born about 1813 in Scotland
died 1857
 
©   Kurt Müller 2020
UK-Flagge.gif
FlaggeBRDklein.jpg
UK-Flagge.gif
FlaggeBRDklein.jpg
Homepage auf
Deutsch
 
UK-Flagge.gif
UK-Flagge.gif
UK-Flagge.gif
US-Flagge.gif
Homepage in
English
 
>> next >>
 
<< back <<
 

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

Caroline Franklyn

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

Grace Duncan

,

Grace Robertson

'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

Groom: Alexander DUNCAN, bachelor, Parish of St Philip


Bride: Caroline FRANKLYN, spinster, Parish of St Lawrence
Married: 21 October 1836
[in] Parish of Saint James
in the County of Cumberland
authority: License
consent: not stated
Minister: Robt. Cartwrighy, Chaplain
Denomination: Church of England

The official details from New South Wales:

Groom:                Alexander DUNCAN, bachelor, Parish of St Philip


Bride:                 Caroline FRANKLYN, spinster, Parish of St Lawrence
Married:                   21 October 1836
[in]                        Parish of Saint James in the County of Cumberland
authority:                License
consent:                not stated
Minister:                Robt. Cartwright, Chaplain
Denomination: Church of England
Witnesses:        W.Beaver of King Street, Vincent Geo. Williams of Elizabeth Street

John Humphreys

writes

(
all the rest of this page
)

:
 
"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.

WeddingChurchSidneyKL3

Alexander Duncan

UK-Flagge.gif
FlaggeBRDklein.jpg
UK-Flagge.gif
FlaggeBRDklein.jpg
Diese Seite auf
Deutsch
 
Family history Müller - Humphreys
BildschirmPfeilweissinvert
menue_button_neu_40_30
Menu
 

Free inhabitants in West Philadelphia in the County of Philadelphia,
State of Pennsylvania […] 16th Day of September 1850

Alexander Duncan

                  

37  M   Bookkeeper   1600         Scotland

Caroline Duncan        32   F                    England


Caroline Duncan            10   F                         N.S.Wales     /
Agnes         9   F                         N.S.Wales     /
Eliza         8   F                         England         /
Grace         6   F                         New York

     /

Franklin         5   M                         Pennsylvania  /
Kate         2   F                          Pennsylvania

"1600" is the "Value of real estate owned", presumably dollars. The oblique strokes belong to a column "Attended school within the year". Free presumably means the census excluded slaves.

On 29 November 1841 he arrived in America, aged 28, according to the naturalisation papers he signed. The US 1850 Census (16 Sep 1850) allows a reconstruction of the family's movements in the following years, via the order of the children's birthplaces. In New York births, marriages and deaths  were not recorded at the time. However John found them in the Pennsylvania Census data:

Picture below:
St James Church, Sydney, designed by the New South Wales Government Architect Francis Greenway.
In the collection of the National Library of Australia (Lithograph by Robert Russell, C.1836).
The Church is at the western end of King Street.

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

presented

to the National Gallery of Victoria a few years ago.

JosephWrightOfDerby.82

Joseph Wright
of Derby

 

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.

St.James.190

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