Samuel Mason

Samuel Mason
No known portrait of Samuel Mason exists from life. A likeness from his physical description mentioned in historical records.[1]
Born	Samuel Ross Mason (1739-11-08)November 8, 1739 Norfolk, Virginia, British America
Died	1803 (aged 63–64) Jefferson County, Mississippi Territory, U.S.
Cause of death	Gunshot wound or murder by tomahawk
Nationality	American
Other names	Sam Mason, Mason, Samuel Meason, Meason, Captain Mason, Ensign Mason, Squire Mason, Mason of the Woods, Wilson, Bully Wilson
Occupation(s)	Horse thief, soldier, state militia officer, frontiersman, tavern keeper, burglar, bandit, justice of the peace, criminal gang leader, river pirate
Employer(s)	Virginia state government, self-employed
Spouse	Rosanna or Rosannah Dorsey
Children	6[2]
Military career
Allegiance	Virginia  United States
Service / branch	Virginia State Forces
Years of service	1777–1779
Rank	Captain
Unit	Ohio County Militia
Commands	Captain Samuel Mason's Company
Battles / wars	American Revolutionary War First Battle of Fort Henry Sullivan Expedition
Signature

Samuel Ross Mason, also spelled Meason (November 8, 1739 – 1803), was a Virginia militia captain, on the American western frontier, during the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he became the leader of the Mason Gang, a criminal gang of river pirates and highwaymen on the lower Ohio River and the Mississippi River in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was associated with outlaws around Red Banks, Cave-in-Rock, Stack Island, and the Natchez Trace.