Biography of Thomas Duane, Tioga Co., NY Kingman, LeRoy Wilson, EARLY OWEGO, published at the Owego Gazette Office, Owego, NY, 1907 Copyright (c) 1999 by Deborah (Huntington) Smith (rover42256@aol.com) ************************************************************************ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ************************************************************************ THOMAS DUANE Thomas Duane, who was one of the first merchants in Owego, is supposed to have been of French extraction. He came here from Kingston, Pa., in 1800. His wife was the widow of an officer in the continental army who was killed in the massacre at Wyoming by the Indians and "tories" on July 3, 1778. Obadiah Gore, one of the most prominent men of Wyoming, was one of the aged men left in Forty Fort for it's defence, while the settlers marched out to meet the enemy. Five of Gore's sons went out to the conflict. Three were slain, as were also his sons-in-law, John Murfee and Timothy Pierce. Timothy Pierce, who held a commission as lieutenant in the regular army, had ridden forty miles through the Great swamp the night previous and come to join his friends on the battle field. His wife was Hannah Gore, Obadiah Gore's daughter. At the time of the massacre she, with her two daughters, Clarissa Pierce, who was three years and nine months old, and Polly Pierce, who was only nineteen months of age, had taken refuge with the rest of the women in the fort, while the men went forth to meet the enemy. Ten years subsequent to the massacre, March 12, 1788, Lieutenant Timothy Pierce's widow, Hannah Pierce, became the wife of Thomas Duane. When Mr. Duane came in 1800 with his family to Owego, he built his store on a lot he had purchased on the south side of Front street, extending from the east line of Lake street one-half the distance to Church street. The lumber for the construction of this store was brought up the river from Wilkes-Barre in keel-bottomed boats, which were polled up with long setting-poles, placed against the shoulders of the men who polled the boats. This was tedious and laborious work, and the boats were propelled very slowly, but it was the only way of transportation then. The family also came in one of these boats. The store was built on the bank of the river. It was painted yellow and had a lean-to in the rear. One side of the building was occupied as a store and the other side as a residence by the family, as was customary in those days. In the centre of the building was a huge chimney. Here the Duanes lived for several years. Later in life Thomas Duane was generally known as Judge Duane. In August 1811, his step-daughter, Polly Pierce, purchased of John Hollenback two acres of land, a small portion of lot No. 25, on the bank of the Susquehanna river in the eastern part of this village and built thereon a house. The house stood about where Victor P. Decker's house now stands, a little east of the small creek, known for many years as Hollenback's creek, which empties into the river. This house is worthy of some notice, for it was then the most pretentious one in Owego. Nearly all the best of the early houses were large rectangular buildings, with a wide hall throught the middle from front to rear, with no porches, sometimes with a small stoop, but usually without any. This house had the usual hall through the centre, and it had also wings at each side. There was a high double porch at the front extending up nearly to the roof. On the south side was a high plazza, commanding a view of the most beautiful part of the river. Here Judge Duane lived with his family in good style for several years. When Polly Pierce died in 1815 she left a will in which she devised this property to her half-brother, Timothy Pierce Duane, who the next year sold it to John H. Avery. It passed through the ownership of several persons afterward, and in 1832 it again became the property of John Hollenback. This house was for several years used as a tavern, where river raftmen sometime stayed while their rafts and arks were tied up in the Hollenback eddy for the night. At one time it was occupied by a canal boat captain named Butler. One night previous to the day on which he was about to leave Owego on one of his periodical trips he dreamed that he fell overboard from a canal boat and was drowned. The dream made such an impression on him that in the morning he narrated it to his wife. She was considerably affected, and endeavored to dissuade him from going away. He laughed at her fears and went on his way. A few days afterward she received information of his death, which had happened in every respect exactly as it had been presented to him in his dream. The house was for several years uninhabited, and was commonly known as "the haunted house." Superstitious people believed that it was haunted by the ghost of Butler. Mysterious noises were said to have been heard there at night and lights were seen to flash from its windows. Less credulous people avered that the lights and noises which had been seen by belated passers-by passing along the highway, were caused by people of not particularly reputable character, who consorted there at night. The building had been deserted about thirty years when it was burned. The fire is said to have been set by an incendiary, who wanted to give the firemen a run. Mr. Hollenback offered a reward of $50 for the arrest and conviction of the incendiary, but no one was arrested, although a certain person was suspected of having caused the fire. Judge Duane later removed to a farm of twenty acres, west of the little Nanticoke creek, a part of the farm now occupied by Mrs. Herman Tilbury and her family, where he died October 14, 1821. His wife had died a few days previous, on the fifth of the same month. Their bodies were buried on this farm between the highway and the river. The land has been cultivated many years and there is now nothing left to indicate where the graves were made. The genealogy of the Duane family is as follows: Thomas Duane, born 1759. Married Hannah Pierce 12 March 1788. Died in Owego 14 October, 1821. His wife was born in 1751 and died in Owego 5 October, 1821. Their children were: 1. Henry W. Duane, commonly known as Harry Duane, born 17 August 1789. Died in Owego 21 May, 1816, unmarried. 2. Harriet Duane, born 19 May , 1792. Married Caleb Leach, Jr. She died 7 October, 1818. Their children were Harry Leach, unmarried. Died and was buried at sea. Mary Leach married Lucius Truman, of Owego. Harriet married George S. Leonard, of Owego, and died 1 Jan. 1874. 3. Timothy Pierce Duane born 11 Sept. 1794. He was a farmer. Married Laura Steele, daughter of Aaron Steele, 20 Oct., 1822 . He died at South Owego 11 August, 1872. She died 13 Oct., 1775. Their children were Mary P. and Emily Duane, unmarried. Hannah Duane, married William June. Burr Duane, unmarried. John Duane. Rebecca Duane married Jerome B. Richardson. Henry Wm. Duane, Thomas Duane's eldest son, was a clerk in his father's store. He was in company with Capt. Jesse McQuigg in the mercantile business in 1812 and for a few years afterward. McQuigg and Duane's store was in a wooden building on the west side of Lake street, two doors north of Front street. They failed in business. Polly Pierce was born at Wyoming, Pa., 14 Dec. 1776, and died in Owego 19 June, 1815. Her sister, Clarissa, was born at Wyoming 11 Oct., 1774, and died 26 Jan., 1805. Her husband's name was White. They were married about 1796. Their children were Edwin, Polly, Timothy Pierce, and John P. White.