Chloe Adens, Harriet Morgan Jones, Katie and William Smith, and Lafayette Mason
247th in the series Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery…
By SUE HUNTER WEIR
Chloe Adens* was the first of four generations of her family to be buried in the Cemetery, and hers was the first recorded burial of an African American in what was referred to at the time as Layman’s Cemetery. She was born in Delaware County, Pennsylvania sometime around 1803. In 1790, Pennsylvania passed a law that stated that the child of an enslaved mother was either a free person of color or, in some cases, was an indentured servant until they reached the age of 28. Whether Mrs. Adens began life as a free person of color or as an indentured servant is not known.
She arrived in Minnesota sometime between 1850 and 1860. She had two children: a son, Jacob, who did not come West with her, and a daughter Harriet, who did. Harriet was born around 1832 and would have been in her late teens or early twenties when they moved here.
Harriet Adens married Morgan Jones on June 29, 1870. Not a great deal is known about her other than that she was a singer, a talented musician, with a gift that she passed on to her daughter and grandchildren. Harriet died on December 19, 1896, at the age of 59. The cause of her death was simply recorded as “heart.”
Cemetery’s Oldest
Harriet’s husband, Morgan Jones, was born in Virginia on August 10, 1805. He was enslaved from birth. In 1823, his enslavers moved to Missouri taking Morgan with them. He remained there until about 1865.
In 1906, he told a reporter that “…as soon as the slaves were pronounced free, I started for Minnesota.”
He found work as a laborer, and it was here that he met Harriet, his future wife. Over the years, he became a widely recognized and popular man about town. He died of “old age” on December 8, 1906, at the age of 101. He is the oldest person buried in the Cemetery.
Harriet and Morgan’s daughter, named Katherine (Katie) Luella Jones, was born on May 4, 1861. She was a gifted coloratura soprano and composer who performed at numerous benefit concerts. She was a founding member of St. Peter’s AME and Bethesda Baptist churches. Katie had two children, a son and a daughter, with her first husband, George Mason. It is not clear what happened to him, but in 1889, Katie married William Smith. They were together until her death, at age 79, from breast cancer on January 29, 1941.
Lafayette Mason, Katie’s son, was born on May 17, 1880. He shared his mother’s musical gifts. He was a well-known pianist, performing both popular and classical music, and was mentioned frequently in the local Black newspapers. And, like his mother, he was generous with his time and talent, giving many concerts for a variety of religious and civic organizations and causes. Before he began his musical career he attended South High School where, in 1898, he was elected captain of the football team. In 1907 or 1908 he joined the city’s fire department where he served with Captain John Cheatham, the city’s first Black firefighter. Lafayette died on April 18, 1910, five weeks short of his 30th birthday, from typhoid fever complicated by acute tuberculosis.
William Smith was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 30, 1861. He relocated to Missouri where he lived for a short time before moving to Minneapolis. He was the city’s first Black postal clerk, and after he was promoted, was reported to have been the first Black foreman in the country’s postal service. In his obituary, he was described as “…one of the most brilliant public speakers” and used his skill to promote the activities of the NAACP and Urban League. He was also the associate editor of Spokesman-Recorder. He died on September 5, 1944, from a cerebral thrombosis (stroke) at the age of 82.
Katie’s daughter, Essie Mason, was born on February 27, 1882. She, too, was an accomplished musician, who played the piano and organ at her church. She followed in her stepfather’s activist footsteps by serving as secretary of the local chapter of the NAACP. She never married but was a highly regarded member of the Sabathani Church. She died on May 19, 1969, at the age of 87, and is the only member of the family not buried in Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery.
Chloe Adens, Harriet Morgan Jones, Katie and William Smith, and Lafayette Mason are all buried in the family plot, Lot 69, Block C. Their graves are unmarked.
For further information about Lafayette Mason and Morgan Jones, visit: https://alleynews.org/2017/12/the-cemeterys-eldest-morgan-jones-60-years-a-slave-41-years-freedman/
*Her name is variously spelled Aidens and Adams.
SUE HUNTER WEIR is Chair of Friends of the Cemetery, an organization dedicated to preserving and maintaining Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery. She has lived in Phillips for almost 50 years and loves living in such a historic community.
