CHAPTER VIII.

The Dunbar Family.

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The Dunbar family, of Berlin (or of Worthington as it was first designated), traces its descent as follows:—
Robert Dunbar,1 born 1630, settled at Hingham, Mass., 1657, and died there October 5, 1693.
John Dunbar,2 born Hingham, Mass., December 1, 1657, date of death not ascertained —presumably New Haven, Conn.
John Dunbar,3 born 1690, died Wallingford, Conn., May 13, 1746.
John Dunbar,4 born Wallingford, Conn., September 28, 1724, died there October 24, 1786.
Aaron Dunbar,6 born Wallingford, Conn., January 13, 1748, died Plymouth, Conn., date not ascertained.
Daniel Dunbar,6 born Plymouth, Conn., March 28, 1774.

Daniel Dunbar came to Worthington about 1800 and died there (when it bore the present name Berlin) December 28, 1841. He is the one identified with the early history of Berlin, where all his children were born.
Edward Ely Dunbar,7 eldest son of Daniel Dunbar.6
Frederick Dunbar,7 second son.
Daniel Dunbar, Jr.,7 third son.
Margaret Elizabeth Dunbar,7 daughter of Daniel Dunbar.6
Edward Mauran Dunbar,8 son of Edward Ely Dunbar.7
Edward McVey Dunbar,9 son of Edward Mauran Dunbar.8

Margaret Elizabeth Dunbar married Homer H. Stuart; children :—
Katharine Dunbar Stuart,8 married John Godfrey Duns-comb;

Homer Hine Stuart, Jr.,8 married Margaret Beckwith Kenny;

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Inglis Stuart.8

Katharine S. Dunscomb's children, viz.:—Margaret S. Duns-comb,9 Cecil Dunscomb,9 John Carol Dunscomb,9 and Godfroi Dunscomb.9

Homer Hine Stuart, Jr.,8 has one child, viz.: —Homer How-land Stuart.9

The foregoing is the descent as it stands July 20, 1910. Referring now to the individuals alluded to in the foregoing chain:—

While the name indicates Lowland Scotch extraction, it is not, so far as I am aware, known where Robert1 was born. His wife's name was Rose (surname not known). She came with Robert1 and died October 5, 1693, at Hingham, Mass. Few details of them have survived. They appear to have been substantial, respectable individuals in the Hingham Settlement.

John Dunbar2 has left few traces. I think Mrs. E. McCurdy Salisbury, in her Lyme, Conn., Memorials, traces his descendants in her monograph of the Diodati family. John Dunbar2 married Mattithiah Aldridge of Boston, Mass. She was the daughter of George (and Catharine) Aldridge (see History of Mendon, Mass.) and was born July 10, 1656, married July 4, 1679, and died 1699 (at New Haven ?). The date and place of the death of John Dunbar2 has not been ascertained with certainty, but is presumed to have been at New Haven, Conn., and to have occurred before the decease of Mattithiah.

John Dunbar3 has left scarcely more than his name. He married Elizabeth Fenn (born April 29, 1692, daughter of Edward Fenn and Mary Thorp) June 14, 1716 (see Town Records of Wallingford, Conn., Vol. 2, page 783). John Dunbar3 died May 13, 1746. His wife died November 2, 1751.

John Dunbar4 (references to him will be found in History of Plymouth, Conn., by Senator Atwater, who is one of his descendants) was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and, with the exception of his son Moses, all of his sons served with him in the same regiment. He married Temperance Hall (born April 16, 1727, daughter of Jonathan Hall and Dinah Andrews), November 8, 1743 (see Town Records Wallingford,

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Conn., Vol. 1, page 546), and died October 24, 1786. His wife died in May, 1770.

Aaron Dunbar5 is also referred to in the Atwater History. The date of his death is not at hand, but as he lived in Plymouth, Conn., it presumably can be obtained from there. He was a man of very fine appearance in his later years, despite the fact that he was totally blind. He married Mary Potter March 26, 1773. She died July 18, 1827.

Daniel Dunbar graduated in the Class of 1794, Yale, and was a Phi Beta Kappa man. For a time he was an instructor in Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. He then went to Litchfield, Conn., and studied law. While at Litchfield he roomed at the same house with Frederick Wolcott and Samuel Whittelsey, and it is a notable fact that the three comrades married three sisters. Frederick Wolcott married Sarah Worthington Goodrich, Samuel Whittelsey married Abigail Goodrich, while Daniel Dunbar married Katharine Chauncey Goodrich. These were three of the daughters of Rev. Samuel Goodrich and Elizabeth Ely. Daniel Dunbar6 married Katharine Chauncey Goodrich at Berlin, September 12, 1817. She was born at Ridgefield, Conn., December 4, 1791, and died at Berlin, Conn., October 15, 1873. (See Goodrich Family, also Chauncey Memorials.)

