Brenda Duncan
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Brenda Duncan

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Signed 1 Dec 2016 | 36,290 contributions | 684 thank-yous | 3,064 connections
Brenda K. Duncan aka Kasun, Jones
Born 1950s.
Ancestors ancestors Descendants descendants
Mother of [private daughter (1970s - unknown)] and [private daughter (1970s - unknown)]
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Profile last modified | Created 1 Dec 2016
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Brenda is a participant of the Integrators Challenges
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Brenda Duncan has Scottish Ancestors.
Brenda Duncan is a Californian.
Brenda Duncan was a Texan.
Brenda Duncan participated with Southern Super Sweepers during the Jan 2022 Connect-a-Thon.

Contents

Biography

Surnames

Surnames that I am currently researching: Allen, Banks, Duncan, Langley, Mann, Napier, Pennington, Petty, Shirley, Woodson.
I have traced ten generations back on my father's side (Duncan). Peter Duncan (Duncan-1137) is my 8th g-grandfather with his son, John Duncan (Duncan-5155), my 7th g-grandfather and his son, Marshall Duncan (Duncan-2210), being my 6th g-grandfather and Mary Ann. W. Durron Duncan (Durron-1), my 6th g-grandmother.

Societies: Napier Society.

History

Allen Duncan sat outside the hospital in Healdsburg, California because he felt he was too dirty from working all day in the logging woods to go in. He waited patiently on the birth of his third child, occasionally rolling a cigarette from his can of Prince Albert tobacco. It was 1950 and there was a cool breeze. He was hoping for a little cat skinner (an operator of a Caterpillar tractor) since he worked in the logging woods in northern California; but, the doctor came out a few hours later and told him he had a little dishwasher instead.

When Brenda was three the family left northern California and moved to Bisbee, Arizona where her father went to work for Phelps Dodge Corp., which was a copper mining corporation. Her mother, Mae, never worked but instead took care of her family. She was a dutiful wife and a wonderful mother, admired by all in the family.

Brenda graduated from Bisbee High School in 1968 and that same year she married her childhood sweetheart and her next-door neighbor, Mike Kasun, in Bisbee, Arizona at the St. Patrick Catholic Church. It was a beautiful small wedding with just their closest friends and family. After they returned from their honeymoon, his father was standing in the doorway with Mike's papers to go to Vietnam. He was there for two years and while he was in Vietnam, she continued living with her parents and attended Cochise College.

After he returned from Vietnam, they moved first to Long Beach, California until he was released from the U.S. Navy and then on to Silver City, New Mexico where he went to work as a lineman for Phelps Dodge Corp. They had one child together, Mika, on December 2, 1970. They were very young when they married and unfortunately, the marriage did not work out.

After the divorce, Brenda was invited to go with a group of friends to Anchorage, Alaska which she accepted. She was ready for a new life for herself and her daughter and to visit another part of the world she had never been to. There she found a job working in a law library for a law firm. This became her 40+ year career. After living in Anchorage for three years, she relocated to Arkadelphia, Arkansas to join her parents who, after they had retired, had moved there.

She met her next husband, Michael Andrew Jones, in Hot Springs, Arkansas where he was putting in a golf course in Hot Springs Village. They were married by his father, Andy Jones, who was the mayor at the time. They then relocated to Little Rock where she gave birth to one child, Olivia Dean Jones, who was born on November 22, 1976, at The Doctor's Hospital. Mike worked at War Memorial Stadium as the Maintenance Supervisor and she worked for Vincent Foster, Jr. at the Rose Law Firm as his legal assistant. They were married for 10 years when Mike had a sudden massive heart attack and died when he was only 40.

She then relocated to Dallas, Texas with her two daughters where she continued working for big law. While living in Dallas, she worked again as a legal assistant mainly in corporate litigation on multi-million and even billion dollar lawsuits in law firms such as Bickel & Brewer; P.C.; Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP; Thompson & Knight, LLP; and Haynes & Boone, LLP.

After 23 years of living in Dallas, she was ready for a small town again. The price of living there was outrageous and she was tired of the hustle and bustle of big city life. She relocated back to Little Rock in 2012 where she worked for a small law firm in estate planning.

When she was 65 she retired and now lives in Searcy, Arkansas where her hobbies consist of quilting, drawing and painting with water colors, pastels and colored pencils. She also has worked on her genealogy for over 30 years.

Medical Information: Migraine headaches; hypoglycemic.

Birth

1950 Brenda was born to Allen and Mae Duncan on May 22, 1950 in Healdsburg, California. [1]

Wedding Record

"Miss Brenda Duncan and Mike Kasun, Jr. were united in marriage at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, 1968, at St. Patrick's Church, Bisbee.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Duncan of 13 Sacramento Avenue, Galena.

