Tombstone Photo

Pushmataha County, Oklahoma

© Tom Johnson

MATTHEW MADISON 'MATT' SMITH, was born on May 16, 1870 in Clarksville, Red River County, Texas where his parents, Coleman and Julia M. "Bankston" Smith owned a cotton gin. He said he started working at that gin while he was still wearing shirt-tail dresses, driving the team of mules that made the gin work.

When he was a teenager the family moved to Garretts Bluff, Lamar County, Texas where his father Coleman, farmed in the Red River bottom. He married Eustacia Jane Reid on February 16, 1893, in Garretts Bluff. They had 11 children.

Matt and Stacy moved to Antlers, Pushmataha County, Oklahoma before statehood. He was a farmer, rancher, and stock trader, and a member of the Little Cedar Baptist Church in the community where they reared their family. After retiring they moved back to Antlers where they lived to celebrate their 77th wedding anniversary. Matt died on June 6, 1970 at the age of 100. He is buried in the IOOF Cemetery, Antlers, OK.

LOCAL SERVICES ARE SLATED FOR EUSTACIA SMITH

Funeral services for Mrs. M. M. "Eustacia Jane" Smith, 96, of Antlers will be held this morning at 10:30 o'clock in the First Baptist church at Antlers with Rev. C. W. Keiningham officiating.

Mrs. Smith was born February 15, 1875 at Garretts Bluff, Texas and died September 7, 1971 in the Pushmataha Hospital. She had lived in the Kellond, Little Cedar and Antlers communities since Indian Territory days. She was a member of First Baptist church at Antlers and formerly of Little Cedar, where she taught Sunday school class and served as church superintendent for a number of years.

She is survived by three sons, Henry Smith, of Briar Branch community, Sibian Smith of Little Cedar and Reid Smith of Antlers; three daughters, Mrs. Josephine Hartgraves of Ada, Mrs. Ludy Harrison of Antlers and Mrs. Lorene Magaw of Clyde, Kansas; one brother, Buster Reid of Garrets Bluff, Texas; 31 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be grandsons and honorary pallbearers are W. D. "Button" Miller, John Helm, J. A. Holt, J. A. Morrison, Atwood Thompson, Charley Harbison and Herman Hargrove.

Interment will be in the Odd Fellows cemetery under the direction of Coffey Funeral Home of Antlers.

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