“Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County,” published: Chicago; The Lewis Publishing Company, 1892. JOSEPH S. DUNCAN, a successful farmer of Dallas county, is a son of John R. and Elizabeth (Wilson) Duncan. The father, who was born in Anson county, North Carolina, in 1806, moved to Mississippi in 1848, settling in De Soto county, where he lived until his death, in 1863. He was a wealthy planter before the war, but lost everything during that great struggle. He had three sons in the Confederate army, one of whom, Thomas C., was wounded at Denmark, Tennessee, and the father hearing of it started on horseback in the hot weather to see him, but the exposures of the journey proved fatal to him. Our subject’s mother was born in Anson county, North Carolina, in 1813, was married in that county, and accompanied her husband to De Soto county, Mississippi, and shared his fortunes until 1863, when she too passed away, her death being hastened by the death of her husband under such distressing circumstances. Mr. and Mrs. Duncan had the following children: Thomas C., who is engaged in the mercantile business at Cockrum, Mississippi; Elizabeth J., who died in De Soto county; Andrew H., who died in the Confederate service in 1863, from the effects of becoming overheated while carrying his brother, Thomas C., off the battlefield; Annie E., deceased in De Soto county, was the wife of Frank Cummings; Lydia A., a resident of De Soto county; John T., a resident of West Dallas, and a sketch of whom will be found in this work; Joseph S., our subject; Robert F., of Dallas county; William Benjamin, of De Soto county; and Mickie, the widow of William Cockrum, of Cockrum, Mississippi. Of these children, three, Thomas C., Andrew H. and John T., served in the Confederate army, and the second, Andrew H., died in the service. The subject of this sketch was born in Anson county, North Carolina, September 25, 1847, but was reared in De Soto county, Mississippi, where his parents had removed when he was small. He came to Texas in 1867, and in 1870 to Dallas county, where he bought a farm of 320 acres in the northwest part of the county, on Grapevine prairie and Cottonwood creek. Only thirty acres of this place was broken, but he now has 135 acres under a fine state of cultivation, and the remainder in pasture and hay land. Mr. Duncan has been engaged in farming since coming to this county, has his place under a good state of cultivation, and has bought and sold other land in the county. He was married January 3, 1870, to Miss Elizabeth H. Hill, who was born in Iowa, but reared in this county, a daughter of Joshua Hill, who came from Iowa to Dallas county, Texas, in 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Duncan have had six children: John R., Minnie E., Ella M. and Harry Grady are the living, and Cora Luena and Joseph W. are deceased. Submitted by: L. Pingel