John Franklin Mason

MASON, BLOODGOOD, BRINTON, MONTAGUE, ROGERS, REESE

Posted By: Chuck and Joy Hanson (email)
Date: 12/14/2006 at 16:32:57

From The Des Moines Register, January 21, 1917:
Frank Mason, Old Resident, is dead.
Passes away suddenly Saturday afternoon at Methodist Hospital.
Came to Iowa in 1858, moved to Des Moines in 1870 and engaged in various business enterprises.

J.F. Mason, of 1050 Twenty-First Street, died suddenly yesterday afternoon at Methodist Hospital, following an operation in the morning which appeared to be entirely successful. He was taken to the hospital a week ago and his condition was thought to be very satisfactory up to and following the operation for prostatis, but he suddenly weakened. He is survived by his widow, four children and two brothers. The funeral will not be arranged until all of them have been communicated with. His brother, Congressman-at-large W.E. Mason of Chicago, formerly United States Senator, will be here this morning to join the other brother, E.R. Mason, the two being the survivors of the sons in fourteen children of their family. The children of Frank Mason are Mrs. Robert Bloodgood of Des Moines, Mrs. John Brinton of Washington D.C., Gilbert R Mason of Ames and Franklin J. Mason of Des Moines. Mr. Mason was twice married, his first wife being Annie B. Montague, and his second wife, who survives, being Jennie Rogers.

Mr. Mason was born in Franklinville, N.Y., Sept. 10, 1848, and was brought up in Bentonsport in Van Buren county, whence he came to Des Moines in 1870. Here he went into the business of manufacturing tinware and sheet metal products. In 1883 he organized the Merchants Barb Wire Manufacturing Company, which his brother said last night was driven out of the state by the interstate commerce regulations in1886. In 1887 he organized the Des Moines Cotton Mill company whose plant burned in 1890. He went into the soap manufacturing business, organizing the Prouty-Bowler Soap Company. Later he retired from it and went into the same business at Thirty-Eighth Street and Dean Avenue, where the factory of his White Wing Soap company now is operated.

Mr. Mason was active and respectful in business and had a wide circle of friends. He had the courage of his convictions and vigorously upheld the thing he believed to be right and to which he was committed in the affairs of the community and nation. He was a Republican and belonged to several civic organizations. He possessed his share of that force and foresight which characterized the pioneers of Van Buren county and gained for them success even in the face of seeming adversity.

The funeral will be held Tuesday at 1 o’clock from the home, 1050 Twenty-First Street. Rev. Curtis Reese, of the Unitarian Church, will be in charge of the services. Burial will be made in Woodland Cemetery.

From the Mason Scrapbook owned by H.K. Redhead