Alexander/Duncan Cemetery

This cemetery is located in Northport not far from the Lincolnville town line.

The Duncan-Alexander Cemetery is on Point Lookout land in Northport. It was “lost” for many years until MBNA “found” it while clearing land. It is part way up Ducktrap Mountain on the Bay side. MBNA cleaned it up and fenced it so it is now protected but it was abandoned for so long that many stones are broken and in need of repair.

There appears to be no deed for the burying ground but it is on land that that was bought for $190.00 by John Duncan from George and Philip Ulmer on 27 April 1798. There is no acreage recorded in the deed. On 29 May 1798 the land was mortgaged to Thomas Knox of Boston and on 1 January 1799 Duncan lost 30 acres of it to Philip and George Ulmer for debts not paid. His choice was giving up the land or going to jail. In 1816, Kingbury Duncan, one of his sons, was able to reclaim that land.

John Duncan was born in Brunswick in 1756 and served in the Revolutionary War. He was a Private in J. Curtis’s Company, enlisting on 17 May 1775 for 3 months. He was again enlisted for 3 months in James Cargill’s Regiment on 5 August 1775. On 6 July 1779 he served as a Private in Capt. Pattens Company in Samuel McCobb’s regiment form Brunswick.. (Samuel McCobb was the grandfather of George and Andrew McCobb of Lincolnville). He served for 3 months in the Penobscot Expedition. On 12 March 1880 he signed a statement that while serving as a soldier in Pattens Company on the Penobscot Expedition and on the day before “the unhappy retreat” his gun was out of order and he left it with the armorer for repair but before he could get back to get it he was ordered off and thus “lost” his gun. It is not recorded if this explanation was accepted.

John Duncan, Rank: Landsman, was captured in Northport on 2 September 1814 by HMS Albion. He was interned 20 September 1814 and held at Halifax and discharged 22 November 1814 from the sloop Jane and Martha per order of Rear Admiral Griffith as an exchange.

The family settled down in Northport and over the years parts of their original parcel of land were bought and sold back and forth between family members. There is a reference to one dwelling house but “buildings”are mentioned in several deeds. Not far from the burying ground and down the mountain along an old road, is the foundation of a house. This is probably the old dwelling house. The land is connected by the road leading from Knights Pond to what is now Rt 1. The Knights Pond Road connects to Beech Hill Road and in 1800s it was a busy area with large farms belonging to the Herrick’s, Flanders and Priests among others. Roads that are now discontinued (Flanders, Herrick Bog, and Lear) as well as the Priest Road which went all the way to the Shore Road (a stage coach road) were all vital roads and our current busy RT 1 was not important.

The significant feature of the Duncan land is that it went down to the shore of Penobscot Bay and the purchase agreement from the Ulmers included salmon fishing rights. At the shore was a wharf and two fish stands. It is unclear whether these were included in the purchase from the Ulmers or were built by the Duncans. It was the fishing that made this purchase so valuable rather than the land itself. They were in an excellent location between Ducktrap Harbor and Saturday Cove. There is no agricultural census for the Duncans so it appears they did not farm. John Duncan was a ship’s captain as were at least three of his sons and thus this family made its living from the sea. Daughter Electa married Captain William Alexander and thus added another captain to the family.

The best genealogy we have of the Duncan family is from James Bullard who also offered the attached cemetery map on “ancestry” He states that the map was in the possession of his great aunt but that some the transcriptions are not accurate. He provides the following with additional information provided by Laura Duncan Burgund:

Capt. John Duncan Sr--born 9 June 1756 married Lydia Donnell , 1760-1827, born in Brunswick ME (although some records say York, Maine) and died in Northport. They are both buried in the cemetery. They had 9 children including John Jr (1779-1842) and Electa (1798-1845)

Capt. John Duncan died 26 June 1842 at age 63 years. There is a poem on his gravestone. Deborah (Trull) Duncan, his wife, died 2/18 February 1857 at age 73 years. Her gravestone has a weeping willow etched on it.

Electa Elizabeth daughter of John Sr and Lydia, died in Northport in 1843 age 47 years. She married Captain William Alexander(1798-1837) in 1821. They have a stone together but she is probably the only one actually buried there as he died in Cuba and is probably buried there. Alphonso is buried next to their stone: he died at age 2 years in 1825. recorded as a son of Alexander.

Captain Samuel Duncan, son of John Sr and Lydia, was born in 1788 and died on 13 February 1854. His stone is broken but has a beautiful ship on it. His wife Elizabeth (Betsey Wade) (born 1789) died on 11 March 1830 and has a separate stone which is also broken. Following the death of Elizabeth Samuel married (1831) Cornelia Green Trimm from Islesboro. She died in 1883 and is buried in Kansas. Their son Elisha who died in 1838 at the age of 6 months is buried here.

Lydia (Duncan) Knight, (1789-1829) wife of George Westbrook Knight died on 5 March 1829 at age 40 years. George died in Illinois in 1864.

Other stones include: Linwood, age 15, George age 13,

George Augusta Alexander, with its low divided stones is a mystery. One would assume that there is a relationship with Capt. William and Electa Alexander but who was this, a child who died young, twins? At this time we don’t know.

The two most recent graves are: George Hollis Alexander (1824-18920 who married Miriam Augusta Drinkwater (1834-1922.) George was the son of Captain William Alexander and Electra Duncan.

Captain William Drinkwater (1791-1858) ,married to Mary Polly Rairden 1795-1860 is buried with his wife in the French Cemetery in Lincolnville.

The Duncan family, whose burying ground was lost for so many years, was a significant family in the area. Like other old cemeteries it would be historically valuable if the stones could be repaired the cemetery maintained.

Written by Corelyn Senn