Mundine Photos

The Texas Connection

Titus Howard Mundine 1826-1873

8th Texas Legislature

Photo courtesy of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Many thanks to Victor Hotho and the other archivists at the State Preservation Board for helping me to obtain a copy of this photo.

Titus Howard Mundine was the son of John Chapman & Maria Elizabeth Yourie Mundine. John & Maria, along with sons Titus, Francis Marion, Patrick Alexander, John Chapman Jr., Charles, and daughters, Eliza and Mary Caroline, came to Texas while it was still a Republic. They settled in Galveston, the Houston area, Brenham, and what later became Lee County. John Chapman bought and sold land all over Texas right up until he died. Francis donated land that would become the town of Lexington, and Titus surveyed it. Patrick moved to Milam County. John Jr. and Charles died in the Civil War. Eliza married a man named Doll and stayed in Galveston. Mary Caroline married Dewitt Cunningham. Before he died, John and Maria moved back to Galveston to be close to their daughters. John died in 1887, outliving his son Titus. Maria and Eliza died tragically in the great hurricane in Galveston of 1900.

Titus married Catherine B. Merrill in 1851 in Houston, at the home of a Mrs. McAlester. The Rev. Joseph Burleson officiated. (Burleson was the minister who later managed to get Titus's friend Sam Houston baptized. He was the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Houston, and would later become president of Baylor University when it split from Independence and moved to Waco.) Titus's brother Frank would later marry Catherine's sister, Marguerite Jane Merrill. Little is known about the Merrill girls, except that they were born in Kentucky and in 1851 were living in the house of the Martin K. Snell family in Houston. Their father was supposedly a prominent doctor in Houston at one time. Snell and Titus were both Masons, and Titus would go on to found the Masonic Lodge in Lexington, Texas.

Titus was a stockman, farmer, surveyor, and later a storekeeper in Brenham and Lexington. He served in the Texas Legislature, and in 1860 he was vice president at the San Jacinto Battle Ground Assembly, nominating Sam Houston as a candidate for the presidency. He likewise stood with his friend Sam in voting against joining the Confederacy, which made him somewhat unpopular in his home county. Although he did not support the Confederate cause, he stood by family members who did, and family lore has it that he took care of some of the children whose fathers were at war.

A conservative Republican, Titus nevertheless made shock waves at a convention on July 8, 1868, by proposing to enfranchise women as well as blacks. His resolution read: "Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years . . . shall be deemed a qualified elector." Newspapers in Austin, that had very much supported slavery at the time, poked fun at the tall and rotund Mundine.

 

 

 

Sam Houston Mundine 1861-1936 was the son of Titus Howard Mundine. When Sam was a few days old, Titus's friend, the legendary Sam Houston, visited the family and saw the newborn. He asked if he had been named yet, and they replied, "Not yet." Sam said, "Why don't you name him after me?" So they did.

Seated: Horace Mundine Standing: Richard Mundine

Horace and Richard were brothers, sons of William Howard, 1852-1880, & Laura (Alice) Mundine, 1853-1931. William H., Titus's oldest boy, corresponded with his cousin Alice in Alabama for some time, and then went on a cattle drive, fetching her home as his bride. His family accepted her and came to regard her as a lovely woman, while she developed great respect for them. William H. was so tall, 6' 6", a special casket had to be made for him when he died. He had a reputation as an outstanding cowboy, and family legend has it that Will Pickett, the famous Negro bulldogger, picked up that technique on the Mundine ranch. One of Pickett's sons is buried near the T.H. Mundine Cemetery near Lexington, Texas.

Richard Mundine, in photo, developed a reputation in his own right as a railroad man. He became an engineer (steam locomotive) for the I & GN railroad, now the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

Horace, sitting in photo--his cousins still have fond memories of Horace's visits to their home.

John Marion Mundine (L) from Alabama visits with William Benjamin "Bennie" Mundine (R), 1896-1977, from Rockdale, TX. John descended from John Chapman Mundine's brother, Charles. That family remained in Alabama. Bennie was the son of William (Will) Marion Mundine, 1862-1899. (It is confusing because there were three William Mundines, cousins, living in the same area at the same time.) This Will was the son of Jesse Howard Washington Mundine & moved to Texas from Alabama with his mother Sarah Amanda Martin Mundine after Jesse died in the Civil War. On April 17, 1969, The Giddings, Texas, Times & News printed a story written by Bennie repeating the contents of a heartbreaking Civil War letter Jesse wrote to his wife before he died. "Dearly Beloved, Companion of my life" A copy of the newspaper article is on file at the DRT Archives in San Antonio, next to the Alamo. Jesse's son Will was a rip-snorting, tall, fiery redhead who lived by the sword and died by it, but his grandson Bennie had the reputation of being one of kindest and well-liked of men.

