A military unit prepares to fire a ceremonial volley during a burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Credit: Courtesy of Arlington National Cemetery via Flickr

History Knox

Mark Sebastian Jordan authors a column each Saturday reflecting on the history of the community.

MOUNT VERNON — Most of the people buried in Arlington National Cemetery, just outside of Washington D.C., are there because of their direct service to the nation.

At least one from Mount Vernon is buried there because of her indirect, but still quite essential service. Her name was Harriet Dunbar, but her presence at Arlington is intertwined with her husband, Henry Couden.

Couden lost his sight due to a wound he received in fierce hand-to-hand combat during the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek in Virginia during the Civil War. (Image source: Wikipedia/public domain.)

She was his eyes.

Hattie Dunbar was born in Canton in 1841, the sixth of 10 children. Her parents, William and Harriet (Hoffler) Dunbar moved to Mount Vernon soon after, and continued having children.

For many years, the family was based in a house on the northeast corner of the intersection of East Gambier Street and Gay Street. William was a prominent lawyer in town, and the family became very well-known.

By the year 1880, Hattie still lived in the family home and worked as a school teacher. But somehow — presumably through her father’s connections — she met a widowed minister named Henry Noble Couden.

Henry was born in Indiana, but worked in several areas as a minister, which was a calling that he pursued quite successfully, despite his disability. He was blind.

Henry lost his sight because of a wound received during the Civil War, during fierce fighting at the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek (also known as the Battle of Mechanicsville).

Couden lost his sight due to a wound he received in fierce hand-to-hand combat during the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek in Virginia during the Civil War. (Image source: Wikipedia/public domain.)

Though sightless the rest of his life, he was still able to serve effectively as a minister, provided that he had help.

For many years, Henry’s wife Lydia served in this function, but she passed away in 1884, in Massachusetts, where Henry was a Universalist minister.

Henry took a new position in
Willoughby, Ohio, and one would surmise that it was once he was in Ohio that he met the prominent Mount Vernon lawyer William Dunbar and was introduced to Dunbar’s daughter.

The two ended up getting married in 1886, when Hattie was 46 years old. She took over as guide for the minister, leading him around and assisting him with his duties. The proof of Couden’s connections is seen when he was named the official chaplain to the United States Congress in Washington D.C., in 1896.

Speaking in Congress and ministering to lawmakers and their staffs kept Henry and Hattie busy, but there were social aspects to the job as well.

Hattie’s constant companionship and guidance to her husband made her as widely known as he was, and she, too, was praised for her generous nature.

Unfortunately, Hattie suffered a stroke in 1918, which rendered her invalid, which also heavily impacted Couden’s ability to work.

Couden served as the chaplain to Congress for more than 25 years, until his death in 1922. Hattie outlived him, but passed away herself in 1925. They are buried together in Arlington National Cemetery.

It is not known whether or not Hattie ever returned to Mount Vernon to visit relatives over the years, but if any readers have any information about Hattie in particular, or the Dunbar family in general, we’d love to hear it.