Thomas was “one of the best known industrial promoters of the South for years.” 78 He built the first cotton mill in Union and within 10 years owned or controlled mills employing thousands. 79 Then, his mills failed. Those and the failures of other mills in the state “wiped out $10 million worth of stock.” 80 The failure of his mills alone was so big that creditors’ claims against him individually in the case of a single mill were about $1 million. 81 Thomas was remembered as “one of the builders of Union.” He championed a dam to power the mills and a railroad to connect them. He was Union’s mayor for two terms and a state senator for eight years. When he died, he was a member of Grace Methodist Church and buried in the church’s cemetery. 82 Fannie’s more than six decades in Union possibly led many to think she was a native of Seneca, ignoring her birth and growing up in Greenwood. 83 In addition to activities her obituary identified, Fannie was a member of the advisory board of the Carnegie Library and president of the county Suffrage League. 84 78 “T.C. Duncan in Trouble,” The Bamberg (South Carolina) Herald , 24 September 1908, online archives (https://www.newspapers.com : 9 September 2020), p. 1, col. 5. 79 “Duncan Mills Turn Back Again,” The Greenville (South Carolina) News , 3 May 1905, online archives (https://www.newspapers.com : 9 September 2020), p. 1, col. 1. 80 “More Sensations in Union,” Keowee Courier (Walhalla, South Carolina) , 22 November 1905, online archives (https://www.newspapers.com : 9 September 2020), p. 2, cols. 1-2. Also, “Gloom in Union,” The (Sumter, South Carolina) Watchman and Southron , 29 November 1905, online archives (https://www.newspapers.com : 8 September 2020), p. 1, col. 4. 81 “Trustee Named for Union Mills,” The Bamberg (South Carolina) Herald , 15 March 1906, online archives (https://www.newspapers.com : 9 September 2020), p. 2, col. 5. 82 “Pioneer Union Citizen Dead,” The Greenville (South Carolina) News , 10 July 1928, online archives (https://www.newspapers.com : 26 August 2020), p. 1, col. 2. Also, Ancestry, Find A Grave , database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : 22 August 2020), memorial 57662690, Col. Thomas Cary Duncan, Grace United Methodist Church Cemetery, Union, Union County, South Carolina; gravestone photograph by Jimmy. This entry misidentified Fannie. 83 “Mrs. Duncan Passes At Home In Union,” The Greenville (South Carolina) News , 1 November 1948, online archives (https://www.newspapers.com : 26 August 2020), p. 5, col. 3. 84 “Equal Suffrage League,” The Union (South Carolina) Times , 23 February 1917, online archives (https://www.newspapers.com : 12 September 2020), p. 1, col. 5. Also, “Women Members of Advisory Board,” The Union (South Carolina) Times , 5 April 1922, online archives (https://www.newspapers.com : 12 September 2020), p. 1, col. 2.
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