My great grandmother’s obituary produced as keepsakes by the local newspaper. It has been interesting to live as witness to the demise of the print journalism industry.
In Memoriam
HERALD-LEADER
Lexington, Ky. January 8 1963
Mrs. Martha B. Corman
Mrs. Martha Bradshaw Corman, 81, the widow of Suber* Corman, died at 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Hospital, South Fort Mitchell.
She was a native of Lexington. Mrs. Corman lived at 6 Floral Avenue in South Fort Mitchell and was a member of the Madison Avenue Christian Church there.
She is survived by five daughters, Mrs. Fanny Dean Mathews, Nicholasville; Miss Viola Corman and Miss Madeline Corman, both of South Fort Mitchell; Mrs. William Englett, Victorville, Calif., and Mrs. Joseph Neal, Kansas City, Mo; two sisters, Miss Susie Ghant, Nicholasville, and Mrs. Minnie Scanlon, Prineville, Ore; 12 grandchildren, and 21 great grandchildren.
The body was taken to the Allison and Rose Funeral Home in Covington.
It will arrive here at noon Wednesday and will be taken to Kerr Brothers Funeral Home where services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Burial will be in the Lexington Cemetery.
One of two examples of obituary keepsakes laminated and serve as bookmarks.
A TRIBUTE
published in the pages of
THE LEXINGTON LEADER
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
JAN 7 1963
Memorial Obituary
Mrs. Martha B. Corman
Mrs. Martha Bradshaw Corman, 81, widow of Suber* Corman, died at 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Hospital in South Forth Mitchell.
A native of Lexington, Mrs. Corman had lived at 6 Floral Avenue in South Fort Mitchell and was a member of the Madison Avenue Christian Church there.
Survivors are five daughters, Mrs. Fanny Dean Mathews, Nicholasville; Miss Viola Corman and Miss Madeline Corman, both of South Fort Mitchell; Mrs. William Englett, Victorville, Calif., and Mrs. Joseph Neal, Kansas City, Mo., two sisters, Miss Susie Ghant, Nicholasville, and Mrs. Minnie Scanlon, Prinville, Ore.; 12 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.
The body was taken to the Allison and Rose Funeral Home in Covington. It will arrive here at noon on Wednesday and be taken to Kerr Brothers Funeral Home where services will be conducted at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Burial will be in the Lexington Cemetery.
My grandfather, Pleas Mathews, died from osteomyelitis, a kind of staph infection of bone, reportedly contracted during WWI service while marching with US forces in Germany in worn-out boots and open sores on his feet. I wonder could there have been a parasite or exposure to chemicals? This was back before penicillin. Pleas was with the First Pioneer Infantry-Company I from June 1918 – July 1919, soldiers who built bridges, roads and maintained railroads just behind the front lines while maintaining combat readiness.
From family scrapbook
A well-written account of the First Pioneer Infantry in WWI can be found here in full text. And, I found a photograph of soldiers clearing a road in France in the same period my grandfather was serving there. The visual is powerful in alighting my imagination and the narrative follows Pleas’ journey in detail.
The family lore, if you will, consists of a reported medical study of Pleas’ collar bone regrowth, and the harsh realities in gradual progression of the overall physical toll from his illness or illnesses. Dad says Pleas had open sores over his body and his bones were routinely scraped down then packed with some substance leaving the sores exposed. He cringed as he recalled living with the smell of his father’s rotting bones and flesh. He recounted a story when Pleas bought some snake oil from a salesman in town that Dad said was nasty to taste or smell. They had no idea what was in it and he remembers how that bottle sat up on the shelf afterwards. Later, Pleas improved after receiving a trial of penicillin. His life was saved with the introduction of penicillin but the long-term effects of his illness were a plague for the remainder of his life.
From family archive collection
I’ve found few definitive details about his illness. One source is his WWII draft card I found on ancestry.com and in our family’s archival collection. Dated April 27, 1942, he was a light complexion, 47yo white man with brown eyes, brown and gray hair, weighing 130lbs at 5’7 1/2″ tall. Local (draft) Board No. 88 Jessamine KY registrar, Opal N. Finnell, notes as “Other obvious physical characteristics that will aid in identification” and her handwritten response, “Disabled soldier of last war Collar bone removed.” There are numerous itemized medical bills and receipts of payment during the period of 1946-1953. The pattern of treatments over time tell a grim story for his remaining years. Pleas died in 1955.
I cannot begin to imagine the life of my father in his youth and now regret not being more mindful of every detail he’s ever shared about those years on the ol’ homeplace. He grew up working tobacco on the family farm with his siblings, cousins, neighbors and, for a brief time, with German POWs. Hard working, hard living. A work ethic that epitomizes the definition of the term. Up early to work the farm, off to school, back home to finish chores. Do again the next day. I think of how I get “worn out” from some housecleaning or yard work and his daily life required both kinds of labor plus schooling. That book learning was a Mathews core value.
