Oregon Secretary of State

Susan/Susanna "Sucky" Mathews

Susan/Susanna "Sucky" Mathews (1823–1909)

​​Susan/Susanna "Sucky" Mathews was born on April 2, 1823 in Montgomery County, North Carolina. As a young girl, Susan was said to have worked for a widower named Lewis Johnson. A family history states she was married by age 15 and had several children by Johnson. They apparently moved together from North Carolina to Tennessee and onto Missouri. 

When Susan moved to Oregon with her extended family, Mr. Johnson did not accompany her. Upon arriving in Jackson County, Susan and her sister Amanda became part of the booming mining community in the Jacksonville area. Susan had a daughter in 1854, whose father is listed as French, and two more children were born before she “married” George Weeks. She had several children by this relationship. In the 1880 census Susan is listed as divorced. No marriage or divorce records can be found. Susan had 12 children in all and they were:

  1. Jane Delaney Johnson (1840–1928); married Andrew McNeil and second husband, Foster
  2. Maranda Ann Johnson (1843–1873); married Lewis Geary
  3. Mary/Missouri Ann Johnson (1846–1884); married Ferdinand Peterson
  4. William Ruben Johnson (1849–1933)
  5. Francis L. Johnson (1850–n.d.); married Caroline Dresler
  6. Priscilla Eleanor (French) (1854-1941); married John McDaniel
  7. Thomas Jefferson (Johnson) (1856–1917)
  8. Elizabeth Ann "Lucy" (Johnson) (1858-1928); married Hezkiah Mathews and second husband Thomas J. Conover
  9. Acey "Ace" Charles Weeks (1863–1944)
  10. Grant E. "Guy" Weeks (1865–n.d.)
  11. George Washington Weeks (1865–1944); married Eva
  12. James David Weeks (1868–1907)
Susan died on December 13, 1909 in Jackson County, Oregon.


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Photo of Susan Mathews in black dress and hat with white bow tie around neck.
Susan/Susanna "Sucky" Mathews
1858 Jackson county tax roll shows "Johnson Miss Susan" and 260 listed as total value of her property.
The 1858 Jackson County tax roll showing Susan Johnson. Enlarge image