John Thomas Mason (1816-1876)

Early Life

John Thomas Mason was born on 13 February 1816 in Savoy, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, one of six children in a family of five sons and one daughter. His father had moved the family to Savoy from Swansea in 1808, settling in one of western Massachusetts’s newest hill towns. As a result, John spent his entire childhood on what was then considered the Massachusetts frontier, where clearing land and building farms demanded hard work and perseverance.

Why He Left

By 1840, the frontier that had attracted John’s father was disappearing. Most of the available farmland around Savoy had been claimed, and inexpensive land was becoming increasingly difficult for a young farmer to obtain. Like many New Englanders of his generation, John looked west for opportunity. Hearing about affordable federal land in Kane County, Illinois, he and his brother, David, decided to leave Massachusetts to establish farms of their own.

Journey to Illinois

John traveled with his brother, David, and several cousins who were looking for land in the Fox River Valley.

John Thomas likely traveled east to the Hudson River, then west along the Erie Canal to Buffalo. From there, steamboats carried migrants across the Great Lakes to Chicago, which in 1840 was still a muddy and undeveloped settlement. The final leg to the Fox River valley required overland travel on rough wagon roads or trails. The trip could take six to eight weeks and demanded endurance, careful planning, and faith in the opportunities that lay ahead.

Building a Life in Illinois

John and David claimed neighboring farms in what became West Dundee, Kane County. The settlement was still in its infancy, with little more than a tavern, a store, and scattered pioneer families. Each brother claimed 140 acres and, after improving the land, purchased it from the federal government for $1.25 per acre.

On 8 November 1845, John married Wealthy Diantha Kelsey in Cuba, Lake County, Illinois. Together they built a successful farm and raised four children born between 1847 and 1851. Diantha died in 1866, and John remarried the following year.

John’s willingness to leave Massachusetts proved to be a sound decision. By 1870, only thirty years after arriving in Illinois, his real estate was valued at $10,000—a remarkable achievement for a young man who had left home in search of affordable land. After transferring the farm to his son, John spent his final years in Elgin, where he died in 1876.

Why This Story Matters

John’s story illustrates a pattern repeated by thousands of nineteenth-century New England families. As eastern farmland became scarce and expensive, they looked west for opportunity, carrying with them the farming knowledge, determination, and values that helped shape northern Illinois.

For John, the journey required leaving behind family, familiar surroundings, and the only home he had ever known. His willingness to take that risk transformed not only his own future but also the lives of the generations that followed.

Related Reading

• Mason, Wealthy Diantha (Kelsey)
• Mason Migration Story
• Paths to Illinois, Volume I The Jepson Family Story

My Blog and Newsletter have additional stories and research related to the Jepson family.