Pleas lost some use of his arm following the removal of his collar bone. This leaves many unanswered questions, including was this due to an injury from combat? Being the head of the household with limited dexterity, Pleas daily faced physical challenges of maintaining a farm, producing both cash crops and food for the family and farm animals. My dad was the son chosen to labor as literally serving at and as the hand of his father.
Pleas Mathews standing next to Fanny Dean in a family photo circa 1940, 21years after his military service. This image supports the narrative of his infirmary in which his collarbone had been removed following WWI.
Dad said Pleas would cite Bible verses from memory throughout their working hours. Knowing what little I know as a modern-day understanding of PTSD, clues like this make me wonder about his state of mind and whether he suffered the same. The nature of their family dynamics is infinitely intriguing to me through the lens of a soldier’s return home.
From the family archive collection – The Mathews – (left to right) John Shepherd (kneeling), John William Mathews, Pleas Mathews, Fanny Dean (standing), Kenneth Mathews (my father), Marjorie Mathews, Marita Mathews. Circa 1940.
Another ancestor I never knew existed in the Mathews with one “t” lineage, thank you Ancestry.com, was named Dr. Joseph McDowell Mathews. His grandfather is my 3rd great grandfather.
This example really floors me for not knowing or being known among family. Additionally, there is not much to commemorate him and his significance appearing in areas of public domain where I think there should be. This is another reason my passion has a purpose. This man deserves wider recognition. I mean, was he the first to say “Turn your head and cough”? If so, I rest my case.
Joseph M. Mathews, MD
With the help of online archives for The Kentucky School of Medicine, a predecessor to the University of Louisville School of Medicine, I located several images of Dr. Joseph McDowell Mathews. He served on faculty at least seven of the graduating class years between 1887 and 1903, but I plan to dig deeper on this point for clarification. Next research visits must include UofL archives.
low-quality screenshot of cropped image online Dr. Joseph McDowell Mathews
1847 Born New Castle, Henry County, Kentucky
He was the fifth child born to Caleb Moffett Mathews & Frances Ann Sullinger Edwards-Beasley Mathews, in Henry County, KY, on May 29, 1847. Father Caleb Mathews was a prominent attorney and judge for the county in the early formation of New Castle. The children of the Caleb Moffett Mathews family were considered “illustrious” and were presumably well-educated, as their father had been. There are references to the Henry Academy and its formation.
You can read more about Caleb and his two Mathews brothers, Joseph & William. These were the only sons of John Mathews, the first Mathews ancestor to settle in Kentucky, and his wife Sarah McDowell Mathews. These three brothers were all younger than ten years old when their father John died. A guardianship arrangement was established with George Moffett in 1816.
If Ancestry.com connections are valid, the McDowells and Moffetts were Revolutionary War Patriots and offer rich layers of exploration along a separate rabbit hole.
Education to physician educator
After his youth spent in Henry County having attended New Castle Academy (a.k.a., Henry Academy?), Mathews attended the medical school in Louisville, KY and graduated at 20yo in 1867. There is more than one reference to him studying medicine in Europe (either London or Germany…or both). His career flourished over the next nine years. He served on faculty of Kentucky School of Medicine, as president of the state board of health, and as chairman of surgery for Medical College of Louisville.
1876
The first reference to Dr. Mathews’ residence and practice as listed in the Louisville city directory was in 1876. Then, the following year, he married Sarah “Sallie” Trumbo Berry of Versailles, Woodford County, KY, on May 29, 1877. They were married in Midway, Woodford County.
Sallie was a 29yo widow and the mother of William F. Berry, born 1867, who Dr. Mathews later adopted. The origin story of William F. was tragic for Sallie, too. Sallie may have had a tumultuous first marriage as indicated by a newspaper clipping reporting when her father, Adam Trumbo, murdered her first husband, William T. Berry, when son William was 5yo. There is more to that story, to be sure. Search in blog for Trumbo for the next installment on this.
Louisville practice
The Louisville City Directory shows Dr. Mathews’ lived and practiced in Jefferson County between 1876 and 1914. Dr. Mathews lived in Louisville as shown in the census records of 1880, 1890, 1900 & 1910.
Between 1876 and 1914, Dr. Mathews’ Louisville practice was located at: 747 Walnut Street, 647 Walnut Street, 289 5th Street, 580 4th Street, 10 Warren Bldg, 342 W. Walnut Street, Mathews & Asman, 411 Masonic Temple, 308 Masonic Temple, 316 West Chestnut Street and, finally, 308 Masonic Temple.
In the same timeframe, the home residences noted in city directories of Dr. Mathews were located: 19th Street, Broadway, Alexander’s Hotel, 518 W. Breckinridge, 923 4th Street, 500 Belgravia Ave, and Louisville Hotel.
By 30yo, Dr. Mathews began narrowing his practicing interests to colon and rectal diseases. What might have triggered such drive? When New York City did not provide for his pursuits, he then went to London to study at St. Marks Hospital. Determination. In 1879, Dr. J. M. Mathews became “the first US physician to limit practice to colon and rectal disease.”
