The History of the Durham family

by G. Edward Neal

Coleman Durham II

Coleman Durham II (Coleman,David Milton,Thomas,John) was born December 16, 1827 in Casey Co., Kentucky. He died on January 31, 1904 in Randolph Co., Missouri and is buried in the Grand Prairie Cemetery near Cairo.

Coleman II married his first cousin, Nancy Lucretia Durham, daughter of Milton Palmer Durham (David Milton,Thomas, John) and Minerva [Maomi] Merritt, on March 28, 1848 in Randolph Co. She was born on September 25, 1829 in Casey Co., Kentucky and died on May 23, 1911 and is buried in Grand Prairie Cemetery near Cairo, Randolph Co., Missouri. She was living with her son Major Durham during the 1910 census. She was 81 years old when she died and according to her death certificate, died of "acute attack indigestion" that she suffered for two days prior to her death. I suspect that today, doctors would have a different diagnosis.

The children of Coleman Durham II and Nancy Lucretia Durham

1. Benjamin Franklin Durham was born on February 6, 1849 in Randolph Co., Missouri and died on February 12, 1918 in Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri of  "angina pectoris" or heart failure that he suffered eight days earlier. He is buried in the Greenwood cemetery in Bolivar.

 Benjamin, as was his father and several other Durhams, was a marble cutter and in the monument business in Bolivar, Missouri. In 1867, he returned to Casey Co., Kentucky to marry his first cousin, Mary Catherine Durham on August 29,1867. Mary Catherine Durham was born March 16, 1853 in Randolph Co., Missouri. She was the daughter of James "Kentucky Jim" Durham (Thomas,David Milton,Thomas,John) and Jane Coleman Durham (James,David Milton, Thomas,John) [also cousins]. James Durham was nicknamed Kentucky Jim because he moved to Missouri several times, where his father lived, but always returned to Kentucky where he finally stayed.

 In the 1900 census, Benjamin is living in Bolivar Polk Co., Missouri with Emma Huhn as a boarder. Both Benjamin and Emma are listed as widows, however, Benjamin is actually divorced or at least separated from his wife Mary Catherine Durham.. In any event, on September 4, 1902 he and Emma, who was born Emma E. Hocker on April 30, 1844 in Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania, were married.

 When Mary Catherine Durham and Benjamin separated, Benjamin moved to Bolivar Missouri. In keeping with what was apparently a Durham family tradition, Mary married another cousin, Zackary Taylor Durham, who was the son of Milton Palmer Durham (David Milton,Thomas,John) and Minerva [Maomie] Merritt, in La Plata, Macon Co., Missouri on March 19, 1889. Zackary and Mary later moved to Kirksville, Adair Co. Missouri where they died. Zack died on February 19, 1941 at the age of 91 and Mary on December 25, 1935 at the age of 82.

 According to the 1900 census, Mary Catherine Durham was the mother of seven children with only five living in 1900. Mary had one child with her second husband, Zackary T. Durham and six children with Benjamin F. Durham.

The Children of Benjamin Franklin Durham and Mary Catherine Durham

1. Samuel Isaac Durham was born on January 8, 1871 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Samuel, like his father and grandfather, was a stone cutter in the monument business. He married his cousin Nora B. Durham probably in Tyler, Smith Co., Texas where their first child was born in 1893. Nora was born on March 9, 1869 in Illinois and was the daughter of John Thomas Durham (James,David Milton,Thomas,John) and Emily A. Wright.

John Thomas Durham was in Texas as early 1877 but when Samuel moved there is not known. Both left Texas sometime between 1893 and 1900 and moved to Bolivar Missouri where Samuel's father Benjamin lived.

Samuel was killed on the morning of January 2, 1945 at the age of 75 while lighting a wood stove. He poured kerosene on hot coals and the stove exploded causing fatal burns on his face and chest. As a young girl, my mother remembered seeing him run out of the house and fall in the yard. Nora died on June 24,1945 of a heart attack at the age of 76.

