We don't know very much about Alexander's childhood or early life. We first locate him in the 1820's in Lawrence Co., Tennessee, where he appears in the will of William Parnham as owing him 2 notes and where in 1823 he married Charlotte Hensley. I've checked the 1818 Lawrence Co., TN Tax list and 1820 Lawrence Co., TN census and he does not appear on either.The search is complicated due to the many variations of spelling for the last name - Dunahoo, Dunao, Donahoo and Donaho and occassionally even with an "e" on the end.
From the census records, he appears to have been born between 1803 and 1805 in Virginia. These dates and location is IMPORTANT.
There is an Alexander Rose 'Sandy' Donoho, son of William Donaho and Eunice Lea, born May 11, 1808 Caswell Co., NC and he married Susan Raimey Aug 6, 1832 Caswell Co., NC. This is NOT my Alexander Dunahoo.
There was a Lucinda Hensley (old enough to be her mother) living next door to this family on the 1840 Tishomingo Co, Mississippi Census.This Lucinda also appears on the 1850 Tishomingo Co., MS Census with her daughter, Rosina (Hensley) Harvil. Next door is another daughter, Barbara (Hensley) Lewis.
In 1830 this Lucinda Hensley can be found on the Lawrence Co., TN census. From all the research that I've done, everything points to this Lucinda as being the widow of Washington Hensley, who appears on the 1820 Wayne Co., Tennessee Census.
For more on the Hensleys, be sure and check out Marty Grant's Hensley website, following the links, above, for Lucinda and Washington.
In my gedcom, above, I have traced many of Lucinda's children, and you can see the closeness in geographic areas and names that have been carried down. I have no doubt that this Lucinda is the mother of my Charlotte (Hensley) Dunnahoo.
A. Dunnahoo owed him 2 notes --one for $22.10 and one for $4.49.
Weds in Lawrence Co, TnDonahoo, Alexander - Hinsley, Charlotte 7-8-1823 (license)
marriage on July 20, 1823
Alexander Dunahoo was appointed a road hand on Monday April 3rd, 1826
Donaho was either a bondsman or an officiant at a wedding
John Dabbs - - - - - -210001-/100001
John Hensley - - - - 0212001-/110101
Charles Burns - - - -00020001-/0020101-15
Alexander Donohoo - - - 20001-/21001
S. C. Goodman - - - - - 10101-/20001
John Grinder - - - - - 101001-/121001
Robert Grinder - - - - 011001-/311001
David Aydellotte - - - 010001-/112001
George Turnbow - - - 00000001-/10100101
John Howell - - - - - -000001-/010010001
John Cooper - - - - - -000001-/121001
George Bates - - - - -1011001-/2120001
James Hensley - - - - - 10001-/10001
Redding Reaves - - - - -00001-/0001
Alexander Donoho was names as a hand on the Jacinto to Nashoba road
It is ordered by the Board that the Nashoba Road be turned so that it will not injure the farm of Alexander Donoho, and do no injury to the public convenience
Hensly Hickman - - - 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hensly James - - - 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Harvell J. W. - - - 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Hinsley Lucinda - - - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Donahoo Alexander - - - 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 00 0 0 3 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
*Also on page 237 is the Lucinda (Hensley) and James Moody family.
1843 -145. H.W. Elder vs. Alexander Dunahoo & W.F. Lamberth1845 -405. Thos. Pate vs. Alex? Donahoo
1845 -418. Thos. Pate vs. Alex. Donahoo
Alexander DONOHOO - 4 males - 9 females
Heckman HENSLEY - - 5 males - 4 females
James HINSLEY - - - 3 males - 8 females
James WOODY - - - - 5 males - 4 females
*Many names are mispelled on this page. Wood could very well be Moody. Capital W's and Capital M's were often mistaken in the 'old handwriting'
A. Dunahoo - - - 45 VA
Charlotte - - - -46 NC
James - - - - - -24 TN
Henderson - - - -22 TN
Lucinda - - - - -20 TN
Alexander - - - -17 MS
Elizabeth - - - -16 MS
Mary - - - - - - 14 MS
Chalotte - - - - 12 MS
Armenta - - - - -10 MS
Francis - - - - - 7 MS
Virginia - - - - -5 MS
Marian - - - - - -3 MS
Alexander - - - - 1 MS (should be Amanda)
Susan Watson - - 26 TN
James - - - - - -11 TN
Malinda - - - -8/12 MS
Alx. Donaho - - - 56 VA
Charlotte - - - - 56 NC
Alx. - - - - - - -27 MS
Charlotte - - - - 21 MS
Francis - - - - - 16 MS
Virginia - - - - -14 MS
Amanda - - - - - -11 MS
Charlotta DONAHOO - 66 f w farmer $300 NC
Amanda - - - - - - 22 f w at home MS