Duncan Family of Susan J. Dorey

The genealogist's pleasures are the small clues which lead to new discoveries. In this case a marriage announcement prompted research into a family unknown to me. That it succeeded so well is due to new information gotten simultaneously from a cemetery. Delightful concordance!

I found a relationship between Helen Clirehugh Duncan, married in 1928, and Elizabeth (Clirehugh) Cockburn, buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in 1884.

Elizabeth Clirehugh was born in Scotland in 1803. She was a sister to Vair Clirehugh, my great-great-grandfather. Family stories have her living in New York City near Vair's family, but that was all I knew until May 15, 2008. I discovered she had two children, Helen and John. Helen married, had children, and has living descendants.

Here is the Duncan family descended from a Clirehugh.

George DUNCAN
Born 1822 Scotland.
Immigrated to NY.
Died 6-1864.
Buried 6-11-1864 Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY.
Married Helen COCKBURN 5-18-1846 in NYC. Her parents were John COCKBURN and Elizabeth CLIREHUGH, both born Scotland. She died at age 31 on 5-24-1858.
Three sons born NY:
George Duncan Jr. born 1847.
John Duncan born 1851.
William Clirehugh Duncan born 7-1855.
William Clirehugh DUNCAN
Parents: George Duncan and Helen Cockburn.
Born 7-1855 NY.
Died 6-21-1917 NYC.
Married Lizzie (Elizabeth) SEE (born 6-6-1858 NYC) in 1876 Manhattan. Her parents were Alanson SEE, born 1813 NY and died 1871 NY, and Mary A. HALL, born 1822 NY and died 1917 NY. Lizzie may have died 12-1935.
Had 6 children born in NY:
Marion S. Duncan born 10-26-1877 NYC.
William Alanson Duncan born 7-15-1879 NYC.
Helen (Nellie) Jessie Duncan born April 1882.
George Arthur Duncan born 6-24-1884.
Lizzie A. (Adele?) Duncan born August 1890.
James D. Duncan born May 1894.
Was President of the Greenwich Bank of New York.
Daughter Marion was unmarried in 1928.
Daughter Helen married Robert Percival WARD on 12-22-1909 in NYC.
Daughter Adele married Samuel Anderson McKEOWN on 2-6-1917 in NYC.
Son George married Madeline about 1908, lived in San Francisco in 1910.
Son James passed the bar exam in 6-1917.
William Alanson DUNCAN
Parents: William Clirehugh Duncan and Lizzie See.
Born 7-15-1879 NYC.
Died 2-1969 NYC.
Married Grace McWILLIAM in 1904. She was born 3-29-1885 NYC, the daughter of Mary W. McWILLIAM (born 1863 NY). Grace died 7-1972 NYC.
In 1918 was Vice President of Farmers Loan & Trust Co., a predecessor of Citibank.
Had 5 children born in NY:
John V. Duncan born 11-5-1904 NYC. Died 12-9-1986 Southbury, CT.
Helen Clirehugh Duncan born 11-22-1906 NYC. Died 8-23-1992 NYC.
Frederick Geller Duncan born 4-24-1911 NYC. Died 12-18-1983 East Lyme, CT.
Christine Stirling Duncan born 8-2-1917 Rye, NY.
Jean W. Duncan born 12-28-1926 NYC.
Son John married Margaret PARSONS 6-1933 in NYC.
Son Frederick married Janet St. Clair MULLAN on 3-12-1938 in NYC.
Daughter Christine married Eric Hall MORRISON on 10-3-1940 in NYC.
Son John was married at the time of his death, a lawyer and partner in a law firm.
Son Frederick was married at the time of his death, Treasurer of the New York Life Insurance Co.
Helen Clirehugh DUNCAN
Parents: William Alanson Duncan and Grace McWilliam.
The great-great-granddaughter of Elizabeth Clirehugh Cockburn.
Born 11-22-1906 NY.
Married Hugh Eustis PAINE on 11-28-1928 in NY. He was born 3-20-1905, died 3-30-1973, lived 1 Beekman Place, NYC, NY and Willsboro, NY. His father: Augustus G. Paine Jr. born 1867 NYC. His mother: Maude born 1865.
Helen's husband was a stockbroker (partner of the brokerage firm Abbott, Proctor & Paine) and a leader in humanitarian activities in NYC.
She died 8-23-1992 in New York, NY. Buried Lakeview Cemetery, Willsboro, NY with husband.
Had two children:
Hugh Eustis Paine Jr. born 9-19-1930, died 9-30-2005.
Molly W. Paine born 1-1936 NY.
The Paine family has roots going back to Cape Cod in the 1640s.
Hugh Eustis PAINE Jr.
Parents: Hugh Eustis Paine and Helen Clirehugh Duncan.
Born 9-19-1930.
Died 9-30-2005 Forest Hills, Queens, NY.
Buried 8-13-2006 Lakeview Cemetery, Willsboro, NY.
Married Julia Kean HASKELL.
Had two children:
William Duncan Paine born 2-8-1958 NYC.
Andrew Stuyvesant Paine born 5-6-1962.
He worked for his father as a partner of the brokerage firm Abbott, Proctor & Paine.
He died of lung cancer. His obituary and family stories are on his son William's website.
Molly W. PAINE
Parents: Hugh Eustis Paine and Helen Clirehugh Duncan.
Born 1-1936 NY.
Married #1: Thomas J. McGREEVY of Kansas City, MO 5-1960.
Married #2: Earl HINDMAN.
Had three children:
Pamela McGreevy
Jessica McGreevy
Barbara-Helen McGreevy

There is a pedigree diagram of these families.

Cemeteries

Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

The cemetery is located at 5th Avenue and 25 Street. There is a website about the gravestone inscriptions. There are two lots that hold Duncans and their in-laws:

In Lot 22930:

NAME BURIAL DATE IDENTITY
Alanson See 6-13-1891 father of Lizzie See who married William Clirehugh Duncan
Mary A. See 3-15-1917 mother of Lizzie See who married William Clirehugh Duncan

In Lot 22931: All of these people except the last one were originally buried in either Lot 7859 owned by the Clirehugh family or Lot 2458 Grave 210 which was a public lot for adults. They were all moved to Lot 22931 on 11-4-1879.

NAME ORIGINAL BURIAL DATE AGE AT DEATH ORIGINAL LOT IDENTITY
William Cockburn 1-21-1853   2458 ?
Helen A. Duncan 2-27-1854   2458 ?
John H. Duncan 7-29-1854   2458 ? (not a child of Helen and George Duncan, who had a son named John born 1851 living in 1860).
Helen Duncan 5-26-1858   7859 daughter of Elizabeth Cockburn née Clirehugh, and wife of George Duncan.
George Duncan 6-11-1864   7859 husband of daughter of Elizabeth Cockburn née Clirehugh.
John Cockburn 7-11-1872 41 7859 son of Elizabeth Cockburn née Clirehugh. Died 7-9-1872, unmarried, last residence was 75 Varick Street, New York (where he lived with his mother from at least 1856 until his death).
Elizabeth Cockburn 10-24-1884 81 N/A Elizabeth Clirehugh. Born Scotland, died 10-21-1884, last residence was 243 West 11th Street, New York (where she lived with an extended family composed of Alanson and Mary See, their son William Duncan and his wife Lizzie See Duncan, their two young children, and Mary See's mother and cousin).

Lakeview Cemetery, Willsboro, NY

Contact

Please contact me with corrections and additions or if you're a relative!

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Revision: 5-25-2008.