Daniel D. Unruh was born March 16, 1820 in Ukraine. On November 23, 1839, Daniel married Maria Wedel and they had eleven children. Daniel was an elder member of the Crimean immigrants who arrived in New York on August 15, 1873.  Daniel led the first group of immigrants to Dakota Territory in 1873. 

In 1874 Daniel Unruh built a large house on 445th Ave (2 miles east of Childstown in section 26 of Childstown Township) in the first Russian Mennonite settlement in the area.  Hired hands looked after the large flocks of sheep and cattle, along with the farm duties. In 1874, there were seven houses built in the settlement stretching east to west (following the layout of the villages in Russia). Six houses were built by Unruh, one for himself, and five for the married members of his family. There were 9 bedrooms upstairs where John Unruh and his cousins lived.

Daniel was a generous man and would loan money to his relatives to help them get started in America. Daniel became a US Citizen in 1879. By 1884 Daniel retired, selling his land and personal property to his sons John and Cornelius. Daniel passed away on May 18, 1893 and his wife Maria passed in November 1894. They were buried in the Unruh Family Cemetery on their property.