County household cluster.
    Limitation
    The census supports an approximate birth year, not an exact birth date, and it does not identify Benjamin’s parents.

  2. Reference 2

    Benjamin Mason–Hannah Doom marriage bond

    Nelson County, Kentucky, marriage bond, 18 August 1801; Kentucky, County Marriages, 1786–1965; FHL film 9666, DGS 4705518, image 829.

    Open record image ↗
    Supports
    The intended marriage, Benjamin and Hannah’s names, their status as adults over 21, Jacob Yoder’s surety role, and Benjamin’s signature.
    Limitation
    The bond names no parent, guardian, residence, or family relationship. A surety is not necessarily a relative.

  3. Reference 3

    Nelson County marriage register

    Nelson County, Kentucky, marriage register, Benjamin Mason and Hannah Dooms, 27 August 1801; Ancestry collection 61372, record 1656492.

    Open indexed record ↗
    Supports
    The solemnized marriage date and the register’s identification of the officiant as “J. Ferguson.”
    Limitation
    The image is a register entry, not the couple’s individual return. Joseph Ferguson’s full identity is established contextually from a separate signed list.

  4. Reference 4

    Nelson County tax books, 1799–1805

    Nelson County, Kentucky, tax books; FamilySearch catalog 156788, FHL film 8178, DGS 7763746; both commissioner M-surname runs reviewed for 1799–1805.

    Browse image group ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin’s presence in every annual return from 1800 through 1804, including the Mason and Meason spellings; the 1803 and 1804 returns each record two enslaved people in his taxable household.
    Limitation
    His absences from the fully reviewed 1799 and 1805 runs are bounded annual negatives—not proof of age, migration, death, or kinship. Proximity to other taxpayers does not establish a relationship.

  5. Reference 5

    Weller children’s guardian bond

    Nelson County, Kentucky, Court Bond Book, volume 2, p. 113, 17 July 1802; DGS 7553304, image 177.

    Open record image ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin’s Nelson County presence, the “Benjn Meason” signature, and his fiduciary association with John and Samuel Weller, Thomas Hubbard, and Thomas Langley.
    Limitation
    The bond states no relationship between Benjamin and the Weller family and names neither of his parents.

  6. Reference 6

    Nelson County administration bond

    Nelson County, Kentucky, Court Bond Book, volume 2, p. 142, 21 November 1809; DGS 7553304, image 174.

    Open record image ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin’s “Benja Meason” signature and his role as surety for administrator John Kercheval.
    Limitation
    The faded decedent name is unresolved, and the bond states no residence, parentage, or kinship.

  7. Reference 7

    “B. Meason J.P.N.C.” certificate

    Nelson County, Kentucky, Deed Book 9, p. 184, 22 May 1811; FHL film 482738, DGS 8571833, image 413.

    Open record image ↗
    Supports
    A B. Meason acting as a Nelson County justice of the peace during Benjamin’s documented Nelson County chronology.
    Limitation
    The clerk’s copy gives only the initial “B.” and is not Benjamin’s autograph; identification with Benjamin is strongly compatible but not explicit.

  8. Reference 8

    Salem Association minutes, 1811

    Minutes of the Salem Association of Baptists, Kentucky, 1811; James P. Boyce Centennial Library repository handle 10392/6307.

    Open repository item ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin Meason’s association service and the likely connection to Nelson County’s Mill Creek congregation.
    Limitation
    The church-table reading is supported by repository OCR and context; a final page-image check remains desirable.

  9. Reference 9

    Salem Association minutes, 1816

    Minutes of the Salem Association of Baptists, Kentucky, 1816, first printed table page; James P. Boyce Centennial Library repository handle 10392/6312.

    Open repository item ↗
    Supports
    “Benj. Meason” and Joseph Lewis as messengers from the newly formed Bardstown Salem church.
    Limitation
    The entry establishes congregational representation, not family relationships or Benjamin’s place of origin.

  10. Reference 10

    1820 United States census — Shelby County household

    1820 U.S. census, Shelby County, Kentucky, stamped p. 128; NARA microfilm publication M33, roll 24.

    Open census image ↗
    Supports
    An age-compatible Benjamin Mason household in Shelby County and the accepted Kentucky migration sequence.
    Limitation
    Early censuses name only the household head and cannot identify the remaining household members by themselves.

  11. Reference 11

    1829 Ralls County federal land patent

    United States General Land Office patent to Benjamin Meason, document 933, accession MO0260__.421, 1 June 1829; T56N R5W, section 7, 82.06 acres.

