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Hello Christopher,

Indeed... I've confirmed that William Duncan and John Duncan were listed in that Directory as well as in Pettigrew & Oulton as merchants in Dublin.

William and John Duncan were also members of the Merchant Militias of 1798; what I have found hard to find is more information on them and a David Taylor who married Margaret Duncan around 1825.

According to the Rev. John Duncan Craig, this David Taylor was a relative (cousin?) of Zachary Taylor, 12th POTUS but I haven't been able to confirm this. David Taylor is also listed as a Linen Factor as David Taylor & Son.

Thanks for the suggestion... I think that book ought to be in my library.

Best regards,

Alfonso Duncan

Thanks for your comments and questions.

Allow me to give you more data.

John, James and William Duncan, three brothers, born in Strathblane, Stirling, Scotland, in the mid-1700s settled in the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia prior to the American Revolution. A cousin of them, Charles Duncan, was already living in Petersburg, Virginia, and had a thriving business as an Scottish merchant, slave broker (gasp) and farmer; they appear more than a couple of times in the pre-revolution times in the Virginia Gazette of Williamsburg, Virginia, http://www.pastportal.com/

When the American Revolution started the three Duncan brothers left Virginia and settled in Dublin. They appear in Dublin in the late 1700s. Charles Duncan stayed in Virginia, died in London. Tobacco was good to him.

The three brothers that settled in Dublin continued their mercantilistic ways in Dublin; James was a West Indies merchant (an euphemism for sugar importer)and lived at 17 Eccles Street, his widow appears living there in 1842, (http://www.failteromhat.com/dublindir1842.htm ), John and William must have been in business together since they have an address in common in the Pettigrew & Oulton's directory of Dublin of earlier dates.

I found last week that John and William were members of the Dublin Merchants Corps or the Dublin Linen Hall Corps in 1798. William Duncan also appears as one of the signers of a letter to the Lord Mayor of Dublin in Dec 10 1798. It reads:

Quote

TO THE RIGHT HON. THE LORD MAYOR. My LORD, YOU are requested to call a Meeting of the Bankers and Merchants of this City, as soon as convenient, to take into consideration a measure of the "utmost importance to this kingdom. Dublin, 10th December, 1798,

Peter LaTouche*,
William Digges LaTouche*,
..

Unquote

There are more signers, including John Claudius Beresford. The LaTouches were bankers and owned the LaTouche Bank that eventually became the Bank of Ireland ... Leland Crosthwait was one of the Governors of the Bank of Ireland later on.


John and William (my ancestor) married two sisters: Rebecca and Agnes Baird of Dumfries. I don't have the marriages' dates. Their sons emigrated; John, the son of John Duncan, left for the USA in 1815, settled in New York for a while, moved to Mobile, AL, in 1820 and became a southern planter in the neighborhood of Montgomery, AL, in 1826, after the Creek Indians were defeated at Horshoe Bend. One of his daughters, Catherine Rebecca Duncan was married in  1853 to the Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, a nephew of Robert Emmet... go figure.

James and William Duncan, sons of William Duncan and Agnes Baird, settled in the Caribbean Coast of Colombia in/around 1819. James Duncan had met Simon Bolivar in Jamaica in 1815 most probably when Bolivar took refuge there.

The Duncans in Dublin were apparently in the cloth trade ... somehow it has been very difficult to get more information out of the Irish web sites. Fortunately I've been able to download a couple of books from the Internet. One is Real Pictures of Clerical Life in Ireland, by Rev John Duncan Craig, and the other is a book about the Crawfords of Donegal; my Duncans are mentioned in both.

I have more to tell you but I feel this message is long enough for today.

Thanks again for your interest and your comments.

Best regards,

Alfonso Duncan

My 3rd great granfather, William Duncan, served in the Merchants Corps of Dublin in the late 1790s. Does anyone have information on the Merchants Corps (aka Linen Hall Corps) of Dublin in the late 1790s?

Thanks in advance for any leads.

Alfonso P Duncan

Thanks.

I found some data in the records of a church but I've been unable to confirm.

What newspaper are on-line covering events in Dublin from 1776 to 1820?

I do not live in Dublin ... I live in Houston, TX.

First time I post in this forum.

I'm searching for more information on the following persons living in Dublin (1772? - 1820):

Name                               Address

William Duncan, Esq        34, Charlemont Street, merchant
John Duncan, Esq              6, Granby Rd., merchant
James Duncan, Esq          17, Eccles Street (a Hospital now), W Indies Trader
Leland Crosthwait, Bart    Bank of Ireland, Bank Director
Rebecca Duncan
Agnes Duncan
Jane Duncan
Margaret Duncan

John Craig

David Taylor                      Eden Quay (agent of the Dublin, Glasgow &
                                         Cork Steam Packet Company). Edendale.

A son of William Duncan, James Duncan emigrated to Barranquilla, Colombia, South America, on or about 1815 and his brother William followed him later. James Duncan, the son, married Jane Anne Emily Dimmock in 1823 in Colombia and their two children were sent to Ireland (?) and/or England to study. I have reason to believe they lived with David Taylor in Edendale in the early 1830s... but I'm not sure.

The son of James Duncan, Esq., married a daughter of Leland Crosthwait and became the manager of the Bank of Ireland in Sligo. I have more info on him.

I've hit a brickwall trying to get more info/data on my ancestors in Ireland... it has been difficult. I'm interested in the mercantile trade in Dublin in early 1800s.

Any help is appreciated.