About

A Family Legacy

The Dunaway family holds a prominent place in the history of Ellis County and Waxahachie. The family lineage traces back to Samuel and Polly Dunaway, originally from Virginia, who lived in Tennessee before migrating to Texas. In 1866, following the Civil War, Samuel and Polly Dunaway relocated to Texas with their eleven children. Tragically, their son Eli died from cholera during the journey, and Polly Dunaway passed away soon after their arrival. Samuel Dunaway, a Baptist missionary preacher, died in 1878 and was buried alongside his wife in the Lebanon community of Collin County.

Jefferson Madison Dunaway

Jefferson Madison Dunaway, a son of Samuel and Polly, left Tennessee in 1849 with the hope of joining the California gold rush. Upon reaching Dallas, he settled there after the mare he rode gave birth, and he took up work as a pants cutter. Notably, he crafted a suit from denim for United States Senator Sam Houston, a family friend. Through a fortuitous trade, Jefferson acquired 640 acres on Chambers Creek in Ellis County and moved to the Farmers Branch community in Dallas County in 1851, working as a farmhand.

During his time in Dallas County, Jefferson met the E.M. Brack family, who were relocating from Alabama to Ellis County. He became acquainted with Miss Sarah Ann Brack and, after moving to Waxahachie in 1853 to claim his land, discovered that his property adjoined that of E.M. Brack, then the Ellis County Judge. Jefferson became the overseer of Brack’s farm, continued courting Sarah Ann, and married her in 1854.

Homestead and Heritage

Jefferson Madison and Sarah Ann Brack Dunaway, as pioneering residents of Ellis County, raised eight sons: William Jefferson, Eugene Jefferson, John Foster, Jefferson Richard, Samuel Madison, James Brack, John Emsley, and Ota Brack. Jefferson built the family home in 1855, a structure that still stands in the Bethel community, seven miles southwest of Waxahachie. The fourth son, Jefferson Richard (J.R.), inherited the homestead and, together with his wife Jo Anna Forrester, continued the family tradition.

J.R. and Jo Anna Dunaway had four children: Sarah Maurine, Frances Lois, Ruth Lewelyn, and the late Richard Waldo. Waldo Dunaway inherited the family home in 1943. The Dunaway family has maintained the residence in excellent condition for over a century. In 1970, the home was recognized as a Texas Historic Landmark, and a commemorative medallion was installed near the entrance.

Today, Dunaway Elementary School stands on land once owned by the descendants of Jefferson Madison and Sarah Ann Brack Dunaway, pioneers of the area in the 1850s. The Waxahachie ISD Board of Trustees purchased the property from the Dunaway family descendants in January 1986, ensuring that the school continues to serve the community shaped by the family’s legacy.