Eleanor Thomas (Davis) Matheny (1811 - 1893)

Born 2 Jan 1811 in Elizabeth City, Virginia, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Elijah Matheny — married 23 May 1833 in Lewis, Kentucky, United States

Descendants

Died 2 Dec 1893 at age 82 in Prairie City, Jasper, Iowa, United States

Biography

Eleanor was born 1811 in Elizabeth City, Virginia, United States. Eleanor married Elijah Mathena on 23 May 1833 in Lewis, Kentucky, United States.^[1]

In the 1850 census, Eleanor (age 39) was in District 29, Kanawha, Virginia, United States.^[2]

In the 1860 census, Eleanor (age 48) was in Point Pleasant, Warren, Illinois.^[3]

In the 1880 census, Elenor (age 69), Housekeeper, was the wife of Elijah Mathena in Des Moines, Jasper, Iowa, United States.^[4]

Eleanor died on 2 December 1893 and was buried in Waveland Cemetery, Prairie City, Jasper County, Iowa, United States.^[5]

Notes

Eleanor was orphaned before she was grown. She is known to have lived in Frederick VA, Adams OH, Lewis KY, Kanawha WV, Illinois in the 1850s and moved to Iowa in 1864. She is believed to have been in IL c. 1846.

The only source for Eleanor's early life are the recollections of a grandson, John William Matheny, written down c. 1940. He recalled that her mother was a Hedges who died shortly after Eleanor's birth in Jan. of 1811. Her father was subsequently killed when a tree limb fell on him.

Research has shown that her parents were David T. Davis and Elizabeth Hedges, daughter of Joseph, of Frederick Co VA.

The only remaining documents of Eleanor's life are her marriage record, census records, brief death notice, and her tombstone, shared with her husband Elijah Matheny, in Waveland cemetery.

This is a very difficult lineage, as no document has yet been found explicitly naming the parents of Eleanor, other than her grandson's recollection. Her marriage was sponsored by Joseph H. Davis in Lewis Co KY, believed to be the first child of David T. and Elizabeth, but no document verifying this has been found either. Her father died in Adams OH, a burned county. No probate survives. Although her parents remain unproved, I have not marked them as "uncertain" as no other viable, reasonable candidates emerged.

She was the mother of 11 children.

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage: "Kentucky, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1783-1965"
   Original data: Marriage Records. Kentucky Marriages. Madison County Courthouse, Richmond, Kentucky
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61372 #901793164 (accessed 26 March 2024)
   Eleanor Thomas Davis marriage to Elijah Mathena on 23 May 1833 in Lewis, Kentucky, USA.
2. ↑ 1850 Census: "1850 United States Federal Census"
   The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: District 29, Kanawha, Virginia; Roll: 954; Page: 108b; Line Number: 12
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8054 #15201714 (accessed 26 March 2024)
   Ellenor Mattheny (39) in District 29, Kanawha, Virginia, USA. Born in Virginia.
3. ↑ 1860 Census: "1860 United States Federal Census"
   The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Point Pleasant, Warren, Illinois; Roll: M653_234; Page: 255; Family History Library Film: 803234
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7667 #36750371 (accessed 26 March 2024)
   Ellener Matheny (48) in Point Pleasant, Warren, Illinois. Born in Virginia.
4. ↑ 1880 Census: "1880 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1880; Census Place: Des Moines, Jasper, Iowa; Roll: 346; Page: 192a; Enumeration District: 097
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6742 #47741402 (accessed 26 March 2024)
   Elenor T Mathena (69), wife, Housekeeper, in household of Elijah Mathena (68) in Des Moines, Jasper, Iowa, USA. Born in Virginia.
5. ↑ Burial: "U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current"
   Find A Grave: Memorial #45687293
   Ancestry Record 60525 #15782967 (accessed 26 March 2024)
   Eleanor Thomas Matheny burial (died on 2 Dec 1893) in Waveland Cemetery, Prairie City, Jasper County, Iowa, United States of America. Born on 2 Jan 1811.

• 1885 Census: "Iowa, U.S., State Census Collection, 1836-1925"
  State Historical Society of Iowa (Via Heritage Quest); Microfilm of Iowa State Censuses, 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925 As Well Various Special Censuses From 1836-1897
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1084 #5788877 (accessed 26 March 2024)
  Elenor Matheny, married in Des Moines, Jasper, Iowa, USA. Born in Virginia.