The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-10-30
BIOGRAPHICAL SkEIUHES.
JOSEPH ALBERT DUNAvAN.

-Pers in l830-Me Indian
Wy-A Soldier - Fort
| Weiburn.
The subject Of this sketch, we'll known
sitisen OF the town Of Rutland in this county,
more Familiarity known rs "Albert Dunavan, "
was born about eight miles from Newark,
Licking county, Ohio, March Slst, 1872
His father, Col. Samuel Dunavan. was nj"
tive Of the famous Shenandoah Valley, Va,
and took part AMI won his title in the last
British war, fighting chiefly against the In
dian allies Of the English government the
,Coloners farm sajoined that Of Joseph Arm
strong, the father of the numerous family OF
that sir. name, who have since become prom
nent among the pioneers Of La Sale county.
Alber,'s mother, Elizabeth Lair, was also
from the same region as her husband. Their
children were three sons; VIM. L., Joseph
Albert and George, whose father died in
1916. Their mother lived a widow three
years, when she married David Let's. u
cousin of the Armstrong "boys,' as they all
were then. The sons of these two families
were raised together, attending The same ex
oeedingly rustic educational establishment.
AN OLD TINE SCHOOL HOUSE.
This edifce was not 30 imposing as useful
and primitive in its character. This affair
stood near the village of Chatham, and was
Of logs. The windows were simply long,
narrow openings in the sides of the wall,
with flap shutter. hung at the top. When
raised the windows admitted some light and
all the air that was stirring; when closed III
time of rain, the room was as dark as a
pocket! Later on, a modern improvement
was devised in the way Of sliding sssh
with single pane Of glass in the center.
The seats we're slabs, bass wood logs split in
two; the upper side dressed q little so as to
remove the coarser and sharI er Of The spin.
ters and the under side Ornamented by
natures art, the bark! These seats were
supported by three or four legs at each end
and an oval one here and there along the
middle. The pupils, spinal columns were
The only backs to the seats! But who knows
how much the physical frmness and the
stiff back edness" Of character of the pic.
neers was due to this early training? The
same fashion of slabs, fastened slanting
against the walls, constituted their writing
desks, where they stood in row, the boys
on one side of the room and the girls at
safe distance on the other, the scratching of
quill pens over rough surfaced paper indi-
Gated in some degree how forcibly and dill,
gently "the young idea was taught to shoot'''
SERIOUSLY HURT.
One day while number of the boys were
playing ball, in the old fashioned game Of
bull pen," he was thrown at and missed, the
ball rolling out into the road. Aman named
Lemon, who was partly under the influence
of liquor, happening along, picked up the
ball and boosted that he could hit Albert and
dared him for trial. Albert trusting to his
skill as an expert dodger, and considering
the fellows condition, offered him the prvi'
lege. Lemon made q tremendous flourish
as If to throw the ball, but, instead, sudden.
ly jerked it under his arm. The ball which
was very hard one, took an upward course
and struck Albert in the face, just under the
left eye, breaking the bone and knocking
him over. After while he revived and the
wound dressed by doctor, healed and seem
ed to be all right and so remained for over
thirty years, when some time ago it broke
open afresh and ever since has given him
great pain and anxiety and is now constant
care and trouble.
COMING WEST.
In 1880 his stepfather concluded to come
west where the boys could have chance "to
grow up with the country" They obtained
twolarge and very strong wagons. Into these
they packed their household goods, some
farming tools ana among other things the
machinery necessary for a saw mill. One
wagon was hauled by two yoke of oxen and
the other by four horses driven by Albert.
The sold folks his mother and stepfather,
rode in a large comfortable covered carriage
whose dimensions were such as to afford
them sleeping room besides carrying large
miscellaneous assortment of useful articles.
The others of the movers had big tent to
protect them from rain at night.
THE ROUTE.
Starting from their old home in Licking
county, they came to Columbus and thence
to Springfield, Ohio; from there to Strswtown
Ind, a village on the Wabash river. Cross.
ing this stream they struck what was then
known as ''the wilderness" large track of
timber and prairie across which there was
not a solitary road or trail save dim trace,
now lost and again found, only to be lost
again, left by John Green's moving party,
which had proceeded them the previous fall
After many days Of tedious marching
through 'fhe wilderness they arrived at
"Kirkes prairie, east Of where Blooming
ton now stands. They came on, crossing the