The Derby Mercury newspaper listed a William Duke as the recipient of Gentleman’s Certificates (hunting licenses) in 1822-1823 (as a resident of Derby) and again in 1826-1828 (as a resident of Normanton).[1] No William Duke appeared in the newspaper in 1829 or the 1830s, an indication the man purchasing the certificates either migrated/immigrated, died, or stopped hunting after 1828. The locations given for his residences in the Derby Mercury are plausible for the immigrant, 1796 William Duke.[2] There were very few Dukes in Derby or Derbyshire at that time, (see William Duke in the 1820s part 1), so it is unlikely there were multiple men named William Duke in and near Derby in the 1820s. However, it is impossible to be certain the target William Duke was exclusively in Derbyshire up to 1829 when he immigrated. An effort was made to find him elsewhere.
Where else could William Duke have logically been?
William may have been in New York for at least part of the 1820s. Two histories, one of Allegany County and one about the building of the Erie Railroad, plus Duke and Norton family traditions mention William visited New York prior to his own statement he immigrated in 1829.[3]
John Minard’s Allegany County and its People stated William came from England because the making of handmade lace, a profession handed down from his father, was in serious decline due to lace-making machines that caused the ruin of the hand-made industry by 1820.[4] While that statement is highly questionable, the book also mentioned William came to America not long after 1820 and between 1825 and 1830 he made his home in Binghamton before a return to England. Edward Harold Mott’s publication, Between the Ocean and the Lakes: The Story of Erie, stated William Duke arrived in “this country” from his native Derbyshire on April 26, 1820.[5] Duke and Norton family traditions both passed down the story that William made at least one trip to America before immigrating in 1829. William’s 1840 naturalization document backs up his immigration date of 1829.[6] There is no mention made of him arriving or visiting earlier, though that could have happened.
First the histories
The first thing to examine is the reliability of the histories which state William Duke was in New York by 1820 or at least during part of that decade. Several different printers published county and town histories in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a profit-making venture in the hope residents and former residents would purchase the books. County histories often included short biographies of people who lived in the county, particularly business and political leaders. Though efforts were made to gather biographical information on the individuals and their ancestors, research was not done in original records to validate the data. As the Family Search Wiki states: “Depending upon the bias and abilities of the author and the resources available to them, the history may or may not be true or reliable.”[7] Generally speaking, without a source to back up a history’s statements, we cannot consider the data fully accurate. However, many of the histories published in the 1800s contain details which can no longer be verified because the original sources are now-deceased individuals or a written record which has since been lost or destroyed. The best a researcher can do is to use records still available to hypothesize what may have occurred.
Edward H. Mott’s book likely relied on some primary sources for its chapters on the development of the Erie Railroad, but that does not mean the 1899 edition supplement published by John S. Collins, a section titled Biographical Department, was similarly researched. The biographies were in an attached book of over one hundred fifty pages at the end of his railroad history. Most of the pages in the supplement contained one to five short biographies and/or images of the subjects. It would have been difficult to thoroughly vet all the biographic data and still publish the book in a timely manner. For many published biographies of that era, the data came from interviews conducted with friends and family members of the subjects, so it is likely the Biographical Department depended on similar sources.
Looking for William in the 1820s
The only way to determine if the information in the published histories or family traditions (which could have arisen from the histories) is correct is to search every possible source in New York that might have evidence of William Duke living in the state in the 1820s. Those include the 1820 census, 1825 NY state census, directories, extant newspapers, tax, and land records for the counties William Duke may have lived in, and immigration/passenger lists.
While it is possible William was in another state, New York is the most logical because he ultimately settled in Broome and later Allegany County, making New York the state he would have been most interested in seeing on a pre-immigration visit. It would be difficult and far too time consuming to trace the lives of every William Duke in the United States in the 1820s, so research was confined to men named William Duke in the state of New York for most sources, and further narrowed to Broome, Allegany, and New York Counties for others.
