Below is the family biography of Benjamin Ashburn Duvall included in The History of Newton County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888. These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary. Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more. There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.
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Benjamin Ashburn Duvall was born in Logan County, Ky., near Russellville, October 4, 1851, and is the son of Dr. Felix G. and Hannah Dixon (Ashburn) Duvall, the latter of whom died at her home, near Newtonia, Mo., September 18, 1876. Dr. Felix Grundy Duvall was born in Nelson County, Ky., October 18, 1805, and is the son of Claudius and Elizabeth (Carinack) Duvall, the former born in Cumberland County, Md., and the latter in Frederick County, same State, and on both sides were descendants of pioneers of that State. Some branches of the Duvall family served in the Revolutionary War. The Duvalls trace their ancestry to a settlement of French people in Maryland prior to the Revolutionary War. The Ashburns are of old Kentucky stock. In the fall of 1857 Dr. F. G. Duvall left the Kentucky home and came to Missouri, where, after spending a few months in Jasper County, in the spring of 1858 he located in Newtonia, where he has resided ever since, engaged in practicing medicine and in agricultural pursuits. He is still active and vigorous. He reared a family of three sons and five daughters. Two of the sons gave up their lives in the service of the Confederate army during the late war—Pressley James, under Gen. Price, and George Thomas, under Gen. Cockrell. Of the daughters, all are married and have families: Elizabeth T. (Mrs. L. Howard), Sarah (Mrs. G. W. McCarty), Kate V. (Mrs. W. K. Trabue), Mary Susan (Mrs. Dr. E. D. Grigg) and Willia (Mrs. W. H. Campbell). Benjamin A. Duvall attained his growth in Newton County, and adopted agriculture and stock raising as life pursuits. He was married in Lawrence County, Mo., to Miss Nancy Almira Wilcockson, a native of Sangamon County, Ill., and the daughter of George W. and Susan Wilcockson, of Lawrence County, Mo. She died August 11, 1885, leaving a son, Claude; four other children, Dixie, Kittie, Willie and Ben (twins), are buried beside her. Mr. Duvall took for his second wife Miss Emma E. Carter, daughter of A. M. and Evaline (Morrow) Carter. Mr. Duvall is a member of the Masonic fraternity.
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This family biography is one of 220 biographies included in The History of Newton County, Missouri published in 1888.
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