It should be noted that I took some liberty in cleaning up spelling and grammatical errors in the memo below. I only did so to aid in my own understanding and clarity. The memo below is still 98% verbatim.
___________________________________________________________
DURBIN MEMO
Author:
William Durbin of Kensington MD
Subject: Durbins
to America and Some Implications
 |
| (Click to Enlarge) |
*****
DURBIN/DURBAN
10 Feb 1662 - Apprenticed
in Bristol: John Harvey to Thomas
Durban. 4 years Barbados
17 Mar 1662 - Apprenticed
in Bristol: Thomas Durbin
to Thomas Covey. 4 years Nevis
16 Aug 1670 - Apprenticed
in Bristol: William Durbin
to Alice Field, 4 years Nevis by Nevis Adventure
18 Jan 1678 - Apprenticed
in Bristol: John Durban
to John Collins. 5 years Barbados
18 Dec 1693 - Chancery
suit of Basilia Durban
of St. Clement Danes, Middlesex, relict and executrix of Anthony Durbin. (Note: probably
included because records of certain individuals who were in the colonies were
needed to attest if they were heirs.)
19 Dec 1712 - 3
Jan 1713 - Shippers by the Rappahanock Merchant, Mr. John Derricott bound from
Bristol for Virginia: Thomas
Durbin, Edward Hackett, Edward Peters, Daniel Pill. (PRO: E190/1171/1; 1173/1)
25 Feb 1714 - 5
Mar 1714 - Shippers by the Rappahanock Merchant, Mr. John Derricott, bound from
Bristol for Virginia: Henry George, Jeremy Innys for Thomas Clayburn, John
Collier, Thomas Durbin,
Caple Hanbury, John Jelfe, Paul Hill. (PRO: E190/1175/1)
13 Mar 1728 - 11
Apr 1725 - Shippers by the Patience Pink, Mr. Jonathan Rouse, bound from
Bristol to Boston: John
Durbin (and eight others) (PRO E190/1201/3)
25 May 1764 - 6
June 1764 - Shippers by the Nancy, Mr. Henry Keene, bound from Bristol to
Maryland: Samuel Spann, Allen Vaughan & Crofts, David Campbell, John
Herbert, John Durbin.
(PRO E190/1225/5)
TRANSPORTED: March
1748 - Hannah Durbin
(aka Mary Fifoot/Tifoot) out of Gloucester
March 1763 - Joseph Durbin, Neptune,
London (Added 5 Sept 1997) From Virden
17 Oct 1978 - Transported
Thomas Daborne
transferred to MD 1669
Margaret Doubin transferred to MD
1678
Ref: R.
Horgreoues-Momdaly “Bristol and America - 1654/1685” 10,000 indentured servants
Bristol to VA, MD, and New England. “Emigrant from Liverpool to VA, MD, PA, New
England 1697 - 1707”
*****
NOTES:
1.
With these known
Durbins coming to the colonies (along with who knows how many unrecorded
Durbins), the question arises: What happened to them? Little doubt that some
did not survive. Little doubt that few, if any, returned to England. The odds are
that some served their time and married. Those in Barbados probably came to
America and could very well have been responsible for Durbins of other than a
Maryland origin.
2.
Assuming Durbin
and Durban to be the same family, note that in 1662 a Thomas Durbin was
indentured and another was indenturing, respectively, in Barbados. Interesting!
3.
The 1670 William
indentured to Alice Field. Could he have been the William who later had a
tobacco farm in Harford County, Maryland?
How is he related to the Thomas Durbins?
What happened to him? Family? Descendants?
(Or could the William of Harford County be the William of Bristol in
1696 who along with a Samuel was not listed with the family some 25 years later
and possibly emigrated?)
4.
What happened to
the Virginia-bound Durbins? William
Logsdon was bound for Virginia, served his indentureship but ended up in the
Baltimore area. Or did Thomas Durbin just book passage to Virginia and start
his own line of Durbins? Which ones are in evidence today?
5.
The “Thomas
Derbon” of Baltimore becomes more of an enigma.
