New London County CT Archives Obituaries.....Hyde, Martha Rebecca May 31, 1991
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Barbara W. Brown buwbrown@comcast.net December 23, 2008, 10:11 am

The Day, New London; Monday, June 3, 1991
Martha Rebecca Hyde, 81.  Source of information on local black history.  
   Lyme - Martha Rebecca Hyde, 81, of Brush Hill Road, Hadlyme, known for her 
knowledge of local black history and heritage, died Friday at Lawrence and 
Memorial Hospital.
   Mrs. Hyde was a descendant of the Prince Hyde and Cooley Mason families that 
settled in the Hadlyme area in the 1700's and 1800's.  The Prince Hyde family 
was from Rhode Island, and the Cooley Mason family from Branford.  
   Mrs. Hyde was an invaluable source for James M. Rose and Barbara W. Brown 
when they were doing research for their book, "Tapestry," subtitled "A Living 
History of the Black Family in Southeastern Connecticut."  "Tapestry" was 
published in 1979 by the New London County Historical Society.  It traces 17 
genealogies.
   Donald Murphy of Staten Island, Mrs. Hyde's nephew, said his aunt was 
tremendously proud of her family and took a great deal of time to make sure 
that the information she gathered ws correct.  
   He noted that ancestor Cooley Mason was described in records as "a free man" 
when he purchased property in the late 1700's in the Hadlyme area.
   The Lyme school system interviewed Mrs. Hyde recently as part of a videotape 
history of the community.  
   Mrs. Hyde was an excellent baker whose entries won numerouys awards over the 
years at the Hamburg Fair, other fairs throughout the state, and bazaars.
   She also made beautiful quilts and was an accomplished 
crocheter.  "Everything she did, she did well," her nephew said.
   She remained active until last September when she suffered a heart attack.  
It distressed her, Murphy said, that she was no longer able to help others.
   Mrs. Hyde had no children.  However, as Donald Murphy observed, "She was a 
loving person who took care of everyone else's children all her life."
   She never really retired, he said.  For many years until she became ill, she 
was a housekeeper and caregiver to many families in her community.
   Mrs. Hyde was born April 8, 1910, in Hadlyme, the daughter of John L. and 
Harriett Webster Hyde.  He was the wife of Robert Robinson Hyde, who died nine 
years ago.  
   She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Lyme, Ladies 
Benevolent Society of the church, American Association of Retired Persons, and 
Shoreline Senior Citizens Club.
   She is survived by eight nieces, many great-nieces and nephews.  
   The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the First Congregational 
Church of Lyme, Hamburg Road.  Burial will be in Pleasant View Cemetery in Lyme.
   Calling hours are 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.  Byles Memorial Home, 99 Huntington 
St., New London, is in charge of arrangements.

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