Tehama County CA Archives Biographies.....Duncan, William ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 17, 2007, 11:18 pm Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1891) WILLIAM DUNCAN came to Red Bluff in 1875, and is a prominent horticulturist of this place. He is one of the many intelligent and thrifty sons whom Scotland has furnished the United States to develop her resources and acquire wealth in this land of the free, where merit can win, unaided by title or wealth. Mr. Duncan's parents, George and Christina Duncan, were natives of Scotland, and the father was a gardener. To this business William was reared, working at it first in Scotland and afterward in England. Mr. Duncan emigrated to the United States in 1848, and located in Iowa, where he purchased a farm of two hundred acres. This he improved by building, etc., and resided there until 1875, carrying on gardening, raising stock, and also keeping a dairy. Mr. Duncan had made a visit to Tehama County, California, in 1870, and was much pleased with the country and the climate. In 1875, as already stated at the beginning of this sketch, he came to Red Bluff, and has since made it his home. He pur-purchased [sic] 300 acres of land adjoining the city, and for three years conducted a dairy. He planted sixty acres of the rich bottom land to fruit trees, peaches, pears, plums, apples, prunes, figs and almonds. He also set out a vineyard, principally raisin grapes. His shipment this year (1890) amounts to two tons of dried seedless Sultana grapes and ten tons of raisins. His peach crop brings $1,000 per year. He dried large quantities of prunes. Many of his trees are yet young. Before planting very extensively he experimented to see which would do well. While that was a safer way, it delayed large results. He has built a large residence, overlooking Red Bluff and affording a fine view of the Sacramento River. In 1852 Mr. Duncan married Miss Margaret Brownlee, a native of Canada. Their union has been blessed with ten children, five sons and five daughters, namely: Frank W., who is at present in the employ of the Rock Island Railway Company; Isabel, wife of W. R. Hall, the efficient County Clerk of Tehama County; Christiana M., wife of Thomas Hardie, resides in Iowa; Mary, who lived to be twenty-seven years of age and died at the home of her parents in Red Bluff; James Brownlee; Minnie; Will E., who resides in Sanger, California, and is superintendent of the sash and door department in the Sanger mill; George W., Florence E. and Maurice W. Mrs. Hall, before her marriage, was an accomplished school-teacher and held a life diploma. Miss Florence is the affable and obliging deputy at the Red Bluff postoffice. The family are members of the Christian Church. Mr. Duncan has been a life-long Republican. He is one of the worthy and influential men of the county, and is demonstrating the wonderful adaptability of the soil and climate to horticulture. Additional Comments: Extracted from Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California. Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of Prominent Citizens of To-day. "A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendents." – Macauley. CHICAGO THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1891. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/tehama/bios/duncan705gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 4.0 Kb