Dunn - Williamson - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Riggs, Emma Hynes.  Our pioneer Ancestors being a record of available information as to the Hynes, Chenault, Dunn ,McKee, Anderson, Taylor, Finle y, Letcher and Houston families in the direct line of ancestry of Samu el B. and Ellen M. Anderson Hynes.  Ann Arbor, Mich: Edwards Brothers, 1941, p 103 (Note children in FTM from this book p 110 "Genealogical Record"

-- The Third Generation of our Dunn ancestors in America was Williamson Dunn, who was born at or near Danville, Kentucky Dec 25 1791. This was just at the beginning of the first large movement of population across the mountains to Kentucky so that he grew to manhood in the earliest pioneer days of that state and undoubtedly saw much of the dangers of the frontier. His son-in-law, TW Hynes, described him as "strong and vigourous in body, courageous in action and fearing only God."

There is nothing in any records of him that are available to us that gives the slightest clue to his education. It seems probable that his formal education must have been very limited and that he must have been a self -educated man to a very large extent, but his letters that have come down to us, his subsequent very outstanding career, and the keen interest in education that led him to take an active part in the founding of three colleges and a theological seminary all compel the conclusion that for the times he was a well-balanced and well-educated man.

On the 25th of September, 1806, he married Miriam Wilson. The ceremony to ok place at the home of Mrs. Dunn's grandfather, Col. William McKee in Gar rard County, Kentucky.  In 1809 William Dunn, with his young wife and t wo infant children emigrated to Indiana Territory and fixed their abode wh ere the town of Hanover now stands.  He built a cabin and cleared a far m, but being endowed with an active public spirit he was often called fr om home to help put in motion the machinery of a  new government.  He w as appointed to a judgeship by William Henry Harrison, then governor of the new Indiana territory and served as Judge of the Court of Common Ple as and of the Circuit Court.  During the war of 1812 he was Capt of Ranger s, an organization provided by Congress for the protection of the frontier .

Among the papers of his son-in-law, Rev. Thomas W. Hynes, which were sent to us after his death is a 3-page closely written memorandum which was evidently made at the time of a conference with William Dunn as it deals solely with Dunn family history and contains a number of items not found in any other record which we have seen of Judge Dunn or his fmaily. This memorandum says of this early ranger service:

Commissioned by Pres Madison as Capt of one of four Companies of Rangers mustered on April 13, 1813. His company's line of block houses covered t he territory of the present Switzerland, Jefferson and Scott Counties. He marched under Colonel Barthoimew (sic) in June 1813 against Delaware towns on the West branch of White River, etc. During these marches he l eft his wife and children in a stockade. In the autumn went into Kentuc ky .  In Sept his company marched to Ft Harrison just above Terre Haute to relieve Capt. Taylor's company who were sick and had suffered exposure.  Dr. David H. Maxwell, a brother-in-law, was in his company.  The Rangers were mustered out March 23, 1814.

He united with the Presbyterian Church at Charlestown, Ind 25 miles distant but the church nearest his home. He was one of the original members and first elders of the church organized in 1820 at Hanover. He was a member of the House of Representatives in the first 3 legislatures of Indiana and speaker the last two terms. The men who formed the community at Hanover were mostly Scotch-Irish Presbyterians. The church and schoolhouse were therefore soon erected.  A school was established, in which Latin, as well as mat hematics and the English branches was taught and to this school Judge Dunn 's children were sent as soon as they were large enough to be enrolled as pupils. In an address delivered at Hanover in 1883 William McKee Dunn has so graphically described the place where his studies began that we quote:

"Thus, now, my mental vision rests upon the schoolhouse where I commenc ed the struggle with all the mysteries of Webster's Spelling book.  It stood on the ground where Dr. Spear afterwards built his residence on the ed ge of the village.  A strip of woods intervened between it and my father 's residence and the great poplar trees, in the springtime, used to drop t heir sweet bloom on the pathway of the children as they wended their w ay to school.  The house was built of split logs put up edgewise; ... ..  It was in such houses as this and amid such surroundings tha tmo st of the children of the Western Pioneers obtained education. Few of the m, however, received the advantages of the sons of Williamson Dunn who fr om his high estimate of the value of learning, were al liberally taught, e ven when measured by the education standards of the year 1883."

In May 1820 Judge Dunn was appointed Register of the Land Office at Terre Haute, but though he accepted the appointment he did not move his family to that place.  In March 1823 Congress, having made a large addition to the land district, the land office was moved to Crawfordsville. Here, in the fall of the same year he came with his family again taking up his abode in the wilderness. In 1823 or 24, with May Whitbeck (note : Major Whitlock) he laid out the town of Crawfordsville.  Soon the church and the school house appeared. Chester Holbrook who had taught Judge Dunn's children in the Hanover school was persuaded to remove to Crawfordsville and resume his instructions there in the school which Holbrook established. Judge Dunn was  a liberal supporter  sending to it six of his children and aiding it with his influence every way he could.

