ALLEN MATTHEWS

Allen Matthews was born 25 March 1789 in Nash County, North Carolina. Moved with his father Benjamin Matthews to Warren County, Georgia, about 1800, and married Sity Vious Riley about 1812. He volunteered in Chamber's First Regiment of Georgia Militia, in the War of 1812, signing up October 7, 1812 at Point Petre, Ga, for six months; but as of November 30, 1812, he had not joined the company. He and Sity were married by his step-uncle Rev. Vincent Tharp of Stone Creek Baptist Church in Twiggs County.  He purchased 79 acres of land in Greene County, Mississippi, 15 Dec 1817, just west of the present town of Rummelston, which fell into Perry County, when it was formed in February, 1820.  His brother-in-law Burrell Upchurch either moved at the same time, or was already there.  His brother John bought land nearby in November 1818.  His Riley in-laws appear first on the tax list of 1822.   Allen was taxed on his land in Perry County through 1827, and for one adult male and one slave in Lawrence County starting in 1824, on Whitesand Creek.  He purchased 80 acres from Thomas Martin 20 Sep 1828 on Silver Creek in Lawrence County, near what is now New Hebron.  He later purchased land in Copiah and Simpson Counties. He donated the land for the Hopewell Meeting House (Church) in Copiah County. After his wife's death, he gave his land and slaves to his children in a series of deeds in Copiah County, dated 20 Nov 1855, and moved in with his oldest son Harmon in Harrisville, Simpson County.  He donated the land for Palestine Baptist Church there, and died after 1870.  There is a concrete slab toward the rear of their "old cemetery" (which was cleared of stones in the 1920's to enable parking) that has no inscription, next to concrete markers for Harmon's family, which is said to be Allen's grave, or at least the marker from his grave.    Allen's date of death was apparently unrecorded in any of his son's Bibles, and the courthouse fires in Mendenhall would have destroyed any record there.  Although it is likely that he had nothing to be probated, and so no record may have been made, anyway.  He is listed in the 1870 Census, but not in 1880.

Sity Vious (Cityvius and other spellings) Riley was born 22 Nov 1789, and died on 25 Aug 1854. She was the daughter of Edward Riley (1747-1855) who married 21 Nov 1784 Mary Elizabeth Wood (1769 - 20 June 1853), of New Hebron, Lawrence County, Mississippi.  Sity's unmarked grave is thought to be in the private cemetery plot on Seaborn's land in Copiah County.  But her date of death was recorded in her brother's Bible.

Allen Matthews (1789-187?) m.1812 Sity Vious Riley (1789-1855) had seven children:

. ...1. Harmon P. Matthews (22 May 1813-23 Oct 1897) m.25 Dec 1834 Mary Gates (1813-1865), m.19 Dec 
. . . . .1866 Adeline Holcomb (1829-1898) widow of Sam Miller, lived in Simpson County, Mississippi.
. ...2. Emmaline Malisey Matthews (10 Apr 1815) m.1838 James Peters (1816-1906) lived in  Winn 
. . . . . Parish, LA, then Navarro Co, TX,
. ...3. Seaborn Caswell Matthews (3 Aug 1817-31 Dec 1897) m.15 Nov 1843 Jane Newsom (1829-1882). 
. . . . . Lived in Copiah County, Mississippi
. ...4. Allen Matthews (1819) died before 1830
. ...5. Elizabeth Ellen Matthews (2 Jan 1821-1888) m. Alexander Harper (1827-1888) Florence, Miss.
. ...6. Mary Ann Matthews (16 Oct 1822-1904) m.1839 James G Howell (1819-1900) VanZandt Co, Texas
. ...7. Arthur Tillman Matthews (2 Nov 1827-14 Sep 1898) m.8 Jun 1854 Martha Elizabeth Sample 
. . . . .(1833-1866), m.25 Dec 1866 Lucy Pierce (1840-1922) widow of Elijah Slay, lived in Copiah Co, MS

1. Harmon P Matthews (2 May 1813 - 23 Oct 1897) m.15 Dec 1834 Mary "Polly" Gates (1814 -
__8 Aug 1865), daughter of William Jr. and Elender Gates, born in Jackson, TN; m.19 Dec 1866
__Adeline Holcomb Miller (7 Dec 1829 - 5 Apr 1898) daughter of Gardner Holcomb (c1790-c1860)
__and widow of Samuel Miller. They lived near Harrisville, Simpson County, Mississippi. Allen lived
__with them after Sity died.

