Our Family History

This story is being told as far back as can be remembered...

Around the year 1850 a slave girl I thought to be named Amanda gave birth to a little girl named Frances, and later, a son named George.  While very small, Frances and her 9 year old brother, George, were taken from their mother.  At the age of fifteen, Frances gave birth to a daughter named Sally.  Salled died about a year and a half after birth.  Soon after, Frances Dunham married Melvin Edward.   From this union eighteen children were born.  At the age of sixteen,Amanda, daughter of Frances Dunham,  married Frank Dunham, and from this union eleven childlren were born.  Frank, Melvin, Laura, Charlie, Betty, Emmanuel, Ethel, Samuel, Dororthy, Malike and Sallie.  These are all grandchildren of Francis Dunham. Frances Dunham's daughter, Lucille, married Walter White, and from this union twelve children were born. Frances Dunham's brother, George Dunham, married Lucy Pickens.  From this union, three sons were born. Jake Dunham, John H. Dunham (DAD) and Johnnny Dunham (Mund).  George and Lucy's son Johnny (Mund) married Evelyn and to this union one son was born, Johnny Jr. George and Lucy Dunham's son, John, married into the family of Ledlow and Bell Harris.  John married Lela Harris in 1910.  To their union, three sons were born: Ledlow, Theodore and George. Ledlow married Ella Mae Winfield and to this union eight children were born: Willie, Gracy, Gerri, Betty, Preston, Mary, Dorothy and Lucy. Theodore Dunham married Betty Mae Fair and to this union nine children were born: Jimmie, Arthur, Tommie, Theodore Jr., Irma (Delores), Bobbie Jean (Barb), Henry, and Isaac (IJ) George Dunham married Mary Summers and to this union eight children were born: Lela Inex, John L., Fred, Eugene, Georgetta, James, Gregory and Calvin Now George and Lucy Dunham's son, Jake, married Beatrice and from their union one son was born, Elijah, and eight daughters, Lucy, Eliza, Leola, Ruth, Alma, Estella and Rose. Jake and Beatrice son, Elijah, married Levonia (Jackie) and to the union four children were born: Charlie, Brenda, Vanessa, and Edward. These all being the grandchildren and great grandchildren of George and Lucy Dunham. Now Lucy Pickens Dunham's brother Willie Pickens married Caroline and from this union seven sons and seven daughters were born. Caroline's daughter, Annie Amelia, married William West, from this union one son was born, Willie West Jr. and five daughters, Irene, Emma, Sadie, Mary and Judy.

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This history cannnot tell the hope and aspirations of these remarkable people who survived and grew under a system of slavery and oppression... However, it shows that our families, with love and hope, kept their dreams alive.  The Dream of Freedom.  Learning Pride in Themselves.  This we must pass on to our children.  We owe that to Amanda, Frances, George, our parents , ourselves and our children.