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Descendants of Robert Dukes - June 24, 2003

5. HENRIETTA³ DUKES (ROBERT S.², ..¹) was born 14 Aug 1810 in Abingdon, Washington Co, VA, and died 11 Nov 1883 in MO/TX lived with Anna Brunswig 1882 in Ft Worth, TX ⁴. She married THOMAS WALLACE MERCER^5,⁶ 24 Oct 1826 in Washington Co TN ⁷, son of JOHN MERCER and ELIZABETH WALLACE. He was born 01 Sep 1801 in Georgetown, Washington Co, TN, and died 17 Nov 1876 in (Independence, Jackson Co, MO?)⁸.

Notes for HENRIETTA DUKES:
Notes from Henrietta Mercer Knight's letters written in 1924:

"My mother Henrietta Dukes Mercer was born in 1810. She was four years old when her father died in 1814 at Abington, Va."

Note that Iva Calley Riggs shows a birth date of 10 Jun and a death location as Pettis County, Missouri, at the home of her daughter Anna Brunswig. In 1882, Anna Brunswig lived in Fort Worth, Texas.

Notes for THOMAS WALLACE MERCER:
Notes from Ed Kutz:

Margaret Vance Webb, copying records of Washington County, Tennessee, at Jonesborough 18-20 Oct 1990 finds:

"1833 - Bill of Sale from Greenway & Jones to Thomas W. Mercer for purchase of a slave for $660.60, Smith County, Tennessee."

Thomas Wallace Mercer and family moved to Jackson County, MO 14 Aug 1837. Purchased 1/4 Sec 35, Range 31, Township 48.

From "Original Land Entries, Jackson County, Missouri," compiled by Vineyard, 1971:
Range 31, Township 48, in Lee's Summit area of Missouri:
Mercer, Thomas      W22 & 23            Section 27      14 Aug 1837
Mercer, Thomas                  Section 34      14 Mar 1837
Mercer, Thomas                  Section 35      14 Aug 1837

Information from the correspondence of Henrietta Mercer Knight in the 1910s and 1920s:

"Thomas W. Mercer and his wife Henrietta Duke had sixteen children half died infants
      1. Elizabeth Mercer
      2. Henrietta Mercer
      3. Thomas Mercer
      4. John Davis Mercer
      5. Eliza [Tlumes?] Mercer
      6. Charles Franklin Mercer
      7. Thomas [blank space] Mercer
      8. Eleanor Wayne Mercer
      9. Thomas Mercer
      10. Joseph Wayne Mercer
      11. Emma Mercer
      12. Laura Mercer
      13. Clara Mercer
      14. Alice Mercer
      15. Thomas Wallace Mercer
      16. Annie Mercer

"These lived to be grown
      Henrietta had one son J A E Knight living
      Charles Frank 1 son Collin Wallace
      Eleanor Wayne 2 sons Thomas & James Wynne
      Joseph Wayne no sons
      Laura 1 son Mercer Symington
      Alice 2 sons B. B. and Joseph Chiles
      Thomas Wallace never married
      Annie 1 son [blank] Brunswig
      Collin Wallace Mercer son of Charles Franklin Mercer and his wife
            Collin Campbells daughter has 2 sons." [Iva Riggs]

Information from F. Bruce Mercer, Sunnyside, Washington, August 1997. He transcribed it from notes taken in December, 1940 listening to "Aunt Retta" Allen tell her family stories in North Powder, Oregon.

"Aunt Retta" has skipped a generation and is speaking of two grandsons of the immigrant\\

"Thomas Mercer of high German birth, came to this country at an early date and settled in New York with his brother, John D. He engaged in stock and land trading.

In Virginia at an early date, he met and married Henrietta Duke who was a granddaughter of an English Duke.

(Note: Washington County, Tennessee Marriages 1780-1870" records marriage. Also LDS Film #499, 887 SLC, UT. Also Henrietta Mercer Chiles Bible (American Bible Soc., NY 1846) now in possession of Frontier Trails Library, Independence, MO)

Both he and brother John D. came to Virginia and engaged in Cotton and tobacco plantations. Just before the Civil War broke out they moved to Missouri and dissolved the partnership.

Thomas Mercer with his family located at Independence Mo. while his brother John D. located near Sedalia, Mo. He there engaged in trading slaves and stock. Thomas Mercer remained near Independence and ran several slave plantations of cotton and tobacco until Pres. Lincoln issured the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves. They were left practically helpless with large bodies of land and no help to operate cotton and tobacco plantations.

To the Union of Thomas and Henrietta Mercer were born three boys: Franklin, Joseph and Thomas, and five girls: Ellen, Henrietta, Laura, Alice and Anna.

