Windsor was named after a nearby plantation owned by the family of Smith Coffee Daniell II, who built the mansion. The plantation was named in honour of Windsor Castle, a royal residence in England.

Smith Coffee Daniell II was a prominent cotton planter in the antebellum South, born on July 9, 1826, in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. He was the son of Smith Coffee Daniell, a wealthy and successful planter, and his wife, Mary Freeman. In his early life, Daniell received his education at Centenary College in Louisiana.

After completing his education, Daniell took over his father's plantation lands and began to expand his holdings by acquiring additional land in Louisiana and Mississippi. He became one of the wealthiest cotton planters in the region, owning over 21,000 acres of land. In addition to cotton, he also raised corn, wheat, and other crops.

In 1854, Daniell married Catherine Freeland, and they had six children together. However, Daniell's life was cut short when he died in April 1861, just weeks after completing the construction of his magnificent mansion, Windsor. His wife and children continued to live at Windsor, but the family's holdings were devastated during the Civil War.

Despite his short life, Daniell left behind a significant legacy in the form of Windsor and his contributions to the plantation economy of the antebellum South.