Clan William: Wayne Clyde Munson

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson > Amos Munson > Charles Fremont Munson > Clyde Amos Munson > Wayne Clyde Munson >

Several of the Munsons and Vaughns (who married into the Munson family) ended up in Hawkeye, Iowa in Fayette County. We've discussed the 3rd great grandfather, Amos, his son Charles Fremont Munson, his son Clyde Amos Munson and now on to the final in the line, Wayne Clyde Munson.

Wayne Clyde Munson was a high-achieving student who attended school in Belvidere, Illinois in 1931 - I'm still trying to discover why.  He did not return to Belvidere in 1932, and in July 1931 had a tonsilectomy. When he attended Hawkeye high school and was involved in many organizations at the school including music and journalism. He was selected for Boy's All State as a junior. As a senior, he was captain of the football squad and he won two scholarships for college - one to Upper Iowa University and one to Luther College. He was also third alternate to appointment to the US Naval Academy. 

One of the jobs he held in school was as carpenter's assistant to Walter Peterson. After graduation, he was appointed as a clerk at the DMV in Oelwein, a position which I'm sure he had dad's influence to get. He began attending Upper Iowa in 1941.

The war was looming and by 1942, he had joined the US Marine Corps Reserves and went on active duty as a PFC in May 1943. After training in Oceanside, California, he was sent to the Pacific Theatre and spent time in the Marshall Islands, Tarawa, and Saipan. He received two battle stars while there. He was returned on active duty to the US and served in the quartermaster division at Camp Lejuene before being discharged in early February of 1946 as a sergeant.

Wayne held a variety of jobs after his return and lived in Hawkeye, Charles City, and Waterloo. He worked at Oliver Tractor Corp. while in Charles City. While there and working as a cop in Charles City, he met his wife, Rena Gail Binger, daughter of the Kermit Bingers. Kermit was the Charles City police chief for many years.  They married on January 2, 1947 at Austin, Mower County, Minnesota. He was by now a junior at Upper Iowa University. He made the paper in a good news kind of way in 1947:

PAY OVERPARKING FEES AS CHRISTMAS GESTURE
Charles City parking violators enjoyed a merry Christmas eve - thanks to the generosity of EL Wilson and Jay Frank, both of Charles City, who paid the fees for other drivers.
Attuned to the holiday spirit, the 2 men gave Patrolmen Harold White, Rc Vickerman and Wayne Munson 100 pennies for such an emergency. The patrolmen deposited the pennies in parking meters whenever they were due and Charles City drivers continued with their Christmas shopping undisturbed. No tickets were turned in to the police department and the 3 patrolmen used up all their pennies so the friendly gesture was not in vain.
Mason City Globe Gazette December 29, 1947

In 1949, the couple had a daughter at a Decorah hospital where Wayne was attending Luther College. When I last found him, he is a sales manager at Tate Cadillac-Olds in Waterloo in 1971. Gail died on 07 Oct 1991 and Wayne died in Waterloo, Iowa, on 31 Jan 1993. The only listed survivor was a daughter of New York City. 

Clan William: Clyde Amos Munson

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson > Amos Munson > Charles Franklin Munson > Clyde Amos Munson m Mabel Moore

Clyde Munson #10 and Mabel Moore #5 at the McLaire Cave in Hawkeye in 1908

As mentioned in the previous post, Clyde was the only surviving child of Charles Franklin Munson and Estella "Stella" Root.

Clyde Munson, 1938

Born 23 Sep 1881 in Hawkeye, Fayette County, Iowa, he did quite well for himself. He married Mabel Moore, born in Cook County, Illinois on 11 Oct 1884, adopted two children later in life. They adopted Wayne Clyde Munson, born 22 Nov 1922 and Lettie Munson, born 01 Jul 1924.

Clyde had operated a barber shop in early life with his father, C. F. in Hawkeye. He attended business college in New Hampton and became a cashier of the First National Bank in Hawkeye.

In 1928, he provided testimony against the President of First State Bank, who had driven the bank into receivership went on trial in early 1928 for fraudulent banking.

BANK TRUSTEE TESTIFIES IN SH BEVINS TRIAL
WEST UNION, Feb 11 - The trial of SH Bevins, former Hawkeye banker, on a charge of fraudulent banking, continues to drag on here with no end of the witness list in sight.
Clyde A Munson, trustee of the First State Bank of Hawkeye, with which Bevins was connected occupied the stand for some time yesterday explaining to the jury the assets of the institution, before its failure. It is expected that several days will be required before the arguments the jury can begin.
Mason City Globe Gazette February 11, 1928

Bevins was finally sentenced at the end of March to an indeterminate sentence, not to exceed 10 years.Reports said the judge seemed reluctant to sentence Bevins, who was 72-years-old. The judge felt that his only other option, a $10,000 fine, would not be possible as Bevins was most likely "financially embarrassed." He served his time at Ft Madison, but did not serve even half of the sentence imposed. He lived to age 92 and removed himself to Guttenberg after his release from prison. His various appeals all failed.

Clyde later became an insurance agent for Guaranty Life. Eventually, he became the county treasurer of Fayette County and served as town clerk in Hawkeye for several years. In his final years, he was county recorder in Fayette and died in the midst of his term. He had an ongoing heart issue and died at age 69 on 15 Jul 1950. Mabel died on 06 Dec 1953 in Hawkeye.

Clan William: Charles Fremont Munson

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson > Amos Munson > Charles Fremont Munson

We've covered all of the daughters of Amos Munson and Mary Ann Kerney, but I've finally had some time to look into the two boys in the family. I'll start with the baby, Charles Fremont Munson.

Charles was born on 02 Dec 1849 in Trumbull County, Ohio and came to Plattville, Wisconsin with his family about 1849/1850. The family moved to Tama County, Iowa in 1870 and to the town of Traer. This is the point at which his sisters, Caroline and Julia married into the Newcomb family. Charles went into the harness making trade with uncle U. C. Newcomb.

On 31 Dec 1874, he married Estella Root at Tama. They had four children; two infants died, son Charles Franklin "Frank" died in 1890 at age 11, and the surviving child was Clyde Amos Munson who was born 23 Sep 1881 in Hawkeye. In 1881, the family came to Hawkeye. Charles engaged in the harness trade with a barber shop in connection. That to me sounds really funny!

Stella died in 1907 and in 1908, Charles moved to Woonsocket, South Dakota and later to Wessington Springs, in Jerauld County, South Dakota, where he was manager of the Wessington Springs Hardware and Implement Co. He married Mrs Mary Shabell Hathaway in 1911.

While visiting his son in Hawkeye, he became ill and consulted with Dr Walsh, who recommended surgery in Rochester at the Mayo Clinic. Son Clyde and CF went to Rochester and on September 23, 1919, Munson had surgery. He had been making good progress after surgery and expected to recover, when he began to fail and died on 25 Sep 1919. Clyde had spent three weeks with his father while there.

He was a charter member of the IOOF lodge in Hawkeye and a member of AF&AM and Yeoman.