MS-248 Matthews-Howard Family Papers

Access and Provenance

Series Listing

Brief Biographical Sketch

Ruth "Pat" Matthews Howard was born as Ruth Marie Fields in 1918 in Oberlin, Ohio. She was the daughter of George Fields and Marvyl Berry Fields. She graduated from Wilberforce University. While at Wilberforce, she married Reverend Wesley Matthews. The couple had three daughters: Domina, Westina, and Kriza.

Mrs. Matthews worked closely with Reverend Matthews throughout his career. She assisted him in his work at the Carver Community Center in Chillicothe and the at the Senior Citizens Center in Yellow Springs. Mrs. Matthews worked for the Yellow Springs News, on the clerical staff and as a writer. After the civil rights demonstrations in Yellow Springs in March 1964, she wrote an article entitled "What the Negro is Trying to Say", which was published throughout the country and attracted national attention. From 1966-1976, she wrote a column entitled "A Chat with Pat".

After leaving her job at the newspaper, she worked as a secretary and taught journalism at Morgan Middle School in Yellow Springs. She also pursued her interest in black history by interviewing African-Americans in Yellow Springs.

After the death of Reverend Matthews, she married Wendell Houston Howard in late 1979. The marriage lasted until Mr. Howard's death on October 7, 1984. Pat Matthews died in 1996.

REVEREND WESLEY MATTHEWS

The Reverend Wesley S. Matthews was the first husband of Pat Matthews Howard. He was born on January 28, 1912 in Cartersville, GA. He graduated from Wilberforce University and received his degree from Payne Theological Seminary in 1935. He also held a L.L.D. from Monrovia College in Liberia. The Reverend Matthews married Pat Fields in the 1930's and they worked together throughout his career. The couple had three daughters: Domina, Westina, and Kriza.

Reverend Matthews pastored a variety of Ohio churches during his career. These churches include Lee Chapel AME in Cincinnati, Central AME in Yellow Springs, Quinn Chapel AME in Chillicothe, Trinity AME in Springfield, and St. Paul AME in Urbana. In the 1940's, Reverend Matthews was the first black recreation supervisor in the City of Dayton, serving at the Linden Community Center as Boy's Work Secretary.

Reverend Matthews was also active in Chillicothe and Urbana. He founded the Carver Community Center in Chillicothe in the 1940's. He was recognized by the Chillicothe Junior Chamber of Commerce for his work at the CCC in 1949. In the 1960's, he organized the Head Start Program for 45 children in Urbana.

In the 1970's, Reverend Matthews was active in senior adult programs. He was director of the Senior Citizen Center in Yellow Springs, helped found the Greene County Commission on the Aging, and was an active participant in the first several National Conferences on Aging.

The Reverend Wesley Matthews passed away on May 30, 1979.

ROY HOWARD

Roy Howard was born in Ohio on January 31, 1883. He married Julia Ford on January 22, 1912. The couple moved to Tuskegee, Alabama shortly after their marriage, where Mr. Howard took a job as a faculty member of Tuskegee Institute. The Howards had one child, Wendell Houston Howard, who was born on November 5, 1912.

In 1921, the Howards moved to Atlanta, Georgia. While in Atlanta, Roy worked for an insurance company. Later, the Howards moved to Springfield, Ohio, where he obtained his real estate license and sold real estate in the 1930's and 1940's. Mr. Howard was also involved with the Works Project Administration as an adult education instructor. His classes were held at the Center Street YMCA in Springfield. Roy Howard died in 1958.

WENDELL HOUSTON HOWARD

Wendell Houston Howard was the second husband of Pat Matthews Howard. He was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on November 5, 1912 and was the only child of Roy Howard and Julia Ford Howard. Mr. Howard graduated from Springfield High School in Ohio and attended Tuskegee Institute, Wilberforce University, and Howard University in pursuit of his degree in Pharmacology. He graduated from Howard University School of Pharmacy in Washington D.C.

Wendell Howard served as a Pharmacy Specialist with the United States Army during World War II. He owned and operated Howard's Pharmacy in Springfield, Ohio, and later worked for Buell Pharmacy. He retired from pharmacy work in 1983. Wendell Houston Howard married Pat Matthews in late 1979. He passed away on October 7, 1984.

Scope and Content

Series I contains the papers of Roy Howard. Its divided into five subseries, including business and personal correspondence, WPA course outlines and papers, and real estate licenses from the 1940's and early 1950's. Also included in this series is a scrapbook that Roy Howard kept of his years at Tuskegee Institute.

Series II contains the papers of Wendell Houston Howard, Pat Matthews Howard's second husband. His papers include business correspondence, real estate transaction records, pharmacy licenses and private correspondence concerning his uncle Clifford Howard, who had served in World War I. This series is divided into five subseries.

Series III is divided into twelve subseries. Contains the papers of Reverend Wesley Matthews, which includes business and personnel records of the Senior Citizens Center in Yellow Springs, papers from the Annual Conference on Aging, AME reports, papers from the Greene County Commission on Aging, biographical information on the Reverend Matthews.

Series IV contains the photographs of both the Howard family and the Matthews family.

Series V contains the papers of Patricia Matthews Howard. Divided into three subseries, it includes personal papers and family memoralibilia, newspaper clippings, and papers concerning black history. Of particular interest are papers concerning black history in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Series VI contains the papers of Reverend and Patricia Matthews's children, Domina Matthews, Westina Matthews, and Kriza Matthews Jennings. Of particular interest are the papers of Westina Matthews, who was the first African-American Homecoming Queen at the University of Dayton and later became a vice-president at Merrill Lynch.

Series VII contains an assortment of materials. Included are materials concerning black history and a press kit for the 1990 Our First Day - First Day Back to School activities in New York City.

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