My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in Portrait and Biographical Album of Greene and Clark Counties, Ohio published by Chapman Bros., in 1890.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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ANDREW M. DUNN, proprietor of the Fairfield Mills, is recognized as one of the most intelligent and energetic men of Greene County. He was born in Lockland, this State, August 22, 1839, and was taken to Illinois by his parents when quite young, living there until a boy of seven years. They then returned to Lockland, traveling by wagon over corduroy roads and through swamps, and Mr. Dunn remained thereafter a resident of his native place until the outbreak of the Civil War. In the meantime he commenced the battle of life for himself at the age of ten years, finding employment in a flourmill and becoming master of the business at which he worked until a youth of eighteen.

In April, 1861, young Dunn entered the Union Army as a member of Company G, Sixth Ohio Infantry, enlisting for three years and being mustered into the service at Camp Denison. He went to Virginia with his regiment and met the enemy at Laurel Hill, Carrick’s Ford and Ft. Donelson and was continuously with his regiment, which was the first to enter the city of Nashville. His company had the honor of taking the rebel flag from the court house and placing in its stead the stars and stripes. One Captain Driver presented them with a fine Federal flag which he had hid in a feather bed.

Subsequently Mr. Dunn fought at Shiloh, Perryville and Stone River. At the latter place his brother was wounded and he carried him a mile on his back. They were then captured and Mr. Dunn was permitted to care for his brother and succeeded in saving his life. He exerted himself to be agreeable, making the coffee and soup for the soldiers and gained the good will of the surgeon, whom he induced to operate carefully on his brother with satisfactory results. In twenty-four hours he was rescued, and rejoining his regiment participated later in the battles of Chiekamauga, and Mission Ridge, and went with the command through Georgia to Atlanta, soon after which his term of enlistment expired. Returning then to Cincinnati, in June, 1864, he was mustered out and received his honorable discharge.

Mr. Dunn experienced many hairbreadth escapes, his clothes at Stone River being pierced by bullets, but he returned unharmed to his old haunts. At Lockland he resumed the miller’s trade and afterward became foreman of his uncle’s paper-mill where he lemained until February, 1866. His next venture was the purchase of his present mill, which he bought from James M. Brannum, which was greatly out of repair and had not been regularly operated for some time. He effected many improvements, put everything in good shape and prosecuted a successful business until 1884, when he enlarged his facilities by putting in the roller process. As water had become too scarce to operate it to good advantage, in 1887 he added more rollers and put in steam power. The mill has now a capacity of fifty barrels per day and is patronized by the people all over this section of the country.

Mr. Dunn was married in Fairfield, December 31, 1866 to Miss Mary Scudder. She was born in Fairfield, July 31, 1847, and is the daughter of William Scudder a native of New York State and a saddler by trade. Mr. Scudder in early life removed to New Jersey and thence to Fairfield, this State, where he occupied himself at saddlery and harness-making, doing a large and lucrative business. He finally retired upon a competency, and is now living with our subject, being seventy-seven years old. He was, during his younger years, a prominent man in the community and for a quarter of a century, officiated as the Postmaster of Fairfield.

The mother of Mrs. Dunn bore the maiden name of Sarah M. Hart. She was born in New Jersey and died in Fairfield New Year’s day, 1885. To her and her husband there were born five children, three girls and two boys. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Dunn are named as follows: Sarah C. married Noah Sipes and lives in Yellow Springs; Ralph H. lives in Atchison, Kan.; Lewis is a cigar maker of Springfield, Ohio; Mrs. Dunn, the wife of our subject, and Lillie M., who married Grover Beaton and lives in Fountain City, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Dunn are the parents of two children only, the eldest of whom, a son, Walter, is a very bright and promising young man, possessing decided ability as an artist, making a specialty of crayon portraits. He is also a fine penman. He was graduated from the Fairfield High School and learned the miller’s trade of his father. Carrie, the daughter, remains at home with her parents.

