Duncans in Weld Co. CO

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Duncan research files of
Mary Ann (Duncan) Dobson
the Genealogy Bug

Last revised July 31, 2008

WELD CO. CO
Formed 1861, original county
Logan Co. formed 1887 from Weld
Washington Co. formed 1887 from Weld, Arrapahoe
Morgan Co. formed 1889 from Weld
 

CENSUS RECORDS

1870 Weld Co. CO Census
"Dist. 2 (St.Varain)"
Pg.503, #16-16, DUNCAN, Elisha 48 IL farmer $4000-$3000
                  Mary W. 38 IL
                  Margaret 17, Robert 15 IL
                  John F. 13, Mary 10 IL
                  Edward 7, Guy 4 CO
                  (MAD: indexed Charles instead of Elisha)
 

MILITARY RECORDS

Pension Index Card File, alphabetical; of the Veterans Administrative Contact and Administration Services, Admin. Operations Services, 1861-1934; Duff to A-J Duncan (negative FHL film 540,888, some cards very faint); Joseph Duncan to Dunn (positive FHL film 540,889, some cards very dark)
      Cataloged under Civil War, 1861-1865, pensions, indexes; does not say if Confederate or Federal, but probably Federal. Negative film, some cards much too faint or dark to read, some cards blurred or faded, particularly the service unit and the dates of application. Most of the very faint or dark cards were in a slightly different format, with space for years enlisted and discharged which were sometimes filled in. Many of these were for service in later years, although one or two were for service ca 1866.
      Name of soldier, alias, name of dependent widow or minor, service (military unit or units), date of filing, class (invalid or widow or minor or other), Application #, Certificate #, state from which filed (sometimes blank), attorney (sometimes blank, MAD: did not usually copy), remarks. Sometimes the "Invalid" or "Widow" class had an "s" added to it before the application #; occasionally the area for the service information included a circled "S". The minor's name was frequently that of the guardian rather than the minor.
      The military unit was frequently the Company Letter, the Regiment Number, sometimes US Vet Vol Inf. (US Veteran Volunteer Infantry), L.A. (Light Artillery), H.A. (Heavy Artillery), US C Inf (US Colored? Infantry), Cav. (Cavalry), Mil. Guards, V.R.C. (?Volunteer Reserve Corps?), etc. Sometimes there were several service units given.
      Cards appear to be arranged by the last name, first name, middle initial if any, and state (including "US") of service.
      Duncan, Elisha, widow Duncan, Mary W.M.; stamped: Indian Wars; service 1864-1869, Capt. T.F. Goddings So? Colo. Home Gds; 1917 June 21, Ind. Wid. Appl. #13045, Act of March 4, 1917, State: Colo; remarks: died July 3, 1893, near Longmont, Colo. (MAD: Weld & Boulder Co. CO)
      Duncan, Newell, widow Duncan, Mary J.; K 76 & B 125 Ill. Inf.; 1891 Feb. 10, Invalid Appl. #995016, no cert., Colo.; 1892 Jan. 11, Widow Appl. #536833, Cert. #395276, Colo. (MAD: 1850-1860 Vermilion Co. IL; 1870-1880 Iroquois Co. IL; she in ?? 1900 Weld Co. CO)
 

