DUNCAN, Honorable Estes - Putnam

Among the enterprising farmers and representative citizens of Putnam County who by well directed industry and force of character have surmounted adverse conditions and risen to positions of influence and prominence in their respective communities, the name of the subject of this sketch is deserving of special note. The family of which Estes Duncan is an honorable representative is an old and highly esteemed one in this part of Indiana and wherever known the name stands for all that is upright in manhood and creditable in citizenship. Benjamin Duncan, the subject’s grandfather was a native of Pennsylvania and man of sound, practical judgment and intelligence. He and his wife, Adaline, migrated to Putnam County some time prior to 1830 and, settling in what is now Cloverdale Township, purchased a valuable tract of government land which he subsequently developed into a fine farm and on which spent the remainder of their days, dying just across the county line in the village of Quincy, where for several years they had made their home. Among the children of Benjamin and Adaline Duncan was a son, Lloyd T, whose birth occurred on the homestead in Putnam County April 3, 1843, and who, like his father, was a farmer by occupation and man of more than ordinary intelligence and influence. He was a member of Co E, 33rd Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry in the late Civil War and was with his command during all the varied experiences of the campaign and battled and bore his part bravely and well, upholding the honor of the government in its time of peril. He shared with his comrades the hardships and dangers of active service until severely wounded at the battle of Peach Tree Creek (siege of Atlanta) where he was shot through the left arm so near the shoulder that the entire arm had to be amputated, during which operation the blood pressure was so strong on the arteries at the injured part as to endanger his life. Indeed, for a long time his friends despaired of his recover and more than a year elapsed before he regained sufficient strength to enable him to reach his home. Among the more important engagements were: Peach Tree Creek, Thompson’s Station and Cumberland Gap. Shortly after leaving the army Mr. Duncan was united in marriage with Mary A. Gillespie, daughter of Lysander and Rebecca (Martin) Gillespie, the union resulting in the birth of 8 children of whom the subject was the first born, the youngest three being triplets, one of whom died at the age of 9 months, this with the father’s death which occurred March 13, 1903, being the only invasions of the family circle by the dread Destroyer. Mrs. Duncan, who is residing in Cloverdale Twp is a lady of excellent character and is highly esteemed to her neighbors and friends and those who know her best speak in glowing terms of her many excellent qualities of head and heart. Estes Duncan, whose birth occurred in Putnam County, Indiana, Sept 13, 1867, was reared on the home place in the northern part of Owen County and early became familiar with the varied duties of the farm. At the proper age he entered the public school in the neighborhood and with such interest did he apply himself to his studies that on the 17th anniversary of his birth he was sufficiently advanced to pass the required examination and receive a teacher’s license. Although but a youth in age and appearance, he took charge of a district school and proved not only a successful and popular instructor but a strict disciplinarian whose methods won the favor alike of pupils and patrons. Actuated by a laudable desire to fit himself for greater efficiency in his chosen calling, he subsequently entered the State Normal School at Terre Haute, which he attended at intervals during the early part of his professional career, teaching in the meantime and afterwards devoting his entire attention to school work. Mr. Duncan’s experience in the school room covered a period of 15 years, during which time he forged to the front among the successful teachers of the county and had he seen fit to devote his life to this honorable profession he doubtless would have achieved high distinction among the educators of the state. With a natural liking for the soil, however, and an aptitude for its cultivation, he decided to give his attention to farming; accordingly in 1889 he engaged in that vocation which he carried on in connection with teaching during the 10 years ensuing, when he discontinued the latter, since which time he has ranked among the enterprising agriculturists of his township and county. The father, being a clear headed, well balanced man of practical idea, advised his sons to buy land and go in debt for the same, assuring them that for young men without capital this was the best and surest way of securing a home and acquiring a competency. Acting upon his judicious counsel, the subject purchased lands from time to time until his indebtedness amounted to the sum of $3,500, but managed his affairs with such energy and diligence that at the end of four years his land was not only free from encumbrance but he occupied a prominent position among the leading men of his calling in Cloverdale Township. By well directed effort and sound judgment, Mr. Duncan has been enabled to add to his holdings at intervals until he now is the owner of 400 acres of valuable land, the greater part under a high state of cultivation and otherwise well improved, his building being among the best in the community and in point of productiveness, his farms yield precedence to no like area in the county. As a tiller of the soil he is not only energetic and progressive, but also studious, believing in the dignity of his calling and striving by every means at his command to make a remunerative and in the highest degree honorable. In addition to his agricultural and livestock interests he is identified with several local enterprises of different character, among them being the Cloverdale Hardware & Lumber Company, of which he is secretary and treasurer and the success of which is very largely attributable to his judicious management. The domestic life of Mr. Duncan dates from the year 1889, at which time was solemnized his marriage with Nevada Pollard, a daughter of William G. and Martha A. Pollard, a union blessed with two children, Frank P and Floyd R, both bright and intelligent young men with promising futures. The older son is a student of the state university where he is preparing himself for a life of usefulness and honor; the younger, who is also ambitious, is pursuing studies in Cloverdale HS with the object in view of becoming more than a mere passive factor in world affairs. Mr. and Mrs. Duncan, together with their sons are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and are zealous in all lines under the auspices of the same. Fraternally, Mr. Duncan belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen, in both of which societies he has been honored from time to time with important official positions.