MISS DUNCAN IS DYING

Word Received By Friends Here States That Miss Gay Duncan Is Lingering Near Death in New York City.
The Daily Telegram., August 27, 1904

Word received by friends in this city from the bedside of Miss Gay Duncan who has been ill at her home in New York city for some time past with lung trouble and a complication of diseases conveys the sad intelligence that she is slowly dying. For the past two weeks she has been in a very low condition and has been under the care of two trained nurses. The sad news will be received with deep sorrow and regret by her many friends in this city.

MISS DUNCAN DIES IN NEW YORK

DEATH CAME WEDNESDAY EVENING AT HALF PAST SIX O’CLOCK AFTER SHORT ILLNESS WITH PNEUMONIA.
ESTEEMED AND BELOVED CLARKSBURG WOMAN, MEMBER OF A PROMINENT FAMILY, IS NO MORE
Remains Will Arrive Here Saturday Morning and Funeral Will be Held From Her House on West Pike Street That Afternoon.
The Clarksburg Telegram., September 02, 1904

A telegram received Wednesday evening by T. Moore Jackson, conveyed the sad intelligence of the death of Miss Gay Duncan, which occurred at her place of residence, No. 307 West Forty Sixth Street, New York City, that evening at 6:30 o’clock.

The news of the death of Miss Duncan is received by the residents of this city with a profound shock of pain and sorrow. Miss Duncan left Clarksburg in the month of May seemingly in her usual good health. Several weeks after leaving Clarksburg she became ill and continued in ill health for some time. Some time later she went to Atlantic City in the hope that her health would be benefited by the climate and surroundings there. During all this time her illness was not severe and she continued about her work and duties. While in Atlantic City she was taken with a severe cold and this developed into pneumonia. She returned to her home in New York City and was soon compelled to take to her bed. The pneumonia had taken a vital hold upon her and she grew rapidly worse. Several days ago the attending physician saw that there was no hope for her recovery. She became unconscious three or four days before her spirit took its flight and lingered in a very low condition until death.

Miss Gay Duncan was the daughter of John and Florida C. Duncan, both deceased. Her father was a brilliant attorney, eminent in his profession and very prominent in this section of the State. He died when Miss Gay was an infant child. Mrs. Duncan passed away at the home on West Pike Street in December, 1902, after a long illness with consumption. Besides Miss Gay, there were two sons born to this union, Edward and Ernest Duncan, both now deceased. The two sons followed the profession of their father and were educated in the best schools and graduated. They both became very bright attorneys and were prominently known in this section because of their high professional abilities.

The surviving relatives are cousins— J. J. Duncan, John G. Gittings and T. Moore Jackson, of this city, and Judge William Bland and Meigs Bland, of Atchison, Kansas. Miss Duncan was the great granddaughter of R. J. Meigs and Sophia Jackson Meigs, the former of whom was the first governor of the State of Ohio. Miss Duncan’s mother Mrs. Floride C. Duncan, was a sister of James Madison Jackson, the father of T. Moore Jackson, and a sister of Mrs. Sophia Gittings, deceased.

The deceased was a highly esteemed woman and loved by all who knew her With the exception of the last several years of her life which she spent partly in New York, she had been a resident of Clarksburg since her birth, living at her home at 514 West Pike Street. She was possessed of musical ability and for years she took an active interest in musical circles in Clarksburg. She took an active part in setting up musical entertainments and the like and many of the young ladies and gentlemen of the city can recall the very pleasant times they had while participating in them under the leadership of Miss Duncan. She was a good natured, generous kind, and a lovable woman. Those who knew her will be moved to profound grief at her untimely death.

The remains have been prepared for burial in New York and they will be sent to Clarksburg on train No. 3 over the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, Friday night, arriving here at 10.30 o’clock on Saturday morning.

The remains will be taken to her residence on West Pike Street, from where the funeral will take place Saturday afternoon at two o’clock Interment will be in the family lot in the I. O. O. F. Cemetery. The funeral will be private and attended only by the intimate friends and relatives of the deceased.

