For centuries Cape Cod was a population of hard working families who made their living from the land and sea. Fishermen, mariners, and farmers were the backbone of the economic well being of every town. Mostly they combined two or even three of these occupations depending on the season. Almost every family was self-sufficient, with the women doing more than their share to provide food, clothing, and motherly attention to family.

The Matthews journals tell the story of a family whose house was built in Yarmouth’s “North Sea” side of the Cape prior to the addition of the word “Port” in 1827, which included the distance from the Barnstable Town line to the present day fire station. The house was filled with a family who exemplified all of the virtues of Cape Cod character. Built in 1810 by Captain Prince Matthews on land which is now known as #1 Strawberry Lane, next to our little common, which at that time was just a small mud-filled pond. See the pictures, below, of the pond.

Boys sailing toy boats in front of Nathaniel Simpkins’s home (now the Gorey House) about 1860.

The same flooded common looking toward Main Street. The Matthews house would be far left, behind the white picket fence.

Prince kept a journal of all of his income and expenses which his son Frederic continued after his father’s death. The journals cover the time period from 1814 until the late 1800’s, a remarkable insight into the actual happenings in the village, and Cape Cod, and the world. They are a genealogical treasure, listing names of the people and the services they performed, the amounts they received or paid, and even mentioning small children.

Prince had three sons : Frederic (1805-1885), George (1810-1882), and Prince (1812-1848), and one daughter named Charlotte; several other children did not survive infancy. George and Prince chose the seafaring life, some fishing, but mostly worked as deep water mariners. Frederic chose farming and merchant activities, utilizing the seas just for transportation and family business. Charlotte married Benjamin Hallet Jr, a blacksmith, and they built their house just down the street so that they could both be near their families.

Prince Sr. became a town selectman in 1816, holding that office until his death. He helped found the Society for the Prevention of Intemperance in 1817, serving as its first treasurer. Temperance societies were part of a newly emerging social movement at the time and as a new selectman such progressive involvement would have found ready support.

Prince noted in his account book (1822) that he had bought 36,814 board feet of lumber for a salt works. This enterprise was later identified as being on Lewis Bay (probably on Great Island). The family hired Prince Gage to run the saltworks for them and it remained in business until 1850.

After Prince, Sr. died in 1826, his oldest son, Frederic, continued keeping the journals for nearly sixty more years until his own death in 1885. (Although his name is sometimes spelled with a “k,” Frederic always ended his name with a “c.”)

These are journals, not diaries, so they are relatively unemotional; you will have to interpret these wonders of the past using your imagination. A case in point:
Oct. 22 1826 Elephalet Edson pd. For making coffin for my father $3.00
An account of doctors visits to my Father from Oct. 11 1826 to Oct. 22 1826
Doct. Green nine visits --- Doct. Seabury one visit --- Doct. Ford one visit - $5.00
There is no mention of his father dying or funeral arrangement, although there is an entry on Oct. 23 1826 … diggin a grave (Prince died the previous day and is buried in Ancient Cemetery).

George Matthews, Prince’s son, first went to sea at age 12, and later became master of the famous clipper American Eagle. A selection of his voyages are mentioned here:
March 12 1822 Geo. Matthews shipped aboard Schr. Leander. Capt. Nehemiah Baker, for $4.50 a month.

Geo. Discharged from Schr. Leander July 20 1822. 16 wks. Paid no hospital money for Geo. (refers to a tax levied on sailors and merchant seamen to fund hospitals for the sick and disabled in the 1780s and 1800s in the US. )

July 10 1827 geo. Went amackle (mackerel fishing) with Capt. Sam’l Kelly; arrived home July 10 1827, gone 10 wks.
Sept. 6 1829 Boston to go on a voyage Capt. John Eldridge to Calcutta India
Aug. 19 1830 Geo arrived home from Calcutta 40 wk 3 da.
May 6 1833 Capt. Isaac Smith in Ship Factor to Havana & to Europe

Before we list some of brother Prince’s early voyages, there is an interesting entry in the journal: Dec. 22 1828 Prince went to Prentice White’s to learn a blacksmiths trade. Jan. 1 1829 Prince returned home. (Nine days - he apparently didn’t like that career!)
Apr. 20 1829 Prince went to Boston to go on voyage with Capt. Edward Bacon to Calcutta in India.
March 6 1830 Prince returned home from Boston from voyage to Calcutta.
July 1st 1830 went with Capt. Forbes to Canton in India (his error - Canton is in China)
June 22 1831 Returned voyage from Canton
July 14th 1833 Prince sailed with Bangs Hallet to So. America
June 28 1834 Prince returned home w. Capt. Bangs Hallet from voyage to So. America

Frederic must have tired of keeping track of his brothers since there are no further entries of their activities, which continued for many more years.

A secret revealed

“Jan. 17 1835 to private expense $685.00” This was an enormous amount (approximated $25,000 today) of money for those times and with no explanation. I asked Dorothy Howes, who gave me these journals, what it could possibly be for? It was three weeks before she told me, in a very soft voice, “there was a rumor that it was a breach-of-promise payment; grandfather Frederic liked the ladies a little.” Frederic was in his 60s when he finally “took the vows” and had a child to boot!

Raising the roof

It is said that George Matthews didn’t approve of anything being done to the house, but while he was at sea his wife had some changes made in the structure, mainly raising the roof and changing it from a hip roof to one with a steep grade. Alice also changed paneling inside her husband liked, but she did not. An independent lady!

Frederic sold his portion of the homestead in 1856 to his brother George for $980.85. Frederic was 51 years old at the time, and still unmarried. His life as a bachelor came to an end twelve years later when he decided to share the remainder of his life with Dr. Thomas Pulsifer’s sister Ella. Ella Pulsifer was born in Maine in 1839, thus making her 34 years younger than her groom.

Paid Benj. Hallet for ½ of the cost of his horse which died while in my possession. (Not a good day for Frederic!)
Pd for my part of boat hire to Sandy Neck after cranberries. 15 cts. (There was a court case to prohibit Yarmouth people from gathering cranberries on Sandy Neck; the Barnstable people lost. Frederic was one of the winners.)

Sept. 1 1857 Contributed towards painting the common fence $1.00
Dec. 12 1857 contributed to Mr Crawford to liberate his niece from slavery $1.00 (an interesting story - read more about Rev. Crawford and his niece here.)
Dec. 28 1857 for slave liberation

An abolitionist, Frederic became more active in his support after the Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1850.

Matthews home at 1 Strawberry Lane, Yarmouth Port.

We are fortunate that we are living in such a remarkable place that we can walk (or drive) down our main street and see things that haven’t changed much in 200 years or longer. These journals and others in the HSOY library allow us to enjoy our village even more, and to feel the sense of history that surrounds us.

Researched and written by Jack Braginton-Smith