Porch Swings, Fireflies, and Jelly Jars: Susan (Nevill) Duncan, 1940 Obituary

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Susan (Nevill) Duncan, 1940 Obituary

I have never found an obituary for my great-grandmother Duncan in the Clarksville Times, which was the most logical newspaper to print her obituary or death notice. Due to the owners of the Clarksville Times deliberately burning the older newspaper morgues, I did not think I would ever find a reference to Susan Gertrude (Nevill) Duncan's death.

As luck would have it, her brother Bud Neville (Solomon Neville) lived in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. The Broken Bow News reported his trip to visit her in Avery, Texas, when she was extremely ill with heart trouble in February 1940. Note that Duncan is misspelled in this notice. I found it by searching for articles referencing Bud Neville. If you are neglecting your ancestor's siblings in your searches, then you are missing out on information about your direct line that you might not find any other way.

When Susie died a few months later, Bud Neville's trip to Avery for her funeral was referenced in the Broken Bow News:

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About Me:

My favorite memories from childhood include visits to my grandparents in East Texas. At dusk we'd run around my grandparent's yard, catching fireflies and putting them in jelly jars. When darkness descended, we'd return to the porch. It was a special treat to sit in the porch swing. Inevitably, the adults would launch into family stories of Pink Kelley's brush with Sherman's troops, of Great Uncle Hood Brown's tragic death, and of the Kelley family's wagon trip to Texas, among many others. The stars on those nights were magical.

I began my genealogy research in the summer of 1975, less than a month after my high school graduation. When I married in 1983, I started researching my husband's family as well. I was fortunate to start this hobby as a youngster because it gave me an opportunity to correspond with researchers who are long gone; to ask questions of family members -although not enough, never enough; and travel a bit. The result is a lot of information. I've come to the realization that I will probably never be able to afford to publish, so this is my publication.

This blog contains a mixture of information on my husband's family and mine. I've expanded into a second blog called Flimsies and Frippery with the intention of focusing on quilts and dolls, but I have several historical research entries there with more planned, which is why I don't get more quilting done.

Ultimately, genealogy is my passion. This is where I plan to record family stories, research adventures and misadventures, and those serendipitous moments that happen out of the blue. You should be warned that I have a bad habit of going back and adding information and links to individual entries, so it is beneficial to check back often if there is a family of particular interest to you. If you wander in and discover that you are a cousin, please contact me.

Since many younger family members who are new to genealogy are starting to contact me about their ancestors, I've started adding family trees to help them see how everyone is connected. The trees are divided between my family and my husband's. You will find them below under the label's Family Trees - My Husband's Side and Family Trees - My Family's Side.

For better or worse, this blog reflects the research, thinking, and writing of a human.