Mason, Frank

The following data is extracted from Muskogee and Northeastern Oklahoma.

     Frank Mason, President of the Title Abstract Company of Nowata, in which connection he has established for the company a well merited reputation for' accuracy, progressiveness and re-liability, was born in Monroe County, Ohio, January 18, 1861, and is a son of Dr. George W. and Janet (Park) Mason, both of whom were natives of Ohio, the former of Irish descent, while the latter was of Scotch lineage. Their respective families settled in Ohio as pioneers of Monroe County and became identified with the early development and progress of that state. The early home of the Mason family was a log cabin that in later years was replaced by a more modern and attractive residence but the pioneer home still stands as a monument to the labors and spirit of that early generation of the family which was so closely associated with the period of primitive development in the Buckeye state. In the family of Dr. George W. and Janet (Park) Mason there were five sons.      Frank Mason, who was the third in order of birth, was reared on his father's farm, aiding in the task of clearing and developing the land while his educational opportunities were those affored by the public schools of the neighborhood. He was a young man of twenty-two years when he became a candidate for the office of registrar of deeds in Monroe County. Something of his popularity and the confidence reposed in him by his fellow townsmen is indicated in the fact that he easily won over sixteen other candidates. Later he was reelected to the office and continued to fill the position for seven years.
     It was in August, 1905, that Frank Mason came to Oklahoma and took up his abode at Nowata. Here he organized the first abstract company in the County under the name of the Mason-Park Abstract Company. At a subsequent period this business was consolidated with that of the Nowata-Bartlesville Abstract Company under the present name of the Title Abstract Company and today they have the only records in existence that antedate the fire of 1909. This company is one of the best in the state and has made approximately twenty thousand abstracts. The company is capitalized for ten thousand dollars, with Frank Mason as President, and B. G. Dowell as Vice President. There is no one who has more intimate and accurate knowledge of property and of realty transfers in this section of the state than has Mr. Mason and from time to time' he has made investments in farm property, having some valuable holdings at the present time.
     On the 22d of October, 1893, Mr. Mason was united in marriage to Miss Oella Shankland, a native of Ohio, and to them have been born three children: Charles Walter, the eldest son, was born on his father's farm in Monroe County, Ohio, December 11, 1887, and was educated in Grant University at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and in the law department of the Washington and Lee University, from which he was graduated in 1911. The following year he was appointed city attorney and in November, 1914, became County attorney of Nowata County. He is now filling the office of judge of the district that includes Nowata and Rogers Counties; Ronald S., the second of the family, is engaged in the oil business. F. Claris, the youngest son, is now employed in the Indian Irrigation Service at Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is married and has one child, Ellen Marie.
     In his political views Frank Mason has always been a stalwart Democrat and was chairman of the first Democratic County committee of Nowata County, which position he also holds at the present time. He has done much to further the successes of his party and he stands loyally as a supporter of all progressive public interests and projects, his aid at times being a very vital force in bringing about desired results in connection with the city's improvement and expansion.

Source: Muskogee and Northeastern Oklahoma

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