Catherine Munson

     Catherine Munson was born on 31 December 1908 in the Underwood home, Columbia, Brazoria County, Texas,^1,2 (now East Columbia). She was the daughter of George Poindexter Munson Sr. and Louise Underwood. She married William Ligon Foster on 30 December 1929 in Louisiana.³ She died on 22 September 1995 in Angleton, Brazoria County, Texas, at age 86.^4,2,5 She was buried in Munson Cemetery, Bailey's Prairie, Brazoria County, Texas.²
     
     Catherine was named for her mother's sister, Kate Underwood. She was called "Bigo" by the family and many close friends, a nickname given her by her brother Joe who, when learning to talk, called her "bigo chichi" (big old sister). She lived most of her life in Brazoria County, and appears there in the household of her grandparents Joe and Lou Underwood as a one year old in the 1910 census , and as an eleven year old in the household of her parents in the 1920 census . She has not been found in the 1930 census.^6,7

     Catherine graduated from Angleton High School. Afterward she attended the College of Industrial Arts in Denton, now Texas Woman's University, and graduated with a degree in journalism. She worked in journalism for the Fort Worth Record Telegram and the Houston Press. Ligon was working for General Motors, and because of frequent transfers, they lived in several places in Texas and Oklahoma. They moved to Brazoria County in 1944 and lived with Catherine's parents at Bailey's Prairie before moving to Angleton where Ligon had obtained the Pontiac dealership.

     Catherine worked as a librarian for the Brazoria County Library from 1954 to 1980, the later years as head librarian. Her weekly newspaper column, "Catherine Comments," appeared in the Angleton Times for many years. She was a member of the Cradle of Texas Chapter, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and of the Asa Underwood Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution that was named for her ancestor and organized at West Columbia on 24 November 1941 by her aunt Laura Underwood.

     No one did more to preserve Brazoria County history. She was a passionate supporter of the Brazoria County Historical Museum who was best known for her Brazoria County ghost stories and legends. She was a popular speaker at schools and clubs, and thousands of Brazoria County school children over the years knew her simply as the "Ghost Lady." After much urging, she reluctantly published her collection of stories in Ghosts Along the Brazos. Ghosts was illustrated by her niece Ruth Munson. After she died, Ligon gave the copyright to the Brazoria County Historical Museum. The writer always thinks of her as a kindred spirit. In my copy of Ghosts Along the Brazos, she wrote, "to Laura Jane, who has the same feeling that I have for old places, old times, and even old graveyards! Love Aunt Bigo." In cultivating those feelings, she played a significant role.