1820 Census
Canvassing for the 1820 federal census began 7 August 1820.[8] Questions asked by the enumerators were to be answered as if the date was 7 August, even if the census taker arrived weeks or months later. The pages of the census sheets were rarely dated, so there is no way to determine exactly when an enumerator arrived in a village. The census information is only as reliable as the informants, but a significant effort was made by the US marshals and their assistants (who were bound by an oath) to enumerate everyone who should be counted.[9] Every person over age sixteen was required to cooperate.
If the surprisingly specific date of William’s arrival listed in Mott’s book is correct, William was in New York by the time the 1820 census was taken, yet no William Duke was found in Broome or Allegany Counties and the only one in the entire state of New York was in New York City.[10] He was age 26-44, with one male under 10, 1 female under 10, one female 10-15, one female 16-25, one female 26-44, and one female 45 and over. William Duke’s age category placed him a minimum of two years and maximum of twenty years older than the target 1796 William Duke and he most likely had a family with young children and possibly an older mother or mother-in-law living with him. Other family configurations are possible, but the point is that this is not a single man living by himself but most likely a married man with a wife and several children.
1796 William Duke might have been in New York in 1820, but the specificity of Mott’s date is suspicious. It’s uncommon for immigrant ancestors to pass down an exact date of arrival, and this one is particularly questionable because it is also the exact birthdate of 1830 William Duke the eldest son of 1796 William, minus 10 years. He, not his father, was the main subject of Mott’s short biography and only brief mention was given to his ancestry. Given the need to squeeze many men into approximately 150 pages of short biographies, it’s possible the writer or editors or even typesetters confused a son’s birthdate with his father’s immigration date.
1825 State Census
The surviving schedules for the 1825 New York state census do not cover all counties. There is no 1825 census for Allegany County, but one exists for Broome County. There were no Dukes enumerated in Broome that year. No 1825 New York County census was found, and the Family Search Wiki states no 1825 schedule survived for New York County, nor for Queens, Bronx, or Kings (Brooklyn). These are the most likely counties for William Duke to have been outside of Broome if he was in New York in 1825.
1830 Federal Census
William Duke is in the 1830 census in Broome County, with a female the right age to be Elizabeth, his wife, and a young male, in the right age group to be his oldest son, William.[11] The census fits the known profile of William’s family in 1830. His 1830 appearance validates his statement on his naturalization petition that he arrived in the state in 1829.[12] There was no William Duke in the New York County census that year, but there were enumerations for a William Duke (with variations on the surname) in Saratoga, Oneida, and Allegany Counties as well as several men named William Duke in other states. The other William Dukes were not traced since multiple records prove the target William was in Broome County by 1830.
Land and Tax Records
There is no land record for William Duke in Broome County. The first instance of 1796 William purchasing land occurred in Allegany County in 1841.[13] A search of all indexed land records for the state of New York from 1820-1830 found only one William purchasing land. He bought it in New York City in 1826 (recorded 20 September 1830). This is possibly the same (older) William from the 1825 census. The four-year delay in recording the transaction may be because he also purchased land in September 1830, which was recorded that same day.[14] This William was in New York City at the same time our immigrant William was enumerated in Broome County, making it nearly impossible for them to be the same individual. No other land record has been found for a William Duke anywhere in New York in the 1820s. Without land, or at least livestock, there was nothing to tax William on, and there were no online tax records for where he lived in Broome County in the 1820s or 1830s.
Directories
A search for New York City directories located an 1815 directory with a William Duke, a cabinet maker living at 15 Thames. An 1818 directory had the same information.[15] Longworth’s 1826 New York City Directory had a William Duke, a cabinet maker who lived at 54 Cedar.[16] Longworth’s 1827 Directory had a William Duke who was a cabinet maker at 20 Lumber. Fold 3 had additional Longworth’s Directories for 1829, 1830-1831 and 1831-1832 all of which duplicated Longworth’s 1827 data.[17] The William Duke who was the cabinet maker/carpenter in New York City was living there before any source states the immigrant William Duke may have arrived, and he resided in New York City while 1796 William was living in Broome County. These were clearly two different men.
