Paul Siegvolk (real name Albert Mathews)
(September 8, 1820 – September 9, 1903)
was an American writer, lawyer and editor.
He was also the step-father of
Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt
Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt (; November 11, 1845 – April 24, 1934) was the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and reigned as the matriarch of the Vanderbilt family for over 60 years.
Early life and relatives
Alice Claypoole Gwynne was born on Nove ...
.
Life
Mathews was born in New York City on September 8, 1820.
He was the son of Oliver Mathews (1794–1881) and Mary (
née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Field) Mathews (1796–1866).
His father's family in the United States originated with Annanias Mathews, his great-grandfather, who came from England in the 17th century.
His mother's side was descended from Robert Field, a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
who also came from England and settled in
Flushing, which was then considered
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
, in 1645.
He graduated from
Yale
Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...
in 1842, where he was co-editor and contributor to the
Yale Literary Magazine
The ''Yale Literary Magazine'', founded in 1836, is a student literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, and visual art by Yale University, Yale undergraduate education, undergraduates twice per year, academic year. Notable alumni feature ...
. He studied law at
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
in 1832 and 1843.
Career
Mathews was admitted to the New York Bar in 1845 and practiced law in New York City for forty five years.
He was a contributor to ''
The Knickerbocker'' from 1852-8.
He also wrote for the
New York Mirror,
Home Journal and
Evening Post.
His ''Walter Ashwood: A Love Story'' was published in New York in 1859 (duodecimo).
Personal life
In 1848, he first married Louisa Mott Strong (1826–1858). Following her death, he married Rachel Moore Flagg (1822–1884), the daughter of
Henry Collins Flagg, the long time
mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and Martha Whiting Flagg, in 1861. Rachel, the widow of Abraham Evan Gwynne, was the mother of
Alice Claypoole Gwynne, who married
Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius "Corneil" Vanderbilt II (November 27, 1843 – September 12, 1899) was an American socialite
and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.
Noted forebears
He was the favorite grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbil ...
in 1867.
Mathews lived at
The Chelsea located at 222
West 23rd Street in New York City and his office was located at 31 Pine Street, also in New York.
Mathews died on September 9, 1903, at
Lake Mohonk in New York.
He was a member of the
Bar Association
A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. ,
University Club,
Century Club,
Yale Club and Authors Clubs as well as the National Sculptors' Society, National Arts Society, and
American Arts Society.
On February 27, 1882, he was elected a member of the
Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York
The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York is a charitable organization in New York City of men who are descended from early inhabitants of the State of New York. Thomas S Johnson is the current president. The organization preserves his ...
.
Published works
* ''Lines to A.M.''
The Knickerbocker, March 1852, pp. 263–264
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, January 1852, pp. 42–45
* ''Schediasms'' including ''The Rights of Children'' The Knickerbocker, Issue 39, June 1852, pp. 487–490
* ''Schediasms: The Blithedale Romance'' The Knickerbocker, November 1852, pp. 381–384
* ''Sebediasms'' The Knickerbocker, March 1853, pp. 197–202
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, May 1854, pp. 503–504
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, March 1856, pp. 275–278
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, June 1856, pp. 609–611
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, July 1856, pp. 68–70
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, August 1856, pp. 172–174
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, October 1856, pp. 345–350
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, November 1856, pp. 495–497
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, January 1857, pp. 13–17
* ''Schediasms'' The Knickerbocker, May 1857, pp. 435–437
* ''Walter Ashwood: A Love Story'' (1860)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegvolk, Paul
1820 births
1903 deaths
Knickerbocker Group
American lawyers
American editors
American male writers