Archer Mathews (1744 – 1796) was a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
pioneer, legislator, and city founder in the colony (and later U.S. state) of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. He was a member of the
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...
from
Greenbrier County
Greenbrier County () is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,977. Its county seat is Lewisburg. The county was formed in 1778 from Botetourt and Montgomery counties in Virginia.
History
P ...
from 1780 to 1782.
[Leonard, Cynthia Miller 1978. The General Assembly of Virginia, July 30, 1619-January 11, 1978: a bicentennial register of members. Virginia State Library][Rice, Otis K. 1986. A History of Greenbrier County. Greenbrier Historical Society, p. 116]
Life
Archer Mathews was born in 1744 in
Augusta County
Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its count ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, to Ann (Archer) and
John Mathews. His parents were among the first European settlers of Augusta County, likely having immigrated to America during the
Scotch-Irish immigration of 1710–1775. His father was a notable member of the early Augusta County community, serving as a militia captain and public officer. Archer Mathews was the youngest of eleven siblings, and was a minor when his father died in 1757.
Cole
Cole may refer to:
Plants
* Cole crops of the genus ''Brassica'', especially cabbage, kale, or rape (rapeseed).
People
* Cole (given name), people with the given name Cole
* Cole (surname), people with the surname Cole
Companies
*Cole Motor ...
, p. 70 He sold the land bequeathed him to a brother in 1768, and moved to the new frontier of
Greenbrier County
Greenbrier County () is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,977. Its county seat is Lewisburg. The county was formed in 1778 from Botetourt and Montgomery counties in Virginia.
History
P ...
,
where his brothers
Sampson Sampson may refer to:
Military
* , several Royal Navy ships
* , several US Navy ships
* Sampson-class destroyer, a World War I US Navy class
* Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Lake, New York, closed in 1956
* SAMPSON, a multi-function radar ...
and
George Mathews had established the area's first European trade network. He married Letitia McLanahan and had seven children.
In Greenbrier County, Mathews was
saddle
The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not k ...
r,
and served as one of county's first
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...
s, overseeing road construction, surveying the land, and holding court.
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
, p. 215 On the outbreak of the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, Mathews served as commissary for
Fort Randolph, an American outpost erected in 1776 for defense against Indian raiding. Mathews purchased a large drove of cattle and hogs for the fort in November 1776 and delivered it through territory under regular attack from Indians. Mathews was elected to the
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...
from Greenbrier County for the sessions of 1780–81 and 1781–82. During the latter session he was appointed one of eight original
trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...
s of the city of
Lewisburg, Virginia
Lewisburg is a List of cities in West Virginia, city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County.
Geography
Lewisbu ...
(now
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
) on its formation, and as such he worked to develop the city and partition its land into plots to be sold. One such plot was bought by a nephew, Joseph Mathews, who was the grandfather of 5th
West Virginia governor
The governor of West Virginia is the head of government of West VirginiaWV Constitution article VII, § 5. and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's West Virginia National Guard, military forces.WV Constitution article VII, § 12. Th ...
Henry Mason Mathews.
[ Combs, p. 5-44]
Archer Mathews died c. 1790,
and was buried at the
Old Stone Church in Lewisburg, West
Virginia.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Archer
City
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
American Freemasons
West Virginia pioneers
American surveyors
American city founders
People from Augusta County, Virginia
Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
People from Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Virginia colonial people
Virginia militiamen in the American Revolution
West Virginia colonial people
People of pre-statehood West Virginia
1744 births
1796 deaths
Mathews family of Virginia and West Virginia
Trustees of populated places in Virginia
18th-century American politicians