    Search official patent record ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin’s stated residence in Ralls County and a precise Missouri land location before the 1830 census.
    Limitation
    The patent establishes land ownership and residence, not parentage or relationships to neighboring patentees.

  12. Reference 12

    1830 United States census — Ralls County household

    1830 U.S. census, Spencer Township, Ralls County, Missouri, stamped p. 363; NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 73.

    Open census image ↗
    Supports
    An age-compatible Benjamin Meason household in the predecessor county from which Monroe County was formed.
    Limitation
    The schedule names only the household head and does not itself prove continuity with every earlier record.

  13. Reference 13

    1835 Monroe County federal land patent

    United States General Land Office patent to Benjamin Meason, document 6582, accession MO0370__.406, 21 October 1835; T55N R11W, section 20, 80 acres.

    Search official patent record ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin’s ownership of a specific Monroe County tract by 1835.
    Limitation
    The patent establishes land ownership, not by itself household residence, family relationships, or parentage.

  14. Reference 14

    1840 United States census — Monroe County household

    1840 U.S. census, Marion Township, Monroe County, Missouri, stamped p. 123; NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 226.

    Open census image ↗
    Supports
    An age-compatible Benjamin Meason household residing in Monroe County.
    Limitation
    The schedule names only the household head and cannot identify every person in the household.

  15. Reference 15

    Official registers of the United States, 1847 and 1849

    Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, 1847, part 2, p. 442; 1849, part 2, p. 508.

    Open 1849 official register ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin Meason’s federal appointment as postmaster at Woodlawn, Monroe County, Missouri.
    Limitation
    The registers establish office and location, not appointment circumstances, sureties, family, or parentage.

  16. Reference 16

    Union Christian Church recollection

    Historical and Biographical Sketches of the Early Churches and Pioneer Preachers of the Christian Church in Missouri (1888), pp. 172–174, preserving an 1884 eyewitness recollection.

    Open published history ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin Mason and his wife among Union Christian Church’s founders and Benjamin’s remembered service as an elder.
    Limitation
    This is a later eyewitness recollection published decades after the church’s organization, not a surviving contemporary membership register.

  17. Reference 17

    Jacob Doom heirs’ deed

    Washington County, Kentucky, Deed Book I, pp. 278–279, 14 June 1825; FHL film 241393, DGS 8568117, images 395–396.

    Open deed image ↗
    Supports
    “Benjamin Mason and Hannah his wife late Doom” among the heirs and representatives of Jacob Doom deceased.
    Limitation
    The deed does not literally call Hannah Jacob’s daughter and does not identify her mother.

  18. Reference 18

    Will of Thomas Meason senior

    Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Will Book 1, pp. 16–17, entry 28; dated 14 March and proved 18 March 1779; Ancestry collection 8802, record 2042575.

    Open indexed probate record ↗
    Supports
    Thomas’s wife Ann and eleven named children, including a son Thomas; Benjamin is absent from the extensive list.
    Limitation
    The omission weighs strongly against the testator as Benjamin’s direct father, but a will need not name every child. It does not categorically exclude him, identify Benjamin’s parents, or exclude another family line.

  19. Reference 19

    Will of Thomas Meason of Hempfield

    Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Will Book 1, p. 192, item 308; dated 1785 and proved 22 November 1805; Ancestry collection 8802, media 007727205_00506.

    Open probate image ↗
    Supports
    Eight named children, including an expressly enumerated group of six youngest children; Benjamin is absent.
    Limitation
    The omission strongly disfavors this testator as Benjamin’s father but does not identify Benjamin’s actual parents or prove identity with other Thomas Meason records.

  20. Reference 20

    Thomas Meason’s Rough Creek purchase

    Nelson County, Kentucky, Deed Book 2, pp. 76–77, 23 October 1788; FamilySearch catalog 273862, FHL film 482734, DGS 8150844.

    Open deed image ↗
    Supports
    Thomas Meason of Nelson County purchasing 300 acres on Rough Creek, waters of Green River, from Joseph and Abigail Barnett.
    Limitation
    The deed names no Benjamin, former residence, age, wife, child, or other kinship.

  21. Reference 21

    Sale of the Rough Creek tract

    Hardin County, Kentucky, Deed Book A, pp. 110–111, 27 July 1795; Thomas Mason of Logan County to Peter Watts of Mercer County.

    Open county deed scan ↗
    Supports
    The later sale of the same 300-acre tract, matched through acreage, watercourse, and Tardiveau boundary calls.
    Limitation
    The deed names no Benjamin or family relationship and does not by itself identify the seller with Thomas born in 1755.

