Looking for information on St. Mary's Cemetery located in Benton County, Dunnington, IN. Especially info on location of graves of Mary FLANAGAN and John FLANAGAN and any young children nearby. They lived near Ambia, IN in late 1890s and 1900s. John died in 1900. Mary died January 1949 and death certificate says she is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Dunnington, IN. Thanks for any information. Email me direct at mymarshall@yahoo.com.
melody m.

St. Mary's Church is still there in Dunnington and the records are there, I'm sure. I know the St. Mary's records are also at the LDS library, as a friend of mine has them from that source. I have relatives buried there, too, but most of mine were from near Earl Park and Fowler. I have done extensive research there, but have not lived in Benton County since I was a young person, but still have family there and visit when I can. Suzie Walkup susiewalkup@msn.com

Where is Dunnington in the state (NSEW)? I'd love to visit.

I no longer live in Earl Park, but I'm a fifth generation person from Richland Township, Benton County where Earl Park is located.

It is approximately 100 miles SSE of Chicago and approximately 100 miles NW of Indianapolis. Benton County is in NW Indiana, on the Indiana-Illinois state line. It's just a small farming county. I still get back there a couple of times a year, since I have family still living there.

Susie-
I had emailed personally before but I don't think it ever went through. Just wanted to say thank you for the information and I did get in contact with the St. Mary's Church in Dunnington, they were very helpful. Thanks again.

I think that's who my Mom's family called "Grandma Flanagan". Grandma Flanagan was a midwife in the Ambia area. She delivered all 7 of grandma's children. My grandparents lived 3 miles southeast of Ambia.
Grandma Flanagan lived about the same distance north. Grandma always told the story about Grandma Flanagan walking across the country fields in terrible snow, to be there
when my Mom was born in Dec. 1917.
Most of Moms family records, mothers and fathers, are at Dunnington. My oldest son is also buried at St. Mary's. I live about 40 miles from there now but am related to at least half of the people buried there. :-) It was a small Catholic community who was settled by many people who came from LaSalle Co. IL. Still don't know what caused that migration by many family and their friends back to IN, when most were going west, other than good farm land.

Hi Folks:
I realize that this is a very old thread but I'm intrigued by the subject. I've researched it at length, interviewed historians and genealogists in both places as well as some in Will Co, IL (another point of migration to Dunnington by many families including the Dunns the village was named for and my ancestors). Result; zilch. Yes, there was good farmland in Benton Co at the time but there was good farmland in Will & LaSalle Counties and the ones surrounding them too. Price per acre was comparable and access to market was far better there than in Benton Co.
So, it's a mystery but it is one that I hope to solve someday.
I am related to many in that cemetery in Dunnington and have visited it a few times.
Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you or if you have any info that might aid me.
Meanwhile, Happy Hunting

I was there yesterday to bury a cousin.
I'm curious to know who your relatives are that are buried there since most of us seem to be related!
It is curious and I have also tried to find why so many from LaSalle County came to Dunnington area. My German ancestors from Leonore, IL in LaSalle County came there as well as the Irish side from Ottawa area in LaSalle County as well as Will County Irish relatives. They were all 2nd generation immigrants as their Irish and German fathers and mothers were the original immigrants. In Ottawa, IL there are 2 cemeterys-one for the Germans, and one for the Irish, since they didn't think much of each other. Can't imagine what they thought when my German grandfather married my Irish grandmother, and most of their siblings did the same.

As mentioned in my earlier message, my surnames are Finnigan/Woodlock and Kelly/Meagher. The Kelly family came more or less directly to LaSalle Co from Co Tipperary. I believe the Meagher's did as well though I'm uncertain which part of Ire they came from. They stayed for generations until one branch moved to the Detroit area and another branch died off.

My Finnigan ancestor came from Co Louth, Ire to Will Co, IL and raised his child there. His farm was next to the McGuires, Dunns (James & his bro John), and Robbins families. One day they all sold and moved to Dunnington (named after James Dunn), Parish Grove Twp, Benton, IN.

Meanwhile the Woodlocks lived in LaSalle Co, prospered on their various farms there, until one of them, David Woodlock and his wife Bridget Loughery, moved from Ottawa to Benton Co.

Their daughter (my G-Grandmother) met her husband (my G-Grandfather) there as they lived next to each other. Their son (my Grandfather) went to Ottawa to visit some of his Woodlock relatives and met my Grandmother there.

There are Finnigans, Woodlocks, Dunns, McGuires, and Robbins buried in St Mary's along with the many other families that they married into. There are Woodlocks living in Parish Grove Twp today.

Hope this answers your query.

Jerry Finnigan

I lived in Benton County and went to Church at Dunnington for years so know the Woodlocks that are still there.
My Begley ancestors came from Co. Longford Ireland and then came to LaSalle County, outside Ottawa. My Gerlach ancestors came from Neunkirchen, Germany and came to Leonore, Lasalle Co. My Tracy ancestors came from Ireland but I forget which Co. and came to Will Co. One of them married a Dunn.
I agree the migration of LaSalle, Will Co to Dunnington is curious. When you walk thru the cemetery in Ottawa and Leonore it's like walking thru Dunnington and seeing the same names.