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General Fitzhugh Lee's mother was Miss Anna Marie Mason, a daughter of John Mason, of Virginia, and she was known in her girlhood as "beautiful Nannie Mason." After she married Lieutenant Sydney Smith Lee the couple made their home in Washington. Mrs. Lee has been totally blind for some years, but is still cheerful and happy.

 

            The first of this distinguished family who came to North America was Col. George Mason. A member of the English parliament in the reign of Charles I.

Though he opposed with great eloquence the arbitrary policy of the King, he also resisted the extreme measures resorted to against him and subsequently became an officer in the Army of Charles II. When the royalist Army was defeated at Worcester by Cromwell in 1651, he made his escape disguised as a peasant and embarking for America, landed at Norfolk Va. He lost all his possessions in England. His great-grandson of the same name m. about 1726 Anna Thomson, a favorite niece of Sir William Temple / and had by her two sons and a daughter. The eldest George, born at Doeg's Neck, then in Stafford, now of Fairfax Va. in 1726 died 1792, m. Ann Eilbeck of Charles Co. Md. and built Gunston Hall on the banks of the Potomac where he died. In 1769 he drew up the non-importation resolution which were presented by Washington in the Assembly of Va. These resolutions were unanimously adopted. 1775. the Convention of Va. decided to elect him a delegate to Congress. The cause of his refusal to serve was the recent death of his wife leaving a large family of children. He nominated in place of himself Colonel France Lightfoot-Lee, who was elected. He was at this time fifty years of age, of commanding presence and lofty bearing, / his stature nearly six feet, his frame athletic and robust, his complexion swarthy, his black hair sprinkled with gray, and his face grave, with radiant dark eyes. Mr Madison pronounced him the ablest man in debate that he had ever seen.

 

John Y. Mason descended more remotely from the same stock as the above. born in Va. 1796, died in Paris Oct 4, 1859. He filled several positions of honor under the state government of Va. and was representative in Congress from 1831 to 1837 when he was appointed Judge of the U.S. Court for Va. He was Secretary of the Navy under President Tyler and successively Attorney General and Secretary of the Navy under President Polk. By President Pierce he was appointed Minister to France where he continued until his death.

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