Thomas Taylor Dunaway, prominent Marion businessman and three term city alderman, was the son of Samuel McNight Dunaway (1809 – 1876) and Julia Tarpley (1817 – 1893). Samuel was an early pioneer in Williamson County and helped settle the village of Bainbridge. He was a merchant, railroad president and he bought and sold much land in Williamson County’s early period. Thomas was the brother of Samuel Washington Dunaway and 12 other siblings, Thomas being the last born.
Thomas was born on May 16, 1848 near the pioneer village of Bainbridge. He was married to Bethena Mary Benson on Aug 27, 1868 in Saline County, Illinois. His wife, Bethena Mary Benson, was born on January 25, 1852 and was the daughter of A.T. Benson and Julia Boyer.
In 1870 he was 22 and living with his wife Bethena and son John in East Marion Township near Crab Orchard. Thomas bought 177 acres from the government in the northeast corner of section 21, T9, R2E (just south of the village of Bainbridge. The road from old route 13 to Chamness (in what is today Ordill) ran through his land.
An extension to an organization called the Knights of Honor was chartered June 1, 1880. It was called the Egyptian Lodge, No. 325, Knights & Ladies of Honor and Thomas and his wife were charter members.
In 1880 Thomas was listed as a dry goods merchant in Marion where they lived. He and Bethena had only two children living at home, Julia and Ethel. John who would be 12 years old is not listed on the census.
In 1883 Thomas served as alderman for the city of Marion under Mayor James C. Jackson. He served with the following other aldermen: T. J. Goodall, John P. Moore, G. W. Evans, and Shannon Holland. He also served as alderman in 1889 and 1890 under Mayor William T. Davis. The other alderman during those two terms were; Charles H. Denison, J.A. Ensminger, O.S. Tippy, A.B. Scurlock, Joseph Fozard, J.H. Burnett, and A.J. Binkley.
His wife, Bethena, died on July 15, 1883 and on June 11, 1884 Thomas married her sister Emma. Emma was born September 1, 1862 and died April 9, 1934. They lived at 306 S. Market Street.
About 1885 Thomas and one of his brothers built the Dunaway Opera House on the west side of the square where the old F. W. Woolworth store stands today. He sold general merchandise on the south side of the square in the Dunaway block, which would be the 800 section.
All during this 20 year period, Thomas was buying and selling real estate. During this same period he had 6 foreclosures of property and 9 cases of assumpsit or recovery of damages. He also had 9 cases of appeal indicating that the original charge had not been successful.
When Goodspeed’s history of the county was published around 1887, Thomas Dunaway was listed as among the Marion merchants. Prominent Marion attorney, Richmond Roe Fowler, worked as a clerk in one of Dunaway’s stores as a youth.
In the 1900 census, the Dunaway family was living at 306 S. Market Street. Thomas was listed as a merchant. He and his wife had a family of six children in the home. Children present were Julia 25, Ethel 20, children of Thomas and Bethena, and Mable 15, Cleo 10, Bessie 7 and Samuel 5, children of Thomas and Emma.
By the 1910 census, two of the girls had married. The four at home were Mabel 25, Cleo 20, Bessie 16 and Samuel 15. Mabel and Cleo were public school teachers.
Thomas was an active member of the Christian Church as well as being a Mason in Fellowship Lodge 89.
The 1920 census records for their family have not been found. Thomas died on Feb 11, 1921. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.
In 1930 Emma and Mable were living alone in the family home. Mabel was a school teacher.
In 1940 Mable was still living in the family home. She had a lodger, Herbert Garrison, an attorney.
Notes on the Children:
Julia Dunaway was born in 1872 and died Mar 1 1948. She married James Caulfield Mitchell a man some years older than she on December 7, 1902. In 1910 they were living at their home at 402 S Market Street with two of his children by an earlier marriage. Her parents lived next door at 306 S Market. He was cashier at the 1st National Bank. J.C. died May 30, 1927 and Julia remained at their home on South Market Street sometimes taking in roomers. In 1930 Mary Arford and Dorothy Dolan, Marion High School teachers, were living with her. She died on March 1, 1848 at the age of 76.
Ethel Dunaway was born in Aug of 1879. She married Ross Hendrickson Cunningham and they lived in Lowell, Cochise County, Arizona. They had a son Roy H. Cunningham. Ethel died in 1948.
Mabel Dunaway was born on April 26, 1885, at Marion. She was a Marion school teacher for 44 years and retired in 1950. Mabel grew up and lived her entire life in the family home at 306 S. Market Street
Miss Dunaway graduated from Marion High School in the class of 1904 and attended Teachers College in Chautauqua, New York, the University of Chicago and Southern Illinois Normal Teachers College.
She was a member of the Marion Christian Church and an honorary member of the church’s board of trustees. She had served as board member and secretary and taught in the church Sunday school for many years. She also was a member of the Retired Teachers Association.
Mabel died at the age of 78 on June 6, 1963. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery.
See also, the post Mabel Dunaway.
Cleo Dunaway was born about 1890. She married Edgar Craig on June 19, 1910. In 1920 they were living in West Marion with their daughter Elizabeth who was 8 years old. He was a salesman for a wholesale grocery line.
Their daughter, Elizabeth, became the wife of Richard Brosi of Pipestone, Minnesota. They had lived in Massac County, Illinois. She died on June 21, 1966 leaving two sons.
Bess Dunaway was born about 1893. She married Dr. James Walter Ferguson, a dentist in Marion. He was the son of John Grant Ferguson and Mary Etta Grant. In 1940 he and Bess were living alone at 615 Thorn Place in Marion. Dr. Ferguson died in 1948 and Bess passed away at the end of July in 1987. Bother are interred in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Samuel Lum Dunaway was born in Marion on April 12, 1895. Samuel became a prominent real estate and insurance business man in Marion. Sam married Mazelle Slater on September 8, 1928 in Effingham, Illinois. Mazelle was born on February 27, 1897, in Marion, a daughter of Judge W.F. Slater and Zula Reed.
Around 1950, he converted one side of his home, 205A S. Market, and started up the Dunaway Insurance Agency.
Mrs. Mazelle Dunaway, 68, died at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 21, 1965. She was a member of the First Christian Church.
Sam, of 205 S. Market Street, died at 7:15 p.m. Sunday, July 11, 1976, in the Marion Memorial Hospital at the age of 81. Survivors include two sisters, Mrs. Edgar (Cleo) Craig of Marion and Mrs. Walter (Bess) Ferguson of Marion; two great-nephews, Brian of Marion and Richard Craig Brosi of Waynesboro, Virginia; one great-great nephew, Clark Brosi of Waynesboro; and one great-great niece, Caren Brosi of Waynesboro.
He was preceded in death by his wife; three sisters, Mrs. Ross Cunningham, Mrs. J.C. Mitchell and Miss Mable Dunaway; and one niece, Mrs. Richard Brosi, daughter of Cleo and Edgar Craig.
See also, the post Samuel L. Dunaway
(Extracted from federal census records; Marion City directories; Marion city cemetery records; compiled by Colleen Norman)