When Mary Elizabeth Mathews was born in 1847, in Smith, Tennessee, United States, her father, Benjamin S H Mathews, was 27 and her mother, Martha A Martin, was 17.
English: patronymic from Mathew ; a variant of Matthews . In North America, this surname has absorbed various cognates from other languages.
History: Among the earliest bearers of the name in North America was Samuel Mathews (c. 1600–c. 1657), who came to VA from London c. 1618. He established a plantation at the mouth of the Warwick River, which was at first called Mathews Manor; later its name was changed to Denbigh. He was one of the most powerful and influential men in the early affairs of the colony. He (or possibly his son, who bore the same name) was governor of the colony from 1657 until his death in 1660.
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