John Duncan ^{2 3}

  General Notes:

In searching for the parents of Elspet, I found John Duncan and Katherine (Kattie) Grant who were married in Fordyce and Rathven on 5/7/1763 and had two daughters baptized at Fordyce, (a) Elspet born 26/5/1764 and (b) Katherine born 13/8/1765. We assumed this Elspet is the most likely candidate for the surgeon's wife. (PTGray 2006)

Let us consider John Duncan (b.1739), spouse of Kattie Grant and probable father of Elspet, as a witness to several baptisms in the Grant and Duncan families. On 7/3/1763 John Duncan of Broom, together with Alexander Innes a merchant of Cullen and others, were witnesses at the baptism of Elspet Grant, daughter of the Rev. Robert Grant and Elizabeth Duncan. On 15/6/1764 he was a witness at the baptism of Magdalene Grant in the manse at Rathven. On 10/1/1767 he was a witness at the baptism of Margaret Innes, daughter of Alexander Innes and Nellie Grant at Tarskin. On 22/12/1771, John Duncan of Broom was witness to the baptism of Elizabeth Grant, daughter of Robert Grant and Elizabeth Duncan. (PTGray 2006)

Elspet's father John Duncan
John Duncan of Jamaica, grandfather of Alexander and Elspet's son John, could be either the father of surgeon Alexander Duncan or the father of his wife Elspet but the above baptisms witnessed by John Duncan of Broom occur before Alexander came on the scene by marrying Elspet in February 1789. Therefore John Duncan of Jamaica is more likely to be John Duncan of Broom and the Broom farm is more likely to have been Elspet's home rather than Alexander's. Also, since Nellie Grant (Mrs. Innes of Jamaica) was in Cullen having her daughter Margaret in 1768, and Mrs Duncan the mother of Elspet and Katherine was a witness at the Rumbles/Baillie baptism in Cullen in 1772, a Jamaica connection by John Duncan and Mrs. Innes must have been made during the seventeen year period after 1772 and before 1789 when John was born - probably about the time Broom was about to be occupied by Elspet's new husband Alexander. (PTG 2006)

  Chronology:

He resided in 1763 in "of Broom". ⁶

He resided in 1763 in "in the Parish of Fordyce". ⁷

Witness: Baptism of Magdaline Innes (daughter of Alex&Nellie), 1764, Manse at Rathven. ⁸

Witness: Baptism of Margaret Innes, 1768, "Broom". ⁹

Witness: Baptism of Elizabeth Grant, daughter of Robert Grant and Elizabeth Duncan, 1771, (JD "of Broom"). ¹⁰

He resided in 1792 in "in the island of Jamaica". ¹¹

John married Katherine Grant, daughter of George Grant and Magdalene Gordon, on 5 Jul 1763 in Fordyce and Rathven.¹ (Katherine Grant was christened on 24 Jul 1744 in Boharm, MORAY ^{12 13}.)