Notes made by Thomas Dunn, Franklin Parish, LA, Submitted by: J. Ray Bowen August 2007 Transcribed as written by: DeWanna Robinson Lindo Editorial foot notes added by J. Ray Bowen January 2008 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Info from submitter: Zaleski, Ohio, is just west of Athens, Ohio. Tom worked there for some time to raise money before going on to New Orleans ****************************************** ********************************************* J. Ray Bowen Submitters note: Prior to his immigration, Thomas Dunn resided Bishop Monkton, Yorkshire, which is near Ripon, Yorkshire and is about 25 miles north of Leeds, Yorkshire. ******************************************** Notes, infrequently made by one Thomas Dunn , of his journey from Liverpool to Winnsboro, LA. He started to work for a Mr. Linch on January 17, 1859. These notes have been entered on unused pages of Mr. Dunn's account book. **************************** We sailed from Liverpool on Wednesday May the 26 about 11 oclock in the forenoon we had a very pleasant sail out till about 2 oclock when a strong breeze of wind came on and lasted about 3 hours it very near made all the passengers sick May 27 we had a head wind all the day and the sea was very rough I was sick toward night Friday May 28 head wind but sea calmer I was a little sick on thursday night and Friday morning. Saturday 29 wind rather more favorable and a beautiful sea all the day. Sunday May 30 head winds and rain all the day towards night and not a very favorable wind which carried us at the rate of 11 1/2 knots per hour Monday May 31 a beautiful smooth sea and a pleasant sun shining day wind favorable This day Tuesday June 1 favorable wind but cold all the day Wednesday June 2 head wind very cold all the day Thursday June 3 a beautiful day with a sea as smooth as glass but cold June 4 the day was very thick and very cold we saw large ice bergs today Saturday June 5 nearly no head wind all the day with a clear sky but the air rather cold we had a full rigged ship this morning it was a beautiful sight to see her with all and set gliding on the water Sunday June 6 very Foggy all the day Monday June 7 a fine clear day we came in sight of a few ship(s) today Tuesday June 8 we got the pilot on board about 9 oclock this morning it was very thick all the day Wednesday June 9 was a very beautiful clear morning I saw the sun rise the morning for the first time since I came on board I got up about four o’clock I always got up about 5 o’clock during the time I was on board the ship we came in sight of Land this morning it was one of the most beautiful sights I ever saw in my Life we got up the river to New York about 8 oclock in the morning we got breakfast for the last time the morning aboard the ship we then got our boxes examined by the custom house officers I was then put ashore into a great big building called Castle Gardens it is a place where emigrants land and they take your name ages trades and what state we was going too they put a check on our luggage and gave us an other so we could get it back our selfs we then went in to the town of New York and got lodgings for the night. I must say i saw one of the finest confectionary shop in New York that i ever saw in my Life there is some fine Boardings in New York **************************** J. Ray Bowen Submitters note: It appears that Dunn became a bit confused on the questions of dates and days of the week on his arrival. I have assumed that the days of the week were correct and have used the calendar for 1858 to correct the dates prior to and just after his arrival in NYC. From http://www.nps.gov/cacl/ : “On August 3, 1855, Castle Garden, now leased to New York State, opened as an immigrant landing depot. During the next 34 years, over 8 million people entered the United States through Castle Garden, until it was closed on April 18, 1890.” Customs records indicate that the steamship “Kangaroo” arrived in New York fromLiverpool on June 9, 1858. On its manifest list appeared the name of one Thomas Donn, age 27 and a mechanic. As this is the only Dunn (or Donn) appearing on manifest lists of ships arriving from Liverpool on that date, I presume that the Customs Officer, or the Ship Captain, made a transcription error. ******************************* Thursday June 10 a fine and very hot we went and sent our luggage off to Zeleski and booked ourselves to Parkersburg about five hundred and sixty miles from New York. it cost me rather short of two pounds and my box about one pound five shillings i must say that living in New York is the better than in England and it cost me about a dollar a day for our board and lodging that is £2 in english we took steamer boat at one oclock from New York to amboy that is about 15 miles we then took the train from amboy to Philidelphia we got into Philidelphia about 9 oclock at night we got very comfortable lodgings Friday June 11 is a fine beautiful place we started away from Philidelphia by train about 8 oclock and into Baltimore about 1 We started away about 11 oclock night from Baltimore