Born in Louisiana in 1794, Joseph Dunman served as a private in De clouet's Regiment in the Louisiana Militia during the War of 1812, married Nancy Greer on 23 March 1813, and came to Texas with his family in 1825, settling in the Atascocito District. In 1831 he received a Spanish land grant of 4,428 acres on the east side of the Trinity River in present-day Liberty County. In February 1836, he carried Col. Travis's plea for Alamo reinforcements to Liberty, arriving on 1 March 1836, then continued on to Anahuac. After the war, he worked for the Republic of Texas by driving and fencing cattle for Fort Galveston. He was one of the first settlers in Humble, Texas, gaining title in 1844 to 177 acres on the banks of the San Jacinto River, and his home served as an early polling place for the Republic of Texas and for many Harris County elections in later years. Joseph and Nancy had eleven children, and many of their descendants continued to live in the Humble area. A stockman and farmer, he died in Harris County on 3 April 1859.