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 14, Family 40
Cauthorn, Thomas, 39, male, manager, born in Virginia
Cauthorn, Mildred, 29, female, born in Virginia
Cauthorn, Elizabeth, 12, female, born in Virginia
Cauthorn, Virginia, 7, female, born in Virginia
Cauthorn, Roberta, 5, female, born in Virginia
Cauthorn, Mary, 5, female, born in Virginia