Matheny Great-Great-Grandparents

William Matheny and Elizabeth Everhart were my great-great-grandparents. The line goes like this:

Ralph Douglas Matheny was the son of

Clifford Alton Matheny, who was the son of

Hiram King Matheny, who was the son of

William Matheny and Elizabeth Everhart.

These two pictures are amazing to me. They were taken before 1906 and are the only pictures of William and Elizabeth that I have ever seen. I acquired them merely by chance. I was researching the Matheny name on Ancestry.com when I stumbled upon a family tree authored by a distant cousin that I had never met. I emailed her and she responded with more information on my Matheny family. We now email occasionally and compare notes and share what we find. She put these pictures into her family tree and I was able to download them along with some others that I will share later.

http://www.4shared.com/file/36916731/dac4e2d8/5_feb_2008.html

I know that William Matheny was born in 1814 in Virginia. I have not been able to find who his parents were, but I keep searching. When I can find that link, I will be able to trace our family back to the year 966 in France. I have traced the Everhart family back to 1678 in Germany.

William and Elizabeth Everhart were married in 1842 in Ohio. They lived in Indiana where William farmed until they moved with their family to Minnesota shortly before the time of the Civil War. They lived in the Darwin area in Meeker County where William again farmed until about 1878 when they moved again to Ottawa, LeSueur County, and William ran a ferry across the Minnesota river. Included in the Zip file with the scrapbook pages for today is a transcript of the Minnesota Legislative Act giving William permission to run a ferry. It is interesting in that within that act are the conditions under which he could operate a ferry as well as the fees he could charge for various passengers on his ferry; each foot passenger - 5 cents, each horse or mule and rider - 15 cents, etc. In September of 1905 their daughter Sarah Matheny Meeker brought her parents to Trafton, Snohomish County, Washington, where they lived until their deaths - he in March of 1906 and she in January of 1913. It seems that several members of the family moved west - some to Washington and others to California, while others remained in Minnesota.

William Matheny's obituary from a publication entitled "Our Hope" (possibly a church newsletter)
"The subject was well known to many of our readers who will be sorry to learn of his death". -Ed.
"Matheny - At Trafton, Washington
March 22, 1906
William Matheny, aged 92 yrs, 5 mos and 24 days. Our aged brother was born in Virginia, September 28, 1814. He married Elizabeth Everhart sixty-four years ago in Ohio, soon after moving to Indiana. After sixteen years residence there, they moved to Minnesota, where they resided until last September, when their daughter, Mrs. E. L. Meeker, brought them to her home in Trafton, for care and comfort in their old age. This venerable pilgrim's death was very peaceful, in strong faith and bright hope, the result of a long and loyal Christian service.

Nine children graced his home, three of whom were present at his obsequies. All grew to maturity, but two now sleep; the son, the late Simon Peter Matheny, well known and lamented in the Middle West. Forty-nine grandchildren and twenty-five great grandchildren had he, and his death was but the fifth in the four generations, covering nearly a century of time. His stay among the dust dwellers will be brief, and his song sweet, when he wakes up in the morning of the eternal day. A faith like his, and the Grace of God well proven, sustains his lonely companion in her sorrow."

I recently corresponded via email with a lady who is involved with a museum and historical society in the Trafton, WA area, and she told me that the Matheny name was well known in that area of the country. I am in the process of researching those others who moved to WA and CA. It is sort of like putting together a puzzle - a piece here and a piece there until a picture emerges. I hope to have a better picture of that branch of my family before long.