MATHIAS SWEAZEA was born Abt. 1823 in Wayne County, Mo and died 1865 in

Shelby County, TX (Source: Edmund West, comp. Family Data Collection – Individual Records.[database online Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000.). He married HANNAH LUCINDA STEPHENSON (Source: From a history of the Sweazea Family, by J. E. Sweazea, 1986..) 03 Jun 1847 in Panola County, TX. She was born Abt. 1825 in Wayne County, MO. She married Unknown Mcfadden before 1842 in Missouri.

More About HANNAH LUCINDA STEPHENSON:
Census 1: 1850, Shelby County, TX, HH 504, Oct 29, 1850
Census 2: 1860, Shelby County, TX, Clays Mound, Beat 11, HH 527, July 28, 1860
Census 3: 1870, Shelby County TX. BuenaVista P.O. Precinct 5, HH 234, Sept 10, 1870
Census 4: 1880, Robertson County, TX, Precinct 6, ED 146, HH 103, June 8, 1880

More About ? MCFADDEN and HANNAH STEPHENSON:
Marriage: Bef. 1847, Missouri

Notes for MATHIAS SWEAZEA:
Hannah Lucinda Stephenson’s first marriage was to a McFadden.

From a history of the Sweazea Family, by J. E. Sweazea, 1986.

Matthias Sweazea was born in Missouri, 1823. He migrated to Shelby Co., Texas, from Wayne County, Mo., 1846, bringing with him a son ( Alex ), by a previous marriage, and his wife (Hannah McFadden), who had two daughters by a previous marriage. Nancy J. and Artemissa. The Sweazeas were known for their fine bred Steel Dust Quarter horses. Some of their fine stock was brought to Texas from Missouri. The horses were mostly coal black, some with white stocking feet, some had snip noses and some were bald faced. Some had stars in their face and others cropped out, at times. When Thomas was 15, and James was 13, they watched their unarmed father (Matthias), being gunned down from behind, by a neighbor named Sapp. There seems to of been some disagreement concerning the school and/or its operation. The killing took place in the front yard of the Sweazea home, while Thomas and James were in the corral, training horses and also unarmed. At the same time, Sapp threatened the boys as to what could and might happen to them. The killing seemed, later, to be all for naught, information passed down through the years, indicated that Matthias was a very sick man, at age 42, and had not much longer to live. At any rate, there was a trial, “mock” though it might have been, at which Sapp claimed “self defense”, and was acquitted. Records show that Matthias was killed, 1865. At some time after the death of Matthias, Alex expressed a wish to return to Missouri to see his mother. Hannah gave him his father’s most prized horse for the trek back to Missouri. Alex promised to write, when he reached his destination, but was never heard from. He apparently didn’t get very far from home, for some time later, the horse was found and identified by one of the sons [ Thomas or James ]. It was suspected that Alex met with foul play at the hands of the Sapp clan. Thomas and James, at some later date, laid a plan to avenge their father’s death. Some researchers believe it may have been 1868, and some believe it may have been as late as 1873/74. At any rate, the plan worked when Sapp was trapped and shot. Some say that Sapp was executed, but he did not die of this shot, for recent discovery shows that Sapp did not die until 1880, cause of death unknown. Sapp must have been a very powerful man in the community, with a lot of support from the “clan”, for when Thomas and James reported their act to Hannah, she immediately feared for their lives, possibly the entire family. The family loaded their possessions in wagons, gathered their livestock, and in the middle of the night, left their Shelby County home and “headed” west.

Mathias Sweazea served in the Civil War as a Pvt in Co. E, 3rd Reg’t Texas Calvary at Camp Wigfall, TX. [Confederate] He was killed after the war by a neighbor, DeKalb Sapp, over a school issue. [from civil war records]

More About MATHIAS SWEAZEA:
Census 1: 1850, Shelby County, TX, HH 504, Oct 29, 1850
Census 2: 1860, Shelby County, TX, Clays Mound, Beat 11, HH 527, July 28, 1860

Children of Hannah Lucinda Stephenson and Unknown McFadden

NANCY J. MCFADDEN	b. Abt. 1842, Missouri; m. FERNANDO WHEELER
ARTEMISSA MCFADDEN	b. Abt. 1855, Missouri; m. JOE BOLTON
MARY ANN MCFADDEN	b. Abt. 1845, Missouri

Children of HANNAH STEPHENSON and MATHIAS SWEAZEA are:

THOMAS FLINN SWEAZEA	b. 15 Jun 1848, Shelby County, TX; d. 29 May 1928, Clay County, TX
JAMES FRANKLIN SWEAZEA	b. 12 Mar 1850, Shelby County, TX; d. 14 May 1923, Crosbyton, Crosby County, TX
ELIZABETH SWEAZEA	b. 02 Dec 1851, Shelby County, TX; d. 26 Oct 1929, Perry, Noble County, TX.
AMANDA MELVINA SWEAZEA	b. 23 Feb 1853, Shelby County TX; d. 27 Jul 1941, Blair County, Oklahoma
HYLLARD SWEAZEA	b. 1856, Shelby County TX, d. 14 Mar 1879, Robertson County, TX.
AARON M. SWEAZEA	b. 1858, Shelby County TX
MATHIAS T. SWEAZEA	b. 06 Jan 1860, Shelby County, TX; d. 11 Sep 1899, Union City, OK
LITE SWEAZEA	b. 1863, Shelby County TX
LAURA SWEAZEA	b. 1865, Shelby County TX

Notes for HYLLARD SWEAZEA:
Tombstone Inscription:
SWEAZEA, HYLLARD, 1856 – 03.14.1879, s M. & H. L. Sweazea, “Dear Hyllard, take they rest, thy summer flowers will bloom, while you withstand the best lie, slightly in thy tomb”

More About HYLLARD SWEAZEA:
Burial: 1879, Camp Creek Cemetery, Robertson County, Texas
Census 1: 1860, Shelby County, TX, Clays Mound, Beat 11, HH 527, July 28, 1860
Census 2: 1870, Shelby County TX. BuenaVista P.O. Precinct 5, HH 234, Sept 10, 1870

More About AARON M. SWEAZEA:
Census 1: 1860, Shelby County, TX, Clays Mound, Beat 11, HH 527, July 28, 1860
Census 2: 1870, Shelby County TX. BuenaVista P.O. Precinct 5, HH 234, Sept 10, 1870

More About LITE SWEAZEA:
Census: 1870, Shelby County TX. BuenaVista P.O. Precinct 5, HH 234, Sept 10, 1870

Genealogical Sources

• 1840 Census Carroll County, Arkansas
• 1850 Census Hunt County, Texas
• 1870 Census Bell County, Texas
• 1900 Census Mills County, TX