An Extract From:
By John Duncan,
of Melbourn, Australia 2001
Transcribed for the web,
Introduction
Having just completed a family tree of over 800 members and 268 families, it occurred to me that, by
using my acquired knowledge of members, and utilising the few biographies in my possession, that I could now tackle a written history. Malcolm and Isabella seated;
The following article was written in the newspaper, The Expositor, Brantford, Canada on Remembrance Day, 11 Nov 1998:
"We Are All Margaret Haldane's Bairns"
by his American Cousin,
Colleen Cahoon, of Texas
It is my understanding that genealogists ignore the female line of decsendentcy when compiling a family
tree, but as I do not consider myself as a genealogist, I have no qualms about breaking that rule, and making it the main reason for
writing this history.
When I first set out to compile my family tree, I naturally termed it the Duncan family tree, but I soon
came to realise that it involved many other surnames than my own. It was quite easy to discover a common denominator that linked all these
family surnames together, as the vast majority of the members listed had all a common female link to a Scottish lady called Margaret Haldane,
who lived in Glasgow in the nineteenth century.
Many, but not all, of the Duncan’s listed on the tree, are descendants of Margaret Haldane; certainly all
of the Australian McColl clan are, together with the Cahoons and Nicholsons of the U.S.A., the Robinson’s of England, and although their
addresses are not known, the descendants of Jim Faulds, also of England.
The Duncan families include my own in Victoria, Australia, as well as those of my deceased uncles’,
Malcolm McMillan Duncan and James Duncan resident in Brantford and Montreal, respectively in Canada.
Whilst the theme of this history is descendants of Margaret Haldane, I would be failing my own grandchildren
if I did not include those Duncan, Miller, and Petran families, to whom they separately own their kinship, so I have described these relatives
in separate chapters.
With Scottish families in particular enjoying the [19th and 20th century?] custom of passing on family names,
often using the surname of the female line as middle names, this leads to much confusion in identifying members having the same names. For
example, my father’s name is Dugald McMillan Duncan, a name which is also shared with my brother, and a great-uncle.
So, to avoid any confusion in this family history, I have adopted the same identification system used
in my family tree, i.e. a numbering one, thus, I shall be referred to as John Duncan #26, and I trust that readers shall not be too
annoyed by my decision.
In compiling both the family tree and this history, I have not attempted a search of public records,
as these are mainly in Scotland, and the cost is prohibitive.
Indeed, for all the information that I have compiled, I am deeply and thankfully indebted
to Annie Archibald McColl Nicholson of Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S.A., who, as I write, is now sadly confined to a nursing home,
incommunicado, her son, the Rev. David Owen Nicholson, my uncle Malcolm McMillan Duncan, sadly deceased, of Brantford, Canada, Jean Gribben
of Numurkah, Victoria, Australia, the late Kathleen Robinson of North Anston, England, and also Anne Millie Petran of
Doncaster, Victoria, Australia.
It intrigues me that for the larger part of my life, the Stewart name related only to the maiden
name of one “cousin,” yet I now find that many Stewart descendants have been keeping in touch with each other over the years,
mainly by letter, but on occasion even by overseas travel - even up to the present day.
Finally, I advise that it has given me personally, an immense amount of pleasure and satisfaction,
to compile all this family data, and I trust that this record of our family shall be both informative and give satisfaction, to my
own grandchildren and also to all others, and I trust that someone shall continue to update this record from where I finished, as I
believe that it is important to understand our roots, and learn from past experiences.
John Duncan,
3 Sunrise Court,
Gisborne, Victoria,
Australia, 3437,
01 Dec 2001
by emailing him at:
John Duncan at Jezzmo
My Uncles,
James Duncan #18 and his younger brother,
Malcolm McMillan Duncan #21,
both emigrated to Canada,
James in 1910 and Malcolm in 1923.
Back: Elizabeth McMillan Duncan #17, James Duncan #18, Mary Duncan #15;
Dugald McMillan Duncan #20 [the compiler's father,] in Highland Dress<
Front: Isabella Napier Stewart Duncan #16, Baby Malcolm McMillan Duncan #21, and Christine Duncan #14.
Little is known about James other than he was born 07 April 1883, and I have his christening cup with this information, plus a photograph
and oil- painting of him in a velvet suit. He married Catherine O’Neill #87, in Glasgow, who was born in 1882, and they had three children,
Mamie Duncan #88 who died [in Glasgow?], Archibald Duncan #90 born c1904 and Cissie Duncan #89 born c1908, both born in Glasgow.
Apparently James emigrated to Canada in 1910, and Catherine and the children followed him in 1911-12.
At some time he worked in the Dominion Linoleum Company, Montreal, and in the 1940’s the family lived at 1118 Shenneville Avenue, Montreal.
I have been advised that Catherine worked at the Montreal General Hospital.
James died circa 1955-1964, and Catherine, in the 1950’s, both in Montreal.
Cissie was last sighted in Montreal in 1931, but no further information is available.
In 1945 Archibald Duncan lived at 1118 Shenneville Avenue and worked for Canada Car, and it is believed that he died circa 1970-1980. It
is believed that Archibald had two daughters, Isabel and Catherine, and one son Arthur.
Arthur Duncan #111 lived at 1118 Shenneville Avenue in the 1940’s and was employed as a labourer.
Isabel Duncan #112 lived at 1118 Shenneville Avenue in the 1940’s and was employed at Mount Royal Hotel, 1945/47.
Catherine Duncan #113 was born 1947 in Montreal and lived at 1118 Shenneville Avenue.
Most of this advice was received by me from a Montreal professional genealogist in the late 1980’s.
