Roll of Honor
Jerry M. Matthews
Incident
By 1887, African Americans in Matagorda County had elected a state, representative, a county commissioner, two justices of the peace and a constable, Jerry Matthews. John Nuckols and Dan Kennedy, two white men were living in the Sargent neighborhood, refused to work on the roads with a group of African Americans and under the supervision of an African American commissioner.
Constable Matthews was ordered to summon them before Justice of the Peace A. B. Brown. Before leaving, Constable Matthews borrowed a pistol and advised several people that he would return after serving the writs, and if not, he had met foul play. Constable Matthews arrived at Nuckols’ home and found him away. A man in Nuckols’ employ, a desperado by the name of Stafford, met Matthews at the door. After a few words with Stafford, Matthews departed. Stafford got on his horse and overtook Matthews and shot him. He dragged the body off and hid it in a swamp. A group of about 75 armed African Americans found Matthew’s body floating in a creek with a bullet wound in the head.
The crowd went searching for Nuckols and Stafford, but both fled the community. The sheriff was summoned and instructed the group to return to their homes. However, news of the “Matagorda Uprising” had reached surrounding county sheriffs and the Governor. The sheriffs sent posses of armed white men and the Governor called out two local militias into Matagorda County. The posses and militias shot and killed several African Americans, but the alleged ringleader, Oliver Sheppard, escaped with the assistance of a white district court judge. No one was ever prosecuted for the murder of Constable Matthews.
Very little is known about Constable Matthews. It is unknown if he was married or had any children. His place of burial is unknown at this time.
Heroes live forever, Constable Matthews, and we will never forget. Thank you for the sacrifice you made for the citizens of Matagorda County and the great State of Texas.
Greater Houston C.O.P.S. September 25th, 2013
In Our Keeping
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
139 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Matthews served with the Matagorda County Constable's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Bay City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable Jerry M. Matthews is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jerry M. Matthews's cause is highlighted.
How Jerry M. Matthews Compares
Offender Outcome
Never prosecuted
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Jerry M. Matthews is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Jerry M. Matthews was killed by unknown weapon.