General Jackson DUKE

• General Notes
  • The following was received from Linda DUKE Brewster via e-mail dated June 6, 2000.
    
    General JACKSON DUKE was the seventh of the twelve children of Alexander
    Merion DUKE and Lucy Anne ALMON (Allman) DUKE.  As a child he helped his
    father and brothers on the farm. His father, Alexander, was known to
    make whiskey, and according to a story told to me by Mr. Hilery PARKER
    (I believe he said Alexander was his uncle), Alexander held a federal
    tax stamp #4 (Jack Daniels holding #l) and Alex made apple brandy.
    General lost his right arm when he was about nine years old, helping his
    father put apples into a press. The family story is that the press came
    down on his arm, breaking it two places below the elbow, and one place
    above, thereby necessitating amputation.  It is interesting to note that
    in nearly all pictures of General, he faces the camera with his left arm
    showing, obviously in deference to his missing right arm.  My memories,
    however, are that he could do anything he wanted with just one arm. He
    always wore laced up oxford style shoes, dress shirts and ties. In the
    summer months, he would occasionally wear a SHORT sleeved shirt and no
    tie (when it was really HOT!). He made the best cakes and icings, taught
    me to mix butter into my sorghum to put on hot biscuits, and took me
    swimming in the mountain streams up by Soddy-Daisy.  I always was
    fascinated by the way he could tie his shoe laces, clean the house, do
    dishes, or drive a stick shift car. He was the one who taught me at the
    tender age of l0 or ll, how to shift a three speed manual transmission.
    He had an old l94l or 42 Nash, black tudor, with upholstered (itchy)
    seats, and the windshield wiper knob was gone off it, so he had to turn
    the wipers on with a pair of pliers.  And, he always loved to tickle me
    with his stub, and he could pop his knuckles on his left hand (you would
    have to have seen it to understand how he did that).  He didn't realize
    what a wealth of memories he would leave for me.
    
    Following is his obituary which appeared in either the Indianapolis Star-News or the Indianapolis Times on Friday, l8 Oct l963: General JACKSON DUKE, a
    retired building contractor, died Thursday at St. Vincent's Hospital. He
    was 76 and lived at 2520 W. 79th.  Mr. DUKE was born in Cannon County,
    Tennessee, and lived here 3 l/2 years.  He was a member of the Red Bank
    Church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tenn. Services:  Saturday, 3:30 p.m.,
    Flanner & Buchanan Broad Ripple Mortuary; burial, Washington Park North.
    Survivors:  wife, Mrs. Mina DUKE; son, Robert M. DUKE, Indianapolis;  sister, Miss Betty Jakes, California; three grandchildren, and six
    great-grandchildren.

Click here for details of General Jackson's family with Mina SMITHSON

¹ E-mail from Linda DUKE Brewster<lbrewster@@alltel.net>, June 6, 2000

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