Mathis Ancestor Photographs(Click here for a chart demonstrating the Mathis Migration Patterns) Find anybody,
any place or anything mentioned on this website How common is the surname "Mathis?" According to the 1990 U.S. census figures, "Mathis" is the 483rd most popular name with approximately 60,000 U.S. citizens representing about .024% of the population. Edmund Mathis (1720-1783) was a Revolutionary War veteran born in Bulloch County, Georgia. His service to the country was recognized in a ceremony in September 2002, as reported by the SAMPSON INDEPENDENT NEWS in an article titled Mathis Honored with Marker: "Two hundred and nineteen years after his death American Revolutionary War soldier Edmond Mathis has a marker at his grave. It was dedicated Saturday, in ceremonies led by the Sons of the American Revolution, Raleigh Chapter. Wallace Johnson, chapter president, gave the welcome to a crowd estimated at 50, most of them descendants of Mathis. Gladstone Mathis, a descendent of Edmond, helped organize the dedication - including clearing and preparing the gravesite - and he lives on the John O. Mathis Homestead, which was established in 1880." (The above information and the two photos below furnished by Mike Mathis. Click on the thumbnail on the left for a full image.) The Family of George Washington Mathis (1846-1891) George Washington Mathis is the son of Cornelius D. Mathis (1806-1879), the grandson of John Mathis (1774-1852) and the great grandson of Edmund Mathis (1720-1783). Ancestral Lineage: Edmund Mathis (b. 1720) > John Mathis (b. 1774) > Cornelius D. Mathis (b. 1806) > George Washington Mathis (b. 1846) > Joseph Wiley Mathis (b. 1872) > Dorothy Lou Mathis Childress (b. 1922) > JPC (b. 1945) The above photo represents the "good old days," as the older generation likes to believe. Pictured seated is Lucinda Elizabeth (Mathis) Jones (1868-1946), and probably her mother, Sarah Elizabeth (Thornton) Mathis (1842-1921), wife of George Washington Mathis (1846-1891). Lucinda, affectionately known around the small town of Aetna, Tennessee as "Aunt Bet," was born without a left arm. The cabin above was located at the end of "Mathis Holler Road," but was torn down in 1938 to make way for a new house. The land on which the cabin was located had been in the Mathis family since the early nineteenth century. The following photos feature part of the family of G.W. Mathis and wife Sarah. The first photo on the left (probably taken abt. 1915) likely was taken at the home of Lucinda or at the home of her sister Sarah Jane (Mathis) Flanigan, since Sarah Elizabeth was living with her daughter at the time of the mother's death in 1921. I can only speculate as to the names of the individuals. Back row, l. to r., James R. Jones (abt. 1867-1947), wife Lucinda (Mathis) Jones (1868-1946), Sarah Jane (Mathis) Flanigan (1877-1954); middle row, unsure of two children in photo; front row, l. to r., the lady in front of Jim Jones was said to have been Mary (Mathis) Sharp (1837-1891), sister to George W. Mathis. (I have another photo of this lady in the same rocking chair that is adjacent to her, and a caption on the back side of the photo reads: "Poor old Sis Mathis. Only kins coz's from one to the other - no welfare." The problem with the identification is that other records indicate that Mary Mathis died in 1891, likely long before either photo was taken.) The lady in the middle of the front row could be Maud May (Mathis) Rosenberg (1883-1952) and the lady on the right in the rocking chair is Sarah Elizabeth (Thornton) Mathis (1842-1921). The second photo below (actually a cropped portion of a larger postcard photo of the house in the background) is Sarah Elizabeth Thornton and probably her daughter, Sarah Jane (Mathis) Flanigan, or perhaps her sister, Mary Elizabeth (Halbrook) Thornton (1845-1922). The remaining photographs below feature other children of George W. and Sarah Elizabeth (Thornton) Mathis, including James Polk Mathis (1866-1907) and his wife Elizabeth (Carroll) (1872-1972) (photo furnished by Charles Parnell), William Paul Mathis (1869-1929), Joseph Wiley Mathis (1872-1936), then probably Maud May (Mathis) Rosenberg (1883-1952). (Click on the thumbnail sketches below to see enlarged views.) DESCENDENTS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON MATHIS AND SARAH ELIZABETH
THORNTON Following is my best identification of the above, based on identities given to me by Lloyd V. Mathis. The children of George Washington and Sarah Elizabeth Mathis are underlined: 1. Fannie Mathis (Miller) – (1875-1953) 2. Lucinda Elizabeth Mathis (Jones) – (1868-1946) 3. Sarah Mathis (Watson) – born circa 1913 4. Bill Kimbro – born circa 1905 5. Martha Anne Mathis (Jones) – (1871-1938) 6. Edwin Roland Flanigan – (1878-1960) 7. Ed Murphy 8.
Unidentified (probably
Mr. Bailey, Myrtle Rhea Jones’ husband) 9. John Moses “Frank” Mathis – (1874-1939) 10.
Unidentified (probably
Dick Mathis, Ruth Priest’s husband) 11. Jake Hugh Mathis – (1880-1945) 12. Mildred Kimbro – born circa 1930 13. Louise Mathis (Kimbro) – (1905-1982) 14. Ann Murphy 15. Sarah Jane Mathis (Flanigan) – (1878-1954) 16. Billy Kimbro – born circa 1925 17. J.B. Murphy 18.
19. Myrtle Rhea Jones (Bailey) – (1894-1986) 20. “Rose” (no surname identified) 21. Ruth Priest (Mathis) – (circa 1905-1960) Click here to go to the Childress/Mathis Family Tree data on Roots Web for notes on the above individuals. More Mathis Ancestor Photos:
For additions, corrections or comments, please send an e-mail to Patrick Childress
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