Used by millions to preserve fruit, vegetables, and even meat, Mason jars take their name from their inventor, John Mason, who patented the air-tight jar in 1858. Mason’s own surname likely came from one of his ancestors being a mason, that is, as a stonecutter. The term freemason arose in the fourteenth century to describe a mason who was legally permitted to travel to other districts to work on a building under construction; other masons, and other artisans in general, were allowed to work only in their own local district.