FIFTH GENERATION

483. Samuel Marvin "Bishop" Hunter was born on 29 Mar 1889 in Battle, McLennan County, Texas. ⁽¹⁰⁵⁸⁾ He appeared on the census on 5 May 1910 in Winkler County, Texas.⁽¹¹¹¹⁾ He appeared on the census on 15 Jan 1920 in Quemado, Socorro County, New Mexico. ⁽¹¹¹²⁾ He appeared on the census on 10 Apr 1930 in Merkel, Taylor County, Texas.⁽¹¹¹³⁾ He died on 3 Apr 1972 in Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas.⁽¹¹¹⁴⁾ He was buried in Rest Haven Cemetery, Lubbock, Texas.

Bishop first worked for his brother Ed in Odessa from 1907 to 1910, running cattle to Kansas in 1910. He then returned to Texas, and worked for Swift & Co. in Fort Worth. He left Fort Worth for Merkel, and stayed through his mother's death on April 1, 1911. After that he woked for Harder Brothers Gents Furnishings in Mart, Texas, returning to work in a grocery store in Merkel in the fall of 1911. After marrying in 1912, he lived with brother Jim in Odessa in 1913, and moved to Nadine in 1914, back to Midland in 1915, and to Quemado, New Mexico in March, 1917, where they homesteaded until returning to Merkel in 1925, were he owned his own business, and moved finally to Lubbock in 1941, where he sold Cemetery Lots for Resthaven Cemetery before he retired.



From an autobiographical essay written by S. M. "Bishop" Hunter:
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Samuel Marvin (S.M., or Bishop), [was] born March 29, 1889 at Battle, Texas, east of Waco about 20 miles. We lived there the first ten years of my life. They were happy years: I was truly a country boy as we would hunt, fish, work hard, and go to school.

In 1900, Dad, with his family moved to Jones County, 12 miles from Merkel, Texas. He bought 800 acres of land which had to be improved. That was quite a big job, but I was raised to work, so did not mind that. Churches were built, and schools established. Time passed, and as the years went by, the boys left home to go out on their own; mother became ill, and the farm was sold, and we moved in to Merkel, Texas. I can't think that was the best as I see it now, but Dad and Mother planned to give us an educ-ation so we could better cope with a waiting world that soon we must enter into. This happened all too soon, as mother was ill, and times were hard. In 1907 the Panic came.

I was just ready for high school, but I realized Dad's feelings more than he ever knew. I decided to get out on my own and get work to try to help. I started out, but did not find things as I thought I would, and came back home in the summer of 1907. I went to work with brother Ed; he had done well, had a good ranch, and bought and sold cattle. I was left with the ranch south of Merkel, as Ed went west to Odessa. There he found a place he thought was O.K., and it would have been good in normal times. But times grew worse, as it stayed dry there during 1907, 1908, 1909, and 1910, and the cattle were moved to Kansas. I went along and stayed with them until they were strong enough to get up and down. I came back to Texas, but was not interested in the ranch again. I stayed in Ft. Worth and worked for Swift & Co.

I stopped at Merkel, and found that mother had not improved, was only growing weaker. The doctor advised Dad to take her back to Ft. Worth, but it was not long until she went back to Merkel, and died on April 3, 1911. I left Dad with sister Laura, who was then living in Arlington. In the spring of 1911 I went to Mart, Texas and went to work for Harder Brothers Gent's Furnishings. I loved my work and things were going well until the fall of 1911; business had been good until it was disrupted by a terrible epidemic of meningitis. People were dying on every hand, so stores were closed, and business stopped. Once again, I had to move, and felt the call to go west. I found work in a grocery store in Merkel, back at home. I had grown tired of roaming so was married on March 6, 1912. In 1913 our first baby was born on March 22. Everything was going well once again. But I guess I was born to be a "Good Samaritan", or it seems to fall my lot to help somebody. The call came from my brother Jim, then at Odessa who had taken ill. A bull had hooked him in the stomach, it got infected and he had to be operated, and he was asking us to come and help. Duty called; wife and I, with our baby, Beryl, went to Odessa to help so the Jim's wife could nurse brother Jim back to health. He grew worse and one day Dr. Thomas was called in; he said it was blood poisoning in the worst way. We had to gather the crops, take care of their eight children, and the cattle until he could gain back his health. Then, a wagon was made ready, and we said goodbye, and watched him head for the south with his wife.

