James Dunn (abt. 1765 - abt. 1842)

Born about 1765 in Frederick, Virginia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Keziah (Harrison) Dunn — married about Jul 1796 in Harrison, Kentucky, United States

Descendants

Died about 1842 at about age 77 in Van Buren, Arkansas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Gregory Dunn [send private message]

Biography

Origins

James Dunn was the son of Jeremiah Dunn and his wife Elizabeth (family name unknown). James was probably born about 1765 in Frederick County, Virginia.^[1]

Marriage and Children

James Dunn married Keziah Harrison, probably in July 1796 in Harrison County, Kentucky. He signed a marriage bond for the marriage on 28 July 1796, with Robert Harrison standing surety. ^[1]

Children of James Dunn and Keziah Harrison were:^[1]

1. Lucinda Dunn, born 26 Mar 1794 Harrison County, Kentucky. Married Thomas Blair Clark. ^[2]
2. Elizabeth Dunn, born 1797 Harrison, Kentucky^[3]
3. Mary Ann (Polly) Dunn, born 1799 Kentucky. Died 27 May 1883 Bracken, Kentucky. Married John William Downard^[3]
4. Alvin Dunn, born about 1803 Harrison, Kentucky; died bef Sep 1870 Putnam, Missouri. Married Sarah Dunn^[4]
5. Hannah Dunn, born about 1807, died 1841 Van Buren, Arkansas, United States. Married Buriah Dunn.^[5]

Death

James Dunn probably died about 1841or 1842, in Van Buren County, Arkansas. He is listed as owning and paying taxes on land in Van Buren County in 1841; his son Alvin Dunn is listed as owning and paying taxes on that same land in 1842 and 1843. ^[6] By 1849, when James' brother Zephaniah's estate was settled, James was listed as also deceased.^[7]

Notes References ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Christensen, Anthony J. A branch of the Piscataway Dunn family: a few members of the Dunn family whose branches spread from Pisctaqua, New Hampshire, to Piscataway, New Jersey, to Southwestern Pennsylvania, to Harrison County, Kentucky, and to points West. (Salem, Utah: Mac Anthony Corp., c1998), p. 5-25, Secondary quality. James Dunn, the son of Jeremiah Dunn, was born circa 1765, most likely in the area of Frederick county, Virginia. James grew up in Southwestern Pennsylvania and Ohio county, Virginia. About the year 1786, James moved down the Ohio river with his father and family to the Kentucky District. They settled first in the village of Washington in Bourbon County then a short time later removed to the South Fork of Licking River in Fayette County. The Kentucky District became a state in 1792, and soon thereafter Harrison County was created in December 1793. In 1795, James Dunn was reported on the tax lists of Harrison County next to his father on Flatt Run in the area of Indian Creek.

Following his marriage on 28 July 1796 in Harrison County, Kentucky, James and his bride Keziah Harrison lived for a few years in Harrison county, then moved northward into the Fayette County area of Ohio Territory. In 1799 the Ohio Territory was organized from the Northwest Territory, and about the year 1800 nearly four and a quarter million acres were set aside in the Ohio Territory between the Scioto River and the Little Miami River for settlement by Virginians and Kentuckians. All of James Dunn's brothers and sisters, together with Robert, William and James Harrison (brothers of Keziah) and their families, moved into Ohio. A few years later they all moved westward into Indiana.

In 1820 James and Keziah and family were reported in the Delaware region of Indiana. Their oldest daughter, Lucinda, had married Thomas Blair Clark, who lived near by.

James Dunn and his family were listed in the court records of Hendricks County, Indiana soon after it was organized in 1823. In the years between 1826, Alvin Dunn, Buriah Dunn, Jeremiah Dunn, John Dunn, Joseph Dunn, and Samuel M. Dunn also appear in the county records.

In April 1837 James and Keziah sold their eight acre tract of land in Hendricks County and moved south with their family to Van Buren County, Arkansas, where they appear in the 1838 and 1839 tax records and the 1840 census record of Sugar Loaf Township. Living near by were the families of son-in-law Thomas Blair Clark, son Alvin Dunn, and son-in-law Buriah Dunn.

