Henry DUNCAN, Sr. (~1771-Nov 1832) +
Christine Keziah AVERY (~1772-1836)

Everett (~1794-18xx) — m. Patience Avery/Averitt on 8 Dec 1826

Alexander R. (~1796-1868) — m. Sabrina Durham on 15 Jan 1838

William Henry (~1796-30 Jun 1870) — m. Mary Miller on 10 Oct 1816; m. Elizabeth Emmett on 27 Apr 1824

James (~1800-1 Mar 1842) — m. Elizabeth Wilson Robertson

Luquinna (~1802-????) — m. Plyer Barber on 15 Oct 1842

Henry, Jr. (~1804-30 Jun 1870) — m. Elizabeth Ann “Betsy” Barber on 10 Nov 1853; poss. m. Emeline C. Boone on 30 Nov 1857/1858

George Washington (~1805-1863) — m. Louisa Durham on 24 Oct 1848

Sarah “Sally” (~1809-????)

Elizabeth “Betty” (~1813-????) — m. Aldridge Alvin Johnston/Johnson on 28 Mar 1836

Winifred “Winny” (~1816-????) — m. Turner Joyner on 14 Dec 1849

There are stories about the Duncan family being mixed-blood Cherokee, part of the 1831-1840 diaspora of the eastern tribes known as the Trail of Tears. I don’t know whether that’s true. The Cherokee of North Carolina were forced out beginning in 1838. Their trail ran from western North Carolina into central Tennessee, and then west through Arkansas.

The Duncans came from Virginia to North Carolina about 1735, settling first in Granville County.

Henry was born in Granville District, North Carolina, the youngest of four known children to John Duncan, Sr. (1738-1811) and Nancy Coward (1735-1792). His parents married in Granville on 8 Aug 1763.

Christine was born in Johnston County, North Carolina. Her mother was reported to be Sarah Salatheal Haltom (1753-~1818). Her surname is also rendered as Averyt.

Henry and Christine married in Johnston County on 20 Mar 1792. They remained there. Some of their neighbors over the years included the surnames Norris and Corbet.

The 1800 census showed them with four children, all boys. Presumably these were Everett, Alexander, William, and James. By 1810, they had five boys and three girls. In 1820 they were a couple over 45 with one man age 26 to 44, three young men and one young woman age 16-25, two girls and a boy age 10-15, and one girl under 10. They also had a number of slaves; 1820 was the first census to ask about that.

In 1830 the household was a man in his sixties, a woman in her fifties, three men and two women in their twenties, and two girls in their late teens. Henry and Christine died in the 1830s.

Familysearch.org has many of the 1860 censuses for Johnston County listed as being for other counties, including River Township, Jackson County, which is odd, since Johnston County is in east-central North Carolina and Jackson County is hundreds of miles away in the western tip of the state.

Children

The Duncan girls tended to marry later than was usual for the time.

Everett Duncan (~1794-18xx)

Everett, aka Averet or Avery T., married Patience Avery or Averitt (~1806-186x) in Johnston County, North Carolina in 1826. Known children:

Henry Daniel (24 Feb 1828-????)

Washington (10 Jan 1830-????)

Ransom Haywood (Nov 1832-1 Dec 1907) — m. Lucinda H. Boone in 185x

Catherine (Apr 1834-????)

Elizabeth (Apr 1834-????)

James Averet (7 Oct 1839-????)

Mary Margaret (6 Jan 1842-6 Nov 1924) — m. W. W. Gooding on 21 Apr 1881; m. ??? Wood

William Samuel (18 Nov 1844-????)

Nancy Jane (Sep 1847-17 Apr 1918) — m. Moore Stancil on 12 Apr 1869

The 1850 census for Wilson County listed Averet (55) and Patience (44) Dunkin with children Henry (22), Ransom (17), James (10), Mary (8), William (5), and Nancy (3).

In 1860, Avrit (66) and Patience (52) Duncan were in Johnston County with Mary M. (17), William (15), and Nancy (12).

Can’t find them or most of their children after 1860. The Civil War hit Johnston County hard, which might have something to do with it.

Alexander R. Duncan (~1796-1868)

Alexander married Sabrina Durham (1800-1885) in Johnston County in 1838. Known children:

James Henry (25 Jun 1839-Jun 1905) — m. Sarah I. Johnson on 25 Oct 1869

Alexander Romelus II “Rom” (27 Aug 1841-4 Jul 1901) — m. Bettie M. Turner on 12 Oct 1866

In the 1850 census for Johnston County, Alexander (54) and Sabrina (49) Duncan had children James H. (11) and Alexander R. (7). They were next door to Alexander’s younger brother George.

