324
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
duty called. After the war ended he re-
turned to Gloucester county and, amid the
wreck of home and fortune, began a new
battle, less dangerous perhaps, but for years
equally strenuous and full of privation. In
time he regained his footing and opened a
general store at Gloucester Court House and
there conducted a successful mercantile
establishment until 1880. In that year he
disposed of his business interests at Glou-
cester and located in the city of Norfolk,
where in association with his brother-in-law
he established the brokerage firm, Puller &
Duncan. After a few years as a broker he
retired from the firm and organized the Old
Dominion Creosote Company, of which he
was general manager and the directing head.
Here he displayed qualities of executive and
business ability that brought forth success-
ful results, the company advancing in
strength and importance with each succeed-
ing year. He passed twelve successful years
in Norfolk, attaining high standing in the
business world and holding high position in
the civic life of his cty. Always a Demo-
crat, he became prominent in party councils
and as an earnest public spirited citizen,
sought the best means of adding to the com-
mercial and civic importance of Norfolk.
He served in both common and select coun-
cil for several terms, was police commis-
sioner and ranked as a party leader. He did
not employ his influence and popularity for
personal profit or elevation, but for the cause
of good government and had his career not
been cut short by death would have risen to
greater heights of usefulness in public life.
He was interested in all phases of city life,
was a member of the Business Men's Asso-
ciation, supporting or leading every move-
ment of the association for the betterment
of Norfolk's business interests. He was a
member of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal
Church and loyal to his obligations as a
churchman. He was a member of the Ma-
sonic order, belonging to Botetourt Lodge,
Free and Accepted Masons, Gloucester
county, Virginia, and in all these was held
in highest esteem, for there he was best
known. So his useful life passed with no
duty neglected, no opportunity allowed to
pass by, years adding strength to his char-
acter and ripened judgment supplanted
youthful enthusiasm. Pie won all men to
him by his manly life and attractive person-
alitv and died universallv regretted.
Mr. Puller married, February 5, 1873,
Helen (Ella) Pearson Duncan, daughter of
James and Mary Francis (Franklin) Dun-
can, granddaughter of Thomas and Helen
(Gilson) Duncan, and maternal granddaugh-
ter of George and Alargaret Dale (Heuston)
Franklin. Margaret Dale Heuston was a
daughter of Robert Heuston and grand-
daughter of Sir Robert Dale, of Westmore-
land, England. James Duncan was born in
Perth, Scotland, in 1821, died 1895. He was
a son of Thomas Duncan, of Lundie, archi-
tect to Lord Dunmore, his son James being
born in Lord Dunmore's castle, at the time
Thomas was there engaged. Thomas Dun-
can, an elder brother of James Duncan, was
chief engineer of the city water works of
Liverpool, England. He married, February
22, 1848, Mary Frances Franklin, born in
Limerick, Ireland, in 1823, died in 1888, at
Elmington, Gloucester county, Virginia,
daughter of Joshua Franklin, who was a
son of Rev. (jeorge Franklin and Mary de
Lacy Evans, sister of Sir de Lacy Evans. In
1849 James Duncan and his bride came to
the United States, he engaging in mercan-
tile business in New York City. There his
finely educated mind, clear brain and won-
derful foresight carried him to the front rank
among the men of his day. In 185 1 he
located in St. Louis, Missouri, and continued
his business there until 1870. He was the
owner of a plantation of one thousand acres
in Virginia, called "Elmington." This
plantation he sold for a very large sum. He
was a member of the Episcopal church and
a man of noble character. Child of Samuel
Dawson and Helen Pearson (Duncan)
Puller: James Duncan, born December i,
1873, married February 3, 1904, Minnie Boi-
ling Dismukes, of St. Augustine, Florida ;
children : Elizabeth Dismukes, born No-
vember 17, 1906; James Duncan Jr., May
18, 1908; Samuel Dawson, April 6, 1910.
Mrs. Helen Pearson (Duncan) Puller sur-
vives her husband, residing at 246 West
Freemason street, Norfolk.
Winston Parrish. His father an eminent physician, his grandfather a prominent law- yer, Mr. Parrish conies rightly by the pro- fessional instinct, which caused him to qual- ify as a classical instructor and as an attor- ney-at-law. He is a great-grandson of Bar- lett Parrish and a grandson of James R. Parrish, a noted attorney-at-law, who died