It appears that that James and Keziah passed away in Van Buren County. Unfortunately, the Van Buren County court house including all its records was burned during the Civil War. Consequently, all court records of the Dunn family in Van Buren County prior to 1865 no longer exist.

↑ Delaware County, Indiana, in United States. 1820 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M33), Primary quality. James Dunn, 1 male 11-15 [Alvin], 1 male over 45 [James], 1 female 11-15 [Hannah], 2 females 17-25 [Mary? or?, Elizabeth], 1 female over 25 [Keziah], 1 person in agriculture Thomas B. Clark and family on adjacent line

Delaware County was not really a county, but an unorganized district. (i.e. - no county records) Note that there is an extra female listed in the James Dunn family

↑ History of Hendricks County, Indiana: her people, industries and institutions. (Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914), Secondary quality. p. 42 - First settlements made in spring of 1820 on White Lick Creek a few miles south of Plainfield by Bartholomew Ramsey, Samuel Herriman, Harris Bray, John W., Bryant, James Dunn, George Dunn and Ezekiel Moore. These men cut a trail through the woods to the Wabash River, and called it the Terre Haute trail p. 75 - Guildford Township was the first to be entered by white settlers, in 1820. This included James Dunn on the White Lick, south of Plainfield, near the Morgan county line. He and 5 others set up cabins, cleared ground and raised a few small crops of corn and potatoes. Many of the early settlers were Friends.

The George Dunn listed on p. 42 remains problematic. See S4

"The Site of the First Settlement in Hendricks County", in Indiana Historical Society (Indianapolis, Indiana), and Indiana University (Bloomington). Indiana magazine of history. (Indianapolis [Indiana]: Indiana Historical Society), 25:3, September 1929, Secondary quality. A history of Hendricks County, Indiana, contains the statement that the first settlement was made in the spring of 1820, on White Lick Creek by . . . James Dunn, George Dunn, . . . and Ezekiel Moore. The same history, on a different page, furnishes the information that the site of the first settlement was a few miles South of Plainfield, giving the same list of settlers, with the omission of George Dunn and the inclusion of George Moore instead of Ezekiel Moore. A statement from an unverified source, is to the effect that George Dunn was a son of James Dunn. Ezekiel Moore was an early settler as verified by government records. Consequently, the first list has been accepted as correct. [The article goes on to explain the search for descendants of the first settlers, but no descendants of the Dunns or Moores are included among those they did find.]

There is no evidence that James Dunn had a son named George, nor any other son other than those listed by Anthony Christensen. The identity of George Dunn, assuming he existed, remains unknown.

↑ History of Hendricks County, Indiana: her people, industries and institutions. (Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914), p. 100, Secondary quality. Early History of Washington Township [Hendricks County, Indiana] The first settlement in Washington Township [Hendricks County, Indiana] was near Shiloh Church in the northeast corner of the township . . . . in 1822. In 1823, the western part of the township was settled by James Dunn, John Givens and Abner Dunn, for whom Abner's Creek was named.

↑ Index to Stock Marks Registered in Hendricks County (1824-1848), in Rootsweb.com/~hendri/other/stockmarksindex.html, 5 Dec 2006, Secondary quality. Dunn James November 27, 1824 A smooth crop off the left ear Dunn Abner, John, Joseph 18 January 1825; Buriah Dunn 26 Jan 1825; Alvin Dunn 18 Feb 1825; John Dunn 27 May 1825

↑ Document No. 3554, in United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, 20 April 1826, Secondary quality. James Dunn of Hendricks County, Indiana, filed on 20 April 1826, Crawfordsville Accession No.: IN0930__.494, Document No.: 3554 E1/2 SW Sec 5/ Township 15-N Range 1-E, Hendricks County, Indiana

↑ United States. 1830 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M19), Primary quality. 1830 US Census, Hendricks, Indiana James Dunn, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 60-70, 1 female 20-30, 1 female 30-40, 1 female 60-70 Buriah Dunn on same page

