Submitted by Megan Spencer
Angeline Louise was the daughter of James Wanton and Mary Carpenter Townsend. She was born in Indiana on January 25, 1821. After her father’s death she was adopted by an uncle whose sons she called her “foster brothers.”
She received her education at Miss Emma Willard’s School for Young Ladies in Troy, New York. In 1847 at the age of 23, she married Nathaniel Townsend, her second cousin. Nathaniel had gone to Texas in the 1830s and owned a mercantile store in Austin’s Colony. After their marriage in 1847, they spent the next four years in New Orleans.
In 1851, they moved to Austin where Nathaniel owned a mercantile business on Congress Avenue. The couple were members of the First Presbyterian Church and Angeline Louise was known for her faithful and devoted interest in the church. The church was very dear to her heart and she gave generously. She was known for her kindness and charity to the poor. She was a member of the German-American Aid Society and was a member of their benevolent society.
The Townsends lived on “Judges’ Hill” between 17th and 19th (MLK) and Pearl Street and West Avenue, now 1802 West Avenue. Because of his deteriorating health, Nathaniel returned to New York to visit his brother. The family was opposed to slavery during the war, but Nathaniel was declared an alien enemy and his property was sold at public auction in 1863. Their home was used as a confederate hospital during this time.
After her husband’s death in 1864, Angeline returned to Austin to recover her family’s property for her children. A southern family had purchased the land after it was confiscated during the war. Angeline filed suit for possession and won, but the house was run down and too small for her family. She built a new rock house on the same site to replace the old frame home. In 1877, the Townsend mercantile business passed on to Angeline to run. The rebuilt house was Angeline’s home until 1887 when she resided in the home of her daughter Anna and her husband William Blackburn.
In Austin, the Townsends were good friends with the family of Governor Elisha M. Pease (1812-1883). Their children grew up together and they celebrated holidays and birthdays. Angeline was small with a slight frame and she was the mother of five children: Anna Blackburn, Susan Robertson, James Wanton, Palmer Gardner, and Pauline Culbertson. She departed this life on June 5, 1889 at the age of 68 years.
Her funeral was held at the First Presbyterian Church. Old friends acted as pallbearers and many mourners followed the body to the grave. She was buried in what is now referred to as the Townsend lot across the street from the chapel. Angeline Louise was a “refined lady and distinguished for her bright mind and culture, but even more for her benevolence and Christian character. Her death is a great loss to the church and the city.”
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