Individual Details
Gov. John Mathewes
(1744 - 17 Oct 1802)
John Mathews was an American lawyer from Charleston, South Carolina. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1781 where he endorsed the Articles of Confederation on behalf of South Carolina. On his return, he was elected the 33rd Governor of South Carolina, serving a single term in 1782-1783.
spelled Matthews "Hist of Beaufort Co" p 223
In the History of Charleston Co., South Carolina it mentions a John Mathews: In 1781 John Mathews was called to the bench ....in 1782 he was elected governor.
July 8,1779 -Scrimmage at Mathewes' Plantation
"It was July 8,1779: the Battle of Stono had just been fought two and half weeks before. Johns Island had been the scene of most of that battle with a few minor operations on James Island.
"Left on James Island, in what is today Riverland Terrace, was a detachment of British troops. Over on Johns Island were two American Rifle companies. They were stationed on Mathewes Plantation, three miles from Fenwick Hall.
"These two companies were from Beaufort and Johns Island, John Barnwell was captain of the group from Beaufort. John Raven Mathewes headed up the Johns Island company.
" They had been drilling on the exposed banks of the Stono in plain view of the British on the other side. This to some degree worried the British, like perhaps they were in a trap that might spring at any time.
"Thomas Fenwick (brother to Edward) was a known but trusted Tory. He had dined with the American soldiers. He was cousin to the Gibbes who lived next door (one mile away). During his visits he brought back enough information to inspire the British to plot an attack.
"On the night of July 8th two large parties of Redcoats left Peronneau's Landing. One went directly to Fenwick Hall for a march by land to Mathewes. The second was to land at the very bank on which the American troops had drilled.
"A bayonet charge was ordered. The Revolutionary War is known as the War of the Bayonet. The English were very adept at using them.
"One group so surprised the sentry that he ran without firing a shot. James Black, a ships carpenter, had the picket duty on the other side. He fired into the British and stayed and fought until he was bayonetted and died.
"The British surrounded Mathewes' Johns Island Company and they surrendered without too much confusion. Over among Barnwell's Company, bedlam prevailed. There was much arguing about what quarter they would get, and the Redcoats claimed they again took up arms after having surrendered.
"Many of Barnwell's men died on the business end of a bayonet that night. Robert Barnwell, younger brother of General Barnwell, was left for dead with seventeen wounds. Mrs. Robert Gibbes on the adjoining plantation nursed Barnwell and a Private Barnes back to health. (From James and Related Sea Islands, by Jim Hayes, 1978, printed by Walker Evans)
Chairs belonging to him are in the Gabriel Manigault House in Charleston, a property of the Charleston Museum.
MATHEWES, JOHN [1744 - 1802], Son of John Mathewes [d. 1780], grandson of John Gibbes [1696 - 1764], son-in-law of William Wragg and John Rutledge [d. 1750], brother-in-law of Godin Guerard, George Abbott Hall, Thomas Heyward, Jr. [1746-1809], Edward Rutledge 91749-1800], Hugh Rutledge, John Rutledge [1739- 1800] and Thomas Rutledge.
John Mathewes, the son of John Mathewes and Sarah Gibbes, was born in South Carolina in 1744. A lawyer by profession, he was admitted to the Middle Temple on 27 October 1764 and to the South Carolina bar on 22 September 1765. He primarily involved himself in the politics of his native state. His landholdings included undeveloped tracts in St. George Dorchester Parish, land on the Edisto River, his principal residence, Uxbridge [806 acres, 62 slaves] and a town house and lots in Charleston. [See map]
Mathewes first appeared in public records when he was commissioned as a militia ensign [10 September 1760] and then lieutenant [16 November 1760] during the Cherokee War. The next few years were spent in England, but upon returning to South Carolina he was chosen by St. Helena Parish to the Twenty-seventh Royal Assembly[1765-1768] in a special election, an assembly for which he qualified on April 7, 1767. It was not until 1772 that he was elected again, this time by St. John Colleton Parish to the Thirtieth Royal Assembly [1772]. St. George Dorchester Parish chose him as its representative to the First [1775] and Second [1775-1776) Provincial Congresses and to the First General Assembly [1776]. He resigned from that assembly on the second session of the First General Assembly and qualified on 18 September 1776. Elected to the Second General Assembly [1776-1778], he served this assembly as Speaker from 6 December 1776 until 12 September 1777. Continuing service for St. George Dorchester in the Third [1779-1780] and Fourth [1782] General Assemblies, he resigned on 29 January 1782 upon being elected Governor of South Carolina.
