Dick Dunagan's Blog

XXXXXXXX . . . . . . . . . WELCOME TO DICK DUNAGAN'S BLOG.
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THE POSTINGS ARE IN REVERSE ORDER SO THAT THE MOST RECENT ONE COMES FIRST.
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.Date: Sat. Feb. 22,2014
General Theme: TRYING AGAIN
Specific Topic: Getting the blog to work again.

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February 22, 2014
With some health improvements and a review of how to change my password, I intend to be active again - from time to time.
I like to write and hope to resume the blog style of commentary - the kind of thing a retired history teacher might create. And I hope to continue 1 "Dunagans of All Spellings" paper newsletter [that started in 1996] each year to go to key libraries and interested researchers. We'll see if it works.

Feel free to send comments or questions.
Dick Dunagan in WI
RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: May 3 '07
General Theme: DOAS Research
Specific Topic: Dunagan Reunion in Hot Springs in October 2007

Spring is a busy time and the writing for the blog has shifted to the back burner recently. Let's get caught up a bit.
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The details will come later, but the evidence is strong that the hope for a general Dunagan reunion in October is going to happen. The plan is have it on October 27, 28, and 29 in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 2007.
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This is the same city where we had the 1998 Dunagan Reunion, but it will be at a different location. The 1998 reunion was especially enjoyable to some of us as a chance to meet distant cousins we had been corresponding with - but had never met in person. We had a very informal plan for 15 or 20 or so people to meet and a general invitation for anyone interested to drop in. Coming from 8 or more states, we had about 40 people who signed the register (not everyone there signed the book). It was an interesting experience.
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Because of health concerns, I am only a consultant this time - the key person to contact is Mike Dunagan of Texas who is taking the lead for planning and arrangements.
His email address is mortarmike@yahoo.com
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Since Mike is busy, you might want to write to Ann Valcarcei of Texas whose email address is annrsexton@yahoo.com

Best wishes,
Dick Dunagan of Wisconsin
former editor, DUNNAGANS OF ALL SPELLINGS (DOAS) newsletter, 1996-2005
My email address is RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: April 3 '07
General Theme: DOAS research
Specific Topic: Dunagin Academic (one example)

Have you ever Googled some version of the your surname and come up with a reference to someone who seems interesting - and then failed completely to try to make introductory contact with the person?

This has happened several times to me - and sometimes I have noted that some very impressive academic people seem entirely un-interested in family history. At least, that seems to be the explanation when there is no reply to a polite letter of inquiry.

I suppose this sometimes means that they are fully involved in some significant part of their career - finishing a science research project, planning a professional conference, catching up with important career choices, etc. In some cases I have received one polite summary of part of their background - followed by absolutely no interest in genealogy or family history.

This should not be too surprising - as a retired history teacher I certainly know that not everyone shares this type of interest.

Never-the-less, let me tell you about a recent bit of news.

The current Beloit Daily News had an article headlined "Chancellor Martha Dunagin Saunders Named New USM President." I quickly found out that this means she will be the new president of the University of Southern Mississippi starting on May 21, 2007. And I also quickly figured out that the name was familiar because a few years ago (in 2005) she was appointed Chancellor of the nearby University of Wisconsin - Whitewater with a hefty publicy announced salary of $ 175,000. The DOAS newsletter for August 2005 has an article with her picture on page 13. I sent an introductory letter and some sample newsletters, but did not receive any reply.

Judging from the content and tone of the two articles, it appears that Martha Dunagin Saunders is regarded as an "up and coming" administrator with ready-to-use academic and administrative skills for building up university communities. Moving to Hattiesburg, Mississippi means she is returning to the area where she grew up. The report on her speech to the USM Foundation suggested real interest in her views about building up a consensus on campus and in the community as the best way to raise money for a major university.

In my view, this topic deserves some attention for a couple of reasons. It's good to remember that there are some impressive success stories out there, even if we are only aware of the general impression of what they are doing. There is also the possibility that some of these highly talented people with great energy may someday retire and aim some of that energy and skill toward family history. We may get to know them after all.

One random Dunagan contact said to me that he was reluctant to explore his family tree because he thought he might find a thief or murderer - and that can happen. On the other hand, I think it helps to remember that the world is complex and we can also gain insight into the lives of some examples of some talented and prominant distant relatives we know very little about.
Best wishes, Dick Dunagan in Wisconsin; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Mar 25'07
General Theme: Poetry Basket
(Dick's introduction: here's one of my favorite poems; also untitled.)

You hold
In your hand
A fragile, fleeting moment.
Grasp it firmly, lest it slip;
Yet, be tender in the grip
For it's snowflake frailty
Will not bear the burden
Of a clutching friendship.

By Anthony Perrino
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Date: Mar 14'07
General Theme: Poetry Basket
(Dick's introduction: here's an untitled Wisconsin poem that I like.)

Lament of robin, caught in March snowstorm:
"Why was I led out of the sunny southland?
Was it just so I could die of cold,
here in this wretched Wisconsin?
Where is my Moses? I have need to complain!"

(by Edna M. Thorp)
From the "2007 Wisconsin Poets' Calendar,"
published by the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets,
website: www.wfop.org
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Date: March 9'07
General Theme: DOAS Research
Specific Topic: Good news from LDS Library in Utah

I have received a letter from the Genealogical Society of Utah (often referred to as the LDS Library or the Mormon Library) in Salt Lake City, Utah about my "Dunnagans of All Spellings Highlights" book.

They request permission to reproduce the book in a variety of presentations for possible use in their program. For many of us the first goal is sharing the information rather than making a profit, so I am very pleased to have a non-profit group like this to be interested.

Giving them permission does not guarantee that they will publish the book in any particular way, but it is my understanding that they often provide copies for their family history center libraries. And if there is not a copy of a publication on the center's library shelf, there is a system for inter-library loans of printed material and film strips so that a local researcher can examine the material.

I'm not sure of the usual time factor involved, but I expect they would probably do this within a year. In the meantime, I've still got a bunch of copies that you can order for $17 plus $2 postage - and then you have a copy of your own!

If you are new to the blog, the book is a 150 page collection of ten selected newsletters from the years 1996 to 2005. You can learn more about it by reading the
Dec. 27,2006 posting in my blog or by writing to me by email.

Best wishes,
Dick Dunagan of Wisconsin
former editor, DUNNAGANS OF ALL SPELLINGS (DOAS) newsletter, 1996-2005
My email address is RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: March 4'07
General Theme: Book review (draft)
Specific Topic: "Interpretation of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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This is a book review to recommend "Interpretation of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri. It caught my eye in the Beloit public library because it was was displayed as a choice for the library's book discussion group. It's a rather small paperback book of 198 pages that contains a collection of related short stories. It won a Pullitzer prize in 1998.

The yellow, orange and red colors of the cover design suggested "India" to me - and this was another reason for my interest. I spent the summer of 1978 in India as a part of a Wisconsin group of secondary teachers in a Fulbright scholarship program. Fullbright programs are not usually for high school teachers, but someone in the Wisconsin Department of Education was successful in talking the American foundation and the Indian administrators into it. It was a non-credit course intended to improve the public school teaching about South Asian in Wisconsin public schools. There were many mysteries and puzzles that summer, but we learned a lot.

Although a history teacher is certainly not an expert on fiction or on South Asia, the experience in the India summer program helps me to be confident in expressing my own personal judgements on books and movies about India. This book is a good one.

The summer of 1978 gave me some key background elements so that I could better understand and appreciate what seems to be the central theme of the collection in Jhumpa Lahiri's book - getting a better understanding of what it is like to be in a foreign culture or sub-culture.

The book has short stories about the migrant from India to America- about experiences with Americans and other South Asians in cities like Boston. It also has stories about the migrant from rural India to the city in India where they must suddenly deal with people from other tribes and other sub-cultures (eg. a poor person who sleeps nightly on the sidewalk near an upscale hotel in Calcutta). The movement of people from the farm to the city is an important world story - especially in India and China.

As someone who has spent one summer in India and one summer in Boston - the stories ring true in the details about climate, food, smells, university atmosphere, street life, small shops, and sports in the parks. And the writing is good enough so that invariably one cares about the main characters by the time one has read about half of each short story.

The title of the book comes from the title of one of the short stories. It is a good choice since "maladies" seems to imply a range of what is not right - from simply being "homesick" to the mixed feelings some have about the custom of arranged marriages. It even touches on the idea that "feeling safe" in a specific foreign environment is really not the same as "being safe" (eg. when the family enjoys being followed by the monkeys near the temple).

A final point. The stories made me think about trying to better understand the life experiences of our migrating "Dunnagans of All Spellings." Some probably came from a background where their family thought of themselves as different from some of the British in Ireland or some of the Irish of a different class living near them in the 1700s and 1800s. How did they feel when others seemed to have the advantage in economic status or political status? For example, when they may not have been able to buy and own land? If they used a sponsor plus indentured servant system to finance their ocean trip to America - how did they get along with the system? Many Dunagans lived on the frontier near local Indians - what were their feelings about the interaction with friendly or unfriendly Indians? Was it always the same reaction in every location and date? If their migration route put them temporarily on the trading path or on a wagon road with Germans or Moravians or Royalists - how did they interact? And did Dunagans in Illinois in the early 1800s have the same intense fear as others did about the new Morman militia that was being drilled on the plains of Nauvoo near the Mississippi?

The book being reviewed will not answer these specific questions, but will help us understand why the questions are important.

Your public library probably has a copy available. The book is a handy size and style to take for short spurts of reading on a bus or a plane. If you have the patience to read about how people regard different life-styles, you might want to give it a try. I recommend it.

