Charles William Ramsdell was born on April 4, 1877, in Salado, Texas.

[1] His father, Charles H. Ramsdell, arrived in Texas from New England just before the Civil War.

[3] During Reconstruction, prior to Ramsdell's birth, Bell County, Texas, was the location of anti-Unionist violence.

Union troops were called in to enforce the peace, and Hiram Christian, a federal judge, administered Reconstruction law in the area.

At a time when college football players were often hard-drinking denizens of the university nightlife, he promoted the example of the student-athlete, according to historian Joe B. Frantz.