Ebenezer E. Mason Diary, 1864-1865 (Ms2012-063)

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Title

Ebenezer E. Mason Diary, 1864-1865 (Ms2012-063)

Description

The diary of Ebenezer E. Mason, a standard leather bound pocket size edition with three dates per page that covers his experiences from January through August 1864 as well as a few entries in February 1865. The entries typically note the weather of the day as well whether or not Congress was in session. The diary also includes a short poem (original?) and some account information in the back. The diary contains a pocket that holds a period newspaper clipping of an article Mason wrote for the State Journal, making a defense for adopting a new constitution, as well as several receipts and clippings.
Ebenezer Erskine Mason was born August 29, 1829, in Maine. He married Elizabeth Thompson (1825-1913) prior to 1860. Mason later became a local magistrate and a member of the Accotink Home Guard, a company that remained loyal to the Federal Government throughout the Civil War. Notably, Mason served as a delegate to the Second Wheeling Convention and was sergeant of arms to the Senate in 1863. In 1864, Mason served as delegate to the Restored Virginia Government Convention where a new constitution was put in place that abolished slavery and recognized West Virginia as a loyal state. Mason died in 1910 was buried in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Type

Identifier

Ms2012-063

Bibliographic Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Ebenzer E. Mason Diary, Ms2012-063, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Collection

Citation

Mason, Ebenezer E., 1829-1910, “Ebenezer E. Mason Diary, 1864-1865 (Ms2012-063),” VT Special Collections and University Archives Online, accessed March 28, 2024, https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/CivilWar/Ms2012-063.