Samuel Isaac Durham and Nora B. Durham had the following children;

1. Ulysses Jenson Durham was born on January 18, 1893 in Tyler, Smith Co., Texas. Ulysses moved back to Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri with his parents not long after his birth. He worked at the Bolivar Ice Machine Company in 1917 when he registered for the WWI draft on June 5,1917. By 1918, he was in the Navy and stationed at Camp Logan in Illinois where he died of pneumonia on September 30, 1918.

Ulysses Jenson Durham married Millie Ann Hembree in Bolivar on December 25, 1913. Millie was born in Dallas Co., Missouri on May 24, 1894 and was the daughter of James Herbert Morgan Hembree and Mary Elizabeth Rains. Millie never remarried and eventually moved to California where her children lived. She died on February 9, 1980 in Porterville, California.

Ulysses Jenson Durham and Millie Ann Hembree had the following children:

1. Ruby Opal Durham was born on April 7, 1915 in Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri. She married John R. Macagno in Ojai California and they later moved to Porterville California where they owned a ranch. John and Opal had three children.

2. Goldie Durham was born prematurely on March 30, 1916 in Bolivar. She died the following day.

3. Viola Mae Durham was born on March 6, 1917 in Bolivar Missouri. She married George Russell Neal in Bolivar on September 17, 1932. George and Viola moved several times between Missouri and California before settling in Bakersfield California. George and Viola had four  children. George died in 1993 at the age of 83 and Viola on April 11, 2013 at the age of 96, in Jackson, California and both are buried in the West Point Cemetery
in West Point, California.

 George R. Neal & Viola M. Durham

4. Joseph Franklin Durham acquired the nickname "Buck" early in his life and he was thereafter known as Buck. He  was born on December 19, 1918 in Bolivar not long after his father Ulysses died in September of 1918. He was married first to Sylvia Good and had one child by this marriage. Buck and Sylvia were divorced in 1946 not long after Buck returned from serving in the Army in New Guinea, Japan and the Philippines during WWII.

Joseph "Buck" Durham remarried on December 14, 1947 to Jessie (Mendenhall) Kirkpatrick, a widow, in Ventura California. Buck and Jessie had two children.

*Millie Ann Hembree Durham had one additional child, Margie Elizabeth Durham, born on March 29, 1921 in Bolivar Missouri. Margie married Johnny Baptise Fiori on July 28, 1936 in Ventura California. Johnny and Margie eventually moved to Porterville California and had four children.

2. Izare Mitchell Durham was born on January 8, 1896 in Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri. It is not clear if his name was Izare, as on his WWI registration card and census records, or Isiah as also seen on census records. He was commonly called "High" and I remember when I was a kid I thought it was funny to say "Hi High" every time I saw him. I also remember that he was a good hearted likeable guy. Izare, like his brother Horace, was a house painter and he died on March 29, 1979 in Bolivar, Missouri.

Izare married Leander Jump circa 1920 and they had three children:

1. William Durham was born in 1921 in Bolivar, Missouri.

2. Loyd Isaih Durham was born on September 24, 1923 in Bolivar, Missouri. He died four months later on January 24, 1924.

3. Leonard Durham was born in 1925 in Bolivar, Missouri. 

3. Lodor May Durham was born on November 11, 1898 in Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri and died on October 14, 1962 in Bolivar. Lodor was first married to Augusta C. Fink Jr., son of Augusta C. Fink Sr. and Matilda A. Mosier. She was a widow during the 1930 census and her parents, Samuel and Nora Durham with her two children, Lavern and Juanita. Lodor later married Fred Dishman.

