THE LATE MR JACOB MATHEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9038, 3 March 1908, Page 6

THE LATE MR JACOB MATHEWS.

One of the earliest pioneers of Masterton, the late Mr Jacob Mathews, who died on the 26th February, was a pioneer of no mean order. He arrived in Masterton in the year 1856, and took up the property now held by his son Alfred. Bjt previous to his coming to this country, he spent ten years of his early life in America, where he married his present widow, and where all his family were born, three of which survive him —Messrs C. and A. Mathews and Mrs Wilton, of Opaki. Mr Mathews was born in Wiltshire in 1821. While in America he received glowing accounts of New Zealand from his late brother, of Wairarapa Lake side, and having the spirit of adventure in a strong degree, he determined to come to this country. To accomplish that end, he had to return to his native land for the purpose of procuring a direct passage to New Zealand. He and his family arrived by the ship Westminster, which arrived in Wellington in the early part of '56. For some six months after securing a home, he could not venture to bring along his family, principally on account of the delicate health nf Mrs Mathews, and the poor accommodation available —a small raupu whare, situated where now stand Messrs Pinheys' stables ir. this town. As soon as possible Mr Mathews erected a more comfortable dwelling, out of totara split slabs, iji which the family lived for many years.

Mr Mathews and his fellow settlers in those early days never dreamed of the present day comforts. He and they had a very tough fight for the first few years of their pioneership—plenty of hard work, and the very plainest of food, and sometimes not a sufficiency of the lattei\ In those days there were neither formed roads nor bridges between Masterton and the Hutt. All groceries and other requirements had to be packed on bullocks from Wellington; horses were out of the question, on account of 'the high price being demanded—as much as £BO to £IOO. Mr Mathews, aa well as the other old settlers of that time, had to depend entirely upon the natives for their wheat supply, and had to grind it into flour by a steel handmill. A most tedious and laborious job it was. All their meat supply came from buSh and river, in the shape of native wild fowl and eels, and also wild pork. Mr Mathews' first crops, comprising a few acres of wheat, potatoes, etc., wore put in on the flat abutting the Waipoua river, and this crop, which he looked upon as of great value to him, was totally destroyed by flood. Tiiis was a rather serious set back to him, for he toiled long and hard with axe and grubhoe, the only tools then used in preparing the land for crop. This, in a small way, goes to show what a stout heart the early settlers required to possess. However, in a few years Mr Mathews got over the greater part of hi.-; struggle. His cattle and sheep soon increased to a good-sized herd, and when the Maori war broke out he was able to obtain good prices for his surplus fat stock. There were not many settlers in and about Masterton in those early days, i'hey can easily be recounted. The following names are those of the very earliest settlers: —Mr Jacob Mathews, Mr Masters (whom Masterton is named after), Mr B. P. Perry, Mr lorns (the father

of Messrs W. and I. lorns—the first person buried in the present Masterton cemetery), Mr Chamberlain (tht; father of Messrs G- E., T. E. and E. E. Chamberlain) Messrs Dixon, Woodruff, Brown-Hunt, Dagg and Crayn. The last-named was the first schoolmaster in Masterton. All of the above named old and good pioneers have gone to their last place of rest, except old Mr Dagg, of the Upper Plain, and Mrs Mathews, the widow of the late Mr Mathews. These two settlers were shipmates. The old pioneers were a most superior class of men, possessing stout hearts, strong determination, and great perseverance, honest almost to a fault, and their hospitalitv was equal to their honesty. Feeling the troubles of old age coming upon him, Mr Mathews retired from active work some years ago, and passed from this | life at the ripe old age of 87 years.