No directory was found for Allegany County before 1875. There were none earlier than that at the Library of Congress or on WorldCat. The earliest directory found online for Binghampton or Broome County was 1859. William Duke died in 1847 before the Broome or Allegany directories were created.
Newspapers
Chronicling America, the Library of Congress’s site for US newspapers listed a few publications for Allegany and Broome Counties in the early 1800s and dozens for New York City for the years 1820-1830. Without knowing for certain where William was in the 1820s, the only reasonable search to undertake was to check various newspaper databases including, Chronicling America, Newspapers.com, Newspaper Archive, the NYS Historic Newspapers, My Heritage, Google News Archive, Fold3, Old Fulton NY Post Cards, and Elephind.com for any sightings of 1796 William Duke in the state of New York.
Chronicling America, NYS Historic Newspapers, Newspapers.com, Newspaper Archive, Fold3, Google News Archive, My Heritage, and Old Fulton Post Cards had no instances of a William Duke between 1820 and 1830 in New York state.
Genealogy Bank’s newspapers were not searched as they required a subscription. Elephind shut down in October 2023 and is available only through Veridansoftware, and is currently browse-only through various university projects. Online Historical Newspapers’ website was not available.
Immigration/Passenger lists
Immigration databases on Ancestry, FamilySearch, Stephen Morse’s One-Step Webpages, and other websites were searched for a William Duke by himself and a William Duke with a wife named Elizabeth traveling from England to America between 1820 and 1830. The focus was on an arrival in New York as that is where William stated he arrived in his 1840 naturalization declaration. New York City is also the most likely location he would have disembarked during an earlier trip.[18] None of the databases contained William or William and Elizabeth together. Passenger lists were just getting started in the 1820s and there are few of them from that decade.
Possible family contacts in the US
In addition to William, other members of the extended Duke family came to the United States in the early 1800s. James Duke, brother of 1762 William arrived 18 July 1838 on the Bark Burlington.[19] James Duke’s location after arrival was not immediately documented, but he likely moved to Pennsylvania and died in Johnstown in 1849.[20] James’s son, Jonathan Oldham Duke, arrived with his wife, Mary (Stone) Duke, on 29 August 1829, having traveled on the Eliza Grant.[21] Shortly after arriving, Jonathan Oldham and Mary Duke traveled to Albany, where their first child was born 21 December 1829.[22] Jonathan Oldham Duke’s brother, Thomas, arrived in New York 30 September 1836 with his wife, Ann (Stone) Duke, his sister, Ann Duke, and his two young children.[23] Shortly thereafter they also moved to Pennsylvania. Although several members of the Duke family immigrated to America, the only one besides 1796 William Duke who came in the 1820s was Jonathan Oldham Duke, who also came in 1829. None of them predated the arrival of William and Elizabeth Duke.
There was, however, one individual with whom William Duke may have had contact before leaving Derby whose immigration occurred before William’s arrival in New York and who may have helped William facilitate a trip in the 1820s. Robert Stone, the father of both Mary (Stone) Duke and Ann (Stone) Duke, was in New York City in the early 1820s. He was widowed by the death of his first wife, Sarah (Cartwright) Duke, and after that he immigrated to the US.[24] He married Mary Smith on 23 June 1821 in the Trinity Church in New York City.[25] Robert Stone converted to Primitive Methodism around 1815 and was preaching for that sect by 1818.[26] Whether or not William Duke was involved in Primitive Methodism has not been determined, but he may have known Robert as a preacher or as the father-in-law of his cousin, Jonathan Oldham Duke, who married Robert’s daughter, Mary Stone, in Derby, St. Alkmund’s in 1828.[27] Robert may have provided some help to William if he made a trip to New York in the 1820s. One possibility to be explored in the future is if, as an elder or official minister of the US Primitive Methodists, Robert may have married William and Elizabeth in New York. William and Elizbeth later adhered to Episcopal Methodism and there is also a possibility they were married by a minister of that sect after immigrating.