Summer passed, and it was fall again. The crops were good. We took care of the little ones, fed and clothed them in a fine way. They loved us and we did just fine.

The years of 1914 and 1915 were to be remembered. I sold my interest in land that was located northwest of Midland, and moved to Nadine, bought land just east which-included a General Merchandise Store owned by a Mr. Auburg. I lived at the place then known as the Honeycutt place; it furnished water for my cattle and had some farmland. The year was fairly good, but a terrible sandstorm, the crop was completely destroyed.

We had good neighbors and good friends. We all worked together. The price of cattle began to advance, land was bought and sold, and general conditions were very good. Then came the "flu" epidemic - almost no one was left out. My good neighbor, Will Glasscock and I took time about ministering to the sick. My good friend and neighbor Turling, who lived, southeast of Nadine was awfully ill with the flu, and it looked like he would die in spite of all that was done, or could be done for him, but somehow he survived. Up until that time he did not believe in religion of any kind. His illness made him believe that good Samaritans still lived - from that time on, he was a wonderful neighbor. This was one of the things that happened in that part of the country that made history worthwhile. The price of cattle increased, and the ones we sold were at a good price. We believed then that before long we would be millionaires, and started out with that in mind. The place was sold to a man named Dyess, whose daughter, Dianne, has married Jim Powell, and is the person for whom I am preparing these notes.

Mr. Dyess told me of many things that have happened in the last 50 years, some of which I remembered, some I had forgotten. Some of the people still live, but some have passed on to the great beyond. It was there our second daughter, Odell, now Mrs. Glenn Woody, was born. We had made preparations for her coming - I even connected the wire for the telephone that ran to Andrews. I went in and met Dr. Head told him he would be wanted and I would call him in plenty of time. Mrs. Hunter's father and mother came to be with us on the special occasion, driving from Merkel to Nadine by horse and buggy, and taking several days for the trip. They were wonderful people, and had had a lot of experience, so this dispelled all of my fears. We did not wait long for on August 22, 1914, the doctor was called, but the time passed and the baby came, with Mother Sublett and- I doing the work - because of car trouble, the doctor was 3 hours late. He looked the situation over and said everything was fine, and that in his opinion, we did not need a doctor, and went on his way rejoicing.

After a time, we were on the move again, this time to Midland and 14 miles northwest. We bought land on a wonderful location; I regret selling that place, but time has passed and we have gotten along pretty well. About this time, the government released all of the public land in existence; some was university land, some school land, and some homestead land. The opportunity seemed to offer a lot, but looking back over the years, I now feel that the move was not too profitable. From my place near Midland, in 1916, we moved to Quemado, New Mexico.

My brother, Jim, and I took advantage of the situation, found that land was plentiful 20 miles north of Quemado in township 4 north, Section 29, range 14 west; we found a lovely place operated by Nation Cattle Company ranchers at that time, controlling something like 300 sections of ground. We located the land, filed on it, and 7 months later were granted acceptance as homesteaders by the state of New Mexico. We received that information with joy and immediately began to make preparation to move with our families to the location chosen.

We sold our interest northwest of Midland, and with 10 wagons and teams, together with others started west. After 14 days on the road, we arrived at our new-found home. Little did we dream of the tasks of improving property of that kind. Immediately we began to build homes; we cut logs from the forest, hewed them square so they would fit together in the walls. The houses were 22 foot square; the roof made of dirt molded on top of logs; there was no floor. Fireplaces were built for heat, and wood cut and hauled. Since we had no wood on the plains of Texas, the wood for fire in that part of the country was something to be enjoyed. We fared pretty well since the winter of 1917 was very mild. We cut posts, hauled wire, and fenced the land; then our concern was to secure water. We bought a well drill and drilled wells, improved them so that we could have water for the stock and for home use. The water was plentiful, and was used for our neighbors to haul to other homesteaders 4 and 5 miles in each direction. Nation Cattle Company was very much disturbed over the coming of the homesteaders, and made efforts to have the homesteaders moved out in whatever manner they could devise. This proved to be a big job for them, and very destructive. At that time they had three or four thousand hand of cattle, and would not have been disturbed if they had tried to be good neighbors. When they tried to destroy the homesteaders, then the homesteaders tried to destroy them, and seemingly did a pretty good job. The winter of 1918, was one of the coldest, hardest winters that I ever experienced.

