There are probably not any birth records for Jacob Matheny (b. 1818) in existence, so I attempted to piece together his ancestry and broader family tree using available census data from 1840 and after. I am a Matheny descendant, and have many strong DNA matches to decedents of Mathenys from Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Minnesota. I suspect all, or nearly all, Mathenys from the colonial era were descended from immigrant Daniel Matheny (b. 1638), who settled in Stafford, VA. The issue is sorting them all out. If anyone has access to other records (family bibles, written notes, etc.) or has alternative theories on Jacob’s (b. 1818) parentage, I’d be happy to hear from you. Jacob first appears in the census as the head of a household in 1840 in Salem Township, Ohio. He lived nearby to his second cousin, Joseph Matheny (b. 1802) and about 50 miles from possibly his father, James Matheny (b. 1789). In that same 1840 census, probably that same James (b. 1789) lived near John Matheny (b. 1772), who was probably James’ brother. I believe the father of James (b. 1789) and John (b. 1772) was James Matheny (b. 1753). James’ (b. 1753) family bible lists James (b. 1789), John (b. 1772), and Benjamin (b.1791) among his sons. Benjamin’s son, William (b. 1815), was a neighbor of Jacob (b. 1818) throughout his life, suggesting they were very close kin (in this case, first cousins). In 1850 in Ohio and in 1860 in Indiana, Jacob (b. 1818) and Jesse Matheny (b. 1824) were close neighbors. The fact that they moved to another state together suggest they coordinated the move. I suspect Jesse (b. 1824) is a first cousin once-removed from Jacob (b. 1818). It appears that Jacob’s (b. 1818) father James (b. 1789), and Jesse’s (b. 1824) father Jacob (b. 1794), were very close. In 1860, James (b. 1789) testified in court that he was very close to and had fought alongside Jacob (b. 1794), James’ (b. 1789) nephew, in the War of 1812. They remained in close contact throughout their lives, which would explain why their sons, Jacob (b. 1818) and Jesse (b. 1824), were so close. Also in 1850, Jacob (b. 1818) lived very close to Peter (b. 1830), John (b. 1836) and Katurah Matheny (b.1832). Peter, John, and Katurah were siblings, and children of Joseph Matheny (b. 1802), who appears to have been a neighbor of Jacob (b. 1818) in 1840. Peter, John, and Katurah are great grandchildren of Nathaniel Matheny, who was the brother of James Matheny (b. 1753). Nathaniel (b. 1754) and James (b. 1753) were probably very close. They fought in the Revolutionary War together, and both moved from Stafford County, VA to Monongalia County, WV.
