Biographical/historical information

John Hopie Mason was born on 22 Jun 1870 in Beaufort, Carteret County, North Carolina, to Ichabod Mason and his wife Lavinia B Robinson Mason. John married Patsy Mason on 19 September 1895 and they had a daughter Marguerite born 2 July 1904. Marguerite married Thomas E. Parkin in 1921 and they had a son Thomas E. Parkin Jr. and daughters Margaret Cleo Parkin Oldham and Patsy Eleanor Parkin Rose. Eleanor Parkin married Norwood Rose in 1941 and they had a daughter Brenda Carol Rose born in 1946.

John H. Mason died in Morehead City, Carteret County, North Carolina, on 19 Feb 1956 and he was buried in Ocean View Cemetery in Beaufort, North Carolina.

Sources: Find a Grave accessed on May 13, 2026, and material from The Mason-Parkin House written by Greg and Laurel Sanders in 2020.

Scope and arrangement

This collection contains legal documents (1897-1959) related to the Mason-Parkin house at 1004 Ann Street in Beaufort, North Carolina, and the family that owned it for 118 years—John and Patsy Mason and their descendants. John H. Mason bought the land that became 1004 Ann Street from Wallace Robinson and his wife Frances on April 29, 1897. Documents related to the house include the 1897 deed, a 1935 survey of the land, 1935 deed of trust and promissory note, and 1948 escrow transmittal and agreement. Other land documents (1959 survey and 1959 deed) concern an adjoining lot bought by Thomas E. Parkin Jr. from Roy Eubanks and wife Lucy.

Family related documents include the 1907 deed to a burial lot in Ocean View Cemetery sold to John H. Mason, and a photocopy of John H. Mason's 1953 will leaving the property at 1004 Ann Street to his daughter Margaret M. Parkin and her son Thomas E. Parkin Jr.

Also included is a PDF digital file of a 2020 booklet, documenting the Mason family and the house's architectural details and legal documents, created by the present owners (the donors of this material) when applying for an historic plaque for the house from the Town of Beaufort.

Administrative information

Custodial History

May 13, 2026, 0.10 cubic feet; This collection contains legal documents (1897-1959) related to the Mason-Parkin house at 1004 Ann Street in Beaufort, North Carolina, and the family that owned it for 118 years—John and Patsy Mason and their descendants. Also included is a PDF digital file of a 2020 booklet, documenting the Mason family and the house's architectural details and legal documents, created by the present owners (the donors of this material) when applying for an historic plaque for the house from the Town of Beaufort. Gift of Greg and Laurel Sanders.

Source of acquisition

Gift of Greg and Laurel Sanders

Processing information

Processing completed May 13, 2026, by Martha Elmore.

Copyright notice

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@ecu.edu. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state law. The user assumes full responsibility for using such information and is advised that the disclosure of such information about identifiable living individuals without their consent may have legal ramifications.

Metadata Rights Declaration

This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

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