An American Family History

Victoria Zellena Dwinnell Miller's mother was Rachel Lapoint. The name Lapoint or Lapointe is French and one explanation of its orgin is that it was a nickname for a soldier from the Old French pointe meaning the point of a lance. Another common belief is that it was used by a family who lived on a peninsula (point of land). In Montréal it was used as a secondary surname or 'dit name' as early as 1693. Dit in this context means "called." People take a dit name to distinguish their family from another. Two common examples of Lapoint as a dit name are Audet dit Lapoint and Desautels dit Lapoint. Lapoint has also been used independently since 1710.

Victoria's father, Isaac Davis Dwinnell, was a descendant of the Puritan Dwinnell family from Topsfield, Massachusetts. A Puritan is a member was a religious group in the 16th and 17th centuries advocating "purity" of worship and doctrine who believed in personal and group piety. Puritans were persecuted in England and came to America so they would be free to practice their religion.

Her great grandfather, Benjamin Dwinnell marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775. Benjamin's father, Michael Dwinnel, was the first physician in Topsfield, Massachusetts.

Various spellings of Dwinnell Doenell, Donell, Donnall, Donnell, Duenell, Dunnel, Dunnell, Dwaniel, Dwaniell, Dwainel, Dwennel, Dwinel, Dwinell, Dwinnel, Dwinnill, Dwonill, Dwynel

Michael and Mary Dwinnell 1668
Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts

Topsfield Church Members 1684

Dwinnell Family History from Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts

• Mary Dwinnell Hovey
• Dr. Michael Dwinnell
• Thomas Dwinnell
• John Dwinnell
• Elizabeth Dwinnell
• Magdalen Dwinnell Holgate Clough
• Joseph Dwinnell
• Joannah Dwinnell Hood
• Susannah Dwinnell Devenish Killam

Dr. Michael and Hannah Dwinnell 1693
Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts

Charity Cotton

Mary Shaw Balch Dwinnell 1753

• Thomas Dwinnell
• Sarah Dwinnell Foster
• Mary Dwinnell Gott Peabody
• Michael Dwinnell
• Stephen Dwinnell
• Hannah Dwinnell Bowery Curtis
• Jacob Dwinnell
• Abigail Dwinnell Deering

Michael Dwinnell and Elizabeth Fiske 1724

• Benjamin Dwinnell
• Thomas Dwinnell

Michael Dwinnell and Elizabeth Cave 1731

Elizabeth Cave

• Samuel Dwinnell
• Elizabeth Dwinnell

• Jonathan Dwinnell
• Thomas Dwinnell
• Mary Dwinnell Pomroy
• Elizabeth Dwinnell Banks
• Abigail Dwinnell Francis
• Hannah Dwinnell Wheeler
• Benjamin Dwinnell, Jr.
• Israel Dwinnell
• Sarah Dwinnell Colony
• Esther Dwinnell Metcalf

Israel Dwinnell and Eunice Davis 1787
Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Manlius, Onondaga County, New York

• Esther Dwinnell Robbins
  
• Leafee Dwinnell
  
• Isaac Davis Dwinnell, Sr.
  
• Clarre Dwinnell
• Israel Dwinnell, Jr.

Isaac Davis Dwinnel Family

Aurelius, Cayuga County, New York
Salina, Onondaga County, New York

• Isaac Davis Dwinnell, Jr.

Isaac Davis Dwinnell and Rachael Lapoint 1839

Rachel Lapoint Dwinnell Jones

Yonge Mills, Leeds County, Ontario, Canada
Watertown, Jefferson County, New York (?)
Kingston, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada

• Victoria Zellena Dwinnell Miller
• Holland Orville Dwinnell
• Charles N. Dwinnell
• Sophia Floritine Dwinnell Byrne
• Napoleon B. (Charles) Dwinnell
• David Lancaster Dwinnell

• Lewis Kossuth Jones
• Ida Ann Jones
• Genevieve E. Jones Marvin

• Howard Wellington Jones
• Jereline Jones
• Mary Evelyn Jones
• Mary Soeline Jones
• Sarah Denice Jones
• Annie Jones

For family trees and all source information, link to my RootsWeb File