1880
The 1880 US Census shows Joseph M. Mathews, doctor, 33yo, Sallie, 32yo, and William, 13yo, living at “house #186, South Side Jefferson Street” in Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, USA. With Dr. Mathews on faculty at Kentucky School of Medicine, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY.
1896
Dr. Mathews served as editor for the Mathews’ Medical Quarterly.
1898
Dr. Mathews elected President of the American Medical Association.
Joseph McDowell Mathews, M.D.
THE MEANING OF THE HONOR
Dr. Mathews is Now President of America’s Greatest Medical
Association and One of the Most Splendid
In the World.
Dr. Joseph M. Mathews of this city who was elected President of the American Medical Association at Denver Wednesday has in that election xxx on of the highest that be paid a physician as this is a national body and comprises every State and Territory in the Union. Dr. N. ??? of Chicago was the President last year, and Dr. ?name, Surgeon General of the army, is the retiring President. Dr. Mathews has had many honors conferred upon him in the past. He is ex-President of the Mississippi Valley Medical Association, President of the Kentucky State Medical Society, President of the State Board of Health of Kentucky, and has this year been First Vice President of the American Medical Association, the great body of which he has just been elected President. A few weeks ago a Pennsylvania university conferred upon him the degree of X.X.D.
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Saturday Morning, June 11, 1898
1899
From Mathews to the Millennium – A Century of Achievement
A History of the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons, 1899-1999
Written & Edited by J. Byron Gathright, Jr. M.D. and Richard S. Bragaw
1900
The 1900 Census shows their residence as 923 Fourth Avenue, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY. A search for this address turned up in a parking lot adjacent to Spalding University properties, downtown Louisville. I have yet to find images of the house. It is possible there were photos taken by municipal entities prior to the razing.
By this year, son William T. Berry was considered an invalid brought on by illness. He would die from pneumonia in March of the following year.
In 1900, there were at least two other Mathews with one “t” living in Louisville, Kentucky. As of now, I do not find evidence of a connection to these families.
One other juxtaposition of note that I plan to pursue in research: In the 1900 US census, the enumerator lists residents living at 921 Fourth Avenue, presumably next door to the 923 Mathews Family residence. Headed by 58yo Henrietta Long Miller, Samuel A. Miller’s widow of five years, along with their 28yo daughter Eleanor Everhart Miller Bingham, her husband of four years, Robert Worth Bingham, 29yo, and their child, Robert, 3yo.
Much has been written about the Millers, Longs, Binghams in their situations marked by tragedy and grief. Was Dr. Mathews a neighbor of the family that would become pivotal to the development of Louisville as a city? What if any interaction was there? Would any journals they kept hold clues to my own ancestors? Would their family photo archive show their home?
According to the Pewee Valley Historical Society, the Miller family home located at 921 Fourth Avenue was razed to make way for building The Puritan Apartments, which opened in 1917. It stands to reason the house located next door would also have been impacted by the sizeable land project of an apartment building.
1901
Burying babies
And, in further sadness, according to this obituary below, Sallie lived to bury her only son, William F. Berry. His obituary opens up several lines of inquiry, including athletics and baseball in Louisville, a career in Philly and end of life as an invalid.
WILLIAM F. BERRY DEAD
Formerly An Athlete, But Recently An Invalid
William F. Berry, thirty-two years of age, died of a complication of diseases at the home of Dr. J. M. Mathews, 923 Fourth avenue, at 3:xx o’clock yesterday morning. Mr. Berry, formerly one of the best-known baseball players and athletes in Louisville, was an invalid for three years. He first became ill in Philadelphia. After leaving Louisville, he went to the Pennsylvania metropolis and engaged in business. He suffered an attack of the grip, and pneumonia, which later developed, brought an ailment which wrecked his constitution. He was compelled to retire from business.
Mr. Berry was the son of Mrs. J. M. Mathews. The funeral will take place from the residence this afternoon at 3:3o o’clock. The Rev. Carter Helm Jones will conduct the services.
THE COURIER-JOURNAL, 6 MAR 1901 – PAGE 10
1902
Joseph McDowell Mathews, physician, surgeon, author, was born May 1, 1847, in New Castle, Ky. He is president of the Kentucky state board of Health. He is the author of Mathews on Disease, of the Rectum and Sigmoid Flexure.
Herringshow’s Encyclopedia of American Biography of the Nineteenth Century (1902)
The US Directory of Deceased American Physicians, 1804-1929, Dr. Mathews was an “Allopath” with practice specialties and places including in: Louisville, KY, May 5 1911, Los Angeles, CA, November 25, 1915, Seattle, WA, Jan 20, 1925. Licenses: KY, 1893. Professorship: Louisville and Hospital Medical College, Louisville surgery, JAMA Citation 91:1910
Sometime after 1901, Dr. & Mrs. Mathews changed their residence to Los Angeles, CA. Did Sallie need to change her scenery following the death of her son? Dr. Mathews’ practice sites included: Seattle, Los Angeles, Louisville. Was he in demand as the foremost practitioner on his area of focus?
