THE COUNTRY SCHOOL’S CIVIL WAR CONNECTION
A BiogrAphicAl Sketch of chArleS M. MASon
fAther, ShArpShooter, BASket WeAver
The Country School’s property on Opening Hill Road has a rich history. Through the efforts of student volunteers, we now know more about the individuals who walked these grounds and impacted our community in the decades prior to our school’s founding. One of those people was chArleS MASon.
On November 30, 1865, Charles Mason bought this property from Harvey Elliot. Mason had just returned from serving as a sharpshooter in the Civil War with the 29th Connecticut Regiment, seeing action at Petersburg, Richmond, and other battles between 1864-1865. He lived here with his wife Ellen and their children in the 1860’s and 1870’s.
Charles M. Mason, or “Chas Mason” was born sometime between 1832 and 1834 in Munson, MA. In 1850, he was an employed laborer on Albert Trumble's Farms. Records indicate that in 1860, he was employed at a fishing and clamming boarding house for Black people in Madison CT.
Charles Mason and the 29th Connecticut Regiment
One of Charles Mason’s greatest achievements was his service in the Civil War. A change in philosophy altered the course of history in the midst of the war. In the mid 1860s, the first U.S. regiments composed mainly of soldiers of color were formed to fight for the Union. Prior to this, soldiers of color were not permitted in U.S. regiments. Eager to fight for freedom and equal treatment, eligible soldiers quickly filled these regiments.
The Connecticut "29th Colored Regiment" was composed of free Black people, escaped slaves, and Native Americans. They joined the war effort knowing that, if captured, they would be put to death for serving in a racially diverse regiment. After their formation, the regiment trained in Fair Haven (at modern-day Grapevine Point), and were even visited by Frederick Douglass, who spoke to the group in January 1864. In the spring of 1865, Charles Mason and the brave soldiers of the 29th partook in the crucial Siege of Petersburg and were the first to enter
the confederate capital of Richmond, events that led to Confederate surrender. Despite their integral role in the war, members of the 29th received only 7 dollars of the promised 16-dollar monthly payments. They were given $310 from their State, but their uniforms, food, and other supplies were subtracted from this sum. The counties and country also failed to pay their $75 and $300 for the soldiers’ enlistment, respectively.
Mason appears to have been illiterate at his time of enlistment, having signed his name with an "x.” Mason volunteered and was assigned to the 29th regiment's Company H in late 1863. Mason possessed a rare ability: he was a sharpshooter. Before the end of the war, he'd be transferred beyond his primary division for this invaluable skill.
Mason’s enlistment records describe him as 5'6" with black hair, eyes, and skin. He claimed he was born in Hartford, but census records indicate Mason and his parents were all born in Massachusetts, so it’s likely that he misrepresented this to ensure his enlistment in place of Harvey Elliott, a resident and landowner of Connecticut.
Following the conclusion of the war, Mason was assigned to the "2nd Brigade, 3rd division, 25th Ambulance Corps,” and served with them as a peacekeeper in Texas during the early days of Reconstruction. The Corps departed in October 1865. Today, Mason's name can be found both at the 29th Colored Regiment Monument at Grapevine Point in New Haven and on the Wall of Honor veterans' memorial in Washington D.C.
Other notable locals in the colored regiments formally titled "The African Brigade" are William Henry Wright of Guilford, who enlisted in the Massachusetts 54th, and Jacob Tompson of Guilford, who enlisted in the Connecticut 29th regiment Company H, the same company as Mason. Tompson fathered a daughter named Delphine with Ellen C. Madison. Ellen later married Henry Wright, but they divorced in 1861, and Ellen married Charles M. Mason, with whom she spent the rest of her life.
Life after the War
The Mason family seems to have ties in Monson MA, where we think Mason was born, and in Springfield MA, where a man named Primus Mason created “The Springfield Home for Aged Men.” Charles M. Mason would eventually die in what Yale describes as the Springside Home for “the indigent poor.” Considering the shared surname and Charles Mason’s recorded birthplace on multiple censuses, it’s likely that Primus and Charles were related.
