Wife of Asa Townsend
An oval photo of Rebecca used to be on her gravestone. Unfortunately it was removed by persons unknown.

Columbus, Colorado Co., TX The Banner Press Newspaper, Thursday, November
27, 1986, pg. 7
Dilue Rose Members Honor Local Family Columbus-The Dilue Rose Harris Chapter Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Coloumbus held a beautiful memorial service dedicating and unveiling five Citizen of Republic of Texas Plaques for William and Malinda (Shannon) Stapleton, Seaborn Stapleton and Asa and Rebecca Candacy (Harper) Townsend. The ceremony was held Sunday afternoon Nov. 9 at the small oak-studded Borden Cemetery west of Columbus. An estimated 100 descendants and guests journeyed from their southwest and central Texas homes to honor these courageous ancestors who settled in Texas between 1836 and 1845. Presiding at this Texas Sesquicentennial Ceremony was President Mrs. Millycent Cranek who welcomed the families and their guests. The call to remembrance was read by Miss Mary Bernice Obenhaus, District IV representative of Houston, after which Mrs. Cranek led the pledges to the United States and Texas flags. She was assisted by flat bearers Jo Lynn Rogers and Dana Beth Rawson, great-great-granddaughter of William and Melinda Stapleton. The invocation was given by Mrs. Marguerite Fitzpatrick and Miss Mary Bernice Obenhaus led the assembly in reciting the twenty-third Psalm. A brief history of the William Stapleton family was related by Waldo A. Hunt of Houston. William Stapleton was the son of William and Mary Townsend Stapleton. He was born in Marlboro District, S.C. on Nov. 3, 1802 and died Dec. 15, 1874. Malinda, William's wife, was born Aug. 10, 1805, and died April 12, 1871. She and William and their four children moved from Florida to Texas and landed at Matagorda in the latter part of 1837 and after the birth of Seaborn, their fifth child on April 12, 1838, they moved first to LaGrange and then to Borden where William bought 320 acres of land from Asa Townsend for nine cents an acre. Their sixth child was born at Borden. By the time that Seaborn was 14 years old the country was beginning to settle up and William and friends John Suggs, George Quinn and Melton Lee built a little log cabin school house. Mary Frances Girndt of Columbus, great-granddaughter of William read excerpts from letter written by Seaborn to the Weimar Mercury dated April 30, 1915. "The Stapleton home was the only one between LaGrange and Columbus. There were only three or four log cabins at the present site of Columbus. My father had a yoke of oxen, one died and he broke his land with one ox and a big Spanish cow." "The year after his first crop he put his corn on his little Spanish mule and leading him would walk to LaGrange one day and walk back the next day." "Later he got hold of a hand mill and ground the meal at home. He made a little hand cotton gin and he would gin cotton to make our clothes-made a loom to weave our cloth. He tanned his hides at home and made our shoes-made all of our tools, harnesses, plows, collars-a molasses mill-everything." "Father sent my brother John to Houston after a load of blacksmith iron and he got a box of matches-brought them home. They were a great curiosity to us." "The first cook stove I ever saw was brought out here by a man named Garrett from Louisianna and father bought it. There was lots of mustangs and wild cattle and all kinds of game were plentiful then. We kept a big pack of dogs to keep the varmints away." "Nine dollars was a big price for a five year old beef in those days-The Indians made several raids-stealing horses and killed some people at Lyonsville (now Schulenburg)." Seaborn Stapleton and his two brothers joined the Confederate Army and served until they were paroled at the close of the war. He married Catherine Nave in 1865. Four sons were born to this union-Mike, Ben, Sam and John and four daughters Edna, Annie, Sadie and Susie. Seaborn died Dec. 16, 1925. Dr. Light Townsend Cummins of San Antonio, great-great-grandson of Asa and Rebecca Townsend talked about the Townsend family. Asa was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Stapleton Townsend and was born Dec. 14, 1795 in Marlboro District, S.C. He and his parents and family moved to Georgia about 1816. He married Rebecca Candacy Harper, daughter of Leonard Harper and Susan Browthers in McIntosh County. They moved to Jefferson County, Florida in 1824 and the deed books show that they were large land owners. Asa was elected one of the first commissioners. Having the desire to expand and own more land he sold his holdings and by Feb. 1838 he and his wife and family had arrived in the Republic of Texas. He was granted 640 acres in Colorado County near the town of Borden. His grant was between Borden and LaGrange. He raised cattle and fine race horses. He erected a long log house for his family, a row of slave cabins, barns and stalls for his horses. He grew hay, corn, cotton and the necessary food for his family and negroes. He and Rebecca had 15 children. Their sons trained and raced their horses. Asa Townsend was initiated into the LaFayette Lodge No. 34 as a master mason in 1847 at La Grange. He was secretary in 1848. He moved his membership to Caledonia Lodge no. 68 in 1850. The family Bible showed "our ancestors were Light Townsend and his wife Delilah and came to America before the war against England. Light settled near the mouth of the Pee Dee River in South Carolina and was a private in the Revolutionary War a member of a company of South Carolina Volunteers." Asa died in Colorado County Sept. 22, 1876. His tombstone bears the inscription-"An honorable and upright citizen. A kind and indulgent husband and father who died in full triumph of a Christian faith." A marker for the grave of Susan Townsend is being applied for. She was born Nov. 22, 1823 the daughter of Asa and Rebecca. She married Sion Bostick April 4, 1839, lived at Borden and died Feb. 27, 1860. Nancy Moreland led the assembled guests in the Lords Prayer and Mrs. Cranek called for the unveiling of the plaques. Mary Frances Girndt unveiled the Stapleton plaques and Gerry Townsend Rhine of San Antonio, great-great-great-granddaughter of Asa and Rebecca unveiled the Townsend plaques. Floral tributes were placed on each grave. Five great-great-great-grandchildren of the Townsends were present with flowers. They were Suzannah Joy, Shelley Anne and Jonathan Stringer and Paige and Allison Herring, all of Waco with their parents, Aubrey and Linda Stringer and Jerry and Christine Herring. Jerry Herring led the guest in singing of "God Bless America", "Texas Our Texas", and "Amazing Grace." Mrs. Marguerite Fitzpatrick closed the memorable ceremony with the benediction. The guests stayed for the remainder of the afternoon to enjoy fellowship and refreshments.