| Samuel Mathews Sr resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies |
NOTE: This Samuel Mathews was not Governor of Virginia, as was once commonly thought. His son, Samuel Mathews, Jr was Governor.[1] Whether or not he is the son of the Archbishop of York Tobias Mathew has been debated for decades. Please see the attached G2G discussion (and others), comments on this profile, and the "Disputed Parents and Disputed Wife" section below. Also, he did not have three wives (Frances Hinton conflates the two wives he did have).
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"Capt. Samuel Mathews came to Virginia before 1618. On 4 May 1622 Richard Brewster deposed in a suit against Captain Samuel Argall that 'the said Mathewes came thither over as a servant to Sheriff Johnson of London and then the def[endan]t Argall made him a Captaine, and the said Mathewes lived but a while in James Towne but went to live in Sherley hundred and looked to some few men of the Sherif Johnson's, and afterwards went to a place called Harryhattock where the said def[endan]t gave the said Mathewes to comaund of men & made him Captain of them.' On 27 April 1622 'Samuel Mathews of Arrowttox in the Countrie of Virginia, Esq., age 32,' presumably then in England, also made a deposition concerning the ship Treasurer. He returned to Virginia in the Southampton, which arrived in Dec. 1622, and in the census, 1623/4, is listed 'in the plantation over against James City,' where he was recorded in the muster, 1624/5,[2] with Mr. David Sands, the minister, and a company of 20 men.... By 1625, and perhaps by 1623, Captain Mathews was named to the Council."[3][4]
In the 1623/4 census, Samuel is not listed with any wife or children. However, Widow Frances West (later to marry Samuel as her third husband) is on the list in Samuel's settlement. In addition, there was a Robert Mathews on the list.[5]
In the 1624/5 muster at Capt. Mathews' plantation next to James City, the name of Robert Mathews appears immediately after that of Capt. Samuel Mathews (the leader). The list shows that Robert came to Virginia in 1622 in the Southampton (as did Samuel), reinforcing the supposition that Robert was a kinsman (perhaps brother or nephew) of Samuel.[6] In addition, there was a Samuel Mathew, age 14, who came to Virginia in 1635 on the 'Elizabeth'. [7]
"Some time after 24 March 1627/28 Samuel West married (1) Frances Greville, widow of Nathaniel West and Abraham Piersey. She had come to Virginia in 1620 in the Supply with William Tracy and his wife (a niece of Fulk Greville [actually the sister of the husband of a daughter of Fulk Greville]) when she was less than 20 years old. She was dead by 1633 when Mary Hill was appointed administratrix of the estate of her father, Abraham Piersey, the executrix, his late wife, having died. Thomas Hill and his wife Mary [not a daughter of Frances] charged Samuel Mathews with having altered the estate of Piersey after his marriage to the widow."[8][1]
The name of Samuel's wife is given as Sarah Hinton in the History of Parliament.[9] A teaspoon from Samuel's manor house at Denbigh shows her first initial as "S" (see below). It is well-established that she was the daughter of Sir Thomas Hinton.
In July 1634, in the middle of the uproar in Virginia related to the settlement of Maryland, a Capt. Thomas Young wrote a letter to Sir Tobey Mathews, son of Bishop Tobias Mathew. In this letter Capt. Young referred to Samuel Mathews as follows: "Captayne Mathews, an antient planter … This gentleman as I heare is lately married to the daughter of one Sir Thomas Hinton, who is lately retired into these parts, and he grows, as is conceaved, much bolder by this alliance, as hoping by his power to find great strength in England."[10] From the quote it is clear that Samuel, a member of the Governor's Council, was involved in a power struggle, and indeed Samuel's new brother-in-law Thomas Hinton[11], was briefly on the Council before being expelled by Governor John Harvey. Harvey in turn was impeached by the House of Burgesses and returned to England in 1635, which eventually caused Samuel Mathews to be called to England to face an inquisition regarding his role in the "mutiny" against Governor Harvey. (Harvey was replaced as governor by John West, the brother of the first husband of Samuel Mathews' first wife Frances.
