Matilda Gunn
Four years following emancipation, Matilda Robertson met John Gunn, a rumored veteran of the Civil War. It is unclear how John came to Alabama or why or if he was actually a war veteran, but the 1910 Census reports that he was born in Maryland, a slave state. John may have found his way to a free state to fight in the Union Army. Following the war, he likely made his way to Alabama to re-unite with family near Cussetta, Alabama. Following emancipation, many formerly enslaved persons searched each other out in an effort to mend families back together after generations of being torn apart, separated by the auction block, and moved across the country.
Matilda was 15 years of age when she married John Gunn and they sharecropped near their families. Sharecropping made for a difficult life that often kept formerly enslaved persons impoverished. Matilda and John eventually moved to Opelika where they continued to farm. Together they had 13 children and raised a niece, Addie Simms. One of their sons, Simeon Matthew, became a Baptist preacher and columnist for the Brighton News near Birmingham. Sometime between 1900 and 1910, John passed away and Matilda moved into the city. She rented out a house on Ray Avenue and earned a living as a laundress. She also joined a local chamber of the Mosaic Templars of America. It was because of the burial insurance offered by the Mosiac Templars that Matilda has a headstone today to mark her resting place. Matilda passed away on January 16th, 1927 at around 77 years of age.
Matilda was 15 years of age when she married John Gunn and they sharecropped near their families. Sharecropping made for a difficult life that often kept formerly enslaved persons impoverished. Matilda and John eventually moved to Opelika where they continued to farm. Together they had 13 children and raised a niece, Addie Simms. One of their sons, Simeon Matthew, became a Baptist preacher and columnist for the Brighton News near Birmingham. Sometime between 1900 and 1910, John passed away and Matilda moved into the city. She rented out a house on Ray Avenue and earned a living as a laundress. She also joined a local chamber of the Mosaic Templars of America. It was because of the burial insurance offered by the Mosiac Templars that Matilda has a headstone today to mark her resting place. Matilda passed away on January 16th, 1927 at around 77 years of age.