The Journal & Diary of Frank W. Munson

Wednesday, Mar. 14, 1883

..... Went on board the "Marion" at about nine a.m. & in about an hour started for Lake Poinsett. Amused ourselves part of the way trolling from the stern of the boat. Caught a few fish, among them two 6 pound bass. We left the boat at Rockledge landing, at about 10:30 a.m. having been on board about 24 hrs. There we found teams waiting to convey passengers to Rockledge about four miles distant. Crowding into the wagons, three seats, we drove for full 3/4 mile in water two or three feet deep, then over a slight elevation of platwoods, through another pond, then over a ridge of high hammock., and as we descend the east side of the ridge we saw Indian River & Rockledge. We all pronounced it the most beautiful place we had seen in Fla.

On the 30 October 1856, in Salem, Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Frank William Munson was born. The first born son of William Munson and Mary Chloe Lockwood. William and Mary had five children, Rose Standish, Frank William, Ruth Elizabeth, Sarah Ann Ten Eyck and Frederic L. All five children were born in Wisconsin.

Frank died 21 June 1919 in Georgiana, Brevard County, Florida. Between the time of his birth and his death he lived the life of an honest, hard working and good man.

His father, William was a farmer in Wisconsin and Frank followed in his footsteps. His first marriage was to Cora Ellen Hollister in Wisconsin, on the  2 April 1878. She died on the 28 Feb 1880. They had no children and Frank did not remarry until 1886.

Many people of this time kept journals or diaries, and some of these handwritten histories have survived the wear and tear of time. Frank Munson did keep a journal or diary and some of it has survived.

The original journals are in the Historical Association of Southern Florida, in Miami. They were donated to the museum by Margaret Santini and are found under the Santini papers. More information will be found in the beginning of the Journal, where I have placed the Appendix pages first.

As the author of this site I need to declare that I have no connection to anyone, anywhere or to  these journals. I can not answer any questions, because everything that I know is being placed here.

Frank Munson did remarry on 1 July 1886, on Merritt Island, in Brevard County, Florida to Anna Adell Carter. Anna had been born in Minnesota on 29 March 1868. She died on the 8 April 1952. Both Frank and Dell are buried on Merritt Island in the old cemetery, at Georgiana.

Their  three children were born in Georgiana and both sons were also buried with their parents in the old cemetery. Cora Dell Munson was born 13 Mar 1889, Guy Standish Munson was born 19 Jan 1890 and William Lockwood Munson was born 1 April 1891 and departed this life 2 August 1891.

Guy S. Munson died in Memphis, Tennessee on the 17 Jan 1918 of pneumonia, but was buried in Georgiana.

Cora Dell Munson married Joseph Carroll Santini on the 14 Aug 1910 in Miami, Dade County, Florida. Both she and her husband are buried in Miami.

Frank Munson’s Diary and Journal gives you a glimpse into the lives and struggles of the early pioneers. The hard work that goes into settling and establishing a life, in an area that is exposed to the sun and wind off the Atlantic Ocean. On a strip of land that is cut off from the mainland and the only form of transportation, to reach other settlements, is first a boat. His life sounds like an adventure. And yet he was a very real person, who lived, loved and died in the place he helped establish. There were births, marriages and deaths and yet he continued to keep his journal.

Family Photos

How did I get this Diary and Journal?? Good question and a very long answer, please bear with me.

In 1999 I posted some information online. Someone emailed me and requested more information. Several emails followed and a package arrived at my home one day. The person who sent me the package wishes to remain anonymous, so I will not mention his name and will just refer to him as “Anonymous”. But Anonymous is the person who did the work of compiling these two volumes and is how I was introduced to Frank Munson.

Anonymous had worked, at one time, in the area of Georgiana and wished to share with me some of the history of the area where I now lived. It even inspired me to take a few photos of the old cemetery and the graves of the Munson family. While working on another project, I made copies of both Journal and Diary and gave them to the Florida Historical Library in Cocoa. That was some years ago and since then, both volumes have been sitting in my files. I think that they both should see the light of day. Let more people experience the life and times of a pioneer in  early Florida first hand, in the Journal and Diary of Frank William Munson

So I am building this simple website, to put both volumes online just like they came to me in 1999. I would suggest that you read the Journal first and then the Diary. It is just a suggestion because which every one you read first I think you are going to want to read the second.

Enjoy the read,

Linda B. Thompson

pasthunter@gmail.com