“I was a likely-looking lad,” said 96-year-old Malcolm Duncan with his
rumbling Scottish accent.
Still sturdy and strong, the Brantford man recalled the Glasgow day,
82 years ago when he was hired on as an assistant steward in the British
Merchant Service.
It was April 1917, and Duncan had recently turned 15, He’d left school
and was determined to find work to help support his newly-widowed mother,
his first trip up the gangway, of the S.S. Crown of Galicia, when the
shore [chief?] steward told him to go back to school.
But on the way off ship, he met a “gentleman with a limp” who asked where
he was going. When Duncan told of his failure to get a job, the man
looked hard at him and told him to come back up the gangplank.
Duncan was signed on that day. Little did he know his service aboard a
First World War cargo ship would later earn him discharge papers, two
medals and the honour of being a veteran of the Great War.
“ I didn’t join thinking I’d be a veteran . I went because I needed a
job,” Duncan said. Sadly , over the years he lost both his discharge
papers and his medals which he left in a drawer in his brother’s home,
in Montreal.
During his 20-month stint aboard ship, Duncan saw much of the world. His
cargo ship sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific, through the Panama
Canal, up the east and west coasts of North America, along the west
coast of Africa, through the West Indies, and home to the dockyards of
Scotland and England.
All manner of cargo was loaded and unloaded to aid the war effort as
well as supply the domestic economies of Allied nations with much needed
oil, coal, ammunition and foodstuffs, such as canned goods and sugar.
Cargo ships travelled in convoys and were escorted through submarine
zones by heavily gunned naval vessels, Duncan said.
When the war ended, Duncan’s ship was docked at a small port on the
North Sea coast of Scotland and he was among a number of seamen,
suffering from Spanish flu, who were taken ashore by stretchers to
a hospital run by the American Red Cross.
Duncan recovered and when he and some other men began the land journey
home, carrying their sea-bags, they were greeted with cheers everywhere
they went.” We didn’t know what they were cheering for,” said Duncan,
who still didn’t think of himself as a war hero.
“The excitement went on for weeks at war’s end,” he said. He finally
realised that he’d made a contribution, when he received a packet in
the mail containing his service medals.
After the war, Duncan signed on an Australian ship and spent time down
under before emigrating to Canada in 1923.
He spent his working years managing large farms, including one on
Tutela Heights Road, and producing award-winning crops of grain and
raising prize-winning cattle. Later he worked as an inspector of farm
produce and finally retired at the age of 66.
Duncan attributes his long life to years of healthy hard work, on
farms and his philosophy of “always thankful.” He said he always
“took things as they came along,” in life, and despite his emphasis
on healthful living, he also admits using tobacco in various forms
since he was 15, be it cigarettes, snuff, chewing tobacco, or now, in
his tenth decade, indulging in the occasional cigar.
Malcolm McMillan Duncan #21.
After his service in the British Mercantile Marine during the 1914-1918 World War, Malcolm emigrated to Canada in 1923, and was
married on 27 April 1921, to Laura Mathieson #123 in Montreal, and were attended by, his brother James Duncan and his wife Catherine Duncan.
They have four daughters:
1] Joyce Anne McRae Matheson Duncan #127, who now lives at Brantford, near Toronto, was born on 27 Mar 1932, at Simcoe, Ontario. She
was married on 17 Sep 1955, at Brantford, to Arthur John Peacock #133, who was born on 31 Aug 1931 in Toronto, to an English father and
a North American Indian mother. They were divorced in May, 1972.
Family:
1] Living Son.
2] Living Son.
2] Isabella Mary Duncan #124, who now lives at Richmond Hill, Ontario, was born at Jarvis, Canada in 1933, and was married in 1935 at Brantford,
to Harold Francis Robinson #136, who was born in Toronto in 1928.
Family:
1] Living Daughter and son-in-law.
2] Living Daughter and son-in-law.
Family:
1] Living Son.
2] Living Daughter.
3] Christina McKenzie Duncan #126, who now lives at Brantford, was born at Simcoe, Ontario on 22 Oct 1935, and was married on 08 Dec 1955,
at Brantford, to Ronald Thomas #128 born 16 Sep 1934, at Toronto.
Family:
1] Living Daughter and son-in-law.
Family:
1] Living Daughter.
2] Living Daughter.
4] Laura, who now lives in Brantford, was born in 1938, at Iona Station, Ontario and was married in Brantford, on 02 Jun 1956 to Ralph Ellis
Campbell #143, who was born 1937 at Brantford.
Family:
1] Living Son and daughter-in-law.
Family:
1] Living Daughter.
2] Living Son.
2] Living Son.
Family:
1] Living Son.
2] Living Daughter.
3] Living Son.
4] Living Son.
Sadly Malcolm died on 01 Mar 1999 and Laura, his wife in 1997.
Vale Malcolm McMillan Duncan.
Malcolm was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church and a Life Member of St. Mark’s Lodge #94 A.F.A.M.G.R.C. Port Stanley and a
Past Master and Life Member of The Ozias Lodge #508 G.R.C. and an affiliated member of Reba Lodge #515 A.F.A.M.G.R.C. and was also a
veteran of the First World War.
He is survived by his four daughters, ten grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and seven step-great-grandchildren.
Compiler’s (John Duncan's) Notes:
1] I received the advice, reference Canadians’ Isabel, Arthur, and Catherine, from a Montreal
Genealogist. The “family” relationship, is merely my interpretation of this advice.
Go To [ Our Duncans in Australia ]
Go TO [ Our Duncans in Scotland ]
Return to [ Jezzmo Main Page ]