Father: William LUN
Mother: Isabella
TURNBULL
Family 1: Rachel Kenyon
Family 2: Harriett Perkins
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_William LUN _______|
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|--John Lunn | | __ | __|__ | __| | | | __ | | |__|__ |_Isabella TURNBULL _|
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John was born in the town of Burlington, Otsego County NY. The 1850 federal census for the town of Edmeston, Otsego County, NY (#680) lists John as a member of a household which included his parents - William (age 36) and Isabelle Lunn (40), both of whom were born in Scotland, Dorothea (14), John (12), Elspeth (10), William (8), Edward (6), Isabella (4) and Margaret (1) all of whom were born in New York State. Adjoining them in the census was the family of George Kenyon which included Rachel, age 15, who later married John Lunn. She was one of 7 children ranging in age from 6 yrs to 32 yrs.
The 1860 census for the town of Edmeston, Otsego County NY (#1300) lists John Lunn, age 23, Rachel Lunn, age 25, George W. Lunn, age 1, and Edward Lunn, age 16 (brother of John). Names of neighbors would suggest that John and Rachel lived on the farm of his parents.
An indenture made 10 March 1863 states that John and Rachel sold their farm to Edward S. Peck of Edmeston. The names of most of their neighbors are found in the southeast corner of a map of Edmeston which is contained in an 1868 atlas of Otsego County created by F.W. Beers. The atlas can be found also at the county clerks office in Cooperstown NY. This information places the Lunn farm at the southwest corner of the intersection of Parker Hill Road and Monson Road. Main highways nearby are NYS 80 to the north and NYS 51 to the east.
John and Rachel had two children, George W. Lunn (1859 - 25 Sep 1915)(picture) and Isabel (Belle) Lunn (1860-1935)(picture). During the Civil War John served in Company C, 2nd Minnesota Calvary of the Union Army. His pension records from the National Archives state he enlisted in the Minnesota Calvary at Sommersett, Minnesota on December 1, 1863. His height was 5 feet 8 inches, hair was sandy and eyes were blue. He developed severe arthritis following cold exposure which was described by his first lieutenant, Thomas Thompson as follows.
"...during the last of November or the first of December 1864 but the exact time this deponent cannot accurately state, John Lunn a corporal of said company was doing picket duty at Fort Wadsworth, Dakota Territory one cold, stormy night. The weather was very inclement and severely cold, and said John Lunn was so chilled by the cold and storm that he was unable to get into the Fort without assistance. That on account of such exposure said John Lunn was taken immediately with Rheumatism from which he did not recover while in the service, but from the effects of which he was discharged in the summer of 1865..."
In 1890 he submitted a claim for an increase in his pension in which it was stated that in June 1865 he was "...discharged from said service at Fort Wadsworth for physical disability resulting from Scurvy, Rheumatism and Chronic Diarrhea; all of which he never recovered from, and at times completely disable him for performing any and every kind of manual labor..."
In 1907 he applied for a pension under the act of February 6, 1907 stating he was born September 6, 1836 and was 70 years old. Further that he lived in Onalaska, Minn. from 1865-1868, in Wisconsin from 1868-1873, in the Towns of Pittsfield and New Lisbon from 1873-1882, in Towns of Laurens and Otego from 1882-1896, and in Town of Pittsfield since 1896. He reapplied for his pension in 1912 and this application stated he lived in Mendona, Wisconsin until 1878 when he moved to the Town of Pittsfield.
He again applied in 1913 and in a statement accompanying this application he stated he was actually born in 1836 rather than 1837 as listed in his military record, but that a family record documenting this was destroyed in a fire at the residence of Adam Elliott in the Town of New Lisbon about a year earlier.
According to his obituary, following the Civil War he spent some years in the West, returning to Otsego County about 20 years before his death. After Rachel's death in 1893, he married Harriet Perkins (1830-1914). (His sister, Dorothy (Dolly) Lunn, was married to Harriet's brother Eri Perkins.) They lived in Otsdawa for 12 years, then lived on the farm of Harriet's father, Harvey Perkins which still stands at the northeast corner of the intersection of county route 49 and Mumbalo Road. (See no. 2 on the map). The Perkins' farm was shown on the 1868 atlas in the town of Pittsfield. (See H. Perkins on the map) It stayed in the family until recently when it was sold by Leroy Taylor who is a great-grandson of John Lunn. This is how it appeared in 1996.
John died about one month following his wife's death and is buried in Hillington Cemetery, Morris, NY.