11. Frances E. Matthews (1835) m.1857 Henry J Sandifer
12. Sitty V. Matthews (1838-1858) m.1855 H F Sandifer
13. Mary Ann Matthews (1841-1897) m.1858 Joseph B Reed
14. Allen P. Matthews (1842-1922) m. Frances A. Weeks
15. Arthur F. Matthews (1844) m.1874 Susan McKinley
16. William Jasper Matthews (1845-1921) m. Nancy Ann Haines
17. Margaret E. Matthews (22 Aug 1848) m.12 Feb 1868 J. M. Reed
18. Emaline M. Matthews (29 Apr 1850 - 14 Jun 1885) never married
19. Sebron J. Matthews (1852-1914) m. Mary Haines
1X. Isarada Matthews (19 Feb 1854) m.19 Nov 1876 John G Miller
1Y. Augustus Sanders Matthews (1867-1899) m.1892 Arra Leona Miller
1Z. Harmon Luther Matthews (1870-1913) m.1888 Sallie A. Barron

2. Emmaline Malisey Matthews (10 Apr 1815-before 1870) m. 31 Mar 1838 James Peters
. . (1815) of Goodwater, Winn Parish, LA, in 1860; Navarro Co, Texas, in 1870

21. Mary A. Peters (1841LA) unmarried 1870
22. Charles W. Peters (1844-1922) m. Matilda Stewart (1850-1908) Minister
___at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Pollock LA
23. Martha A. Peters (1846)
24. William Seborn Peters (1849) m. Martha (1856)
25. Jonathan S. Peters (1851)
26. Thomas J. Peters (1854TX) m. Sarah P. (1861)
27. Hyrum H. Peters (1860LA)

3. Seaborn Caswell Matthews (3 Aug 1817- 21 Dec 1897) m.15 Nov 1843 Jane Newsom (2 Oct
. . .1829 - 22 Oct 1882) (his name sometimes written Sebron) She possibly the daughter of John
. . .Newsom (1807) m.1825 Lina Benson, Lawrence Co, in 1850. He was the son of Isaac Newsom
. . .(1786-1852) of Lawrence Co. Seaborn and Jane lived near Stronghope, Copiah County, Miss.
. . .After Jane died, Seaborn married Margaret Jane Sterling.

31. John Holly Matthews (1844) m.1866 Nancy Finley moved to Texas
32. Mary Matthews (1845-1885) m.1865 Patrick John Young (1836-1926) (see #36)
33. Allen G. Matthews (1846) m.1870 Sarah Sojourner
34. Harmon Matthews (1847) died about age 20, struck by a timber while building a well.
35. Arthur D Matthews (1849) m.1874 Lucinda McKinley
36. Isaac H Matthews (1854-1932) m.1873 Levisa Sojourner
37. Augustus Edward "Gus" Matthews (1855-1939) never married, lived with Allen
38. Lodrick Ellis "Lod" Matthews (1857-1937) m.1884 Ora Gertrude Brown
39. Martha Matthews (1858) m.1872 Sam M Edwards, a preacher
3X. James M. Matthews (1859) m.1878 Jane McKinley
3Y. Daniel Luther Matthews (1860-1945) m.1883 Hattie Cobb, m.1884 Susan D. Ashley
3Z. Jacob Matthews died before 1870
33. Nancy Matthews (1863) m.1879 Jeremiah Franklin Gates (1849) of Alabama
34. Thomas B. Matthews (1866) m. Miss Lowe
35. Sam Matthews (1867) listed in the Census of 1870, apparently died young.
35. Dora Matthews (1868-1948) m. John Sojourner (1866-1949)
36. Virginia "Jenny" Matthews (1870-1958) m.1889 Patrick John Young (1836-1926),
. . . .who had married her sister Mary first. After Mary died, John married Virginia.
37. Emaline Jane "Lina" Matthews (1873-1936) m. William "Bill" Tanner (1867-1929)

5. Elizabeth Ellen Matthews (2 Jan 1821) married Alexander Harper (1827-1888) son of Absolum
. . Harper. They lived at Florence, Mississippi

51. Mary A. Harper (1849) m. Henry Rogers (or James Rodgers?)
52. Vinson A. Harper (1851) male
53. William Harper (1853)
54. Leander Harper (1856)
55. Samantha Harper (1860)

6. Mary Ann Matthews (19 Oct 1822-1904) married about 1839 James G Howell (Nov 1818-1900)
. . They lived in Carroll Co, MS, in 1850, Yalabusha Co, MS, in 1860, Grenada Co MS, in 1870, and Van 
. .  Zandt Co, Texas, in 1880 and 1900.  They had 10 children, 5 of whom were alive in 1900.  Buried in 
. . .White Rose Cemetery, Van Zandt County, Texas.

