Anyone live near Salt Lake City?

I just found out about the Pioneer Memorial Museum in Salt Lake City. The Pioneer Memorial Museum (also known as DUP Museum) located in Salt Lake City, Utah, houses the world's largest collection of artifacts on one subject and features displays and collections of memorabilia from the time the earliest settlers entered the Valley of the Great Salt Lake until the joining of the railroads at a location known as Promontory Point, Utah, on May 10, 1869.

Among other things, it has photos and histories of early Utah pioneers. I looked for Dunn photos in their index and found the following. These are all photos of Simeon Adams Dunn, his wives, and his children. There are also histories there. Is there anyone who can drop by and take a look? I would be willing to pay for digital copies of the photos if they are different or of better quality than what I have (See http://www.dkwilde.com/Genealogy/Dunn/Photos/).

Last Name	Given Name	Maiden Name	Birth Date	Death Date
Dunn	Charles Oscar		13 Oct 1855	3 Mar 1939
Dunn	Harriett Atwood	Silver	22 Jul 1919	2 Jan 1858
Dunn	Joseph Moroni		12 Feb 1847	3 Aug 1912
Dunn	Simeon Adams		7 Aug 1803	22 Feb 1883
Ensign	Mary Adeline	Dunn	2 Nov 1833	8 Nov 1920
Waite	Jane	Caldwell	27 Mar 1809	27 Sep 1891
Brown	Mary Ann	McRee	28 Oct 1820-21	1 Nov 1907

A new letter from Simeon has surfaced

Nancy Dunn has brought to my attention another letter (other than the ones stored at BYU). I am adding it to the Dunn/Silver Correspondance collection and will post it soon. Nancy is creating a new Dunn web page and will post the digital copies of the letter there. Enjoy!!!

Letter from Simeon A. Dunn
To Sophia E. Silver (Harriet Atwood Silver’s Mother)

[Written about 1859}

Dear Mother – Agreeable to Harriett’s request I would fain lay before you the plan of our holy religion that Harriet Esteemed so highly if I could see in your writing a spirit of inquiry I would direct you to that peaceful home that Harriet is now in possession of, through her obedience and careful adherence to the principals of the gospel of Salvation without which no one can enter that rest; this is my testimony which is faithful and true. My little Henry is also gone with his mate Little Harriet A to rest in the bosom of his Mother to wate the resurrection of the just, which if I am faithful I shall receive with all those little ones that I have parted with in this life, with their mothers at their sides to dwell with me on this Earth when wickedness and death shall be known no more on this earth; David says the righteous shall inherit Earth; This is a blessing that will attend the Righteous when the wicked shall not be.

N.B. Serve the Cause of godliness;

S. A. Dunn

I in my last conversation with Harriet I asked her if she would name the Babys. She said you better name them. I called them Harriet Atwood and Henry Silver. She said she would like to have that their names; She also wished me to get what was owing to her from her Father’s estate and use it in raising and schooling her children this is the reason that I have written in relation to it; you say that it is not agreeable to the Law of that State unless I would give bale that the money should be kept for the children when they become of age; it is but a small sum but if I had it now it somewhat to the comfort of the Children in their present condition; if it is that necessary to give bonds for the faithful payment of that amount to be divided to each of them as they become of age I am willing to do so. It will place the money in my hands; I can use it for their comfort; also be bound to them for principal and interest.

As it regards what you have paid or what we have rec, I am ignorant but I presume you are correct; I presume we have rec all that you have sent as far as you have given an account of therefore I am willing to sign the receipt; if you will procure it there among your friends for me I will sign a bond and you can have it made out and send it to me; I will sign it and return it to you. A check can be forwarded to me payable in N.Y. or St. Lewis. I can draw the money here on the for the check; all this is in your own hands as I shall take no steps to collect it myself against your will; Enough of that.

As it regards the difficulty between us and the US it is all settled; yet whereas we had all good order and good will towards all men we now have in our midst disorder of all kinds; drinking, gambling, ling, hordom, rapepine and murder… This is the way US introduces sivilization in the lands of the heathen as they term it.

As we were obliged to leave our homes last spring and flee before our enemies in order to evade collision with the US and for the safety of our wives and children we have been deprived of raising any crops this year; Altho we are all back in our homes yet we are destitute of many of the comforts of life that we might have had if we could have stayed at home in peace. Yet we trust in our God for deliverance. He has delivered us so far; and he has said that it is his business to provide for his Saints; & WE KNOW THAT WE ARE HIS SAINTS –

My family is now enjoying good health at present. The children are all going to school that is old enough. Aimeon A is learning very fast. He is a bright boy. They all send their love to their grandmother, uncles, ants, & cousins. I have got me another woman. She is an elderly woman; has but one child and she is married. My woman proves to be a good and a feeling mother to my children and a comfort to me.

