Landon Duncan (1786-1867)
Papers, 1814-37, n.d., Ms97-023
History:
Landon Duncan was born in Faquier County, Virginia, on March 26, 1786. He moved to Stokes County, North Carolina, presumably to live with his uncle Alamander Duncan. At an undetermined date he moved to Giles County, Virginia, and lived there, in the Wolf Creek section, for the remainder of his life. He married Sarah Kirk on August 12, 1812; they had nine children.
Duncan was a Baptist minister and established several churches in the county. He also served as a teacher in Pearisburg and was a Commissioner of the Revenue. He died on September 22, 1867.
Scope and content:
The collection consists of six letters. Two of the letters (1812, 1814) were written by Landon Duncan to his uncle Alamander Duncan in Stokes County, North Carolina. Three of the letters (1837, n.d.) were written to his cousin Hiram Duncan of the same county. One letter (1836) was written by Jane H. Threves in Gallatin, Tennessee, to her cousin Hiram Duncan.
Many of the letters are addressed to the North Carolina Duncan family in Blakely, Stokes County, but a recent check (March 1998) of a North Carolina map shows that this town no longer exists.
Landon Duncan's religious convictions are evident in all of the letters he writes to his North Carolina relatives. In several of the letters he expounds at length about the nature of God's grace and his faith. Duncan also writes frequently about the current prices of basic goods such as pork and corn, and occasionally about his neighbors. In his letter of December 16, 1814, he gives his opinion of the draft laws passed in the Virginia legislature for War of 1812.
Provenance:
The Landon Duncan letters were donated in December 1997 by George Duncan of Salt Lake City, Utah. Processing of the collection was completed in March 1998 by Gina Ellis, student assistant, and Laura Katz Smith, Manuscripts Curator, Special Collections Department.
Contents list:
- November 21, 1812. Letter from Landon Duncan to "Respected Uncle & relatives." Address line on back side of paper reads "Mr. Alamander Duncan, Stokes County, North Carolina."
- December 16, 1814. Letter from Landon Duncan to "Respected Uncle & Relations." Address line on back side of paper reads "Mr. Alamander Duncan, Stokes County, N. Carolina."
- December 19, 1836. Letter from Jane H. Threves near Gallatin, Tennessee, to her cousin Hiram Duncan of Stokes County, North Carolina.
- March 24, 1837. Letter from Landon Duncan to his cousin Hiram Duncan in Blakely, Stokes County, North Carolina.
- December 1, 1837. Letter from Landon Duncan to his cousin Hiram Duncan in Blakely, Stokes County, North Carolina.
- No date Letter from Landon Duncan to his cousin Hiram Duncan in Blakely, Stokes County, North Carolina.
Return to:
Guide to the Manuscript Collections in the University Libraries
Manuscript sources for Appalachian History
Send questions and comments (about the collections in the University Libraries of Virginia Tech only, please) to:
specref@vt.edu
