James H. Matheny was a member of the constitutional convention of 1848.  He was elected circuit clerk in 1852 for four years, after which he was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel of the 130th Illinois Infantry.  After the capture of Vicksburg he was on detached duty, holding military courts until 1864 when his regiment was consolidated with another, and he resigned.  In November 1873, he was elected Judge of Sangamon County for four years. James H. Matheny was Abraham Lincoln's best man.

Excerpted from History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County A Centennial Record by John Carroll Power Published 1876