Matthews, J. C.

J. C. Matthews was born in Tarrant County, Texas, in 1861, to parents James Matthews of Missouri and Sarah Runnells of Tennessee. Raised on the Texas frontier where the nearest public school was over 100 miles away, he received private instruction and learned the cattle business by riding the range from a young age. Near Castroville, Medina County, Texas, he married Elizabeth Asher, a native of Stone County, Missouri, and daughter of Leonard and Patsey Hall Asher.

Following his marriage, J. C. engaged in cattle raising across Medina and Frio Counties in Texas before moving to Rhine, Oklahoma, to farm in 1898. In 1911, he relocated his family to Fresno County, California, where he transitioned into horticulture and viticulture. He eventually became the superintendent of the Herbert F. Brown ranch southwest of Rolinda, managing its vineyard and alfalfa fields while raising his family as an active Democrat and member of the Church of God.