“From the Archives” — A Sad Saint Mary Family Saga
Laughlin Masterson arrived in Alexandria from County Cavan, Ireland, in 1817, aged 31, with his wife. A shoemaker, he opened a shop and had a successful business, making and selling men’s and boys’ shoes, belts and “other trimmings.” He and his wife Mary Ann had two sons and two daughters. But Masterson’s good fortune did not last. One of his little girls, Anna Maria, died in 1819 when she was only four. The other little girl, Eliza, died when she was only a year old.
In 1837, the Alexandria Gazette reported a later family tragedy: He [Laughlin Masterson] lost his life by unknown hands near Leonardtown, Maryland on the 20th of June 1837, aged 43 years. The premature death of this young man, with a wife and 2 children, a kind husband and tender parent, cost society one of its most useful members. Masterson’s murder was never solved and no motive ever found.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Masterson’s life continued to be an unhappy one. Several years later, her older son, Edward, died at the family home on Fairfax Street here in Old Town Alexandria. In 1853, the younger son, Francis, died of yellow fever in New Orleans. After his Requiem Mass at Saint Mary, Francis joined his father and siblings in Saint Mary Cemetery. Mrs. Masterson, having outlived her entire family, lived with various friends and died in 1882 in Washington, D.C. Her body was brought by boat to Saint Mary cemetery for burial.
— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian
In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2022. An archive of the features is located here.