William Munger Biography, Genesee County, Michigan

This Biography extracted from “Portrait and Biographical Record of 
Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan…”, published be Chapman 
Bros., Chicago (1892), p. 1014-1015


This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives.




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WILLIAM MUNGER. One of the best families in Richfield Township, Genesee 
County, is here represented in our subject who was born in Livonia 
Township, Livingston County, N. Y., September 27, 1819. There also his 
father, I. W. Munger, was born in 1800, and the mother, Betsey Fuller, 
was born in Massachusetts June 16, 1802, and died September 30, 1844. 
She was fourteen years of age when she went with her parents to New 
York, where she met and married the father of our subject. Ichahod 
Munger, the father of I. W. Munger, had his birth and edcation in 
Connecticut, having a farm on the State line, bordering on the 
Connecticut River, and during his seven years of service in the 
American Army was connected with the staff of Gen. Washington. He lived 
to the year 1835.

   Jason Fuller, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was a 
Massachusetts farmer. Our subject's father had two brothers that were 
in the War of 1812, and this was a family of nine brothers and sisters. 
I. W. Munger came to Michigan in 1844, and was Justice of the Peace in 
Antrim Township, Shiawassee County, where he died February 20, 1854. 
His nine children were William, Jason, Rosella, Thomas, Phylenda, Eli, 
James, Cynthia and Leman. Mr. Munger does not know that any of his 
brothers and sisters are now living except Eli and James.

   William Munger attended school winters only from the age of five 
years until he was fifteen and at the age of sixteen commenced teaching 
in the district school of his native place, having charge of a school 
for two years and teaching penmanship also for two winters. He remained 
with his parents until his marriage, in 1840, to Chloe Taylor, daughter 
of Benager and Anna (Havens) Taylor, who was born in Livonia Township, 
Livingston County, N. Y. For two years now the young man carried on a 
farm in his native place which belonged to his uncle and in 1842 he 
came West and settled in Richfield Township, this county, where he now 
resides, and this has been his home ever since except during one year 
which he spent in Dakota prospecting.

   The wife of his youth was taken from from Munger in 1847, and he 
subsequently married Lucy, daughter of William and Deborah (Close) 
Throop, a native of Darien, Genesee County. N. Y., where she was born 
May 31, 1824. She was eighteen years old when she came to Michigan and 
she is the mother of three children. The eldest son, Alphonso, resides 
in New York City and is the President of a Loan Company, which is 
located at Ft. Worth, Texas. He married Ella Darling, a Canadian girl 
who was living in Michigan at the time. The second child, Chloe, is the 
wife of J. M. Van Buskirk and resides with her parents, while Mary, the 
youngest, is the wife of W. H. Booth, and has a son and two daughters.

   There were no improvements upon Mr. Munger's farm when he took it 
and he cut the road for three-quarters of a mile to reach his place, 
where he cut down logs and built a log house 20x26 feet in dimensions 
and in this he made his home until 1863, when he built the home which 
now shelters them. He has cleared his farm and put it in excellent 
cultivation. He has set out all the trees and has all but thirty-five 
of his two hundred and seventy acres under cultivation. For the past 
ten years he has had this farm in the hands of a tenant, his son-in-law 
having worked it for the last nine years.

   Mr. Munger is a Democrat in his political views and has held the 
offices of School Inspector, Township Clerk, Supervisor, Justice of the 
Peace and Treasurer. He and his good wife are both members of the Union 
Church at Richfield where they are highly esteemed for their character 
and influence.




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