Best wishes from Dick Dunagan in Wisconsin (Email is RVDunagan@aol.com)
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Date: March 2'07
General Theme: DOAS Research
Specific Topic: DNA Research & Possible Use of "DUNCAN" Surname (draft)
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In a message dated 3/1/07 11:16:02 PM, Michael Bowman wrote on the Yahoo Dunagan's List:
" - - - While there are other people in the Family Tree DNA site with surnames that fall in the DOAS category - only the Dunnigan and Duncan surnames seem to have projects. - - -"

Here is the response I wrote to Mike (first 2 paragraphs) and here also some aditional commentary :
I need to pick and choose what projects to personally undertake because of health, and at the moment the DNA research is not on my priority list - but I keep watching for short authoritative articles to help me absorb a good introduction to the topic. I agree that this sounds llike important research.
Experienced researchers of the DUNGAN name tell me that DUNCAN and DUNGAN are often surname variations that traditional research links to English families (note the reference to England) that arrived in New England in the early colonial days - in the 1600s. And the main migration route seems to have been west to New York and Ohio etc.
On the other hand, there were Dungans of England who owned plantations in Ireland and sometimes young adults from the family were sent to live and to supervise the plantations - - - and then some of them decided to stay in Ireland. And sometimes married while there. So an English born Dungan might migrate to America from Ireland and might have Irish born inlaws. Or Scottish born inlaws.
While we are at it, a few researchers like J. Conrad Dunagan of Monahans, Texas (now deceased) provided a report that at least one of the New England Dungans went south and after several generations descendants changed the family spelling to "Dunagan." Apparently to match the common misspelling they encountered in MS and AL. Conrad died before he finished his book, "Dunagans of West Texas", but his widow finished the book and several key libraries have copies (eg. LDS Library in Utah, and the Dunagan Library at one of the Texas State Universities). A Google search for J. Conrad Dunagan will give you some interesting information if you are interested in Texas data.
To be more complete, we should probably say that many of the New England Dungan researchers are not completely convinced about the Southern connection discussed by Conrad. In my view, Conrad was a very careful researcher. The fact that he served as president of the Texas Historical Society for awhile gives you an idea of his reputation.
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Best wishes from Dick Dunagan in Wisconsin (Email is RVDunagan@aol.com)
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Date: Feb. 30'07
General Theme: DOAS Research
Specific Topic: Confirmation of Slavery Data in Surry Co NC

There is an article of interest in the 1994 "Heritage of Surry County NC" book. Perhaps someone can check their copy of the book and scan a copy of the full article for posting. Or perhaps type out the entire article (that's the kind of copy work typing I hate to do - especially from small print.) I don't have a copy of the book.

Page 88 has an article about Lewis Dobson and Caroline Dunagan Dobson of Surry Co NC that was submitted by Ronald Edward Scales. it includes a picture of each one as an adult - perhaps in their 40s or 50s. Caroline was a former slave of James Dunagan of Surry County NC. She was sold to John Dobson along with her 4 year old son Samuel in 1856. She was part Cherokee.

Percy Dunagin of NC tells me that James Dunagan of Surry County NC was the only Dunagan who owned any slaves in that county at that time.

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Date: Feb. 23'07
General Theme: Poetry Basket
Specific Topic: (Dick's introduction: here's a Wisconsin poem that I like.)

FEBRUARY IN WISCONSIN

Each day's sun sneaks in a bit earlier,
lingers a bit longer.
The observant, careful of ice and mittened for cold,
gather thin slices of hope
for spring.

(by Jean Paul Zagorski, SSND)
From the "2007 Wisconsin Poets' Calendar,"
published by the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets,
website: www.wfop.org
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Date: Feb. 27'07
General Theme: DOAS Research
Specific Topic: GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
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In a relaxed way I want to from time to time post some facts and questions to help discuss ways to evaluate information about Dunagans of various spellings who migrated from the Midwest to the West.

Western connections in my personal line? Consider these 3 generation stories.

1. As a man in his 40s my grandfather, Oscar Thomas Dunagan ("OT"), left Indiana to teach at the boarding school of the Pima Agency in 1892 & 1893 & perhaps part of another year. Perhaps on doctor's orders for his health. Perhaps to travel with other Indiana teachers who had also attended the Teachers College at Terre Haute, Indiana in the 1880s. His step sister (Lola Moss) went with him on the train as a kind of escort-nurse (according to family oral history) and took a job as worker in the school. If you have the last DOAS newsletter, that's OT Dunagan in the middle of the cover picture.
Could OT have had any contacts with other branches of DOAS who were already in Arizona? Did his study of law in Michigan give him contacts that made him interested in going west? Did his one or two years at the head of a small teachers college in Aurora IL give him contacts for going west? He later traveled in the Midwest and South helping small towns who wanted to create their first high schools. I met him in the 1940s, but do not remember him - except that he did not seem to like children.

2. As a young man my father, Carlos Dunagan, left Indiana to work in Arizona - perhaps only for one summer. Perhaps soon after high school or college? I cannot confirm it, but I think he worked on a ranch owned by Carl Hayden, who later was a Senator for Arizona and became "President Pro-Tempere" (kind of vice-chair) of the U.S. Senate.
My father seemed proud to have had the experience, but there was something about the limited stories told that seemed incomplete - as if he did not want to talk freely about them. He told a bit about sleeping outside and working - but never explained exactly why he left Indiana for this work. Perhaps he wanted to leave some kind of troubles in the village of Center Point in Clay Co IN. Couldn't always get along with his stiff and somewhat distant father? Perhaps he wanted to imitate the well known story of Theodore Roosevelt who left New York to work out west (was it in Montana?)
T. Roosevelt later organized the "Rough Riders" who saw action in the Spanish-American War. Maybe it was part of the story of what sounded very attractive to some in that generation - I know of at least one Dunagan from southern Illinois (family background was probably GA rather than KY) who learned his cowboy skills in Texas, but was back home in Litchfield IL when he signed up for the Rough Riders.
When my father had a stroke in his 80s he sometimes told some new stories of some rough and violent scenes somewhere - that might have been in Arizona. But he was not able to discuss them or confirm details.

3. No, I did not go west to Arizona as a young man - but I did go west to Idaho to work in the summer of 1949 after graduating from high school in Farmer City IL. My memory is that I liked to work outdoors and wanted a different kind of job rather than the usual Illinois summer farm work before going on to college. Perhaps my father encouraged me partly because he had gone west for similar reasons. Perhaps he had not been going away from Indiana troubles after all. As a 17 year old I paid attention mainly to the fact that my father raised no objection to my plans. Even when he learned I planned to hitch-hike both ways in order to save money for school.
I have not sorted out the family sequence - as a young man my father also taught school temporarily in Center Point IN. Perhaps right before or right after he west west. That is where he first met student Gladys Francis Wilson, who became his wife and our mother. My father's main career was as a Methodist minister, but he sometimes gave the impression that he wished he had stayed in teaching.

Dick D. (my email address is RVDunagan@aol.com)
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Date: Feb. 29'07
General Theme: Poetry Basket
Specific Topic: (Dick's introduction: here's a Wisconsin poem that I like.)

SOMEBODY CALLS AFTER TEN P.M.

when somebody calls

aftrer ten p.m.

and you live in wisconsin

and your're snug in the bed

then alls I can tell ya

somebody better be missing

somebody better had a baby

or somebody better be dead

(by Bruce Dehlefsen)
From the "2007 Wisconsin Poets' Calendar,"
published by the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets,
website: www.wfop.org
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Date: Feb. 16'07
General Theme: DOAS Research
Specific Topic: Solomon's People & great plains west (draft)
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When I was doing the Dunnagans Of All Spellings (DOAS) newsletter, I tried to sort out patterns of names and families and locations all over the country - and learned a lot about migration patterns. And found a lot of dead end mysteries. And ended up with a lot of stray papers and files so that I may have helpful information filed that I do not yet understand. (eg. DOAS in early Virginia)

Since I am not doing the DOAS newsletter any longer - I now tend to concentrate on my own personal line. Although it's probably what most people would call the "Thomas Dunagan Line" - I tend to think of my area of emphasis as "Solomon's People." That means I am especially interested in finding the ancestors and descendents of my great-great-grandfather Solomon Dunagan (probably b. in NC in the 1770s, lived in KY, lived in IN, & d. in Andrew County Mo in 1846). Let's focus on descendents.

To be more specific, at the present time I am looking for clues and guesses about descendents of Solomon senior who went west from Indiana to north-west Missouri in the 1830s and later. If you've done research on early Dunagans you won't be surprised to know this is right on the edge of Indian Lands. They apparantly scattered from there. Again - experienced Dunagan researchers will probably not be surprised.

Solomon Dunagan senior's son named Solomon Dunagan junior (my great grandfahter) traveled west from Indiana and came back to Indiana. He died at age 30 in Morgan County, Indiana and many of the personal relatives I know about are related to the ones who stayed in Indiana. My grandfather Oscar Thomas Dunagan (son of Solomon junior) was a baby when his father died and he ("OT") grew up in the Moss family. He heard a lot of Moss stories, but not many Dunagan stories.

But there must be a lot of descendents of the majority of the Indiana Dunagan children who went west and are now scattered over the great plains and mountain areas.

Several went to Gentry County in North West Missouri, but I'm sure they scattered in several directions from there. In my lifetime i remember one family trip from Illinois to Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the 1930s to "visit distant relatives." I was young enough to be disappointed that we did not "see der rabbits" - but have no memory about what surname may have been involved. Do any of you connect with that part of Iowa?

Judging from the general migration patterns of the western movement, any Dunagans in Gentry Co Missouri in the 1830s, 1840s & 1850s might well have talked to people forming wagon trains to go to Oregon, California, Texas (before it was part of the US), Oklahoma, Arkansas, etc. Old family letters discuss the advice to "bring your tools with you" so that the blacksmiths and wheelwrights among the Dunagans could find work on the wagons. And then some of them traveled with the wagon trains. That happened to Isabella Dunagan Coffee for one - she & family went to Oregon about 1852. I would not be surprised to find out that her older brother, William, may have already been out there. Or may have headed south-west.

