Snapshots of History By Mike Avitt
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I believe this is my first time covering Barton and Laura (Stiles) Dunning, the first residents of Mount Ayr. We are fortunate to have a picture of Mr. Dunning as he died in 1877.
This week’s portraits come from page 3 of the Mount Ayr Centennial Book. So, where did these photos come from and where are they now? This book fails to give us the author’s name and none of the amazing photographs are credited. These are the things that keep me up at night.
The information in the centennial book concerning the Dunnings is brief but does seem to have been gathered from obituaries. We’ll look at Barton’s obituary first. It appears on page four of the October 18, 1877 Ringgold Record newspaper.
Barton Burgess Dunning was born April 3, 1809 in the state of New York. The centennial book says he married Laura Stiles in 1839; his obituary says 1841. While they were living in Michigan, their first three sons were born: Walter, Frank, and Day. Barton went to California in 1852 to engage in the Gold Rush only to return in 1853. In 1855, the Dunning family came to the uninhabited town of Mount Ayr. The location of Mount Ayr had been selected by government surveyors. Ringgold County had been officially organized on May 14, 1855.
Barton and Laura’s log cabin became the first home but also the first store. On August 30, 1855, Barton became the first postmaster at Mount Ayr. In December 1855, Charles Dunning, the fourth son, was born making him the first child born in Mount Ayr.
Barton was postmaster for four years and ran a store longer than that. He also raised livestock as did everyone at that time. Mr. Dunning died in Mt. Ayr October 13, 1877.
Laura Stiles was born in Granville, Massachusettes on May 20, 1815. She met her future husband in Michigan.
In the May 24, 1894 Ringgold Record, Laura Dunning wrote an account of Mount Ayr in the early days. In her story, she relates how private individuals donated to the county half of the land Mt. Ayr sits on to be divided into lots, sold, and the proceeds used to build the first (log) courthouse. It is documented in another publication that Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Temple donated the land. Mr. Temple platted Afton in 1854 and his wife gave Afton its name, the source being, “Flow Gently, Sweet Afton,” her favorite poem by author Robert Burns. Yes, Robert Burns of Ayr, Scotland.
Some of the first buildings erected in Mount Ayr were north and east of today’s square. A courthouse and school were built in 1856. There were no railroads in the area yet but provisions could be obtained in St. Joseph, Mo. and Burlington and Keokuk, Iowa. Judge Hagan’s house also was used for Sunday School, meetings, etc.
Barton Dunning had to go to Decatur City to get mail for Ringgold County in 1855. N. H. DeWitt was the next man to get the mail contract.
Mrs. Dunning spent many of her widowed years in the home of her son, Day. She passed away March 18, 1906.
The four sons all went into the banking industry with Frank being the most successful, serving as bank president in Hopkins, Mo. and Bedford, Iowa. Charles died of diabetes at about age 25. Walter moved to Colorado and I have little info on him. Day married Judge Keller’s daughter and they had around twelve children but there are no Dunnings living in Ringgold County today and haven’t been for about 100 years. Dunning Avenue in the “Highland Addition” is named for Barton and Laura Dunning, Mount Ayr’s first residents.
