Wednesday, December 31, 2014

SHE NEVER MET HER MOTHER - Mary Worthington Myatt Duncan

Mary Worthington Myatt (1832-1926) 

My 3rd Cousin 3X Removed








Elisha Duncan (1822 - 1893)
Husband of Mary Worthington Myatt


Mary was born on March 27, 1832 in 

Pocahontas, Bond County, Illinois - 

She was the daughter of 
Alexander and Mary W. (Chisenhall) Myatt.

Mary's mother died giving birth to Mary. 

She was their sixth child.

(In the 1800s, a woman had a one in eight chance of dying in childbirth during her lifetime.)


Her father, Judge Alexander Myatt, was born in Tennessee in 1802, and was of Welsh ancestry.  Alexander Myatt settled in Illinois, and for years was 
County Judge of Bond County in Colorado. (More on Alexander … sometime!)

Little is known about Mary's Mother, Mary Chisenhall.  Her grave marker cannot be found - it is thought that she is buried in McKendree Chapel Cemetery in Keyesport Landing, Bond County, Illinois. She was born in Dickson County, Tennessee and was the daughter of Alexander and Sally 'Polly' (Watson) Chisenhall.  

In 1831, Alexander and Mary Chisenhall (with their 5 children) moved from Tennessee to Illinois - locating in Beaver Creek Township, bond County, Illinois. This trip had to be so hard on the family - especially a pregnant woman in the 1800s.  So sad. 

Mary married Elisha Duncan 
(born September 13, 1822) 
on August 9, 1849 (age of 17) in 
Greenville, Bond County, Illinois. 
He was 10 years older than Mary.




Elisha Duncan had already made his first trip across the plains in 1850 to get to California's gold rush, a year after he and Mary were married. The trip took him six months to get there with his ox team.  Two years later Elisha returned to the Illinois home and in 1860 again felt the urge to go west.  After spending about six months in Colorado, he returned to Illinois for his family and made a permanent move. With her husband, and their children, they went to Colorado in 1861 and after about a year later bought a ranch seven miles East of Longmont, Illinois.  Elisha was one of the representative pioneers of Colorado and was closely identified with the founding of Weld and Boulder Counties. He aided in the establishment of schools and churches, the construction of roads, the instituting of local law and order, of protection against the Indians, and was one of the earliest mining operators and ranchmen in Boulder and St. Vrain.  




Their children were:
Margaret Jane Duncan 1853-1913
Robert Alexander Duncan  1855-1942
John Thomas Duncan 1857-1950
Edward C. Duncan  1863-1896
Guy Dale Duncan  1866-1950
James D. Duncan  1872-1893
      





MaryWorthington Myatt Duncan is seated on the right.
Sources state that in this photo are 
John Duncan (son of Mary), his wife Belle Smith, 
and one of their children.


The home above looks as if it might be a 'Sears' Home.

1908-1914 ad






MOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY
LONGMONT - BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO

MARY'S OBITUARY STATED, "Mrs. Duncan saw strenuous times with the Indians, butcame safely thru all experiences, and saw her children 
educated in the state University."

(Longmont Genealogical Society - M. Lindblom)
(Obituary is from the Longmont Ledger, Ledger Publishing Company, 
Friday, February 26, 1926, Page 5)





Alexander Myatt (1802 - 1861) 2nd cousin 4X removed
father of Mary Worthington Myatt
Wylie Myatt (1777 - 1865) 1st cousin 5X removed
father of Alexander Myatt
Matthew W Myatt SR (1747 - 1817) 4th Great Grand Uncle
father of Wylie Myatt
John Myatt SR (1726 - 1801) GGGGG grandfather
father of Matthew W Myatt SR
Nimrod MYATT (1768 - 1845) GGGG grandfather
son of John Myatt SR
Alfred Myatt (1819 - 1879) GGG grandfather
son of Nimrod MYATT
son of Alfred Myatt
Nancy E Myatt (1870 - 1896) my great-grandmother
daughter of George Washington Myatt
daughter of Nancy E Myatt
son of Dovie Mary Martin


Great On-Line Sites  

PIONEER MUSEUM IN COLORADO @ http://vimeo.com/104447637

 The Longmont Museum and Cultural Centers permanent exhibit 
of Longmont’s evolution – from its prehistoric roots through to its 
reputation as a technology center today.  

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Reflection - December 11, 2014

LIFE IN THE PAST LANE
December 11, 2014
Reflection... 





This is the 60th post to 
'Life In The Past Lane' for 2014



My research has led me to...
4,635 people
2,027 photos
361 stories
2,627 records
275 comments

The categorizing, cross-referencing, 
and linking, etc…
is no longer a hobby, but a way of life.


Researching 'dead people' (that's what my daughter calls it) is...

exhausting
therapeutic
intriguing
celebrating
puzzling
reflecting
mysterious
inquiring
exploring
and on and on and on.


Biographies, births, baptisms, and books -
Bridges, cemeteries, and rivers.
Charts, sources, kinship, and databases -
Family Bibles, diaries, and letters.

Goggling, folklore, photos, and ports -
Wars, Wikis, and timelines.
Networking, traveling, ships, and prisons -
Traditions, queries and guidelines.


Below are a few of my favorite photos...




















… let the 
'dead people' stories 
continue.








FINALITY - BATESVILLE CASKET CRANK

I  remember the day this  ‘casket key’ (sometimes called a burial vault key) was handed to my daddy at my grandfather’s burial in March of 1...