Do any of you connect with any Indiana Dunagans or Missouri Dunagans who traveled in patterns like this?

The old family letters seem to mention several Hiram Dunagans and William Dunagans and Thomas Dunagans who seemed to be older than the children of Solomon Dunagan senior that I know most about. It appears that some traveling west before or soon after the 1838 time period when Solomon Dunagan senior left Indiana to go west. Perhaps older sons and perhaps cousins of Solomon senior? Any connections? eg. do any of your Hiram Dunagans trace back to Indiana?

How about middle names? Do any of you have Indiana allied family connections (inlaws) with relatives named Lemuel, Isabella, Elijah, Harrison, Franklin, Wesley, Edmund, Ambrose, Stevens, Oscar, Seybold, Wilson?

It get's complicated, my Solomon senior apparantly had a cousin in KY named Solomon and some other more distant cousins in KY named Solomon. But some of my Solomon Dunagan senior's children and grandchildren may also show up in your records as being from other counties in Kentucky (some were born in KY before going to IN). And may be recorded as going west from Kentucky even though they may have lived temporarily in Indiana.

I'll be sure to try to respond to any letter that has "Solomon's People" as the subject of the letter. Thanks.

Best wishes,
Dick Dunagan, former editor
DUNNAGANS OF ALL SPELLINGS (DOAS) newsletter, 1996-2005
1969 Pioneer Drive
Beloit WI 53511
(Part of a small branch who migrated NC to KY to IN to IL to WI)
(Some back issues of the newsletter available)
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Date: Feb. 4'07
General Theme: On My Mind
Specific Topic: Super Bowl Sunday (draft)
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This is a pretty quiet day in Wisconsin. Some of the Green Bay Packer fans are staying home out of the cold (it has almost warmed up to zero) to cheer the Chicago Bears and others are ready to cheer anyone as long as it's not the Chicago Bears. Our church (across the stateline in Illinois) is having a fake "tailgate party" with a potluck and will probably offer the option for church members to watch the large TV in the church lounge. One of the local priests promises to omit his sermon so the people can leave mass promptly.
I played 6 player football at the high school in Chrisman IL and 11 player football at the high school in Farmer City IL back in the 1940s - - - but I'm not much of a fan, now. I do intend to watch at least part of the game, since you have to in order to be able to talk to anyone in Beloit for the next few days.

Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Feb. 3'07
General Theme: Saving the Stories
Specific Topic: Using Speculation For Research (draft)

SOME FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH is factual and logical and methodical. On the other hand, some research seems to be intuitive, experimental, and random. I want to write a bit about how speculation and guessing can sometimes lead to finding some desired facts. First an example from early in my research about Indiana Dunagans. Then on another day a separate posting of some speculation about Dunagan mystseries in current research.

My middle name is Carlos and I was named after my father, Carlos (no middle name) Dunagan of the village of Center Point in Clay County, Indiana. When I retired in 1990 and began to consider family details I began to wonder why this Spanish name came from people who had lived all or almost all of their lives in Indiana. I was born in Maryland, but that's a different story.

It seemed obvious that the next step was to wonder why my grandfather, Oscar Thomas Dunagan (called "OT" as an adult) and wife had decided to name their baby "Carlos" back in the late 1800s. The factual lists of names in Clay County or Indiana or the Midwest did not seem to provide any clues. The name did not show up in any known relatives or friends.

With this question stored somewhere in my memory, I began looking for clues to better understand the motives and the experience of my grandfather as a relatively young man when he took a job as "principal teacher" in a boarding school of the Pima Agency (reservation) in Arizona in 1892. Partly for his health but also as a kind of social road trip when a group of Indiana teachers rode out there together on the train (his wife stayed in IN). It wasn't until Val and I actually visited this area of Arizona that we realized the importance of the San Carlos River (!) to the area where the Pima Indians had settled. One part of the curriculum developed by the Indiana teachers was to encourage the appreciation of and development of the traditional irrigation techniques in farming near the river. Although this was probably not the key interest of my somewhat academic grandfather, it certainly may have been a factor. He may have wanted to use the name Carlos as a reminder of some good memories of his time in Arizona. End of story?

Not the end of the story. When Val and I visited a local school in that area of Arizona I was told that all the school records were in the National Archives in Washington DC so we could not do research in the school. As we left, we noticed that the official name above the doorway of the school did not say "San Carlos School" as I expected. It said "Saint Charles School." Not completely surprising since Carlos in Spanish and Charles in English are somewhat interchangeable. But I had not thought of it before. So we left.

It was not until weeks later when back in Wisconsin and speculating about how the parts of the story fit together, that I thought of another angle to the story. Remembering that grandfather OT was only a baby when his father, Solomon Dunagan junior, had died at age 30 in 1853, OT grew up in the family of Charles Wesley Moss (!) in Ashboro IN (near Center Point). My next question: is it possible that the choice of "CARLOS" was partly to honor the memory of Arizona and partly to honor the memory of the respected step-father "CHARLES?" OT may have been thinking, " I might consider naming the first born son after my father, but I don't even remember my father Solomon. Perhaps I can honor the tradtions in a different way by honoring the father I remember."

That is obviously guesswork - but it helps me to draw together a reasonable explanation, in my view, of what may have actually happened.

Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Jan. 31'07
General Theme: Saving the Stories
Specific Topic: Coincidence about two governors?
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THIS IS A BRIEF NOTE to record an observation that someone
may want to explore. Without going to the trouble to hunt
up confirmation, let me mention two land transactions
involving early Dunagans in two different locations.
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1. One of the early Dunagans in North Carolina sold some of his land to Thomas Burke who later became governor of North Carolina (Burke was later captured in 1781 in Hillsboro NC by Tory forces in the revolutionary war).
2. One of early Dunagans in Missouri sold some of his land to Meriwhether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) soon after the exploration trip and just before Mr. Lewis became governor of Missouri.
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It is hard to research details about early explorers and early settlers in pioneer situations - but it may be sometimes worth the effort. Either one might be the inspiration for a poem or a fictional short story!
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Best wishes from Dick & Val Dunagan in Wisconsin
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Date: Jan. 27'07
General Theme: Mill Songs
Specific Topic: Helping People In Long Island Plan A Mill Program (draft)

AS AN INTRODUCTION, let me say that this may be confusing, but let's give it a try.
Thereâ€™s a non-profit organization in Long Island that has a restored mill from the the 1700s and is involved in a variety of community activies. They have a "Youth Corps" of local student volunteers in grades 6 to 12 who take on a new project each year. This spring they are considering a community program that would include music about songs that mention mills. The organization also has a partially restored wetlands (fresh water) and marine conservation beach area (salt water) - so there were several reasons why Val and I wanted to help them when they asked.

Because the history of their mill includes a German owner who hired a Czech miller whoâ€™s son was also a violinist, we began thinking of mill songs to send them. Partly because the last miller at the Beckman Mill was a fiddler of German descent who played for local dances. (One of our major retirement activities is to volunteer for the Friends of Beckman Mill, a support group for a restored 1868 water-powered grist mill owned by Rock County here in Wisconsin.)

So - we are now involved in long distance consultation to learn more about the goals and resources of the Long Island group - - - and how we can send audio cassette tapes and email letters to help them examine some "mill songs" for possible use.

Hereâ€™s a copy of the letter we sent to them:
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization
Stony Brook, NY 11790
Dear Courtnay-

Thanks for the brochures and materials about the mill, the Youth Corps, etc. We notice some interesting details about the mill and the organization right away.

We have already sent you the German words for the song "Es Steht Eine Muhle Im Benkhauser Tal" and a tape recording with a rough version of our singing of two verses in German. This is one of the German mill songs Buzz & Bud Beckman brought back from a visit to distant relative Beckmans in Germany. Your students may notice Val and I disagreeing on how to pronounce a German word once in a while (on the tape) - but she is the one who is usually right. You can always check with the school German Club or the German teacher if you need help. We had no English translation for you - until now.

Translating the words to a song from German to English is tricky, but I think the version we are sending today is singable - so we wish you luck. We'll probably include a version of us singing this song in both German and English in the next tape we send, but wanted to go ahead and get the words to you today.

ENGLISH TEXT FOR THE SONG FOLLOWS:

(Es Steht Eine Muhle Im Benkhauser Tal)

Verse one:
There's a mill in the valley by Benkhauser town,
That clatters so softly alone (2x)
Where 'ere I go or stay,
In dale or mountain way
The mem'ries are with me
The thoughts of that mill
The mill down in Benkhauser town.

Verse two:
And here in the grist mill, in Benkhauser town,,
Lives a beautiful maiden so fair (2x)
Where 'ere I go or stay,
In dale or mountain way
The mem'ries are with me
The thoughts of that maid
The maiden in Benkhauser town.

Verse three:
We join hands in farewell, in farewell once more
Good luck to each other again (2x)
Where 'ere I go or stay,
In dale or mountain way
The mem'ries stay with me,
The thoughts of farewell,
The farewell to Benkhauser town.
================================end of the song

NOTE that the original song was about a mill in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) but the German Beckmans in modern Benkhauser like to insert the name of their town and their mill. In our opinion, that's OK since it is often done with folk and popular songs.

One copy of this letter is going to Buzz & Bud Beckman & families in other parts of Wisconsin to let them know that we are helping an organization in Long Island, New York to plan mill songs for a possible community program in the spring.
One copy is going to Steve Frevert in Illinois who was a key leader in the first years of the Friends of Beckman Mill and still encourges us by sending us mill songs that he finds.
Copies of this letter are also going to David Haldiman & Judi Kneece - two people in Janesville, WI who created the Beckman Mill video that you have seen ("Seasons of A Wisconsin Mill") . They helped us to make reasonable plans to record and send the practice audio cassette tapes for you.
I will eventually send a copy to the Beckmans in Germany, but I do not have their email address at the present time.

