Mary Margaret Duncan (1858-1938) and her husband, George Harrison Cutter

Mary Margaret Duncan was born 21 March 1858 "along the Kentucky River" near Oregon, Kentucky.  According to Wikipedia, Oregon is an unincorporated town in Mercer Co., Kentucky.  I have not yet found it on a map.  There is, however, an Oregon Road in Mercer Co. that runs near the Kentucky River, so perhaps this is the area where she was born.

Her parents were John William Duncan and his wife, Apaleen Kerchival.  The family seems to have called her "Maggie."

By early 1861, the Duncan family was living on a farm near the intersection of Mercer, Boyle and Lincoln counties in Kentucky.  So far, we have not found Maggie or her family on the census records for 1860 or 1870.

On 11 January 1877, when Maggie was 18, she married George Harrison Cutter.  He was 20 years old.  The exact place of their marriage has not yet been found, but it was likely in the same area of Kentucky: in or near Mercer, Boyle and Lincoln counties.

Mary Margaret "Maggie" (Duncan) Cutter

George Harrison Cutter

 George Harrison Cutter was the son of John Cutter and his wife, Amanda Tyler.  George was born in Spencer Co., Kentucky.  Two different birth dates have been found:  15 March 1856 and 1 September 1854.  His obituary gives the 1856 date, and his tombstone says 1856.  However the Kentucky birth records give the 1854 date.  He is listed as 5 years old on the 1860 census (taken July 1860) and 15 on the 1870 census (taken September 1870) which would support the September 1854 date.

A daughter, Ella, was born about 1878 and a son, John William, was born 4 January 1880.  The 1880 census (taken June 1880) lists only son, John William, age 5 months, in the household, so Ella must have died before 1880.  I have found no other references to Ella.

As I said, the 1880 census shows the family in Casey Co., Kentucky.  The household was George Cutter, 22, born Kentucky; Maggie, wife, age 21, born Kentucky; and John W., age 5 months, born Kentucky.

The Cutter Family about 1892:  The woman on the right is Maggie's mother, Apalene, who died in December 1893.  This is Pearl, George, John, Maggie, and Apalene.  The baby on Maggie's lap is Thomas.

 Over the next 17 years, Maggie and George had 9 more children (for a total of 11):  Minnie, born 1882; Walter George, born 1884; Agnes, born 1886; a set of twins (one boy and one girl) who died before being named, born 1887; Pearl, born May 1889; Thomas Melford, born 15 June 1891; Florence May, born 31 May 1894; and Robert Lee, born 22 January 1897.  All but the last two children were born in Kentucky; Florence and Robert were born in Indiana.  Only five of their children lived to adulthood: John, Pearl, Thomas, Florence, and Robert.  While I don't have death dates on the other children, only the surviving five were alive for the 1900 census.

The Cutter Family about 1896: Pearl, Maggie holding baby Florence, John, George, and Thomas.

Sometime between June 1891 and May 1894, Maggie and George moved their family to Hamilton Co., Indiana.  They are found there on the 1900 census.   The family was: George H. Cutter, born May 1856 in Kentucky, age 44; Maggie, wife, born March 1858 in Kentucky, age 42; John, son, born January 1880 in Kentucky, age 20; Pearl, daughter, born May 1889 in Kentucky, age 11; Tom, son, born June 1891 in Kentucky, age 8; Florence, daughter, born May 1894 in Indiana, age 6; and Robert, born January 1897 in Indiana, age 3.



By the 1910 census, the family had moved again, this time to Pratt Co., Kansas.  They were renting a farm and George was farming.  They had been married 31 years.  Pearl, Tom, Florence and Robert were still at home.

The Cutter Family: George, Florence, John, Maggie, Robert, Florence, Tom

By the time the 1920 census was taken, only Pearl was living at home with her parents.  They were living in Richland Township, Pratt Co., Kansas.  And by the 1930 census, George and Maggie were living in Cullison City, Pratt Co., Kansas.  They had two teachers boarding with them.

George Harrison Cutter died 2 November 1930 in Cullison, Kansas.  He was 74 years old.  He was buried in Coats Cemetery, Coats, Pratt Co., Kansas.

