Munson Cemetery
Bailey's Prairie, Brazoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1850, Mordello Stephen Munson (born in Liberty County in 1825)-- son of Henry William Munson (born 1793), a member of Austin's colony-- set aside this burial tract for his family and friends. It was at Ridgely Plantation, on Bailey's Prairie. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1850 Mordello Stephen Munson — son of Henry William Munson, a member of Stephen F. Austin's colony — set aside this tract at his family's Ridgely Plantation on Bailey's Prairie as a burying ground for kin and friends. The little cemetery ties one of the founding colonial families of Anglo Texas to the coastal prairie they helped settle. It has stood as their resting place for well over a century.
Why it matters
Family burying grounds like this one root the story of Austin's original colonists in the Texas soil they came to settle.
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Related people
- · Mordello Stephen Munson
- · Henry William Munson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
"Brit" Bailey Plantation
Bailey's Prairie, TX
James Briton Bailey staked this prairie in 1818 as an individual claim, later joining Stephen F. Austin's colony among the first Anglo settlers of Texas. Tall, fearless, and of Irish stock, Bailey asked at his death in 1833 to be buried standing upright, facing west, with his gun at his side. Local legend still says his restless ghost walks Bailey's Prairie by night.
James Briton "Brit" Bailey
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James Briton "Brit" Bailey came to Texas in 1818 with his wife and six children, settling the tallgrass expanse that still bears his name. He joined Stephen F. Austin's colony in 1824, served as a militia captain, and fought in the skirmishes that preceded the 1836 revolution. True to a fiercely proud reputation, he asked to be buried upright, facing west with his gun at his side, so that no one could ever look down on him.
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