On 17 November 1828, orators and oratrices Samuel Johnson and Catharine his wife, Henry Dunn, George Martin and Joanna his wife, Dabney Dunn, Thomas Harper and Eliza his wife, Reuben Ware and Sally his wife, Polly Hardy, John Hardy, Mary Dunn, John Dunn, Patsy Dunn, William Dunn, Alexander Dunn, Lewis Dunn, Washington Dunn, Edmund Dunn, Mary Dunn, Fanny Moore, Jane Moore, George Moore, Samuel Broocks, Polly Newbill, William Cox and Lilly his wife, John Cooper and Constant his wife filed a complaint with the chancery court in Essex County, Virginia. “That John Dunn the father of your oratrice Catharine Johnson & of John Dunn who is deac’sd left the said Henry Dunn & Joanna Dunn, his only children & heirs at law, of James Dunn who is also decd & left your orator Dabney Dunn & Tolla Dunn decd, the father of Eliza Harper his only children & heirs at law, of Ann Dunn, who married Joseph Hardy, who is decd & left an only son, Joseph who is also decd & left your oratrice & orators Sally Ware, Polly Hardy & John Hardy his only children & heirs at Law, of Wm Dunn who is also decd & left your oratrices & orators, Mary Dunn, John Dunn & Curtis Dunn who is since decd, & left your orators & oratrices Patsy, William, Alexander, Lewis, Washington, Edmund & Mary his only children & heirs at Law, of Fanny, who married George Moore, both of whom are now decd & left your oratrices & orator Fanny, Jane [June?], & George Moore their only children & heirs at Law, of Mary Brooks, who afterwards married Rice Cauthorn, the mother of your orator & oratrice named Broocks, Polly Newbill, & Sally Cox, who are entitled to distribution as heirs at Law of said Mary Brooks; of Polly Broocks, who left your oratrice Constant Cooper her heir at Law and now residing of Va. who have not been heard from for the last five years also heirs”. That John Dunn “departed this life some time in the year [blank] having made his last Will & Testament, dated 21st December 1789 & duly recorded…He devised to his wife during her widowhood all the land whereon he resided, and after her death, he gave the same to John Dunn his son, who was a brother of the whole blood to the said Catharine Johnson, your oratrice, & of the whole blood to James Dunn, who the said complainants pray may be made deft: hereto & of the whole blood to Henry Dunn, who is decd and left James H. & Roberta his only children & heirs at Law & of the half blood to his other brothers & sisters herein before mentioned, that the said John Dunn afterwards died intestate, an infant under twenty one years of age & without issue…That the said James Dunn & James H. Dunn & Roberta Dunn may be made defendants…” [Essex County, Virginia, Box 146, Deeds and Wills, 1828–1829, loose paper.]

Around 1839 or 1840, orators Wm Dunn and Rice Cauthorn complained to Essex County Chancery Court: That on 1 November 1838, Lilly Harper of the County of Essex died, leaving your orator Wm Dunn and Mildred his wife who was Mildred Harper, your orator Rice Cauthorn and Lucy his wife who was Lilly Harper, John Hardy and Polly his wife who was Polly Harper, Thomas Harper, James Harper, George Franklin Minter infant child of Nancy Minter deceased who was Nancy Harper, James Francis Harper and Virginia A. Harper infants of George Harper deceased. [Essex County, Box Chancery No. 39, item 39-Q-29.]

On 21 June 1847 in the case of Cauthorn & wife vs. Dunn &c. (or sometimes referred to as Dunn vs. Dunn), the County Court of Essex issued a decree that ordered the division and sale of the land belonging to the heirs of Curtis Dunn, deceased. One third of the proceeds were to go to Mary, widow of Curtis: “dower of Mary Dunn widow of the said Curtis Dunn may be provided for the remaining two thirds shall then be added together and subdivided into seven equal shares.” The remaining seven shares were to be divided such that Thomas Cauthorn and Mildred his wife, William Dunn, Edmund Dunn, Lewis Dunn, and Curtis Johnson and Mary his wife were to receive equal parts; that one additional equal part was to be divided such that Dorothy, the widow of George Washington Dunn, was to receive one third, with the remaining two-thirds divided equally by the children of Washington Dunn (Mary E. Dunn, Dorothy Ann Dunn, Robert Henry Dunn, and George Washington Dunn, all of whom are infants under the age of 21 years); and finally one share valued at one-third of the size of the other shares was to be provided to Catharine Brooks, the widow of Alexander Dunn. On 15 January 1848, Mary Dunn released her dower interest in the land, signed Mary her x mark Dunn, witness John R. his + mark Brezendine. Eventually a final decree was issued on 15 August 1853, stating that Samuel C. Dunn had been issued a deed with special warranty for the land of Curtis Dunn adjoining the lands of Edmund Dunn. [Essex County, Virginia, loose papers, August 1853, Dunn vs. Dunn.]

1850 U.S. Census, Essex County, Virginia
Dwelling 535, Family 535
Dunn, William, 50, male, carpenter, $230 real estate, born in Virginia
Dunn, Mildred, 36, female, born in Virginia
Dunn, Margaret, 18, female, born in Virginia
Dunn, Frances, 16, female, born in Virginia
Dunn, Mary, 14, female, born in Virginia, attended school
Dunn, Louisa, 12, female, born in Virginia, attended school
Dunn, Franklin, 10, male, born in Virginia, attended school
Dunn, William, 8, male, born in Virginia
Dunn, John, 6, male, born in Virginia
Dunn, James, 3, male, born in Virginia

William Dunn is listed as the father of John Dunn in John Dunn’s marriage to Lucy A. McKendree. [Essex County, Virginia, Marriage Register 1, page 31.]