Sunday, April 27, 2008

Townes Van Zandt Biography

Excerpts: full text available at http://www.sweetslyrics.com/bio-Townes%20Van%20Zandt.html

...Townes was born on March 7, 1944. He lived in a number of areas growing up, but is most strongly associated with the Houston/Austin axis of the '70s, and has lived in Nashville since the 1980s. Although none of his recordings sold extremely well, several of his songs have been major hits for other artists ( especially Pancho & Lefty and If I Needed You). He toured the world regularly, usually appearing alone with his guitar, although he has appeared with Guy Clark on some tours, and fronted various acoustic and electric bands, mostly throughout the 1980s.

More on Townes' lineage and biographical data (provided by the Van Zandt Society and Jeanene Van Zandt, updated 5/26/01 with info provided by Robert Hardy):

...Jacob Van Zandt Sr. was born about 1750, came from Holland with the Moravian Colony that settled in Pennsylvania and later moved to North Carolina. He married Catherine Moon of Virginia who was born in 1751. About the beginning of the 19th century they moved to Franklin County, TN. Both are buried in Salem TN.

Jacob Van Zandt Jr. was born in 1786 and died in 1834. He married Mary Isaacs, born in 1795 and died in 1840. Both are buried in Salem TN.

Isaac Van Zandt was born in Franklin County, TN July 10, 1812. In 1833 he married Francis Cooke Lipscomb born 18 in 1816. He died October 11, 1847 and is buried in Marshall, TX. She died in Fort Worth in 1909 and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery there.

Isaac Lycurgus Van Zandt was born January 5, 1840. He married Ellen Henderson who was born in 1849 in Shelby County TX. He died in 1935 and both are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Ft. Worth.

Townes' paternal grandparents were: William Liscomb Van Zandt was born Feb. 3, 1875 in Tarrant County TX. He married Bell Wiliams [born June 30, 1882] also of Tarrant County TX. He died April 8, 1948. She died in Feb. 24, 1965. Both are buried in Dido Cemetery, Tarrant County.

Townes' parents were: Harris Williams Van Zandt born 1913 in Dido Community, Tarrant County, TX. He married Dorothy Townes of Houston, TX in 1940. He died in Houston in Jan. 1966, and she in Sept. 1983. Both are buried in River Oaks Cemetery in Houston.

...Townes third and final marriage was on March 14, 1983 in Austin to Jeanene Munselle, who was born in Corpus Christi, TX . on February 21, 1957. They produced a son and daughter, William Vincent Van Zandt born March 24, 1983 and Katie Bell Van Zandt born February 14, 1992, all living as of 2001. They were divorced May 2, 1994 and lived apart for the last three and a half years of Townes' life, she in Smyrna, Tennessee, and he in Nashville (briefly), and then in Mt Juliet, Tennessee.

Townes died at his house on the lake in Mt Juliet, TN of either a heart attack or a blood clot following hip surgery on New Years Day, 1997, the same day his idol, Hank Williams, passed away. Some of his remains (ashes) are buried in Dido Cemetery, Tarrant County, Texas.

Much more biographical information can be found on the Blue Sky and Lone Star Webstation websites.

Townes Van Zandt - Blue Sky Homepage:

http://pnwpest.org/coopl/tvzindex.html

A Lone Star Webstation:

http://www.lonestarwebstation.com/townesdex.html

Jeanene Van Zandt's website
Townes Van Zandt Central:

http://www.townesvanzandt.com/

The Official Townes Van Zandt MySpace Page (Townes Van Zandt Central):

http://www.myspace.com/townesvanzandtcentral

Will Van Zandt (Townes' son), showcasing his artwork:

http://www.willvanzandt.com/

Friday, April 25, 2008

Jeanene Munsell and John "Townes" Van Zandt

Descendants of Harvey Otto (H. O.) Munselle:

Jeanene Munsell (Melvin2, Harvey Otto (H. O.)1) was born on 20 Feb 1957 in Nueces Co., TX. She was the daughter of Melvin Munsell (1928-2003) and Delores Pauline Zoch. Jeanene married John "Townes" Van Zandt, well-known musician and poet, on 14 Mar 1983 in Austin, Travis Co., TX, son of Harris Williams Van Zandt and Dorothy Townes. John was born on 7 Mar 1944 in Houston, Harris Co., TX, died on 1 Jan 1997 in Tennesse at age 52, and was buried in Dido Cemetery, Tarrant Co., TX.

