The Emergence of Marie Catherine Dunn
T.J.DunnRecords in the Quebec Archives identify a Marie (Mary) Catherine Dunn of Oyster River as marrying, first Mathurin Dube in 1724 and secondly, Mathurin Morrillon in 1728. Other writings covering the history of New France show Marie Dunn to have been a captive of the Indians. She is identified as the daughter of Nicholas Dunn and Elizabeth Roberts of Oyster River, presumably their first child, born about 1680-1681. It is assumed that she was baptized "Marie Catherine" while living in an Indian mission village. Marie died on 8 August 1735 at St. Roch des Aulnaies, Quebec at the age of 55.
Since Mary was captured at an age where she was old enough to remember her parents names several years later, it most likely was the raid on Oyster River in July of 1694, when Mary would have then been about fourteen years of age. The existence of these Canadian records provides sufficient reason to conclude that the Dunn family tradition that has Nicholas dying in an Indian raid, is most likely true.
Sources:
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De la Nouvelle-France a la Nouvelle-Angleterre, l'histoire des captifs Anglo-Americains au Canada entre 1675 et 1760; Fournier |
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Indian Captives; Vol.1; Lawence (unpublished manuscript), AmericanCanadian Genealogical Society |
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Dictionnaire genealogique des familles du Quebec des origines a 1730; 1983, Jette |
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Dictionnaire Genealogique des Familles Canadienne Francaises; 1897, Tanquay |