Mr. Dunn’s mill property comprises two and one-half acres of ground and the mill as it now stands will the improvements he has made, is valuable property. He has a fine residence adjacent and Mrs. Dunn is also the owner of two residences in Fairfield. Politically, Mr. Dunn votes the straight Republican ticket and has been quite prominent in party politics, officiating as a delegate to the State and county conventions and filling other positions of trust and responsibility. He has been a member of the School Board of his district six years. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic at Fairfield, in which he is Quartermaster, also the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Mad River. His religious views coincide with the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church in which he is one of the pillars, being a Trustee, Chorister and Superintendent of the Sunday School. He contributes liberally to the support of the society and rendered substantial aid in the erection of the church building. He has also been sent as a delegate to the Annual Conference.

The subject of our sketch is the offspring of a fine family, the son of Elnathan and Nancy (Friend) Dunn, who were natives of Ohio, both born in Hamilton County. The paternal grandfather, Baracha Dunn, was a native of Nova Scotia, whence he removed to New Jersey early in life, where he followed his trade of a shoemaker and also engaged in farming. In 1801 he emigrated to Ohio, settling in Hamilton County with the Longworths and when Cincinnati was a mere hamlet. He put up one of the first shoe shops in the place and while working at his trade invested his capital in lands near which afterward grew up the town of Lockland. “Old Nick” Longworth finally got the better of him so that he lost a large amount of property. He prosecuted farming however, and also engaged in milling. He lived to a ripe old age, spending his last days at Lockland. He served in the War of 1812 and in religious belief, adhered to the doctrines of the Baptist Church.

The paternal great-grandfather of our subject was George Dunn, a native of Ireland, who crossed the Atlantic in Colonial times and settled in Nova Scotia. He occupied himself as a fisherman along at the coast, both at the time and after his removal to New Jersey. The father of our subject learned the trade of a millwright at which he became skillful and successful. He engaged in building mills in his native State until 1839, when he emigrated to Illinois, and in Sangamon County, put up a number of mills, along the Salt River. In 1846 he returned to Cincinnati, where he worked at his trade until the outbreak of the Civil War. He then entered the service at the age of fifty-nine years, becoming a member of the famous pioneer regiment which was mostly engaged in repairing and construction. He was finally obliged to return home on account of illness. He lived, however, until 1875, dying in the faith of the Methodist Church and was a stanch supporter of the Republican party.

The mother of our subject, a lady of more than ordinary intelligence and great worth, was the daughter of Charles H. Friend, a native of Virginia, a graduate of one of its best colleges and a genuine offshoot of the F. F. V’s. After leaving college he followed the profession of a teacher and he was also a shoemaker by trade. He finally went to Canada where he married into the Schroetz family, who were of German descent. He was conscripted into the British army and compelled to fight the Americans. After the war, returning to the States he settled at Fulton, a suburb of Cincinnati and engaged for a number of years in the shoe business. Finally removing to Charleston, this State, he established a paper-mill in which the machinery was first operated by hand power. Later in life he removed to Lockland where he spent the remainder of his days. He was a Republican in politics, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. Nancy (Friend) Dunn is still living, making her home at Lockland and is now sixty-eight years old. One of her brothers, C. W. Friend, an early settler of Lockland, was a paper-maker by trade, very enterprising and successful and was largely instrumental in the building up of the town. During the Civil War he served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Seventy-fifth Ohio Infantry. He left a large estate at his death, which occurred in 1882. Another brother, George Friend, was the leading paper-maker of the west, and was likewise prominent in the growth of Lockland, being in no way behind his brother in enterprise and perseverance. He died in Lockland in March, 1889.

To the parents of our subject there were born the following children, of whom Andrew M. was the eldest. George F. is superintendent of the Detroit Sulphite Fiber Co. of Detroit, which operates upon a capital of $10,000,000. Silas S. is in the flax business at Circleville, Dak.; John W. is a member of the firm of Laidlow, Dunn & Co., pump manufacturers of Cincinnati; Elizabeth, Mrs. Wigle, resides in Kingsville, Canada; Annie is a resident of Detroit, Mich. Silas, during the Civil War served in the same regiment as our subject and the same length of time, George serving with his father in the pioneer regiment. Silas was shot through both thighs at Stone River and was carried by his brother, Andrew M., a mile to the field hospital. He recovered in due time sufficiently to be retained in the invalid corps, and remained in the army until the close of the war.

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This family biography is one of the many biographies included in Portrait and Biographical Album of Greene and Clark Counties, Ohio published by Chapman Bros., in 1890. 

View additional Greene County, Ohio family biographies here: Greene County, Ohio Biographies

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