Person:William Dinwiddie (10)

Letter of Rev. John C. Dinwiddie in 1884

Rev. John C. Dinnwiddie, Plum Branch, Campbell Co., Va., writes Feb. 13, 1884

My paternal grandfather, Major Joseph Dinwiddie, lived to be a very old man. He died at eighty-seven. When I was a young man I talked with him about these matters; and, as it happened, made a few notes of the conversation, the benefit of which I give you tonight. He said that my great grandfather's father came from Ireland. He was on the Scotch Irish. He settled in Pennsylvania, where my great grandfather William Dinwiddie was born. This William Dinwiddie married a Hunter, who, it is thought was related to the Hunters now living in Appomattox, Va., and afterward removed to this county, Campbell, Va., where my grandfather who furnished this information, was born. He was named Joseph Dinwiddie, after Joseph Hunter, his maternal uncle. My grandfather remembered the change of spelling from Dunwoody to Dinwiddie. I am not sure that he did not begin it. It seems to me I have heard him speak of making the change, saying that he made it because he had been told that Dinwiddie is the correct spelling.

A biographical sketch of Rev. Samuel Porter states that he came to this country in 1783, a young man, though with a wife and family, and in destitute circumstances. The first winter after his arrival was spent near Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, with a cousin, who was also in limited circumstances. Among those who befriended him was a Mr. Dunwoody, father of Mr. David Dunwoody, who was a venerable elder in the Church at Mercersburg at the date of the sketch, 1850.

Inquiries at Mercersburg brought a letter from Miss Jennie D. Boyd, whose mother had been raised in the family of David Dunwoody, who left no children. The following record was from the family Bible:

David Dunwoody, son of William Dunwoody, was born January 29, 1771. David Dunwoody and Jane Van Lear were married on the 6 day of December 1798. Mrs. Jane Dunwoody died March 5, 1853. David Dunwoody died September 8, 1856, in the 86th year of his age.

Thomas P. Bard, of Baltimore, MD., whose wife is a niece of Mrs. Jane Dunwoody, writes (Feb. r, 1884) that he was born and raised about two miles from the adjoining farms of David Dunwoody and his older brother Joseph, which he thinks they inherited from their father. There were two other brothers who settled in Tennessee near to General Jackson's home, Hermitage. Joseph and a sister lived together, unmarried. T.P.B. also writes: " I have an impression of all the Dunwoodys were wool dyed, blue stocking, Presbyterians. Perhaps I judge so from what I knew of David. He was not only a very superior man in all respects, but he was a superior elder & a superior pillar in the church.

The records of the Church being kindly examined by the present pastor throw no further light on the family. There is mention of the death of William Dunwoody, who was killed at Crooked Billet, May 1, 1778. This doubtless occurred in an attack by a detachment of British soldiers sent out from Philadelphia by Gen. How. The place is now called Hatboro, Montgomery county, Pa. This William, however, could not have been the father of David who was living in 1783.

J.H. Dinwiddie, of Newbern, Iowa, writes (June 22, 1884)

Your favor of the 16th inst. is received and contents noted. I thing the name Dunwoody is only pervertion of the real name: the correct orthography of our name is Dinwiddie. My great-grandfather William Dinwiddie and a brother David, and perhaps another brother, came from Ireland about 150 years ago. My great-grandfather settled near Mercersburg, Pa., and lived and died there. He raised seven sons, John, William, Adam, Samuel, James, Joseph, and David. The four oldest were in the Revolutionary War. William killed in battle; after the close of the war John, the oldest moved to North Carolina; his brothers Adam and Samuel moved to Green County, Tennessee. My grandfather, James Dinwiddie, at that date was quite a young man, who succeeded in getting a large contract of surveying in North Carolina, where he spent several years in that business in a district of country know to this day as "Dinwiddie's Survey." He was married to Jane Robinson in 1788 or 1789. She was a native of North Carolina, and about the year 1790 he bought a farm near Rheatown, Green County, Tennessee, My grandfather was born October 25th 1794; died September 18th, 1872. Father had two brothers; his oldest brother John died in Kentucky about thirty years ago. His youngest brother James H. Dinwiddie, who was born in year 1800, was living a short time ago on the farm his father bought in Green County, Tennessee, more than ninety years ago. My grandfather's brother Adam died in Green County, Tennessee, long before my time, and after his sons were all of age they sold their estate and started to Ohio. Since then we know nothing of them. His brother Samuel died in Green County, Tennessee, leaving four sons, whose descendents, I believe, all live in East Tennessee. His brother Joseph Dinwiddie, near Mercersburg, Pa., when quite a young man. His brother David died near Mercersburg when quite an old man, without children. He willed my father a small legacy. There was one James Dinwiddie one lived in Green County, Tennessee, who, I believe, was a cousin of my grandfather's, but either died or left the county before I was born. Our information is that there is but one family of the name in the United States. As before mentioned, my ancestors were from the north of Ireland and Presbyterian in religion. You speak of Mrs. Blakely, whose maiden name was Dinwiddie, living near Pendleton, Indiana. I have a niece living near Pendleton, whose maiden name was Dinwiddie. Her mother's maiden name was Blakely, her husbands name is Nibargar, who is perhaps the lady referred to. There was any years ago one Harvey Dinwiddie lived near Falmouth, Rush County, Indiana, who my father after some invetigation, (found) had descended from the same family. There is Dr. Dinwiddie in Oxford, Johnson County, Iowa, but I have not been able to make his acquaintance. I have recently heard of a family of Dinwiddies at Columbia, Boone County, Missouri. I wish if it is in your power to put (me) on the track to get a copy of old uncle David Dinwiddie's father's family record, and will compensate you for your trouble. My name in full is James Hill Dinwiddie. I was born in Blount County, Tennesse, April 11th 1825. Any further information you may desire of will be forth coming when ever you call my attention. Please write me promptly; give me the initials and post office address you may here of hereafter.

