Isaiah Matter and Catherine Specht

Isaiah Matter, son of Joseph Matter and Catherine Schupp, was born on September 4, 1827, somewhere in the state of Pennsylvania, probably in Dauphin County.  The Matter Family had been in America since the original immigrant, Johannes "Hans" Matter, came over aboard the ship "Edinburgh" from the Alsace Lorraine region in Germany in 1751.  This same immigrant was a private in George Washington's Continental Army and fought in the Battle of Long Island in 1781.  As well as being my family's ancestor, Johannes "Hans" Matter was also the direct ancestor of former U.S. President, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Catherine Specht was the daughter of John Specht and Barbara Hoffman.  At least part of Catherine's family also can be traced back to Germany, because her Great Grandfather Johannes Peter Hoffman was born there in 1709.

Based on the birth's of their children, Isaiah and Catherine were probably married sometime around 1850.  It is also likely that they were married in a Lutheran Church as records indicate that both Isaiah's and Catherine's families were of the Lutheran Faith.

The Matter's settled just outside of Jacksonville (now called Enders) in Jackson Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  There they had a home, a farm, and perhaps a tannery which is referred to in the U.S. Census records.  Today, a house and barn sits on the site of the old Matter property, but it is not known if they are the same structures owned by this family.

Between the years 1852 and 1867, Isaiah and Catherine had nine children, however four of them died before reaching age 5.  Isaiah supported his family by maintaining the farm, and as some of his boys grew older, they worked in the tannery.  Apparently the family would also take in borders from time to time, because in 1870 they had a 16 year old border in their home who also worked in the tannery.

Sometime before age 22, the Matter's only daughter, Sarah Jane, was married to a man named Samuel Enders and Sarah gave birth to a child named Homer.  By the summer of 1880, however, Sarah was living in her parent's home with 3 month old Homer, apart from her husband.  The Matter's that year, also had also had a young 14 year old servant named Anna Lyson, perhaps helping with the chores and looking after their young grandson.  

Sometime over the next few years, the Matter's grandson Homer died, and in 1887 their daughter Sarah was divorced from Samuel Enders; later that same year she married Isaiah J. Fetterhoff.

Through the years, Catherine and Isaiah seemed to enjoy having photographs taken of their family, as there were quite a few studio portraits left to us of the members of this family taken at various stages of their lives.

Isaiah Matter passed away on September 22, 1900 and Catherine may have at that time moved in with one of her children, perhaps out of State, as the records seem to indicate that she did not live in Pennsylvania for a period.  Catherine herself passed away in 1916 and was laid to rest with Isaiah in the family plot in Enders Cemetery, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.