Augusta C. Fink Jr. and Lodor May Durham had two children:

1. Lavern Fink was born in 1926 in Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri.

2. Juanita Fink was born in 1927 in Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri.

4. Walter Franklin Durham was born on September 6, 1899 in Bolivar, MIssouri and died on February 20, 1962 in Bolivar. He first married Mary Elizabeth Ballinger, daughter of Silas A. Ballinger and Mary M. Swadley. she was born on January 5, 1899 in Polk Co., Missouri and died September 22, 1934 in Springfield, Greene Co., Missouri. Her brother Reuben L. Ballinger married Walter Franklin Durham's sister Dorothy.

Walter'ssecond wife was Ruby Gladys [Blacketer] Hembree who was born in April of 1907 and died in May of 1959. Ruby was the widow of Wiley Franklin Hembree and the daughter of David and Stella Blacketer.

Children of Walter Franklin Durham and Mary Elizabeth Ballinger:

1. Wilber Franklin Durham who was living in Bolivar, Missouri in 1935.

2. Helen P. Durham who married a McCune and was living in Mt. Grove, Missouri in 1935.

3. Gertrude Durham who married a Cowden and was living in Bolivar, Missouri in 1935.

4. Clifford Truman Durham.

5. Almos Durham who was living in Kansas in 1935.

6. Marcella Durham who married a Anderson and was living in Sun Valley, California in 1935.

Children of Walter Franklin Durham and Ruby Gladys Blacketer:

7. Shirley Durham who married a Mauck and was living in Bolivar Missouri in 1935.

8. Lois Durham who was single in 1935 and was living in Slagle, Greene Co., Missouri in 1935.

5. Dorothy Marie Durham was born on November 10, 1901 in Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri and died on July 19, 1979 in Bolivar, Missouri. She married Reuben Lewis Ballinger circa 1920. Reuben was the son of Silas A. Ballinger and Mary M. Swadley and was born in February of 1898 and died in Bolivar on May 31, 1968. Reuben's sister, Mary Elizabeth married Dorothy's brother Walter Franklin Durham.

1.Reuben Lewis Ballinger and Dorothy Marie Durham had five children:

1. Reuben Lewis Ballinger Jr. was born on March 9, 1921 in Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri and died in Bolivar on August 20, 1968. He married Eunice R. Herbert.

2. Melvin Ballinger

3. Nelson Ballinger

4. Maxine Ballinger

5. Jack Ballinger

6. Horace I. Durham was born on July 31, 1907 in Bolivar, Polk Co., Missouri and died in Bolivar on June 11, 1972. Horse, as he was called, married Cora May [Vest] Morris. Horace was a house painter, as was his brother Izare "High" Durham. Horse suffered with epilepsy.

7. Clifford Thomas Durham was born on November 7, 1910 and died on January 3, 1957 in Cedar Co., Missouri. Clifford married Opel May McQuerry.

2. Rugeney R. Durham was born in March of 1873 and died August 1, 1873 and is buried in McCanne Cemetery, Randolph Co., Missouri.

3. George King Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri on August 11, 1874 and died in St. Louis Co., Missouri on July 11, 1970. He married Hazel May Miler on October 16, 1895 in Randolph Co., but both lived in La Plata, Macon Co., Missouri at the time. George worked for the railroad.

George K. Durham and Hazel M. Miler had one son:

1. Robert B. Durham was born in April of 1896 in La Plata, Macon Co., Missouri. During the 1930 census he was single, lived with his parents, and was an insurance adjuster.

4. Frank Taylor Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in September of 1877 and died in Camden Co., Missouri on October 7, 1948. His death certificate says he was born on 25 September and his WWI registration card, says 6 September. His usual occupation was as a electrician and he was buried in Kirksville Missouri. Frank married Amy F. Wilson in Randolph Co. on December 29, 1899 but both were from La Plata, Macon Co., Missouri.

