FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2015
Contacts: Donna DeFalco, Marketing & Sales Representative,
630.305.5250,[email protected]
Dawn Hartman, Director of Marketing, 630.420.6017,
[email protected]
523 S. Webster St. • Naperville,
Illinois 60540-6517
P: 630.420.6010 • F: 630.305.4044
W: napersettlement.org
Bryan Ogg, Curator of Research, 630.305.3535
[email protected]
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Sybil Dunbar commemorative marker dedicated at Naperville Cemetery
Naperville, IL (May 28, 2015) — Naper Settlement dedicated a commemorative marker
Thursday in honor of Sybil Dunbar, Naperville’s first known African-American female resident.
Dunbar lived in Naperville around 1860 and was buried at Naperville Cemetery in 1868, a rare
occurrence for an African-American woman during that time.
Naper Settlement President and CEO Rena Tamayo-Calabrese said, “The story of Sybil Dunbar
could have remained lost, a silent postscript in our community’s past. Through our ongoing
research at Naper Settlement, her story is now part of the rich fabric of Naperville’s history.”
Curator of Research Bryan Ogg said, “This memorial marker is a reminder of what we know and
what we have yet to learn about Sybil Dunbar and our community.”
Speakers at the dedication also included Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico; Sally Pentecost, chair
of the Naperville Heritage Society board of directors; John Koranda, treasurer of the Naperville
Heritage Society board of directors; Juan Thomas, 1st vice president of the DuPage County
NAACP; and Carole Cheney, 11th Congressional District Director, Office of Congressman Bill
Foster.
The commemorative marker is funded in part by a grant from the City of Naperville’s Special
Events and Cultural Amenities Fund and by the Naperville Heritage Society.
Inscription on the marker:
Sybil Dunbar Commemorative Marker
Born September 5, 1799
Died January 20, 1868
Sybil Dunbar was born in Braintree, Vermont, the daughter of Zebedee Dunbar, a freeman. She
was an employee, friend and care-giver of the Loomis, Peaslee and Butler families of Vermont
and Illinois. By 1860, she lived in Naperville, Illinois.
The Naperville Heritage Society recognizes Sybil Dunbar as the first known African-American
resident of Naperville.
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Sybil Dunbar Commemorative Plaque Dedication
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Installed May 2015
Funding was provided by
The Naperville Heritage Society and a grant from the City of Naperville’s Special Events and
Cultural Amenities Fund.
Facts about Sybil Dunbar
Research conducted by Naper Settlement’s Curator of Research Bryan Ogg at libraries in
Vermont and the Chicago area.
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Sybil Dunbar was enumerated or tabulated in the Naperville 1855 and 1865 censuses and
named specifically in the Naperville 1860 census.
She is listed as living between the households of Luther L. Peaslee and his father H. L.
Peaslee. Both Peaslees are listed as merchants.
Dunbar is listed as Independent – which indicates that she was wealthy enough not to
have a profession.
Her wealth is recorded as $2,000 which in 1860 is a considerable amount of money –
about $32,000 in 2015 dollars.
Sybil Dunbar died in 1868 according to Naperville Cemetery records. Her stone was
“read” in 1952 by the Naperville D.A.R. chapter. Their reading indicated that Sybil died
January 20, 1860 Aged 62 years.
In 2008, Fox Valley Genealogical Society volunteers “read” the cemetery and for Sybil’s
gravestone they read, “ ____ _5, 18__.
The cemetery internment card indicating 1868 is the correct death year.
Dunbar is buried in the H. L. Peaslee lots – just south of the H.G. Loomis lots.
Sybil Dunbar is listed as living with the H. G. Loomis family in the 1850 Chicago census.
The Loomis and Peaslee families are cousins.
Sybil Dunbar’s birth record is recorded in A History of Braintree, Vermont as September
5, 1799. However, the 1860 census assumes her birth year is 1802. Sybil’s birth date has
not been confirmed.
Her father was Zebedee (or Zebulon) Dunbar. Zebedee and Samuel (possibly a brother)
are reported in A History of Braintree, Vermont to have owned and operated a saw mill
called Brackett’s Mill a.k.a. Zebedee Dunbar’s Mill.
Zebedee is the son of Sampson Dunbar. Sampson (or Samson) is reported to have been
born in Braintree, Vermont on June 16, 1721 – other sources indicate he was born in
Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Sampson was a servant living with Cornelius Thayer, Jr.
at one time – though this information was not footnoted.
About the Peaslee and Loomis families
 H. L. Peaslee was born in Bennington, Vermont and came to Naperville in 1835.
 Peaslee’s wife was Roswell Butler’s sister of Burlington, Vermont.
 Roswell Butler was engaged in lumber, flour and paper mills.
 Butler’s son, DeWitt Clinton Butler was a clerk for Willard Scott & Co as well as many
other mercantile ventures in Naperville.
Sybil Dunbar Commemorative Plaque Dedication
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Sybil Dunbar is buried next to two Butlers in the Peaslee lot. H. L. Peaslee’s mother was
Amanda Loomis.
Various combinations of merchant stores in Naperville were in partnership with the
Loomis family, Harmons, Peaslees, Butlers (at one time Alexander Howard [Naperville’s
first postmaster] and Loomis formed a business).
It stands to reason that the Dunbar family had partnerships with these families in
Vermont and subsequently followed the migrations westward to Illinois.
About Naper Settlement and the Naperville Heritage Society
Naper Settlement is a nationally accredited, award-winning outdoor museum set on 12 acres in the heart of
Naperville, where history comes to play and the community comes to connect. With a commitment to the
community and a focus to the future, the mission of the Naperville Heritage Society, administrator of Naper
Settlement, is to collect, document, preserve and support the history of Naperville, Illinois, past and present. For
more information, visit www.napersettlement.org or call (630) 420-6010.