| Notes |
- Sarah Martha "Mattie" Cunningham was born in February 1872 in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father was Scotch-Irish and Cherokee Indian. Mattie had black hair, fair skin and blue eyes. She married Lorenza Dowden "Bud"Hibbard in 1891.
According to some of the stories told about her, she was the most beautiful lady around. Her beauty caused many problems within the family as one of Lorenza's sisters was extremely jealous of her.
Mattie had deep Christian convictions and was a born again believer in Jesus Christ. She was what the secular world would call a "Fundamentalist Believer". She was a Spirit-Filled, tongue talking Christian who prayed daily for each of her children. She felt especially grateful for her prayers being answered when her son, Rev. J.C. Hibbard,Sr., was called by God to become a preacher in December of 1928 after seriously contemplating suicide.
Lorenza and Mattie lived for some time in Navasota, Texas as work was good there. Everything indicates a happy wholesome life except that Lorenza was away much of the time working and Mattie and the children missed him terribly.
If Mattie is the same "S.M. Hibbard" listed in the Texas Death Index, she died November 21, 1915 in Galveston County, Texas [Record #24431]. However according to family members, she "felt especially grateful for her prayers being answered when her son, Rev. J.C. Hibbard,Sr., was called by God to become a preacher in December of 1928". The actual date of her death has not been confirmed.
Lorenzo and his wife Mattie can be found in the 1920 Texas census in Harris County, ref: ED 30, pg 113B, Ln 91, which means she died after 1915.
According to the 1930 census, Mattie is living with Sidney Easton, age 38, divorced, b. NC, occ church Sexton, had served in WW1 and his daughter, Beatrice, age 5, born TN (not TX) and Mattie is age 61, widowed, relationship to Sidney, Mother-In-Law, born TX, her father b. NC and her mother b. TX. They are living at 1015 Holman Ave., Houston (Page 5A, #15-15, Census T626-2347). This confirms her death as after 1930.
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1872 - Abt 1940 (~ 67 years)
