COLLECTIONSFor a History of the

Ancient Fami y 0 McMatBy

oFRAN"K l\IORTIM:ER 1\'IcMA TH

"H e was of the .AncientFamily of McMath."

(Alexander Nisbet, Heraldic Writer of Scotland, 1722)

"Man is a noble animal. Splendid in ashes, pom-pous in the grave. Oelebrating nativities and deathwith equal lustre, nor omitting ceremonies of bravery inthe infamy of his nature.."-SIB THOMA.SBnowNE.

(Edition Two Hundred Copies)

Press ofC. A. DAVIS PRINTING COMPANY, Inc.

Memphis, Tennessee, U. S. A.1937

148 THE McMATH FAMILY

ALLA McMATH, II.(No. 16. P. 35. McMath Memorials)

WAS born in Ovid Township, N. Y., June 12,1799. Mar-ried March 19; 1829, to Elizabeth Homan of Phelps1N. Y., (b. June 10, 1796; d. of Joshua and Nancy

Wharry Homan of Orange County, N. Y.) Mr. McMath diedJan. 25, 1883. His wife passed away Jan. 21, 1852. AHaMcMath was the son of John McMath (born Chester County,Pa., Mar. 27, 1770, in the home of his great grandfather,James Wilson). The father of John McMath was Ana 1\{c-Math, who was born Jan. 11, 1738, in Ulster, and came toAmerica in 1756; he married here Mabel Kelsey, a granddaughter. of James Wilson. Her great grandparents' wereWilliam and Jane (Stewart) Wilson. The Wilsons andStewarts emigrated from Scotland to Ulster sometime priorto 1690. .

The father of AHa McMath (the elder) was ArchibaldMcMath, born in Scotland and emigrated to Ulster sometimeprior to 1738.

A full account of the descendants of Archibald McMathis to be found in McMath Memorials (Page 3, etseq. Thenumerals preceding the following names refer to correspond-.ing numerals in McMath Memorials.) .

55. .Sarah A. McMath, (dau. of Ana, II,) born Mar'.19, 1830, died Mar. 2, 1900. Buried Bellefontaine Ceme-.tery, St. Louis, l\fo. (See" An Appreciation," page 137.)

56. Robert Emmet Mc1\iath (son. of AHa, II,) bornApr. 28, 1833, at Varick, Seneca County, N. Y., Mar-ried in Detroit, Dec. 29, 1859, to Frances Elizabeth

'. Brodie, who died Feb. 12, 1867. Was married (second) atSt. Louis, ],\tIo.,Sept. 23, 1901, to Eleanor C. Trent, whodied Sept. 7, 1905, at Webster Groves, Mo., and is buriedin Bellefontaine Cemetery. lVlr. McMath died at Web-

THE McMATH FAMILY 149

ster Groves, Mo., :May 31, 1918, and was buried in thefamily lot in Bellefontaine. (See autobiography).

1. Frances Isabella (d. :May 5, 1881).

58. Thomas Brodie McMath (2nd child of RobertE.), born in St. Louis, Dec. 28, 1862. Married in Cincin-nati, Dec. 12, 1895, to Carrie Louise Burnham. He diedin Indianapolis, Jan. 14, 1932.

Mrs. McMath was born Dec. 22, 18.71, in Cincinnati.Resided in Westwood, near Cincinnati, until her mar-riage with Mr. McMath. The first years of their marriedlife were spent in St. Louis. Mrs. McMath during herresidence in Indianapolis was interested in Club work, re-ligious and other organizations. Her membership waswith the Tabernacle Presbyterian Church. She was amem1ber of the Caroline Scott Harrison Chapter of theD. A. R. and for a number of years served as Chaplain.She was the first presiding officer of the Parent-TeacherAssociation of School 45. She was also interested in theMonday Club and the W:C.T.U. She was the author ofa number of articles published in "The Star" includinga series of short stories about "Hedgelawn Babies". Hermother was Mrs. Arastris Burnham, of Cincinnati. Shehad one sister, Miss Hattie Jane Burnham, and twobrothers, Edward T. Burnham, of Holton, Ind., and Wal-ter E. Burnham, of Spokane, Washington.

