Henry Matthews (1799-18?) was a Methodist circuit rider, schoolteacher, and practicing physician from Ohio, who made his way from Ohio, through the Illinois Territory, to Texas. Primarily a circuit-riding preacher and schoolteacher in his early days in Ohio, Matthews practiced medicine more formally in the 1830s and 1840s in San Felipe, Texas, where Matthews and his wife Miranda eventually settled. Primarily a medical diary, this volume includes records of medical visits and attendance by Matthews; death notices that feature the names of the deceased and the diseases from which they died; and an account of pregnancies and births attended by Mathews. Of the illnesses that Matthews recorded, venereal diseases dominate the list with syphilis being a primary affliction. The entries include details about the patients'/deceased's lives and families. The diary does not follow consistent ordering and there are large sections of unused pages in between some entries, which are written sideways with the gutter at the top of the writing.

Henry Matthews (1799-18?) was a Methodist circuit rider, schoolteacher, and practicing physician from Ohio, who made his way from Ohio, through the Illinois Territory, to Texas. Primarily a circuit-riding preacher and schoolteacher in his early days in Ohio, Matthews practiced medicine more formally in the 1830s and 1840s in San Felipe, Texas, where Matthews and his wife Miranda eventually settled. This final volume also appears to be primarily a private diary, but many of the entries are made over printed finance notes, for which the book was originally printed. Entries range from weather reports to crop and garden reports to mentions of Matthews’ medical practice in San Felipe and appears to be a diary that includes personal and religious notes. There are loose pages at the end. The first two thirds is written right side up, there is a break in the writing, and the rest of the book is filled from the back writing right-side-up with respect to that cover, so that the book needs to be flipped upside-down to be read.

Henry Matthews (1799-18?) was a Methodist circuit rider, schoolteacher, and practicing physician from Ohio, who made his way from Ohio, through the Illinois Territory, to Texas. Primarily a circuit-riding preacher and schoolteacher in his early days in Ohio, Matthews practiced medicine more formally in the 1830s and 1840s in San Felipe, Texas, where Matthews and his wife Miranda eventually settled. The latter two-thirds are a private diary, but many of the entries are made over printed finance notes, for which the book was originally printed. The initial third have some edits made to the printed sections but do not appear to be used as intended. Entries range from weather reports to crop and garden reports to mentions of Matthews’ medical practice in San Felipe. There are some loose papers in this volume, including one signed, “Miranda Matthews,” regarding a girl named Mary.

Diary of Henry Matthews (1799-18??), a Methodist circuit rider, schoolteacher, and practicing physician from Ohio, who made his way from Ohio, through the Illinois Territory, to Texas. This volume consists mainly of transcriptions of letters sent by Matthews to various family members and friends describing Matthews’ life on the circuit and as a school teacher in Ohio. Accompanying these letters are poetry and prose passages recorded by Matthews. In 1818, Matthews writes of his recommendation to the Annual Conference to ride as an itinerant pastor; he was just 19 years old. It also includes notes on his travel plans, time spent as a schoolteacher, religious recommendations, and lists books he has been reading. A page in the back dated 1840 includes a list of names, residences, and destinations.