OTIS TUFTON MASON (1838-1908)

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V21 2018 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 21, Number 46, November 18, 2018, Article 12

John Lupia submitted the following information from the online draft of his book of numismatic biographies for this week's installment of his series. Thanks! As always, this is an excerpt with the full article and bibliography available online. This week's subject is anthropologist and collector O. T. Mason. -Editor

Otis Tufton Mason (1838-1908), PhD, L.L.D., was born the fifth of eight children, on April 10, 1838, at Eastport, Washington County, Maine, son of John Mason (1799-1888), and Rachel Lincoln Mason (1810-1889).

Otis Tufton Mason was a remarkable American anthropologist who studied Native American Indian basketry, travel habits, and ethnological aspects of human culture especially in numismatics. He was possibly related to Ebenezer Locke Mason, Jr., since his own brother was named Ebenezer Erskine Mason (1829-1910), who was born the same year as E. L. Mason, Jr., born at Portland, Maine.

He married Sarah Elizabeth Henderson (1835-1900). They had five children : John H. Mason (1863-1864), George E. Mason (1866-1879), Emily Tufton Mason (1868-1904), and William R. Mason (1874-1875).

n 1880, he was a member of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia.

He was curator of Ethnology, in the United States National Museum, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.

In 1902, he was made head curator of Anthropology, the United States National Museum, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.

In 1893, he published : North American Bows, Arrows, and Quivers (The Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.)

He died of paralytic stroke on November 5, 1908 at Washington DC., and is buried there in Oak Hill Cemetery.

The topic of O. T. Mason came up this week when Ray Williams was searching for information on a colonial paper note pedigreed to an O. T. Mason. John Lupia kindly furnished this bio from his files. But is it the same person? This Mason died in 1908; in 1935 Harley Freeman bought a colonial paper collection from an O. T. Mason. Was that purchase from Mason's estate? More sleuthing is required, but this may well turn out to be our man. Thanks, everyone. -Editor

To read the complete article, see:
MASON, OTIS TUFTON (https://sites.google.com/a/numismaticmall.com/www/numismaticmall-com/mason-otis-tufton)

The entire inventory of the Lupia Numismatic Library is for sale. Individual items will be available before the remaining archives are broken up into parcels sold at philatelic auctions in the U. S. and Hong Kong. Check NumismaticMall.com frequently as dozens of new items with estimates will be posted daily until everything is sold.

All inquiries will be given prompt and courteous attention. Write to: john@numismaticmall.com .