1. Frances Burnham McMath, born in Cincinnati,Dec. 1, 1897. Married Dr. Frederick Emerson Gifford,(son of Samuel Grant and l\1ary Ryan Gifford) at homeJuly 11, 1931, by Dr. Jean S. Milner. Mrs. Gifford tookher degree of B.S. in 1919, and Dr. Gifford took his B.S.in 1919, and M:.D. in 1921, at the University of Indiana.Resides (1936) 3330 North Meridian, Indianapolis, Ind.

. 12. Thomas Burnham McMath, born Cincinnati, on

August 12, 1899. Married Maebelle Holmberg, Aug. 16,1927.

15"0 THE McMATH F A...'11LY

Thomas Burnham McMath was graduated from Pur-due University with the degree of Bachelor of Sciencein Civil Engineering in: 1921. Following college, he wastwo and a half years engineer for the Indiana StateHighway Commission. He came to Chicago to learn thecontract busIness with the North American RailwayConstruction Co. He acted as bookkeeper, cost account-ant, estimator of all contracts, superintendent of Con-struction, and finally joined the firm, becoming Secre-tary and Treasurer. When the construction companybecame inactive, due to the depression, he took a positionoffered by the surety on a tunnel contract, and was re-sponsible for all expenditures and cost accounting. Hehas had wide experience in supervising contract workand estimating covered railway construction, paving,sewer, water pipe, and some building. He resides at 1330Winona St., Chicago. Ill.

(1) Nancy Mae, born Feb. 25, 1932.

3. Caroline McMath, born Oct. 17, 1900. MarriedJohn Kuhns Goodwin (son of Clarence Larue Goodwinand Harriet Kuhns Goodwin) at home Dec. 12, 1924, byDr. J. Ambrose Dunkel.

Dr. Goodwin received his A.B. in 1920, B.S. in 1921,and M.D. in 1923, at the University of Indiana. Connect-ed with Ind. Veneer and Lumber Company. Resides(1936) 1220 Pickwick Place, Golden Hill, Indianapolis.

(1) John Kuhns Goodwin, Jr., born Mar. 24,1925.

(2) Sarah Elizabeth, born Apr. 11, 1927.(3) Mary Caroline, born Jan. 4, 1930.

4~ Louis Trent Mc.Math, born Indianapolis, Mar.10, 1902. l\1:arried Gonstance Haass, Detroit, June 29,1932., 'I was christened Louis Trent McMath; born Mar.10, 1902; father, Thomas Brodie McM3ith, and mother,

THE McMATH FAMILY 151

Carrie Louise Burnham McMath. Attended grade school.. and high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, and graduatedfrom Wabash Col1ege, Crawfordsville, Indiana, with A.B. degree in 1924, after which I attended the Universityof Michigan Law School and graduated with degree ofL.Ii.B. in 1927., 'Then became associated with law firm of Dykema,Jones & Wheat in Detroit, Michigan, from 1927 to March'193i, at which time was appointed Assistant UnitedStates Attorney for the Eastern Diistrict of Michigan, inwhich position I have remained until the present time, al-though in January, 1933, formed and became a p'artnerin the firm of Palmer, Aldrich & McMath. Judge Palm-er, with whom I am associated has been connected withthe Probate Court in the City of Detroit, Wayne County,for over 35 years and, has also been a judge on thatbench.

"On January29, 1932, I married Constance Haass,daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Julius H. Haass, of Detroit,Michigan. Mr. Julius H.- Haass was one of the leadingbankers in this part of the country, and was chairmanof the Board of the Detroit Bankers Company at thetime of his death in 1931. We have one child, a daughter,. Lillian Henkel, named from her grandmother, Mrs. Lil-lian Henkel Haass; born July 5, 1936. I was admitted topracti~e in September, 1927, and 'have been a member ofthe Detroit Bar Association since that time, and I am alsoa member of the American Bar Association."

5. . Elizabeth McMath, born ApriJ 20, 1903. MarriedJoseph vVhitney Shirley, Jr., (born Mar. 7, 1905) ofBaltimore, Sept. 14, 1931, at Indianapolis, by Rev. Thos.White. lVlrs. Shirley graduated from Purdue University

. in. 1926 with a B.S. degree. . .

. l\fr. Shirley graduated from Penna. Military College: in 1927' with the degree of B.S. in Economics. Grad-..,uated.frorn"the University of Maryland, 1930, with'the