Yolo-El Dorado-Siskiyou County CA Archives Biographies.....Duncan, Wyatt Godfrey 1828 - ************************************************ 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@gmail.com December 8, 2005, 4:30 pm Author: Tom Gregory WYATT GODFREY DUNCAN Sixty years or more have brought their remarkable series of changes to Yolo county since first Mr. Duncan arrived in this portion of California and in this great task of material upbuilding he has borne an honorable and influential part, so that now in the afternoon of a successful and busy career he is enabled to enjoy the comforts resultant from his own industry. It has been his privilege to witness much of the development of this commonwealth. Coming hither during the era of mining excitement, he found a cosmopolitan population few of whom discerned the great agricultural possibilities of the land. From the first he was interested in ranching and stock-raising. The results of his intelligent labor manifest themselves in a large and growing prosperity and in the kindly regard entertained for him by the people of his community. To his friends here as well as in the east he is known as Doc, a name first given him by other members of the parental family and afterward adopted by acquaintances. As a child he displayed a great regard for physicians and nothing pleased him more than to play he was a doctor riding an imaginary horse and diagnosing the serious illnesses of imaginary patients. In that way the nickname came to be used which, from being considered merely a joke, rose to the dignity of an appellation of affection and regard. The founder of the Duncan family in America was Wyatt Duncan, a native of Scotland and for many years a planter in Virginia, but eventually a pioneer of Missouri, where he died in Callaway county at a great age. Among his children was a son, Judge John I. Duncan, who was born in Virginia April 15, 1807, grew to manhood at the old homestead, married Margaret Toler and after his marriage settled in the western part of the Old Dominion. About 1833 he took his family to Missouri and settled upon raw land in Callaway county. Later he returned east as far as Indiana and rented land in Vigo county, but not being satisfied he went back to Missouri, where he bought a large tract in Barry county. The title by which he was known came through service as county judge. Early in life he advocated Whig doctrines and later became a Democrat, for years being one of the leaders of that party in his community. Consistent throughout life in his devotion to Christianity, he was a prominent worker in the Baptist Church of his Missouri neighborhood. His death occurred January 18, 1876, when he was almost sixty-nine years of age. His wife was born in Virginia and died August 18, 1849, in Missouri. Her father, Godfrey Toler, came to the United States during young manhood and settled in Virginia, where he engaged in farming. After many years he settled among the pioneer farmers of Indiana. Later he went to Barry county, Mo., and there he passed away November 4, 1843, at an advanced age. There were twelve children in the family of Judge Duncan. Five of the number are still living. The eldest of the family, Wyatt Godfrey, was born in Amherst county, Va., October 1, 1828, and was taken to Missouri at five years of age, later went to Indiana with the family and then returned to Missouri, whence he started with a brother, William, to California, April 24, 1850. About six young men had been hired by Dr. Lane with the understanding that he was to defray all of their expenses on the trip and they were to work for him for a year in California. The journey was made in wagons drawn by oxen and mules. The expedition was abundantly supplied with provisions for one-half year and they also were well armed, there being the greatest need of protecting themselves against possible Indian raids. No special incident occurred to mar the pleasure of the trip, which ended uneventfully September 1, 1850, at the mines near Eldorado. Pursuant upon agreement the young men began to work for Dr. Lane and during the winter they mined in gulches, living in rude cabins they had built with their own hands. While a considerable period yet remained to be worked out, Dr. Lane came to the mines and proposed that if the young men would work for him on a ranch for two months he would free them from any further obligation toward him. Thus it was that Mr. Duncan came to Yolo county in 1851. The Lane ranch of six hundred and forty acres stood west of the present site of Madison and he helped to put in the crops there, also aided in digging a ditch around the land. His work ended, he began mining and prospecting. With his brother, William, he came to Yolo county during the spring of 1853 from Yreka, Siskiyou county. For a year he was employed by Dr. Lane on a ranch on Cache creek and later he became the doctor's partner in the stock business, buying one thousand head of Spanish cattle from Jack Wilcox on the Matt Wolfskill ranch and driving them to Mendocino county. A year later the young rancher returned to Cache creek, dissolved his partnership with Dr. Lane and engaged in the stock industry for himself. As all the acreage adjacent to the creek was grant land he first settled on the plains. When the government land was placed on sale he and his brother began to buy heavily. At one time they purchased thirty-five hundred acres known as the Canada de Capay grant. When finally a dissolution of their partnership was made Doc Duncan had about six thousand acres in one body. About one thousand acres of level farming land under irrigation furnished excellent opportunities for the cultivation of alfalfa. Wheat and barley were raised in enormous quantities. During the early years the wheat was cradled according to the old-fashioned method still in vogue, but later he purchased a combined harvester propelled by an engine and utilized the most modern equipment in the harvesting and threshing of the grain. For years he engaged extensively in raising horses, mules, cattle, hogs and sheep. Since 1904 he has been retired from arduous ranch activities, his son-in-law taking his place as manager of the large tract. The marriage of Mr. Duncan took place March 13, 1879, in Woodland, this state, and united him with Miss Mary Franklin, who was born and reared near that city. Her parents, Benjamin and Elvira (Wright) Franklin, were natives, respectively, of Tennessee and Kentucky, and the latter passed away while yet a young woman. The father, after having lived for some years in Barry county, Mo., crossed the plains in 1850 in the party of which the Duncan brothers were members, but in 1852 he returned to Missouri and there married Miss Wright. In his next trip across the plains she accompanied him and her death occurred in Yolo county. Later he married again. His death occurred April 1, 1893, at the age of sixty-six years. From the time of his second marriage until his death he owned and occupied a farm near Madison, but prior thereto he had lived at Woodland and had carried on a blacksmith and wagon-shop. Of his first marriage there were four children, two now living. Mrs. Duncan, who was next to the youngest among the children, received a public school education, supplemented by attendance at Hesperian College and in that way, aided by habits of close observation and careful reading, she has acquired a broad fund of information that gives her culture and refinement. With her husband she holds membership in the Christian Church and generously supports all of its missionary and educational enterprises. In their political views both were reared in the faith of the old Democracy and still adhere to the tenets of that party, although not personally interested in politics. Their only daughter, Elvira Grey, is the wife of J. W. Monroe, of Woodland, and the only son, Wyatt G., assists in looking after the home farm. Additional Comments: Extracted from HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA WITH Biographical Sketches OF The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth and Development From the Early Days to the Present HISTORY BY TOM GREGORY AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913] File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/yolo/bios/duncan124bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 8.6 Kb