James B. Mason

Life and Orange County connections

Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Each opens its own page, with its events date by date.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 18 dated events in the chronology →

1. July 17, 1869 Chapel Hill's town board holds the earliest meeting with surviving minutes The oldest surviving town minutes record a meeting of commissioners H. C. Thompson, James F. Craige and Greene Brewer. The town census taker, W. S. Guthrie, reported 937 residents, 483 white and 454 Black. People: James B. Mason Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: H. C. Thompson, James F. Craige, Greene Brewer, W. S. GuthrieSearch the index · Lefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 364
2. December 1, 1870 The trustees vote to suspend the university's exercises and stop faculty salaries from February 1 On the motion of the Rev. James Reid of Franklin County, the Reconstruction board of trustees voted on December 1, 1870, to suspend the university's exercises until further orders, and on James B. Mason's motion fixed February 1, 1871, as the day the faculty's salaries ended. The same day President Solomon Pool laid before the board a plan to lease the Chapel Hill property and bring the state's colleges under the university, which its committees dropped on February 1. People: Solomon Pool, James Augustus Graham, James B. Mason Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: James ReidInternet Archive: Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. 2 (1912), full text
3. April 3 to 9, 1874 Walter Steele and Paul Cameron inspect the derelict campus and Solomon Pool refuses to surrender the keys On April 3, 1874, trustees Walter L. Steele and Paul C. Cameron came to Chapel Hill for the new board. Solomon Pool declined their written request for the keys and possession of the buildings, since the governor had not recognized the board, but let them inspect as visitors. Their report to the trustees on April 9 described broken doors and fallen plaster, the lower passage of Old West fouled by cattle and horses, rotted gates and axe-scarred oaks, 7,490 books in the Dialectic library and 6,901 in the Philanthropic, and recommended an immediate suit against Pool for possession. People: Paul C. Cameron, Solomon Pool, William L. Saunders, James B. Mason Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Walter L. SteeleInternet Archive: Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. 2 (1912), full text
4. July 1, 1876 Orange County Republicans meet and come out against the constitutional amendments A Republican county meeting at the courthouse, with H. B. Guthrie in the chair, resolved that the 1875 constitutional convention had been a fraud on the people and that its amendments, submitted to voters only as a whole, would do away with the township system, elected county government and the popular election of magistrates; it named a county executive committee but made no nominations. People: Hugh B. Guthrie, James B. Mason Place: Orange County Courthouse, HillsboroughSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, July 5, 1876, p. 3
5. April 12, 1879 Corporators of the State University Railroad meet at Chapel Hill and open books for stock Corporators of the rechartered State University Railroad met at the Chapel Hill law office of Watson and Alexander, with Paul C. Cameron in the chair after Kemp P. Battle explained the charter. They opened subscription books at twelve places from Hillsborough and Durham to Pittsboro and Raleigh, named three commissioners at each, and refused conditional subscriptions. People: Paul C. Cameron, Kemp Plummer Battle, Julian S. Carr, James B. Mason, John R. Hutchins Place: Law office of Watson and Alexander, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: State University RailroadThe Chapel Hill Ledger, April 19, 1879, p. 3
6. May 5, 1879 Chapel Hill elects a board of commissioners pledged to let hogs run free The town election turned on whether hogs should again run at large or be kept penned, and returned L. J. Weaver, James B. Mason, Hillary Sparrow, O. B. Tenney and A. B. Roberson. The paper said the winning side was favored four or five to one and had the solid support of the town's Black voters. People: James B. Mason, Abner Benton Roberson Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: L. J. Weaver, Hillary Sparrow, O. B. TenneySearch the index · The Chapel Hill Ledger, May 10, 1879, p. 3
7. May 7, 1879 Chapel Hill commissioners require hogs penned only during Commencement and the Normal School The new board modified the law keeping hogs off the streets so that it applied only during Commencement and the Normal School term, with O. B. Tenney the only vote against. Cows were still to be kept up at night, and the board set its regular meetings for the first Monday night of each month. People: James B. Mason Place: Office of Dr. Roberson and Harris, Chapel Hill · Also named: O. B. TenneySearch the index · The Chapel Hill Ledger, May 10, 1879, p. 3
8. by February 14, 1880 James B. Mason moves the old Barbee drugstore building to Franklin Street James B. Mason bought the frame building lately used as Barbee's drugstore and had it moved to the Kirkland lot near the Baptist church on Franklin Street, to be fitted up inside; George Trice directed the move. People: George Trice Place: Kirkland lot near the Baptist church, Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Franklin StreetSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Ledger, February 14, 1880, p. 3
9. late September 1884 Orange County Republicans nominate Enoch Sykes for the House A Republican mass meeting at Hillsborough nominated Enoch Sykes for the House and a county ticket, with Rosemond for treasurer, to run as the Liberal and independent Republican ticket, as the party's county convention of August 30 had planned. People: James B. Mason Place: Hillsborough · Also named: Enoch SykesSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), October 4, 1884, p. 3
10. September 18, 1886 Orange Republicans name James B. Mason for the Senate and back Cheek and Hughes The Republican county convention at Hillsborough, chaired by James B. Mason, named Mason for the state Senate, endorsed James A. Cheek for the House and John K. Hughes for sheriff, nominated Wilson Brown for clerk and Thomas Roberts for treasurer, and recommended Isaac R. Strayhorn for solicitor. People: James B. Mason, Isaac R. Strayhorn, James A. Cheek, John Knox Hughes Place: Court house, Hillsborough · Also named: Henry N. Brown, Wilson Brown, Thomas RobertsSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), September 25, 1886, p. 3
11. November 2, 1886 Orange voters elect the Democratic county ticket but send Republicans to the legislature In the November 2 election Orange chose the Democratic county ticket except for sheriff, where the Republican-backed John K. Hughes beat William Strain by more than 1,100 votes. James A. Cheek and Oakley won the Orange-Durham House seats, Republicans James B. Mason and Harrison the Senate seats, and Isaac R. Strayhorn the solicitorship, while John W. Graham carried Orange by 238 votes but lost the Fourth District congressional race to John Nichols. People: James B. Mason, John W. Graham, Isaac R. Strayhorn, James A. Cheek, John Knox Hughes Place: Orange County · Also named: William Strain, John NicholsSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), November 6, 1886, p. 3
12. November 11 or 12, 1886 A jury acquits Ann Eliza Lawrence and John Crawford of poisoning her husband At the fall term of Orange Superior Court, a jury out one hour found Ann Eliza Lawrence and John Crawford not guilty of poisoning Mrs. Lawrence's husband, a case held over from the August term. John W. Graham, James B. Mason and A. W. Graham defended them before Judge Henry G. Connor. People: Henry Groves Connor, John W. Graham, James B. Mason, Augustus Washington Graham Place: Court house, Hillsborough · Also named: Ann Eliza Lawrence, John CrawfordSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), November 20, 1886, p. 3