 

John H. "Babe" Mundine 1887-1938

Babe got his nickname after his father, Deputy Sheriff John Harmon Mundine, died of an accidental gunshot wound as he stepped off a train in Lexington, Texas. Even though he was just a "babe," John soon became the man of the family.

Don't let the spectacles fool you, by age 17, Babe was competing with experts around the state in cattle roping contests and making good time. He moved to Uvalde, Texas, and founded a ranch that is still in the hands of his descendants. An astute businessman as well as an avid gambler, Babe supported his family during the Depression by owning not only The Plaza Hotel in Seguin, but also The Southern Club, a gambling casino in San Antonio.

Babe descended from Patrick Alexander Mundine, one of the three sons who came to Texas with their father, John Chapman Mundine.

Babe's daughter Charley Bell was just as big a character as he was and is still remembered today with fondness by people in Uvalde, as is his wife Lockie.

 

(As a side-note, my friend Lora B. Davis Garrison, whose father was a judge in Uvalde, said when she saw this photo that among the old time ranchers, the way they tucked their pants in their boots indicated how many cattle they owned.)

 

 

Lydia McDavid Mundine 1868-1949

Lydia was the wife of Charles Mundine, 1866-1938, son of Titus Howard Mundine

Her children were: Tom, Titus, Robert & Julia

Lydia descended from one of Stephen F. Austin's original Old Three Hundred families, the Millicans of Brazos County. Her mother was Julia Millican, her grandfather Robert G. Millican, her great-grandfather William Millican, and her great-great grandfather, Robert Hemphill Millican, all citizens of the Republic of Texas.

Lydia, a tiny woman, loved to sit in her rocking chair in later years and crochet.

Robert G. Mundine, 1891-1968, with grandsons Ray & Paul Morrell

Like most men of his time, Robert could come down very hard on his children, but his grandchildren, nevertheless, adored him, especially his granddaughters.

Robert farmed, raised stock and delivered ice. Unlike his great-grandfather John, he cared little for owning land. Robert's father, Charles, inherited quite a lot of land from his father, Titus, and his grandfather, but he sunk all his money in cattle. A freakish winter came, and many of his Texas cattle, unused to such drastic temperatures, died.

Robert G. Mundine 1891-1968

Grandpa Robert never really made the transition from horse and buggy to automobile, and he remained all his life a terrible driver. He could never make himself believe that a man really walked on the moon either, preferring to believe it to be a television stunt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Mundine with watermelons in 1955. The spots on the melons are merely shadows. The house was once part of the McDade Hotel owned by Thomas Jefferson Harrison, Robert's father-in-law.

 

 

Harvey Mundine 1911-1967

Grandma Matt had an old saying. Anytime someone complained of feeling unwell, she would say, "You are just paying for your sins." If that is the case, her son Harvey paid for his, dying a painful death of throat cancer. A handsome young man in this picture, family gossip says he fell in love with a cousin, but his mother Mattie refused to let them marry, something he always held against her. Nevertheless, he came back home to his parents house in McDade to spend his final days.

“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.” Eskimo Proverb

Iva Dee Mundine, 1921-1991, in front of the McDade Baptist Church

Iva Dee was the only surviving daughter, another having died in infancy, of Robert & Mattie Mundine. Raised with seven brothers, she could hold her own in any situation. She too had a youthful affection for one of her cousins (see Tenor Harrison below) but it was her father who quickly put a stop to it. Iva Dee made a disastrous marriage on the rebound with a Baptist minister, but had two sons she adored. A woman full of humor and generosity, Iva Dee had the love of all her family. She died almost penniless, having happily spent and given away almost everything she made.

Iva Dee Mundine

Mattie Mundine with infant

In front: David Mundine, Cheryl Hoyt (?), Janice Mundine, Cyndie Mundine, Vicky Mundine

What fun these reunions were for us kids! No fire ants back then either. Notice that the women are all wearing dresses. All the old ladies used to cover their knees decorously, then spraddle their legs to let the air in.

Pete Mundine (sorry, picture was damaged & hard to correct in Photoshop)

Pete was the son of Titus Mundine, Charles Mundine's son. Pete, the happy-go-lucky darling of his family, died in WWII. He earned the Purple Heart, going back in one too many times trying to rescue friends.

 

 

 

 

 

Arthur "Potts" Mundine and his brother Robert "Possum" got their nicknames from comic strip characters popular at that time. While Robert was tall and dark with large eyes like the rest of the Mundines, Potts took after his mother's family, the Harrisons. Next to the last in birth order, he was constantly picked on by older boys his brothers had beaten in fights, and he had to get tough quick. Potts delivered water as a boy and worked on building the highway to Houston that ran in front of McDade. He joined the Merchant Marines and later the National Guard. He retired from the Sim Gideon Steam Plant in Bastrop, Texas. When his grandsons found out he once owned an Indian Chief motorcycle, they almost died of envy. He traded the motorcycle for a truck one day when a blue norther hit Fort Worth, dropping the temperature forty degrees in a matter of hours.