Respectfully Yours,

J. H. Dinwiddie

1.   Holladay, Elizabeth Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie family records, with especial attention to the line of William Wathall Dinwiddie, 1804-1882. (Charlottesville, Virginia: King Lindsay Print. Corp., 1957)
   Page 157.

   M5 William Dunwoody (brother to Thomas M4), left a will probated in Franklin Co., Pa., 12-9-1796, B. 25. Mentions daughter Mary Beard; son John; son Adam (and his son William); son Samuel, sons Joseph and David and James; daughters Esther and Ann Irwin. (See M17 for data on the sons).
   
   M6 James Dinwiddie (son of Wm. Dunwoody M5), b. Aug. 1762; d. July 1846; m. Jean Robinson 1790 (b. in N.C. 1770). Their children, as listed from their family Bible by Lurana Z. Franklin (M10), were: John Dinwiddie (1792-1849); Billy Rankin Dinwiddie (b.1794); Elizabeth Reed Dinwiddie (b.1797; James Hill Dinwiddie (b.1800); Esther Dinwiddie (1802-1854); Polly Ann Dinwiddie (1805-1851); Jean (Jenny) Dinwiddie (1807-1841); Martha Dinwiddie (1810-1854). (See M17 for data about the sons).
   
   M8 Adam Dinwiddie (son of William M5), Revolutionary soldier; recorded as a magistrate in Greene Co., Tenn., 1788; d. before 7-3-1799. He had sons, William and others. They moved to Ohio after his death. (See letter in M17)
   
   M9 Samuel Dinwiddie (son of William M5), fought in Revolution; had a land grant of 300 acres on north side of Tennessee River; 2-17-1790 he had 200 acres south side of Little Chucky; sons’ names not known. (See M17)
   
   M10 Lurana Zemilee Franklin, a teacher and genealogist, of Dandridge, Tenn.; b. 1870; dau. of Thomas Patrick Franklin (1843-1913); gr.dau. of Benjamin Francis Franklin (1814-1876); gr. gr. dau. of Ann Dinwiddie (Ch. 3, No. 4) and John M. Franklin. Her mother’s grandfather was Billy Rankin Dinwiddie (son of James M6), who died 9-18-1872.
   
   M17 James Hill Dinwiddie, b. 1825 in Blount Co., Tenn., son of Billy Rankin Dinwiddie (who went to Iowa), and grandson James (M6), wrote from Newbern, Iowa, 6-22-1884, a letter which seems to have been copied by Lurana Z. Franklin (M10) from “Dunwoody and Hood Families”. Name of person addressed is not given (See M16). In this letter he says his gr.grandfather (name not given, but must have been William M5) lived and died near Mercersburg, Pa., and had seven sons, the first four of whom were Revolutionary soldiers. They were John, William, Adam, Samuel, James, Joseph, and David. Summarizing his statements: John went to N.C. William was killed in battle. Adam and Samuel went to Greene Co., Tenn. (See M8 and M9). James was the grandfather of M17 (see M6). Joseph died young in Pennsylvania. David died in Pennsylvania when old but left no child. John (son of James M6) d. in Kentucky in the 1850s. James Hill Dinwiddie (son of James M6), b. 1800, “was living a short time ago on the farm his father bought in Greene Co., Tenn., more than ninety years ago.”