Major John Mason, an ancestor of questionable fame
This week’s behind the paywall newsletter is an article I wrote in 2020 on John Mason (~1600-1672), a founder of Windsor, Connecticut, and renowned “Conqueror” of the Pequot tribe. The original article is published here. His statue on the Green has been the center of controversy and was supposed to be relocated in the intervening years. It was originally unveiled in Mystic, home to Mason’s Mystic Massacre, in 1889, but then relocated to Windsor in 1996 to be near Mason’s 1634 home, the historic church and graveyard, and a stone’s throw from the Historical Society after an initial round of outrage about the memorial. In 2021, protests once again targeted the statue, but moving it to a permanent home inside the museum next door has been held up. Money seems to be standing in the way.
Now - more about one of my ancestors, whose infamy now outshines his fame.
