When the Confederacy dissolved, all other Confederate soldiers and office holders were barred from holding state office.
Mathews' eldest son, Henry M. Mathews, was elected to the West Virginia Senate in 1865, but was unable to take his seat due to these restrictions.
When the restrictions were overturned, the younger Mathews would go on to become the 7th attorney general of West Virginia and 5th governor of West Virginia.
Mason Mathews died of pneumonia at his home in Lewisburg on September 16, 1878, at the age of 74, and was buried at the Old Stone Church in Lewisburg, West Virginia.
Callahan, in 1923, described Mathews as "one of the most notable citizens of Greenbrier County in the last century."

Mathews' daughter, Virginia Amanda Mathews, married Alfred S. Patrick in 1863.
Their son Mason Mathews Patrick was the Chief of the US Air Service, AEF during World War I, and again during the Interwar period of 1921-1926.
In 1926 he drafted the Congressional bill that created the US Air Corps from the Air Service, and he served as the first Chief of the Air Corps from 1926-1927.
When the Confederacy dissolved, all other Confederate soldiers and office holders were barred from holding state office. Mathews' eldest son, Henry M. Mathews, was elected to the West Virginia Senate in 1865, but was unable to take his seat due to these restrictions. When the restrictions were overturned, the younger Mathews would go on to become the 7th attorney general of West Virginia and 5th governor of West Virginia. Mason Mathews died of pneumonia at his home in Lewisburg on September 16, 1878, at the age of 74, and was buried at the Old Stone Church in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Callahan, in 1923, described Mathews as "one of the most notable citizens of Greenbrier County in the last century."
Mathews' daughter, Virginia Amanda Mathews, married Alfred S. Patrick in 1863. Their son Mason Mathews Patrick was the Chief of the US Air Service, AEF during World War I, and again during the Interwar period of 1921-1926. In 1926 he drafted the Congressional bill that created the US Air Corps from the Air Service, and he served as the first Chief of the Air Corps from 1926-1927.
Mason Mathews