Following the Civil War, lawmakers passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which proclaimed all who are born in the U.S. full citizens and made racial discrimination unlawful. Even with this legislation, it would be about a century before the principles were recognized by American society.
C. M. Mason and Ellen C. Madison had 8 children together in Madison, not including Delphine Tompson with whom they shared their home. Hattie (the Masons’ firstborn) was born in 1862 and Prudence was born two years later (in 1864). In November 1865, Mason bought a property on what was then 339 Opening Hill Rd, which is now 341 Opening Hill Rd. from Harvey Elliott for 1 dollar. and sold it back for $275. C. M. Mason and his wife had four more children there: Fannie (1866), Charles B. (1868), Florella (1870), and Ulysses G. (1872).
Real estate is taxed differently than other financial transactions, so these transactions may have been a way for Elliott to pay Mason with less lost to tax. Financially, the one dollar would act as a buffer – a way to get the property to Mason so Elliott then could pay him "for real estate." This indicates Mason may have served in the war in place of Elliott, which was not an uncommon practice at the time. Additionally, Elliott might have also been the one to teach Mason his sharpshooting skills. If Elliott wanted to secure Mason’s enlistment, it would make sense he'd teach him some sharpshooting. Not many people of color had access to the necessary resources, so the importance of Mason's practiced sharpshooting would set him apart.
While living on Opening Hill Road, Charles Mason was affectionately described as "Uncle Josh" by a Mrs. Tompson and Miss Hill years later. He was "fond of children", weaving intricate baskets "of the brightest hues," for the local children. The baskets may have been a way of staying connected to his heritage and traditions. After living on this property for several years, the Mason family moved to New Haven, where they appear in the city directory of 1875.
In 1880, Charles M. Mason's son (Charles B. Mason) was in school. Charles M. Mason and Eleanor were listed in the 1880 census as having two more children: Temperance (5), and Theodore (a newborn). Eleanor died sometime before 1900. Charles M. Mason was hospitalized in 1903 due to a heatwave that hit New Haven and moved to the city’s Springside Home soon after. He died of a kidney infection (nephritis) on September 11th, 1912, when he was 80 years old.
Charles M. Mason lived serving his country and his belief in enacting real change. He fought for the change in philosophy which allowed him to fight. He seems to have made a deal with Elliott and held him to it. He had a big family, and wove what sound like beautiful baskets for the neighborhood children. He lived to the ripe age of 80 years old at a time where life expectancy was in the 60s. Born into a time where the U.S. was on the brink of eliminating slavery, Mason worked, learned, and fought to make this change a reality – to hold the country around him responsible to the ideals upon which it was founded: "liberty and justice for all."
Acknowledgements:
Thank you to the following students and alumni who worked over the summer to research the story of Charles Mason and early residents of The Country School's campus. A special thanks to John Reach '20, a dogged researcher and the primary author of this report. We also thank Bryna O'Sullivan '01, a professional genealogist, for her guidance as we set out to explore Charles Mason's war record and to Duncan MacLane '64 for sharing his memories of growing up in the Farmhouse. Thanks to TCS science teacher Dan
Kollmer and his brother Rich for providing their metal detectors and spending two days with us uncovering artifacts on the school’s campus. Finally, we thank Tracy Thomaselli, Guilford historian, for sharing her knowledge of local Civil War soldiers and helping us with our remaining questions, and Nancy Bastian of the Charlotte Evars Archive in Madison for helping with early research on Charles Mason.
Click here to watch the video this team created about Country School’s rich history.
Student-and-alumni project leaders include: Nolan Beichner '24, Abby Calarco '24, Michael DeFlippo '23, Alexander Monin '23, Cole Nelson '23, John Reach '20, Evelyn Reach '22, and Charlie Sinclair '24
