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Sac County, IA Genealogy Trails
Oliver Perry Dunkin,
one of the leading citizens and pioneers farmers of Clinton township, Sac
County, Iowa was born January 21, 1826. His father, Joshua Dunkin, was a native
of Virginia and a soldier in the war of 1812. His grandfather, John Dunkin, was
a descendant of Scotch ancestry. The maiden name of our subject’s mother was
Sarah Richardson. She was born in Ohio, a descendant of German ancestry, and was
first married to a Mr. Riley, by whom she had four children. She married Mr.
Dunkin in Brown county, Ohio, and her death occurred in Fulton county, Illinois,
at the age of sixty. After her death the father came to Clinton county, Iowa,
where he died at the age of seventy. He voted for Fremont in 1856, but was a
Democrat all his life. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and
for many years was a Class Leader. Oliver P. was a lad of fourteen or fifteen
years when the family moved to Fulton county, Illinois, and on his father’s farm
in that county he was reared. He then moved to Jackson county, Iowa, and some
years later went to Clinton county and settled near Elwood. From Clinton
county, in 1875 he came to Sac county, bought 320 acres of land, and on it has
since resided. He has his farm well improved with good buildings and a nice
orchard and grove. Mr. Dunkin was married in Clinton county, Iowa, November 12,
1854 to Mary Jane Clark, a native of New Jersey. Her father, Barnabas Clark,
was born at Ashfield, Massachusetts, in 1799, was a wagon-maker by trade, and
was a resident of Conway, Massachusetts. The family trace their settlement in
New England back to 1623. Mrs. Dunkin’s mother was before her marriage Miss
Submit Hitchcock, who was born in Massachusetts, January 2, 1801, daughter of
Heman Hitchcock. At an early day Mr. and Mrs. Clark settled in Delaware county,
Ohio, and from there came to Clinton county, Iowa, in 1853. They reared a
family of five children, two sons and three daughters. One of their sons, Fred,
served in the war in an Iowa regiment, and is now a resident of Clinton county,
this state. The mother died May 6, 187, and the father passed away in September
1890. He was a member of the Christian Church and his wife was a
Congregationalist. Mr. and Mrs. Dunkin have five children, viz.: Frederick, a
resident of Will Lake township, Sac county; Frank L., on the home farm; Sarah
Submit, wife of J. B. Southwell, of Hayes county, Nebraska; and William and
George, at home. Mr. Dunkin is a Republican in politics, and he and his wife
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
- Biographical History of Crawford, Ida and Sac Counties, Iowa, published by
the Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1893, Page 291
[contributed by: Jim
VanDerMark - 2008]