Columbia County OR Archives Biographies.....Duncan, J. B. June 13, 1852 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila Wakley iwakley@msn.com November 10, 2009, 8:59 pm Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 244 - 245 Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company J. B. DUNCAN, who is now retired from active business pursuits and is living in an attractive and comfortable home near Warren, Oregon, has well earned the ease which he now enjoys, for he has led an active and industrious life, has exercised good judgment in all of his affairs and has been honorable in his dealings. He was born in Bloomington, Monroe county, Indiana, on the 13th of June, 1852, and is a son of William W. and Minerva (Myres) Duncan. Mr. Duncan is descended from pure Scotch stock. His ancestors, who were ship builders, went to England in the seventeenth century, and became the owners of a fleet of sailing vessels which plied between England and the colonies. The progenitor of the family in this country was Joseph Duncan, who settled in North Carolina about 1780, and there became the owner of a large tract of land, on which he raised great numbers of cattle and horses. William W. Duncan was born in North Carolina in 1812 and died in Monroe county, Indiana, and his wife, who was born in Kentucky in 1818, died in Kansas. William W. Duncan accompanied his parents on their removal from North Carolina to Tennessee in 1814 and lived in that state until 1827, when he went to Monroe county, Indiana, took up a farm and there devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits until his death. The eighty acres of land which he acquired is now a part of the city of Bloomington. To him and his wife were born eleven children, of whom five are living. These were: John H., who served in the Civil war and was a farmer in Monroe county, Indiana, when he died; George, who died in infancy; William R., who also served in the Civil war and farmed in Monroe county, Indiana; Leslie, who died from the effects of illness contracted in the Civil war; Marion, now in Puyallup, Washington; Mrs. Margaret Thrasher, who lives in Kansas; Granville B., who died at Mattoon, Illinois, when twenty-four years of age; Joseph A., a farmer near Bloomington, Indiana; J. B.; Lemuel A., who resides in Portland; and Thomas J., who met an accidental death at four years of age. J. B. Duncan received a good education in the public and high schools of Bedford, Indiana, after which he taught school for several years. In 1886 he went to Kansas and bought a farm, which he ran for three years, and in 1889 came to Oregon, landing at Portland. On the same day of his arrival here he went to Scappoose and bought a tract of heavily timbered land, erected a frame house and entered upon the task of clearing the land and getting it in shape for cultivation. The forest was so dense that he had to cut a road before he could get lumber to the site where he built his house. There he developed a good farm, his principal crops being hay, grain and potatoes, in addition to which he had a good orchard and several acres devoted to strawberries. He sold a part of the land in town lots and in 1926 sold the remainder of the farm and, going to St. Helens, bought a half interest in the St. Helens Laundry. A year later he sold his interest in the business to his son, L. H. Duncan, who now owns and operates the plant, and bought ten acres of land, a half mile west of Warren, where he is now living. In 1882 Mr. Duncan was united in marriage to Miss Olive J. Brown, who was born in Cumberland county, Illinois, and was a daughter of Robert and Sarah (Snyder) Brown. Mrs. Duncan died October 17, 1918. To them were born eight children, as follows: Lester H., who was born in Illinois, is married and lives at St. Helens, where he owns a laundry; Mrs. Grace Dobbins lives in Aberdeen, Washington, and is the mother of four children, Warren, Lucille, Jane and David; Mrs. Clara Snow lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has a son, Benjamin; Mrs. Goldie Campbell, of Clatskanie, Columbia county, is the mother of four children, Joseph, Dorothy, Donald and Robert; Rellen E., deceased, had a daughter, Mary Gale; Archibald is married, lives in St. Helens and is a member of the Masonic order; Armand, who lives in Juneau, Alaska, is married and has a daughter, Corinne; and Hilda E., who remains at home and keeps house for her father. Mr. Duncan is a democrat in his political views and in former years took an active part in public affairs, serving many years as justice of the peace, several years as road supervisor and as a member of the school and election boards. He is a member of Avon Lodge, No. 62, K. P., at St. Helens. From his Scotch ancestors J. B. Duncan inherited the sterling qualities of character which have marked his life and during all the years of his residence in this section of the country he has commanded the unqualified confidence and respect of his fellowmen, having in his career exemplified the essential qualities of good citizenship and true manhood. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/columbia/bios/duncan1008gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 5.5 Kb