Henry William Munson III

     Henry William Munson III was born on 16 August 1851 at Oakland Plantation, Gulf Prairie, Brazoria County, Texas.^2,1 He was the son of Mordello Stephen Munson and Sarah Kimbrough Armour.¹ He and Sarah Kate Cahill obtained a marriage license on 17 December 1895 in Brazoria County, Texas.³ He married Kate on 18 December 1895 in Chenango, Brazoria County.⁴ He died on 1 July 1924 in Angleton, Brazoria County, at age 72.^1,4 He was buried on 1 July 1924 in Angleton Cemetery.^5,1
     
     Henry was referred to as "Son" in his mother's diary and letters, and his nieces and nephews always called him "Uncle." He grew up at Ridgely Plantation and received his early education there and in Houston public schools. Thereafter, he attended Texas Military Institute in Austin that had moved from Bastrop in 1870. He then took military training at the newly opened Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University) near Bryan.

     After finishing school, he returned home to Bailey's Prairie and lived with his parents, helping his father operate the plantation. He was also overseer of his father's sugar plantation and mill at Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico, and traveled there often by ship. This was land bought by his father Mordello and others in anticipation of moving there if conditions in Brazoria County became intolerable following the War.

     In the early 1870's he became captain of the Prairie Rangers of Brazoria County. This was an organization that operated under the authority of Governor O.M. Roberts "to control a lawless element that was present in the county at that time. A criminal class of Negroes made cattle stealing a regular practice, defying all law, and boasting of their raids. The Prairie Rangers put fear into their hearts and forced respect for the law" (from his obituary as quoted in Williamson's manuscript).

     According to his nieces, he was "quite a ladies' man" though he did not marry until he was 45 years of age. Plans to marry in 1882 fell through when he was jilted by a "heartless flirt." Soon afterward, he moved in with brother George and family at the "Van Place" north of Bailey's Prairie. He and George became lifelong partners in cattle ranching, rice farming, and other endeavors, doing business as "H.W. and G.C. Munson."

     Henry and George were the first of Mordello and Sarah's children to move away from home. Mary (Kennedy) Giesecke recollected:

With fondest [memories] I remember the "Vann Place", situated near the banks of Oyster Creek. In this home lived my mother's brothers, Henry & George. The latter's family consisted of our dear Aunt Hannah Adriance & children, Lydia, Sarah, Adriance, Henry, Mordello & Ruth. Henry later brought his wife Kate Cahill here & their son Waddy was born in "Uncle's room", later George moved to Angleton so the children could be in school. Henry remained till 1898 [actually 1899] when his wife died at a son's birth, then he & little Waddy lived with different relatives.

     He and Kate Cahill had three sons, two of whom died at birth or soon after. The last was born in 1899 at the two-story Angleton home of George C. and Hannah Munson during a great flood, at which time Kate died in childbirth and the baby died a few days later. Henry never remarried. He and Waddy moved from the "Van Place" to Angleton, and there he continued to engage in various businesses with George.

Henry W. Munson appeared on the 1 June 1860 Federal Census of Columbia, Brazoria County, Texas, in the household of his parents, M.S. and Sarah K. Munson.⁶

Henry Munson appeared on the 1 June 1870 Federal Census of Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, in the household of his parents, Mordello and Sarah Munson.⁷

H.W. Munson appeared on the 1 June 1880 Federal Census of Brazoria County, Texas, in the household of his parents, M.S. and S.K. Munson.⁸

Perhaps as a favor to his father, Henry applied for and was appointed guardian of the estate of George P. Munson, Mordella Munson and Sarah K. Munson, minors, on 18 February 1884 at Brazoria County, Texas, and a partial inventory was returned the following day. In a written statement, he said that because the children's estate was undivided and in control of Colonel M.S. Munson who would preserve it for them, no further legal action was necessary.⁹ George, Mordella, and Sarah were the orphaned children of George P. and Agnes (Davis) Munson, and therefore, Henry's first cousins. After George died, and before Agnes remarried, she wrote in her diary that he often brought her firewood as a kindness. When Agnes died a few years later, Mordello and Sarah took the young children into their home.

Henry William Munson III patented 510 acres of school land in Brazoria County, Texas, on 19 January 1888.¹⁰

Henry Munson appeared on the 15 April 1910 Federal Census of Brazoria County, Texas, enumerated 19 April 1910. His son J. Waddy was listed as living with him.¹¹

H.W. Munson was listed as the next of kin on the World War I draft card of his son Joseph Waddy Munson 5 June 1918 at Angleton, Brazoria County, Texas.¹²

H.W. appeared on the 1 January 1920 Federal Census of Angleton, Brazoria County, Texas, enumerated 15 February 1920.¹³