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- "Durie Family PC 929.2 Public Library, Rockville, Parke County,Indiana; Published 1985 By Howard I. Durie, Pomona, New York. Bookreference: Durie, H.I., THE DIRIE FAMILY, Pomona, New York 1985.Proof of maternal descendents of William H. Elkins dating from 1630 tothe present time. Pages from the beginning of the book to p. 197 havebeen copied and are in the ELKINS HISTORY VOLUME, Farner, Tyler, andDuree Families. Pages 1-410."
"THE DURIER/DURIE/DUREE FAMILY FROM UTRECHT, HOLLAND." EXCERPTS:
"Page 24: Para.5; During the Spring of 1778 Samuel and his family,including married children and their families, moved to theShepherdstown vicinity of Berkely County, Virginia, lying west of thePotomac River in what is now Jefferson County, West Virginia. ... theriver was crossed at Harpers Ferry. There they joined cousin SamuelDemaree and some of his family... While living in Berkely county andearlier in Conewago, reports had circulated about the vast lands inKentucky, then the name for the western wilderness of Virginia.
Page 25, Para. 3; Samuel thus became involved with the land prospectand in his position as one of the elders and leaders for bothsettlements, consented to make the trip to Kentucky. Para. 4 ... theonly representative from the Low Dutch communities and had thedistinction of being the first from these groups to visit Kentucky.Fort Boonesborough. Para 5, The party arrived after two fortunateescapes from Indians, ... some of his group went out to enter claimsfor land along the Muddy Creek in what was later Madison County, some18 miles south ...
Page 26, Para 1, ...Samuel claimed a site near the west side of thetrace a short distance northwest of present Moberly, ... Para. 4,... 400 acres of land along the Muddy Creek including the mill siteand "improvement" made to establish his claim of settlement. (Thelarger Banta group from Conewago took flat boats down the Ohio River,some 600 miles, and--) The smaller group from Berkely county headedby Samuel traveled the southerly route by way of the Wilderness Roador path which he had used on his initial trip.
Page 27, Para. 1, It was planned that the two parties would meet inKentucky early in 1781 after the Bantas raised a crop of corn whereverthey could locate temporarily after reaching Louisville. this wasarranged at a settlement on Beargrass Creek ... Para 2., Traveling inSamuel's immediate family were his married sons Peter and Henry,married daughter Maria Cossart, her husband Peter, and unmarriedchildren Wyntie, Albert and Daniel, besides grandchildren.Accompanying them were Frederick Ripperdan, Albert and John Voris,Daniel and Peter Banta, and Cornelius Bogart; also George M. Bedingerwho possibly went along as a guide. Daughters Agnes and CharityDebaun remained in Berkeley County. It was reported in Kentucky that"the first emigrants brought Gold, because it was easier carried, anda great deal was brought thus." The season picked to travel toKentucky, however, turned out to be the worst in a century because ofthe intensity of the cold and volume of snow and ice. It thus becameknown as the "Hard Winter." Para. 3, Traveling the Wilderness Roadto Kentucky, then only a pack-horse trail, was much different than hadbeen the move to Conewago from New Jersey when wagons carriedpossessions and some passengers, and cattle could be driven along aswell. Little in the furniture line could be taken this time, exceptthe smaller type of spinning wheels and chests. tools and certainfarming utensils were packed, as well as clothing, bedding, kitchenutensils, the family Bible, corn meal and other food stuffs, and seedfor the first plantings. the trip of several hundred miles includedcrossing a number of streams by rafts or fords. They arrived at theWhite Oak Spring Station in Mar 1780, a hurried trip due to the coldand lack of forage.
(Three more tracts of land were entered at Boonesborough by Samuel for600 acres, 50 acres, and the 400 acres on Muddy Creek.)
Page 28, Para. 3, The continual Indian trouble kept the occupants ofthe station confined to the fort during the remainder of 1780,... InFeb. 1781 a group party of 20 men went out into the acreage and builtcabins for the families. Para. 5, During the time the improvementswere being made at the claim sites and the stay at White Oak SpringStation in 1871, Samuel lost sons Peter, Henry and Daniel; daughterand son-in-law, Wyntie and John Bullock; and son-in-law Peter Cossart,all killed by the Indians ... "It was composed principally offamilies from York County, Pennsylvania, orderly, respectable people,and the men good soldiers. But they were unaccustomed to Indianwarfare, and the consequence was that of some ten or twelve men, allwere killed but two or three." Kentucky was to earn the label "thedark and bloody ground" given to it.
Page 32-33: The colony was in meshed in land controversy and laterpetitioned the new government of the United States on behalf of theland they had claimed. However, Samuel never returned to the 400acres, and he left no recorded estate. He died before his wife, andshe never made a claim on the deeds made in 1797 for portions of theDoran tract. 'It is possible that he and his wife were buried in thecemetery of the Mud Meeting House," no markers are present. "Althoughhis name is spelled Duree in the Kentucky records, he always wrote itDurie."
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