He was one of the first members and elders of the Presbyterian Church of Crawfordsville.  Miriam Wilson Dunn died Oct 20, 1827 and is buried in Crawfordsville. The presidential election of 1828 resulted in the election of Andrew Jackson. At the beginning of his administration was first promulgated as applicable to politics the brigand formula "to the victors belong the spoils." The doctrine was put into practice with ruthless energy. Judge Dunn was removed from office because he was not a Jackson man and Hon. Samuel Milroy was appointed and on Sept 16, 1829.  Judge Dunn gave place to his successor. The official correspondence connected with Judge Dunn's removal from office showed that no charges had been preferred against him.  About two months after Judge Dunn's removal he moved back to his farm in Jeffer on County which continued to be his home where he occupied himself mainly with agriculture the remainder of his life. In 1829 when he returned to Hanover he resumed his relations with the church there. There is more aobut life there.

p 106 -- On pg 23 of "Forerunners in Lincoln in the Ohio  Valley" by Lucien Rule ... "There were a few of the men of God, Judge Dunn and John Finley Crowe together gave the land for Hanover College. Dunn was from Danville, Kentucky. He came as an abolitionist and took land in the forest. His was the first name on the charter roll of 23 members of the Hanover Church in 1823.  Crowe & Dunn now sleep in the beautiful old cemetery at Hanover and their works follow them."

The first academy was an old log weaving room, cleaned by Mr. Crowe into which he gathered six boys, 3 of whom became ministers and 3 doctors. As the number of boys grew the families of the village agreed to take them to board for 75 cents a week. They afterwards complained that that s um barely paid for wear and tear on furniture.  Judge Dunn came to the res cue by promising to lay out the lots for a town and induce good famili es to move to the town with a view to baording pupils. This was done and remained the custom until dormitories and frat houses came.

.... .In 1832 Judge Dunn was a candidate for the State Senate. He was strongly opposed on the grounds that he advocated not carrying the mails on Sunday and that he was a member of a temperance society.  The Temperance Cause of which Judge Dunn was one of the earliest and most earnest advocated was very unpopular. Dunn was defeated.

In a letter to Judge Dunn from Rev. James Thompson of Crawfordsville date Nov 22, 1832, it is stated that the offer of Judge Dunn to donate a site for a college at C'ville had been submitted to a council and that a resolution had been adopted that it would be expedient to attempt the establishment of a literary institution connected with a system of manual labor - that the institution should be located at Crawfordsville . a high classical and English school rising into a college as the wants of the country demanded.  A board of trustees was formed - William Dunn's name stands first in the list of members of the Board.

Letter from Dr. W A Millis of Crawfordsville 11 May 1938 to Dr. S. Arth ur Stewart, DD Sec of the Synod of Indiana.

Although the church is dated 1820 when it was regularly organized, Judge W illiamson Dunn acquired the land on which the village stands and built a h ome which, with the stable still stands (Hanover). He was the first of a c onsiderable colony of Scotch-Irish Presby who came over from Ky ... He was a co-founder of Hanover and Wabash Colleges and the Theological Seminary at Hanover, later moved to New Albany and yet later to Chicago to beco me McCormick (note sure what that means). He organized the 1st church in Crawfordsville. His brother-in-law ....

p 109 - In the published Memoir of Wm. McKee Dunn - "In May 1826, Wm. McKee Dunn entered the state seminary at Bloomington as a student. His elder brothers, James, Samuel and John were already students. The father was a member of the first board of trustees continued on the board during all the time the seminary existed and served on the board of trustees aft er it had been turned into a college. To no person are Hanover, Wabash so much indebted for thier existence and the state university at Bloomington had in him a zealous patron and friend. No man did more to establish educational institution in Indiana than Wmson Dunn.

Indiana Mag of History June 1941 -- "He is there described as a man of Str iking figure - 5'10 1/2" very strong, muscular and fair of complexion wi th piercing Irish blue eyes." The personal resemblance between him and h is son, Genral Wm. McKee Dunn is striking.

Cheerful, hopeful disposition enjoyed excellent health as he advanced in years and on his 72nd birthday, Christmas 1853 was as hale, hearty and happy an old gentleman as was anywhere to be found. His hearing was impaired but his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated.  His family thought he had the prospect of several years more of vigorous life but that was his last birthday. Summer of 1854 was dry and oppressively warm, the exhausting heat extending through Sept. During that month Judge Dunn was much exposed to the heat of the sun in superintending improvements of a plank road in which he was interested and toward the last of the month a partial paralysis supposed to have been caused by this exposure came upon him.  From the first he seemed to realize his life's labor was at an end and as he had often done expressed an earnest desire he might not outlive his usefulness.  Judge Dunn's life was his prepartion for death. He had "held fast the profession of his faith without waver and now found Him faithful that promised."  Nov 11, 1854 - passed from time into eternity.  Buried in the village cemetery 13 Nov on the 8th anniversary of the death of his daughter, Nancy Hynes.