Samuel M. DUNLAP was born in Knoxville, Tenn., in 1823; is son of Nathaniel and Mary DUNLAP. His father lost his life by an accident, and when he was seven years old his mother moved to Indiana, and in 1841 to Grand Rapids, with four children. Mr. Dunlap worked the first winter cutting wood for Deacon Page and afterward on the farm of B. Stocking, and spent some time employed as a mason, sawyer, etc. In 1845 he bought 40 acres on sec 14, 30 of which is now improved. He was married in Grand Rapids, March 6, 1851, to Frances L. SEYMOUR, born in Cattaraugus Co., N.Y., Feb. 26, 1829. They have four children, born in Walker—Elizabeth M., Seymour M., Thursa A. and Emmett D. Mr. Dunlap’s mother died in 1872. Russell R. Dunlap, his brother, lives with him; was born in Knoxville, Tenn., Feb. 8, 1830, and owns 70 acres on sec. 15, with 45 acres improved. He has another brother, James H., and a sister Jane M.

[SOURCE: History of Kent County, Michigan, Illustrated (Chicago, Chas. C. Chapman & Co., 1881) p. 1395, Kent County Michigan GenWeb Project Biographies, http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/message/an/localities.northam.usa.states.michigan.counties.kent/1646 Samuel M. DUNLAP, Walker Twp., p. 1395 (Chapman 1881) Posted by kcv on Wed, 14 Jul 1999]

Samuel M. Dunlop's father was killed when Sam was just a child, so he had to go to work in an iron foundary in Indiana at age eight. While at the foundary, he made an iron trivet for his mother from a mold he made by placing coins side by side. (Presumably, it was a sand casting.) Sam survived an accident when molten iron was spilled near him, burning the shoes off his feet. He jumped backward into a tub of water. His feet eventually healed, but they were extremely sensitive afterward. He had a rash in his later years and the doctor told him to chew tobacco for it, which worked. Sam was tall and thin, his hair was sandy, and his eyes were "blue as a China plate," according to his daughter-in-law, Clara Dunlop.