1920
The 1920 Census Los Angeles Assembly District 64, Los Angeles, California; Page 13B; Enumeration District: 228. Joseph M. Mathews, 72yo, living on So Carondelet Street as Head of House, married to Sara E. Mathews, 68yo. Renting.
California to paradise, but Kentucky remains
1928
After an illustrious career and presumably a choice retirement, Dr. Mathews died from pneumonia at 80yo in Los Angeles, CA, on December 2, 1928. He and Sallie were living in the Shoreham Hotel, Carondelet Street in their eighteenth year as California residents. Would the Shoreham be as swanky back then? I suspect so. OG swanky.
Obituary, 1928
DR. JOSEPH MATHEWS DIES
LOS ANGELES – Dr. Joseph McDowell Mathews, 81, former president of the American Medical Association died here . Dr. Mathews came to Los Angeles 18 years ago from Kentucky, where he began his career after he was graduated from the University of Louisville. Born at New Castle, Ky., Dr. Mathews went to London in 1879 and on returning to Louisville became a pioneer in proctology and was the first presidnet of the American Proctologic Society.
Lexington Herald-Leader, December 3, 1928 (their typo, not mine)
She was 78yo. His wife, Sallie, died 18 days later and her funeral services were held at Little Church of the Flowers, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA. Dating back to 1906, the Glendale location was the first Forest Lawn Memorial property. Of the network of parks, this original location today features the Forest Lawn Museum.
Obituary, 1928
MATHEWS, December 20, 1928, at the Shoreham Hotel, Mrs. Sallie E. Mathews, widow of the late Dr. Joseph M. Mathews.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 22, at 11 a.m. at the Little Church of the Flowers, Forest Lawn Cemetery. A. E. Maynes of the George A. Fitch, Inc., director, (Seattle and Louisville papers please copy.)
The Los Angeles Times, December 22, 1928, Page 16
“Dr. Mathews wrote a booklet on Proctology, a subject he originated and was the first Orthodox physician in the world to adopt proctology as a field of practice.”
Dr. & Mrs. J. M. Mathews were cremated and without memorialization, now side-by-side at Cave Hill Cemetery. A brief stop at the office confirms by map their location adjacent to the drive just up the hill from this administrative building. Their sites are without markers but aside the headstone for William F. Berry. They are there with the son but anonymous in the deep ground around. They left no children, also referred to as “without issue” which makes me wonder if they were close to their nieces and nephews?
Was that no-marker decision rooted in humility, anonymity or something else? No will of either among my records yet.
1938
According to the February 1991, every other year beginning in 1938, the American Proctology Society commemorates founder Dr. Joseph McDowell Mathews with The Joseph M. Mathews Oration.
What did the society publish? Where are those records? Was this a convention event?
Another doctor in the family
The Henry County Historical Society has been in transition recently but I plan some summer 2023 research road trips that will allow me to move closer in my understanding of the Mathews family in New Castle. And then, Danville.
Next, I will share about the connection to Dr. Ephraim McDowell, another cousin, 6x removed from me, who is famous as a pioneer surgeon for performing the first ovariotomy in Kentucky.
that.Kentucky.girl
A 6th-generation Kentuckian on a journey to find out – follow along
My grandmother’s Kentucky Education Association, Inc. membership card, 1943-1944.
1943-1944
Kentucky Education Association Incorporated and Commonwealth of Kentucky seal
This Certifies That
Mrs. Pleas Mathews Co. Jessamine
having paid the annual fee of $1.50, plus the Regional District dues, which includes subscription to the Kentucky School Journal, is an active member of the KENTUCKY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (incorporated) and the Regional District Association for the year dated July 1, 1943 to June 30, 1944.
James Richmond President
W. P. King Secretary Treasurer
BRING THIS CARD TO THE CONVENTION
As I sit pondering this, there opens up potential sources for discovery, including archives of KEA and copies of the Kentucky School Journal. And, I wonder what the conventions were all about. And, how hard was it to spare that $1.50 and other dues?
In ’43-44, Fanny Dean was wife of farmer Pleas, disabled WWI veteran who had one of his clavicle bones removed, which profoundly impacted life on ol’ homeplace. She was a mother of four children (12yo, 11yo, 9yo, 6yo) and would give birth to her fifth in August 1944. Teaching. Farming. Moming. Caregiving. Did she ever sleep?
Given those realities, I am curious whether she had to live away from the family while teaching, as was a common practice of the time. That would have been even more challenging for the family on the homeplace. Traveling to and from the schoolhouse on a daily basis would have left very little time for much else. It would likely not have been by motor vehicle.
