Lina
Caroline Dunning Jones Woods
Photo Album and Biographical
Sketch
Compiled and copyright by MJP Grundy,
2003
Caroline Dunning was the eldest child of James A. Dunning and his first
wife, Louisa Turner. Caroline was born in Dover, Delaware on 3 October
1838 about 12 A.M. She was baptised by the Rev. E. Read. She died 20 June
1926 in Philadelphia. She married twice: Dr. Charles W. Jones and Cyrus Forbes Woods.
Lina was named for her mother’s sister. Caroline's mother died
15 January 1846, aged 26 years. Her father remarried 1 September 1847,
so Margaret Ann (Stevenson) Dunning raised Lina and her siblings and half-brothers
from the time Lina, the eldest, was about nine years old.[1]
Family tradition holds that Caroline, called Lina, and her younger sister Anna were
the "belles of Dover". They were married in a double wedding on 26 January
1860 as the clouds of war thickened.
When the Civil War began, Lina's husband, Charles W. Jones, enlisted
in the Union army. In a letter written toward the end of her life, Lina
reminisced:
...he served all through the "Civil War": was
first surgeon in charge of Hospitals in Baltimore, and then on the Atlanta
Campaign as Medical Director of the 14th Army Corps. After the fall of
Atlanta Dr. Jones was ordered back to Chattanooga as Superintendant and
Medical Director of Hospitals at the Post, comprising 4 Hospitals in the
valley and 3 on Lookout Mt. He remained on duty at this Post until the
close of the War, when he was breveted Lieut. Col. for meritorious service
and mustered out of the army. He practiced medicine & surgery in Wilmington
Delaware until his death. [2]
This cottage in Chattanooga, Tenn., was the residence of General
Pillough (the handwriting is difficult, so this may not be spelled correctly),
who went South during the Civil War and fought in the Confederate Army.
The house was then occupied by Surgeon Charles W. Jones, USA while serving
as Principal Director of the Post of Chattanooga and Superintendant of
Hospitals in the valley and on Lookout Mountain from October 1864 to August
1865. This photograph was taken after breakfast and shows Surgeon Jones
in his fatigue dress just before going to the Medical Director’s office while
his wife stands at his side. The cook was "Old Sarah Bessie (a Georgia negress)
in the white turban", and son Busy. They stand by "the man servant Wade
Hampton holding “Nellie”, Mrs. Jones’ hackney who switched her tail and
moved and spoiled her picture. She was a full blooded animal and a beauty."[3]
Sometimes there would be time for little excursions. Here Dr.
C. W. Jones and Mrs. Caroline Dunning Jones are on Lookout Mountain. The
third person in the photograph is not named--nor is the photographer,
who appears to have been hanging from a skyhook in order to take the
picture.
After the war Lina and "Dr. Jones" (she never seemed to refer to
him by his first name) lived in Wilmington, where he opened a medical
practice.
Lina married for a second time Cyrus Forbes Woods on Enfield,
Massachusetts. So Lina moved to Enfield. The town no longer exists,
as it was flooded to make a reservoir. Therefore here are some photographs
of the town as it was when Lina lived there. On the left is an undated
view of Main Street. The postcard shows a somewhat later view with the
cannon monument, while the Woods’ home is at the right with the awnings.
This undated photograph on the left shows the house with the
retaining wall on the steep hillside behind the house. There doesn’t
appear to be any cannon when this picture was taken. The photo on the
right is a view to the right of the house giving a better view of the terraced
hillside--part of what made Enfield the choice for creating a reservoir.
The carriage sheds on the right of the picture belonged to the Congregational
Church which is out of sight to the right.
Front view of the Woods’ house, nearly hidden by trees. Cyrus
Wood is on the right with his dog. Of the two women on the left Lina
is the figure in white. Lina’s sister Anna E. D. Cowgill is standing
near the porch steps.
Snapshot of Lina and Cyrus and their dog on the porch of their
home in Enfield. If we were invited inside their home, we would see this
front hall with oriental carpet, tallcase clock, and chairs on the
right in their dust covers.
Going into the hall and turning to the right one sees again the
hall chairs in their dust covers, and into the front parlor. The front
parlor had a painting on an eisle, a fringed lamp on the table, a whatnot
stand, and the ubiquitous dust covers on the furniture.
While guests would be entertained formally in the parlor, more
intimate friends would be invited into the sitting room, pictured on
the left. Plenty of art work on the walls and ornaments on the mantel piece.
On the right is the middle bedroom. I do not know whether this was mainly
for guests or family.
Guests were welcome. Since travel was time consuming, if not
difficult, they tended to come and stay a while. Entertainment consisted
in a round of afternoon social calls, or a ride. Here is Cyrus with guest
Mary Dunning and white-haired Lina in the back. There is a picture of
Mary’s daughter Lucy sitting on
the porch with Lina.
Cyrus was a member of the stock exchange, and owned a box factory
in Enfield. This snapshot shows the factory, but it is hard to make
out. On the right is an interior view of the box factory with Cyrus on
the right.
These are the employees of the box factory. Unfortunately they
are not named, and the photograph is not dated.
Family tradition relates that after the death of Cyrus his nephew
defrauded Lina. In order to raise money she sold a few of her favorite
things to her neice Mary (Dunning) Shoe. Lina moved to Philadelphia
to the home of her half-brother Thomas S. Dunning. She always wore black,
and was remembered by her brother's grandchildren as being rather elegant.
Here is a snapshot of her with Mary (Dunning) Shoe’s daughter Lucy, taken
at 1328 N. 15th Street.
Lina was a high church Episcopalian, and occasionally Lucy would
accompany her on the trolley to services at St. James Church in Philadelphia.
Lina died 20 June 1926. At her request she was buried beside
her first husband and true love in the Jones lot in the Wilmington and
Brandywine cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware.
A few of her things have come down in the family, such as this
elegant dress modelled by Mary Dunning Shoe in 1950, and the small enamelled
brooch.
Notes and Sources
1. Information from the David Dunning/ James A. Dunning Bible, that
includes family records from 1786 to 1926.
2. Holograph letter signed by Lina, dated 10 February 1922.
3. Holograph inscriptions on the back of two similar photographs.
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See the entire Dunning family (or
as much of it as is posted at this time).
Or, see the index of other family lines.
This page was posted 9/15/2003.