A Brief History of the Munselles in Texas

A Brief History of the Munselles in Texas

by Nancy West

Most members of the Munselle family now residing in Texas can trace their ancestry back to LORENZO DOW MUNSELLE, born January 1, 1828 in Licking County, Ohio. Lorenzo came toTexas about 1889 from Mt. Vernon in Jefferson County, Illinois.

Lorenzo was married first, 1848, to Phydelia SMITH. By this marriage there were seven children:

1. Thomas Tillotson (Doc), also known as T. T., of San Saba, San Saba County, TX. He married Sarah Jane ESTES.

2. Mary A. (Sis), of Mt. Vernon, IL. She married Jeremiah KING.

3. John Raleigh of Mt. Vernon, IL, who married Lusetta HOLLIDAY.

4. Luna Alice of Mt. Vernon, IL. She married William GREGORY.

5. William Alexander (Bill) of Bangs, Brown County, TX; married Nancy Elizabeth SHELTON.

6. James Lawrence (Jim) of Gonzales County, TX. He married first, Ellen Katherine COWEY; second, Margaret (Maggie or Mag) PATTERSON.

7. Harriet Victoria (Hattie Vic), married Frank BROOKMAN.

Several of these children remained in Mt. Vernon, IL, when Lorenzo moved to Texas.

Lorenzo married 2nd, April 5, 1870, Margaret Emily Derickson BODINE. They also had seven children:

1. Lorenzo Dow, Jr., married Winnie L. BOLINGER.

2. Lawrence Bratton, married Viola McARTHUR.

3. Harvey, died young.

4. Louisa Julia, married Ernest E. WILLIAMS.

5. Joshua Walter (Josh), married Heba H. RANSOM.

6. Rosetta Joan, married Rufus SMITH.

7. Laura Orlena, died unmarried.

Lorenzo was a farmer who resided in Richland Springs until his death on April 13, 1907. He planted a large pecan grove there which is still standing. Lorenzo and Margaret Emily Derickson BODINE are both buried in the Richland Springs Cemetery, San Saba County, TX.

The history of the Munselle family dates back to Sir Philip de MAUNSELL, a companion of William the Conqueror. The founder of Lorenzo Dow's branch of the family was:

THOMAS MUNSELL. He was on record as a resident of New London, Connecticut, in 1681. He died in New London, Connecticut, in 1712. Most MUNSELLES in the United States today are descendants of his eight children. In England, the family dropped the "u" from MAUNSELL in the 1600s. MUNSELL, with a number of variations, is the traditional American spelling. Lorenzo Dow's branch adopted the spelling MUNSELLE while living in IL, sometime during the 1800s.

From printed booklet for Munselle Family Reunion, Colmesneil, TX, June 1994

revised March 1, 2002