Mathews was born on April 16, 1819 in Chatanooga, TN. He came west with the Mississippi Saints and the group arrived in Salt Lake in 1847. In 1850 he came to California and kept a hotel between Sacramento and Auburn. On March 30, 1852 Mathews arrived in San Bernardino. He was a teamster, miller, Justice of the Peace and sheriff. Mathews died on August 18, 1888 and he is buried at the San Bernardino Pioneer Cemetery.
Photo courtesy of City of San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society