DUNCAN WILL FILED FOR PROBATE

AN ESTATE VALUED AT NEARLY ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS DISPOSED OF.
PRINCIPAL LEGATEES ARE MEIGS AND WILLIAM T. BLAND AND AUGUSTINE J. SMITH, WHO SHARE EQUALLY.
Bequests of Minor Importance Made to Numerous Relatives–Will is Voluminous, Covering Many Closely Written Pages Going Into Detail.
The Clarksburg Telegram., September 09, 1904

The will of the late Miss Gay Duncan was admitted to probate in the county clerk’s office here Thursday forenoon. It was written by Judge W. T. Bland, a cousin of the deceased, but was with out date. However, it was made with in the past two years. The signature was proven by J. W. Davis and B. P. Holden, who were familiar with her handwriting. The testament was quite voluminous, covering sixteen closely written pages.

The testatrix first provided for her funeral expenses and then stipulated that a $300 monument be erected at the grave of her mother, Florida C. Duncan and a similar monument at her grave, to be selected by W. T. Bland, who is directed to write the inscriptions. She also directed that the tombstones at the graves of Edwin S. and Ernest A. Duncan be repaired and that markers be placed at the grave of Charles Brown. Five hundred dollars bequeathed in trust to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, or to W. T. Bland, in case that order did not accept the trust, the interest on which, except five dollars a year, is to be spent in keeping the burial lot and monuments in repair. The five dollars a year mentioned is to be devoted to cleaning and keeping in shape each year the Jackson enclosure in the Jackson Cemetery on East Pike Street, wherein her grandfather, John G. Jackson, and father, John S. Duncan, are buried.

Bequeathed….

To Meigs and W. T. Bland, cousins, in equal shares are bequeathed the homestead or residence and lot, where she and her mother resided so long. Also is given to them certificate No. 15087 dated in 1903, for seventeen shares of Standard Oil Company stock, with Meig’s share of all this property in trust and W. T. Bland the trustee, with power to turn it over to him, whenever he chooses. They also receive a $600 note executed to her by them.

It is directed that the residence be destroyed by burning the material, evcepting the hearths, mantels, doors, in side shutters, bath room, laundry fixtures, heaters and tiling, which are given to W. T. Bland.

To Augustine J. Smith is given certificate No. 895 and dated in 1899, seventeen shares of stock in Standard Oil Company. Mr. Smith is also given the residue of her real property of fourteen acres in this city, described in deed book 132, page 66, and deed book 126, page 221.

Mollie Jackson is given eleven shares of the 1901 series of United States Steel corporation stock and Stonewall Jackson shares of similar stock, while Columbia Thorn is given six shares of National Lead Company stock.

Mrs. J. M. Bowcock is bequeathed $500 as are also Martha Jones and Amelia Wilkes each a like amount.

All the remainder of her estate, except the bequests mentioned below is bequeathed equally among Meigs and W. P. Bland and Augustine J. Smith.

Bequests……

W. T. Bland is given two battle pictures, copy of the Declaration of Independence and other heirlooms.
Lummie Thorn gets table cloths, napkins, bureaus and so on.
Mrs. Alice Lewis is given a number of household things and valuables.
A. J. Smith gets a silver soup ladle, books of music, dressers, musical instruments, diamond ear rings, seal ring and so on.
Mrs. Ella Wade is bequeathed book case in library.
Mrs. Lizzie Allen and unmarried daughters are given walnut furniture dresser and a number of other things.
Mrs. J. G. Kuykendall is given the maple bed room set and other things.
T. M. Jackson gets the Jackson family sideboard pictures of his grandfather and other relatives, after dinner coffee cups and other household property.
Ernest Duncan receives a half dozen table spoons, mirrors and so on.
Mrs. Luther Haymond is given the leather chairs and upholstered goods.
Mrs. Annie Alexander gets the sewing machine, white bed room set and other things.

The kitchen ware goes to Martha Jones and Amelia Wilke as well as several other articles.

The finer china and silver ware, bric-a-brac and so forth are bequeathed to Bertha Bland, Emma Jackson, Gertrude Despard, Floride Kuykendall and Alice Lewis.

All personal property not mentioned in the will is given to W. T. Bland to keep what he elects and the other to be destroyed and all to be destroyed at his death.

The value of the estate is estimated to be in the neighborhood of one hundred thousand dollars, W. T. Bland was named in the will as executor, but he can not be here to attend to the business and John W. Davis will qualify as administrator.

Judge Bland to Look After Property

The Daily Telegram., November 30, 1904

Judge William T. Bland is expected to arrive here in a day or so from his home in Kansas to look after the property left him and his brother, Meigs, by his cousin, the late Miss Gay Duncan.

It is probable some disposition will be made of the residence property.