Extracted from The Baytown Sun (Baytown, TX)
Full Life For James D. Dunn
James Dud[l]ey Dunn is celebrating his 97th birthday Monday at the home of his son, H. Lee Dunn, 314 E. Gulf avenue.
“I feel like I'm a hundred,” the elder Dunn commented to a visitor, “all I can do now-a-days is sit, just sit.”
His 15 children were by his first wife, and he later married a second time. There were 64 grand children, 109 great grand children, and at the last count, 12 great great grand children.
He was deputy sheriff of Rapides Parrish [sic Parish], La., for 40 years, and voluntarily retired in 1932. He simply refused to serve longer to the job in which he had been re-elected 20 times to two year terms. In Louisiana they elect deputy sheriffs much like they do constables in this state.
His home town of Forrest [sic Forest] Hill, La., was a small saw mill, farming and ranching town whose population was never over 1000. The nearest jail was 22 miles away at the county seat of Alexandria.
When he had a warrant for a man who couldn't turn loose the work he was on right now, he simply asked the man to show up at his house the next day in time to catch the train to Alexandria, and during his career never had a prisoner to fail him.
He has been a farmer and rancher all of his life, and the old home place is still intact at Forrest [sic Forest] Hill, except that the pioneer home burned a year or two ago. Since that time the elder Dunn has been living with relatives.
He credits his long life with the two facts that: 1, he doesn't drink, not even coffee, and 2, he doesn't use tobacco in any way.
“Just put it down as clean living,” he told a neighbor.
He is a native of Amite County, Virginia [sic Mississippi], and came with his parents, in a covered wagon, when he was two to Mississippi [sic Louisiana].
He frequently entertained his children with the story that he had a fever when the family got to Natchez in a covered wagon, but that the physician that called said “if the baby lives until he gets across the Mississippi river, he will be all right.”
“And I'm still here,” he adds jokingly.
His sight is good, and he walks haltingly with the aid of a cane, but his hearing is handicapped.
He grew up at Oakdale, La., and lived for a time with a friendly tribe of Choctaw Indians, even learned their language. He was a close friend of the Oakdale Chief “Old Tobe” and spent many visits with him.
He became a master mason on Oct. 3, 1896. He was a deacon in the Forrest [sic Forest] Hill Baptist church for many years.
In his immediately [sic immediate] family, two sons and six daughters are now living. They include Dunn, here, and T. M. Dunn of Charleston, S. C., Mrs. W. T. Allen of Bunkie, La., and Mrs. Clara Mizell, Mrs. G. H. Johnson, Mrs. H. M. Bailey, Mrs. I. C. Cook, and Mrs. J. S. Griffin, all of Forrest [sic Forest] Hill, La.
Extracted from the South Rapides Chronicle (Rapides Parish, LA):
Mr. & Mrs. James Dudley Dunn
James Dudley Dunn and Sarah Frances Henderson were married on November 2, 1875. Mrs. Dunn passed away in August of 1924. Mr. Dunn died in 1954.
As of the date of The Dunn Reunion (Sunday, June 13th, 1971) their survivors include two daughters, one son, 58 grandchildren, 112 great grandchildren and 12 great, great grandchildren.
As a result of these many descendants, all that was necessary was the announcement of the place, date and time for the Dunn Reunion, and a large attendance was assured. The date and place was hi-noon on Sunday, June 13th, 1971 and the place was the School Cafeteria in Forest Hill, La.
A brief check into the background of James Dudley Dunn reveals that he was quite a man. A native of Virginia [sic Mississippi], he traveled in a covered wagon with his parents at age 2 to Amite County, Mississippi. James Dudley Dunn was a sick child when his family reached Natchez. The Doctor told his parents that “if the child could live until they got across the Mississippi River he would get well”. The Doctor was so very correct. Mr. James Dudley Dunn lived to be nearly 98 years of age.
The Dunn family moved to Oakdale where James Dudley became close friends with members of the Choctaw Indian tribe and learned their language. He was a very close friend of “Old Tobe,” chief of the Oakdale Tribe.
Later, James Dudley Dunn located in South Rapides Parish (Forest Hill) were he farmed and raised cattle. For forty years he served as a Deputy Sheriff. He could have served longer but refused to accept the job after being re-elected in 1932. Only once during his tenure as a Law Man did he “draw a gun”.
He had two prisoners, one of whom tried to break away. James Dudley Dunn pulled his gun but didn't have to shoot. The prisoner stopped, turned around and walked back to the Deputy's custody. During his “law enforcement days” it is said that if he had a warrant for the arrest of a man who was busy at a farm chore or some other constructive endeavor he simply instructed the “prisoner to be” to come by his house the next day in time to catch the train to Alexandria, a distance of approximately 22 miles north of Forest Hill.
James Dudley Dunn became a Master Mason on October 3rd, 1896, and for more than 20 years he was a Deacon of the Forest Hill Baptist Church.
Monday, November 2, 1953
Baytonian Celebrates 97th Birthday
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