Many more inquiries in my head. More research rabbit holes with questions I may never answer. I am not deterred.
that.Kentucky.girl
A 6th-generation Kentuckian on a journey to find out – follow along
SENIOR CITIZENS ENTER FLOAT IN JAMBOREE PARADE – Jessamine County Senior Citizens Center entered an “Autumn Memory” float in the Jamboree Parade, held here October 6. Tagging along behind the entry was a horse-pulled wagon carrying other seniors. Pictured on the float are O. F. Sanders, David Willhoite, Cleo Willhoite, Mary Shearer, Arval Durham, Violet…
This deed is the legal origination of land that eventually served as my father’s family childhood homeplace. James Douglass was an appointed deputy surveyor of Colonel William Preston, county surveyor, when Kentucky was known as Fincastle County of Virginia. In April 1774, Douglass joined John Floyd, Hancock Taylor (uncle to future US President Zachary Taylor),…
Spot, the Faynes’ farm dog, from my grandmother’s youth. Violet Fayne and her family lived in and around Little Hickman along Sugar Creek Pike in Jessamine County. She was the middle sibling of the five children and was born in June 1913. If she was still living at home when this photograph was taken, it…
In Memoriam HERALD-LEADER Lexington, Ky. January 8 1963 Mrs. Martha B. Corman Mrs. Martha Bradshaw Corman, 81, the widow of Suber* Corman, died at 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Hospital, South Fort Mitchell. She was a native of Lexington. Mrs. Corman lived at 6 Floral Avenue in South Fort Mitchell and was a member…
The transcription below is my attempt to decipher the handwriting and legal jargon of the late 1800s. You will notice question marks and placeholder text that informs my research. Additionally the FAN (friends, acquaintances, neighbors) approach yields rich opportunities with the names of Stifers, Rhorer, Welch, Campbell, etc. The deed is the third in a…
A resource* housed in the Jessamine County Public Library on Main Street, Nicholasville, KY, was published as a commemorative Jessamine County history and included individual citizens’ written accounts. My grandmother, Cutters, contributed her own biography which was included in this publication. What I find funny or ironic is that whoever proofread or otherwise made an…
February 3, 2023 is the 78th anniversary of the death of this person – Dr. Mathews – my ancestor I never knew I had. He is on a branch of my paternal family tree – Mathews with one “t” as we say, that I discovered only through my Ancestry.com research.
William H. Mathews II, MD
Here’s what I compiled from resources: He was born 5th of 11 siblings to William H. & Sarah Ann Porter Mathews, in Nicholasville, Jessamine Co, KY. He was the older brother of John Shanon Mathews, my dad’s grandfather. He was uncle to Pleas Cook Mathews, my grandfather.
Dr. W. H. Mathews II was born, was raised and later settled his family and his medical practice all in the proximity of the location noted on map as “W. H. Mat(t)hews” (see “C” in Chattersville)
Medical education in late 1800s
William H. Mathews, II attended medical school in Louisville, KY, in September 1881. Other names affiliated with his education include Kentucky School of Medicine and Hospital Medical College, from which he graduated in 1883. His obituary makes reference to an additional course in microscopy. I’d like to know what medical school was like in the late 1800s.
He married Fannie Scott of Nicholasville in 1884. The 1900 & 1910 Census records show they lived in Nicholasville, Jessamine Co, KY. They had two children Thomas Scott Mathews and Wm. H. “Doc” Mathews III.
Jessamine Co histories and his obituary place Dr. Mathews’ forty-four acre farm and practice located 3 miles south of Nicholasville, Jessamine Co., on Lexington and Danville Turnpike where he was born. He farmed and practiced as a physician at his homeplace. He was noted as a member of the Methodist Church. [Question to answer: Which one?] He provided care to the residents of Jessamine County for what might have been more than 40 years. [Another question.]
Concurrent storylines
Dr. Mathews II died at 88yo in Nicholasville, KY, on February 3, 1945. Across the county not far north, my dad was about to turn 10yo in a couple months and Pleas’ Jessamine Co tobacco farming family looked very much like this (see photo). Dr. Mathews may have checked in on his nephew Pleas’ family of five young children. Right? Would there have been any law against family treating family then?
The Mathews Family around 1945 or so (front) Bobby, Marita, Kenneth, (back) Marjorie, Fanny Dean holding David, and Pleas. I stare and stare at this image and ponder how much alike my father and his father appear here. Look at them – similar stance, far-off eyes squinting, head tilted at the sun.
The various Mathews relations likely all gathered at the funerals for Mayme Cook Mathews in March 1940, or that of her husband, John Shanon Mathews, who died a month later, April 1940. William would have attended his younger brother John’s funeral, I say. And yet, I have not found anything to corroborate.
Perhaps it was timing and geography that had something to do with a tradition of not knowing the family members. Maybe they just did not have anyone to carry forward all their stories to the younger generations. Was there a falling out of some sort, somewhere along the tree branches? Could it have been that Pleas returned from WWI combat without that connection?