↑ Pritchard, Ruth Mitchell. Hendricks County voting records, 1826-1832. (Clayton, Indiana: R.H. Pritchard, 1971), Secondary quality. Dunn, James, Center Township, 2 Aug 1830

↑ Vol 5, in Hendricks County (Indiana). County Clerk. Deed record and land entries, 1824-1842. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1967), pp. 330, 332, 1835-1839, Primary quality. 24 April 1837 from James Dunn [and Kiziah Dunn his wife] of Hendricks County, Indiana to Isham Thompson of Marion County, Indiana,who paid $500 for the W1/2 of the S1/2 of the SW1/4 of Sec 5, T15N, R1E containing 40 acres more or less, Signed James x his mark Dunn, Kiziah x her mark Dunn Witness David Vestal JP, Lewis Glidwell recorded 8 June 1837 24 April 1837 from James Dunn of Hendricks County, Indiana [and Kiziah Dunn his wife] to James Talbert who paid $500 for E1/2 of the E1/2 of the SW1/4 of Sec 5, T15N, R1E, Hendricks County Signed James x his mark Dunn, Kiziah x her mark Dunn Witness David Vestal JP, Lewis Glidwell Recorded 8 June 1837

↑ 11.0 11.1 Risener, Lynn, transcriber, and (A US GenWeb Project). County Tax Records 1841-1844, 1841-1843, Secondary quality. 1841 - Dun, James - SE 30 10 9 1842 - Dunn, Alvin 160 SE 1/4 30 10N 9W 1843 - Dunn, Alvan 160 - SE 1/4 30 10N 9W "A List of Persons and Property Assessed for Taxation in Van Buren County in the State of Arkansas for the Year AD 1841" Dunn?, Auin Dunn?, James * [owns land] Dunn?, Buriah

↑ Land Owners in Van Buren County from County Tax Records 1837-1839, 1839. Dunn, James 160 SE 36 10N 9W [Present Day Cleburn County]

↑ United States. 1840 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M704). James Dunn, 1 male 20-30, 1 male 70-80, 1 female 20-30, 1 female 40-50, [1 female 70-80? - covered in note in photocopy and not re-scanned without note] Others on page inc. sons-in-law Thomas B. Clark and [B]Uriah Dunn and son Alvin Dunn

↑ Film #1015331, in Missouri. Probate Court (Lewis County). Probate records, 1833-1917; indexes, 1833-1976. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977, 2000), Vol. 3, p. 227, May 1849. ordered that William Hagood Admin of Estate of Zephaniah Dunn dec'd loan to the heirs of James Dunn dec'd the amount remaining in his hands and due said heirs for 12 months from this date.

↑ James Dunn is listed as owning and paying taxes on land in Van Buren County, Arkansas in 1841; his son Alvin Dunn is listed as owning and paying taxes on that same land in 1842 and 1843. Either James died about 1842, or transferred the land to his son Alvin. By 1849, when James' brother Zephaniah's estate was settled, James was listed as also deceased.

Notes James Dunn, the son of Jeremiah Dunn, was born circa 1765, most likely in the area of Frederick county, Virginia. James grew up in Southwestern Pennsylvania and Ohio county, Virginia. About the year 1786, James moved down the Ohio river with his father and family to the Kentucky District. They settled first in the village of Washington in Bourbon County then a short time later removed to the South Fork of Licking River in Fayette County. The Kentucky District became a state in 1792, and soon thereafter Harrison County was created in December 1793. In 1795, James Dunn was reported on the tax lists of Harrison County next to his father on Flatt Run in the area of Indian Creek.

Following his marriage on 28 July 1796 in Harrison County, Kentucky, James and his bride Keziah Harrison lived for a few years in Harrison county, then moved northward into the Fayette County area of Ohio Territory. In 1799 the Ohio Territory was organized from the Northwest Territory, and about the year 1800 nearly four and a quarter million acres were set aside in the Ohio Territory between the Scioto River and the Little Miami River for settlement by Virginians and Kentuckians. All of James Dunn's brothers and sisters, together with Robert, William and James Harrison (brothers of Keziah) and their families, moved into Ohio. A few years later they all moved westward into Indiana.