Best wishes from Dick & Val Dunagan in Wisconsin
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Date: Jan. 25'07
General Theme: Solomon's People and DOAS Research
Specific Topic: Renewing Contacts (draft)

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

I'M LOOKING TO RENEW some contacts with some DOAS (DUNNAGANS OF ALL SPELLINGS) researchers.

When I retired from teaching history in 1990 I began to work on family history to find out where my Indiana Dunagans came from. And to look for "the rest of the story." It soon became clear that I could make better progress by concentrating on sharing information and discussing it - that's why the DOAS Newsletter got started.

It's only reasonable that things have changed since 1990. In some cases I had close enough family contacts with distant Dunagans that I was notified when key researchers died. And sometimes printed their obituary in the newsletter. In other cases, I did not find out because others in the family did not know me.

In some cases, talented and creative people decided to put aside family history research and seek new directions for hobbies along with new places to live. And sometimes for new employment that meant a change in life-style. Or retirement that sent the family to an entirely new part of the country.

My health problems of myastheniia gravis in 2005 may also have been a factor. In theory, problems about my abilities to speak did not have as much effect on my ability to write - but the mix of health problems meant that I stopped doing any research for a while. It was certainly hard to concentrate efficiently. And for people at a distance who were learning about the end of the DOAS newsletter, it may have been hard to judge whether I would be resuming correspondance or not. For example, for awhile I did not always keep track of new email addresses and did not always answer letters. Sorry about that.

The Yahoo Dunagan List helps me stay in touch with Mike in TX, with Martha in OK, with Jimmy in GA, etc. Carllene Marek of CA (genealogy writer) and and Sue Trotman of IN (local museum curator) both continue to share their professional insights in traditional email and regular mail letters. Hatha Dodge of NC sometimes visits friends in Wisconsin, so I have seen her recently and learned more about her life in KY and NJ - as well as NC. I'm telling her she should write an article called "Growing Up IN Two Worlds" to tell what it was like to live part of the time in Kentucky and part of the time in New Jersey in the 1940s. I suspect other DOAS relatives had experineces of growing up in both Tennesse & Michigan (or both Oklahoma & California) that might prove very helpful to future generations if they could read what it was like back in the 1900s.

So - let's get to the main point of this posting. With my improved health in 2007, I'm wondering where some of the people in my list (see below) are now. Are they reading the Yahoo Dunagans List? Are they reading this blog or other DOAS blogs? Are they still doing DOAS research? Are they still alive?

Any help would be appreciated.

Peggy Riviere who gave me lots of help in the early years of the newsletter; used in be in Louisiana and I think now has retired to the North West. We met at the unusual reunion of DOAS researchers in Arkansas in 1998 - it was a "reunion" of people who for the most part had never met before! She drove out from New Orleans and "rescued" some family history files that were just about to be discarded when James H. Dunagan died in Slidell, LA. I've been told that the widow probably escaped Katrina OK because she and James H. always left their mobile home immediately whenever there was a hurricane warning.

Duston Stout of OK. who helped in the discussion and consideration of so many family details - including my own; he also identified some DOAS in general news reports, such as riots and local law enforcement.

Gaye Drotar who was the 'keeper of the list" for several years when we were first learning how to send an email message to more than one person at a time.

Karen Dunagan Smith who is one of the few DOAS researchers I have met outside of Arkansas and one of the few modern DOAS researchers to go to a Sacred Harp singing.

Carter Baker in TN who drove us around to see some early Dunagan homesteads in (near?) Dickson County Tennesse; I think we got a Christmas card from him that has been misplaced.

Two Robert L. Dunagans who contacted me the same week (but did not know each other)

Tim Thompson in IL who wrote about the DOAS GA to IL migration and was disappointed when no GA researcher criticized his interpretations. Val and I made a surprise visit to his house in southern Illinois during a trip and he was not home; another DOAS researcher we have not met in person.

Cynthia Pates Gibbs of GA who helped plan the sharing of family information on "The Dunagan and Bramlett Ancestral History" written by her grandmother. This was an experiment to send out the unpublished book on a CD-ROM disc fastened inside the newsletter.

(DOAS person near the Eno River Mill near Durham NC; was his name "James DUNNIGAN"? Was his address in Roxboro? Is he the one who was selling John Deere tractors? Grandson of another key DOAS researcher?)

(Dunegan/Dunnegan person near the Hardscrabble Plantation in NC asking about African American Dunagans; is this also near the Eno Mill? Is this also near the Staggville Plantation?)

Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com

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Date: Jan. 22'07
General Theme: On My Mind
Specific Topic: When Donating A Book To A Library (draft)

IN OFFERING MY BOOK "DOAS Highlights" to the public, I know that mainly Dunagan researchers will be the ones to consider it. On the other hand, some will be donated to key libraries in states where Dunagans have settled. The posting in this entry for the blog is a copy of the letter I intend to end along with the donated book. You might be curious enough to take a look.
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.CONTENT OF THE LETTER TO THE LIBRARY FOLLOWS:
Enclosed is a donation of my book that is a collection of "DUNNAGANS OF ALL SPELLINGS HIGHLIGHTS" from the family history newsletter that I published for 10 years.

As a retired history teacher I enjoyed researching and sharing the information, even when I did not have the data or the skills to create a definitive summary of our family story.

Example: in the publc library in Durham NC the library volunteer said, "I think we might find some Dunagans among the early settlers," and within 15 minutes was showing me primary source documents of survey records of the 1700s where a Dunagan was the "sworn chain carrier" and another Dunagan was the â€œsurveyor in charge.â€

Example: in the public library in Dickson TN the librarian said, "I think we can help since a lot of people around here have Dunagan relatives - including me."

Example: in the public library in a small village in TX the librarian said, " Oh, I doubt if we have more than one or two items you might want to see" and then showed me a local document showing an early Dunagan cooper from Kentucky who had paid his taxes in the area when the land was not yet part of the United States.

I am also sending a "welcome letter" that I use when distant researchers write to me to ask about the contents of the book. If it is appropriate, you might want to make that letter available with the book. If you are curious, you might want to read that welcome letter as a way to get a preview of what the editor (me!) thought were two of the more important articles. If you should choose to refer to the book in any kind of publicity, you have the usual permission to use short quotations from any part of the book.

Best wishes,
Dick Dunagan, former editor
DUNNAGANS OF ALL SPELLINGS (DOAS) newsletter, 1996-2005
1969 Pioneer Drive
Beloit WI 53511
(Part of a small branch who migrated VA to NC to KY to IN to IL to WI)

COPY OF THE LETTER FOLLOWS:

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Date: Jan. 20'07
General Theme: On My Mind
Specific Topic: New York Times article
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AMONG THE THINGS I WOULD NOT KNOW if I did not read the New York Times: distant people who follow film festival news know that our little river & college town of Beloit WI (about 40,000 people)is having an international film festival this weekend!

Its called the "Beloit International Film Festival" (BIFF) and although only in its second year, it has over 100 films entered in the competition. There were 26 entries from other countries. I suppose part of the reason there has been some national attention is that it's being held in such a small town and also because people who associate film festivals with warm climates (eg. southern France) and they are surprised at the choice of January to hold the event in Wisconsin. A temperature of 10 degrees is not very cold for Wisconsin in January - but it's not very warm either.

Why in Beloit? It's because there are some creative and optomistic thinkers in several sectors of the Beloit community. It's partly because of some non-government leadership in trying to promote economic growth of Beloit (especially with riverside parks). It's partly because of some creative thinkers at Beloit College who have some talent for dealing with ideas and following through. And it's partly because Ken Hendricks is a local multi-millionaire willing to provide some leadership and money.

Ken Hendrick's main business is the ABC Roofing Co that is recognized by Forbes as on of the top US corporations - but he also does things like owning an Indianaplis style race car and spending a lot of money to buy old rundown midwest industry factory buildings to remodel them to new uses.

By now Val have seen five of the films at the festival and had a good time. Tomorrow we wil see an old silent film aabout the Circus by Charlie Chaplan with live orchestra music in the traditional manner. Most of the awards are announced early, except for the "People's Choice" award which will be voted on during the event.

At the Awards ceremony there were at least four press photographers with some of those cameras with two feet long lenses that suggest they are visiting from some major newspaper. I will be curious to see if we learn where they were from.

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Date: Jan. 19'07
General Theme: Solomon's People (draft)
Specific Topic: Dunigans in IN and the plains states

THIS POSTING is intended for readers interested in genealogy research of the Dunagans of all spellings. In particular, this one connects with the DUNIGAN spelling.

The current copy of the Owen County (IN) History and Genealogy journal for the winter of 2007 has an article about the NEEDYS family and an 1898 photo with several DUNIGANS, including:
William F. Dunigan
Lessie (Hauser) Dunigan
Eliza (Klass) Dunigan
William F. Dunigan.

The DUNIGANS in modern Owen Co. IN (who came originally from TN) say they are not related to the DUNAGANS of Owen Co IN (who came originally from KY; this includes my GG.GF Solomon Dunagan senior). The migration records for the early and mid 1800s show people with both spellings leaving Indiana to go to various plains states (IL, IA, MO, etc) & mountain states.

I suspect that they are wrong when they say they are not related - - - I suspect that they all trace back to Surry County or Orange County in North Carolina in the 1700s.

