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The Wife Of Stevens T. Mason

The Wife Of Stevens T. Mason image
Parent Issue
Day
18
Month
September
Year
1891
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

After the pages of the Argus containing the article, "Who is Paulina Masón," went to press this week, we were in receipt of a letter froin exGovernor Felch concerning the matter, which is given below. Editok Argus: In the Detroit Tribune of the 30th uit. I notice a reniarkable article headed, "A Woman with a History," and purporting to be an interview with the widow of Stevens T. Mason, the first governor of the state of Michigan. The interview is said to have taken place at Toledo, Ohio. where it is alleged this widow resides. A reference to a few brief facts will show how utterly mendacious and unfounded this pretence is. Governor Mason was married in the city of New York, in the year 1838. His wife was Julia E.Phelps, adaughter of Thaddeus Phelps, a well known successful and highly-esteemed business man of that city. On the 4th day of January, 1843, Governor Mason died in New York, leaving the wife above mentioned a widow with three childreu. His widow was married in 1847 to W. II. McVickar, a merchant of New York, and she died in that city in 1870. Of the three children left by Governor Mason, two are dead and the survivor, a most estimable and worthy lady, now Mrs. D. M. Wright, resides in Newark, N. J. The writer of this note, who was intímate with the father in his lifetime, enjoys the pleasure of an occasional correspondence with this daughter. The warm attachment of the people of Michigan to their first governor was signalized by funeral services in his honor at Detroit on the 15th day of the month in which bis death occurred with a large procession of military and civil officers. I have no means of knowing who this pretended widow is, nor indeed whether any person exists who even pretends to be that character, but it is certain that no widow of Stevens T. Mason has been living since 1870, more than twenty years ago. It is not my purpose f urther to criticise the contents of the article referred to, with its wild imaginings of greatness, wealth and royalty, but I can not forbear saying that its incidental reference to the history of Michigan and of the men who gathered around and acted with Governor Mason at that interesting period of Michigan history, are sadly at fault. In the editorial columns of the Detroit Free Press published a few days after the article appeared the errors and absurdity of some of its statements arepointedout. I think it due tothesurviviugrelatives and friends of Govejnor Mason that the mis-statement as to the survivorship of his widow should be corrected and this is the purpose of this note. nn Arbor, September 17, 1891.