Tag: Foster

Elizabeth “Betsy” (Foster) Munson (1820–1894)

On By NancyIn Ancestor ProfileLeave a comment

Elizabeth “Betsy” Foster was born 7 May 1820 in New York, the daughter of Nathaniel Foster and Mary Moore.¹ By the mid-1820s she was in Saginaw County, Michigan, where her father became one of the earliest settlers and built the first sawmill on the Saginaw River.²

She grew up in a pioneer environment as the Foster family established itself along the river in what was then a developing frontier community.

On 1 June 1839, in Bridgeport, she married Henry Munson.³ She was nineteen years old.

A life in the Saginaw Valley

Elizabeth spent her entire married life in Saginaw County. She and Henry first appear together in Bridgeport Township in the 1850 census with their young children.⁴ They remained in the same general area for decades, later settling in Taymouth Township.⁵

She was the mother of a large family:

  • James H. Munson (1840–1881)
  • Mary Emaline Munson (1841–1907)
  • Ransom W. Munson (1843–1853)
  • Frances Jane Munson (1845–1915)
  • Gardner N. Munson
  • Thomas B. Munson (1849–1934)
  • Alice A. Munson (1853–1916)
  • Charles Homer Munson (1855–1928)
  • Sarah E. Munson
  • Henrietta E. Munson (1858–1917)
  • Orrin E. Munson (1861–1929) ⁴⁻⁸

Her son Ransom died in 1853 after drowning in the Cass River, a loss that occurred while the family was still raising younger children.⁹

Through the decades she witnessed the transformation of the Saginaw Valley from a lumber frontier into an established agricultural community.

Daughter of a pioneer

The Foster family’s early arrival in the region was remembered locally. One of her death notices stated:

“She was one of the pioneers of Saginaw county.”²

Another noted her connection to the earliest lumbering history:

“Her father, Mr. Foster, built the first saw mill on the Saginaw river.”³

This identity as a pioneer’s daughter remained part of how she was described at the end of her life.

Later years

Elizabeth was widowed when Henry Munson died 12 December 1886 in Taymouth Township.¹⁰
She continued to live in the township, appearing there in the 1880 census and remaining in the community where she had spent nearly her entire life.⁶

She experienced the deaths of both her husband and her eldest son during her later years.¹⁰⁻¹¹

Death

Elizabeth died 29 March 1894 at Taymouth Township at the home of her son, Charles H. Munson.³ She was 73 years old.²

Her obituary reported that she left:

  • sons Thomas, Orrin, and Charles H. Munson
  • daughters Jane Rivers and Etta Parker

and that she also had a surviving brother, Gardner W. Foster.²

She was buried in Taymouth Township, Saginaw County.¹²

Sources

  1. Birth date calculated from age at death and death record; Michigan death records.
  2. “Fosters,” The Saginaw News, 4 April 1894, p. 5.
  3. “Betsy Munson, wife of the late Henry Munson…,” The Saginaw News, 30 March 1894, p. 6.
  4. 1850 U.S. census, Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  5. 1860 U.S. census, Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  6. 1880 U.S. census, Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  7. Michigan vital records for children of Henry and Elizabeth Munson.
  8. Michigan marriage and death records for Munson descendants.
  9. Saginaw County death record, Ransom W. Munson, 1853.
  10. Saginaw County death record, Henry Munson, 1886.
  11. Saginaw County death record, James H. Munson, 1881.
  12. Find a Grave index, Saginaw County, Michigan.

Nathaniel Foster (1793-1870)

On By NancyIn Ancestor Profile, War of 1812Leave a comment

Nathaniel Foster was my 4th great-grandfather — and the more I learn about him, the more I realize how deeply his life was woven into the early fabric of Michigan.

Let’s clear up one thing right away: Nathaniel is not the son of Lemuel Foster and Dolly Davis. Despite what many online trees suggest, their family had twelve children — and none were named Nathaniel. Dolly’s 1849 probate record lists nine surviving children by name, and Nathaniel isn’t among them. He lived until 1870, so if he were her son, he should absolutely appear in that record. He doesn’t. This is one of those cases where the paper trail tells a clearer story than assumptions.

Born in 1793 in Saratoga, New York, Nathaniel served in the War of 1812 as a teenager. He wasn’t a general or a hero in the history books, but he stood up when his country called.

After the war, he married Mary Moore and started a family that would eventually include ten children. In the 1830s, they moved west and settled along the Cass River in Michigan — a true frontier at the time. Nathaniel was one of the earliest settlers in the region, carving out a life in what would become Bridgeport and Midland.

He lived to be 76 years and 10 months old, passing away on May 14, 1870, at the home of his daughter Mrs. Braly in Tittabawassee Township. According to his obituary in the Saginaw Daily Courier, he was remembered as a “sturdy old carpenter,” a “hospitable citizen,” and “the noblest work of God — an honest man.”

His will, written just days before his death, reflects both practicality and generosity. He left one dollar each to his older children, having “divided to them his living” earlier in life. He gave $200 to his daughter Marietta Braly for her care during his final illness, and donated $500 to missions and another $500 to Sunday schools — a clear reflection of his faith and values.

Page 1 of Nathaniel Foster’s Will
Page 2 of Nathaniel Foster’s Will

Nathaniel’s legacy lives on not just in his descendants, but in the land he helped settle and the stories he passed down. One of his sons, Nelson Foster, became a legendary lumberman in the Saginaw Valley — known for his strength, humor, and skill. Another son, Nathaniel Jr., died fighting for the Union in the Civil War, reportedly shouting “Give me liberty or give me death” as he fell.

These aren’t just names on a family tree. They’re people who lived, worked, fought, and loved — and whose choices shaped the lives of everyone who came after them.