You can send traditional queries to this society at the following address:
Owen County History and Genealogy Society
PO Box 569
Spencer IN 47460

Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Jan. 18'07
General Theme: Mill Songs
Specific Topic: Millers Will

MILLERâ€™S WILL

There was an old miller and he lived all alone. He had 3 sons all nearly grown.
When it came time to make his will, all he had left was an old grist mill.
CH: sing fol diggy die doe, fol diggy dee (repeat)

The miller said to his eldest son, â€œSon, oh son, my race is run.
If I you the miller make, how much of each sack will you take?â€
â€œOh father, you know my name is Will; from each sack Iâ€™ll take one jill.â€
â€œNot enough, not enoughâ€, the old man said; â€œwith a take like that youâ€™ll never get ahead
CH:

The miller said to his second son, â€œSon, oh son, my race is run.
If I you the miller make, how much of each sack will you take?â€
â€œOh father, you know my name is Ralph; from each sack Iâ€™ll take one half.â€
â€œNot enough, not enoughâ€, the old man said; â€œwith a take like that youâ€™ll never get ahead
CH:

The miller said to his youngest son, â€œSon, oh son, my race is run.
If I you the miller make, how much of each sack will you take?â€
â€œOh father, you know my name is Paul; from each sack Iâ€™ll take it all.â€
â€œHalleluia, halleluia,â€ the old man cried. He turned up his toes and then he died.
CH:

(Some versions end here. Some have an additional verse, such as these:
Alternate one:
Well now the old miller is dead and gone; he left his son to carry on.
If he went to heaven I cannot say; but I kinda think he went the other way.
CH:
Alternate two (12/98:this one is on the tape we are sending to Long Island).
Well, hereâ€™s what happened when the old man died, The old woman wrung her hands and cried
He never got around to writing his will, And so the old woman got the mill!

Interpretive Comments:
The traditional way to pay the miller in most of the world was to let him take part of the flour or ground corn meal. The exact amount was sometimes set by bargaining, but often by the King or the legislature because of disagreements in this important part of the economy. The American colonies had similar concerns and rules. Millers were not necessarily rich, but they had a different life-style than the typical farmer and had income even when the crops were poor. And it is true that some millers had a reputation for bending the rules.
When the miller says his â€œrace is runâ€ he uses a play on words to suggest that his life is almost over and that his work with the â€œmill raceâ€ (manmade passage to take water to the mill) is almost done. When the eldest son says he will take one â€œjillâ€ he is mentioning an old liquid measurement not usually associated with mills. (Perhaps a hint about measuring corn whiskey? Sometimes there was a distillery near the mill.) Wives and widows sometimes ran mills, but the alternate vese about the old woman getting the mill sounds like a recent additon to me.

07.01 practice tape NY

GOOD OLD COLONY DAYS

In the good old colony days, when we lived under the king
There was a miller and a weaver and a little tailor, three jolly rogues of Lynn
Three jolly rogues of Lynn, three jolly rogues of Lynn
There was a miller and a weaver and a little tailor, three jolly rogues of Lynn

Now the miller, he stole corn; and the weaver, he stole yarn
And the little tailor , he stole broadcloth just to keep those three rogues warm
Just to keep those three rogues warm, Just to keep those three rogues warm
And the little tailor , he stole broadcloth just to keep those three rogues warm

Now the miller, he drowned in the dam; and the weaver, he hung in his yarn
And the devil laid his paw on the little tailor with the broadcloth under his arm
With the broadcloth under his arm, with the broadcloth under his arm
And the devil laid his paw on the little tailor with the broadcloth under his arm

Now the miller still swims in the dam, and the weaver still hangs in his yarn
And the little tailor goes skipping thru hell with the broadcloth under his arm
With the broadcloth under his arm, with the broadcloth under his arm
And the little tailor goes skipping thru hell with the broadcloth under his arm

Interpretive Comments:
This is a version of one of the older songs we have encountered. The original version probably was sung in the 1700s or earlier in England about the 3 â€œroguesâ€ without any reference to the colonies. There are other songs and stories grouping these 3 trades together in presenting the point of view that â€œthe buyer should beware.â€ One version includes a chorus that suggests the rogues got into trouble â€œbecause they could not sing.â€
Val learned this song in the 1970s when she was first starting to play the mountain dulcimer. I learned it when I retired in 1990 and decided I wanted to learn how to play so we could play and sing togeteher on the back porch. Playing at the Beckman Mill came later.

Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com

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Date: Jan. 14'07
General Theme: Mill Songs
Specific Topic: Happy Is the Miller

HAPPY IS THE MILLER

1. Happy is the miller who lives by the mill
The wheel goes around with a right good will
Hand upon the hopper and foot upon the sack

Every time the mill turns, gents turn back.

Raining, hailing, cold stormy weather
In comes the farmer drinking up his cider
In comes the reaper, out goes the binder
Iâ€™ve got a true love; where shall I find her?

2. Happy is the miller who lives by the mill
The wheel goes around with a right good will
Hand upon the hopper and foot upon the slab
Every time the mill turns, grab, boys, grab.

3. Happy is the miller who lives by the mill
The wheel goes around with a right good will
Hand upon the hopper and foot upon the pole
Every time the mill turns, all take toll.

Interpretive Comments:
In the years just before the start of the industrial revolution, people were fascinated by machines that worked without the effort of man or animal. The giant water wheel outside the mill and the various wheels of stone and wood inside seemed to go on and on - often used in poetry as a symbol for the passage of time.
In newer mills of the 1700s the miller could stand near the mill stones and control several of the variables about how the mill operated. He often placed a hand on the wooden â€œhopperâ€ or on the wooden â€œcabinetâ€ so that he might feel any small vibrations that indicated the millstones were out of balance. (Perhaps some sang these words because they suspected the miller might take more than his fair share of the grain.) With one hand on the hopper and one hand on the remote control for the water volume (and therefore the speed of the millstones turning), the miller might use his foot to adjust the flour sack - especially if a small one was being used.
The refrain (raining, hailing etc) probably comes from another song and is used here as a chorus and time for new dancing moves.
Somewhere along the line the song was adjusted for these dance directions in a â€œplay party gameâ€ style since some churches disapproved of â€œdancing." Perhaps the words were adjusted by one of the millers who also served the community as fiddler and Saturday night caller of dances. When the caller says â€œevery time the mill turns, gents turn backâ€ the couples are prominading in a circle but break partners when the men go the other way. Then the men grab the hand of a new partner (â€œwhere shall I find her?â€)
It has been reported that the verse saying â€œall take tollâ€ tended to end the dance, as everyone stopped dancing and the men sought to "steal a kiss."
In some versions the person identified as the "miller" stands alone in the circle in a manner similar to patterns used in songs like "The Farmer In The Dell."
Incidently, this song is heard as background instrumental music on the modern video "Seasons of A Wisconsin Mill." The music for the background to the end credits includes the two of us singing along with the mountain dulcimer music. If you want to see the website for this restored 1868 mill, try this website address:
beckmanmill.org

OF OUR THREE MAIN RETIREMENT ACTIVITIES (family history, traditional music, old mills) Val and I have had some fun sometimes combining our interests in a particular way. While helping as volunteers to save the 1868 water-powered grist mill in the county park in Rock County, Wisconsin - we decided to also encourage the saving of the tradition of live music for events at the mill.

In the 1800s August Beckman and family operated a traditional weekend dance event using a dance floor structure without a roof that they called the Bowery. In the early 1900s miller son Charlie Beckman was a fiddler for the next generation. And the five boys who grew up there each learned one or more instrument. In the depression era of the 1930s & 1940s the family built a dance hall across the mill pond that is still remembered by old timers in the area.

We started to help the Friends of Beckman Mill when it got started in the first year of our retirement in 1990. We are not engineers or carpenters, but there were ways that we could help. We began to notice some traditional folk songs that mentioned mills, such as "The Miller's Will" that we found in Kentucky. And we began to save the songs and to see which ones we could learn to play and sing. Our instrument of choice is the mountain dulcimer - sometimes known as a lap dulcimer. And eventually sometimes played and sang in front of other people during special events at the mill.

Jump forward to 2005 and we received a letter from the educational director of the Ward Melville Heritage Foundation out on Long Island NY expressing an interest in learning more about the mill songs we have collected. She read about our interrests in an article in the magazine of the Society for the Preservation Of Old Mills (SPOOM)and wondered if we could send her some sheet music for them to consider as a resource for a possible public program at the old mill on Long Island. It seems that their volunteer system includes a "youth corps" of students from about 6th grade through high school who sometimes develop and present special public programs at the mill. Because of my myasthenia gravis (MG) I was not able to immediately process the idea and get started - but I told her we were interested and would get back to her. And we did.

We have seen very few mill songs on sheet music. We usually learn them from hearing them on the radio or on records or in person. And we sometimes found printed versions of some of them in old magazines and books about folk music.

We plan to record some of the songs (singing with dulcimer) on a simple table top tape recorder and send the tape to them along with a printing of the text of the song. And also send a printed copy of the words of the song. Some of the public domain songs are available in books, so we will send copies of the music by reprints. In a few cases we may try to translate our ability to play the tune on the dulcimer to a written version of music on paper in traditional notation - but it will have to be Val to do that rather than me.

To make it easier to share this information with some other people in the future, I intend to post the songs one at a time on this blog. One of the first ones to be posted wil be "The Good Old Colony Days" - one of the first songs that Val learned when she started to learn the culcimer in the 1970s. And one of our favorites.

If you want to read more about the Long Island Foundation and their mill, try this website: http://www.wmho.org/GristMill.asp

Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Jan. 3'07
General Theme: On My Mind (draft)
Specific Topic: Followup on The Silent Singer Report of Dec. 31'06)
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ANYONE WHO IS CURIOUS about myasthenia gravis (MG) can find a variety of web sites that provide definition and description in different degrees of medical detail. There are also some message boards and newsletters to read where people describe their own personal experiences. I have tried to add my report to the others, but for some reason I have not been able to get a reply from a live person in order to understand the details.

