Duncan Dunn was born in Scotland, October 15, 1841.
While Mr.
Dunn was very small his parents and his four brothers and sisters came to
America by sailboat. It took them about three months to come over. On the way
his mother died and was buried in the Atlantic ocean. Mr. Dunn's grandfather and
uncle came with them.
They landed in New York on the 27th day of May in
1874. They then went to Detroit and Chicago by the Great Lakes. They hired a
team of horses and a wagon at Chicago and came to Oswego which is northeast of
Leland. They stayed at Oswego for a few days and came to Harding. They left the
smallest boy who was 18 months old, in Oswego, with an old lady so he could have
a mother. They stayed in Harding at a tavern where John Brown now lives which is
onehalf a mile north of the Harding store.
Mr. Dunn's father later
returned to Oswego to get the baby. They moved one mile south of Harding on a
farm which now belongs to Leslie McClure. They had to build up a little shack to
serve as a home. They lived in this place for two years.
Mr. Dunn was
six years old when they lived in this little shack. He went to Hossford school
which was located two miles north of Miller school house. At that time it was
the only school house in the Township, and Mr. Dunn's father helped to build it.
During cholera time Mr. Dunn's father took care of the sick people and
also his uncle.
The people were dying so fast that Mr. Dunn's father was
kept busy making coffins. They would have to bury the people at night for the
disease spread so easily. None of the Dunn family took the disease.
Mr.
Dunn's father later got sick and died December 14, 1854. Mr. Dunn was only 13
years of age at the death of his father. Since he was one of the oldest children
he went out to work to help support the family. His uncle kept house for them
after his father's death.
Mr. Dunn's youngest brother ran away to fight
in the Civil War where he was killed. His sister went away to Iowa to teach
school.
Mr. Dunn then bought a place in Munson town in 1854. They lived
there for a year then moved to Harding, where Mr. Dunn took up the shoemaker's
trade for two years. He also worked in the Harding store. At this time there was
a broom mill and a cheese factory across the road on the corner from Gould
school house which is southwest of Harding.
Extracted 08 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from Stories of Pioneer Days in La Salle County, Illinois, by Grammar Grade Pupils, published in 1932, page 70.
| Lee | DeKalb | Kane |
| Bureau |
 |
Kendall |
| Putnam | Grundy | |
| Marshall | Woodford | Livingston |
