Unforgetable Uncle Joe

The Rev. J. D. Anthony was pastor of the First Methodist Church in Gainesville, GA, in the 1850s. In 1896 he wrote and published his memoirs and this publication includes some interesting information about some of the members of the First Methodist Church in Gainesville, as well as revealing much insight into the pioneer way of life in the 1830s, 1840s and 1850s.

The Honorable Joseph Dunagan as referred to by the Rev. Anthony in his book was a man he well remembered. Joseph Ellis Dunagan was a Hall Countian and a Methodist, a member of the First Methodist Church of Gainesville, GA, and was my 3rd great grandfather.

"Hon. Joseph Dunagan (also spelled Dunnagan), 'The Walking Constitution', Methodist exhorter, etc., lived within a few miles of Gainesville, and held his church membership at that place," Rev. Anthony wrote, "No one who ever met the Hon. Joseph could forget him. There never was but one Joe Dunnagan. He was raised in the humble walks of life, was favored with but a meager schooling, and had to labor for his daily bread; yet he mastered the difficulties that stood in the way of acquiring a useful education. He read men of his day, had the Constitutions of the State of Georgia and the United States at his tongue's end, was elected to any office to which he aspired, frequently represented his county in the legislature, and was repeatly elected from the three counties forming his senatorial district. No man was willing to oppose 'Uncle Joe' in a race for any office."

This was the same Joseph Dunagan who went to California for the gold rush and returned and buried the gold some where on his property, a large farm along the Chattahoochee River just outside of the city of Gainesville. Of course, his property and probably some of the buried gold is today covered by waters of Lake Lanier. The reason why it is believed that all the buried gold was not recovered was because in later years Uncle Joe returned to the west in search of more gold and on his way home took sick and died and was buried where he died.(Illinois)

"Uncle Joe was a very peculiar man. He could not carry a tune--so singers declared--yet the 'Psalm hoister' had to be in a very great hurry or Uncle Joe would get ahead of him in starting the music! He had a way of throwing his right hand to his right ear--holding it so as to form a semicircle around the auricular orifice--I suppose to convey to his own sense of hearing the different intonations of his voice. He would sing, and, if he raised the tune, was apt before going very far to find himself singing a solo. That is to say, all others would cease trying, and he would sing on to the end. Many amusing anecdotes were told at his expense.

I remember my father telling stories about Joseph Dunagan. He was known to walk every where and would talk to himself as he walked. One day someone asked him why he talked to himself so much and he replied, "Well everyone likes to talk to a smart man."

"When he was first elected to represent his county in the Georgia State Legislature he went to Milledgeville, then the capital of the state, clad in a homespun suit. He had even tanned the leather of which his shoes were made, and cut, sewed and pegged them. They were brown in collor." Dunagan arrived and was assigned to a room by a landlord and then retired for the night. When Dunagan did not come to the breakfast table the next morning the landlord sent a boy to inquire as to the cause for the absence and Dunagan asked that the landlord come to his room. As soon as the proprietor appeared Mr. Dunagan said: "..Sir, my shoes are missing. I fear one of your servants has stolen them!"

The servants and waiters were summoned and informed that Mr. Dunagan's shoes were missing. The boot-black picked up a pair of shoes and remarked, "Dese am his shoes." Uncle Joe then replied that the boy was lying that the shoes he held were black but the shoes that belonged to him were a "beautiful yeller!" It was then explained to Uncle Joe that the boy had blacked the shoes in accordance with a rule of the house. Dunagan then said, "Well, sir, I don't want my shoes blacked any more. I shall never feel right until they become 'yaller' again.

Anthony then wrote that Uncle Joe finally quit politics and went to California, where he dug gold for a time. It was said that he made a considerable amount of money. Later he went to Pike's Peak on a similar errand. "I have been informed that, long since his death, a considerable amount of money, which he had probably buried, was unearthed on some part of his old farm. The honorable Joseph Dunagan was a man of wonderful endowments, honest, high-toned and a true Christian gentleman. Hall County Georgia will long cherish his memory."

Source: The Unforgetable Uncle Joe, by Sybil McRay, The Times, Gainesville, GA, Tuesday edition, February 26, 1980.