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In search of the DUNAWAY name origins
Greetings. This is a message I posted way back in 2001. It became buried in years of inquiries since then. I thought it might be of interest as a rerun.
These past years I have seen the origin of the Dunaway (Dunnaway, Duniway, Dunniway, Dunavey, etc.) family name be said with some confidence to have come from the Irish peoples. I too believed this for years, having read the book published in 1959 by Elizabeth Clendening and S.Judson Dunaway called ‘The Dunaways of Virginia’. ( Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 59-14861) In this book it is said that the Dunaway’s were from the Ireland. Here is what is said ‘According to family tradition the Dunaways came from Ireland and the prefix “Dun”,which in Celtic means “Dark”, as in Dunbar, lends some weight to this view....’
It all sounds really great but lacks what we genealogists need, Fact! It is all based on someone’s oral tradition whose source is not only unknown, but suspect.
I have been trying to find the homeland of my family since I began my Dunaway research back in 1984. First let me unqualify myself. I am not a professional genealogist,and lack the left brain skills to be much good at the statistics gathering required at such a profession. What I do have is a desire to find my roots and the tenacious will to keep up the pace until I get the information I am after.
I had in my beginning years three mentors. James Dunaway of Florida and David Duniway of Oregon. and Rev. H. Clay Dunaway of Tennessee They all have since died unfortunately, but before doing so laid out for me a multitude of years and years of their research. David spent 11 years in the National Archive before moving back home to Oregon. Once there he started the Oregon State archive in Salem, Oregon. Today there is a room called ‘The Dunniway Room’ dedicated to this wonderful man and his famous grandmother, Abigail Jane (Scott) Duniway. She was a woman’s rights advocate and first woman to vote in Oregon for her efforts. James Dunaway’s daughter, Elaine Baselice of Florida continues to grant me access to her fathers research notes. The Rev. H. Clay was gone before I could personally meet him, but his notes were part of what was sent to me by David and James.
It was David that steered me away from the idea that the Dunaway name was Celtic in it’s origin. He said he initially tried to find this family name in various Irish indexes, both present and past. He said he came up with few names to support this theory of Irish origins. He then hired a qualified Linguist named Kenneth Barnett of Salem, Oregon. In his research, Mr. Barnett consulted another expert on names in London, England. They both came to the same conclusion that this Dunaway (Dunnaway, Duniway, Dunniway, Dunavey, etc.) family name was Saxon in it’s history in the British Isles. David was told that the name began as a Roman soldier’s name Dunnavoci (sp?). This Dunnavoci name means ‘The Watch on Top of the Castle’. This Dunnavoci Centurion from Ceasars Army stayed on in England to marry a Saxon woman. Then the name Dunnavoci became Dunnavey in Saxon. This name means ‘ The castle on the Road’. This all happened in Southern England about the100-300 AD.
David then followed up and found many thousands of Dunnaway’s in the indexes of the Southern England area. He then was steered to a Peter Dunnaway of the Chichester area in Southern England back in 1986. Peter confirmed what Davids research was pointing to. That we are a Saxon family with ancient roots back to Italy.
This now leads us back to who were the first Dunaway’s to set foot on the shore of America? To date there is no other documented area other then the Northern Neck Of Virginia in the mid- seventeenth century. Referring back to the book by Elizabeth Clendening and S.Judson Dunaway called ‘The Dunaways of Virginia’. It covers the lineage of a Darby Dunaway of Lancaster County, Virginia. I believe Darby was the brother of my ancestor, John Dunaway of Northumberland County, Virginia. John was married to Katheryn Ize (eyes). There where 3 to 4 Dunaway’s that I am aware of that settled the Northern Neck of Virginia in the 1650-80 time period. John (Northumberland), Darby (Lancaster Co.), Stephen ( Maryland), and Freeman. (title or name?) I wouldn't be surprised to find out that these Dunaway’s landed initially in the region of Kent Island in the 1640’s when it was thought to be Virginia. Later it was seized by a Lord Baltimore for the Maryland grants. Because of persecution, many fled south down across the Chesapeake Bay to the Northern Neck. A John Mottrim seems to have lead the way. (In 1652 a Freeman Dunaway is said to owe John Mottrim 200 pounds of tobacco). I did find a Ship captain named ‘Ize’ bring people into Charles City, Maryland in 1645. Remember, Katheryn Dunaway’s father was Dennis Ize. Is this the way maybe the Dunaway’s made their way across the Atlantic? I don’t believe that all the Dunaway’s were indentured servants. In the book ‘Records of Indentured Servants and Certificates for Land. Northumberland County, Virginia 1650-1795‘ Compliled by W. Preston Haynie (Heritage Press 1996) I can find no other Dunaway records listing any Dunaway as Indentured. Contrary to this we find John Dunaway collecting his headright in 1667 and then again land from his father-inlaw, Dennis Eyes, another parcel of land. Dennis calling him his ‘good friend’. Derby however seems to have been obligated to a Robert Beard of St. Mary’s County, Maryland in 1674. In 1680 he was given his 50 acre of land at his end of his service for his headright along with that of his wifes too. Derby then moves to what is now Lancaster County, Virginia, in the Northern Neck of Virginia.
I would be glad to change my views on the great stories circulating, be it horse thieves and marriages to Cherokee Indian princesses. But the facts at this point don’t seem to paint such a picture. I find these Dunaway men and their families to be deeply religious and fiercely independent. They did not seem to mix with the indigenous people, but opposite to this were involved in the many fights with them that came with living on the frontier for nearly 200 years in the beginning days of this country as most of these early Dunaway ancestors of ours did
For those who are interested, my Dunaway family begin's with John and Kathryn (Eyes) Dunaway in Northumberland,Virginia- circa 1666, and follows them to Kentucky with the Boonsborough defense of 1778 and beyond. This family migrates to Illinois in 1836, and finally California in 1905.
Any feedback is appreciated. This is a work in progress and I will take any comments into consideration. Any one who reads this knows that nothing in genealogy is in concrete. If you can give me contrary data I will consider myself wrong. Thanks for listening
Regards>>>Will Dunniway 951-817-5113 or email
PS. I need a few pages copied from the book on the early DUNAWAY family by Judson Dunaway. Anyone out there have a copy?
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