| Summary: | Mrs. Alex (Mary) Duncan, Earl, Margaret, Fred, Jennie, William, Sallie and Leslie. DUNCAN, ALEXANDER Alexander Duncan, born in 1857, was two years old when he came with his parents to Ontario from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. When he was nine years old, his father died of pneumonia. Because he had to help with the family finances at an early age, he did not obtain much formal education. While working on the Canadian Pacific Railroad, which was being built from Ontario to Winnipeg, he became acquainted with William Symington, who persuaded him to go land hunting. On April 11, 1880 he signed for a homestead in what was then St. Joseph's Township, Pembina County, Dakota Territory. The township was later divided and the homestead is in Felson Township of which the Bruce community is a part. On January 27,1886, he was married to Mary, the youngest sister of William Symington who had come with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Symington Sr. to Dakota Territory in 1882. Ettie Thomas was her bridesmaid and the groomsman was Thomas Symington, youngest brother of the bride. They had seven children, Jennie (Coon), William, Margaret (Fitzsimonds), Earl, Leslie, Fred, and Sarah (Gibson). Alexander Duncan died in 1922. His wife Mary, died in 1955. In 1896 Alexander Duncan was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives and served one term. DUPREY, MAXIME, SR. Jean Batiste Duprey, a sailor, married Ann Ross in St. Louis, Quebec, Canada and raised a family of five daughters and six sons of whom Maxime was the youngest son born in Nov. 1843. The family migrated to Worcester, Mass. in 1860 where five of the sons found work in an axe factory and Maxime in a clothing factory. He married Delphine Munier Dit Lapierre on Sept. 27, 1869. She had been born in St. Cessoire, Quebec in Sept. 1853, was well educated and Delphine and Maxime Duprey Sr. spoke both French and English. Eight children were born to this couple: Delphine, Maurice, Rosie, Edward, Maxime Jr., Elmira, Adeline and Tom. In 1878, opportunity for free land encouraged the Dupreys to travel by train, boat and oxcart to Pembina, Dakota Territory where they were able to file a claim near Neche in June 1879. Their first home was a fifteen square foot sod- roofed log cabin acquired from Mr. Dumas (a neighbor) in an even trade for Delphine's sewing machine. Mr. Dumas was part Indian married to a Metis squaw and proved to be a kind and helpful friend. The growing family necessitated enlargement of the old sod house in 1889 and the building of a new eight room domicile in 1895 with a wide veranda which was Delphine's pride and joy. She was a hard worker and excellent manager, raised chickens and turkeys for market and had as many as 50 hives of bees. The couple increased the farm acreage and prospered, but the family matured and scattered, with the exception of Elmira and Maxime Jr. Maxime Sr. died at 82 in 1926. Delphine moved into Neche and lived there until her death in 1934. 1907 Wedding of Delia and Maxime Duprey Jr. 23 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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