7. Rice Duncan, born about 1743; married Elizabeth -------- about 1769; died about 1777.
Rice "Durroon" signed a petition 5 July 1776 with others to the State of NC that they had purchased land from the Cherokee Indians in the Watauga area, believing it to be in VA, but found it to be below the survey line, and were seeking annexation to NC ("The Annals of TN to the End of the 18th Century" by J.G.M. Ramsey, pg. 134-9, from Bill Brown; "Overmountain Men" by Alderman, pg. 57, from Dorothy Davis Smith). Rice Duncan lived on Knob Creek, Washington Co. TN, by 1775 ("Dawn of TN Valley and TN History" by Williams; do not have copy of this reference). On 10 April 1776, Charles Robertson of Washington District NC sold to John McMahen, 640 acres on Knob Creek near the head and next to a corner of an entry that McMahen bought from Rice Duncan. This document was recorded in "Land Records of Washington Co. Book 1," pg. 48-49; copy from Charles Gordon from a personal visit to the Washington Co. TN Courthouse; this land book was not in the same series as other deed books in that county and he has been told the book has since been moved to the TN archives. The book may possibly be the "Watauga Purchase Book" which contains land grants in TN and is on microfilm. Another document from that book on pg. 32 was a patent on 19 Nov. 1775 for 320 acres to Joseph Duncan (9.). Rice Duncan died about 1777 while fighting Cherokee Indians during a campaign to the Long Island in the Holston River ("a man by the name of Duncan" without giving his first name in "History of Southwest VA, 1746-1786, Washington Co., 1777-1800" by Summers, pg. 244-5; "Journal of the House of Delegates, Virginia" for Elizabeth Duncom, May 8, 1777, and June 16, 1777, pg. 49, 78, 79; from Mrs. Alberta Westby).
Nothing has been found to prove the first name of the Duncan who was killed in 1777, but Rice Duncan (7.) was in the area, and one Rice Duncan had a son Joseph (7.1.) named in the will of Roseannah Stevenson (1.); this same Joseph (7.1.) appears to be the son of Elizabeth, whose husband was killed in 1777 and who was left with five small children, according to the Journal of the House of Delegates of VA.
Elizabeth was born 1730-40 (if on 1830 census) or 1740-50 (suggestion of Charles Gordon 17 Dec. 1990). Elizabeth settled on the south side of the Watauga River where it joins the Holston River in TN by 1794 (Washington Co. TN Deed Book 6, pg. 522). The chain carriers for the survey of her land in 1794 were Joseph and Robert Duncan, who were probably her sons (7.1. and 7.4.) of the same name (NC Land Grants in TN, Book 83, pg. 415, file 1203, Grant #1157, from Alberta Westby). She had a ferry across the Holston River by 1803 ("Greene Co. TN Minutes, Court of Common Pleas, 1797-1807" by Houston, pg. 151, minutes pg. 68, 29 July 1803). As yet, there is no proof of Elizabeth's maiden name.
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