In Nauvoo, about the year 1845, Simeon Adams Dunn, a lone man with four small daughters and Jane Caldwell Waite, a lone woman with three children also of tender years combined forces by marriage, he to provide a way to travel for both families and she to mother the children. This was at the time of the driving of the Saints from Nauvoo. On February 12, 1847, a son was born to them at Council Bluffs, Iowa (Winter Quarters) and this son was my father, of whom I write.
A mid-wife by the name of Patty Sessions was called to the home of Jane Dunn (as she was called at the time) to help with the birth of her baby, but when she arrived the baby was already born. He was given the name of Joseph Moroni. His parents parted, however, before coming to Utah. The mother was called by her former married name and therefore Father was called Joseph Waite until he grew to young manhood and even after his marriage. Meantime, his father had wanted to take him on more than one occasion, but he remained with his mother until he was married. Prior to this event he had taken his proper name of Dunn. He married Susannah E. white on December 27, 1866 at Tooele. They later went to the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. They became the parents of nine children – the oldest and youngest being sons and seven daughters.
His father had married again and had more children but father had never seen or associated with them. It was, therefore, a great surprise to him and mother that when Grandfather Dunn was called to go on a six months mission that he should come to Bountiful, where they then lived, and ask father to go to Brigham City, his home and to take over as the oldest son. Mother says, "It seemed strange how these unknown brothers and sisters welcomed him and the way he seemed to fit right into their lives thereafter."
They had three children when they went to Brigham City and in the three years they lived there, one more child was born; but they had the misfortune to lose in death a six-year-old daughter. They went to Tooele from there to make their home but in 1882 they went back to Brigham City to care for Grandfather Dunn in his last sickness. They returned to Tooele after a five months stay.
Father’s occupations during his life were varied. The principle one was farming. He went to Montana at one time to cut cordwood. This wood was used in the smelters and in the engines on the railroad. At another time he went with what was called John Sharp’s trains. With these teams they took grain to Montana and brought back ore. When the mining camp of Stockton opened up, he freighted from the mines to Salt Lake City until the railroad came into this valley and they took the ore to what was called Half-Way, the terminus of the railroad at the Mill Pond in the north end of Tooele Valley.
Several years later he raised garden products and peddles them at the mining camps of Bingham, Stockton and Mercue. He therefore always owned a good team of horses.
When the first Sunday School was organized in Tooele, he was there, making him one of the first members, and he always had an interest in Sunday School work. When he was past fifty-five years of age, the parents class was made a part of the Sunday Schools of the Church and he was chosen as the first teacher of this class in the Tooele Sunday School. His associate teachers were Robert J. Huntington, Christian Park and myself. In the preparation of our lessons and to do this, we four met on a week evening. I learned much of my father’s characteristics. He used wise forethought and prayed for inspiration, which he abundantly received. He seemed particularly gifted as a class leader.
He advanced in the Priesthood, as all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should. He was ordained an Elder when a very young man. Several years later he was called to preside with six other Seventies over the 43rd quorum of Seventies of the Tooele Stake. He was set apart for this office by President C. J. Fjeldsted on February 16, 1895. He held the office of high Priest at the time of his death, which occurred August 3, 1912.
In civic affairs he acted as a policeman at one time, served as City Councilman for a term and was water master for a number of years. Being of an ambitious nature he always found something to do.
The tributes to his memory by the members of his family portrayed kindness, generosity, and faith in his religion and love of music, home and children.
Parents:Simeon Adams Dunn (1803 - 1883)
Jane Caldwell Waite Kelsey (1808 - 1891)
Spouse:
Susanna Elizabeth White Dunn (1848 - 1944) married 27 Dec 1866, Tooele, Tooele, Utah.
Children:
1-Joseph Owen Dunn (1867 - 1947)*
2-Elizabeth Dunn (1869 - 1876)*
3-Martha Jane Dunn Bramet Droubay (1872 - 1934)*
4-Ann Eliza Dunn Anderson (1875 - 1973)*
5-Mary Adeline Dunn Vowles (1877 - 1949)*
6-Evaline Dunn (1879 - 1880)*
7-Effie Susanna Dunn
8-Edith May Dunn Richards (1884 - 1974)*
9-Llewellyn Crandall Dunn (1888 - 1969)*
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