: Mathews – Page 2 – that Kentucky girl

PHOTO: Architectural poetry in Jessamine County

Imagery telling stories better than words.

I made a visit to the home place of four family generations just up the hill from Jessamine Creek spring sometime in the 1990s.

The camera I carried with me was disposable and, truthfully, might never have been processed to the light of day. (I believe I still have undeveloped Kodak 35mm rolls from my youth somewhere in my boxed packrat tendencies. The canister with lid tale-tale (but not always of the contents, iykyk.))

Fortunately, I took those pictures that day – long before the genealogy bug bit down or the common use of cellphones, for that matter. And, not long before the building was razed. It had fallen into disrepair and sadly is no more.

My memory of visits to the home I called “Uncle Johnny’s” began when a very young child. The more prevalent in memory are those visits with Cutters, my mother Phyllis’ mother. I may have visited Grandmother Mathews more often than I have memories but they followed my grandmother’s move into town when she sold the property to eldest child, her step-son John Shepherd Mathews. Johnny’s wife Nannie Katherine died way too young in September, 1974. He and their four daughters stayed on the farm. Cousin Susan is a sweet wealth of stories from her life on the farm.

This picture is the view at the back, and I believe an east-southeast-facing side of the house just above the kitchen. I THINK and my Dad will hopefully correct me when he reads this if not. A second-story bedroom above is where my cousin Angie and I had spent hours jumping out of a closet loft onto a bed.

At the time of this photo, the floor was strewn with remnants of the lives that had made this home along with leaves and other debris blown in from the outside through the missing window pane. Perhaps you can imagine pausing amongst the random relics, and glancing out an opening between peeling wallpaper and broken beams and witness the irony in its framing the exterior beauty of Kentucky blooming and a farmhouse in the distance.

If you came across Abandoned Kentucky (@Abandoned.ky), this would have been a perfect feature, had timing been different.

December 18, 2022

that.Kentucky.girl

WILL: 1811 Mathews, William

Transcription

Will of Mathews, William

b. 1715 – Ulster, Ireland

d. 1811 – Augusta County, Virginia (to be vetted further)

In the name of God (above) I William Mathews of the County of Augusta and State of Virginia, being weak in body and abilities but of perfect mind and memory, and calling to mind that it is appointed for all me once to die, do make this my last will and testament. First, I recommend my soul to God that gave it nothing doubting but I shall receive the same again by the power of Almighty God my body to the earth to be buried in a Christian like manner at the discretion of my Executor to be hereafter named and as touching such worldly estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life, I do will and dispose of as followeth to wit. First, I will and bequeath to my dearly beloved wife one half of all my estate real and personal during her natural life and after her death to revert to my son and to his heirs as is hereafter to be mentioned. Second, to my daughter Jane Fulton or her heirs I leave one dollar. To my daughter Catherine or her heirs I leave one hundred pounds to be paid occasionally at the discretion of my executor. To my son Richard or his heirs I leave one dollar. To my son Joseph or his heirs I leave one dollar. To my son James or his heirs I leave one dollar. To my daughter Mary Rankin? or her heirs I leave… (page illegible). William or his heirs I leave one dollar. To my daughter Elizabeth Gains or her heirs I leave one hundred pounds to be paid by my executor. To my son John, I leave all the residue of my estate real and personal to him and his heirs for ever and I hereby appoint my son John sole executor to this my last will and testament hereby revoking all other wills and declare this to be my last will and testament. In testimony whereof I leave hereunto set my hand and seal this tenth day of January, one thousand seven hundred and ninety nine.

William Mathews

Sign’d Seal’d and pronounced in presence of: Alex Robertson, Wm Curry, Elj Robertson

At a Court held for Augusta County December the 23, 1811. This last will and testament of William Mathews was proved by the oaths of Alexander Robertson and William Curry, two of the witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded and on the motion of John Mathews the executor named in the said will who made oath and together with John M. Estill and Francis ???? his securities entered into and acknowledged their bond in the penalty of $4,000 conditioned as the law directs certificate is granted him for obtaining a probate in due force.

Peste Jeste Seste?