I have not been searching long enough to have a true basis for these theories and yet I am not deterred. I will continue to seek more stories to live through my study and my imagination. I strive to be a giving ancestor by capturing what I can while I can as best I am able.
Other physicians in the tree
UP next (or soon, anyway) Dr. Mathews II’s first cousin (also my first cousin, 3x removed), Dr. Joseph M. Mathews, was a notable physician teaching and practicing in Louisville, Jefferson County, KY. Then, there is evidence of a connection to Danville’s Dr. Ephraim McDowell, a first cousin 6x removed from me, who is famous as a pioneer surgeon. More to follow from these rabbit holes.
that.Kentucky.girl
A 6th-generation Kentuckian on a journey to find out – follow along
John Shanon MathewsMayme Cook Mathews & John Shanon Mathews with grandson John Shepherd Mathews taken at the Jessamine County homeplace circa 1929-1930. They were married 53 years and died 37 days apart. Images captured from a family photo album and I believe the handwriting belongs to my grandmother.
MATHEWS
John S. Mathews, 76, died at 8:30 o’clock Wednesday night at the Good Samaritan hospital, Lexington.
Mr. Mathews, a Jessamine county farmer, is survived by two sons, Pleas and Johnny Mathews of Jessamine county; two brothers, the Rev. Joe Mathews, Anderson county and Dr. W. H. Mathews, Nicholasville, and three sisters; Mrs. Celia King, Indianapolis, Mrs. M. P. Land, Lexington and Mrs. Anna Bryant, Danville.
The body has been removed to the Guyn & Kurtz funeral home, wheres services were held at 2 o’clock Friday afternoon, with the Rev. Madison Combs, officiating. Burial was in Maple Grove cemetery.
The Nicholasville News, Wednesday, May 29, 1940
that.Kentucky.girl
A 6th-generation Kentuckian on a journey to find out – follow along
On this site stood Kentucky Academy one of the two first institutions of higher learning west of the Allegheny Mountains organized by the Presbytery of Transylvania in 1794 by donations received from George Washington, John Adams, John Jay and others. It was preceded by a school established in 1785.
Marker placed 4th July 1949 by Kentucky Society, Sons of the Revolution
Photo credit: C. Mathews, 2022
And there is more to this story. Pisgah Academy, Kentucky Academy – there are more than a few names used in reference to this institution of learning that ultimately joined with an early Transylvania University. Another nearby marker at the corner of Pisgah Pike (KY-1967) and Lexington Road (US-60) states:
My 3rd-great grandparents, John Mathews and Sarah Mathews Price, are buried in this church cemetery. I suspect their homestead settlement was somewhere in the vicinity of the church and am working to identify the specific location. The deed references South Elkhorn Creek and both Woodford and Fayette counties.
The three children of John & Sarah – my 2nd-great grandfather William and his two brothers – attended this school (in some iteration) around the 1820s. Would it be safe to assume the family attended this church? Was this the place John Mathews’ mourners gathered in 1814?
A paternal cousin I never knew was married at this church. Apparently a distant McDowell relation served as a minister at this church in the early 1900s. There are many more lines of inquiry to pursue here and I look forward to uncovering more.
Chalk it up to whatever, but for the many years of traveling to and from family visits in the Bluegrass, I have felt something when passing along US-60 where the Kentucky Castle prominently sits at that intersection. When very young, I would light up at seeing my birth year on the highway signage and there is no denying the impact of a castle on the hill. Beyond what is shiny, so to speak, the feeling is something I cannot explain. I have a connection to this area that my conscious mind has yet to identify but my soul already knows. Have you ever experienced this?
that.Kentucky.girl
A 6th-generation Kentuckian on a journey to find out – follow along
Love of animals can be inherited, right? I did not have the experience of farm living as most of my extended family did. I did not get to know reliance on other creatures for living as on a farm. I speak from a place of recognition and honor of my own ignorance. I have enjoyed, though, many pets in my life.
My own first pet was a turtle. We got Toby, a Cock-a-Poo (cocker spaniel+poodle) for our family dog in the mid-1970s and numerous pets came and went thereafter. Often, my parents “hosted” – a somewhat reluctant state, if memory serves. An iconic black cat named Puddy Tat lived with me – and a few other kind souls – from new born kitten when I was in college until the birth of my second baby – a good long life of sixteen years. Then, I have a series of stories about the puppy tales from my years mothering my own young ones, but that is a different blog.
Looking at these old photos of family, some featuring the animals of the farm, I wonder about their natures – what manner of beasts. Of course they had personalities, and they had relationships with their humans. Dad has told us stories, like the one about his younger self (not more than 10yo) milking cows at 4am, running into a bull in the dark one morning, and the reaction they both had being startled. Some stories are poignant lessons of surviving on the farm, most are funny as to hear a Mathews tell it. Some are heartbreaking.
