Charles Matheson was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in 1878. He spent most of his early childhood with his aunt and uncle, William Winfield Forbes and Mary MacRae Forbes, on their farm on the Pisquid Road near Vernon River. His Uncle William, a school teacher, merchant, and Justice of the Peace, taught Charles at home until the age of eight after which he attended Avondale school. Charles furthered his education at Prince of Wales College where he met his future wife, Annie Burn, who was from Utah. He spent one year studying law in the office of E. Bayfield Williams in Summerside before leaving PEI in 1908. After a brief stay in British Columbia, Charles settled in Calgary, Alberta, where he practiced law. He died in 1968 and is buried in Edmonton, Alberta.