"Samuel received land at the mouth of the Warwick River where he built his plantation first called 'Mathews Manor' and later called 'Denbigh'. This is an account of the plantation in 1649: 'Worthy Captaine Mathews, an old Planter of above thirty years standing, one of the Counsell, and a most deserving Common-wealths-man. I may not omit to let you know this gentlemans industry. He hath a fine house, and all things answerable to it, he sowes yearly store of Hempe and Flax, and causes it to be spun: he keeps Weavers and hath a Tan-house, causes Leather to be dressed, hath eight shoemakers employed in their trade, hath forty Negroe servants, brings them up to Trades in his house. He veerly sowes abundance of Wheat, Barley, &c. The Wheat he selleth at four shillings the bushell: kills store of Beeves, and sells them to victuall the ships when they come thither: hath abundance of Kine, a brave Dairy, Swine great store, and Poltery, he married the Daughter of Sir Tho. Hinton, and in word, keeps a good house, lives bravely, and a true lover of Virginia, he is worthy of much honour.'"[12]
"The archealogical finds at Mathews Manor are some of the best that have been found. . . a silver saucepan whose lid was engraved with the initials of Mathews and his second wife, M/SS, and stamped with the London date letter for 1638. This last find was of considerable importance since it identified the "Daughter of Sir Thomas Hinton," mentioned earlier, as S Hinton rather than Frances Hinton, as genealogists had mistakenly supposed, having confused her with Mathews' first wife, Frances Grevill West Peirsey."[13]
Children (both presumably by first wife Frances Greville):
"The will of Robert Nicholson, proved 10 Nov. 1651, in England, makes a bequest to "Capt. Sam: Matthews, to Mrs. Matthews, to Sam: Mathewes, the son of the said Capt., and to his brother."[14]
Samuel was a member of the Council to the Governor and commander of the fort at Old Point.[15] Samuel was a Captain in the militia and then later made a Colonel as Virginia's agent to England.[1]
That the Virginia Samuel Mathews was the son of Bishop Tobias Mathew (abt.1544-1628) is said to have been disproven - see comments on this profile, which include a primary source that Frances (wife of the Bishop) had a son named Samuel born 1 February 1583 who was buried 15 June 1601. The comment notes that no daughters survive and their only surviving children were John Matthew & Sir Tobie Matthew.[17] The evidence provided by those proposing that the parents of Samuel of Virginia are not known appears strong (Frances Barlow's personal account of her children, noting that her son Samuel, born in 1583, died in 1601, and a transcription of Bishop Mathews' will[18] that names Tobey his eldest son, John his second son, and no mention of any Samuel). The following is a recap of the rebuttal offered by those who believe that Samuel of Virginia was the son of Bishop Tobias Matthew.[19]
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M > Mathews > Samuel Mathews Sr
Categories: Governor's Council, Virginia Colony | House of Burgesses, Virginia Colony | Jamestown, Virginia Colony | Southampton, sailed 1622 | Virginia, Slave Owners | Jamestown Colonists | Jamestowne Society Qualifying Ancestors
Considering the persistence of "Mary Francis (Hilton) Mathews" I also intend to propose that the profile be retained as a Disproven Existence profile.
For discussion about his parents being the Bishop & his wife, please read the previous comments on this profile.
Thanks!
https://exhibitions.lib.cam.ac.uk/reformation/artifacts/the-birth-of-all-my-children-frances-matthews-family-notes/
I recommend removing Samuel Mathews Sr of Virginia & Ann Llewellyn from the Archbishop's family tree.
Please check this http://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/Southampton.htm
If you agree, your Samuel Mathews is the same, I would add category [[Category:Jamestown Colony and [[Category:Southampton, sailed 1622
Best,
Daniel