one could not get away sooner we then rode all night till 5 oclock next night we then arrived at Parkersburg and we could not get away from there till Monday morning we past a very lovely Sunday. Monday June 14 we booked ourselves from Parkersburg to Zileski we took the steamer boat from Parkersburg to Harmar that is about 10 miles it was a splendid boat. We had to stop off in Harmar all this day for there was not any trains returning to Zileski Tuesday June 15 we started away from Harmar at 6 oclock in the morning and got into Zaleski about 11 oclock we soon found Mrs Longden husband he lives in a wood house he has two horses and several pigs and two large orchards and a good few acres of land trade is very bad in Zaleski there plenty of work but it is stop for want of money they have built a large blast furnice and a large hotel a saw mill and some fitting shops but they are all stop for want of money if we had come last summer we should have got work directly here Wednesday June 16 we had a walk into the woods today there is thousands of frogs here they make a noise the same as a pack of hounds at night and there is some of them about 15 inches long *********************************** J. Ray Bowen Submitters note: I have not researched this point but Thomas must have been confused about £ to $ exchange rates. Most likely in the 1850’s the rates were about 1£ to $5. Place names are recorded as written in Dunn’s notes. Most place names are recognizable in his notes except that of Harmar. Only the “h” could be de-ciphered in his account. I deduced that the Ohio river port where he landed was Harmar because it is the pnly town in Ohio on the river starting with “h” and about 10 miles from Parkersburg,as reported by Thomas Dunn. . Zaleski is about 70 miles from Harmar by road; an average speed of travel of about 14 mph would not be unreasonable considering multiple stops between Harmar and Zaleski. Obviously Dunn had prior contact with Mrs. Longden but the connection remains a mystery. **************************************** there is a vast of crickets here in the fields and they whistle very loud they call the frogs and crickets the american band of music Thursday June 17 all the ______ here _____ they ____ _____very______ ____ a____ with ____ _____ and ______ ______ _______ ______ be as happy as a little ______ for he _____ it ____ very ______ and _____ ______ ______ ______ a ______ does in England (rest of page un readable) I started work for Mr.Linch on the 17 of January 1859 at Winsbro in Franklin Parish in the state of Lousiana North America. I want $25 c10 from John Willis for wages. I started... ************************ During the time that i was in New Orleans i recieved 44 Dollars & 30 cents for work that i had done during the time i was in Saint Louis i recieved about 120 Dollars. ********************************** I started from Saint Louis to New Orleans on the 13th of November 1858 I started from Zaleski on the 6th of July for saint Louis I started from New Orleans to Winsbro on the 7th of January ******************************************* I started work for Mr Willis on the 3rd of February 1859 ****************************** Willis gin house took fire on the 23rd. of March 1859 ******************** I started again for Mr. Willis on the 5th. of May. *********************** I went to New York Monday October the 3rd. ********************** I started work again on October 27th. ***************** I started work for Mr. Robert Flowers on Friday January the 27 th . Submitters note: For some reason, known only to Thomas Dunn, this passage was marked over. From this point on, Thomas Dunn made fragmentary entries, not in chronological sequence. This entry and that immediately following suggests that the purpose of Thomas Dunn tirp was to meet an arriving passenger (s). Though no year is recorded, it must have been 1860. ************************* Due to J. T. Dunn for building a hospital for R D Flowers October 5th. 1860 $70 C 40 ****************************** J. Ray Bowen Submitters note: From this point on Dunn’s notes are mostly accounts of income (in cash and kind) and expenses. Some entries are dated 1850 – 1852 (prior to his emigration to America); others, after his immigration. There are also a number of addresses of persons in England (Yorkshire) and in American cities. The following entries are of interest: “December 1859 Mr. Hodgson laid down for the Brake $500.) ” and “December 1859 Thomas Dunn laid down for the Brake $7 and 50 cts to the recorder of Franklin Parish.” (Presumably Thomas Dunn purchased the Brake, as he recorded the purchase.) Finally, I have found in Shipp family notes that: “Thomas Dunn died on 24th of January in the year of 1866” and that Mary Ann Dunn died the 17th of December in the year of 1882 aged 53.” Presumably Mary was Thomas’s wife. Thomas, born in 1831, would have been 35 years old at the time of his passing; Mary was born in 1829. Although Dunn’s account book was found in Ella Black Shipp’s possessions, the account book sheds no light on the Dunn-Black relationship.