By: Mark Holtsberry
Garret Paul Mathias was born January 1, 1897 in Payne, Ohio. The son of Abraham Lincoln born June 5, 1861 in Ohio and Margarette Annie (Deardorff) Mathias born December 20, 1862 in Logan County, Ohio. This couple was married November 25, 1883 in Paulding.
By 1900, Abraham and Margarette, along with children, Ethel B. born August 1884, Nellie F. May 1890, William S. September 18, 1894 and Garret Paul were living in Harrison Township. Abraham was a farmer.
On November 6, 1900, Margarette passed away due to illness. She was buried in Wiltsie Cemetery. On September 11, 1904, Abraham married a widowed gal by the name of Della (Reeb) Anderson from Antwerp. She was born in 1865.
By 1910, Abraham, Della along with sons William and Garret, were living in Harrison Township on Wiltsie Road, still farming along with his two sons.
On June 5, 1917, at the Crane Township precinct, William Sherman Mathias, registered for the World War 1 draft. He was listed as medium and slender build, blue eyes and black hair. He was married and with a child, and was working for Crane Township.
He was married October 1, 1914 in Paulding to a gal named Hazel Cora Foltz, and they had a daughter named Alberta Maxine Mathias. William did not have to serve.
Garret joined the National Army on June 4, 1918, and was stationed at Jefferson Barracks Missouri. He was listed as 5’2″, light complexion, light brown hair, blue eyes and a farmer by trade. He was assigned to serve with 362nd Labor Regiment. He served until July 25, 1918. He was reassigned to 322nd Field Remount Squad until August 10, 1918, then assigned to the 327th Field remount Squad until July 10, 1919.
He was Honorably Discharged, July 18, 1919. By 1920, Garret was back home living with his parents in Harrison Township on Wagoner Pike Road. He was working as a labor on the farm.
By 1930, still single, living with his parents, Garret became a rural route mailman. On December 16, 1932, his father Abraham, passed away. He was buried with his wife Margarette in Wiltsie Cemetery. Garret continued to deliver mail until his health gave way. On January 31, 1938, Garret passed away from acute pericarditis in Paulding. He was buried in Wiltsie Cemetery, section 1, lot 68, grave 3.