Nation Cattle Company lost more than half of their herd -- a loss which could not be overcome because time had taken its toll. It only meant that the ranch was lost as well as almost all of his lifetime possessions,

Out of ten families that had settled in that country at that time, after the winter of 1918, very few ever lived out and proved up on their land. Nation Cattle Company protested our rights to the claim that had to be settled through the Land Company at Santa Fe's New Mexico. It was settled in our favor after seven years of waiting.

As I think of it now, it was a costly piece of land; but the experience is something I like to think about. Schools were built, churches established, and the country settled down to peaceful living. We moved into the town of Quemado in 1919 so the children could go to school and I could go to work to make a living and. establish a home for ourselves. At first, the places of worship were in different homes throughout the country. There were some reverse conditions, of course. My second daughter, Odell, had to have surgery for appendicitis, and the nearest hospital was in Albuquerque. Doctor Loveless did the surgery, but there was so much inflammation by the time we got her to the hospital, that only by the will of the Heavenly rather was she permitted to live. She is now well and hardy, and is the mother of three fine boys.

In order that we might have schools and College for the children, we came back to Texas and settled again at Merkel, our original home. Dad had grown old, and lived in my home until his death on April 10, 1925. The children did well in school, and we got along fine; I had my own business, and it did well. The two older girls, Beryl and Odell, finished high school in Merkel and then the question came as to what course to pursue. A friend of mine, Dr. Grimes, suggested that they make nurses; so we took them to Lubbock and put them in training in West Texas Hospital. After three years, long to be remembered, they finished their courses. Conditions in our nation were very bad and it took a long time to overcome. They were both offered places on the staff of the hospital, and from that day to this, their homes have been in Lubbock.

Beryl married Don Reeder, and had three children: one girl and two boys. After my father's death, we moved to Lubbock with the two other children, Wanda and Marvin. Wanda married Eddie Sneller and has three two boys and a girl; they now live In Wichita Falls. Marvin married Eileen Odom of Abilene, and they have three children: two girls and a boy, and are now living in Odessa. We are proud of each of them and believe that we have not lived in vain and the world will be made better because of what we have tried to do in the past 54 years.

Looking back over the years, I see so many things that happened in that length of time. I am proud that our health is good and we enjoy living in the daily routine of life. We are very comfortable, have a good church. lovely friends, and neighbors, so after all that has happened, life has really been worthwhile. So we place the mantle of responsibility on the shoulders of those who are left behind hoping and trusting that the world is a little bit better because we have lived in it; hoping that where we leave off, others will take up and make the world even better, This I offer with kindest regards to all who follow under our influence of the days gone by.




From the Lubbock Newspaper, April 4, 1972:

S. M. Hunter, Lubbock, Dies

Services for S. M. Hunter, of 2218 21st St., who died at 11: 25 p.m. Monday in St. Mary's Hospital, will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Asbury United Methodist Church.

Dr. Ray Johnson, pastor, will officiate assisted by Dr. Wayne Cook, former pastor at the Asbury Church and presently Methodist Hospital chaplain. Burial will be in Resthaven Memorial Park under direction of Sanders Funeral Home.

Hunter had been a resident of Lubbock for the past 30 years and was a retired salesman for Resthaven Memorial Park Cemetery. He was a member of Asbury United Methodist Church, taught Sunday school classes for the past 15 years and served as a member of the Lubbock Board of Missions.

He was born March 29, 1889 in Battle and moved to Merkel in 1912 where he resided until 1942 when he moved to Lubbock.

