Mason Haynesworth has brought order to many lives as a trusted CPA
by Jazmine Otey
Last month, The Roanoke Tribune featured an article initiating a search for surviving descendants of James E. Brown Sr. and William Campbell. The information concerning the two gentlemen was chronicled by Karl Taylor and his assistant Al Barton.
Enter Mason Haynesworth, a longtime professional CPA trusted by many in the area with handling not only financial affairs but offering certain legal advice as well. When Haynesworth (a Tribune subscriber) saw Brown’s photo in the paper he was surprised to see a familiar face.
Although Haynesworth never met Brown, he was good friends with his daughter, Margaret Brown for more than 20 years. When she passed away in 1999, she willed the family’s ancestral home to Haynesworth. Haynesworth called the Tribune and was enthusiastic about providing more information on Brown’s family lineage.
“When I saw the article, it shocked me because Ms. Brown was a wonderful lady,” Haynesworth said. “Margaret was a kind-hearted person and quite knowledgeable,” as a soft-spoken confidant who clearly exhibits an intense focus for the welfare of his many clients.
Haynesworth, 79, remembers growing up in Florence, South Carolina with seven siblings. His mother, Lavenia Watson, worked at a laundromat and his father worked as a watchman at the Virginia State School for the Death and Blind in Hampton.
He vividly recalls sitting in the room as his father left to do watchman checks. With a chuckle, he described how he would oftentimes fall asleep while his father worked.
In 1971, Haynesworth went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree in accounting and business education from Hampton University. During the same year he traveled to Roanoke for a job offer. He left the federal government as an auditor in Hampton to work as a railway auditor in the Roanoke shops and would later earn his Master’s degree in business administration from Virginia Tech in 1978.
During his first weekend in Roanoke, he pondered whether he wanted to build a house or rent an apartment. While looking for a place to live, he met George Heller, a former YMCA employee. Heller suggested he stay with Naomi Ruth Hunt Hughes on Patton Ave. NW. She’d housed many newcomers in her basement who eventually went on to become prominent individuals in the area.
When he went to speak to Hughes she welcomed him into her home and even suggested a realtor that he could get in touch with. It wasn’t long before he met Margaret, Hughes’ next-door neighbor. She was around 63 at the time and lived with her older sister Zenobia. Haynesworth often helped the pair with their taxes and other business matters.
“Margaret used to call me her lawyer,” Haynesworth said, laughing softly. “But I didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t have done for anyone else. If someone asks me to do something then I do it without wanting anything for it.”
Zenobia was a retired teacher, and Margaret followed in her father’s footsteps. Similarly to her father, who was a head waiter at Hotel Roanoke, Margaret wanted to be a service to others. Before she met Haynesworth, she worked as an in-house maid for the Colgate family, a family known for their toothpaste, mouthwash and other oral hygiene products.
After working for the family for several years she developed a close relationship with them. When Beatrice Colgate passed in 1998, the family left Margaret with more than 50 grand. She was one of 32 beneficiaries to receive money from the family.
“Beatrice left Margaret some money because she was like her right-hand person,” Haynesworth said. “They had a heck of a relationship.”
Zenobia passed in 1991 and Margaret eight years later. Haynesworth was in charge of putting together both funerals. He added that Margaret is more than likely the last surviving descendant of Brown’s family lineage.
Given the strong relationship she had with Haynesworth, she willed everything she had left, to him.
“I was certainly shocked. I knew how Margaret and her sister regarded me, but I never expected anything from them,” Haynesworth said.
Haynesworth now uses the house Margaret left him as an office. He retired in 2000 and is now a self-employed accountant.
There are a myriad of family heirlooms scattered around the house. He said that one day when he was cleaning out the attic he found framed photographs of James E. Brown Jr. Some of the roughly 24-by-36-inch photographs included James as a doctor along with photos of his graduation class Meharry Medical College 1925.
“I’m just elated that this worked out like I hoped,” said Barton. “I knew that the Roanoke Tribune would be the best organization to help us reach out to a relative or a friend of the family.”
While Taylor is also satisfied with the findings he still hopes to find more information regarding the surviving descendants of Brown and Campbell. If the two researchers are unable to locate any surviving descendants, they plan to give the laminated Hotel Roanoke menus to the Harrison Museum of African American Culture at Center of the Square.
Genuine concern for the welfare of others is what fuels people like Taylor, Barton and Haynesworth, who says he is honored to be able to share information about the Brown family and cherishes the relationship he had with the sisters Zenobia and Margaret Brown.
“I was pleased to get involved with the Browns over the years and for them to become a part of me,” Haynesworth said. “They are wonderful people.”
Mention the name of Mason Haynesworth and those who know–understand him as a man who’s lived a life of service built on trust.