Chesley Kinnney

December 17, 2022

that.Kentucky.girl

A 6th-generation Kentuckian on a journey to find out – follow along

S1:E4 ~ Spring of Jessamine Creek

I love this photo. It was taken at the head or spring of Jessamine Creek that I knew somewhat as a child and my father knew as part of his daily life at the old home place. An original of this image is among the family heirloom artifacts I am in the process of documenting, which leads me to wonder if these men are ancestors of mine. The slope of the hillside, stacked layers of limestone formation, trickling water you can almost hear, the majestic shade tree with exposed mature roots like tentacles and brush in the foreground. I easily wax romantic about the richness of the scene. Additionally, this image appears in History of Jessamine County, Kentucky reference found in the Jessamine County Public Library. There are many great resources there.

Can anyone help me estimate the date of the image? The original print I have is affixed to a kind of cardboard so I am not risking damage to examine the back for any notes or context. Does the attire of the two men seated amongst the exposed tree roots provide clues? The man in suspenders does not look significantly of any particular time period as white shirt, trousers and suspenders is fairly common men’s attire. To me, the man on the right in his suit and with his hat and cane astride his lap looks reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln but that is not my assertion for it to actually be him. He would need to be squatted well into that spot, if so. There are physical similarities to my ancestor Pleasant Cook but I doubt the alignment of time periods.

At closer examination of the background milieu, I see the repetition of pattern similar to a fence, a barn and perhaps a farmhouse. I am in the process of determining at what point the land was acquired into our family. A Jessamine County deed recorded in the mid-1800s shows Pleasant Cook (my 2nd great grandfather) purchased 53 acres along Jessamine Creek, among several other sizable property acquisitions. When he died in 1917, the creek property passed to his only daughter, Mayme Cook Mathews, my great grandmother. After her passing, the property was owned by my grandfather, Pleas Cook Mathews.

The image below shows my grandfather, his brother and their cousin standing together adjacent to the Jessamine Creek springs. I can estimate this image to be prior to 1917, which is when Pleas left for France in WWI. I wonder if this could have been taken at a special occasion, like a funeral. They are dressed in a way that makes me think it possible.

As another in this series, here is young Robert Ira Mathews, my uncle, at the same rocky crag as the other images. This image is circa 1935 based on the other artifacts of the same period. The Jessamine Creek spring was an integral part of my father’s family life growing up on the farm. More of those stories to come…

S1:E3 ~ Jessamine County

An interesting notation on the survey map pinpoints the springs of Jessamine Creek with “A Remarkable Camping Place” which leaves me wondering – Did Daniel Boone camp at that spot?

I spent most weekends of my youth on the road to and from my grandparents’ house in Nicholasville, so much so that I could follow it in my mind, specifically after exiting I-64 at Frankfort/Versailles. Passing through Woodford Co along that stretch of horse farms leading into downtown Versailles is picturesque. In my adolescent years, I resented having to go but now find myself full circle longing to spend more time in and around the places of my parents’ youth.

Both of my parents were born at home in Jessamine County – Dad, at the Mathews home place, Harrodsburg Road, and Mom, in Little Hickman, near Lock 8 of the Kentucky River. Eventually, they were neighbors on Richmond Road near downtown Nicholasville and as the story goes, he gave her a ride home from work one afternoon.

In 1798, the town of Nicholasville was laid out and named for General Nicholas, while Jessamine Co was created from part of Fayette Co and named for Jessamine Creek. Historical accounts note in 1774 surveyor James Douglass discovered a creek which he named for his eldest daughter Jessamine. Other accounts note the county was named by Col. John Price for the prevalence of Jessamine flowers, also known as jasmine. And, a bit of oral tradition describes a tragic account that Jessamine Douglass, daughter of James Douglass, was sitting alone overlooking a creek when she was attacked by an Indian. There are competing beliefs for the validity of this story and some who debunk it are adamant against its truth. As best I can tell, there is nothing definitive discovered to date but that is somewhat inherent in oral traditions.

Based on artifacts I’ve found, there was a landowner early in the settling of the county named James Douglass. A survey map with notations of Daniel Boone indicates as of August 17, 1784, Douglass owned property adjacent to present-day US-68 (Harrodsburg Road). Part of this property was later acquired by my great-great-grandfather Pleasant Cook and stayed in the family until the late 1960s. It was the home place for my father, his siblings and parents.

An interesting notation on the survey map pinpoints the springs of Jessamine Creek with “A Remarkable Camping Place” which leaves me wondering – Did Daniel Boone camp at that spot?

Credits to: Jessamine County Historical Society map image and the work of countless researchers before me, and to my cousin Jeff Mathews for sharing family artifacts that kickstarted my obsession.