The following obituary comes from an unidentified, undated newspaper clipping:
"Obituary - George Harrison Cutter, son of John and Amanda Cutter, was born March 15, 1856, in Spencer county, Kentucky, and passed into the Great Beyond at Cullison, Kansas, November 2, 1930, aged 74 years, 7 months and 17 days.
  He was married to Margaret Duncan, January 11, 1877, and 11 children were born to them, six of who died in infancy.
  Mr. Cutter has left to mourn his death, his wife; three sons, John, Dodge City, Kansas; Thomas, Ingalls, Kansas; two daughters, Mrs. Florence Reed, Pratt, Kansas; and Pearl Cutter of the home; and eight grandchildren, besides many other relatives and friends.
  Mr. Cutter had been a resident of this community for twenty-nine years, coming here from near Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1901.  He farmed in this vicinity till failing health compelled him to retire from the farm, and for the last eleven years he has made his home in Cullison.
  At the age of 17 he united with the Christian church in Kentucky, and later transferred his membership to the Christian church in Cullison, of which he remained a faithful member till the close of his life.
  He was a loving husband and father and will be remembered as a kind neighbor, a true friend and a good citizen, whose influence was always on the side of right.
  Funeral services were held November 4, at 2 p.m. at the church in Cullison.  The sermon was preached by Elder G. M. Martin. - Contributed."

On 22 June 1938, Mary Margaret "Maggie" (Duncan) Cutter died at 502 S. Hamilton St., Pratt, Kansas.  She was 80 years old.

Death Certificate of Mary Margaret Cutter

Maggie Cutter was buried in Coats Cemetery, Pratt Co., Kansas, next to her husband, George.

An obituary appeared in an unidentified newspaper (no date on clipping) that read:

"Mrs. Cutter is Dead - Long-Time Resident of Pratt 80 Years of Age at Her Death Last Night. -    Mrs. Mary Margaret Cutter, 80, died last night at her home, 502 South Hamilton St.  Mrs. Cutter had been a resident of Pratt county for 37 years, moving here from Cullison a few years ago after the death of her husband, George Cutter.  She was a member of the Christian Church at Cullison.
  Surviving her are: two daughters, Miss Pearl Cutter and Mrs. Florence Reed, both of Pratt; three sons, Robert L. of Pratt, John W. of Dodge City and Tom of Lyman, Colo.; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
  Funeral services will be held Saturday morning at 10 o'clock at the Sappington-Calbeck mortuary service parlor, and interment will be at Coats."

Descendants of Mary Margaret (Duncan) and George Harrison Cutter:

Mary Margaret Duncan, b. 21 Mar 1858 at Oregon, KY, d. 22 Jun 1938 at Pratt, Pratt Co., KS

+George Harrison Cutter, b. 15 Mar 1856 at Spencer Co., KY, m. 11 Jan 1877, d. 2 Nov 1930 at Cullison, KS

├── Ella Cutter, b. 1878, d. before 1880

├── John William Cutter, b. 4 Jan 1880 at KY, d. 5 Feb 1962 at Dodge City, KS

│   +Mary Verda "May" Eddleman, b. 22 Aug 1885 at Johnson Co., IN, m. 15 Jun 1904 at Marion Co., IN

│   ├── Ernest George Cutter, b. 22 Sep 1909 at KS, d. 29 Jun 1993 at Wallace, Wallace Co., KS

│   │   +Kathryn Mary Bestgen, b. 7 Jul 1913, d. 13 Jan 1997 at Sharon Springs, Wallace Co., KS

│   └── Helen J. Cutter, b. 18 Jul 1912 at Pratt Co., KS, d. 20 Nov 1991

│       +(--?--) Cox

├── Minnie Cutter, b. 1882, d. before 1900

├── Walter George Cutter, b. 1884, d. before 1900

├── Agnes Cutter, b. 1886, d. before 1900

├── twin Cutter, b. 1887, d. 1887

├── twin Cutter, b. 1887, d. 1887

├── Pearl Lena Cutter, b. May 1889 at KY, d. 21 Apr 1964 at Pratt Co., KS

│   +Levi Ora Stumph

├── Thomas Melford Cutter, b. Jun 1891 at KY

│   +Kate B Chapman, b. 1889, d. 1935

│   +Jessie Verena Hoppe, b. 1889, m. 20 Jun 1936 at Lincoln, CO

├── Florence May Cutter, b. 31 May 1894 at IN, d. 10 Oct 1970 at KS

│   +Glenn Anderson Reed

│   ├── Kenneth D. Reed

│   ├── Wendall Wayne Reed, b. 17 Mar 1921 at Pratt Co., KS, d. 5 Feb 2011 at Pratt Co., KS

│   │   +Wanda Lee Eastes

│   └── Nadine Reed

│   +(--?--) Hughes

└── Robert Lee Cutter, b. 22 Jan 1897 at IN, d. 13 Dec 1963 at KS

    +Gladys E. Graven, b. 2 Dec 1900, d. 24 Aug 1977

    └── Marjorie Jeanne Cutter, b. 17 May 1923 at Pratt Co., KS, d. 16 Jan 1986 at Estes Park, Larimer Co., CO