The bride wore a white satin floor-length gown with three tiers trimmed in lace on the back of the gown. Her single illusion veil was should length with three white daisies on the crown. She carried a bouquet of carnations.

Miss Sperry Penrod, the maid of honor, was attired in a gown of bright blue chiffon. She also carried a bouquet of carnations. Bridesmaids were Pauline Tate and Janice Olmstead. Miss Tate was dressed in a hot pink chiffon gown while Ms. Olmstead was dressed in a pale yellow chiffon gown.

Best man was Wayne Lee, Jim Moore and Gabriel Lopez serving as ushers.

Following the ceremony, a private reception was held at the groom's home.

The newlyweds spent their honeymoon at Show Low. The bride is a 1968 graduate of Bisbee High School. The groom is a 1966 graduate of Bisbee High School and is now serving in the United States Navy.

The new Mrs. Kasun will reside with her parents until her husband returns from active duty." Published in The Bisbee Observer. The photo was taken by Art Blunt's Photo Center.

Notes/Research

Residences:
810 Walrose Cir, Searcy, AR, Apt 810
419 Bob White Dr., Apt 118, Little Rock, AR
4302 Duck Creek Dr., Apt 145, Garland, TX
10318 Libby Lane, Mesquite, TX

Michael Martin Kasun July 20, 1968 - James Daniel Cheek October 11, 1988 - February-1-1993

Digital Afterlife

In the event of my untimely demise, I want to be sure that none of my hard work on WikiTree ends up deleted. While I fully intend to be around to manage all my profiles for the next 30 years or so, in the event of my sudden death I hereby give permission for all of my private and public profiles to be transferred to any of the following slightly-active WikiTreers in my family, whether or not they are currently on the trusted lists:

Mika Mae Kasun, Jones, Maranto (my daughter) (Kasun-9)
Macie Maranto (my grand-daughter) (Maranto-3)
Michael Petty (my second cousin) (Petty-1517)

ATTN: If I am profile manager of any royal families, they should be managed by the European Aristocrats Project. Any Notables should be managed by the Notables Project Researchers, etc. In no event, should any of my profile pages be deleted.

Sources

  1. "California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4VPQ-BC6Z : 11 January 2020), Brenda Kay Duncan, 1950.

Only the Trusted List can access the following:
  • Brenda's formal name
  • full middle name (K.)
  • e-mail address
  • exact birthdate
  • birth location
  • images (1)
  • private siblings' names
  • private children's names (2)
  • spouse's name and marriage information
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships by comparing test results with Brenda or other carriers of her ancestors' mitochondrial DNA. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Brenda:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.

Comments: 4

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Personally, I find it very useful and intend to use it anywhere I find that Find A Grave is listed as the only source so that people are not misled. I’m not the only one who uses this on WikiTree. As a matter fact I copied that notice from others that use it. We would much rather have the profile a little lengthy, especially when the only thing that’s in it is a reference to FAG, instead of it providing misinformation. Also, this noticed goes under Notes, not the Biography section.
posted by Brenda Duncan
edited by Brenda Duncan
Hi Brenda, I'm not certain your objective in leaving the note about Find A Grave being a subjective source on profiles. First, the profile I manage that you left it on has a grave stone with the birth and death dates as well as another referenced source in the notation. Second, my profile was not pre-1700 as stated in the note. Finally, it seems a better use of time to add additional sources to profiles. I have removed this note which took up an enormous amount of space on the profile since the Find A Grave memorial posted is a valuable source (grave stone with dates). Please consider adding sources to profiles if you feel they need additional primary sources. Emma
Emma, there have been many instances where the gravestone is incorrect as well as the information left on the memorial, this information is just provided by an individual with no sources to support it. The notice left on most all profiles using only FAG's, this is common. It's fine if you remove it, I do not have a problem with this, but you do need to provide other sources when available so people do not copy that info as the gospel.

On Abraham Lincoln Downing (Downing-4025) for instance, the tombstone states he was born on March 23, 1861 when his Death Certificate says he was born on March 20, 1864. Personally, I would think the Death Certificate is accurate.

posted by Brenda Duncan
edited by Brenda Duncan
I have no disagreement with your statement that sometimes headstones are incorrect and more sources are needed. I don't think a huge paragraph about Find A Grave's reliability as a source is an appropriate use of biography space. Personally, I always rotate through profiles I create and add additional sources as I have time. I have done the research, I just don't always add all the sources as I go and welcome anyone's additions of more sources as well as biography about a person's life.