  22. Reference 22

    Joseph Meason’s deed of gift to William Mason

    Logan County, Kentucky, Deed Book A-1, pp. 138–140, 2 February 1795; FHL film 364581, DGS 7900779, images 81–82.

    Open deed image ↗
    Supports
    William Mason as the “eldest son of Thomas Mason” of Logan County and Thomas’s payment connected to the conveyance.
    Limitation
    The deed does not name Benjamin, state Joseph’s relationship to Thomas and William, or prove this Thomas was the Rough Creek seller.

  23. Reference 23

    Monroe County Will Book B access locator

    Monroe County, Missouri, Will Books A–B, 1832–1870; FamilySearch catalog 94979, FHL film 972876, DGS 7831818; Missouri Archives reel C 4667.

    Open catalog entry ↗
    Supports
    The exact volume, film, digital group, and archive-reel route for Monroe County wills covering the period after Benjamin’s 1850 census appearance.
    Limitation
    The images and full text are restricted to a FamilySearch Center or affiliate library. No Benjamin entry, will contents, or death date has yet been verified from this volume.

  24. Reference 24

    Salem Association minutes, 1815

    Minutes of the Salem Association of Baptists, Kentucky, Wilson’s Creek Meeting-House, 13–14 October 1815, printed pp. 1–3; Boyce Digital Repository, handle 10392/6311.

    Open repository item ↗
    Supports
    Benjamin Meason was seated as one of two messengers when the newly organized Salem Church at Bardstown entered the association and was appointed to supervise printing the minutes.
    Limitation
    The minutes do not call Benjamin a charter member, identify his prior congregation, or state any family relationship.

  25. Reference 25

    1850 United States census — George M. Meason household

    1850 U.S. census, District 59, Monroe County, Missouri, p. 119b, dwelling and family 655; NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 407.

    Open census image ↗
    Supports
    George M. Meason as a separate Monroe County household head, reported age 40 and born in Kentucky, with Martha and children in the household.
    Limitation
    The schedule does not state relationships or name George’s parents. It does not prove that Benjamin was his father.

  26. Reference 26

    George M. Meason grave marker

    George M. Meason marker, Mount Calvary Cemetery, Dallas, Texas; photographed 19 April 2002 and published with Find a Grave memorial 5786133.

    Open memorial and marker ↗
    Supports
    The marker inscription gives 10 May 1818–11 November 1887 and establishes the burial location represented by the memorial.
    Limitation
    The marker names no parents, does not expand the middle initial, and gives no birthplace. Its birth year conflicts with census evidence, and its informant and erection date are unknown.

  27. Reference 27

    Reported Benjamin Meason will and burial account

    “Benjamin Meason 1776,” Meason Grampas family compilation, reporting a will written 19 August 1853 and recorded 25 January 1854.

    Open derivative account ↗
    Supports
    A research lead that Benjamin requested burial beside Hannah in a reserved square on a Monroe County farm devised to James S. Meason.
    Limitation
    This is a derivative family account, not the original will. The wording, devise, farm, cemetery name, grave location, and dates remain unverified.

  28. Reference 28

    Monroe County deed-index audit, 1831–1869

    Monroe County, Missouri, direct and indirect deed indexes, 1831–1869; FamilySearch catalog 215468, DGS 8196783; complete regular-M grantor images 92–105 and grantee images 258–272 reviewed.

    Open catalog entry ↗
    Supports
    A completed page-by-page index audit found James S. Meason as an indexed principal in an 1855 Section 11 deed. An adjacent original also names George M. Meason, but states no kinship.
    Limitation
    No indexed relationship statement was found. Entries under another principal, clerk variants, and unindexed instruments remain possible; the Section 11 parcels do not match Benjamin’s candidate Section 20 farm.

  29. Reference 29

    1876 Monroe County plat — Township 55 North, Range 11 West

    Illustrated Historical Atlas of Monroe County, Missouri (Edwards Brothers, 1876), p. 45; State Historical Society of Missouri, item 3370.

    Open historical plat ↗
    Supports
    Later ownership labels for the two forty-acre halves of Benjamin’s proved 1835 patent tract in the Woodlawn area.
    Limitation
    The plat does not establish that this was the farm described in the reported will, show the 1853 title chain, or prove the presence or absence of a burial ground.

  30. Reference 30

    Public member-tree citation audit

    Bounded review of visible citations in 25 public George M. Meason profiles and 10 public Thomas Meason profiles on Ancestry, 17 September 2026.

    Search public member trees ↗
    Supports
    Every sampled profile repeated the disputed relationship assigned to it, but none exposed a record that stated the parent-child relationship. The Thomas profiles also carried incompatible death claims.
    Limitation
    This was a sample of accessible public profiles, not every online tree. Missing citations do not disprove a relationship; the audit shows that numerical agreement is not independent evidence.