Robert G. Mundine--he liked his coffee black and his bacon fatty.

Robert (Possum pronounced Poohsum) Mundine, Jr.

A generous man, he loved chewing tobacco. For years he was a heavy equipment operator for the Alcoa plant in Rockdale, Texas, suffering through the graveyard shifts to provide for his family. Like his ancestors and his brothers Arthur and Winfred, he also "ran" cattle on the side.

Royce Allen Mundine 1940-1987

Son of Winfred Mundine, grandson of Robert Mundine, great-grandson of Charles Mundine, great-great grandson of Titus Mundine, Royce was funny, sweet, and a hard working electrician. I used to have a collage of family photos in my barbershop, and I can't tell you how many times people came in, pointed to this photo and exclaimed, "I know him!" Everyone who knew him, liked him, and a lot of people knew him. Royce admired beautiful women, loved his mother's good cooking, worshipped his daughter, Mitzi, and died way too soon. We miss you Royce!

Winfred Mundine 1919-1976 When I was about four or five, Uncle Winfred set me on his lap and together we looked at a Western Auto sales catalog. I fell in love with an inflatable plastic wading pool, but Uncle Winfred, in the tradition of all the Mundine men, teased me a little about it. "It's a dollar; don't you think that's too expensive?" he asked with a smile. I shook my head. "I don't know," I answered. "I just know I really like it." Several weeks later when my birthday came around, there was Uncle Winfred at the back porch with that dollar plastic swimming pool in his hand. That's the kind of man he was. His brother Potts called him "the best one of us boys." Slow to anger, he nevertheless was one Mundine you never wanted to ire. But his nieces and nephews never saw that-only the part that we loved.

 

 

 

- left

Arthur "Potts" Mundine

 

 

 

 

 

Iva Dee Mundine with sons Ray & Paul Morrell

(On the back of the photo is written: "Paul looks like a city boy and Ray looks like a cowboy.")

 

 

 

Iva Dee Mundine in Colorado

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Mundine, Ella Mundine

In front: Royce Mundine

left: Edd Mundine

right: Robert Mundine Jr.

 

Left: Jimmie D. Mundine

Below: Marlene Mundine

Julia Mundine Butler & daughter, Dorothy Marie Huff

Julia Mundine Butler & husband Carroll Butler

Arthur "Potts" MundineRobert Mundine Jr.

Robert Mundine Jr & wife Doris at the Robert Mundine Sr. house in McDade

Robert Mundine Jr. at the Robert Mundine Sr. house in McDade

 

 

Rickey Scott Mundine, son of Thomas Charles "Joe" Mundine

Scott's mother and father split when he was just an infant, and his mother took him to California, but Grandma Mattie made sure he was not forgotten in our lives.

 

 

Thomas Charles "Joe" Mundine Died 1960

His boyhood friends called him "T.C." but his friends in the Merchant Marines called him "Joe" and that name stuck. Joe got impressed from his ship by the Russians in WWII. They forced him to sit with a machine gun in a suicide position on top of a train they were trying to ram through enemy lines. Joe shot everything and everybody to hell and lived through it, earning medals from the Russians.

Joe led a rough and tumble lifestyle, but when stricken with heart disease, he came back to his parents' home in McDade, determined to heal and start life over again near his loved ones. A slightly-built man with a delightful sense of humor, his quick passing left a hole in the heart of his family they never truly got over.

Unknown Mundine infant

Arthur & Jonita Mundine on porch of Robert Mundine home in McDade. Friskie Mundine in front.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edd Mundine--Edd was the baby of his family and in many ways, the bridge between the old and the new. Better educated than his brothers, Edd left for Houston and worked for many years at Dow Chemical. I saw the difference between the brothers illustrated this way: Edd came to visit his brothers Arthur and Robert during a time the stock market was doing crazy things. He asked, "How is your stock doing?" To which Robert promptly replied, "Oh, I got too old and had to sell most of my cattle a few years ago."
To Robert and Arthur, and all the Mundines previously in Texas, stock meant cattle, hogs, and horses. That was the only real wealth that counted to them. Sadly, that way of life has disappeared for the rest of us, but some things don't pass away-generosity, a sense of humor, a love of home-these things remain.

 

 

Not a Mundine, but an interesting photo

Tenor Harrison at the last cattle roundup

in the Yegua Knobbs Hills near McDade

 

 

 

 

 

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