William Mathewson

In the beginning of the eighteenth century, three Mathewson brothers immigrated to the United States from Scotland. One of the three, William Mathewson, settled in Connecticut, first serving as a soldier in the French Canadian War, and then working as a farmer. In 1743, there in Connecticut, his son, William Mathewson was born. A soldier, his son participated in the Revolutionary War campaigns until the Revolutionary War ended, when he continued to farm in Connecticut. In 1790, his son, Joseph, was born. In 1806, the family moved from Connecticut to Broome County, New York. There, the country was wild and unoccupied. William purchased land, cleared it of timber, and farmed the land. In 1835, William died at age ninety-two. Eliza Stickney moved with her parents from New Hampshire to a farm on Page Brook, in the town of Triangle County, New York, next to the farm of Joseph Mathewson. Joseph enjoyed hunting and trapping until new settlers destroyed the wildlife from the area. Now, farming and raising stock, he met and married Eliza Stickney. On January 1, 1829, Eliza and Joseph's seventh of eight children, William Mathewson, was born. In the area, William lived with his parents and attended the public schools. As a child, he inherited the daring of his Highland Scottish ancestry, a roving life of a hunter, longing for the adventurous life of a frontiersman. Sadly, in 1835, at age forty-five, his father Joseph died. After his father's death, William remained at home, going to school, helping with the farm, and would eventually become a national legend. This is his story.