From the family photo album circa 1930
Take Ring, for example, featured in images from when Mr. and Mrs. John S. Mathews lived in the “big” house, as my Dad recalls first knowing it. Mr. & Mrs. Mathews – they were my Dad’s grandparents, who both died within a month of each other in 1940 when Dad was barely five. They lived to 76yo and 71yo, respectively. Ring served their farm and according to other photos in the family archive, there were possibly two other collie-type dogs well-loved on the farm after Ring.
I doubt Ring was an inside dog. I gather from my father that was NOT a thing back then and ESPECIALLY no where near any kitchen. So, likely Ring slept in the barn or some other cover when it was cold. Ring looks most like a border collie and herding IS a farm job. I imagine I would feel very affectionate for the dogs guarding the homeplace and alerting to visitors, dangers and otherwise. In my memory, there was a long drive from Harrodsburg Road back to the house and included more than one fence gate and crossing a bridge at the creek. In other words, some ground to cover as a runner, whether four or two feet.
Here’s my question: Why is Ring posed solo in a portrait? It suggests to me Ring wasn’t considered just an old farm dog to whomever took the photo. It looks like Ring is smart, eager to please, has something in the mouth and is wearing a collar with a tag. Maybe Ring knew a few tricks, too. “Sit” being a good bet.
Cut to modern days. Now we dress our pets for special occasions, the stores are filled with varying gourmet feed, toy and treat options. I do not leave my pup outside in the cold. He’s always been an inside dog and I have the traveling tumbleweeds of hair and dander to prove no matter how often I run the vacuum. He, too, is a smart dog and I have pictures and video on my phone as evidence. I am certain he would love to run himself out in farm living, as would I.
that.Kentucky.girl
A 6th-generation Kentuckian on a journey to find out – follow along
JOHN MATHEWS – This man has eluded me for several years now. Finally, I was able to connect the Mathews line back to him as my 3rd-great-grandfather. Records confirm mostly as his headstone reports his birth date as February 20, 1773, and death on December 18, 1813. I commonly find references to Augusta County, Virginia, his birthplace in my research. I am learning much about the development of land boundaries, the morphing of counties and the complexity of searching in multiple locations for the same thing. What was called Augusta County might soon be called Staunton but refers to the same spot.
The name John Mathews was common and was (is) often misspelled as Matthews, also a common surname at the time. (Yes, that extra “T” is a mistake, an assumption on your part, but I digress…). His father was William and his mother Mary. Also, common names. In fact, I have located two sets of William & Mary Wright Mat(t)hews parents of large families. John is reportedly the 9th of 11 children born to William and Mary Wright.
I find it curious that John was comparatively older for the time period when he married. I will continue to look for evidence of any first marriage or otherwise an explanation for his relative delay in starting a family. That being said, John Mathews (31yo) married Sarah “Sallie” McDowell (20yo) in 1804 and they had four children:
Son, Joseph McDowell Mathews, b. December 8, 1804 in Augusta, VA
Son, William Harvey Mathews, b. December 29, 1806 in Augusta, VA
Daughter, Margareet Mathews, b. October 29, 1808, died 1809 in Augusta, VA
Son, Caleb Moffett Mathews, b. October 27, 1810 in Staunton, Augusta, VA
John, his young wife Sarah and their three boys – 9yo Joseph, 7yo William and 3yo Caleb, settled in Fayette Co, KY in 1813. (I am fully prepared to discover that Fayette Co was formed from Augusta VA.) There was a William Mathews who died in Augusta, VA in 1811 who named his executor as his son, John Mathews.
In December of the year following their arrival to KY, John died at 41yo. Sarah, 30yo, was far away from her family, had three young boys and was a widow in winter, grieving at Christmastime. I am learning other family members settled in the area and she may not have been facing the dire circumstances on her own the entire time. The way these three children grew up appears to have effected them with a drive for pursuits. They each realized a level of professional success as an educator, a merchant and a judge. They were sent to school, a now historic school, known as Kentucky Academy, Marshall Academy, and other names, will be covered in more depth later.
Fayette County Records
June 2022: I had the best experience visiting the Fayette County Clerk‘s Office in downtown Lexington twice this year. The land records division is headed by a Kentucky native, Deputy Clerk Mr. Shea Brown, who I later saw featured in a KET broadcast about the Digital Access Project. The equipment they utilize yields quality images and they are extremely helpful so I am really happy they have this opportunity to provide virtual access for a wealth of records. But, as I can attest, the in-person experience with this office was wonderful and fruitful.
DEED 1793: John Mathews, Fayette County
The Fayette County 1793 deed signed by Levi Todd, grandfather of Mary Todd Lincoln.Other names referenced include: John Rogers, Jacob Troutman, Adam Troutman
ESTATEINVENTORY February 1814: John Mathews, deceased – This confounds me because his recorded death date is December 1814. So, was there more than one John Mathews in Fayette County?
DEED November 10, 1818: George Moffett for Mathews, Joseph, William H. & Caleb.
