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THE DUNCAN DILEMA

Updated April 18, 2001
AND THE SEARCH GOES ON
My Grandfather Marshall Gowans Ross Duncan was very proud of his Scottish heritage.He carried it in all his names - Marshall from his mothers side, Gowans from his mothers side, (Ross I am not sure of yet), Duncan from his father.All his ancesters for generations came from Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.He spoke to me when I was a child of his family in Scotland and gave me a piece of the Duncan tartan when I was young.He loved the bagpipes and Scottish music.
Back in 1969 after the death of my mother I began to wonder about her family and where they were from. I knew little of her Aunts and Uncles except for fleeting memories of going on the bus with Grandpa to his sisters and having tea and cookies with them.
My mother always thought I would be a good detective. I had this overwhelming interest in seeking out whatever was unknown.There were no secrets to be kept from me.The first gap in the family tree was Grandpa's brother David.The only thing I knew about him was that the family thought he may have been killed in the great earthquake in San Francisco.Where would I begin.At the time I had the job of switchboard operator at Brantford Cordage Company. I had access to phone directories all over the USA and Canada.I started in San Francisco, gathering names and addresses and began to write letters.I hardly had any replies and was getting very discouraged when one day when I returned home from work there was a letter.It came from Donald John Duncan II the grandson of David.It was like finding the Titanic for me.I had this wonderful man to write to and he was part of the Duncan family who for two generations or more had been missing.I now correspond regularly with James C. Duncan who is a gr.gr.grandson of David Duncan and Cameron Duncan who is a gr.gr.gr. grandaughter of David Duncan.All part of this wonderful California family.Sadly we lost Donald John Duncan on Dec. 10, 1999 to cancer.He will be missed within the Duncan family by many.
Time went by, I was married, had small children and worked full time.I had little time for my wonderful hobby.I did however keep in touch with relatives of Grandpa's sister Francelia and his brother John whose families lived within a short distance of where I lived at the time.Then in 1998 when I got the internet for a Christmas present my old hobby came to life again.This time the hunt was on for the family of Thomas Duncan.I knew his sons names and knew he had a son named Vivian which was a bit unusual and made it a little easier to search for.California had put its Death Index on the internet in1999 and I found David Glidden Duncans name, the son of Thomas.I wrote to the Malibu Times Newspaper for his obit and found from that the name of his daughter and from that tracked down the Grandaughter of Thomas Gowans Duncan.His grandaughter and Ihave had many wonderful conversations and exchanged dozens of interesting letters.She had never known her grandfather, seems her grandparents must have divorced before she was born.
Most of the family ties have been connected, we are still a few branches short of a full tree but the year 2001 should tie together a few more of the wonderful DUNCAN CLAN.
Edna (Ecee) Caroline Dickens

100 Myers Road

Cambridge,Ontario N1R 2Z8

Canada

519-622-1997

Fax: 519-623-6314

[email protected]

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Family Photos

  • DAVID DUNCAN (15 KB)
    David Duncan, my Great Grandfather, was born 1838 in Gilmerton, Midlothian, Scotland. In 1863 he married Jessie (Janet) Gowans of West Calder, Scotland.They had following children - David, Thomas, Marshall, Fanny, Grace & Jessie.They lived in Brantford, Ontario, Canada
  • MARSHALL, GRACE AND FANNY DUNCAN (16 KB)
    My Grandfather. Marshall, with is sistersGrace and Francelia (Fanny) Duncan They are 3 of the children of David and Jessie (Janet) Duncan -Brantford, Ontario. Other children were John, Jessie, David and Thomas.The boys were born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the girls in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
  • JESSIE (Janet) GOWANS (13 KB)
    Jessie Gowans, my Great grandmother, married David Duncan in 1863 in Edinburgh, Scotland.Jessie was born 1836 in West Calder, Midlothian, Scotland. She and David had the following children - David, Thomas, John, Marshall, Fanny, Grace & Jessie. They lived in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Marshall was my grandfather.
  • THOMAS GOWANS DUNCAN (22 KB)
    Thomas, My Great Uncle is the son of David and Jessie (Janet) Duncan who lived in Brantford, Ontario.He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.He married Sylvia Lucile DRAKE of Alabama and his decendents live in California
  • ECEE& BILL DICKENS (22 KB)
    Edna Caroline (Read) Dickens better known as Ecee and her husband Bill Dickens were married March 23, 1979 in Brantford, Ontario.Ecee was b) 1946 in Paris, Ontario.She and Bill live in Cambridge.Ecee has 2 dau. by previous marriage - Raquel and Charity Moore.
  • DAVID DUNCAN & WIFE MAUD LOUISE KECK, (23 KB)
    My Gr.Uncle and Aunt - David and Maud Duncan with their sons David and Donald John Duncan. Their family emigrated to San Francisco, California.Maud was born in California and David Duncan was born in Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Janet (Duncan) Read(Baby Photo) - 1910 - 1964 (15 KB)
    Janet (Duncan) Read, my mother was born Sept. 1910 on the Duncan family homestead, Brantford, Ontario.She married Clarence Read in 1943 and had children Edna(Ecee), William, Clarence & Bill.
  • JOHN DUNCAN AND WIFE HARIETTE MATILDA GOVIER (50 KB)
    John & Hariette Duncan, My Great Aunt & Uncle, lived in Paris, Ontario, Canada.They had following children - Roy, Maud, Donald, Jessie and Jean.John Duncan was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and his wife Harriette was born near Clinton, Ontario
  • JANET & CLARENCE READ (15 KB)
    Janet & Clarence Read, my parents - married March 17, 1943.Janet 1910 - 1964, Clarence b) 1914, still living.They farmed on the Palmer Family farm at RR#2 Brantford for 12 years before moving to Mt. Vernon, Ontario
  • JESSIE MUIR DUNCAN (14 KB)
    Jessie Muir Duncan, My Great Aunt married Philip Stuart Fairlie.They lived in Brantford, Ontario, Canada and had sons John Stuart Fairlie and Allan Gowans Fairlie.They lived on the farm, next door to the Duncan Homestead, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada
  • MARSHALL GOWANS ROSS DUNCAN (9 KB)
    Marshall Duncan, my grandfather was born in Edinburgh, Scotland July 19,1871. Emigrated with parents to Brantford, Ontario in 1873.He married Edna Laura Palmer who was from Brantford in 1909. Their children were Jennie, Janet, Hilton, Maxine,Winnie, Catherine.Janet was my mother.
  • SYLVIA LUCILE DRAKE (8 KB)
    Sylvia Lucile Drake, my Great Aunt,b)1871 in Alabama. She married Thomas Gowans Duncan in 1888. They had sons David Glidden Duncan and Vivian L.Duncan
  • EDNA LAURA PALMER (15 KB)
    Edna Laura Palmer, my Grandmother, b)1882 in Brantford, Ontario, married Marshall Gowans Ross Duncan 1909. They had children Jennie, Janet, Hilton, Maxine, Winnie, & Catherine. Janet was my mother.
  • FRANCELIA ALEXANDRA DUNCAN - 4 Duncan Generations (25 KB)
    Francelia Duncan, my Great Aunt with her mother Jessie Duncan, my Great Grandmother and Francelia's Daughter Hazel Schuyler and Francelia's grandson John Charles Schuyler