An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company, Spokane, WA. 1905, page 333. ALBERT I. MASON, a leading horticulturist of the Hood River valley, lives about four miles south from town. He has a good place and has bestowed much labor in improving the same. His birth occurred on April 26, 1860, and his parents are Jerome B. and Harriett (Rumbaugh) Mason, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. Both are now living. Our subject was educated in the public and normal schools of Missouri and began teaching soon after his graduation. Later, he went to Kansas and filed on a preemption upon which he proved up then returned to Missouri and taught school one winter in his home district. The next year, he went to Kansas and filed on a piece of land for the relinquishment of which he paid seven hundred dollars. After commuting on the same, he went to work as a carpenter in building depots for the Rock Island railroad. This trade he had learned in his younger days. Later, we see him in Kansas City laboring at the same trade. Then he left his family with relatives in the east and came to Portland, landing in that metropolis with two dollars. He followed the carpenter trade until 1893, when he passed the civil service examination for a letter carrier. In that capacity, he worked in the Portland office for nine years. In 1896, he purchased eighty acres in the Hood River country which was covered with heavy pine timber, paying nine dollars and twenty-five cents per acre. His family resided here and he remained in the Portland office for six years longer. Mrs. Mason took charge of the improvements of the farm while her husband was away and wisely expended the money in getting a nice orchard started and had a three years orchard growing when he arrived. They now have five hundred bearing trees and sixteen acres that will soon be bearing. Owing to a fraudulent nurseryman who sold him trees different from the kind he ordered, Mr. Mason has been set back some in the fruit industry and was compelled to cut down a great many acres and graft them to the proper varieties otherwise he would have a great many more trees bearing. They expect to plant about seventeen acres more to apples which will make one of the largest orchards in the valley. Mr. Mason has one brother, Thomas O., and one half brother, James Swindler, and two half sisters, Maude Meyers and Lula Swindley. At Nescatunga, Kansas, on September 9, 1889, Mr. Mason married Miss Ollie Magill, a native of Tennessee and the daughter of John W. and Jennie L. (Taylor) Magill, also natives of Tennessee. Her father died in Indian Territory, in June, 1892, and the mother is living at Oklahoma City. Mrs. Mason has one brother, William F., and three sisters, Mrs. Dora Foster, Miss Orva, and Mrs. Allie Russell. The last was born on April 6, 1873 and died in Indian Territory in 1898. Mr. Mason is serving his second term as president of the Hood River Apple Growers' union, having been the only incumbent of that office. He was one of the organizers of the union and has labored zealously for its prosperity. Mr. and Mrs. Mason have two children, Thomas Floyd, born on the farm, on August 27, 1900, and Hattie Joy, born September 13, 1891, at Portland. Mr. Mason is a member of the Letter Carrier's Mutual Benefit Association of Portland and was president of that branch when he left the service. Formerly, Mrs. Mason followed dressmaking and was in that capacity when she met Mr. Mason. Our subject's father was in the Civil War, Company D, Second Missouri Cavalry, and came west with the G.A.R. excursion last fall. Mrs. Mason's father enlisted in Company K. First Tennessee Infantry and later was promoted to the office of captain, the former captain being forced to resign owing to the mutiny of the company. Mr. Mason enlisted for three years which continued for nine months longer after his term of enlistment and was mustered out during the battle of Atlanta. He was in very active service during all the time. ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.