The Rev. William Duke was born in the southern part of what is now
Harford county, but was at the time of his birth included in Baltimore
county, on the 15th of September, 1757, and died in Elkton on the 31st
of May, 1840. He became enamoured of the doctrines of Methodism in early
youth, and allied himself with that denomination before its separation
from the Protestant Episcopal Church, and was licensed to preach by Rev.
Francis Asbury when he was only seventeen years old. Mr. Duke's name
appears upon the minutes of the first Conference, held in Philadelphia
in 1774, as one of the seven ministers who were that year taken on
trial. The next year he was admitted to full membership, and remained in
connection with the Conference as a traveling preacher until 1779, when
he ceased to travel, and subsequently took orders in the Protestant
Episcopal Church; being impelled to do so by his opposition to the
erection of the Methodist Society into an independent Church.
Mr. Duke became Rector of North Elk Parish in 1793, but resigned the
charge three years later, and removed to Anne Arundel county, but
returned to Elkton about a year afterwards; soon after he removed to
Kent county, where he taught a parochial school for a short time, but
returned to Elkton again in 1799 and opened a school, and preached
during the three following years at North East, Elkton, and at the
Episcopal Church near New London, Pa.
In 1803 he was appointed Professor of Languages in St. John's College,
Annapolis, and had charge of St. Ann's Church, in that city, until 1806,
when he returned to Elkton, and the next year took charge of the Elkton
Academy.
Mr. Duke remained in Cecil county until 1812, when he took charge of
Charlotte Hall, in St. Mary's county, and continued in charge of the
school at that place until 1814, when he returned to Elkton, where he
officiated as aforetime until the Spring of 1818, when he was appointed
Principal of the Academy. He continued to reside in Elkton until the
time of his death.
In 1793 Mr. Duke married Hetty Coudon, the daughter of the Rev. Joseph
Coudon, a former Rector of North Elk Parish, and the ancestor of the
Coudon family of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Duke were the parents of Miss
Hetty Duke, who was their only child, and who died in Elkton, February
19th, 1875.
Mr. Duke was a very learned man, and is said by the Rev. Ethan Allan,
the Historian of "The Old Parishes of Maryland," to have been more of
the student than the preacher. He was the author of a pamphlet published
in Elkton in 1795, entitled "Observations on the Present State of
Religion in Maryland," which is now of great rarity and value. He also
published a small volume entitled "Hymns and Poems on Various
Occasions," which was printed by Samuel and John Adams, of Baltimore, in
1790; and several other poems of considerable length, the most popular
of which was entitled "A View of the Woods," which was descriptive of
the adventures and experience of Western emigrants in the latter part of
the last century.
The following selections have been made from "Hymns and Poems on Various
Occasions."