Résumé

His paternal grandfather, father and uncle were carpenters in New England, and he likely learned the rudiments of building from them.

Carpenter, Alameda, CA, c. 1892-1895.

Carpenter, Coulterville, CA, c. 1896.

Partner, F.H. Meyer and Company, Fresno, CA, 1901-1902. (See Fresno, California, City Directory, 1901, p. 173.) Mathewson operated a Fresno-office for the San Francisco architect Frederick H. Meyer in the Green Building. (See Fresno, California, City Directory, 1901, p. 179.)

Principal, Eugene Mathewson, Architect, Fresno, CA, 1903-1931. In 1906, Mathewson had an office in the Forsyth Building in Fresno. (See Fresno, California, City Directory, 1906, p. 199.) Between 1920 and 1931, he occupied Room #428 in the Cory Building, 1226 Fulton Street, in Fresno. (SeeFresno, California, City Directory, 1920, n.p., and R.L. Polk and Company's Fresno, California, City Directory, 1931, p 323.) The R.L. Polk and Company's Fresno City Directory, 1931, indicated that Mathewson continued to lease his office in Room #428, but lived in Arcata, CA. His name was not listed in the Fresno city directory of 1932.

Relocation

Eugene R. Mathewson was a New Englander, born in Webster, MA, about 17 miles southwest of Worcester, MA, in 11/1867. His father, also known as "Horace," had come from RI, his mother Lucy Joslin and step-mother, Ellen Carroll, both from CT. Lucy died at age 22 in 1868, and Horace remarried soon thereafter. He and Ellen likely moved from MA to Providence, RI, by about 1870.

The Rhode Island State Census of 1875 found Horace and Ellen living with the family of James M. Mathewson (born 04/13/1837 in CT-d. 09/24/1910), his elder brother, on Pawtucket Street. Both James and Horace were Civil War veterans and worked as carpenters in that city. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Rhode Island, U.S., State Censuses, 1865-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013, accessed 10/03/2023.)

Eugene Mathewson's parents lived in Thompson, CT, by 1880, where he lived with two siblings and his 77-year-old paternal grandmother Sarah R. Mathewson. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Thompson, Windham, Connecticut; Roll: 110; Page: 571B; Enumeration District: 137, accessed 10/03/2023.)

By 10/22/1892, Mathewson had moved from the East Coast to the San Francisco Bay Area. He registered to vote in Alameda County by 10/22/1892, his address being 2138 Encinal Avenue in Alameda, CA. His occupation was listed as "carpenter." (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1892; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 3; FHL Roll Number: 976448, accessed 10/04/2023.) He married in Alameda County by 1894 to Margaret Robinson. Voter records of 1894 also indicated that he remained in Alameda. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1894; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 4; FHL Roll Number: 976449, accessed 10/05/2023.)

Mathewson registered to vote in Coulterville, Mariposa County, CA, on 05/29/1896. According to Mariposa County voter records, he worked as a carpenter here. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 24; FHL Roll Number: 976934, accessed 10/05/2023.)

Mathewson relocated to the growing city of Fresno by about 1900. The architect and his wife Margaret dwelled in a house at 924 J (later renamed "Fulton") Street in Fresno by 1900. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Fresno Ward 4, Fresno, California; Roll: 86; Page: 23; Enumeration District: 0007, accssed 10/03/2023.) A year later, he lived at 745 J Street in Downtown Fresno. (See Fresno, California, City Directory, 1901, p. 173.)

In 1906, Mathewson resided at 319 Calaveras Avenue in Fresno, CA. (See Fresno, California, City Directory, 1906, p. 199.) The architect continued to live at 319 Calaveras Avenue in 1920. (See Fresno, California, City Directory, 1920, n.p.) The 1920 US Census also confirmed this 319 Calaveras Avenue address at which he and Margaret lived. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Fresno Ward 3, Fresno, California; Roll: T624_76; Page: 6b; Enumeration District: 0038; FHL microfilm: 1374089, accessed 10/03/2023.) The 1920 US Census indicated that they owned the Calaveras Avenue house by this time. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Fresno, Fresno, California; Roll: T625_97; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 41, accessed 10/03/2023.)

By 1926, Mathewson had moved from 319 Calaveras, the residence that he had shared with his deceased wife, and moved to 3641 Iowa Avenue in Fresno. (See Fresno, California, City Directory, 1926, p. 301.) He remarried in c. 1927 and they continued to live here in 1928. (See R.L. Polk and Company's Fresno, California, City Directory, 1928, p. 300.)