Mathewes' election as governor was a natural result of his earlier activities which had fortified his stand with the Revolution. He had served on the General Committee of the Non-Importation Association and had been elected to the Committee of Ninety-nine for St. George Dorchester [1774]. In 1778 he was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress and served in that body until his election as Governor. As a member of Congress, he protested underground movements to sacrifice Georgia and South Carolina in order to insure the independence of the other colonies and was chairman of a committee of cooperation and reorganization which conferred with General George Washington and the Continental forces [1781]. While Governor, Mathewes was elected and reelected to the Privy Council [1782-1785] and was presiding officer of the state when the British evacuated in late 1782.
When this one term as governor was completed, St. George Dorchester reelected Mathewes to the Fifth General Assembly [1783-1784], but he declined to serve. St. George Dorchester and St. Philip & St. Michael parishes elected him to the Sixth General Assembly [1785-1786] and he chose to sit for the latter election district, qualifying 25 January 1785. He also represented St. Philip & St. Michael in the Seventh [1787-1788] and Eighth [1789-1790] General Assemblies. Mathewes voted in favor of the federal Constitution in South Carolina's ratifying convention [1788]. However, he proved to be more Jeffersonian in his political philosophy as evidenced by his selection as a Jefferson elector for South Carolina [1796]. Throughout his long career, Mathewes held other posts of importance, including justice of the peace for Berkeley County [1767, 1769] and for Colleton County [1767,1769,1776], associate judge of the Circuit Court [1776], militia captain[1778], Chancellor[1784], and Judge[1791-1797] of the Court of Equity, election warden for Charleston [1784]; commissioner for clearing passage of Stono River in St. Paul Parish[1785]; trustee for the College of Charleston 1785], and member of a committee to study the Jay Treaty [1795]. In addition Mathewes was a member of the St. Andrews Society [1766] and the Charleston Library Society [1772] and a founder of the St. George's Club [1786] and president of the American Revolution Society [1792]
Married twice, Mathewes first wife whom he married on 3 December 1766, was Mary Wragg, daughter of William Wragg and Mary Wood. One son, William was born, but he did not survive his father. Mary Mathewes died sometime before 5 May 1799 when Mathewes married Sarah Rutledge, daughter of John Rutledge and Sarah Hext. John Mathewes died on 26 October 1802 in Charleston and was survived by his wife. Follows a list of Assemblies and of sources. [Biographical Directory of SC House of Rep. Vol 2 1692-1775 pg 438-440]
1766 - Wednesday last, Mr. John Mathewes [son of John] was married to Miss Mary Wragg, daughter of William Wragg, Esq. one of the representatives in Assembly for the Parish of St. Johns Colleton County [SC Gazette Marriage Notice Monday December 8, 1766]
John Mathewes, Barrister of the Middle Temple-admitted to the Inns of the Court in London. In 1775 there were 35 members of the bar in SC [McCrady's "History of SC Under Royal Governors 1719-1776")
November 26, 1741 - From Anthony Mathewes to John Mathewes 277 acres on Johns Island, bounded on the west by the Stono etc. - plat [Book a-64]
June 19, 1760- Inherited plantation on Johns Island from his mother Sarah Gibbes Mathewes.
