Matthew Dunn
Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A native of Ireland, Matthew Dunn was the first of five brothers to immigrate to the United States and settle in Corpus Christi. Their descendants have served prominently as active business and civic leaders throughout South Texas. Upon his arrival in this country, Matthew Dunn enlisted as a sutler, or handler of goods, with Gen. Zachary Taylor. Taylor's army of occupation, at that time in New Orleans, was bound for Texas and arrived in Corpus Christi in 1845. Here Dunn met Col. Henry Lawrence Kinney who, having established a trading post, was encouraging settlement in the frontier town. Kinney encouraged Dunn to send to Ireland for his four brothers. Between 1849 and 1868, Thomas, Peter, John and Patrick Dunn migrated to Corpus Christi. In return, Kinney deeded some of his acreage, including the land around this site, to Matthew. He and his wife, Sarah (Pritchett), and three sons lived in the only house on the road between Corpus Christi and San Patricio. Although neither a death date nor gravesite for Matthew Dunn have been found, he is important to local history as the leader of the migration of his family to this part of Texas. (1985)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Matthew Dunn arrived from Ireland and hitched his fortunes to the American army, enlisting as a sutler — a civilian supplier — with Gen. Zachary Taylor's troops, who landed at Corpus Christi in 1845 on the eve of the Mexican War. There he met Col. Henry Kinney, the town's founding promoter, who urged Dunn to bring his four brothers over from Ireland; between 1849 and 1868 they did, and Kinney deeded Dunn some of his land. From this frontier foothold the Dunns became one of South Texas's prominent families.
Why it matters
Dunn's story ties Irish immigration, the U.S. Army's occupation of Texas before the Mexican War, and the founding families of Corpus Christi into a single South Texas beginning.
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Related people
- · Matthew Dunn
- · Zachary Taylor
- · Henry Lawrence Kinney
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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