Conclusion
No evidence was found that placed 1796 William Duke, in Allegany or Broome Counties, or New York City in the 1820s. William could have made a short trip to the United States in the 1820s, possibly in 1824 and/or 1825 since no evidence was found for a William Duke in the Derby area those years, or he may have come as late as 1828, with a return trip to England that same year.
What can be stated is that William made no appearance in US records in the 1820s. A yet-unknown record may surface in the future, but for now the conclusion must be that William did not appear in any currently findable US source created in the 1820s.
With few passenger records that decade and no mention of William in them, no land purchase, no appearance in an enumeration prior to 1830, and no newspaper sighting or directory listing, William Duke’s trip to the United States as mentioned in county and other histories cannot be verified.
However, there is also no conclusive evidence he did not make a visit that predated his immigration in 1829. He may have come to New York City and traveled to New York’s Southern Tier to identify a good place to settle. What can be stated is that William most likely did not stay in the United States for an extended period prior to 1829 or records would have likely been found for him.
[1] “Gentlemens’ Certificates,” Derby Mercury, 11 September 1822, page 1 column 1; imaged, “Derby Mercury, (Derby, Derbyshire, England,) Find My Past (www.findmypast.com : accessed 17 June 2024).
“Gentlemens’ Certificates,” Derby Mercury, 10 September 1823, page 1 column 3; imaged, “Derby Mercury, (Derby, Derbyshire, England,) Find My Past (www.findmypast.com : accessed 17 June 2024).
“Gentlemens’ Certificates,” Derby Mercury, 6 September 1826, page 1 column 3; imaged, “Derby Mercury, (Derby, Derbyshire, England,) Find My Past (www.findmypast.com : accessed 17 June 2024).
“Gentlemens’ Certificates,” Derby Mercury, 10 September 1827, page 1 column 2; imaged, “Derby Mercury, (Derby, Derbyshire, England,) Find My Past (www.findmypast.com : accessed 17 June 2024).
“Gentlemens’ Certificates,” Derby Mercury, 10 September 1828, page 1 column 2; imaged, “Derby Mercury, (Derby, Derbyshire, England,) Find My Past (www.findmypast.com : accessed 17 June 2024).
[2] William was baptized and was also likely born in 1796. To separate him from the many other William Dukes in his ancestry and descendancy, his birth year has been used to identify him in posts where he appears.
[3] John S. Minard, author: Georgia Drew Merrill: editor, Allegany County and its People (Alfred, NY: W. A. Ferguson & Company, 1896), 403-405.
Edward Harold Mott, Between the Ocean and the Lakes: The Story of Erie (New York, New York, John S. Collins, Publisher, 1899), Men of Mark in Erie Towns, William Duke, 103.
New York Petition for Naturalization, Broome County, Box 1: image 387/962, 1840, William Duke, “New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980,” imaged, FamilySearch (www.FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 5 Mar 2024).
[4] John S. Minard, author: Georgia Drew Merrill: editor, Allegany County and its People, 403-405. A future post will address the professions of 1762 William and show this information is incorrect.
[5] Edward Harold Mott, Between the Ocean and the Lakes: The Story of Erie, Men of Mark in Erie Towns, William Duke, 103.
[6] New York Petition for Naturalization, Broome County, Box 1: image 387/962, 1840, William Duke, “New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980,” imaged, FamilySearch.
[7] Family Search Wiki (www.familyserach.org/wiki), “United States, Histories of Towns, Counties, and States,” rev. 12:00, 5 January 2024.
[8] Family Search Wiki (www.familyserach.org/wiki), “United States Census, 1820-FamilySearch Historical Records,” rev. 15:47, 1 December 2023.
[9] NARA, 1820 Census Records (archives.gov/research/census/1820: accessed 8 August 2024).
[10] 1820 U.S. census, New York Ward 1, New York, population schedule, page 9 (handwritten), William Duke; imaged, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 August 2024).