Children from this marriage were:

1. William Vincent Van Zandt, born on 24 Mar 1983 in Austin, Travis Co., TX.

2. Katie Bell Van Zandt, born on 14 Feb 1992 in Austin, Travis Co., TX.

Line of Harvey Otto (H. O.) Munselle:
1. Lorenzo Dow Munselle (1828-1907) of Richland Springs, San Saba Co., TX and 1st wife, Phydelia Smith (1830 - )
2. James Lawrence (Jim) Munselle (1864-1934) and 2nd wife, Margaret Josephine (Maggie) Patterson (1875-1837)
3. Harvey Otto (H.O) Munselle (1894-1974). Harvey Otto (H. O.) Munselle married Mattie Jewell Neyland (1894-1976), daughter of Warren Joshua Neyland and Martha Bernetta Winn.

Thanks very much to Nancy Cunningham for sharing her excellent research on this family.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Aaron Prescott: Ancestor for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas

From: Nancy Cunningham cunningb@flash.net
4/13/2008 8:44 AM
Subject: FW: Maxwell or Prescott Family

Maxwell comes in with Eddie Cleo [Munsell] dau of LD Jr. [Munsell] and Winnie Bollinger
As you can see anyone descended from that group would become a daughter of the Rep of Texas

From: Leonard Oliver lloliversr@yahoo.com
Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2008 9:27 AM
To: Nancy Cunningham
Subject: RE: Maxwell or Prescott Family

Thank you for sending me the info on the Prescott's. I recently proved Aaron up as an ancestor for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Anyone descended from him would be eligible. If you or any of the relatives you are in contact with would be interested I would be happy to help you. I am the organizing President and Registrar of a Brady [Texas] Chapter. I recently met our cousin Georgia Cowart and she gave me many Prescott pictures most of which I have posted in Ancestry.Com. not all yet.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann [Maxwell] Oliver
your distant cousin

LINE OF EDDIE CLEO MUNSELL

1. Lorenzo Dow Munselle of Richland Springs, San Saba County, Texas and second wife Margaret Emily Dirickson Bodine
2. Lorenzo Dow Munsell, Jr. and Winnie Bolinger
3. EDDIE CLEO MUNSELL
Born: 12 July 1915
Richland Springs, San Saba County, Texas
Died: 27 Feb 1984
Crane, Crane County, Texas

Spouse: Beason D. Sheppard
Born: 10 June 1910
Texas
Died: 12 Jan 1974
San Saba, San Saba County, Texas

Married: 29 July 1933

Parents of Beason D. Sheppard:
Father: Thomas J. Sheppard
Born: 1878
Texas

Spouse: Leona M. Maxwell
Born: 28 June 1881
San Saba County, Texas

Married: 25 May 1902

Parents of Leona M. Maxwell:
Father: Thomas Wallace Maxwell
Born: 09 Apr 1856
Abingdon, Washington County, Virginia
Died: 27 Jan 1946
San Saba County, Texas

Mother: Texana Prescott
Born: 24 Mar 1860
Goldthwaite, Brown County, Texas

Married: 18 Apr 1877
San Saba County, Texas

Parents of Texana Prescott:
Father: Aaron Prescott
Born: 1822
Alabama
Died: in San Saba County, Texas
Burial: IOOF Cemetery (now San Saba City Cemetery)

Mother: Arzula May Feazle
Born: 1838
Louisiana
Died: 14 Sep 1913
San Saba County, Texas

Married: 1854

For more information on the Munsell(e) family, see:

http://griffincunningham.net/munsellFAQ/munselltree.htm