See copy of SC Historical Magazine April 2002 for very interesting article on John Mathewes in the Continental Congress. (In Mathewes Notebook)
In 1773 General (Francis) Marion purchased Pond Bluff Plantation (annexed in recent years to Orangeburg County, house taken down, and lands covered by the waters of Lake Marion) near Eutaw Springs from John Mathewes [ From Historic Spots in Berkeley County by Henry Ravenel Dwight]
In a catologue of Loan Exhibit Colonial Dames [date not given, but in Jeannie Cason's handwriting] is listed # 246 Sevres Flower Pot originally belonging to Gov. John Raven Mathewes, Colonial Governor, now in possession of Miss E. O. Mathewes.
spelled Matthews "Hist of Beaufort Co" p 223
In the History of Charleston Co., South Carolina it mentions a John Mathews: In 1781 John Mathews was called to the bench ....in 1782 he was elected governor.
July 8,1779 -Scrimmage at Mathewes' Plantation
"It was July 8,1779: the Battle of Stono had just been fought two and half weeks before. Johns Island had been the scene of most of that battle with a few minor operations on James Island.
"Left on James Island, in what is today Riverland Terrace, was a detachment of British troops. Over on Johns Island were two American Rifle companies. They were stationed on Mathewes Plantation, three miles from Fenwick Hall.
"These two companies were from Beaufort and Johns Island, John Barnwell was captain of the group from Beaufort. John Raven Mathewes headed up the Johns Island company.
" They had been drilling on the exposed banks of the Stono in plain view of the British on the other side. This to some degree worried the British, like perhaps they were in a trap that might spring at any time.
"Thomas Fenwick (brother to Edward) was a known but trusted Tory. He had dined with the American soldiers. He was cousin to the Gibbes who lived next door (one mile away). During his visits he brought back enough information to inspire the British to plot an attack.
"On the night of July 8th two large parties of Redcoats left Peronneau's Landing. One went directly to Fenwick Hall for a march by land to Mathewes. The second was to land at the very bank on which the American troops had drilled.
"A bayonet charge was ordered. The Revolutionary War is known as the War of the Bayonet. The English were very adept at using them.
"One group so surprised the sentry that he ran without firing a shot. James Black, a ships carpenter, had the picket duty on the other side. He fired into the British and stayed and fought until he was bayonetted and died.
"The British surrounded Mathewes' Johns Island Company and they surrendered without too much confusion. Over among Barnwell's Company, bedlam prevailed. There was much arguing about what quarter they would get, and the Redcoats claimed they again took up arms after having surrendered.
"Many of Barnwell's men died on the business end of a bayonet that night. Robert Barnwell, younger brother of General Barnwell, was left for dead with seventeen wounds. Mrs. Robert Gibbes on the adjoining plantation nursed Barnwell and a Private Barnes back to health. (From James and Related Sea Islands, by Jim Hayes, 1978, printed by Walker Evans)
Chairs belonging to him are in the Gabriel Manigault House in Charleston, a property of the Charleston Museum.
MATHEWES, JOHN [1744 - 1802], Son of John Mathewes [d. 1780], grandson of John Gibbes [1696 - 1764], son-in-law of William Wragg and John Rutledge [d. 1750], brother-in-law of Godin Guerard, George Abbott Hall, Thomas Heyward, Jr. [1746-1809], Edward Rutledge 91749-1800], Hugh Rutledge, John Rutledge [1739- 1800] and Thomas Rutledge.
