Mather of Port Jefferson

John Richard Mather was born in Port Jefferson on November 20, 1814. He was undoubtedly the oldest shipbuilder on Long Island. With but two exceptions, the vessels were all two and three masted schooners. Mr. Mather was born in Port Jefferson at a time when it was known as Drowned Meadow. He was known by the locals as “Boss Mather.”

After learning the trade in Bridgeport, his step-father, William Jones gave him an opening in a shipyard. This continued for seven years, when Boss Mather become his own boss, continuing the building of vessels inside the millbridge until the seventies, when he moved to the location now occupied by the Mather marine railway plant.

Mr. Mather retired in 1885 and the business was carried on by his only son, John T. Mather. He died in 1899 at the age of 84. Mr. Mather was postmaster in 1840.  He also was involved in the lumber business with William Jones under the style of Mather & Jones. The Boss was instrumental in creating Jones street, and built the old wharf that had an L at the outer end many years ago. After his death, the firm built the Martha E. Wallace, the last large sailing vessel built in Port Jefferson.

John Titus Mather was born on June 27, 1854. His family was well known for its shipbuilding, which dated back to 1797. John T. Mather had other large businesses related to shipping. During World War I, Mather retired from active business life. For many years, he made careful study of how best to use the proceeds of his success to the benefit of those less fortunate. As early as 1916, Mather had made provisions in his will for setting aside a substantial sum to erect and maintain a non-sectarian charitable hospital to give people the advantage of the best in hospital facilities at a reasonable cost. A year after his death, the Mather Hospital opened its doors.

The Mather house is now part of the home of the Port Jefferson Historical Society.

Sources:

Cohen, Lon. “This Day in History: John T. Mather Is Born in 1854.” Port Jefferson, NY Patch, Patch, 27 June 2011, https://patch.com/new-york/portjefferson/this-day-in-history-john-t-mather-is-born-in-1854

Genealogy, Long Island. The Mather Family of Long Island, http://longislandgenealogy.com/Surname_Pages/mather.htm

“John Richard Mather (1814-1899) - Find A Grave...” Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38235254/john-r-mather

“John T. Mather.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Dec. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_T._Mather