  31. Reference 31

    George M. Meason–Elizabeth Hay marriage return

    Clark County, Missouri, Marriage Book A, manuscript p. 4, entry 11; marriage solemnized 16 November 1837 and recorded 20 November 1837; Ancestry collection 1171, record 9386577.

    Open indexed marriage record ↗
    Supports
    George M. Meason and Elizabeth Hay married in Clark County on 16 November 1837. The document is a recorded minister’s return.
    Limitation
    The return gives no age, parent, guardian, consent, bondsman, witness, or couple signature and therefore does not identify George’s parents.

  32. Reference 32

    George M. Meason–Martha Reed marriage return

    Clark County, Missouri, Marriage Book A, manuscript p. 21, entry 91; marriage solemnized 27 October 1840 and recorded 7 November 1840; Ancestry collection 1171, record 9386657.

    Open indexed marriage record ↗
    Supports
    George M. Meason and Martha Reed, both described as residents of Clark County, married on 27 October 1840.
    Limitation
    The return does not give Martha a middle initial and names no parent, guardian, consent, bondsman, witness, or couple signature.

  33. Reference 33

    George M. Meason census sequence, 1860–1880

    1860 U.S. census, Clay Township, Shelby County, Missouri, p. 192, NARA M653, roll 657; 1870 U.S. census, Marion Township, Monroe County, Missouri, p. 658A, NARA M593, roll 793; 1880 U.S. census, Precinct 2, Dallas County, Texas, p. 157A, ED 60, NARA T9, roll 1299.

    Open 1880 indexed census record ↗
    Supports
    George is reported as age 50, 60, and 70 across the three schedules, consistently implying birth about 1810. The 1880 schedule reports both parents born in Kentucky without naming them.
    Limitation
    Census ages and parental birthplaces depend on an unknown informant. The schedules do not name George’s parents or prove a relationship to Benjamin.

  34. Reference 34

    Nowell–Sedberry descendant family-Bible page

    Publicly shared “NOWELL/SEDBERRY FAMILY BIBLE PAGE 3,” reviewed through Ancestry Public Member Photos and Scanned Documents; shared 19 June 2020.

    Search public member media ↗
    Supports
    A descendant-held lineage note expands George’s middle initial as Mansfield and repeats a 10 May 1810 birth and 11 November 1887 death tradition.
    Limitation
    The page does not name Benjamin or Hannah as George’s parents. No title page, publication date, repository, or ownership chain was exposed, so it is family testimony rather than contemporary proof.

  35. Reference 35

    Salem Association minutes, 1817

    Minutes of the Salem Association of Baptists, Kentucky, Mill Creek Meeting-House, Nelson County, 26–27 September 1817; Boyce Digital Repository, handle 10392/6313.

    Open repository item ↗
    Supports
    The Salem row names William Kendall and Joseph Lewis as the congregation’s selected messengers in 1817, after Benjamin served in 1815 and 1816.
    Limitation
    Annual messenger selection is not a complete membership roll. Benjamin’s omission does not prove dismissal, migration, death, or absence from the congregation.

  36. Reference 36

    Mill Creek Baptist Church article locator

    The Nelson County Genealogist, volume 6, number 3 (March 1990), “Mill Creek Baptist Church, Nelson County, KY (1793–1815),” part 1 of 2, apparent pp. 45–48; Nelson County Genealogical Roundtable table of contents.

    Open official contents locator ↗
    Supports
    The exact issue and article route most likely to reveal whether the missing local church record was transcribed or identify its custodian.
    Limitation
    The article itself has not been reviewed. Its title proves nothing about Benjamin, membership, transfer, kinship, or the survival of an original record book.

  37. Reference 37

    James Lawrence “Jimmy” Meason senior yearbook entry

    Family-held scan of a senior yearbook entry for Jimmy Meason; digital image in the author’s collection.

    Supports
    Provides a contemporary school portrait and records Jimmy’s participation in football, basketball, class leadership, the annual staff, and FFA.
    Limitation
    The surviving image does not show the yearbook title, school, publication year, or page number. Those publication details still need to be identified from the original volume.

  38. Reference 38

    Cynthia June “Cindee” Meason formal school portrait

    Family photograph preserved in the author’s Google Photos collection; display-resolution copy reviewed 17 September 2026.

    Supports
    Provides the working portrait identification and full formal school portrait for Cynthia June “Cindee” Meason (1958–1991). The full image is the source of the tighter portrait-circle crop.
    Limitation
    The school, studio, exact date, original print custodian, and photographer have not yet been documented. This is a display-resolution copy rather than the original scan.

