Mason, Jim and Em

In 1920, the Masons may have been the oldest African American couple in Kentucky. Jim was thought to be 108 years old and Em was thought to be 117. They had both been slaves; once freed, they lived in a cabin in Waterford, KY. Em died when the cabin caught fire. Jim was burned in the fire and was placed in the Old Mason's Home in Shelbyville, where he died a short time later. Their story is told in a miniature book published by the Whippoorwill Press in Frankfort, KY. For more see Jim & Em: an 1920-1921 episode in Kentucky history, by J. H. Hamon.