If anyone wants to contact me with questions about MG or my "silent singer report," I would be pleased to respond.

Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Dec. 31'06
General Theme: On My Mind
Specific Topic: The Silent Singer Report
(Note: this was originally written as a courtesy letter to distant singing friends in several states. It is longer than most of the postings in my blog.)

Silent Singer Report
Nov. 6, 2006

ABOUT A YEAR AGO I decided I was having some trouble singing in the sustained and full throated style that is the norm for Sacred Harp singings. This eventually led to a diagnosis of â€œmyasthenia gravisâ€ ("MG") and a period in which singing, talking, and eating became much more difficult - until the proper treatment seems to be bringing me around this year.

This letter is intended as a courtesy report for people who know me and have not known the details of my problems or my partial recovery.

It is also intended as a courtesy report to distant people who may not know me, but are curious about how it has been to be cut off from a multi-task retirement life style that included a family history newsletter, reconstruction of an old water powered grist mill, restoration of an oak savanna, and learning to play the mountain dulcimer as well as learning Sacred Harp singing.

The third reason for the letter is a kind of community service since myasthenia gravis (â€œMGâ€) is not well known. There is a need for people to know that this particular chronic neurological disease is one that is not degenerative and is one that can be treated with medication. It is not a one in a million story - but it does seem to strike only about 50 persons in a million. By now I have met several doctors who have said, â€œyouâ€™re the only person I have seen with MG since medical school.â€

Let me go back to November 2005 to pick up the story.

It was obvious at the special central Illinois singing taught by Tim Ericksen and at the Southern Wisconsin All Day Singing, that I was having some trouble. While singing, I would tend to gradually lose my singing voice and my speaking voice would sometimes be slurred. Part of the puzzle was that things seemed normal after rest.

For one reason or another, I broke a tooth off of my partial plate while eating oatmeal (of all things!). Thinking that some recent rebuilding of the partial plate may have been a factor - I went to my dentist and discussed my symptoms. He assured me my troubles were not from dental work. He suggested that the symptoms sounded similar to the time when he unsuccessfully tried to persuade his father to go to the doctor about borderline symptoms that were eventually disgnosed as a mild stroke. When I contacted my regular doctor, he worked me into his schedule the same day.

The rest of November and December of 2005 included a series of tests (cat scan, MRI, flouroscopy, etc) as the doctors ruled out one after another possible explanation. It was not a stroke, although I had some similar symptoms. There was no evidence of a tumor. It was probably not one of the well known degenerative diseases. And so forth.

One Sacred Harp singer in Mineral Point, WI said that some of her hospital employee friends said that the symptoms sounded like MG and to be aware that it was one of the diseases that could be treated.

One particular adjustment in my life-style became necessary as chewing and swallowing became more difficult - and I often could only eat only about 1/2 of a meal. Drinking several malted milkshakes a day was helpful and great fun (I called it â€œfolk medicineâ€), but only on a short range basis. The idea of eating six mini-meals a day was obvious (and more healthy), once we thought of it. And it helped to slow down the weight loss. Being back to my freshman weight in high school was kind of fun - but not what I really wanted.

One test for MG symptoms involves computer controlled mild electric shocks to the arm, fingers and face in order to analyze whether there is a certain pattern of fatigue that reduces the muscle â€œjumpsâ€ associated with the series of shocks. But the local neurologist hesitated to give a final interpretation and wanted me to have the test given again by the head of the neurology clinic at the University of Wisconsin hospital in Madison, Wisconsin.

The head of the clinic would not be available for a couple of months. In the meantime, I had an orientation appointment with one of the younger doctors in the neurology clinic who decided to use a kind of simple home made test - to watch for a possible change in my ability to move my eyelids after holding a rubber glove of ice to my eye for two minutes. (For some people the main effect of MG is on the eyelids and the eyes.) She thought she saw a change and she made the diagnosis of MG. My understanding is that this was important because some of the appropriate medication would not take effect for a few months and a mistake at this stage might mean a delay in getting other needed medicine.

A month later, when I did get the full computer-controlled test with the head of the department, he said, â€œyou have the classic symptoms of myasthenia gravis and NOTHING ELSE.â€ When I told the doctor I really wanted to smile, he said, â€œI know you canâ€™t smile today, but donâ€™t worry about it.â€ He agreed with the diagnosis and the medication plan of the other doctor. There were, of course, no guarantees that my prognosis would be typical of others with MG - but it was good news.

The 2005 Christmas eve service at a local Beloit church was enjoyable even though I could not read the responsive readings and could not hum - let alone sing - the familiar Christmas carols. It was good to be with family and to have a diagnosis that gave a name to my troubles and a good chance for improvements. It was strange that the weak congregational singing did not bother me as much as usual. It was a pleasure to listen to the singing as it was - and to pay more attention to the massive pipe organ played by the Beloit College music professor.

The winter of my discontent was the month of January of 2006 when I read zero books and sang zero songs. In addition to the MG problems, my eye doctor wanted to schedule my second cataract operation but put it off because of the new medicine I was taking. After an ambulance run to the ER of the local Beloit hospital, I was told I needed a hernia operation within a few days that could not be put off. I was beginning to wonder if my middle name was â€œJobâ€ and wondering what would come next. Both operations turned out fine.

Skip forward a few months to how I see things now.

In November 2005 I took zero prescription drugs and now I take a mixed handful. Mestinon is the main one. The summary of the results is that my treatment has brought irregular and gradual improvements. My life style is still a â€œpick and chooseâ€ pattern, but I now have more choices. My weight is pretty close to my defined target number. A basicaly normal life is a possiblity in the future.

My fingers and hands work fine, so Val and I do more playing of the mountain dulcimers for our music (still canâ€™t play the recorder very well). My 10 year old family history newsletter came to an end, but I still do some selected coordination of research with distant â€œDunnagans of All Spellings.â€ I am no longer an officer of the Friends of Beckman Mill - but enjoy working on an important committee involved in hiring our first paid staff person for the restored 1868 mill museum. Helping Val restore the oak savanna is still a welcome excuse for outdoor work. Val and I still do â€œfolk fairâ€ appearances at elementary school assemblies (along with old fashioned quilters, butter makers, wood carvers, etc.). And we still give programs about mills and mill songs for adult clubs - but Val does the talking and most of the singing while I only sing 1 or 2 songs.

By November of 2006 I am reading 3 or 4 books a month, plus the daily New York Times. My sleeping is irregular because of temporary (?) side effects of some of the medicines - but rest still brings new cycles of improvement.

When we go to the 20th annual Southern Wisconsin Singing in Dodgeville, WI on Nov. 11, 2006 I expect to be able to sing for at least an hour - providing I sing softly. Singing, talking, and eating all involve fatigue for some of the same muscles - so I will have to â€œpick and chooseâ€ one more time. Sacred Harp singers will recognize that could mean some difficult choices.

In conclusion, we still deal with uncertainties along with the good news of the improvements so far.

There are some serious overtones - for example, I have a new appreciation for the survivors of strokes who still go to singings or to church services even when they cannot participate as before. I have a new appreciation for the home spun philosophy that says you need to play with whatever cards your life has dealt to you.

And a new appreciation for a singing tradition that includes Holly Manna, Wondrous Love, The Grieved Soul, Sawyers Exit, Jordon, Babe of Bethlehem, and Lisbon as well as Amazing Grace.

I find it good advice to follow the suggestion in the text of The Grieved Soul: â€œspeak and let the worst be known, speaking may relieve thee.â€

Blessings and Best Wishes
Dick (& Val) Dunagan in Wisconsin
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Date: Dec. 30'06
General Theme: Experimental Draft
Specific Topic: Typing the text of a draft posting for the blog
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SOMEONE POINTED OUT TO ME that he never used a word processor and always typed information for the Wiki Project directly into the form. Aside from the fact that I lost several of my first articles when I was first learning how to submit for the blog - it seems that perhaps I should try the same system.
Actually, the next topic I want to write about is perhaps my "Silent Singer Report" or perhaps the text for "Auld Lange Syne." And I suspect I have the spelling wrong. So when I rewrite this draft I hope to have the correct spelling on hand.
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Date: Dec. 29'06
General Theme: DOAS research
Specific Topic: Academic & professional contacts
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HERE IS A SAMPLE of a letter I sent to the Yahoo Dunagans List. After writing the letter I realized it's perhaps the kind of discussion that should be in a blog rather than in a "list" that deals more often on the specific facts of genealogical data.
The initial letter and my response follow:

Dear Judy & everyone-
I cannot identify SP Dunagan, but still enjoy the letters and wish to make a few comments. From time to time in computer searches I have found listings for DOAS with academic orientation - but usually have not been able to establish a lasting correspondance. Professional people with high qualifications and demanding jobs supervising museums or scientific research organizations do not always respond to the mysteries of genealogy. Since their academic careers often require them to publish new information in their field of specialty, they often get their names in the kinds of lists that Google can find.

Some further thoughts. One is that people in the university and professional research worlds sometimes have good contacts and may pass a genealogy question on to a cousin or friend who may be helpful. And their secretaries or assistants may sometimes provide accurate help when the listed person chooses not to be personally involved in correspondance.

One example - J. Conrad Dunagan of Monahans, Texas was mainly a Coca Cola salesman who became a successful businessman - but he became a part of the academic world because of his charity and community work. For example, in helping to establish a new state park. And in serving several years on the volunteer board of directors of the Texas Historical Society. The point is that I got some helpful information from him even though he seemed to be too busy to write letters. Several bits of information came from his secretary (who did some of his genealogy searching) and from a telephone call in which he expressed doubt about some of my ideas - but still had some helpful advice about what counties to check.

