This information is contributed by Don Matthews

These files can be found at the State Archives at the N.C. State Library in
Raleigh, N.C. filed under Duplin County estates.


The record of the sale of the decedent's personal property that is found in this file makes it 
clear and unmistakable that both the deceased man and the Arthur "Mathis" who attended 
the sale of his personal property (and made a purchase)were both members of the
same Duplin County family. It is also clear from this record (when taken together with the 
other facts that are known) that the Arthur "Mathis" who attended this estate sale and 
Joseph "Mathis" the decedent, were actually brothers; and that both were sons of a 1779
Duplin County land entrant and North Carolina Continental Line private named William 
Mathews who died in the line of duty during the Revolutionary war, between the June 26, 
1779 date he entered his 250 acres in Duplin County, and September 10, 1782 when
the property he'd entered was surveyed for his heir-at-law Arthur Mathews.


The Administrator of the 1815-1818 Joseph "Mathis" estate was identified as Jacob "Mathis". 
Normally, the administrator of a man's estate was his oldest surviving son, if he had one, so 
that was probably this Jacob's relationship to the dead man. The estate administrator here 
named Jacob "Mathis" was probably also the 26-45 year old man shown residing in the
Duplin County household of Jacob "Mathy, Sr." in the 1820 census of Duplin County. 
(The old man who was nominal head of this household in 1820 was said to be
108 years old when he died in 1824.) I believe the younger man(he was aged 26-45)in that 
1820 household was also named Jacob and that he was this decedent Joseph "Mathis" son, 
and he that was the husband of my gg-grandmother Jane and the father of (among others)
her son (my great-grandfather) Benjamin William Mathews, born c. 1819. By 1830 census 
date, Janes husband Jacob (who was Benjamin W. Matthews father)had already died. 
He probably died in 1828, because in that year 263 acres he'd received the land grant for
in 1816 was sold at sheriffs sale to cover his debts. Also dead by the 1830 census date 
was the very old man who was head of household in 1820 and who was identified as Jacob 
Mathy, Sr. in the 1820 census. By 1830, Jane was was head of her own household. At the
1870 census date, she resided in her son Benjamin W. Matthews' Rockfish Twp. Duplin 
County household. She died in 1874. Her tombstone says she was the wife of Jacob Mathews 
and that she was age 80 years old when she died.







































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