Basil Duke
(b. 1766, Calvert Co., Md.; d. June 11, 1828, Washington, Ky). Born to James and Mary Wilson Duke, Dr. Basil Duke studied medicine in Baltimore, Md. After briefly practicing medicine in his home state, he moved to Kentucky
in 1791, locating initially in Lexington. In 1794 he married Charlotte Marshall, daughter of Revolutionary War veteran Col. Thomas Marshall and
sister of U.S. Supreme Court chief justice John Marshall. The couple settled in Washington, Ky., in 1798, where Duke again established a medical
practice and served residents of Mason Co. as well as surrounding areas. The two-story brick structure that once served as the Duke family residence
still stands along Green St. in historic Washington, although it is now abandoned and dilapidated.
Remembered as being one of Mason Co.’s pioneer doctors, Duke died in 1828; his burial place is unknown.
“Basil Duke House May Be Demolished. Building Was Once a Schoolhouse,” KP, February 8, 2003,7K.
Best, Edna Hunter. The Historic Past of Washington, Mason County, Kentucky. Cynthiana, Ky: Hobson Book Press, 1944.
Collins, Richard H. History of Kentucky. Vol. 1. Covington, Ky: Collins, 1882.
Judy L. Neff
Above excerpted from page 285 of THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NORTHERN KENTUCKY THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY ISBN 978-0-8131-2565-7