Write often.

Sophia E. Silver Simeon A Dunn

Simeon A. Dunn's genealogy trip back East

Prior to his death, Simeon Adams Dunn, wrote a short autobiography.
[Gee, does anyone know who has the original?
Does anyone have a photocopy of the handwritten document?]
In this autobiography he states:
"On October 19, 1871, I left Brigham City on a mission to look up the genealogy of my dead friends, which proved to be a very successful mission. I returned home July 19,1874, having traveled 10,000 miles on rail. On November 1, 1877, I was privileged with a mission to St. George, Utah, to officiate for my dead in the holy Temple of our God. On January 27, 1878, I returned home, having accomplished the desire of my heart for this time in this direction."
I assume that Simeon Adams Dunn, like most LDS patriarchs of this time period kept two important documents: a personal journal or diary, and a temple book.
[Gee, does anyone know where Simeon Dunn’s personal journal went? Have a photocopy?
Does anyone know where Simeon Dunn’s temple book went? Have a photocopy?]
Anyway, about two years ago when I decided to start working on the Dunn line, I had an impression that the best way to pursue research was to focus on the names Simeon collected on his trip mentioned above. Since his journal and temple book seem to be lost, myself and others have tried to reconstruct the list based on the IGI and/or ordinance index records and temple records left behind.
I have completed an updated excell table with about 165 of the names I have so far of people who Simeon was connected to. The first column is the person’s name. The second column is the data Simeon provided to the temple—the exception being a few of the wives he was married to which I just added to the list. The third column is my current understanding of how Simeon is related to the person. And the fourth column is my current understanding of where these people lived.
Myself, my sister, and neice—as well as perhaps many of you—have analyzed this data in several different formats. I would be interested in other people’s "lists" of who Simeon found on his trip if they are out there. If you would like a copy of the excell spreadsheet or the text extracted from the temple films, please email me at karenrasmus@yahoo.com as I could not figure out how to post a spreadsheet.

Sim and Annie Dunn Blog

I ran across this blog today: http://simandannie.blogspot.com/. They are descendants of Simeon Adams Dunn and Eunice Emily Harmon.

Wives of Simeon Adams Dunn

Does anyone have any photos of the EIGHT wives of Simeon Adams Dunn?

I only have 2/8:
1) Adaline Rawson
2) Margaret Snyder
3) Jane Caldwell
4) Harriet Silver Dunn

5) Abigail Brandon
6) Kezia Fowler
7) Elizabeth Wickham
8) Mary McRee

Known Silver Photos

Here are the known Silver Photos I have. Does anyone have additional photos or know any information about these photos? Does anyone have a better quality photo?

Arad Silver:


Sophia E. Nichols Silver:


Harriett Atwood Silver Dunn and Girls:

Photo taken about 1852 (while Simeon was serving in the South Sea Islands Mission)
Back row: Susannah Dunn (b. 1843 – age 9); Harriet Atwood Silver; Mary Dunn (b. 1833 – age 19); Betsy Dunn (b. 1838 – age 14)
Front row: Simeon A. Dunn (b. 1851 – age 1); Samual*; Sarah Sophia Dunn (b. 1849 – age 3)

Known Photos of Simeon Adams Dunn

Below are the known photos of Simeon Adams Dunn. Does anyone have any information about them (when they were taken, where, ....)? Does anyone have a better quality photo? Does anyone have a photo not included here?

Crossroads of Groveland

Crossroads of Groveland
Dunns/ Harrisons/ Acres/ Kiser
Karen Rasmussen
A brief explanation of how the Dunn, Harrison, Acre, and Kiser families intertwine.

Dunn Family:
Who were the ancestors and relatives of Simeon Adams Dunn born 1803 in Groveland, then Ontario County, New York? The current family theory is that his earliest Dunn ancestors [James, then William] started out in Connecticut in the Windham County area. By 1743, William Dunn and his wife, Esther, had moved to Enfield, Hartford Connecticut where they had at least their first 7 children. Then we believe William and Esther moved down to New Jersey (perhaps Middlesex or Sussex Counties) before they eventually find themselves in Pennsylvania at the Wyoming Valley Massacre in July 1778.

The remnants of the Dunn family seem to flee back to Sussex County, New Jersey to Newtown (that portion that later became Frankford). William & Esther’s oldest child, Esther, marries Francis Price who becomes a justice of the peace in Frankford. He performs the marriage of several of her siblings (Hannah, Sarah, Joseph). While some of the family may have stayed in New Jersey, others determined to move further out on the frontier by about 1800, specifically New York. These include at least: Thomas, the wife and children of Simeon b. 1751, Samuel, and Sarah.