Frank Taylor Durham and Amy F. Wilson lived in Macon Co. Missouri, then in Allentown, Wayne Co., Iowa, then in Memphis, Scotland Co., Missouri and Camdenton, Camden Co., Missouri. They had four children:

1. Roy F. Durham was born in 1901 probably in Macon Co., Missouri.

2. Ruth R. Durham was born in 1905 probably in Macon Co., Missouri.

3. Riva F. Durham was born in 1913 in Allentown, Wayne Co., Iowa.

4. Rita M. Durham was born in 1919 probably in Memphis, Scotland Co., Missouri.

5. Mary Audra Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in April of 1880. She died in 1885.

6. Viviana Lucretia Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri on March 31, 1883 and died in Adair Co. Missouri on January 30, 1953. Lucretia married her cousin Melvin Milton Durham on January 26, 1904 in Macon Co., Missouri. Melvin was the son of Milton P. Durham and Sarah Jane Polson. Melvin was a barber and by 1920 owned his own Barber Shop. 

During the 1900 census, Melvin and his mother Sarah Jane Durham were living with his sister, Sallie A. Wilmot in Carroll Co. Missouri. By 1910, Melvin had moved to Kansas City, Missouri and was listed in the census as a boarder. Exactly where Lucretia was in 1910 is not known but she joined Melvin in Kansas City at some point after 1910. By 1920, his mother Sarah was living with them.

Melvin M. Durham died in Kansas City, Missouri on April 11, 1930.

According to the Moberly Monitor, Melvin's body was returned to Moberly, Randolph Co., Missouri on the Wabash train No. 2 for burial in Oakland Cemetery. His widow and son Darrell accompanied the body.

Melvin Milton Durham and Viviana Lucretia Durham had one child.

1. Darrell M. Durham was born in 1906 in Missouri. His wife was named Lola and in 1930 they had one child, Darrell C. Durham who was born circa 1927.

2. Coleman Durham III was born on September 20, 1850 in Randolph Co., Missouri and died on December 29, 1933 in Randolph Co. He married Nancy Oma Bates on October 20, 1870 in Randolph Co. She was born on January 6, 1855 in Illinois and died on June 16, 1932 in Randolph Co. She was the daughter of Perry Bates and ....... Ramsey. Coleman, like his father and several other Durhams, was a marble cutter in the monument business.

Coleman and Nancy are both buried in the Grand Prairie cemetery in Randolph Co. The 1900 census states that Nancy was the mother of 13 children with only 9 still living. The 1910 census states that she was the mother of 13 children with only 8 still living.

Coleman Durham III and Nancy Oma Bates children were:

1.Unknown child born circa 1871.

2.Unknown child born circa 1874.

3.Ida May Durham was born in October of 1876 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Ida married William W. Dodson.

4. Shelby Allen Durham was born December 7, 1879 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Shelby continued the family trade of a marble cutter and the family tradition of marrying a cousin. He married his cousin Georgia Anna Durham, daughter of John Thomas Durham and Emily Wright. Georgia was a sister to Nora B. Durham who married Samuel I. Durham. Georgia was born in Texas on August 28, 1882.

Shelby and Georgia lived in Bolivar and then in Springfield, Greene Co., Missouri before moving to Arizona circa 1934. Georgia died in Flagstaff, Arizona on February 26, 1956 and was buried in Pleasant Ridge cemetery in Polk Co., Missouri.

Shelby died in the Flagstaff Community Hospital on June 2, 1962, after suffering burns in his home. According to the Arizona Daily Sun, his body was to be sent back to Springfield, Missouri for burial but records indicate that he was buried in  Pleasant Ridge cemetery in Polk Co. where his wife Georgia was buried.

Shelby Allen Durham and Georgia Anna Durham children were:

1. Golden Durham was born in 1902.

2. Herbert C. Durham was born on February 28, 1904 in Missouri and died on February 23, 1919 of influenza/pneumonia. He is buried in the Pleasant Ridge cemetery in Polk Co. Missouri.

