Meet Burr and Nancy and part of their family. One, two, three, four, five....I could never square the half-dozen family photos because there's a different jumble of children in every picture. That's when I realized there were eventually twelve, with ten surviving to adulthood. The Dunkle kiddies appear cheerful and rambunctious. I don't think they could be corralled into the same frame.
By modern standards this family looks like a classic, "yours, mine and ours" scenario, though in the 1920s they were all of the "ours" variety. The Dunkles feature prominently in Artena Arising, and are always in action. Nancy plies Artena and the missionaries with treats, Burr strings electric lights for a ward party, and everyone enjoys a "feed" on the 4th of July.
I always assumed the Dunkles were poor—though jolly—and I can't pinpoint the location of their home in 1923-24 because they moved constantly (perhaps in search of ever-larger accommodations?). But the 1920 census lists Burr's occupation as "City Commissioner" and they seem rather generous.
Silvia's the Dunkle standout. She's always barefoot and looks naughty. She swings on a rope and gets "knocked out cold" at a party (See "Chapter 8: Sunstroke" of Artena Arising). Many years later, in her dotage, Silvia explained the origins of her mother's devotion to the missionaries:
"There was no church around for them to attend. They moved to Kansas—no church there. So they moved—Burr and Nancy—to Lincoln.....she looked up and saw two young men walk down the street. She threw her hoe in the air and started running down the street to meet them.
She said, 'You are Mormon missionaries, aren't you?' They said 'Yes, we are. How did you know?' She said, 'I have been praying for you.' She found out there was a branch in Lincoln meeting in the Odd Fellows Hall. She would put the children on the streetcar and send them to Sunday School. Having 10 children, she and Burr would take the streetcar, go to church Sunday night." (Source: FamilySearch.org)
Odd Fellows Hall is where Artena preached. It is incredible to have access to the backstory of Artena's diary, including the backstory behind the backstory of these photos, and of the hospitality Artena received in Lincoln. Never underestimate the power of a simple encounter or decision (or of file sharing on sites like Ancestry and FamilySearch).
Here is one last picture of the Dunkles with Artena and the other missionaries of Lincoln, Nebraska in 1923:
And the conclusion to Silvia's personal history:
"Being the sixth child of Burr and Nancy, I married a non-member. When we started having children he said they were going to get married in the Methodist church. We had quite a time. I finally told him we might as well part because my children were going to be reared in the LDS church. He was never baptized but always saw to it they were in church and to their meetings."
Photos: Familysearch.org
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