Wm C Cook's Receipt From Robert Mathews' Store

Robert Mathews was a Merchant in Shelbyville.  He was enumerated in District 7  of Bedford County, Tennessee during the 1850 & the 1860 censuses.  

1850 US Federal Census, Bedford County, Tennessee, 

District 7, Shelbyville, p 140(stamped), Dwelling 6 Family 6

Robert Mathews 36 M Merchant $10,000(Real Estate) Ireland

Mary Ann Mathews 30 F Tennessee

William V? Mathews 9 M Tennessee

Martha Mathews 7 F Tennessee

Virginia B. Mathews 5 F Tennessee

Margaret A. Mathews 3 F Tennessee

Robert Mathews Jr. 7/12 M Tennessee

1860 US Federal Census, Bedford County, Tennessee, 

District 7 Shelbyville p 185 (stamped), Dwelling 555 Family 555

Robert Mathews 45 M W Merchant  Ireland $10,000(real estate)  $5,000(personal estate)

Wm Mathews 19 M W Tennessee

Martha Mathews 17 F W Tennessee

Virginia Mathews 14 F W Tennessee

Robert Mathews 10 M W Tennessee

Margaret Mathews 12 F W Tennessee

Erwen Mathews 9 M W Tennessee

Robert is mentioned in  U.S., Freedmen's Bureau Records, 1865-1878 at Ancestry,  

• A letter signed by C M Kingman 1st Lt 152 Illinois Vol Infantry and dated  25th of July 1865(Tullahoma TN) mentions that a mill that was thought to be owned by "Robert Mathews of Shelbyville an intense rebel" had been abandoned and not used by the government since October of 1864 and confiscation proceedings have been commenced."
•  "Proceedings are filed against the estate of Robert Mathews of Bedford Co, his land condemned & ordered to be sold." according to the note of Horace H. Harrison US District Attorney.

It stands to reason that his store didn't fair very well and given that the claim was against his estate that would make me think that Robert Mathews didn't either. He is listed in several Ancestry trees(though no source is mentioned) as dying in Shelbyville TN on the 18th April 1862. I have not been able to locate him in the 1870 Census, so it is possible given that and everything that was going on at that time that his death occurred prior to 1870.

The image below is a photocopy of a receipt that was tucked in the Cook family Bible.  I received the photocopy from Hoyte Cook in May of 1997. The Cook Bible was passed to Cass B Cook from Wm C Cook and to the youngest son of Cass,  Thomas Clifford Cook. From Thomas Clifford Cook, the bible passed to his youngest son who is currently in possession. Copies of some of the pages and papers inside it were distributed to some descendants.

Bedford County Tennessee, July 27th 1859

Wm C Cook bought of Robt Mathews, List of goods purchased, 

Looks like he purchased fabric, lace, sugar and rope?

Robert Mathews ran an ad in the Bedford Weekly Vol  No 16 (May 3 1854).  I had Gemini clean up this snippet of the ad.  I wonder if Wm C Cook saw this ad.  Wm C. Cook likely had a store tab given that the date of purchase and the date of payment were abt 6 months apart.  

Sources: 

"United States, Census, 1850", Bedford County, Tennessee, District 7, Shelbyville, p 140(stamped), Dwelling 6 Family 6, Robert Mathews Household; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DC6Q-L37 : 6 Jan 2026), IGN 4191095(Item 2), Image 117 of 391.

"United States, Census, 1860", Bedford County, Tennessee, District 7, Shelbyville, p 185(stamped), Dwelling 555 Family 555, Robert Mathews Household; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BSF-YV1 : 6 Jan 2026), IGN 5171418, Image 374 of 565.