John Mathewes, the son of John Mathewes and Sarah Gibbes, was born in South Carolina in 1744. A lawyer by profession, he was admitted to the Middle Temple on 27 October 1764 and to the South Carolina bar on 22 September 1765. He primarily involved himself in the politics of his native state. His landholdings included undeveloped tracts in St. George Dorchester Parish, land on the Edisto River, his principal residence, Uxbridge [806 acres, 62 slaves] and a town house and lots in Charleston. [See map]
Mathewes first appeared in public records when he was commissioned as a militia ensign [10 September 1760] and then lieutenant [16 November 1760] during the Cherokee War. The next few years were spent in England, but upon returning to South Carolina he was chosen by St. Helena Parish to the Twenty-seventh Royal Assembly[1765-1768] in a special election, an assembly for which he qualified on April 7, 1767. It was not until 1772 that he was elected again, this time by St. John Colleton Parish to the Thirtieth Royal Assembly [1772]. St. George Dorchester Parish chose him as its representative to the First [1775] and Second [1775-1776) Provincial Congresses and to the First General Assembly [1776]. He resigned from that assembly on the second session of the First General Assembly and qualified on 18 September 1776. Elected to the Second General Assembly [1776-1778], he served this assembly as Speaker from 6 December 1776 until 12 September 1777. Continuing service for St. George Dorchester in the Third [1779-1780] and Fourth [1782] General Assemblies, he resigned on 29 January 1782 upon being elected Governor of South Carolina.
Mathewes' election as governor was a natural result of his earlier activities which had fortified his stand with the Revolution. He had served on the General Committee of the Non-Importation Association and had been elected to the Committee of Ninety-nine for St. George Dorchester [1774]. In 1778 he was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress and served in that body until his election as Governor. As a member of Congress, he protested underground movements to sacrifice Georgia and South Carolina in order to insure the independence of the other colonies and was chairman of a committee of cooperation and reorganization which conferred with General George Washington and the Continental forces [1781]. While Governor, Mathewes was elected and reelected to the Privy Council [1782-1785] and was presiding officer of the state when the British evacuated in late 1782.
When this one term as governor was completed, St. George Dorchester reelected Mathewes to the Fifth General Assembly [1783-1784], but he declined to serve. St. George Dorchester and St. Philip & St. Michael parishes elected him to the Sixth General Assembly [1785-1786] and he chose to sit for the latter election district, qualifying 25 January 1785. He also represented St. Philip & St. Michael in the Seventh [1787-1788] and Eighth [1789-1790] General Assemblies. Mathewes voted in favor of the federal Constitution in South Carolina's ratifying convention [1788]. However, he proved to be more Jeffersonian in his political philosophy as evidenced by his selection as a Jefferson elector for South Carolina [1796]. Throughout his long career, Mathewes held other posts of importance, including justice of the peace for Berkeley County [1767, 1769] and for Colleton County [1767,1769,1776], associate judge of the Circuit Court [1776], militia captain[1778], Chancellor[1784], and Judge[1791-1797] of the Court of Equity, election warden for Charleston [1784]; commissioner for clearing passage of Stono River in St. Paul Parish[1785]; trustee for the College of Charleston 1785], and member of a committee to study the Jay Treaty [1795]. In addition Mathewes was a member of the St. Andrews Society [1766] and the Charleston Library Society [1772] and a founder of the St. George's Club [1786] and president of the American Revolution Society [1792]
Married twice, Mathewes first wife whom he married on 3 December 1766, was Mary Wragg, daughter of William Wragg and Mary Wood. One son, William was born, but he did not survive his father. Mary Mathewes died sometime before 5 May 1799 when Mathewes married Sarah Rutledge, daughter of John Rutledge and Sarah Hext. John Mathewes died on 26 October 1802 in Charleston and was survived by his wife. Follows a list of Assemblies and of sources. [Biographical Directory of SC House of Rep. Vol 2 1692-1775 pg 438-440]
1766 - Wednesday last, Mr. John Mathewes [son of John] was married to Miss Mary Wragg, daughter of William Wragg, Esq. one of the representatives in Assembly for the Parish of St. Johns Colleton County [SC Gazette Marriage Notice Monday December 8, 1766]
John Mathewes, Barrister of the Middle Temple-admitted to the Inns of the Court in London. In 1775 there were 35 members of the bar in SC [McCrady's "History of SC Under Royal Governors 1719-1776")
November 26, 1741 - From Anthony Mathewes to John Mathewes 277 acres on Johns Island, bounded on the west by the Stono etc. - plat [Book a-64]
June 19, 1760- Inherited plantation on Johns Island from his mother Sarah Gibbes Mathewes.