In the 1860 census, Alex (62) and Sabrina (60) still had James H. (20) and Alex R. (18) at home, plus a 24-year-old farmhand named Washington Overbee. Alex’s brother George was now two farms away.

Alex died in 1868, and Sabrina in 1885. Their places of burial are unknown. Their sons are buried in Johnston County.

William Henry Duncan (~1796-1870)

Unclear how he got there, but William was in Wayne County, Indiana when he married Mary Miller (1798-1824) from Crab Orchard, Tennessee in 1816. They had at least two children:

George W. ()

John R. (17 Feb 1822-10 Apr 1882) — m. Mary H. Walker in 1845

Mary died in 1824, and is probably buried in Stover Farm Cemetery, Brownsville, Union County, Indiana. William married Elizabeth Emmet (1802-186x) in 1824 in Union County. They had nine children born in Indiana:

Henry Townley (17 Jul 1826-24 Oct 1913) — m. Mary Elizabeth Mallatt on 7 Dec 1848

Peter (~1826-????)

Simon (1829-????) — m. Sarah ???

Jane (1830-????)

William F. (1834-11 Mar 1912) — m. Martha Mallatt on 4 May 1856

Mary J. “Mattie” (1835-????) — m. William John Miller

Louisa (1838-????)

Nathaniel (1843-????)

Isaac (Jan 1847-1910) — m. Kesiah E. Miller on 1 May 1864

Records of a second son named Henry who supposedly died in 1896 are a duplication. Records claim William also fathered a child with Mary Stephenson (1819-????), although there’s no indication they were married:

Robert Andrew (1847-1921)

The 1850 census for Boone County, Indiana, showed William Duncan (54) from North Carolina and wife Elizabeth (48) from Tennessee, with children Peter (24), Simon (21), William (16), Mary (15), Louisa (12), Nathaniel (9), and Isaac (7).

William is said to have died in 1870, but his burial location is unknown. His son John is buried in Mount Zion Cemetery, Jamestown, Boone County, Indiana.

James Duncan (~1800-1842)

James has his own entry in the family tree.

Luquinna Duncan (~1802-????)

Luquinna married Plyer Barber (1793-18xx) in 1842 in Johnston County. It’s possible she had been married before. He certainly had. The multiple copies of the marriage record have several creative takes on her name, but the original looks like “Luquinna”. They had no children together.

In 1850, Plyer (57) and Luquinsey (supposedly 42) Barber were in Panther Branch Township, Wake County, North Carolina, with four teenaged children who must have been Plyer’s from his previous marriage. One of them later married Luquinna’s brother Henry.

In 1860, Plyer (65) and “Luevina” (57) Barber were still in Wake County, with a couple of adult Barber children plus two kids surnamed Johnson and one surnamed Rice. They also had a sizeable count of slaves.

Can’t find them in 1870. By 1880, Plyer was gone and Luquinna (78) was back in Johnston County, living with her married nephew Frank Duncan, son of Henry Jr., plus Frank’s two sisters, and a John Johnson who was probably Betty Duncan’s son.

Henry Duncan, Jr. (~1804-1870)

The 1850 census showed Henry, listed as a doctor, living alone in Johnston County. He married Elizabeth Ann “Betsy” Barber (~1832-186x), stepdaughter of his sister Luquinna, in 1853 in Wake County, which is one county over from Johnston. His brother George appeared on the license as guarantor. According to a familysearch.org link, Henry also married Emeline C. Boone (~1829-????) in Johnston County in either 1857 or 1858; there are records claiming both years. Henry’s children:

Benjamin Franklin “Frank” (~1856-18xx) — m. Rosa P. Vinson on 27 Dec 1876

Annie B. (?Abalsey? ?Annabelle?) (~1857-1888)

Joseph Samuel “Josiah” (21 Oct 1858-13 Sep 1929) — PARENTAGE UNCLEAR; m. Sarah Winnifred Jones on 19 Dec 1877

Lou Della (~1861-1884) — m. Robert Durham on 21 Nov 1883

Now the tricky bit: the 1860 census found Henry, physician, in Johnston County with wife Elizabeth (28), not Emeline, and children Franklin (4) and Abalsey (1). He was next door to his older brother Avrit Duncan. A separate census for 1860 had 1-year-old Joseph Duncan from North Carolina and his presumed mother Emeline F. Harrell (31) from Alabama living with the Martin family in Alabama, along with two older boys also named Harrell (later recorded as Harville or Harvel) who were probably not her children. It looks as though Emeline’s maiden name was Martin, and her first marriage was in 1846 to an Andrew Harville. The 1870 census had her still in Alabama as Emily F. Harville, no son Joseph.

