Duncanson, William, -1812

William Mayne Duncanson was born in England sometime in the mid-1700’s. In his early years, he was a ship’s captain and a marine-merchant in India, then moved to the United States in 1794 with his friend, Thomas Law. His sister, Martha Duncanson, and her friend, Lydia Knott, came to live with him in D.C. soon after he arrived. He invested heavily in real estate in Washington D.C. and built a house called “The Maples” which is now The Friendship House, six blocks east of the Capitol and is the oldest, privately owned building in the district. At one point, after being used as an Army Hospital during the War of 1812, the house was owned by Francis Scott Key, the writer of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Though his wife is not mentioned, he had children. After several bad investments in D.C., Duncanson lost most of his money, then was unable to secure a position as Librarian in Jefferson’s Administration, likely due to his close association with Aaron Burr. He died in 1812 and is buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington D.C.