Avarilla (Durbin) Casper Autobiography

Below is the autobiography (plus comments) of Avarilla (Durbin) Casper.

Avarilla was daughter of Thomas William Durbin, son of John Daniel Durbin, brother of Samuel Durbin.

I posted this, verbatim, because it contained a lot of genealogical history and I found it interesting.

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History of Ava Rillar Durbin Casper Written by Herself (with additions by others)

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Peter Casper, the son of his father his given name I do not know. [Born in Germany about 1727.] My first acquaintance with Peter Casper was in 1809. As well as I can remember he was 82 years old at the time. 

I have heard that he was in several battles and that he served through the Revolutionary War. He also said that he was the only son of his fathers, that the rest of his children were Girls. 

Peter Casper and Mary (his wife) had five children, Polly Catherine, Ann, William and Elizabeth. Polly Married a man by the name of Thrailkill, by whom she had two children, Benjamin and Margaret. He died then she married a man by the name of Coors. Ann married a man by the name of Austin Smith. Catherine married a man by the name of Joel Smith. Elizabeth married a man by the name of Hedgeman Smith, William married a girl by the name of Ava Rillar Durbin. William Capser was born July 30, 1794, and was married March 4, 1809, and died Aug. 4, 1846.

My grandfather, Daniel Durbin, was a resident of Maryland, Hafford county, he married a girl by the name of Nancy Scott. They had five children. Two boys and three girls. Two of them were killed by explosion of a powder horn. I do not know their names. The other names were Nancy, Ava Rillar, and Thomas, who was my father.

Thomas married a girl by the name of Clemency Litten. They moved to Pennsylvania about the close of the Revolutionary War. They had (15) fifteen children, nine died in infancy and six lived to men and women, four boys and two girls, Samuel, Ava Rillar, Scott Elizabeth, Thomas, and John.

Samuel married Rebecca Collins, Ava Rillar married William Casper, Scott married Margaret Davis, Elizabeth married James Walker, Thomas married Abi Collins, Jon married Sarah Fitting.

Samuel’s wife had seven (7) children. Ava Rillar had (11) eleven children.

Ava Rillar Durbin was born Nov. 26, 1790, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, moved with her father’s family to Ohio when eleven years old, married when nineteen, went to Virginia to Father Caspers lived there three years had two children in that time, Thomas D. and Scott L. We moved back to Ohio in 1812, about the time of Hull’s surrender in the last war with Britain.  In 1803 I joined the Methodists, lived a Methodist until 1823. Then I found they were not right. I left them and joined the Bible Christians. In 1828 my father and mother died. Mother died Jan. 29, and was burried (sic) Jan. 31. Father died Mar. 24, and was burried (sic) Mar. 31. 

In 1833 I attached myself to the campbellites. By this time I had begun to conclude the whole world lay in darkness, with one of the ancients. I was ready to say “none was right, no not one.” I began to read the Bible and examine it closely for myself. The more I read the plainer I saw the sectarian world was wrong so I made it a matter of fast and prayer to God to send some one along that had the truth. That would teach it to the people that I might hear the truth and be saved. So it was not long until we heard there was a people that found a “Golden Bible.” We read a great deal about these people, at length they came into our neighborhood preaching. I went to hear the man preach, and I knew it was the Truth, from that time I went to hear them when I could but did not join them for about two or three years. (1836) May 1836 Clemency joined [which Clemency?  Her mother died in 1828.  They have a niece name Clemency, daughter of Samuel] in a little time afterwards my husband joined on Sunday, and on Tuesday following I joined. We had then joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Then (1837) we moved or went to Missouri; ten (10) in family. We purchased a home there and stayed until (1839). When Governor Boggs’ enterminating (sic) order came. We then had to leave and went to Illinois but previous to this time my husband went back in business to Ohio. He was taken sick and did not return until the 7th day of July following. We left Missouri in March went to Illinois rented a farm in the neighborhood of Fairfield and stayed one year there, then bought a home in Nauvoo. We moved there in 1841. We enjoyed ourselves first rate until 1844. Then they murdered our Prophet, Joseph Smith, and Hyrum, our Patriarch. Then there was confusion and trouble in Nauvoo and the land round about. In 1846 William Casper, my husband died Aug. 4.

I left Nauvoo in October following and went to Missouri with my two youngest Lydia and Joshua. Previous to this on the first of April of our horses were stolen. I could not leave until I wrote my children, then in Missouri to come after me. Thomas, John, and Duncan, and my son-in-law, John Neel. They sent horses and wagon and Duncan came and I went to Missouri stayed there until May 15, 1855. I left the states to come to the “Valley of the Mountains of Ephraim.” The preceding is from the pen of Ava Rillar Casper, Wife of William Casper, and daughter of Thomas Durbin. 

Ava Rillar Casper lived in Salt Lake county until Sept. 1, 1860 when she made up her mind to go visit her children for a year or two, who were in the States. She was in hopes her life would be spared to return to her “Mountain Home.” She did not live to return but died at the home of her daughter, Ann Bonar, Sept. 4. 1862. 

Previous to her departure to the states she was sealed to her husband, William Casper, her son William W. acting as proxy, for his father. She received a blessing from President Young and it was with his consent and blessing that she went. She had an idea that perhaps she might be the means of bringing some of her children or grandchildren to the knowledge of the truth. She lived and died a Saint.