Joseph Mathias or Mathis

Joseph Mathias, was my Great Great Grandfather. Joseph was born in Endigen, Freiburg, Baden, Germany February 15, 1811, and worked as an Apprentice Shoemaker. He came to America as a young man, and once in America he settled in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio and married Maria Anna Merkle on December 17, 1834.

Joseph and Maria were the parents of 9 known children. All were born in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio:

1.  Magdalena "Ellen" [1835-?] married Augustus Eisele

2. Joseph [1837-?]

3.  John [1840-1904] married Margaret Schuees

4.  Mary [1842-1842]

5.  Elizabeth [1844-1844]

6. Elizabeth [1845-?] married Lucas Keller

7.  Lucas "Luke" [1848-1914]

8.  Philomena [1850-?]

9. Joseph Aloysius [1854-1854]

Joseph also raised his granddaughter, my grandmother, Philomena Margaret Mathias Dailey.

Joseph Mathias died December 6, 1890 in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio and is buried, with his wife Maria, in St. Margaret Cemetery in Chillicothe.

I'm not sure why his gravestone carries the surname Mathis. I'm not sure who his parents were but I have indications they were Bernard Mathis and Magdalena Fleiz or Gleiz. I'm trying to confirm or deny this supposition. This would explain the surname Mathis on Joseph's grave stone.

I had collaborated with two Mathias cousins I found through my research in Chillicothe. The one cousin had in his possession a small book belonging to Joseph and it contained a record of his children's births.

It breaks my heart to say that in 2011 a good portion of my genealogy, and the photocopies of records I obtained, were destroyed in a home burglary. 

John Mathias

John Mathias, my Paternal Great Grandfather, was born in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio on February 24, 1839. He was the son of Joseph Mathias and Maria Anna Merkle. His father, Joseph, emigrated from Endigen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany.

John Mathias married Margaret Schuees who was born in Bavaria on February 20, 1836. Her parents are unknown at this time. Their marriage was in Chillicothe on August 27, 1860. Together they had the following 7 known children, all born in Chillicothe:

           1.  Aloysius Mathias; 22 Nov 1860 – 1922

            2. John J Mathias; 1862 – 5 Jun 1919

            3. Joseph Mathias; 5 Sep 1864 – 5 Jul 1929

            4. Elizabeth Blanche Mathias; 1 Oct 1866 – 17 Oct 1950

            5. Magdalena “Lena” Mathias born about 1869.

            6. Edward Mathias; 30 Nov 1870 – 15 Jan 1871

            7. Philomena Margaret “Minnie” Mathias; 25 Nov 1874 – 17 Mar 1959

                        (my Paternal Grandmother)

Margaret Schuees Mathias died in Chillicothe on March 27, 1875, when my Grandmother was only a few months old. In May of 1875 John remarried to Mary (Long) Keller.

John enlisted in the Civil War on October 26, 1861 and served as a Private in Co. E, 63rd Ohio, in the Union Army. He  was discharged with a medical disability January 15, 1863 in Cairo, Illinois.  John had been wounded in the shoulder by a mini ball during the battle of Corinth, Mississippi on October 15, 1862. John spent the remainder of his years in and out of the Soldiers and Sailors Hospital in Dayton, Montogmery County, Ohio (The current site of the Veteran’s Administration). John died there on August 5, 1904 and is buried at the Dayton National Cemetery.