Thomas Dunn b. 1747 moved to what was known as Lumberland, Ulster County, New York (later known as Big Eddy, Tusten, Sullivan County, New York). Samuel Dunn b. 1791 and Sarah Dunn Adams b. 1767 moved to Phelps, Ontario County, New York. And Simeon Dunn’s family moved to Groveland, then Ontario County, New York.

We assume that Simeon Dunn b. 1751 died in New Jersey prior to coming to New York. And that his wife, Ann Gustin Dunn, was brought to the Sparta/Groveland area by her children (Levi, Simeon, and Betsey) who all lived here. We do not know if son, William, stayed in New Jersey where he was married or continued on to New York. And there is a question about a daughter named Mary.

Levi Dunn b. 6 May 1773 settled in Sparta. His first wife, Mary Parker died, and he married a second wife, Sarah Holtzlander. Levi lived the remainder of his life in Sparta. He is buried in the Groveland Pioneer Cemetery. After his death, his wife and many of her children moved to Michigan along with many of their neighbors.

Simeon is said to have settled in Williamsburg or Groveland area. Both he and his wife are said to have died while the children were still young. Most of his descendants (Mary, Simeon) move onto Michigan like many of their neighbors. Son, William, moves to Canada. It is still unknown exactly where James went.

Betsey Adams Dunn marries Isaac Kiser, probably while the family is still in New Jersey. However, they too are living in Groveland from approximately 1815-1835. Prior to 1840 they and their children leave the area and move to Ohio and Indiana. Two of their daughters have married brothers. Sarah Kiser marries Nathan Acre and Catharine Kiser marries Samuel Acre, both from the Groveland area. Daughter, Ann Kiser, marries Refford Harrison from Groveland. What becomes of the other children (Peter, Isaac, Jane) is still unknown. This is the point where the Dunns become connected to the Kiser, Harrison, and Acre families.

Harrison Family:
So, who are the ancestor’s of Refford Harrison who marries Betsey Adams Dunn? The Harrison family emigrated from England in the early 1700’s. Elias Harrison was born in Pennsylvania in 1739. He married Hannah Baxter 22 Jul 1772 at Tinicum, Bucks, Pennsylvania. While living in Pennsylvania, their 9 children were born. However, like many other families by 1800 they had moved to the Sparta/Groveland area in Ontario County, New York. By this time, many of his older children were at an age to marry and began establishing their own households and having children. I presume that one of these children was Refford Harrison. My best guess is that he is a child of John Harrison, son of Elias Harrison. But this has yet to be proved. (I saw that Abraham Harrison, another son, has a will in Will Book 3, page 125. I will try to get a look at it in a few weeks when I go to SLC.) Refford Harrison stayed in Groveland, now Livingston County, New York the remainder of his life. He married Ann Kiser and had at least four known children (Walter, Frances, Olivia, and Marion).

Simeon Adams Dunn, born 1803, towards the end of his life took a trip back East to collect genealogical data. It is obvious that he knew these families as among the names of the people he recorded are: Refford (he called Kaffara) Harrison, Ann Kiser Harrison, John Harrison, Isaac Kiser, Betsey Adams Dunn, Sarah Kiser, Peter Kiser, Catharine Kiser, Samuel Acre, Henry Acre as well as others. Many of those listed would have been his contemporaries.

Kiser Family:
As has been mentioned, it seems like Simeon Adams Dunn was familiar with his Kiser cousins, the children of Isaac Kiser and Betsey Adams Dunn. It is possible that Isaac Kiser and Betsey Dunn married in New Jersey, possibly Sussex County. As their children consistently report being born in New Jersey in later census records.

The family first appears in Groveland in the 1820 Census. By 1840 Isaac and Betsey have left Groveland and moved to Dover, Ohio. Where I assume they lived the remainder of their lives. Nevertheless, while living in Groveland, two of their daughters (Sarah and Catharine) marry two brothers Nathan Acre and Samuel Acre, sons of Albert Acre. These young families leave Groveland presumeably at the same time. Nathan and Sarah move to Parma, Ohio. Samuel and Catharine move to St. Mary’s Township, Adams, Indiana. It is unknown what became of the other children (Peter, Isaac, Jane, ?others)

Acre Family:
As was mentioned above, Nathan and Samuel Acre married sisters, Sarah and Catharine Kiser. Nathan and Samuel came from a large family of at least 12 children. Their parents were Albert Acre and Sarah Hart. It appears that this family may also may come to New York from the Frankford, Sussex, New Jersey area.