He Is survived by his wife, Mae of the home; one son, Marvin Hunter of Odessa, three daughters, Mrs. Don Reeder of 2702 68th St., Mrs. Glenn Woody of 1606 50th St. and Mrs. Edward B. Sneller of Wichita Falls; one sister, Mrs. Laura Balch of Temple; 12 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Tommy Reeder, David Woody, Jack Woody, Dale Hunter, Joe Reeder, Max Sneller, Terry Sneller, Bob Moore and Roger Byles. Honorary pallbearers will be the Aqui.- Pre Friendship Class of Asbury United Methodist Church.

The family requests memorials be made in the form of a contribution to the American Heart Association.

He was married to Winnie Eva Sublett (daughter of James P. Sublett and Mary Emmaline Gilmore) on 6 Mar 1912 in Merkel, Taylor County, Texas.⁽¹¹¹⁵⁾ Winnie Eva Sublett was born on 18 Apr 1888 in Merkel, Taylor County, Texas. She died on 18 Oct 1945 in Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas. She was buried in Rest Haven Cemetery, Lubbock, Texas.

From the Lubbock Newspaper, October 19, 1945:

Mrs. S. M. Hunter Is Death Victim In City

Mrs. S. M. Hunter, 57, died early Wednesday afternoon in West Texas hospital as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage a few minutes after her husband found her near death on a bed at her 2218 Twenty-first residence. Plans for services were not completed last night.

Sanders ambulance rushed her to the hospital after her physician had gone to the home.

Mrs. Hunter had only recently returned from a trip to the East to visit her son Marvin, a lieutenant stationed aboard a large aircraft carrier at Newport News, Va.

Other survivors are the husband and three daughters, Mrs. Don Reeder, wife of the chief of police, of 2404 Ave T., Mrs. Glenn W. Woody of 2613 Twenty-sixth and Mrs. Edward B. Sneller, of 2612 Twenty -seventh, wife of a warrant officer in the U S. Army who arrived in New York Tuesday aboard the Queen Mary; three brothers, B. T. and George Sublett of Merkel, and V. B. Sublett of Corpus Christi; a sister, Mrs. W. J. Hayes of Merkel.

Mrs. Hunter was a member of Asbury Methodist church and vice president of the Awakened Wesleyan class there. She and her husband moved here three years ago from Merkel.

Sanders Funeral Home will announce funeral plans.
Samuel Marvin "Bishop" Hunter and Winnie Eva Sublett had the following children:

+1338 i. Eva Beryl Hunter.
+1339 ii. Odell Hunter.
+1340 iii. Wanda Hunter.
+1341 iv. Marvin Esta Hunter.

He was married to Lela Mae Cox on 29 Nov 1946 in Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas. Lela Mae Cox was born on 26 Oct 1904 in Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas. She died on 24 Jan 1989 in Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas. She was buried in Rest Haven Cemetery, Lubbock, Texas.

From the Lubbock Newspaper, Thursday, January 24, 1989:


Lela Hunter

Services for Lela Mae Hunter, 84, of Lubbock will be at 11 a.m. Friday in Asbury United Methodist Church with the Rev. Herbert Tavenner, pas-tor, officiating.

The Rev. Wayne Cook, a retired Methodist minister from Lubbock, will assist.

Burial will be Mrs. Hunter in Resthaven Cemetery under direction of Carter Adams Funeral Home of Ralls.

She died at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Highland Hospital after a lengthy illness.

She was born in Navarro County and moved from Ralls to Lubbock in 1981. She married S.M. Hunter on Nov. 29, 1946, in Lubbock. He died April 3, 1972. She was a former salesclerk, a housewife and a member of Asbury United Methodist Church.

Survivors include a stepson, Marvin Hunter of San Angelo; three stepdaughters, Beryl Reeder and Odell Cook, both of Lubbock, and Wanda Sneller of Wichita Falls; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Jack R. Woody, David E. Woody, Lonnie Arthur, Lloyd Arthur, Terry Sneller and Joe R. Reeder.

The family suggests memorials to Ralls Ambulance Service or Crosbyton Hospital.