Ransom Mathews Biography

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. 
	Ogle & Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 485-486

	Scan, OCR and editing by Joy Fisher, jfisher@sdgenweb.com, 1999.

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RANSOM MATHEWS, the popular hotel keeper of Arlington, Kingsbury county, was 
born in Potsdam, New York, February 25, 1839, a son of David and Lory (Perry) 
Mathews, both born in Vermont in the year 1798. The former died in Potsdam, New 
York, in 1871, and the latter in 1881. 

Our subject was the tenth child in the order of birth of a family of eleven 
children. He lived in his native town until he was seventeen years of age, and 
from that time until 1861 he lived in Massachusetts. While in that state he was 
a member of the Fourth Regiment State Militia, and on the 13th of April, 1861, 
they were taken into the army for three months.  They were mustered out July 24, 
1861 as a regiment, and Mr. Mathews returned to New York and enlisted at Potsdam 
in the Sixteenth New York Volunteer Infantry and joined his regiment at 
Alexandria, Virginia. About two months after joining the regiment, he was 
detailed to the signal corps, stationed at Georgetown, above Washington, 
District of Columbia.  In 1862, this corps was divided and sent to different 
parts of the army for the purpose of giving instructions.  In this capacity he 
was sent first to Ship Island, in the Gulf of Mexico, and then to New Orleans, 
where he opened a school for signals for the Department of the Gulf and there 
acted as instructor under Gen. Benjamin Butler.  In the fall of 1862 he was 
again sent to the field and participated in several engagements in the 
southwestern counties of Louisiana. In June, 1863, Mr. Mathews was again 
mustered out, but in July, 1864, he re-enlisted, this time in the Sixtieth 
Massachusetts, at Redville, ten miles above Boston, the time of enlistment being 
for 100 days. He operated in Baltimore, Maryland, and Indianapolis, Indiana, and 
at the expiration of his term of service in November, 1864, he was mustered out 
and remained in Massachusetts until 1865, when the lieutenant colonel of the One 
Hundred Ninety-third New York Volunteer Infantry, sent for him to join him and 
his command at Auburn, New York, as a commissioned officer.  He remained at this 
place but a short time until he was ordered to Summits Point, Virginia, and 
during his stay at this place, Lincoln was assassinated.  Shortly after the 
termination of the war the One Hundred Ninety-third New York was separated and 
sent into different parts of West Virginia on provost guard duty until January, 
1866, when the regiment was again concentrated at Harpers Ferry and were there 
mustered out and finally discharged at Albany, New York. After receiving his 
fourth honorable discharge, Mr. Mathews returned to his home at Potsdam, New 
York, for a short visit, and from there went to Massachusetts, and then to St. 
Louis, Missouri, and during the year 1867 he traveled in the last-named state, 
representing a fire insurance company.  In 1868, he located in Fayette county, 
Iowa, and until 1880 was engaged in the manufacture of brick in the town of 
Fayette. He then moved to Kingsbury county, South Dakota, with a team, and 
located a soldier's homestead five miles northwest of Arlington, then known as 
Nordland, and made that his home until 1883, when he bought the hotel in the 
village of Arlington and has since been engaged in that business. 

Mr. Mathews was first married to Miss Lizzie Gowen at St. Louis, Missouri.  Mrs. 
Mathews was born in Maine, in 1842, a daughter of Reuben and Olive Gowen, and 
died in Fayette county, Iowa, in 1878,leav-mg two children, a son and a 
daughter. The daughter is now living in Philadelphia with her aunt, and is a 
graduate of the Broad Street Conservatory of Music, of that city.  The son is in 
the fruit business in the state of Louisana.  The second marriage of our subject 
occurred in the fall of 1879, when he was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary J. 
Gillespie, a native of Pennsylvania, who was reared in Fayette county, Iowa. 
Politically, Mr. Mathews is a Democrat, and has held the office of justice of 
the peace for about ten years.