[11] 1830 U.S. census, Broome County, New York, population schedule, Chenango Township, p. 12 (penned and stamped), William Duke, imaged, “1830 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 March 2024).
[12] New York Petition for Naturalization, Broome County, Box 1: image 387/962, 1840, William Duke, “New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980,” imaged, FamilySearch.
[13] Allegany County, New York, Mortgage Book N, page 43, 20 May 1841; imaged, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 18 March 2014), image group number (IGN) 7136141 > image 31 of 667.
[14] “United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975,” database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 21 August 2024), search term: William Duke, 1820-1830; citing Conveyance index-grantee 1654-1866.
[15] Longworth’s American Almanac, New York Register, and City Directory for the Fortieth Year of American Independence (New York, New York: Thomas Longworth, 1827), 197; imaged, NYPL (DigitalCollections.nypl.org : accessed 9 August 2024).
Longworth’s New-York Directory, 1817-1818, For the Forty-Second Year of American Independence (New York, New York: Thomas Longworth, 1831), 116; imaged, Fold 3 (Fold 3.com : accessed 9 August 2024).
[16] Longworth’s American Almanac, New York Register, and City Directory for the Fifty-First Year of American Independence (New York, New York: Thomas Longworth, 1826), 176; imaged, Internet Archive (archive.org : accessed 9 August 2024).
[17] Longworth’s American Almanac, New York Register, and City Directory for the Fifty-Second Year of American Independence (New York, New York: Thomas Longworth, 1827), 179; imaged, Google Books (books.google.com/books : accessed 9 August 2024).
Longworth’s American Almanac, New York Register, and City Directory for the Fifty-Fourth Year of American Independence (New York, New York: Thomas Longworth, 1829), 205 imaged, Fold 3 (Fold 3.com : accessed 9 August 2024).
Longworth’s American Almanac, New York Register, and City Directory for the Fifty-Fifth Year of American Independence (New York, New York: Thomas Longworth, 1831), 251; imaged, Fold 3 (Fold 3.com : accessed 9 August 2024).
Longworth’s American Almanac, New York Register, and City Directory for the Fifty-Sixth Year of American Independence (New York, New York: Thomas Longworth, 1832), 269; imaged, Fold 3 (Fold 3.com : accessed 9 August 2024).
[18] New York Petition for Naturalization, Broome County, Box 1: image 387/962, 1840, William Duke, “New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980,” imaged, FamilySearch.
[19] “New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Islnd), 1820-1957,” database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 August 2024), search term: James Duke, 1838; citing NARA.
[20] “Millennium File,” database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 August 2024), search terms: James Duke 1770-1849.
[21] “New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Islnd), 1820-1957,” database with images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 August 2024), search term: James Duke, 1838; citing NARA.
“New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Islnd), 1820-1957,” database with images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 August 2024), search term: Jonathan Duke, 1829; citing NARA.
[22] “Sons of Utah Pioneers Memorial Gallery Index Cards,” database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 August 2024), search term: James Duke, 1829.
“Membership of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1848,” database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 August 2024), search term: James Duke 1838.
[23] “New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Islnd), 1820-1957,” database with images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 August 2024), search term: Thomas Duke, 1836; citing NARA.
[24] England, death certificate (pdf) for Mary Duke, died 22 Feb 1838; registered March quarter 1838, Derby District 19/367, Derbyshire; General Registry Office, Southport.
[25] “New York City Marriage Records, 1660-1954,” database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 21 August 2024), search term: Robert Stone, 1821, New York City; citing computer printout of Trinity Church Parish, New York, New York, New York 1746-1861 by the Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
[26] Rev. H. B Kendall, B.A., The Origin and History of the Primitive Methodist Church, vol 1 (London, England: Edwin Dalton, 1888), 195.
[27] “England, Derbyshire, Church of England Parish Registers, 1537-1918,” collection with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 21 August 2024) search term: Jonathan Oldham Duke & Mary Stone, 1828; citing Derbyshire County Council.
