Philip Heinrich (or Henry) Mattes was born on February 20, 1795, the son of German immigrants John Casper Mattes (1754-1809) and Wilhelmina Dorothea Eberle (d. 1846). He studied theology and became a licensed preacher in 1807, but later changed professions for health reasons. From the 1840s-1860s, he worked for the Bank of Pennsylvania and the Easton Gas and Water Company in Easton, Pennsylvania. Mattes married Catherine Herster on May 21, 1809, and their seven children who lived to maturity included Sabina, Henry, and Charles Frederick (1819-1895). Philip H. Mattes died on May 19, 1870.
Charles Frederick Mattes was a supervisor and vice president for the Lackawanna Iron Works (later the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company) in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and also served on the boards of at least two railroads. He and his wife, Lydia Maria Platt (d. 1861), were married in 1846 and had six surviving children. Following Lydia's death, he married a widow, with whom he had a daughter, Cornelia. Charles F. Mattes died on September 3, 1895.
From the guide to the Philip H. and Charles F. Mattes letters, Mattes, Philip H. and Charles F. letters, 1841-1868, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
