Duncan

(submitted by Donna Pullman, Helen Van den Heuvel and Lew McGregor, with additions from Pioneers)

James and Jane (Kaalman) Duncan had four children that survived to adulthood: James (1807 -), Park (1809 -1897), Jane, and Alexander (1812 - 1887). After Jane died, James married Alexandrina Douglas (1796 - 1871) and they had three children: William (c. 1815 - 1892), Janet (1815 -) and Catherine (1818 - 1896). 

James and Alexandrina Duncan and their children left Scotland for Canada on the ship Prompt in 1820. James died during the voyage and was buried at sea. Alexandrina settled in Lanark County with her children. There she married John D. Lamb, in 1822. They had five children: Mary (1824 -), David (1825 - 1890), James (1829 - 1888), Agnes (c. 1831) and John Douglas (c. 1836 - 1897). John and Alexandrina Lamb moved to Warwick Twp., Lambton County in 1832. It appears that Alexander (from James and Jane Duncan's marriage) and William and Catherine Duncan (from James and Alexandrina Duncan's marriage) moved with them. 

These three of the Duncan family married children of John Byrd and Marion (Ritchie) Kemp. Alexander Duncan married Jane Kemp (1821 -1882), William Duncan married Phoebe Kemp (1823 - 1909) and Catherine Duncan married John Kemp (1819 - 1893). 

Russell and Walter Duncan. Courtesy H Van den Heuvel.

William Duncan and Phoebe Kemp were married in 1842. William had settled on the west 1/2 of Lot 14, Con. 5 SER, Warwick Twp. in 1833 and lived there the remainder of his life. They had eleven children, including two sets of twins: Marion (1844 - 1896) who married John P. Burgar (c. 1840 - c. 1871), then Thomas B. Healy (1841 -); Helen Bell (1849 - 1912) who married Eli Lowrie Cairns (1846 - 1928); Jane (1851 - 1929) who married Daniel Cummings (1851 - 1875), then George Cairns ( - 1903); and her twin Catherine (1851 - 1927) who married John R. Bryce (1850 - 1929); John Smith (1853 - 1910) who married Jessie Dickey; and his twin James Douglas (1853 - 1924) who married Jane Baxter (1851 - 1924) and moved to Manitoba; William Henry (1857 - 1912); Phoebe Annie (1860 - 1931) who married Constantine Aichorn (c. 1860 - 1937); Agnes Emily Ruth (1862 - 1887); Alexandrina Ritchie (1864 - 1930) who married Charles Craig (1858 - 1897), and Daniel McCallum (1868 - 1944) who married Violet Ann Burgar (1876 - 1949). 

Daniel McCallum and Violet Ann Duncan farmed on Lot 12, Con. 5 SER, the corner of the 4th Line (Confederation Line) and 15 Sideroad (Bethel Road). When their son Russell married in 1922, he bought the original farm (Lot 14) and Daniel and Violet moved down the 4th Line to Lot 16. Daniel and Violet had a family of 6 children: Russell (1896 -1993), Walter (1897 -), Mildred (1901 - 1982), Burton (1906 - 1994), Amy (1910-2002) and Clifford (1913 - 1994). 

Russel Duncan (1896 - 1993) married Jean Williamson (1897 -), whose family lived in the flat at the end of Confederation Line. They had two children: Jack (1927 - 2001) who married Marie Cooper and had three children, Deb, Penny and Mark; and Helen Marguerite (Parker, 1929 -) who later married Martin Van den Heuvel. Helen's children are Steve Parker and the last Shawnnie Jean (1948 - 2005), who married Martin's son Bill. 

Russell was a prolific writer. His daughter has saved his diary from 1914 to 1920, and many of his letters and postcards to his future wife. His writings paint a vivid picture of day to day life in Warwick Twp. in that era, from barn raising to well drilling to church socials and school days. 

This is Monday afternoon and the Duke comes up to inspect the troops. We are soldiers but will be confined to out tents until the Duke [of Devonshire] leaves the grounds for we are in civilian clothes yet and there are to be no civil soldiers on the parade grounds. Don't you think that is a shame. We have been drilling 10 days now and our clothes are getting so dirty we are ashamed to leave the grounds. I won't go uptown until I wash my shirt and it is tore up the back... 

Letter to Jean June 6, 1918

The words written by Russel and by his mother who continued his diary when he "went to be a soldier" are quite remarkable for their straightforward undramatic relating of facts, some that must have been the basis of great happiness or of grief. This diary relates to the major and minor events of the Duncan family and their world of close family and neighbourhood relationships that can only be envied today. The reader worries about the health of "Father", hears about the weather, the arrival of the telephone and the local men who served and died in the war. This diary entry from August 21, 1914 is a good example of the plain unembellished facts. 

Fine and cool, we plough all day 32 men left Watford for Quebec yesterday to train for army. 

August 22, 1914, the diary continues with no reference to the war in Europe in the rest of the month. 

Walter Duncan (1897 -) married Ada Lambert (1894 - 1984) and lived in Sarnia. They had no children. Mildred Duncan (1901 - 1982) married Harold Foster (1906 - 1985) and lived in Sarnia also. They had three children. 

Walter and Russell both enlisted in the army in 1918. They trained at Carling Heights (now London, Ont.). Russell appears to have written to Jean on a daily basis, telling her of minute details of life in London. For example, on June 6, 1918 he wrote:

I had one piece of cake out of that box and it was good and will keep a piece for each day. We get lots to eat up here but there is some style to it, believe me. If we get hungry we can get anything at the canteen you want. You have to buy tickets and hand them in when you get anything. Walter gets a pint of milk for 10 cents and returns the bottle and gets 5 cents back on it for pie or cake or anything else. 

Burton Duncan (1906 - 1994) married Mary Catherina McLeay (1908 -1972). They farmed on the McLeay farm (Lot 16, Con. 2 NER) on 15 Sideroad (Bethel Road). They had three children: twins Donald and Donna (Pullman) and Robert Kenneth, who died in 1963. 

Amy Duncan (1910 - 2002) married Sorenson Englebreth (1913 - 1986) and lived and farmed at Thamesford. They had 2 children. 

Clifford Duncan (1913 - 1994) married Martha Robertson (1917 - 1981). They farmed on the home farm - Lot 12, Con. 5 SER. They had four sons, Bruce, Ross, Charles and Murray. Charles and Murray stayed in Watford. 

Chapter 24 of 25 - Duncan Family

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