In 1820 James and Keziah and family were reported in the Delaware region of Indiana. Their oldest daughter, Lucinda, had married Thomas Blair Clark, who lived near by.

James Dunn and his family were listed in the court records of Hendricks County, Indiana soon after it was organized in 1823. In the years between 1826, Alvin Dunn, Buriah Dunn, Jeremiah Dunn, John Dunn, Joseph Dunn, and Samuel M. Dunn also appear in the county records.

In April 1837 James and Keziah sold their eight acre tract of land in Hendricks County and moved south with their family to Van Buren County, Arkansas, where they appear in the 1838 and 1839 tax records and the 1840 census record of Sugar Loaf Township. Living near by were the families of son-in-law Thomas Blair Clark, son Alvin Dunn, and son-in-law Buriah Dunn.

It appears that that James and Keziah passed away in Van Buren County. Unfortunately, the Van Buren County court house including all its records was burned during the Civil War. Consequently, all court records of the Dunn family in Van Buren County prior to 1865 no longer exist.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Christensen, Anthony J. A branch of the Piscataway Dunn family: a few members of the Dunn family whose branches spread from Pisctaqua, New Hampshire, to Piscataway, New Jersey, to Southwestern Pennsylvania, to Harrison County, Kentucky, and to points West. (Salem, Utah: Mac Anthony Corp., c1998) p. 5-25.
2. ↑ Christensen, Anthony J. A branch of the Piscataway Dunn family:.. (Salem, Utah: Mac Anthony Corp., c1998), p. 5-27.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Christensen, Anthony J. A branch of the Piscataway Dunn family:.. (Salem, Utah: Mac Anthony Corp., c1998), p. 5-26.
4. ↑ Christensen, Anthony J. A branch of the Piscataway Dunn family:.. (Salem, Utah: Mac Anthony Corp., c1998), p. 5-37.
5. ↑ Christensen, Anthony J. A branch of the Piscataway Dunn family:.. (Salem, Utah: Mac Anthony Corp., c1998), p. 5-38.
6. ↑ Risener, Lynn, transcriber, and (A US GenWeb Project). County Tax Records 1841-1844 1841-1843.
7. ↑ Missouri. Probate Court (Lewis County). Probate records, 1833-1917; indexes, 1833-1976. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977, 2000), Vol. 3, p. 227, May 1849.

Citation 1820 US Federal Census, Delaware, Indiana, Page 33, NARA Roll M33_14 James Dunn, 1820 US Federal Census, Delaware, Indiana, Page 33, NARA Roll M33_14

Citation 1830 US Federal Census, Hendricks, Indiana, Page 123, NARA Series M19, Roll Number 30, Family History Film 0007719 Notes James Dunn, 1830 US Federal Census, Hendricks, Indiana, Page 123, NARA Series M19, Roll Number 30, Family History Film 0007719

Citation 1840 US Federal Census, Sugar Loaf, Van Buren, Arkansas, Roll 20, Page 241, Image 1061, Family History Library Film 0002474 Notes Thomas Blair Clark (Lucinda Dunn enumerated) and James Dunn, 1840 US Federal Census, Sugar Loaf, Van Buren, Arkansas, Roll 20, Page 241, Image 1061, Family History Library Film 0002474

Citation International Genealogical index, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Family History Library, 35 N. West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150, USA, www.familysearch.org Notes death:

Record submitted after 1991 by a member of the LDS Church. Search performed using PAF Insight on 6/20/2007

Citation Risener, Lynn, transcriber, and (A US GenWeb Project). County Tax Records 1841-1844, 1841-1843 Notes 1841 - Dun, James - SE 30 10 9 1842 - Dunn, Alvin 160 SE 1/4 30 10N 9W 1843 - Dunn, Alvan 160 - SE 1/4 30 10N 9W "A List of Persons and Property Assessed for Taxation in Van Buren County in the State of Arkansas for the Year AD 1841" Dunn?, Auin Dunn?, James * [owns land] Dunn?, Buriah