If you Google his name, you will see what his business and academic world was like.

Another example: in occasionally reading news about Michigan I have encountered articles by an African American economist Dunagan(don't have his first name because of lost notes) and articles about an African American opera singer Dunnigan - but have never been able to get a reply to letters. For that matter, I have tried to get in contact with Deanna Dunagan, the daughter of J. Conrad Dunagan of Texas, who is an experienced TV actress now active in professional theatre in Chicago - without results.

I know I am rambling, but the point is that it is important to keep trying on these names for possible contacts.

Best wishes,
Dick Dunagan, former editor
DUNNAGANS OF ALL SPELLINGS (DOAS) newsletter 1996-2005
1969 Pioneer Drive
Beloit WI 53511
Email address: RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Dec.27'06
General Theme: DOAS research & "Highlights"
Specific Topic: Content and cost for my "new" book called "DOAS Highlights" (posting is longer than usual)
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HERE ARE TWO SAMPLES of articles from back issues of the DOAS Newsletter that are reprinted in the DOAS Highlights book:

DOAS HIGHLIGHTS: SAMPLE ONE
(Sketch Map here at top of page)
"From Sea to Shining Sea"

VA - Clerks wrote DUNNIGE, DUNIKIN, DUNNINGHAM etc. for some of the immigrants in the early1700s who seem to make the connection with the Dunnagans of Granville, Orange, and Surry counties of North Carolina.

NC - Many [most?] researchers say the father of Ezekial Dunnagan in the 1700s was Joseph Dunnagan of Orange Co NC. Other NC DOAS who were adults [or almost 21] in the 1700s included Ashby, Ashly?, Charles, Cornelus?, Daniel, James, Jesse, John, Joseph jr [son or younger relative?], Jos?, Joshua, Sherrid, Thomas sr, Thomas jr [son or younger relative?], Timothy, Tyre, William, other?
Some apparently went west without living in Georgia very long or perhaps not at all.

GA - Ezekial Dunnagan was family leader of the Dunnagans of north Georgia.
- Stephen R. Dunagan was born in Hall Co GA as son of Ezekial Dunnagan.

AL - Stephen R. Dunagan & family to Sand Mountain area of northeast AL before civil war.
- Lorenzo Dow Dunagan was born in Marshall AL. as son of Stephen R. Dunagan [or in GA?]
- Stephen R. Dunagan served in Confederate forces during the civil war.

TX - Stephen R. Dunagan moved his family [with some McCleskeys] to Texas after the civil war.

AZ - Lorenzo Dow Dunagan moved his family [with some McCleskeys] to Arizona.

NM - Some children of Lorenzo Dow Dunagan moved to New Mexico.

CA - Most children of 2nd marriage of Lorenzo Dow Dunagan moved to California.

WA - Some grandchildren of Lorenzo Dow Dunagan moved to the state of Washington.

In summary, tracing this family migration pattern comes pretty close to documenting the movement from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean - - - from sea to shining sea.

This article emphasizes one thread of the story of the scattered southern Dunnagans. Other threads will emphasize the middle paths through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas. Tennessee seems to be an essential link for future research. Some later DOAS who first arrived in America in the 1800s may have landed directly in Louisiana, Texas and California as well as in northern ports. And Canada. How many other patterns will we discover as we continue our research?

DOAS HIGHLIGHTS: SAMPLE TWO
(Sketch Map here at top of page)

"Anthony Wayne Dunnigan as an example of the'Ohio Branch' of DOAS"

1. VA & NC Some DOAS in colonial NC moved back north to Whyte Co. in southern VA. Some arriving DOAS may have stayed in VA and perhaps never lived in NC. Anthony Wayne Dunnigan was born c. 1812 to 1814 in Ohio County of Virginia.

2. OH By 1817 A.W. lived with his family in Washington Co. Ohio. Five know siblings born in Ohio.

3. IN, IL, WI In 1840 A.W. was living in Parke Co IN with his wife Cindicy (maiden name unknown). We have no evidence whether he knew the Kentucky Dunagans who settled in nearby Owen County IN. He was in Wisconsin when a daughter was born in 1844. A.W. was a "Canal Captain" in Cook Co IL (Chicago area) when two daughters were born (1846-1851).

4. CA By 1852 or 1853 he was in the town of Antelope, Yolo Co California. We don't know, but he may have been influenced by the stories of the "49ers" who went to seek gold in California. He owned a business and donated land for the new railroad depot. The name of the town was later changed to honor him. You might be able to find the village of Dunnigan on a modern highway map. It may not be listed in the index, but if you study Yolo county carefully, you may find it.

ADDITONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOOK
The "DOAS Highlights" book is now available for orders. It contains an introducton and 10 selected DOAS newsletters for the 10 year period of 1996 to 2005. Each newsletter has a variety of other topics inside.

Table of Contents
First experimental one sheet newsletter. . . . . . . . . . . 1
Why Focus on North Carolina?(cover article) . . . . . . . . . 3
Dunagan Methodist Chapel, Gainesville, GA . . . . . . . . . . 12
Hot Springs, Arkansas Reunion, 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Memoirs of T. H. B. Dunnegan, MO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Indiana Special Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Dunagans of Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Descendents of Stephan R. Dunagan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Birthday Picnic in Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Classic Western Family Photo c. 1884 . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Report From Hood County, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
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Cost: $ 17.00
+ 2.00 handling and posstage
$ 19.00 total

To order a copy of this 149 page book, please send check or money order to me at the address found at the end of this article. We will mail the book within 24 hours of receiving the check. The post office says delivery will be within 7 to 10 days. If you wish to request priority mail handling, please send an additional $3.00 (total of $22.00).

Option: if you want to donate a book to a library, historical society, or genealogical society of your choice - I would be pleased to pay the fee for the handling and postage. If interested, feel free to inquire.

Dick Dunagan, DOAS editor
1969 Pioneer Drive
Beloit WI 53511
P.S. We intend to offer other back issues of the newsletters sometime in 2008 under a working title of "DOAS Documents and Stuff."
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Date: Dec.26'06
Theme: On My Mind
Specific Topic: preview of posting for tomorrow
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NOW THAT WE have had our family Christmas, it's time to print the basic announcement details about my "new" book.
When my 10 year project ended for collecting and sharing information in the "DUNNAGANS OF ALL SPELLINGS NEWSLETTER" I wanted to have a logical way to make available some of the back issues of the newsletter to people who were just getting started.
The self-published book is called "DOAS HIGHLIGHTS." It's a book of 149 pages with some introductory material and then a selection of 10 key newsletters from the years 1996 through 2006. What newsletters to select was a matter of judgement, but I tried to choose ones that gathered and presented information about key regions for migration and settlement of DOAS in America.
In addition to offering information to new researchers, there was some logic, in my opinion, to having a lot of the key information available in a handy spiral notebook style bound publication. People who already seen some of the newsletters might be interested in that kind of item on the shelf.
In case anyone responds to the idea of donating DOAS information to key libraries, having the information in book form makes it easier to arrange the donation and makes it easier for the casual user in the library to examine a copy.
Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Dec. 23â€™06
Theme: On My Mind
Topic: Family & blog & cameras
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DAUGHTER HOLLY DUNAGAN made it down from Minneapolis MN to Beloit WI yesterday with a 6 hour drive mainly in the rain. Daughter Marcy Dunagan and grand daughter Cassie will enjoy having Holly around for a while - as will we when we all get together for family traditions.
Holly has always had an interest in the technical side of things and is taking some new computer courses for herself and to open up some new doors for work options in Minneapolis. She is interested and curious (and surprised?) that I am starting a blog and will probably spend some of her visiting time examining the sites and directions involved. Although she did not choose to teach, she has an interest in the educational side of technical writing.
Val and I finally bought a digital camera and hope to be able to take some pictures by Christmas. So - thatâ€™s one reason why I wonâ€™t spend much time writing today - we need to study the directions.
I used to take a lot of pictures for family and for school, but deliberately downplayed the activity on retirement in 1990 in favor of sketching and other kinds of projects. One reason I want to redefine my attitude to the camera is that I am impressed with the posting of photos that others do on the Internet.
Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Dec.21'06
Theme: Saving the Stories
Topic: Two with the same name?
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I AM PLEASED TO SEE that Robert L. Dunagan has made his move for his first posting in the Wiki Project. I hope that others will give it a try. Seeing his posting reminded me of a story about a telephone puzzle of a few years back. Not especially dramatic, but I found the puzzle to be an interesting coincidence. Hereâ€™s the way I remember it.
. As editor of a family history newsletter I always preferred to get written or typed donations on paper, but they way it worked was that my first contact with a new person was sometimes by telephone.
. I had received an introductory letter from Pennsylvania and was pleased because it was my first contact from that state. The writer explained that his family background was Tennessee and made it clear that he wanted to have his full name recorded as â€œRobert L. Dunagan.â€ This was interesting and I was looking forward to getting a second letter from him.
. The next day I received a telephone call saying â€œThis is Robert L. Dunagan calling from Mississippi.â€ When I said, â€œOh yes, your letter just arrived yesterdayâ€ - there was a big silence. Then he said that he had not written to me. I assured him that I had paid attention to the surname spelling and to the middle initial - and said, â€œAre you sure you did not write to me?â€
. DOAS researchers become used to dealing with a variety of surname spellings (right?) and with cousins who have the same name, but this was new. After some additional conversation, we confirmed that these two researchers had the same first name, the same middle initial, and the same spelling for the surname. But they did not know each other!
. By now each one has learned more about his family background, but there is still a lot we all have to learn about DOAS family history in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Dec. 20'06
Theme: DOAS Research
Topic: Dunnagans of All Spellings (newsletter & book)
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WHEN GROWING UP, I thought that all Dunagans lived in Illinois or Indiana. Those were the only ones I heard about. When I retired I thought I might find out where they came from and where they went. This led to Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia. And to Texas and California. And other scattered places.
It was too complicated to write a book, so I settled on creating a family history newsletter, instead. I invited anyone interested to share their information.
As editor it was impossible for me to tell my new contacts how their names should be spelled, so I suggested that we pay attention to all of the spellings. And pay attention to all of the claims and stories.
After all that work on the newsletter, why print the book? Although the self-published paper newsletter was coming to the end in 2005, there was a need to create a system to provide some back issues of the 10 year project for new DOAS researchers who were just getting started. And it needed to be a reasonable price.
The self-published book is called "DOAS Highlights" and contains 149 pages. It has an introduction followed by 10 complete newsletters selected from 1996 to 2005. And became available earlier this month. For tomorrow I plan to post 2 sample articles from the book and to explain more about the content and the cost.
(New note written later: On second thought, I intend to wait until after Christmas to put up the posting about the â€œDOAS Highlightsâ€ book. )
Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Dec.19'06
Theme: On My Mind
Topic: List and Blog (More introduction)
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IF YOU ARE NEW to Dunagan (various spellings) family history research, I strongly recommend taking a look at the Yahoo Dunagans List. Especially if you have questions dealing with a specific spelling and date and location for your relatives. A short email letter to Mike Dunagan of Texas will help you to get started and then your questions can be shared with over 150 researchers. Someone may have already done the hard work of starting the research on your personal family line. Don't laugh, it happens, sometimes. Mike Dunagan's email address is mortarmike@yahoo.com
If you are looking for my postings about old mills or shape-note singing, those postings will come later for this blog. If you are looking for the "Silent Singer Report" or information about my health problems of mysthenia gravis ("MG") - that will also come later. If you wish, you can write a private email letter to me about MG at my regular email address as given below.
In general, my intent in getting started with this blog is to continue with introductory comments each day for the first week or so of the blog and then perhaps switch to posting once a week. (I couldn't resist to pause the introduction and insert the Horace Donegan story.) At some later point we will start dealing with a broader variety of topics and not just genealogy and family history. The Yahoo Dunagans List sometimes gets into general discussion topics, but - as you would expect - their emphasis is on sharing genealogy information for all Dunagan spellings.
My view of the "blog" is that it is more informal and more personal than a "list" in dealing with a wide variety of topics as chosen by one person - the originator of the blog. I don't know the details of how it works, but we'll see how it goes.
Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date: Dec.18'06
Theme: Saving the Stories
Topic: Horace Donegan

