Re: William L. Dunn b. 1828/9 alabama

I do not know any of William L. Dunn's siblings.Here is what I do know:

My William L. Dunn was born in AL (according to census) 1828/29.The first time I see his name is 1850 in Jefferson County, AL at age 21.

Jefferson, P 205,#78 (28 Nov)
William45 M NC
Miranda H26 F AL
John W.5 M AL
Martin1/12 M AL (Martin still in Marshall cty in 1900)
William L21 M AL

I don't know if William is his father, the age is right, or if Miranda is his sister (she was a Dunn when she married William (45).They married in Marshall Cty, AL Nov 21, 1844, Thomas Dunn, Sur.This Miranda/Maranda would have been born about 1824, not yours, but the name is unusual, so they are probably kin somehow.

So in 1844 (older) William is in Marshall County, AL, in 1850 he is in Jefferson Cty, AL along with my William L.In 1860 my William L. is in Marshall Cty, AL with 3 children and no wife.

Marshall Cty, #26, Western Division
William L(ewis/Louis)32 AL
William W(ylie)5 AL
Mary F(rances)4 AL
C.B.Davis Dunn1 AL

Living next door is a Jennings family with a widowed daughter Arrilla Angeline Jennings West with 5 children.In November 1860 William L. marries this lady.

I do not see the older William and Maranda in 1860 but in 1870 I find Marinda Dunn age 40 with Martin age 18, Nancy 16, Joanna 10 and Joseph 8 living with Polly Whistenhunt and Polly's 5 children.T6 R1E Warrenton Post Office.

In 1866 Ala state census I find Lewis Dunn with 3 male 10-20, 1 male 40-50, 2 female 10-20 and l female 40-50.This is probably William Lewis because the ages are right for all of his and Arrilla's kids that would be at home.Some of his Civil War pay records have Lewis Dunn.They live next door to Margaret Bodine.

I find the Bodine name in a lot of places that my Dunn's are.

In 1870 William Lewis Dunn and family are in Prentiss County, MS with a child born there around 1869/70.In 1880 they are in Faulkner Cty, AR.Most of Arrilla's West children stayed in Marshall Cty, AL, they were either married or almost grown, one lived with a sister, one with an uncle, but some of them later came to AR, but that's another whole story.Her Jennings parents also came to Faulkner Cty, AR, Mr. Jennings did not live to long after arriving there, but I did find his will.

I found a M.L. for William Dunn and Mary A. Kennemer date 8-15-1855 in Jackson County, AL (close to Marshall Cty) but it was never returned but the children's ages would be about right, give or take a few months for this to have been his first wife, the mother of his three children in 1860 census.

The Kennemer family does not agree with me they said that Mary Kennemer married her sister's widower husband.But in the 1850 census there are two Mary Kennemer, one is a daughterbut the other is a daughter in law.My theory is that the daughter-in-law's husband died and one of them married my William L. and the other married the widower son-in-law. I will research this farther when time permits.

I will get my degree this summer and I intend to get back to my research full time.

Let me know if any of this strikes a cord.

Thanks,
Jo Dunn Sheppard