Mason, Kathryn Harrod Research Collection, 1926-1934, 1945-1951
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Mason, Kathryn Harrod
Title: Research Collection, 1926-1934, 1945-1951
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Collections Department.
Size of Collection: 0.33 cubic feet
Location Number: Mss. A M398
Scope and Content Note
The bulk of the Kathryn Harrod Masson Research Collection consists of photostats relating to the life and activities of Kentucky pioneer James Harrod, collected for his biography from the Draper Manuscript Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society. The collection includes photostats of correspondence, deeds, ledgers, research notes, newspaper clippings, vital statistic records, and petitions (the originals of this material date from 1776-1888). This collection also includes some of Mason’s own correspondence, the 1934 Kentucky Progress Magazine’s Harrodsburg edition, reproductions of maps (some produced for Mason’s James Harrod biography), photographic prints (Rebecca Burges Harrod and Fort Frederick, Maryland), and photostats of Webster family genealogy (focusing on Walter Webster, born in 1841 in England, his wife, Kate (Katie) Rebecca Campbell, and their children.).
Biographical/Informational Note
Kathryn Harrod Mason
“Kathryn Harrod Mason was born in Columbus, Ohio and is a descendant of early American pioneers, among them Levi Harrod, one of the original company who settled Harrodsburg. She has done graduate work at Claremont College and has studied at Stanford University. She is a contributor to historical journals and has done newspaper work. At present [circa 1951] Mrs. Mason lives in Germany where her husband is a State Department official.”
Mason biography copied from the dust jacket of her monograph, James Harrod of Kentucky (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1951). Mason also published an article in The Filson Club History Quarterly, “The Career of James Ray, Kentucky Pioneer” (Vol. 19, April 1945, pp 86-114) which relied heavily on material from the Draper Manuscripts.
James Harrod [circa 1746-1792(?)]
James Harrod was a pioneer and one of the founders of the first permanent settlement in Kentucky. Born in Pennsylvania to John Harrod and his second wife, Sarah (Moore) Harrod, he served as a guard at Fort Littleton (Pennsylvania) and as a ranger as early as 1755. He participated in the French and Indian War. He began westward exploration in the 1760s, going to the Illinois lands and then present-day Kentucky and Tennessee. He was one of the establishers of the first permanent settlement in Kentucky, originally “Harrodstown” (now Harrodsburg) in June 1774. Harrodsburg became the county seat for Virginia’s new “Kentucky County” in 1776. In 1779, Harrod represented the county in the Virginia General Assembly, and in the 1780s he was a trustee of Harrodsburg. In 1776 and 1777, he led two expeditions eastward to secure provisions for the fledgling forts of Kentucky. Harrod again served in the militia, and defended the settlement of Harrodstown from Indian attacks throughout the summer of 1777. Beginning as a captain, he attained the rank of colonel by 1779. By that time, James Harrod had become a wealthy farmer, owning more than 20,000 acres across Kentucky. In 1778, Harrod married Ann Coburn McDonald. McDonald had come to Harrodstown in 1776; her first husband was killed by Indians later that year. The Harrods had one daughter, Margaret, who was born in September 1785. In February 1792, Harrod and two other men entered the wilderness of Kentucky to hunt for beaver. Harrod never returned from the expedition.
Information from James C. Klotter’s article in The Kentucky Encyclopedia (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992) pages 413-415.
The Draper Manuscripts
The Draper Manuscripts are officially titled the “Lyman Copeland Draper Manuscript Collection” at the Wisconsin Historical Society (formerly the State Historical Society of Wisconsin), and encompass historian Lyman C. Draper’s (1815-1891) correspondence, research notes, and original documentation on the “Trans-Allegheny West” circa 1755-1815.
For more information, see the Wisconsin Historical Society’s website on The Draper Manuscripts at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/military/draper/
Arrangement Note
The Kathryn Harrod Mason Research Collection is predominately comprised of oversized photostats received from Kathryn Harrod Mason and maintained in the original order as created by Mason. The collection is wrapped rather than boxed due to the oversized nature of the majority of the photostats. A portion of the documents have penciled/penned labels (presumably marked by Mason) noting their research topics/value; some were stamped and numbered relative to their status as copies from the Draper Manuscripts (this marking was done by the Wisconsin Historical Society). Outside of the labeling by Mason and stamping by WHS, there is little “order” to the collection.
Collection material is grouped into folders (some by Mason, others by FHS staff). Foldered material includes:
- Mason Correspondence, 1945, 1951 [created byFHS]
- James Ray’s Pension Declaration [created by Mason]
- Mason Images, 1926, 1929 [created byFHS]
- Webster Family Genealogy [created byFHS]
- Kentucky Progress Magazine Fall 1934, Vol. 6, No. 5, Harrodsburg Edition [created byFHS]
- Maps [created by Mason]
- Mason Research Photostats [these were initially loosephotostatswhich have been combined into a folder
Subject Headings
Allegheny Mountains
American bison populations
Bath County (Ky.) – History
Boonesboro (Ky.) – History
Bourbon County (Ky.) – History
Clark, George Rogers, 1752-1818
Draper, Lyman Copeland, 1815-1891
Fort Harrod (Harrodsburg, Ky.)
Fort Frederick State Park (Md.)
Frontier and pioneer life – Kentucky
Harrod, Ann Coburn, 1756-1843
Harrod, James, 1742-1793
Harrod, Rebecca Burges, 1780-1866
Harrod, William
Harrod family
Harrodsburg (Ky.)–History
Indians of North America – Kentucky
Kenton, Simon, 1755-1836
Kentucky – History – 18th century
Kentucky – History – Maps
Kentucky Progress Magazine
Maps
Miami Purchase
Montgomery County (Ky.) – History
Ohio – History – Maps
Ohio River Valley – History
Pennsylvania – History – Maps
Pioneers – Kentucky – Maps
Pioneers – Violence against
Ray, James, ca. 1761-1835
Tennessee – History – Maps
Webster family