I TELL PEOPLE I am not doing any new research, but sometimes the temptation gets rather strong to at least save the stories. Recently a friend sent me a reprint of a poem from a book called "Great Quotes on Wisdom; Thoughts and Reflections from History's Great Thinkers." The poem was not especially impressive, but I was more curious about the writer of the poem, Horace Donegan, than about the poem. Donegan is a common variation of the DOAS names in Ireland and in some parts of America. My Google search did not lead to Ireland, or to some lonesome attic apartment of a starving poet, but to a ritzy neighborhood in New York City. Here is part of what I found on a web page that was a kind of volunteer obituary page. People who had known the Bishop were invited to write about him. Here's one entry.
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"Bishop Horace Donegan of New York ordained me to the priesthood, and he told me this story:
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There was a weatlthy woman in New York who owned a large country estate which she wanted to leave to the church in her will. She didn't mind a little competition over her largesse, so she invited Bishop Donegan of the Episcpal Church and Cardinal Spellman to come to tea at her Park Avenue duplex. She told the prelates that whe wanted this property to be used by whichever church got it as a conference center, and she wanted it used this way 'in perpetuity.' As the princes of the Church were descending in the woman's private elevator, Cardinal Spellman said, "You know, Bishop, 'perpetuity' is a hell of a long time."
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Best wishes, Dick D in WI; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date:Dec.17'06
General Theme: On My Mind
Specific Topic: Posting #2: More Introduction (About my name & our Indiana connections)
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CHANCES ARE that the first people to examine this blog already know about my interest in family history and may know about my family history newsletter that was puiblished 1996 through 2005. But others may need a personal introduction.
If your main goal is to contact me about family history or the newsletter or the self-published book " DOAS Highlights " that just became available in Dec. of 2006, you can skip the other information and write to me by at this email address: RVDunagan@aol.com
Back to the introduction. The initials in the email address stand for "Richard" and my wife "Val" Dunagan since we both use this address for email correspondence.
Sometimes people write to me as "Richard V. Dunagan" - but my correct full name is "Richard Carlos Dunagan." I'm named after my father, who was named "Carlos" (no middle name) when he was born in the 1893 in Indiana and had no obvious Spanish connections. It turned out to be an interesting mystery.
My father was raised in the village of Center Point of Clay County, Indiana and knew only a limited amount about his Dunagan background. For one thing his father (Oscar Thomas Dunagan; called "OT" as an adult) had been raised in the Moss family in Centerpoint IN because the widowed mother had remarried. OT had been a baby when his 30 year old father (Solomon Dunagan junior) died in 1853. Most, not all, of the IN Dunagan relatives had moved from IN to Missouri by the 1850s & OT grew up learning more about the Moss family than the Dunagans.
Isabella Dunagan, sister of my great grandfather, married in IN and later traveled with her husband as part of a wagon train in the 1850s that followed the Oregon Trail from MO to OR. Here's another example of how part of the family was scattered: I have a document showing that E.W. Dunagan (who was a Baptist minister and was a brother of Solomon junior) was ordered to leave MO during the civil war and go to Iowa (a strange story). I hope to some day find someone who has sorted out this story and other stories of who settled to stay in MO and who went where in other directions. There must be a lot of descendents of the Indiana Dunagans out on the plains and mountains.
My father, Carlos, left IN in the 1910s to work in the tax department in Washington DC and then after world war one decided to go to seminary to become a minister. He was a student minister in Maryland in the 1930s, so that's the reason I was born in Maryland. The family returned to the MidWest and we children grew up in Illinois. When my parents retired in the 1950s they returned to the village of Center Point in IN.
Best wishes, Dick Dunagan in Wisconsin; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
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Date:Dec.16'06:
General Theme: GETTING STARTED
Specific Topic: Posting #1: Introduction
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I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THE IDEA OF A BLOG for quite a while, but never found any helpful-ready-to-go site until now. At least, that's what I am hoping - that the directions will be clear enough to help me to get started this time.
When I took a sabbatical year off from teaching high school history back in the 1980s, I included a plan to start a personal journal for sketches and writing. I would do a quick ink sketch before each writing entry in order to force myself to practice. Then I would force myself to write for x number of minutes, even if I had nothing to say. Since I already liked to write, the journal turned out to be fun and helpful. As I returned to teaching I kept the journal going off and on. Since retiring from teaching in 1990 my efforts for writing have been directed more to the DUNNAGANS OF ALL SPELLINGS newsletter, but I still use the personal journal from time to time. This will be similar but different.
Thanks to Ed Dunagin for helping to get this whole project started. My health is improving, but I cannot necessarily follow-through on every thing that sounds interesting. Let's give it a try and see what happens.
Best wishes, Dick Dunagan in Wisconsin; to contact me write to RVDunagan@aol.com
(End of posting for December 16, 2006)
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Date: April 3 '07 Dunagin Academic
March 30'07 "Interpretation of Maladies"
Mar 25'07 YOU HOLD IN YOUR HAND
Mar 14'07 LAMENT OF A ROBIN
March 9'07 Good News from LDS Library in Utah
March 4'07 "Interpretation of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
March 2'07 DNA & Possible Use of "DUNCAN" Surname
Feb. 30'07 Confirmation of Slavery Data in Surry Co NC
Feb. 29'07 FEBRUARY IN WISCONSIN
Feb. 27'07 Go West, Young Man
Feb. 23'07 SOMEBODY CALLS AFTER TEN P.M.
Feb. 16'07 Solomon's People & great plains west (draft)
Feb. 4'07 Super Bowl Sunday
Feb. 3'07 Saving the Stories:Using Speculation For Research
Jan. 31'07 Saving the Stories: Coincidence about 2governors?
Jan. 27'07 Helping People In Long Island Plan A Mill Program
Jan. 25'07 Solomon's People and DOAS Research: Specific Topic: Renewing Contacts (draft)
Jan. 22'07 When Donating A Book To A Library
Jan. 20'07 Re: New York Times article
Jan. 18'07 Millers Will
Jan. 16'07 Good Old Colony Days
Jan. 14'07 Happy Is the Miller
Jan. 10'07 Sharing Mill Songs
Jan. 3'07 Followup on The Silent Singer Report
Dec. 31'06 The Silent Singer Report
Dec. 30'06 Typing the text of a draft posting for the blog
Dec. 29'06 Academic & professional contacts
Dec.27'06 Content and cost for my "new" book called "DOAS ( Highlights" (posting is longer than ususal)
Dec.26'06 Preview of posting for tomorrow
Dec. 23â€™06 Family & blog & cameras
Dec.21'06 Saving the Stories: Same name?
Dec. 20'06 Dunnagans of All Spellings (newsletter & book)
Dec.19'06 List and Blog (More introduction)
Dec.18'06 Theme: Saving the Stories: Horace Donegan
Dec.17'06 More Introduction
Dec.16'06: General Theme: GETTING STARTED: Introduction
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THE TABLE OF CONTENTS (above) IS IN REVERSE ORDER

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Dick Dunagan in WI

Submitted by Dick Dunagan on Wed, 2007-03-07 18:52.

I am writing here only because I can't figure out how to use this section. Grumble.
Dick Dunagan in WI

Dick, this section is here to allow anyone to comment and then it must be approved by you before it appears to other users.
Ed Dunagin in MT

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