7. Arthur Tillman Matthews (2 Nov 1827-14 Sep 1898) m. 8 Jun 1854 Martha Elizabeth Sample
. . (2 May 1833-7 Apr 1866) m. 25 Dec 1866 Lucy Pierce Slay (23 Oct 1840 - 6 Dec 1922), widow
. . of Elijah Slay (1838-1864) and daughter of John Watley Pierce and Malinda Loving. Arthur and
. . Martha lived at Hopewell, Copiah County, Mississippi. Arthur served as a private in Company H
. . of the Tenth Mississippi Cavalry. After marrying Lucy, Arthur redeemed the Slay homestead from
. . Reconstruction taxes and lived there northeast of Crystal Springs, Copiah County, Mississippi.
. . Lucy Pierce had married 10 Dec 1857 Elijah Slay, son of Alexander Slay. Captain Slay died at
. . Cold Harbor, Virginia, 10 June 1864. His son Elijah Slay, Jr. was born 21 Sep 1864. He married
. . 18 Jun 1888 Hattie C "May" Inistine, and died 1 Jan 1900 in a railroad accident in California. They
. . had no children. "Aunt May" had been Jewish, and her family held her funeral and erected a stone
. . showing her wedding date as her death date. After Elijah's death, she moved to Copiah County,
. . settling on a farm adjacent to her mother-in-law, and later married Elijah's cousin Will Francis.

76. Wister S "Dick" Matthews (11 Nov 1867-5 Nov 1939) m.8 Mar 1904 Sarah Kathryn "Kate" Murray
77. Leila Florence "Little Cissy" Matthews (3 Dec 1869-27 Sep 1875)
78. Portland Virginia "Port" Matthews (16 Dec 1872-10 Jun 1952) m.1900 Albert B Gates; (2) Jack Griffin
79. Carson B Matthews (4 Dec 1874-25 Jan 1948) m.1913 Jeanne Marie Tynes
7X. Sylvester Gwin "Ves" Matthews (19 Feb 1878-6 Jun 1966) m.1900 Frances Crystal "Fannie" Sandifer
7Y. Olive Zell Matthews (16 Oct 1880-27 Jun 1966) m.28 Jan 1900 Robert Marvin Barnes

Carson B Matthews (4 Dec 1874-25 Jan 1948) m.31 Aug 1913 Jeanne Marie Tynes (16 Jul 1878-25 Apr  
. . 1958) She taught junior high school English.  He tried rice farming in Texas, then worked for the Justice  
. . Department under cover as a barber in Kentwood, Louisiana, investigating white slavery. After his marriage, 
. . he returned to his family's farm in north-east Copiah County, Mississippi, raising vegetables.

1. Walter Lauren Matthews (24 Dec 1915-29 Aug 2001) m.1937 Jewel Adele Whitington (1916-2014)
2. Frances Mary Tate Matthews (18 Dec 1917-6 May 2010) m.1949 Virgil Raymond Liptrap (1907-1977)
3. Truett Carson Matthews (15 May 1921-15 Oct 2015) m.1942 Peggy Jean Cecil (1924-1995) m.1996
. . Lois Alene Kyle James (1926)

Frances Mary Tate Matthews (1917-2010) married 1949 Virgil Raymond Liptrap (1907-1977) She worked
. . for the Railroad Retirement Board in Washington, DC, until relocated to Chicago during World War II.
. . After her husband's death, she worked in the Admissions Office at Oakton Community College. He
. . was a stock analyst in the Trust Department of the First National Bank of Chicago.  After their marriage, they
. . lived in Park Ridge, Illinois.

1. James Matthews Liptrap (1951) high school chemistry teacher
2. Mary Frances Liptrap (1953) married Eric Thomas Johnson (1959), both bankers