Davis-Penner-Dunn Family Site

Hi Family and Friends, My name is Cheryl Dunn and you are visiting my family tree. This site was created for you to enjoy using MyHeritage.com which allows anyone to create a private site for their family. Our Davis ancestors have been traced to Wales, England. Davis is a popular Welsh surname. The name origin can be traced to the Davidson Clan in Scotland. The Scottish Davis family was a sept of the larger and powerful Davidson Clan. Today the Davis name is among the most numerous in England and Wales. This is due to the fact that there are so many variations of the name. Davis is a derivation of the name David, which means "well-beloved" — popular in Biblical days and a favorite among the Scottish kings. Davis was used to signify "son of David". Though of ancient standing in Wales, David hardly appears in England before the Norman Conquest (A.D. 1066). The spelling evolved in various forms, it has produced many family names such as Davis, Davidson, Davies, Daves, Dawson, Dawes, Day, Dakin, Davison, etc. The Irish form is M’Daid; the French, Devis. For several centuries the Davis clans lived mainly in Wales, and some in Northern Ireland, the present-day counties on the island of Ireland, which comprise Ulster. Most of the people of Great Britian, that is England, Scotland, Wales, and Ulster, and likewise the Davises, were and are of the Protestant faith. The Davises who came from the British Isles to America continued in the faith of their fathers, for the most part, though their descendants in this country today will be found in the memberships of practically all the various Protestant churches. Penner, a Mennonite family name, has occurred frequently among Mennonites in East and West Prussia, Russia, and North America.  Records of the family have been found in the Marienburger Werder  in Poland as early as 1592.  Some History on Dunn - Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Duinn, Ó Doinn ‘descendant of Donn’, a byname meaning‘brown-haired’ or ‘chieftain’.English: nickname for a man with dark hair or a swarthy complexion, from Middle English dunn ‘dark-colored’.Scottish: habitational name from Dun in Angus, named with Gaelic dùn‘fort’.Scottish: nickname from Gaelic donn ‘brown’. Excerpts from "Origins of the Clan Dunne and their place in Celtic History"Lang Syne Publishers Ltd www.langsyneship.co.ukBy Iain Gray The Dunnes flourished for centuries mainly in the present day counties of Kildare and LaoisIt was through a branch of the great 0’Connor Clan known as Ui Failghe that some of the Dunne septs traced a descent from a legendary Irish High King, Cathair Mor, who is thought to have reigned as Ard Ri (High King) from 119 to 122AD. He was killed by Conn Cethchathach at the battle of Moigh Acha in the present day Co. Meath.  Conn consolidated his kingship over Ireland but several years later Tibride Tirech, son of Cathair Mor, killed him.  In later centuries the Dunne descendants of Cathair Mor reigned supreme from a fortress in the area of present day Tinnahinch (later known as Tinnahinch Castle), in Co Laois. It was a stronghold that served them well until its destruction in the mid 17th century.  English dominion over Ireland was ratified by the Treaty of Windsor in 1175. At that time some of the Dunnes were driven from their ancient homelands in favor of the Norman Fitzgeralds.  As the English grip on Ireland tightened, the island groaned under a weight of oppression that was directed in the main against native Irish clans such as the Dunnes. They were treated unfairly and many took to the hills, engaging in bitter guerrilla warfare with the forces of the Crown.  One base for the Dunnes was the Slieve Bloom mountains, from where they would launch raids on English garrisons and townships. But ultimate victory was denied them as the English extended its despised policy of ‘plantation’ or settlement of loyal Protestants on land held by native Irish. This policy had started during the reign of Henry VIII (1491-1547) It continued through Elizabeth I, James I (James VI of Scotland) and in the wake of the Cromwellian invasion of 1649.  In an insurrection that exploded in 1641 many Protestant settlers were massacred at the hands of Catholic landowners and the native Irish peasantry, while thousands were driven from their lands. Dunnes were at the forefront of this rebellion, with a David Dunne and his kinsmen successfully laying siege to and later destroying the stronghold belonging to Sir Charles Coote known as Castlecuffe. It was an act for which they would pay dearly.  In August 1649 Oliver Cromwell descended on Ireland with a 20,000 strong army that landed at Ringford, near Dublin, and the consequences of this Cromwellian conquest still resonate throughout the island today.  He had 3 aims: to quash all forms of rebellion, to ‘remove’ all Catholic landowners who had taken part in the rebellion, and to convert the native Irish to the Protestant faith. Cromwell soon held the island in a grip of iron, allowing him to implement what amounted to a policy of ethnic cleansing. His troopers hunted down and killed priests and Catholic estates, such as the Dunnes, were confiscated. The Dunne stronghold of Tinnahinch fell to Cromwellian troopers in 1653 and was destroyed. An estimated 11 million acres of land were confiscated and the dispossessed native Irish banished to Connacht and Co. Clare. An edict was issued stating that any native Irish found east of the River Shannon after May, 1654 faced either summary execution or transportation to the West Indies.  The final death knell of the ancient Gaelic order came in the form of what is known in Ireland as Cogadh an Da ri, or the War of the Two Kings. Also known as the Williamite War or the Jacobite War. It was sparked off in 1688 when the Stuart monarch James II (James VII of Scotland) was deposed and fled to France. William of Orange became rulers of Scotland, Ireland and England, but James still had significant support in Ireland, among them were several Dunnes. His supporters were known as Jacobites.  King James returned in March of 1689 and joined forces with his Irish supporters. He was defeated but his supporters fought until another significant defeat in July 1691 at the battle of Aughim. About half their army was killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Among the dead were Lieutenant Colonel Dunne and Captain Terence Dunne. The Jacobites surrendered in September of 1691.  A peace treaty known as the Treaty of Limerick allowed the Jacobites willing to swear an oath of loyalty to William to remain in Ireland. Those reluctant to do so, including many Dunnes, were allowed to seek exile on foreign shores, but their ancient homelands were lost to them forever.  A further flight overseas occurred following a rebellion in 1798, when Dunnes were among many thousands of Irish who were forced to seek a new life far from the native land. And many left during the famine known as the Great hunger, caused by the failure of the potato crop between 1845 and 1849.   Family tree summary - The site was last updated on May 23 2024, and it currently has 31 registered member(s). If you wish to become a member too, please click here.   Enjoy!