A deed of indenture was written in 1818 between George Moffett (again with the Moffett name and further research needed) and the three heirs of John Mathews for $6,570 along with 120 acres of land in Fayette Co on the waters of South Elkhorn. Another deed references being part of a “settlement” lying in Fayette Co on Davey’s Fork, a branch of Elkhorn. The General Index references David’s Fork.
My Dad, who trained as a surveyor while attending UK engineering school, provided his analysis of the land as described in the deed. To his calculations, the parcel exceeded the 100 acres noted in the deed. With so many references to ephemeral landmarks – black walnut, elm and buckeye, it might be virtually impossible to determine exactly. Or that is his assessment. He did sketch the shape, distance and degrees.
The culminating depiction through these three documents appears consistent. As best I can estimate, their home was near present-day Keeneland and the Kentucky Castle, perhaps somewhere along US-1967 (the year I was born, by the way). I fear that will be a much bigger undertaking that may end up inconclusive. It is on the list for later.
This parcel of land crossed over into Woodford Co and adjoined the land of Sarah (Mathews) Price, who had remarried in 1816 to Larkin Price. It appears Sarah had five children by Price, including Larkin Foster Price, a noted lawyer, state legislator and Judge in Texas who is buried in Alamo Masonic Cemetery, San Antonio, TX.
It is possible Sarah’s mother, Margaret Moffett, died in Woodford Co that same year and possibly the same month as the marriage. What are the circumstances for Margaret’s death? It is very easy to get your head turned around in trying to navigate the McDowell and Moffett families. More on that to come.
Sarah Mathews Price is buried in the Pisgah Presbyterian Church cemetery, Versailles, Woodford Co, KY, between John Mathews, her first husband, and Larkin Fahr Price, her second husband. She outlived them both, so she had the final say.
My Dad with me on a recent research trip who was surprised to find Happy Chandler’s headstone as we wandered. After looking around a good while in fairly cold temperatures, we found the graves of John Mathews and Sarah McDowell Mathews Price, his great-great-grandparents. I do not think my Dad had ever been to their graves before this day. The taller, much older headstone belongs to Larkin Price, Sarah’s second husband. Both John and Sarah’s headstones have been updated. My question: by whom and when?
This is where I have paused. I feel the need to have more proof before I move beyond this generation. If the details I’ve compiled from records are accurate, Sarah’s parents’ families – the McDowells and the Moffetts – were Patriots and Revolutionary War heroes. Seeing the “McDowell” and “Moffett” middle names of the children supports the theory that Sarah was, in fact, from this same prominent family. But, I continue to explore these connections for additional confirmation.
Mayme Cook Mathews, my great-grandmother born 1869 and died 1940 in Jessamine Co
Mrs. John S. Mathews – Mayme Cook
MATHEWS
Mrs. John S. Mathews, 71, died at her home on Brown street here Monday after a two-day illness. She is survived by her husband and two sons, Pleas C. and John Mathews, both of Nicholasville.
Deceased was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Pleas Cook one of Jessamine county’s oldest families. She was a kind Christian woman and was loved by a large host of friends and acquaintances.
Funeral services will be held at 10 o’clock Wednesday morning at the Baptist church, the Rev. J. A. Stallings officiating. Interment in Maple Grove cemetery here.
Mamie Mathews’ death certificate is missing details and has her name misspelled. Was the authorizer hurried? The cause of death is noted as “cerebral hemorrhage” which could be due to an injury or a stroke. The Lexington obituary cites paralysis, which again leads me to believe she had a stroke.
Nicholasville Resident Succumbs to Paralysis
Nicholasville, Ky., April 16 (Special) – Mrs. Mayme Cook Mathews, 72, of Nicholasville, died at her home at 5 o’clock Monday afternoon after a short illness of paralysis. She was a daughter of the late Pleas Cook of Jessamine county. She is survived by her husband, John Mathews; two sons, John and Pleas Mathews, Nicholasville; a brother, Melvin Cook, Jessamine county, and six grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 10 o’clock Wednesday morning at the Nicholasville Baptist church with the Rev. John T. Stallings officiating. Burial will be in the Maple Grove cemetery.
The Lexington Leader, Lexington, KY, Tuesday, April 16, 1940 – Page 11
Maple Grove Cemetery, Nicholasville, Jessamine County, KY image borrowed from Find A Grave
FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Why is her address listed as Brown Street? Brown Street is in town and runs off Main Street near where the new library was opened. I thought John & Mayme Cook Mathews lived on the farm until John died, ironically about a month after Mayme died.
![[ARTIFACTS] Obituary keepsakes from January 1963](https://thatkentuckygirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/img_7962.jpg?w=1200)
![[ARTIFACT] My grandmother’s 1943-1944 Kentucky Education Association (KEA) membership card](https://thatkentuckygirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/screen-shot-2023-02-11-at-5.18.39-pm.png?w=591)
![[ARTIFACT] 1984: The Jessamine Journal, Thursday, October 18, 1984](https://thatkentuckygirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/screen-shot-2023-07-24-at-6.11.07-pm.png?w=89)
that Kentucky girl 