Captain Samuel Mathews (c. 1580 – November 30, 1657) was a Virginia planter, political figure, and the father of Governor Samuel Mathews (Colonial Virginia governor).

Biography

Born in England, Mathews was the first of the family to emigrate from England to The New World, arriving at Jamestown by 1619. He established a plantation, "Mathews Manor", later known as

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, which was located on the north side of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

at Blunt Point, the confluence of the

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and the James rivers in the area which later became Warwick County, Virginia (and which is now within the city limits of Newport News). He eventually had several other land holdings, including one near Henricus and another at Old Point Comfort. Known as Colonel Mathews, the elder Samuel became one of the most prominent men in the colony. By 1621 he was a member of the Governor's Council and was actively involved in conflicts with the Native Americans. In 1635, he was one of the leaders of the popular mutiny that ousted Royal Governor Sir

John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics * John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician * John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture ...

. In the spring of 1637 Mathews and three others were sent home to England to stand trial for treason in the Court of Star Chamber, but the charges were eventually dropped and Mathews returned to Virginia in 1639.Fausz, J. Frederick. "Merging and Emerging Worlds", ''Colonial Chesapeake Society'', (Lois Green Carr, Philip D. Morgan, Jean Burrell Russo, eds.), UNC Press Books, 1991
Upon returning to England, the elder Mathews was eventually cleared of any charges; upon returning to Virginia, he resumed service on the Governor's Council until 1644. Frances Grevill was one of four women who arrived at Jamestown from

Bristol, England Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in S ...

in September 1620 aboard the ship, ''Supply''. She was first married to Captain Nathaniel West, brother of Thomas West, the third Lord Delaware, who had been governor of Virginia beginning in 1610. After West's death several years later, Grevill married Abraham Peirsey, a wealthy man who had purchased Sir George Yeardley's Flowerdew Hundred Plantation after his death. Peirsey died several years later. Twice widowed, but with considerable legacies, she next married Samuel Mathews. They had two sons Samuel, and Francis (1632–1673). Francis, a tobacco planter had a large estate of some two thousand acres in Northumberland County. Mathews served in London as the Colony's representative in handling disputes, particularly in the matter of establishing the border with

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

.Cook, Minnie G., "Governor Samuel Mathews, Junior", ''The William and Mary Quarterly'' 14.2 (1934): 105–113
/ref> Much of his influence has been attributed to his second marriage to the daughter of Sir

Thomas Hinton Sir Thomas Hinton III (c. 1574 – 1 February 1635) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons twice between 1621 and 1625. Hinton was of Wiltshire. He matriculated at Queen's College, Oxford on 15 October 1591, aged 17. He was ...

whose son was a gentleman of the king's Privy Chamber. Mathews died in London, England on November 30, 1657. As a member of the House of Burgesses, Mathews was viewed as an "honest, energetic and faithful servant of the Colony" whose death was "universally lamented."

Mathews Manor

Captain Mathews built the Manor around 1626. The site of Mathews Manor, located within the independent city of

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, was the subject of an archeological study led by

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location and ...

's Ivor Noel Hume in the 1960s, and was placed on the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Samuel 1657 deaths House of Burgesses members Virginia colonial people Year of birth uncertain

Biography

Mathews Manor

See also

References