The oldest boy Franklin attended and graduated at Jefferson Medical College Philadelphia. Soon after his graduation he enlisted as a surgeon in the Confederate army under Col. Rains where he served through out the Civil War. After the war closed he graduated at the St. Louis Medical College and practiced Medicine and Surgery many years in the State of Mo. He was married to Mary Elizabeth Campbell whose Father was Scotch-Irish, he being born in the High lands of Scotland and reared in Ireland.

Joseph, second son, received a college education, became a Colonel in the Civil War, lost his arm.

He was elected State Treasure after serving his term in office, he ran for governor on the Democratic ticket. He was beaten by a small majority. He then established a wholesale grocery house in West Kansas City, which he operated many years till his death. The house is at present operated by his son-in-laws. In early days he invested in cattle in Texas and that with other investments made him quite wealthy.

Thomas became a banker and operated a bank in Kansas City for many years. His health failed due to close confinement. He then went to Texas with his brother-in-law John McKnight. There he went into partnership with McKnight who owned many head of cattle and vast area of range land. McKnight owned the only buffalo herd in the U.S.

The five girls lived to womanhood and married to some of the grandest old families in the state of Mo."

Marriage Records, Crawford County, MO 1829 - 1855, Woodruff, 1969:
Mercer, Elizabeth and Hesekiah Sneed, 15 Sep 1831
Mercer, Thomas and Marinda Calahan(s), 23 Jun 1842
Mercer, Nancy Ann and Joshua Harris, 8 Dec 1842, home of John Broser

"Missouri Pioneers, Vol. XXIII," Woodruff, 1974:
Cooper County Marriages 1850-1857
Mercer, Thos. and Jane Yarnell 6 Jul 1856

Marriage Notes for HENRIETTA DUKES and THOMAS MERCER:
There was originally listed another Thomas Wallace born after the one listed; presumed to have died young. However; it makes little sense that two consequtive children were named the same when the older one survived to adulthood.

Children of HENRIETTA DUKES and THOMAS MERCER are:

	i.	ELIZABETH⁴ MERCER, b. Abt. 1827, "Liza" was the oldest child; d. Unknown, died young.
	ii.	EMMA MERCER, b. 1828; d. Unknown.
16.	iii.	HENRIETTA MERCER, b. 14 May 1829, Washington Co, TN; d. 14 Jan 1925, Flying E Ranch, Jal, Lea Co, NM.
	iv.	THOMAS MERCER, b. Abt. 1830; d. Unknown, unmarried (died young?).
	v.	JOHN DAVIS MERCER, b. Abt. 1832; d. Unknown.
	vi.	ELIZA HUMES MERCER, b. Abt. 1834; d. Unknown.
17.	vii.	CHARLES FRANKLIN MERCER, b. Abt. 1836, "Frank" (b. Washington Co, TN?); d. 12 Aug 1880.
	viii.	THOMAS MERCER, b. Abt. 1838, prob died young; d. Unknown.
18.	ix.	ELEANOR WAYNE MERCER, b. 24 Jan 1841, Jackson Co, MO; d. Unknown, Res. Celina, Collin Co, TX 1935.
	x.	THOMAS MERCER, b. Abt. 1843; d. Unknown.
19.	xi.	JOSEPH WAYNE MERCER, b. 23 Feb 1845, Platte City, Platte Co, MO; d. Mar 1906, Independence, Jackson Co, MO.
	xii.	CLARA MERCER, b. Abt. 1847; d. Unknown.
20.	xiii.	LAURA M. MERCER, b. 1848, "Lol" (Jackson Co, MO?); d. 14 Jul 1915, Spokane, WA.
21.	xiv.	ALICE MERCER, b. 09 Jan 1851, (Lee's Summit, Jackson Co, MO?); d. Aft. 1882, Living in Independence 1882.
	xv.	THOMAS WALLACE MERCER, JR., b. 25 Aug 1853, Jackson Co, MO; d. Unknown.

Notes for THOMAS WALLACE MERCER, JR.:
According to Aunt Retta Allen, Thomas was a banker at Mastiff Bank in Kansas City, Missouri. Went to Texas in a horse and cattle ranch and died there, unmarried.

The middle name comes from LDS records. Henrietta Mercer in a letter to her daughter refers to him only as Thomas. She announces his birth, after saying the last month was one "of great Suffering and change."

22.

xvi.

ANNA MERCER, b. Aug 1857, Jackson Co, MO; d. 07 May 1892, Res Ft. Worth TX 1882; d Cincinnati, OH.

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