born 1813 in Glasgow, Scotland, and died 1857

 
Alexander Duncan was a son of James Duncan and Agnes Hood, both living in Hutchesontown in Glasgow, which forms part of the Gorbals district. As a young man James Duncan was a merchant, later, if his son David's death cerificate is right, a "Superintendent of Police". Alexander Duncan married

on 21st  October 1836 in Sydney, Australia, three months after his emigration from Scotland; they had (at least) 8 children, among them

,

's mother.

St James parish lies to the east of St Philip; it includes Sydney Opera House; Royal Botanic Gardens, The Domain, the part of Hyde Park north of Park street [all open parkland]; Circular Quay, and Martin Place. The parish is bounded by the area which was originally the

John Humphreys

writes

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all the rest of this page

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"Caroline Franklyn and Alexander Duncan were married at St James' Church, King Street, Sydney on 21st October 1836. It was an Anglican church, and had been consecrated
12 years previously (1824); it is now the oldest church in Sydney still in existence.

David Duncan (1818-1897), Alexander's brother, is listed as one of only a few cabin passengers on board the Brig Widgeon, which departed London at the end of August 1841 and arrived at Hobart, Tasmania on 15th January 1842. Also on board was a certain Anna Cade; David married her on 1st June 1842 in Hobart. David's and Alexander's  father James Duncan and most of his remaining children sailed to Australia (steerage class) on board the barque Reaper, arriving 1849.
 
In 1841 on board the Brig Widgeon, Anna Romana Cade was travelling with her sister Harriet, her father and his aunt Harriet Wright. Anna and Harriet's grandmother had been Anna Romana Wright, a daughter of Joseph Wright of Derby (the unusual name because she was actually born in Rome, in 1774). Apparently the Australian Cade family owned some pictures by the great man, which were

to the National Gallery of Victoria a few years ago.

So Alexander and Caroline had evidently migrated to Australia, married, had two daughters, returned to England, had a third daughter and crossed the Atlantic; Grace was their fourth daughter; then they travelled the relatively modest distance to Pennsylvania, where their first son and sixth daughter were born. It is easy to imagine Caroline as typically pregnant, at sea and constantly looking round in case small children disappeared overboard.
 
If they gave their ages correctly, Alexander must have been born between 17/9/1812 and 16/9/1813 and Caroline between 17/9/1817 and 16/9/1818.

Tank Stream (now Pitt Street near Circular Quay), and George Street in the west. It is bounded by Park Street and part of William Street in the south, and Young Crescent and Woolloomooloo Bay in the east.
 

Right:
St James today