  39. Reference 39

    James Lawrence “Jimmy” Meason studio portrait

    Family photograph preserved in the author’s Google Photos collection; source filename “20200127_174408.jpg”; display-resolution copy reviewed 17 September 2026.

    Supports
    Provides the working portrait identification for James Lawrence “Jimmy” Meason (1934–1973) and visually agrees with his senior-year portrait.
    Limitation
    The photographer, studio, original date, and original print custodian have not yet been documented. This is a display-resolution copy rather than the full-resolution scan.

  40. Reference 40

    James Lawrence Meason portrait

    Family photograph supplied by the author under the filename “2014-03-02 James Lawrence Meason 001.jpg”; full 939×1203 digital copy reviewed 17 September 2026.

    Supports
    Provides the working identification and full porch photograph for James Lawrence Meason (1892–1949). The handwritten caption reads “James Lawrence Meason,” and the full image is the source of the tighter portrait-circle crop.
    Limitation
    The filename date is not established as the photograph date, and the handwritten caption is not assumed to be James’s autograph. The date, place, photographer, original custodian, and independent identification remain to be documented.

  41. Reference 41

    Mary Estelle Sledge Meason portrait

    Family-tree photograph titled “elizabeth’s Mother,” preserved in the author’s Ancestry media collection; full digital copy reviewed 17 September 2026.

    Supports
    Provides the working portrait identification and full standing photograph for Mary Estelle Sledge Meason (1896–1952), wife of James Lawrence Meason.
    Limitation
    The title identifies her only through a family relationship. The approximate date, place, photographer, original custodian, and independent identification remain to be documented.

  42. Reference 42

    Franklin Meason portrait

    Family-tree photograph titled “franklin meason at his home in Richardson, X,” preserved in the author’s Ancestry media collection; full digital copy reviewed 17 September 2026.

    Supports
    Provides the working portrait identification and full seated home photograph for Franklin Meason (1850–1933). The image is the source of the tighter crop used in his portrait circle.
    Limitation
    The exact Richardson location, approximate date, photographer, original custodian, and independent identification remain to be documented.

  43. Reference 43

    Christian Evangelist, October 1853

    Christian Evangelist, volume 9, number 10 (October 1853); Abilene Christian University Special Collections digital repository.

    Open issue record ↗
    Supports
    Identifies a finite denominational issue to inspect for a death notice or life sketch near Benjamin Meason’s reported death.
    Limitation
    The issue interior has not yet been reviewed. Its availability does not establish that it contains a notice about Benjamin.

  44. Reference 44

    Christian Evangelist, November 1853

    Christian Evangelist, volume 9, number 11 (November 1853); Abilene Christian University Special Collections digital repository.

    Open issue record ↗
    Supports
    Identifies the second finite denominational issue to inspect for a death notice or life sketch near Benjamin Meason’s reported death.
    Limitation
    The issue interior has not yet been reviewed. Its availability does not establish that it contains a notice about Benjamin.

  45. Reference 45

    Paris Mercury issue locator, 23 November 1853

    Paris Mercury, 23 November 1853; State Historical Society of Missouri, Monroe County newspaper holdings, microfilm reel 33369.

    Open official holdings list ↗
    Supports
    Identifies the surviving local issue nearest Benjamin’s reported death for a bounded notice and estate search.
    Limitation
    The issue has not yet been reviewed, and its survival does not establish that it contains a notice about Benjamin.

  46. Reference 46

    James Lawrence “Jimmy” Meason and Julie Ann Lipke wedding portrait

    Family photograph supplied by the author under the filename “james and julie ann lipke.JPG”; digital copy reviewed 17 September 2026.

    Supports
    Provides a working identification of James Lawrence “Jimmy” Meason and Julie Ann Lipke together on their wedding day; the attribution agrees with the family-tree media title “Jimmy and Julie wedding.”
    Limitation
    The wedding date and place, photographer, original custodian, and independent identification of both likenesses remain to be documented.

  47. Reference 47

    Franklin and Nancy Meason shared grave marker

    Family-tree photograph titled “Franklin Meason and Nancy Meason Headstone,” preserved in the author’s Ancestry media collection; digital copy reviewed 17 September 2026.

    Supports
    Shows the shared marker identifying Frank Meason and Nancy A. Meason as husband and wife. Nancy’s dates, 1852–1930, are legible.
    Limitation
    Franklin’s terminal year is weathered or obscured in this photograph. The cemetery, marker installation date, photographer, and original file provenance remain to be documented.