[last accessed 9 Nov 2012]
... [Samuel Mathews] married (1) FRANCES GREVILL Abt. 1628 in Virginia. She was born Abt. 1590 in England, and died 1635 in Mathews Manor, Virginia. He married (2) SARAH HINTON 1638 in England. She was born 1613 in England, and died Aft. 1657 in England. ...
A more and better known description of Mathews' Manor was published in London in 1649 and reads as follows: "Worthy Captain Mathews, an old Planter of above thirty years standing, one of the Counsell, and a most deserving Commonwealthsman, I may not omit to let you know this gentleman's industry. He hath a fine house, and all things answerable to it: he sowes yeerly store of Hemp and Flax, and causes it to be spun; he keeps weavers and hath a Tan-house, causes Leather to be dressed, hath eight Shoemakers employed in their trade, hath forty Negroe servants, brings them up to Trades in his house: He yeerly sowes abundance of Wheath, Barley, &c. The Wheat he selleth at four shillings the bushell, kills store of Beeves, and sells them to victuall the ships when they come thither: hath abundance of Kine, a brave dairy, Swine great store, and Poultry: he married the Daughter of Sir. Tho. Hinton, and in a word, keeps a good house, lives bravely, and a true lover of Virginia: he is worthy of much honour."Citation needed...
Nobody, however, has confirmed that Mathews married "the Daughter of Sir Thomas Hinton", although it was established that a Thomas Hinton was living in the colony in the early 1630's, and that he was a member of the Council. It is known, that Thomas Hinton was a member of a dissident group which opposed the autocratic Governor Harvey and that Harvey "sequestered Thomas Hinton because of ill-words spoken."Citation neededIt is uncertain whether this means that Hinton was removed from the Council, goaled, or expelled from the Colony, but it is significant that Hinton thereafter vanished from the Virginia records.
The "daughter of Sir Thomas Hinton" was not Samuel Mathews first wife. He had previously been married to the widow of Cape Merchant, Abraham Peirsey [Frances (Grevill) Peirsey] ... Many people who have written about the Mathews family, have inexplicably hitched the name of Frances Grevill to Mary Hinton, an assumption for which there was not a shred of proof.Citation neededOn the contrary, there is now archaeological evidence which strongly points to the second wife's first name beginning with "S" rather than "F" or "M". ...
A possible clue has been provided by archaeology in the shape of a silver saucepan lid found on the Mathews' Manor site bearing the London date letter for 1638 and engraved with the initials "M" "S" "S" undoubtedly those of Samuel Mathews and his second wife, the "daughter of Sir Thomas Hinton."
It seems reasonable to conjecture that the sauce pan might have been a wedding gift and if, therefore, Mathews was courting Miss "S" in 1637-38 that would account for his failure to petition the Privy Council for permission to return to Virginia before the trial. ... the excavated relics suggest that he appreciated the good things of life. Fragments of dozens of Mathews' square glass wine bottles were found, for example; other artifacts revealed that he owned jewelry set with Persian lapis lazule, spurs and swords with hilts washed with gold and encrusted with silver, books bound with ornamental brass clasps, and a silver saucepan whose lid was engraved with the initials of Mathews and his second wife," M/"S" "S", and stamped with the London date letter for 1638.
This last find was of considerable importance since it identified the "daughter of Sir Thomas Hinton" mentioned earlier as S. Hinton rather than Frances Hinton, as genealogists had mistakenly supposed, having confused her with Mathews' first wife, Frances Grevill.
It is possible that the saucepan was a wedding present and if so, it would follow that Samuel Mathews married Sarah Hinton in 1638 in England. This would explain the absence of any record of the marriage in Virginia. ...
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[Palmer provides reference numbers to sources, but no sources are evident. It appears that this info is a cut-and-paste from many other websites. Needs further review to reveal more primary sources.]
