D is for Dunsdon and Dunn

Dunsdon and Dunn are two more surnames from the maternal side of my family tree.

 Sarah Ann Dunsdon was the fourth of seven children born to James and Mary Ann Rose Dunsdon.  She was born in 1835 at  Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire England.  The family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and began the long trip across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States.  Both of her parents and her older brother died of cholera on their journey, and the remaining children were divided up among other families.  She walked barefoot all the way from Missouri to Utah at 15 years of age, saving her shoes from wearing out on the trip.

Before leaving England, Sarah's mother had made plaid shawls for all of the daughters of the family.  At a conference meeting in Utah, Sarah was wearing the shawl and recognized her sister who was wearing an identical plaid shawl.  It was the first time that the sisters had seen each other since their parents' deaths.  At the age of 17, Sarah married Charles Bird mentioned in Thursday's B is for Bird post.  They settled in Mendon, Cache County, Utah, living in their wagon until their house could be built.  Sarah and Charles were the parents of eleven children, including my great grandfather, Deloss Perley Bird.

Wiltshire, England  Source: Wikipedia

The known portion of the Dunsdon branch of my family tree extends back to John Dunsdon, born about 1677 in Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire, England.  

Susannah Dunn was born in 1843 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA to Simeon A. Dunn and Margaret Snyder Dunn. Her mother died while she was very young, leaving her father with four small motherless children.  He married Harriet A Silver who became mother to these children, and others.  In 1847 the family traveled by wagon to Utah, enduring many hardships along the way, but also seeing many miracles and blessings.  In the early years they gathered wild garlic to cook with beans for soup to sustain themselves.  Susannah married Allen C Hunsaker at the age of 16, and they lived in various locations in Box Elder County, Utah, farming, sometimes dealing with Indian troubles, and raising their five children, one of which was my great grandmother, Eliza Hunsaker Willie.

Hertfordshire, England  Source: Wikipedia

The known portion of the  Dunn branch of my family tree extends back to four generations of men named William Dunn who lived in the late 1500's and early 1600's in Cottered, Hertfordshire, England.

1. Devon or Devonshire, England.  Source: Wikipedia

D is also for Devon, the county in England where the Collings branch of my family tree originated, which I talked about yesterday.

Don't you just love maps?  I do!  Thanks Wikipedia!