See copy of SC Historical Magazine April 2002 for very interesting article on John Mathewes in the Continental Congress. (In Mathewes Notebook)
In 1773 General (Francis) Marion purchased Pond Bluff Plantation (annexed in recent years to Orangeburg County, house taken down, and lands covered by the waters of Lake Marion) near Eutaw Springs from John Mathewes [ From Historic Spots in Berkeley County by Henry Ravenel Dwight]
In a catologue of Loan Exhibit Colonial Dames [date not given, but in Jeannie Cason's handwriting] is listed # 246 Sevres Flower Pot originally belonging to Gov. John Raven Mathewes, Colonial Governor, now in possession of Miss E. O. Mathewes.
Events
| Birth | 1744 | Of Stono River, Beaufort District, North Carolina, British America |  | ||
| Marriage | 8 Dec 1766 | Colleton, South Carolina, British America - Mary Wragg |  | | |
| Marriage | 11 May 1799 | Christ Church Parish, Berkeley, South Carolina, United States - Sarah Rutledge | | ||
| Death | 17 Oct 1802 | Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, United States | | | |
| Burial | Circular Congregational Church Burying Ground, Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
Families
| Spouse | Mary Wragg (1745 - 1799) |
| Child | William Mathewes (1767 - 1793) |
| Spouse | Sarah Rutledge (1742 - 1819) |
| Child | Elizabeth Mathewes ( - ) |
| Father | John Raven Mathewes I (1720 - 1759) |
| Mother | Sarah Gibbes (1724 - 1760) |
| Sibling | Lois Mathewes (1742 - 1781) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth Mathewes (1753 - 1782) |
| Sibling | Nancy Anne Mathewes (1752 - 1793) |
Notes
Marriage
Wednesday last Mr. John Mathewes (son of John) was married to Miss Mary Wragg, daughter of William Wragg, Esq., one of the representatives in assembly for the parish of St. John, in Colleton county. (Monday, December 89, 1766)Letter from Eliza Pinckney's daughter Harriet to Mrs. Izard, Dec. 10, 1766. "Miss Wragg who I suppose thought it better late than never, shook hands for life last week, with Jack Mathewes. They had a mighty jolly wedding of it up at ye Baroney"
Matthewes, John
Wragg, Mary
8 Dec 1766
Death
October, 1802 - Died in this city on Tuesday evening last in the 58th year of his age, the honorable John Mathewes, Esq. formerly governor of the state (acct and eulogy) [Charleston Times, Oct. 30, 1802]Endnotes
1. Trice, Fletcher, Rootsweb World Connect genealogy tree of Mathews from South Carolina. (
2. Jean Ann Lemon, "Descendants of Anthony Mathewes," complied records from
3. , "Marriages Records 1675-1858," South Carolina magazine of ancestral research Vol 5, #3 ():, December 08, 1766 & December 04, 1766 .
4. Alexander Samuel Salley, editor, Marriage Notices in the South-Carolina Gazette and Its Successors. (1732-1801) (J. Munsell's sons, 1902), 31; digital images, Google Books ( : accessed 12 November 2016.
5. Jean Ann Lemon, "Descendants of Anthony Mathewes," complied records from
6. , "Marriages Records 1675-1858," South Carolina magazine of ancestral research Vol 5, #3 ():, May 5, 1799 .
7. Trice, Fletcher, Rootsweb World Connect genealogy tree of Mathews from South Carolina. (
8. Jean Ann Lemon, "Descendants of Anthony Mathewes," complied records from