To the other, a bit of research finds a lot of things...
Beulah: When you post, it is important to fully identify your person for researchers. Their full date of birth helps greatly to find the person among others with the same name. The full date of death also helps greatly. But, in this case there was enough source documentation to find the answer.
I started out searching the US Census for Mathew/ Matthew/ Matt Bird or Byrd. There was NOTHING to be found in Source records. But, there were a number of family trees containing his name and family information.
My research shows the person identified as Matthew Bird that died in 1948 in Littlefield, was actually Samuel Bird. This is pretty much confirmed by the tombstone of Samuel showing date of death of 8 December 1948 in Littlefield and the record of this name within US Census.
I found a number of family trees containing Matthew William Bird, born 18 Jan 1856 in Fair Garden, Sevier County, TN also shown as born 25 Dec 1856. He was son of Samuel Bird, 1829-about 1866 in New Haven, Franklin Co, MO. Mother: Hannah Lawson, born abt 1829 in TN, died after March 20, 1867. Another tree shows Hannah died in Missouri City, Fort Bend Co, TX.
--Fair Garden, TN was the site of a Civil War Battle on January 27, 1864. "IF" the family was living there at that time, they may have moved (See the 1870 Census below).
--The trees show he died on 8 Dec 1948 in Littlefield, Lamb County, TX.
--This "appears" to be family tree copying when the original "fact" was wrong. The family names as found in the Census match those of the trees, except that Matthew was actually Samuel. UNLESS... There "was" a Matthew Bird, born about the same time period between the 1850 and 1860 Census, but did not survive long enough to be found in subsequent records. I believe the former versus the latter.
Lamb County Cemeteries:http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txlamb/cemetery.htm
The Littlefield cemetery transcriptions of 1,274 are found on http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=48...
It has a "Sam" Bird, born Dec 25, 1855, died December 8, 1948(as imaged on the gravestone, not the death date as shown).http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=bi...
The 1940 Census of Other Places, Lamb County, TX:
Sam Bird, age 84, born in Tennessee
father of W.E. Bird, age 55, TX, farmer and wife Stella, 51.
The 1930 Census of Yukon, Canadian COunty, Oklahoma
Sam Bird, age 71, born in TN to both parents born in TN, widower, first married age 28(circa 1887).
The 1900 census of Carterville, Jasper Co, Missouri
Samuel Bird, age 41, born January 1859 in TN to both parents born in TN, married 12 years (circa 1888).
Rachel, born Jan 1868 in Missouri
Nora, dau, Jan 1879
Lydia D? July 1870
Blanch M, June 1894
Ernest, Nov 1895
Unnamed, Dau Feb 1900.
The 1860 Census of District 7, Jackson Co, TN
Saml Bird, 38, TN
Mathew, 9 (Could be the Mathew? BUT didn't die as identified).
Elezabeth(as written), 8
Pinckney(as written), 2
--The 1870 Cnsus of Lyon, Franklin Co, MO, shows a John Bird, age 11, with sister Mary age 8 and "Drury" Bird, 14. Living with the Harden Walton Family. If Samuel Sr. did die in Franklin Co in 1866, these "might" be his children.