John P. Mathews is numbered among the capitalists of Cedar county and he now makes his home in Tipton, where he gives his supervision merely to his invested interest in the control of which, however, he displays marked business ability and enterprise. Cedar county numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Center township, about four miles south of Tipton, on the 1st of April, 1842.
His parents were William and Mary(Ford) Mathews, both of whom were natives of Greenbrier county, West Virginia, although the state had not been divided from the Old Dominion at the time they were born. The father’s birth occurred September 13, 1808, while the mother was born June 28, 1814. After leaving his native state William Mathews went to Indiana and it was there on the 25thof May, 1834, that he wedded Miss Mary Ford. They began domestic life in the Hoosier state but in June, 1838, came to Iowa, which was still under territorial rule. The work of civilization and development seemed scarcely begun even in the eastern counties and throughout the central and western portions of the state there were large stretches of land that had not as yet beenclaimed by the white man and upon which the work of improvement had not been begun. William Mathews secured a tract of timber land and at once began to clear away trees and cultivate the farm. He built there a little log cabin and in the course of time cultivated the fields, transforming the once wild tract into a valuable farm property. His life was ever upright and honorable and in all business transactions he was found thoroughly reliable as well as industrious.
In 1881 William Mathews was called to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 19th of October of that year at the age of sixty-seven years, three months and twenty-one days. She had been a consistent member of the Protestant Methodist church for more than a quarter of a century. She never murmured when she had to meet the hardships and privations of pioneer life in her early days, joining willingly with her husband in an effort to establish a new home on the frontier. She was always most devoted to her family and was a most loving mother to her children, three of whom survived her. The death of William Mathews occurred April 8, 1904, when he had passed the ninety-sixth milestone on life’s journey. He was probably the oldest resident in the county at the time and was also one of the oldest settlers of Iowa, having made his home in Cedar county for sixty-six years. He counted himself as old man when he laid his wife to rest and twenty-three years passed ere he was called to join her beyond the river of death. He enjoyed good health through his later years, so that he kept in active touch with those about him and with their interests and pleasures.
He remained for sixty years a devoted member of the Protestant Methodist church and his life was so upright, his manner so kindly and his intentions so honorable that he was beloved by all who knew him. During the last twelve years of his life he made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Simmermaker. At his demise one of the local papers said: “Always patient and kind, he has shown in the home the beauty of a green old age which is like the mellowness of an autumn day. Now that his sun is set, his friends linger on in the beautiful twilight of the memory of what he was and how he lived.” The children of the family were: Alexander, who died in childhood; Jane, the deceased wife of Charles Millhouse; John P.; Nancy, the wife of George Simmermaker of Center township; Eliza, deceased, and Frank, who died in 1908, leaving a son, William.
John P. Mathews was born and reared upon the old homestead and there lived until his removal to Tipton about 1903, at which time he bought his present fine home on the boulevard. For many years, however, he was identified with general agricultural interests and is now the owner of five hundred and twenty acres of valuable and well improved land in Center township which comprises the old homestead and the addition which he made thereon. He also owns one hundred and sixty acres constituting an excellent farm one mile southwest of Tipton and a half section of land in Spink county, South Dakota. He has been a director of theCity National Bank for the past eight years and is one of its large stockholders.
On the 12th of January, 1871, Mr. Mathews was united in marriage to Miss Maria Ingman, who was born in Ohio, November 3, 1845, and when a little maiden of eight years was brought to Cedar county by her parents, George P. and Martha (Johns) Ingman. Her father was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, May 17, 1815, and at an early age become connected with the dry-goods business. He dated his residence in Cedar county, Iowa, from 1855 and became prominent in community affairs, serving as clerk of the courts for one term and as county treasurer for three terms. In the fall of 1870 he went to Villisca, where he carried on the dry-goods business until 1877. He afterward served for two terms as county supervisor, discharging his duties in such a prompt and capable manner that his service was altogether satisfactory to his constituents and to the general public. For sixty-six years he was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church and from 1848 was an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity. In 1838, in Kenton, Ohio, he wedded Miss Martha Johns, and unto them were born five children. The wife and mother died in 1852 and in 1854 Mr. Ingman wedded Miss Harriet Farnam in Akron, Ohio, who passed away in 1878. The following year he married Miss Harriet J. Wheeler of Patoka, Illinois, who survives him. The death of Mr. Ingman occurred July 14, 1894, when he was seventy-nine years of age. He was a man of fine mental ability, of marked literary tastes, and possessed of considerable artistic talent as displayed in oil paintings.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mathews have been born four children: Martha is at home, Hulda is the wife of John Holton, Jr., who resides four miles south of Tipton, and they have two children, Dorothy Louise and Roger Mathews. Lewis W., who was educated in the Tipton schools and a commercial college at Cedar Rapids, was employed in the City National Bank of Tipton for two years and is now operating the home farm. Mary died in childhood.
Mr. Mathews has led the life of a quiet, industrious farmer and with the passing years success has crowned his efforts and rewarded his labors until he is now numbered among the prosperous citizens of the community and honored by all for the straightforward methods by which his success has been won.
