Excerpts from correspondence with Esther Jennings Wakeman Joseph Mather Jr. and Happy Osborn Wakeman were Stephen’s paternal grandparents.  Happy’s brother was Henry Burr Wakeman.  His wife was Esther Jennings Wakeman.  In 1906, Esther received two letters from Stephen sharing the news about the new arrival. From those letters… Chicago July 4 My dear Aunt Esther            …As one of my nearest relations and one who was very dear to both father and mother, I know you will rej

E   Excerpts from letters to Maria Walker and Hazel Hoyt cerpts from letters to Maria Walker and Hazel Hoy Maria Walker was a sister-in-law of Stephen’s mother.  On September 2, 1906,   a little less than a month after Bertha’s birth, Stephen wrote to Maria… My dear Aunt Maria…      …I will try and tell you about all the important happenings of the past three weeks.  We certainly have the sweetest little girl you ever saw and she has been just as well as she could be since sh

The many connections between the Mathers and the Weeds The Mather Cemetery is full of Weeds.  There are nineteen gravestones with the surname Weed.  But beyond the Cemetery, the lives of the Mathers and the Weeds often intersected. A deed in the Homestead archives tells us that in 1802, Deacon Joseph Mather sold an acre of salt meadow to John Weed Jr. (1766-1832) for the sum of twenty pounds New York money. On September 2, 1787, John’s cousin, Nathan Weed Jr. (1760-1819) wed

In her Jane Mather and "Cluny" President Wilson, a diamond pin, a brother’s death and more. In her “Daylogue” for 1916, Stephen’s wife, Jane, included both occasions and opinions. Although she did not write every day, her observations held surprising candor and reflected on the simple joys and inevitable sorrows life can hold. February 5:  “Arrived in Washington. Break at hotel. Went to office with S. To reception of Pres. Wilson to members of Judicial court. Not much fun.” F

We know that Moses Mather was the minister of the Darien Congregational Church for 62 years. His son Joseph was a church deacon, and his son, Joseph Jr., joined the church in 1813. Two of Deacon Joseph Mather’s grandsons (Charles Selleck and Charles Richards) became Presbyterian ministers. And of Charles’ sons, two became Presbyterian ministers, and one became a Congregational minister! Stephen’s father, Joseph Wakeman Mather, was married to Maria Augusta Mahan at the Rutgers

“DEATH OF FORMER    DIRECTOR MATHER “headlined Park Service Bulletin No. 49.  The article reported many details of the funeral service, held three days after Stephen’s death, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, New Caanan, CT.   “The fore part of the church was a bower of flowers, the tributes of loving friends and associates and a beautiful spray of roses and heather from the Washington office was among the three pieces on the coffin that went into the grave.  The Episcopal

“Mather kept his borax interests until the end, and in fact bequeathed them to his heirs…Mather’s heirs keep it alive today [1951], as the Sterling Borax Company, but for the sake of the veteran employees.  It has not paid a dividend in twenty-five years…”                                                             -Steve Mather of The National Parks, p. 277-78   The archives hold two leather-bound volumes that provide insight into the dedication of Stephen Mather and the suc

Both Stephen Mather and Thomas Thorkildsen worked for Pacific Coast Borax.  Thorkildsen took over the Chicago office when Stephen was trans-ferred to New York.  Striking off on his own, Thorkildsen left PCB in 1897.    In 1904, Stephen left PCB and joined Thorkildsen as a partner.  In 1908 they created the Sterling Borax Company as their production unit and the Thorkildsen-Mather Company as the selling unit. In 1911, Pacific Coast Borax bought Sterling Borax Company, making

We know that Stephen Mather was the author of the advertising slogan, “Twenty Mule Team Borax,” but his true business success came with a company that, quite literally, put the mules out to pasture.   In 1907, two miners exploring California’s Tick Canyon found some white crystals they sent on to experienced chemists for analysis.  The mineral was colemanite, a borate mineral.  After negotiations with various claimants, Thomas Thorkildsen, on behalf of the Thorkildsen-Mather

The Guest Chamber, the second floor back bedroom in the 1927 wing, is not always included in a tour.  Its most immediate, and sometimes only noted, feature are the early 18 th c. Dutch Delft fireplace tiles.   To the right of the fireplace is a painting representing the capture of the Rev. Dr. Moses Mather by the British in 1781.  But, who painted it?   Thanks to a note from Bertha, we know it was Rhoda Warren Wolfe Prins (1902-1969), a children’s fashion illustrator, who at

On November 12th, guests at this fall’s third Scholar’s Lecture will learn about area Revolutionary houses, more about the Homestead, and much more about Bertha Mather McPherson.   Bertha was an ardent champion and cheerleader for her home.  She preserved existing antiques and added scores of period-appropriate pieces.  And she quite literally, threw open the doors to those who were interested in the Homestead.   Thanks to her, the Homestead graced the cover of the 1960-1961

Two of Deacon Mather’s daughters lived into their nineties.  His granddaughter, Emily Selleck Waterbury lived to be 99, but it was her daughter, Betsey Ann Waterbury Seeley who set the record for longevity among the Deacon’s descendants, living past her 100 th birthday (20 Sep 1835-16 Jun 1936).   Betsey was born during Andrew Jackson’s second term and died dur-ing Frankin Roosevelt’s first.  She saw the United States grow from 24 states to 48.  She was born only twenty years

If you’ve watched The Gilded Age, you know the social stigma associated with divorce in that era.  In circles of less scrutiny, it was not uncommon for women to declare that they were widowed and omit mention of a marital separation of dissolution.  For genealogists, this expediency often comes to light when reviewing census records.   In researching more limbs of Deacon Joseph Mather’s family tree, just such an instance appears. Moses Selleck was a great-grandson of Deacon M

By 1929, as Director of the National Parks Service, Stephen Mather was respon-sible for 25 National Parks comprising 7.6 million acres,...

Farquhar spent three years at the Harvard Crimson and twenty years as editor of the Sierra Club Bulletin.  He climbed all the 14,000 foot...

In an earlier blog we looked at various locations in the National Parks that had been named in honor of the Park Services’ first...

Without question, the holidays were a time of celebration at the Homestead.  Nestled on an upper shelf in the Keeping Room is a...

The Homestead was built around a central chimney serving three fireplaces, the largest of which is in the Keeping Room.   This fireplace,...

On June 20, 1862, Bertha Jemima Walker, the youngest daughter of Edward and Sophia Walker, received her diploma from the Misses...

Tours often speak of Joseph Mather’s purchase of the Homestead from his cousin, Ann Lockwood.  Or how Stephen followed his father’s...