A New Home for Emily

In the summer of 1839 Munse Hitchcock returned to Connecticut, where he married Emily Elizabeth Clifford (right) on September 10 at Wethersfield. Munse returned to Galveston, and Emily followed in the spring, arriving aboard the ship Ariadne in April 1840. The following month, Hitchcock bought a house on two city lots at 21st Street and Avenue K, for the amount of $1,500 from Julius Daniels. In a separate transaction for $650, he bought from Daniels a mahogany and rosewood pianoforte, carpeting, curtains, and ivory-handled flatware. Also included in the sale were bedclothes, cooking and heating stoves, crockery, and a range of implements for the house, kitchen, and garden. It appears that Munse and Elizabeth bought the house and its contents complete, apart from Daniels’ personal effects.

No more of the bachelor’s life for Munse Hitchcock.

The house still stands today (above), although it’s been moved to a different location. It originally had only one story, and is typical of the Greek Revival style that was popular throughout the country in that period. Like its contemporary surviving structures in Galveston, the Michel B. Menard House and the Samuel May Williams House, the Hitchcocks’ new home was likely assembled from timbers cut and shaped in New England, and shipped to Galveston as cargo on a merchant schooner.

Join the Texas Navy Association on Saturday, October 21, at 10 a.m. at Old Episcopal Cemetery in Galveston, for a medallion ceremony recognizing Lent Munson Hitchcock, Jr. (right), who served as an officer in the Texian Navy during the Revolution in 1836-37. The Texas Navy Association is a private, 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to preserving and promoting the historical legacy of the naval forces of the Republic of Texas, 1835-45. Membership in the Texas Navy Association is open to all persons age 16 and over who have an interest in Texas history and want to help support the goals of the organization.
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Special thanks to Margaret Doran of Galveston for assistance with this post.