The architect retired to Union, CA, in Humboldt County, where he lived with his second wife, Lucile, in 1930. He and Lucile owned their residence, valued at an estimated $5,000. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Union, Humboldt, California; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0055; FHL microfilm: 2339855, accessed 10/03/2023.) They continued to live in Union in 1940.

They had a house at 262 12th Street in Arcata, CA, by 1950. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Arcata, Humboldt, California; Roll: 5071; Page: 11; Enumeration District: 12-71, accessed 10/03/2023.)

Eugene Mathewson passed away in Humboldt County, CA, at the age of 91.

Parents

His father was James Horace Mathewson (born 09/04/1841 in Millville, MA-d. 10/22/1911 in Webster, MA). He went by the name "Horace" and worked according to the 1875 RI State Census, as a carpenter. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Rhode Island, U.S., State Censuses, 1865-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013, accessed 10/03/2023.) Horace's father Edwin Mathewson (born c. 1811 in MA) also worked as a carpenter in Western MA. Edwin (written occasionally as "Edward") and Sarah Read Fletcher (born c. 1814 in CT) married on 10/05/1835 in Mendon, MA, and their four children resided in Worcester, MA, in 1850. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Worcester Ward 4, Worcester, Massachusetts; Roll: 342; Page: 197a, accessed 10/04/2023.)

Horace served with Musician Company K, 12th Rhode Island Volunteers, in the Civil War. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Connecticut State Library; Hartford, Connecticut Source Information Ancestry.com. Connecticut, U.S., Hale Collection of Cemetery Inscriptions and Newspaper Notices, 1629-1934 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012, accessed 10/03/2023.) Later in his life, by 1910, James Horace worked as a master mechanic in an ironworks in Webster, MA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Webster, Worcester, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_630; Page: 17a; Enumeration District: 1834; FHL microfilm: 1374643, accessed 10/03/2023.)

Eugene shared his father's first name, and may have used his middle name to differentiate himself from him.

Horace Mathewson. the architect's father, married twice. Horace Eugene's birth records indicated that he had been born in Webster, MA, to Horace and "Lucy E. Joslin" (born c. 05/1846 in Thompson, CT-d. 11/18/1868). (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Birth Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013, accessed 10/04/2023.) She passed away at the age of 22 years, 5 months and 19 days.

The elder Horace's second wife was Ellen "Nellie" O. Caroll (born 1852 in NS, Canada-d. 05/06/1917). She managed the household that included three boys in 1875. Her parents had both been born in Ireland.

The 1910 US Census indicated that John Horace and Ellen had had six hildren, three of whom survived in that year. Their offspring included: Horace Eugene Mathewson, Edwin C. Mathewson (born c. 1873 in Providence, RI), John S. Mathewson (born c. 04/1875 in Providence, RI) and Lottie Mathewson (born c. 03/1883 in CT).

His parents returned to MA to live in the town of Webster, MA, by 1900, at least, and continued living here in 1910. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Webster, Worcester, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_630; Page: 17a; Enumeration District: 1834; FHL microfilm: 1374643, accessed 10/03/2023.)

Spouse

Eugene Mathewson married twice.

He first wed Margaret E. Robinson (born 12/1870 in CA-d. 02/21/1921 in Fresno, CA) on 03/11/1894 in Alameda County, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1850-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Marriage records, select counties and years. California State Archives, Sacramento, California, accessed 10/03/2023.)

By c. 1927, he wed Lucile Ellen Wymore (born 08/12/1882 in NE-d. 02/10/1960 in Humboldt County, CA). She was 15 years younger than Eugene.

Biographical Notes

At age 24, Mathewson stood 5-feet, 7-inches tall. He was Caucasian with a light complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. The 1892 Alameda County voter register indicated that he had a scar on the back of his right hand. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 3; FHL Roll Number: 976448, accessed 10/05/2023.)

Voter records for Humboldt County, CA, from 1930-1933 listed Mathewson as a registered Republican. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Register of Voters, 1930-1933, accessed 10/05/2023.)

Mathewson returned to Fresno for a visit in 06/1954. His visit was discussed in a Fresno Bee article of 06/10/1954. (See "Architect Pays Visit to Old City Hall He Designed in 1906," Fresno Bee, 06/10/1954, p. 21.)