3. Alair Durham was born in 1906.

4. Paul Durham was born in 1908.

5. Alfred Durham was born in 1910.

6. Clyde Durham was born in 1913.

5.Harvey Durham was born in December of 1880 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Harvey was a telegrapher and lived in Idaho.

6.Unknown child born circa 1883.

7. Marcus Mitchell Durham was born in January of 1885 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Marcus was a telegrapher and lived in Idaho.

8.Mamie Durham was born on May 2, 1887 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Mamie married her cousin Dudley Durham on October 28, 1908 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Dudley was born on March 7, 1884 in Randolph Co. and was the son of James Milton Durham [son of Milton P. Durham and Maomi Merritt] and Cassandra Durham [daughter of George W. Durham and Mary Madaline Roman].

Mamie Durham died in Kansas City, Missouri on February 23, 1949 where she had lived for the past five years.

Mamie Durham and Dudley Durham's children were:

1. Elsie M. Durham

2. Irene Durham

3. Orsen Harold Durham

4. Arnold Wayne Durham

9.   Ollie Durham was born in May of 1891 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Ollie was a telegrapher and lived in Montana.

10. David Durham was born in August of 1892 in Randolph Co., Missouri. David was a telegrapher and lived in Idaho.

11. Julia Durham was born in March of 1895 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Julia married Hubert D. Williams on January 20, 1934 in Macon Co., Missouri. Hubert worked for the Wabash Railroad in Mexico, Audrain Co., Missouri.

12. Unknown child born circa 1897.

13. Mittie Durham was born in February of 1899 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Mittie married Bryan Bailey on August 20, 1916 in Randolph Co., Missouri. Bryan was born on March 10, 1897 and was the son of Elijah M. Bailey and Elizabeth.

3. Mary W. Durham was born circa 1853 in Randolph Co., Missouri. She is single and living with her parents during the 1880 and 1900 census. Her age in the 1900 census is given as 45. I have not found her in the 1910 or 1920 census so perhaps she married late in life or may have died after the 1900 census was taken.

The LDS records have her as being born on January 21, 1853 and her death as June 27, 1931. The LDS records also state that she married on September 22, 1919 but no spouse is given, which is unusual. There are no Missouri death certificates for Mary W. Durham so it is possible that she married or died prior to 1911 when the state began recording death certificates. The LDS records for her seem somewhat dubious but I cannot be certain until I have examined their sources.

4. Isabelle Durham was born on March 16, 1855 in Randolph Co., Missouri and died in Polk Co., Missouri on March 29, 1937. She married William E. Pryce in Polk Co., on October 30, 1900 at the age of 45. During the 1900 census, Isabelle was living in Polk Co. with her cousin/brother-in-law, John Coleman Durham who had married her sister Martha Washington Durham.

Isabelle died of burns she received in a home accident.

William E. Pryce was born in March of 1847 in Illinois. His father was born in England and his mother in Ohio. William died in Polk Co., Missouri on June 9, 1938. William was 53 years old when he married Isabelle, age 45, and it is not known if he had a previous wife or children. There is no evidence that William and Isabelle had children.

5. Betty [Betsey] Durham was born on March 7, 1857 in Randolph Co., Missouri and died in Boone Co., Missouri on July 21, 1940. She is buried in the Oakland Cemetery in Randolph Co. Betty married Benjamin T. Trustee/Trusty on September 24, 1903. Benjamin was born on October 5, 1854 and died on February 29, 1945. He is also buried in the Oakland Cemetery.

Betty was about 45 years old when she married Benjamin, whose first wife was Minerva Elizabeth Durham, daughter of Thomas Durham and Barbara Brown. Minerva died on February 20, 1886 and is buried in the Oakland Cemetery.

It is not clear but Betty may have been Benjamin Trustee's 3rd wife. It does not appear that Benjamin and Betty had children.

6. Major Durham was born on May 27, 1861 in Randolph Co., Missouri and died on August 19, 1925 in Randolph Co. He married Lola B. Wilcox, daughter of William B. Wilcox and Katherine Summers. She was born in Randolph Co. on April 6, 1880.