Daniel Dunbar was usually called Squire Dunbar. He built and lived in a house nearly opposite the Congregational church. He had a good practice as a lawyer and was greatly beloved. He represented the town in the legislature, but was averse to public office. He was especially painstaking in looking after the affairs of the poor and unfortunate, and it was with difficulty that he could be induced to send in his bills. He settled the estate of Captain Newell, and the heirs were so pleased with his mangement that they presented him, as a token of esteem, with a pair of tall silver candlesticks and a beautiful silver tray containing an inkwell and a sander for blotting. He was a portly, ruddy-faced man, with blue eyes and white hair, and full of fun and geniality. He suffered a stroke of paralysis some months before his death, which left him helpless, but it

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was a curious fact that during this period of incapacity he used to read his Hebrew Bible without difficulty. The shock was brought on by family misfortune. His son Edward, who had engaged in business in Boston, was involved, while abroad, by the poor judgment of a partner, and Daniel Dunbar insisted on coming to the rescue although not in any wise liable. This took a great part of his property, but it enabled Edward to meet the firm obligations. Then the sudden death of his son Daniel was a great grief. Both these misfortunes took place close together.

Edward Ely Dunbar was named after an uncle on the maternal side, who lived in Goshen, N.Y. In early life Edward went to Boston and entered the establishment of Abbott Lawrence. His business qualifications soon were apparent and he was sent to England to buy goods. On his return he formed a partnership,—Dunbarr & Motley,—and the firm's prospects were good, but, as stated, his partner did not use sound judgment and Edward returned from another voyage to find the firm badly involved. After this he went to New York and became a partner of Lewis and Arthur Tappan. Here he recouped himself, but had a disagreement with his partners and about 1845 withdrew. After the close of the Mexican War he traveled in Mexico and returned from there in 1848. In November of that year, hr started for California and crossed the Isthmus of Panama, arriving at San Francisco in January, 1849. He amassed a fortune there in a short time. He opened the first mint and the gold coins of Dunbar & Company were widely known and to-day bring enormous prices at coin sales. He came east about 1852, and, after a brief season of leisure, organized with Col. Sam Colt of Hartford, Conn., a corporation entitled "The Sonora Exploration Co." He undertook the leadership of the expedition and led it through what is now Southern Arizona and the State of Sonora in Mexico. There was great hardship and it laid the foundation of the disease from which he died —consumption. Once they were out of water and camer near perishing. In a valley a tiny spring was discovered and he took his station with a teaspoon and doled

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out the water to each man in turn, not taking a drop himself until they had all had a supply. He was bitten by a rattlesnake and only the prompt drinking of a quantity of whiskey pulled him through. They discovered exceedingly rich silver ore ledges on the site of what many years later was known as Tombstone, but the hostility of the Apaches and the long route to the coast rendered it impracticable to work the mines. Returning to New York he resided on a fine estate near Sailors' Snug Harbor, overlooking the Bay. In 1859 he married, at Providence, E. I., Mrs. Sophia Sterry Dunbar. She was the widow of Henry Dunbar of Baltimore. The relationship was remote. Mrs. Dunbar had two children: Henry Jr., who died at Panama in 1883, and Sophia, who married Henry D. Hill of Brooklyn, N. Y.

Edward Mauran Dunbar was born at Staten Island, N. Y., in 1860. About the date the war broke out, Mr. Dunbar organized the Continental Bank Note Company. His health, however, was giving way and he was obliged to travel. In hope of finding benefit in the tropics, he went to South America, but the journey was too late and he died at Montevideo, February, 1870, and he was buried on the Isle of Flores. He was a man of wonderful executive ability, but his imperious temper, which could brook no contradiction, stood in the way of success. He pointed out the road to fortune which other and less gifted men followed to the goal. He wrote "Eldorado," an account of Sutter's discovery of gold in California, and was president of the Traveler's Club of New York.

Frederick Dunbar went early to New York and with James M. Brown and Frederick Seaver formed the firm of Brown, Seaver & Dunbar, which lasted several years. Mr. Brown withdrew to enter the banking firm of Brown Bros. & Co., which exists to-day. Mr. Dunbar then went to California where he arrived October, 1849. He was very successful and was rated as a very wealthy man, and had made all his preparations to return when a disastrous fire occurred and all his capital was swept away. The blow was so stunning that his reason was upset and he was unable to engage thereafter in business. He died, never having married, in July, 1892.

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Daniel Dunbar, Jr., was a youth of fine promise, a diligent and attentive scholar, and a very neat letter writer. He was not very strong, and in the fall of 1838 he was sent to St Mary's Eiver, Fla., where his cousin, Asaph Dunbar, was operating a saw mill. He stayed until spring. He died of appendicitis on May 28, 1839. Here is an anecdote. That forenoon his little sister was left in the room with him for a few moments. The sunlight, falling through the leafage of the crabapple tree, flecked the counterpane with light and shade as the breeze gently stirred the boughs. Daniel's eyes rested on the rippling shadows. He knew that he was dying and he said, "This is a beautiful world. In a few moments I shall have fathomed the deep mystery." Just then others entered and the little sister crept away. Daniel died that afternoon.