Samuel Mathis House

Front: The Samuel Mathis House, known as “Aberdeen,” was built c. 1805 and is among the oldest extant houses in Camden. It was home to prominent Camden residents Samuel and Margaret Mathis. Samuel (1760-1823) was reportedly the first white male child born in Camden and enjoyed a long career as a soldier, merchant, lawyer, politician, and preacher. He and Margaret Miller (1776-1845) were married in 1793. They had two daughters who survived to adulthood. Reverse: Despite being raised as a Quaker, Mathis enlisted in Kershaw’s Battalion of S.C. Militia in 1776. He was captured and paroled in 1780, but broke parole and fought with Francis Marion in 1781. After the war, Mathis operated a mercantile business with his brother-in-law Joseph Kershaw. He was admitted to the S.C. Bar in 1790 and served in numerous public offices, including the S.C. House, Intendant (Mayor) of Camden, and two terms as Ordinary for Kershaw District.