After Major's death in 1925, Lola moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin circa 1932. Lola remarried to Leonard Kohler and according to her obit in the Moberly Monitor, she died in Milwaukee on August 3, 1968. Her body was to be returned to Moberly and buried in the Oakland Cemetery.

1. Russell B. Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in 1900. His wife was named Mary Lee _____. Russell and Mary had three sons. One of their sons, Floyd Eugene [Patsy] Durham, a WWII veteran, worked for the Missouri Power and Light Company and was killed in 1952 from a high voltage line.

2. Dorothy May Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in 1902. She married James S. Andrews on December 29, 1917. Dorothy Durham and James Andrews had at least one son.

3. Icey Pearl Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in 1904. She married Thomas B. Williams, son of Louis B. Williams and Nora Goff. Thomas was born on April 6, 1901 in Randolph Co. They moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they lived for about twenty years and then moved back to Monroe Co., Missouri where Thomas died on July 22, 1947 at the home of his brother Herbert Williams near Moberly. He was to be buried in the Oakland Cemetery.

Icey Pearl Durham and Thomas B. Williams had three daughters.

4. Mary Docia Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in 1906. She married Grover Clay and they had at least one son, Oscar F. Clay, who was born on December 10, 1929 in Randolph Co. and died on February 17, 1932.

5. Mabel Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in 1908.

6. Ruby B. Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in 1910. She married Leroy B. Williams, son of Louis B. Williams and Nora Goff. Leroy and Ruby, along with her brother William are living in Milwaukee during the 1930 census.

Ruby died in Milwaukee in 1961 at the age of 51. Her body was to be returned to Moberly and buried in the Oakland Cemetery. Ruby B. Durham and Leroy B. Williams had two children.

7. Tena Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in 1912. According to articles in the Moberly Monitor, she married Donald Major and lived in Milwaukee.

8. William M. Durham was born in Randolph Co., Missouri in 1916 or 1917. During the 1930 census he was living in Milwaukee, along with his sister Ruby and her husband Leroy.

7. Martha Washington Durham was born on February 22, 1867 in Randolph Co., Missouri. She married her cousin John Coleman Durham, son of James "KY Jim" Durham and Jane Coleman Durham [also cousins], circa 1887. John was born in Randolph Co., Missouri on March 1, 1852 and died of a heart attack in New Madrid Co., Missouri on October 26, 1926 at the age of 74. John was a schoolteacher.

John Coleman Durham was first married to a Rachael Black and had five children by her. According to family stories he deserted Rachael and his children in Kentucky and returned to Missouri, divorced and then married his cousin Martha Washington Durham. John and Martha moved to Polk Co., Missouri.

After John died in 1926, Martha married Carl Person. During the 1930 census, Carl and Martha are living in Wichita Kansas. Martha's son Boyd B. Durham is also living with them.

According to the 1900 and 1910 census, Martha was the mother of 8 children and only 6 were alive in 1910. John Coleman Durham and Martha Washington Durham had the following children:

1. Unknown child born circa 1888.

2. Unknown child born circa 1891.

3. Erwin Durham was born on April 22, 1892 in Randolph Co., Missouri.

4. Ira Coleman Durham was born on August 28, 1895 in Randolph Co., Missouri.

5. Emma Belle Durham was born on September 16, 1899 in Polk Co., Missouri and died on September 21, 1926 in Polk Co. She married Rosco Shelburn Goldsberry on September 14, 1918 in her home in Bolivar. Rosco was born on March 25, 1897 in Polk Co. and died on March 20, 1954 in Polk Co. Rosco Shelburn Goldsberry and Emma Belle Durham had three children, Shelburn, Luvetta and Lorene.

6. George W. Durham was born in 1903.

7. Thomas J. Durham was born in 1905.

8. Boyd B. Durham was born in 1908.