A Dunton Family Tradition Since 1996
A Dunton Family Tradition Since 1996
| Volume V Issue 3 | Fall, 2000 Now in the 5th Year |
free |
"Genealogy versus Family History"
We all know that genealogy is the account of descent, or pedigree, of a family. Those of us who have spent countless hours digging through old record books, microfiche, and databases, knows that this account specifically consists of names, places, and dates, and how these facts connect.
A lot of gratification, elation, is felt when you discover the parent of an ancestor and a new generation is opened up. However, unless you are a hard core genealogist, these feelings can evade you.
In my experience, the majority of people are casually interested in all of the facts that you dig up. But how many times have you seen eyes glaze over while you are reciting one of your family member's ancestry?
I have found that actual connection to the past is far more interesting to most people than trying to decipher a family group sheet.
A good family story is a direct connection to a past time, place, event and person. A possession, be it a book, a photo, a piece of furniture, or some other trinket, is also a direct connection to that past. Even seeds that have been grown for generations and handed down, or family recipes, can allow us to taste the same food.
These things bind us to those people who preceded us and made it possible for us to be here. It allows us to feel for them as family members -- to live on in our memories -- even if they may have died many years before we were born.
I am probably a bit more atypical than most. I felt that it was important enough to keep my Great-grandfather Dunton's farmstead in the family, that I changed careers, uprooted my family in California and relocated to Oregon. It was not easy. But I think that it was worthwhile.
Nearly every minute of every day I am in direct contact with 4 or 5 generations of my past. I sleep in the same place that my ancestors did, work the same soil, drink the same water, and even use many of the tools and items that they did. There have been changes to the farm - new additions, buildings, technologies - but if our ancestors were able to come back and visit, it would be recognizable to them.
Why do I bring all of this up? Simply to give you examples of why it is important to take the skeleton of data called our genealogy, and add to it the flesh of a rich history.
How? By recording the anecdotes, lore, and stories. Annotating and ordering the boxes of photos that most of us have accumulated, and recording audio and video of loved ones. Make your genealogy a living history of life and share it with others.
That is what this site is all about. This is what it is meant to accomplish. With your help, your submissions, and support, www.Dunton.org can be a family resource that helps to create ties and bonds to our common ancestors as well as our living relatives.
by Michael L. Dunton
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It is renewal time for the Dunton.org Web hosting account and your help in financially supporting this site is greatly appreciated.
One of the ways that you can help is by subscribing to a very useful service called mail forwarding. This is a great deal since the fee is very reasonable and you can have one address that will always stay the same, no matter who your service provider changes to.
Find out how to sign up for this service, as well as other support opportunities, by clicking here!
Hollis Cass Dunton
and the Dunton Mine of Newry, Maine
| The following information and
article was submitted by Van King:
"I have been interested in the history of Hollis Dunton of Rumford, Maine. My geology thesis in 1980 was on the Dunton gem quarry in Newry, Maine and this sketch will be part of a detailed history of the quarry. The enclosed story tells some general features of Hollis' life I have been trying to discover. I am searching for any more details including his selling (probably about 1903-1905) the Bulkley-Dunton fine paper company to International Paper Co. (The Hammermill brand of photocopier paper is a Bulkley-Dunton product.) |
|
| Are there any
other family members with photos of Hollis? Also letters, newspaper
clippings, anecdotes, etc? I can send responders a file attachment with
about 150 pages of history, much of which post-dates Dunton's
involvement. (Have a lobster dinner reward for the privilege of reading
and citing the "lost" diary of Hiram Francis Abbott, Hollis'
partner.) Was Abbott related to Hollis? The diary was in the
possession of Thurston Cole, of Rumford Point, when he died in
1964."
Click Here for the article and Van's bio and contact information. |
|
Dunton War Veteran Project
Although I mentioned this in the last issue, I am expanding the effort and describing it again. One of our family members submitted this idea and the first bit of information, I hope that this project grows with the help of all of you. Please check out the format of the page, look through your data files, and email me the ancestors that you know of that served in the military during periods of conflict. The data will be sorted in the following order:
State
Name
Military Affiliation
Documentation or source
"Announcements"
Submit obituaries, marriage, military service, special events, birth announcements and prayer requests to keep us all up to date!
What's new cousins??? Let us know for the next issue. |
"Life On The Farm"
Being a brief, regular accounting of the events from life on the Victor
Hugo Dunton farmstead in Oregon
| My first summer as a
self-employed farmer was very busy. We had a large garden - mostly
beans, tomatoes and peppers grown for seed stock.
It was very exciting to grow out several family heirlooms that have been passed down though my wife's family, my family, as well as family heirloom seeds that others sent in or were purchased. Look for some of these in next year's catalog and on the Web site. A few weeks ago, I was given a gift of a small handful of some bean seeds that have been grown by my maternal grandmother's family since the late 1890s. Preserving these bits of family heritage is a very tangible way of keeping links with past generations alive. |
With the impending rainy season bearing down on us, I have spent the last several weeks working on the main barn and outbuildings. Much needed maintenance was completed in time for our first real rain of the season. I am still not ready for the long, gray fall and winter filled with short days, and long nights. That is the curse and blessing of living in the Pacific Northwest. I am hoping that I will now have a bit more time available to spend on the family history site. Please send items for the archive, the site and the newsletter as you can. Take care, slow down, live life, and may the Lord bless and protect you and your family. Mike Dunton - 10/10/00 |
You can see and read more about our farm and our garden seed company at:
Note: If you are a gardener, contact us at www.victoryseeds.com/contactus.html, tell us where you read this, and we'll mail you out the current catalog, free of charge. |
|
If you have an interesting story that you'd like to share, PLEASE submit it.
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