David Dungan was born around 1762 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Some sources refer to him as a physician in the Revolutionary War. Medical schools as we know them did not exist during Colonial times. In some cases, an aspiring doctor would gain a medical education by serving an apprenticeship under a practicing physician, particularly in New England. Indeed, the first formal medical school in the Colonies, the College of Philadelphia, was organized in the 1760's. Perhaps David Dungan received his medical training there. Regardless, the first known record establishing David as a physician is a Virginia Revolutionary War State Pension Record, dated 18 August 1792, stating that Dr. David Dungan examined a Robert Fergusson in Westmoreland County, Virginia. This is also the first record placing him in Virginia.
Lancaster County, Virginia, records show that David married Nancy Branham (or Bramham) Demeritt on 19 July 1793. They were married by Reverend Henry Toler, who at that time was pastor of Nomini Baptist Church near Montross, Virginia. Nancy was the daughter of John and Alice Branham Demeritt of Lancaster and Richmond Counties. (More on Nancy in a future post.)
David and Nancy Dungan settled in Northumberland County, near Callao, and had seven children: Ann B. Dungan, Joseph B. Dungan, William V. Dungan, James T. Dungan, Elizabeth B. Dungan, John F. Dungan, and Austin W. Dungan. All seven children apparently survived and were living at the time of David's death. The children's middle names were likely family surnames, following the customs of that time. The "B" could have stood for Branham, Nancy's maiden name, or Bennett, David's mother's maiden name. "V" perhaps represented Vansant, a Dungan family name.
Not much is known about David's life. It is not known why he left Pennsylvania and settled in the Northern Neck sometime before 1792. His father, Garrett Vansant Dungan, outlived David. In his will, Garrett divided his estate among his three daughters, and the children of his deceased son David, "first deducting 20 pounds, to be paid to the heirs of Eleazer Doan, deceased, which Eleazer stood bound for when David left Pennsylvania". So David apparently left Pennsylvania owing money to Mr. Doan, and his father deducted that money from David's share of the estate. Whether or not this debt played a role in David's leaving Pennsylvania is unknown.
(An interesting footnote: two of David's three sisters, Elizabeth and Charity, are listed in their father's will as having the surname Swan. My paternal grandmother, Annie Swann, married David's great-great-grandson, Captain George B. Dungan, Sr. I will try to find out if the Northumberland Swanns are related to these Pennsylvania Swans.)
At the time David moved from Pennsylvania, the Northern Neck, being a long peninsula situated between three sizeable bodies of water, was not the most accessible of regions. It is possible that he first settled in southern Maryland, then crossed the Potomac River or followed the Chesapeake Bay to Northumberland County as so many others did, but there are no known records to this effect; it is pure speculation. Other Dungans of the Bucks County family settled in Smythe County, Virginia, in the mid-1700's, but they would likely have followed the Shenendoah Valley to Smythe County, which is located in the far southwest corner of Virginia, about 300 miles from the Northern Neck. So what led David to the Northern Neck is unknown.
We do know that David was a practicing physician up to the time of his death, and practicing medicine in the counties of Northumberland, Westmoreland, and Richmond. Records indicate that the family was not without financial means. However, at some point, David apparently encountered financial difficulties. In 1807, David purchased 75 acres of land in Northumberland County, then deeded the land to a Thomas Plummer of nearby Westmoreland County, to be held in trust for Nancy. This practice, common at the time for persons in financial difficulty, ensured that the property would return to David's family should David become insolvent. Other court records mention several transactions of land, slaves, livestock, and household belongings between David and his mother-in-law, Alice Demeritt, and to a Vincent Branham, likely another family member, perhaps for the same reason. Apparently, David was putting his affairs in order.
In early 1810, David was arrested for insolvency, and placed in debtor's prison. The practice at the time was that, if a person could not pay his debts, he would be placed in the county debtor's prison. The court would then try to collect any debts that were owed to him. David died shortly thereafter. It is unclear whether he died still in debtor's prison.
David died around 1810 in Northumberland County at the relatively young age of about 48, leaving his widow, Nancy, and seven children, five of whom were under the age of ten. It has been noted that the records for Northumberland County around 1810, especially for births and deaths, are almost entirely lacking; hence, the vagueness concerning the date of David's death.
Several years later, David's father, Garrett, died. Northumberland County records show that, in 1831, Nancy appeared in court to claim David's portion of his father's estate, to be divided among David and Nancy's five surviving children (William and James died prior to 1831).
The Dungan family cemetery, located near Callao, is believed to be the location of David's grave. Of the seventy-odd graves in the cemetery, only five names are marked. Among them are two of David's grandsons and their wives. The many unmarked graves were likely marked originally with wooden markers. Family legend suggests that David is buried here, along with his children and grandchildren. (More on the Dungan cemetery in the following post.) A search of local church cemeteries shows no indication of these early Dungans' having been buried elsewhere.
Much of this information was compiled by and generously provided by Frances Gillions Smith, a descendant of David Dungan, and Carolyn H. Jett.
