"There can be no doubt that the family of which the genealogy will be found in this volume came to the continent from Scotland between the years 1750 and 1760." -Via Munro, ca. 1908 - ABOUT "Family Munro" -Every family has a story. In the 1900s, Via Adella Munro (1877-1963) of Novi, Michigan, was compelled to write her family story. Set forth in long hand, she penned, "A Genealogy of the Munro Family in the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia With Historical Introduction, etc.".
She begins, "There can be no doubt that the family of which the genealogy will be found in this volume came to the continent from Scotland between the years 1750 and 1760." Thus launches Via's family narrative which begins with one Donald (Daniel) Munro (1738-1808) who served in the Scottish Highland 77th Regiment of Foot that fought in the French and Indian War and stayed in the colonies after granted land for his service. Via also cites a family letter from 1848. "This letter was found in an old desk made and owned by ...Solomon Munro [son of Donald Munro]. The desk is now in the hands of his grandson, James L. Munro, Novi, Michigan." Over a hundred years later in the winter of 2019, Solomon Munro's "old desk", or what is believed to be his desk, was uncovered in the late James Munro's home. Within it were centuries worth of family documents, some dating to a pre-revolutionary United States, a slew of land grants, and documents directly cited in Via's genealogy. While these source materials relate to the descendants of Donald Munro, they also connect to a larger history of the United States and Canada with historical references abound; The French and Indian War, mentions of a temperance society meeting in a pioneer Michigan home, the arrival of the first steam boat to Lexington, Michigan, and religious movements such as Spiritualism just to scratch the surface. "Family Munro" endeavors to preserve and share these source materials begun through the initial work by Via Adella Munro and is dedicated to her memory and spirit. -John A. Stempien, Otsego, Michigan
February 29, 2020 |