In 1870, Henry (supposedly 58) and now listed as a farmer, was living in Clayton, Johnston County with children Franklin (14), “Anabaley” (11), and “Ludelis” (9). So Elizabeth had presumably died. Henry died later that same year.

The 1880 census had Henry’s son Frank, married, heading a household that included his widowed aunt Luquinna Duncan Barber (78), his sisters Balsy (21) and Della (19), and presumed cousin John Johnson (24, but should be 34).

We’re not done yet, though. Marriage records for the children claim Elizabeth as the mother of Benjamin F. and Lou Della, and Emeline as the mother of Joseph/Josiah, which tracks with the census records. It could be that the man who married Emeline was a different Henry Duncan – maybe Henry Jr.’s nephew Henry Daniel Duncan, or the older John Henry Duncan of Wake County who married Stacey Anders in 1856. That, or our Henry was a bigamist. For what it’s worth, Josiah/Joseph was back in Johnston County by the time of his marriage in 1877, and remained there to the end of his life.

George Washington Duncan (~1805-1863)

George married Louisa Durham (15 Mar 1814-18 Mar 1894) in 1848. Their children:

Joseph Vardeman “Josiah” (10 Nov 1849-12 Dec 1884) — m. Mary Ann Bryan on 8 Mar 1876

George Patrick (1 Feb 1851-17 Oct 1931) — m. Mary Ann Bryan on 4 Feb 1890

Daniel (17 Apr 1852-4 Nov 1900) — m. Mary Ellen Bloodworth about 1872; m. Lina ???

Washington Ennis (21 Oct 1854-19 Aug 1886) — m. Mary Catherine Cowan on 28 Jan 1879

Eunice (~1856-????)

Celia Ann Christian (8 Jan 1858-9 Feb 1939) — m. John E. Durham on 22 Dec 1880

In the 1850 census for Johnston County, George W. (45) and Louisa (35) Duncan, plus George’s sister Sally (37) and Josiah V. (8 months), were next door to George’s brother Alexander.

In the 1860 census, George (54) and Louiza (45) had children Josiah ?R.? (10), George B. (8), Daniel (7), Washington (5), and Celia A. (2). They were two farms away from Alex Duncan and family.

George died in 1863. The family moved to Rhode Island, of all places, probably due to the war. By 1880 they had settled in Rocky Point Township, Pender County, North Carolina.

Sarah “Sally” Duncan (~1809-????)

In the 1850 census, Sally (37) was living with the family of her brother George in Johnston County. The 1860 census showed her (48) living with her married sister Winny. Nothing thereafter.

Elizabeth “Betty” Duncan (~1813-????)

Betty married Aldridge Alvin Johnston/Johnson (~1810-1891) in 1836 in Johnston County. Their children:

Catherine A. “Kitty” (15 Jan 1838-17 May 1926) — m. John R. Jones in 1857

Laurinda A. (1839-22 Jan 1913) — m. James H. Harrison on 8 Feb 1854

George B. (1843-????)

John W. (1845-1900)

Elizabeth (1848-????)

In 1870, Alvin (65) and Betty (60) Johnson were in Clayton Township, Johnston County, with just son John (24) still at home. They were still there in 1880, no kids; son John was, I think, living with his cousin Frank Duncan and some other relatives.

Aldridge died in 1891. Don’t know about Betty. Also can’t trace George and Elizabeth.

Winifred “Winny” Duncan (~1816-????)

Winny married Turner Joyner (~18xx-1879) in 1849. (Turner’s reported age in census records varied wildly.) They had one child of record:

Sarah Jane (13 Aug 1851-8 Jul 1924) — m. Elijah Griffith Edgerton on 9 Apr 1874

In 1860, Winny’s unmarried sister Sarah was living with them. Can’t find them after the 1870 census.

Daughter Sarah and her husband settled in Wayne County.

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