HISTORIES before 1923

1898 "Portrait and biographical record of Denver and vicinity, Colorado : containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States" pub. by Chapman Pub. Co. (also from Bruce Chapin Duncan 3/1993; CA State Library, Sutro Branch; FHL book 978.8 D3bp and film 1,000,144 item 3)
      Pg.461: ELISHA DUNCAN, decd, one of representative pioneers of CO, was very closely identified with founding of Weld and Boulder Cos. ... aided in establishment of schools and churches, construction of roads, instituting local law and order, ... The founder of this branch of the Duncan family in America was Col. James Duncan, who was a native of Scotland. Early in the 17th century he resigned his commission in the army and settled in VA. His son, John Duncan, was born in Scotland and with his parents took up his permanent residence in the Old Dominion. John married Miss Sarah Anderson, and their son Robert, born in 1795, was the father of the subject of this article. He became one of the first settlers in IL, his home being in Shelby Co. Besides cultivating a farm, he was interested in the Galena lead mines, in the northern part of the state and in Wisconsin. During the Black Hawk war he was one of the settlers who fought against the Indians, finally subduing them. He died Oct. 19, 1868, near Greenville, Bond Co. IL. His wife, Nancy, born in VA Jan. 26, 1805, was a dau. of Abraham and Mary (Whitley) Bateman and granddau. of Col. William Whitley, a native of England. Mrs. Nancy Duncan died Oct. 1, 1851, in IL. One of her sons, John, now of CA, came to CO in 1860. Another son, James, fought in the Mexican war.
            Elisha Duncan, the eldest of his father's family, was born near Greenville, Bond Co. IL, Sept. 13, 1822. ... started farming, later went to Clinton Co. IL. In 1850 he started for CA across the plains by ox teams and was nearly six months on the journey ... two years at Mud Springs [El Dorado Co. CA], then returned home by way of Isthmus of Panama and New York CIty, resumed agricultural pursuits in Prairie state. In 1860, to CO, where he and Alfred Tucker an old schoolmate engaged in constructing Golden Gate toll-road in Jefferson and Gilpin Cos. ... For part of the time he was also interested in mining in Boulder Co. at Gold Hill. In winter following, Mr. Duncan returned home, and the next spring his family accompanied him ... June 9, 1861, he arrived in Golden Gate with his family. ... Mrs. Mary Duncan, widow of our subject, became his wife Aug. 9, 1849, in Bond Co. IL; she bore the girlhood name of Mary W. Myatt, born in Pocohontas, Bond Co. IL, March 27, 1832. Her father, Judge Alexander Myatt, born in TN Feb. 9, 1802, of Welsh extraction; settled in IL at early date, county judge of Bond Co. for years; he died Sept. 4, 1861 at his home in Prairie state; his wife who was Miss Mary W. Chisenhall d. March 27, 1832; two of their sons, Edward Wesley and Wiley, fought in the Mexican War and of their entire family of 4 girls and 2 boys, only three survive.
            Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Duncan has lived in Boulder at No. 735 Pine St., though she still owns the old homestead and other property. Of the seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Duncan, Margaret J. and Robert A. reside in Boulder; John T. is superintendent of the Dewdrop Mining Co. at Ward; Mary W. is engaged in mercantile business at Camp Francis, Boulder Co. CO; Edward E. was farmer etc., died in Denver [Arapahoe Co.] 1896 at age 33 leaving one son Claude Irving and his wife Elcena Duncan dau. of Turner Wright; Guy D. lives in Boulder, and James Dell d. June 9, 1893, but 4 days after reaching his majority. At the time of this death a peculiar coincidence was noted by the father; the first corpse he could recall was that of his uncle James; his oldest dau. Margaret remembered the first corpse she saw was her uncle James; and his three grandchildren then beheld their uncle James as the first corpse they had seen. ....
      Pg.465: GUY D. DUNCAN, one of prominent young members of legal profession in Boulder, ... son of Elisha and Mary W. (Myatt) Duncan; a native of CO, a few years subsequent to the arrival of the family in this state, on July 5, 1866, on his father's homestead on the St. Vrain River east of Longmont, Weld Co. ... (MAD: nothing said about a wife).
      Pg.466: ROBERT A. DUNCAN, citizen of Boulder, but 5 years of age in 1860 when he crossed the plains with his parents and landed in CO; born in Carlyle, Clinton Co. IL, Aug. 14, 1855, next to oldest in family of 7 children. See sketch of his father Elisha Duncan for family history. ... In 1865 he located in Longmont, and in 1877 he went to Leadville. ... Several years ago Mr. Duncan erected his comfortable house at No. 430 Mapleton avenue, the first residence put up on this street. His marriage to Miss Myrtle Wright took place in Longmont in 1890; she was born in Weld Co. CO and is a dau. of Turner Wright, who was one of pioneers of this state and is now a resident of Denver. Mr. and Mrs. Duncan have three children, Ralph, Ella and Lawrence.
            MAD: From pg.1, "The Colorado Volunteers" (complete title, date and author not given; information from Mr. Bruce Chapin Duncan 3/1993), ... We, the undersigned, declare or affirm that we are the surviving children of Elisha Duncan and Mary W. Myatt Duncan, daughter of Alexander Myatt, and were born at Keysport, Bond Co. IL. Our respective ages are: Robert Alexander Duncan, born August 14, 1855; John Thomas Duncan, born September 30, 1857; Mary W. Duncan, born May 10, 1860; We three are the only known survivors of the Colorado Volunteers who were born in or before the year 1860.
            MAD: Information from Mr. Bruce Chapin Duncan 3/1993 was that his father's mother, wife of Edward Elisha Duncan, said Robert Duncan (of Bond Co. IL) was the 8th and last child born to John and Sarah Anderson Duncan and that some of his older brothers were named Abel, John, James, and Joseph.
 

OTHER RECORDS

The Daily News (Rocky Mountain News) [Denver, CO] Wed. June 17, 1896, page 12. (from microfilm, from Gail Karcher 5/2006)
      Boulder, CO. June 16, [1896] Mrs. John Duncan died last night at the Dew Drop Mine at Ward of Blood Poisoning.
      From Sydne McCoskey, RAGK volunteer: License #496 Weld Co., Colorado, John T Duncan to Rolda Smith 1 Dec 1887.
      MAD: John T. [Duncan] is superintendent of the Dewdrop Mining Co. at Ward, from pg.461, 1898 "Portrait and Biographical Record of Denver and Vicinity, CO" by Chapman Pub. Co.
 

END

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