Which Thomas was he? Perhaps there was more than one Thomas out of
Barbados in the Baltimore area. Is it
probable, as some believe, that two or more branches of Durbin were in
Baltimore in the early 18th century? That
not all Durbins descended from a single Thomas?
6.
How probable is it
that Samuel of Samuel/Ann, whose parentage is anything but certain, was
descended from William of Harford County?
Only rationalization and circumstantial statistics tie Samuel into the
“Thomas Derbon branch”, nothing approaching hard proof. He could have been descended from a totally
different Durbin, perhaps out of one of the early emigrants from Bristol? Or
immigrated to Maryland on his own?
7.
It would seem that
there was a potential for many, many Durbins to be along the Eastern Seaboard
in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, an era for which we
researchers have not been able to come across much hard evidence of the name.
All of us should be careful when we list parentage of Samuel and other Durbins
in the Maryland area. We should annotate
in some fashion the uncertainty of their origins except, of course, for those
where documentation exists.
8.
Another difficulty
is in the commonality of given names: John, Thomas, James, David, Daniel,
Samuel, William, Christopher et. al. We must be careful before ascribing relationships
based solely on the name of a person who is apparently in the right place at
the right time. With so many names it is easy to see how an individual can “fit”
into a frustrating blank spot. If such a fit is made, then it should be so annotated,
i.e. possible fit, convenient fit, place-holder, circumstantial fit, no hard
evidence, or even “just seems right”, but annotated nonetheless.
9.
Perhaps some of
the “Durbins of unknown origin” listed in William Jesse’s book, or suggested by
Jim Virden and others, could be descendants of one of the multiple emigrations
out of Bristol and ditto for some of the southern Durbins (although the origins
of several of them are fairly well documented or accepted.)
A NARRATIVE
“Not to know what
happened before we were born is to remain perpetually a child. For what is the worth of a human life unless
it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?” (Cicero)THE DURBIN FAMILY1 (A
Narrative)(August 28, 1997).
It was not until
my family and I had moved to Maryland from Illinois in 1973 that we discovered
how deep were the Durbin roots in Maryland. Our oldest son was about to be
married and one of his brothers wanted to make a simple family tree to give him
as a gift.
We contacted our
cousin in St. Louis, Robert Ross Durbin, who had been researching the family
for many years and he gave us enough data to get a good start. We developed not
only the family tree, which now hangs over our son’s fireplace in Arlington
Heights, Illinois, but we also developed a genuine curiosity about the history
of the Durbin Family and wanted to learn more.
We then began our
own low-keyed search for “roots” and have perused many records in the District
of Columbia, Annapolis, and around Maryland, including some local Mormon Church
files. We also were rewarded with
information on the Durbins from “cousins” in Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, New
York, Texas, California, Virginia and other states.
When we were in
England to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in 1977, Lorraine and I
visited various public record repositories in Bristol. We also spent time at similar
record offices in London as well as the Royal Genealogical Society where we
found a veritable treasure trove of information on the Durbin name.
From what we found
we are very confident that the Durbins as well as the Logsdons came from
Somersetshire and Gloucestershire in the vicinity of Bristol, Bath, Cheddar, and
Wells. (Nearly sixty Durbin families were listed in the Bristol City Telephone Directory). In fact, we found such a large number of
references to the Durbins that we are confident that the Samuel Durbin
ancestral line was centered around St. Thomas’ Church in Bristol. Of course, we have no proof—key records that
would have identified Samuel and the early Durbins were destroyed in an
accidental fire in Annapolis in the early 1700s. But there are some intriguing
inferences in wills and census records of Bristol at the turn of the 17th
century.
Here in the United
States we found various Durbin Family researchers who list Samuel (m. Ann
Logsdon, July 4 1723), as a son of Thomas (Durbin)
(Derbon), who came to the New World on the ship Nevis, settling in the Barbados
for a while to make his fortune and then emigrating to Baltimore where he
apparently founded an early branch of the Durbins. He was born in 1651
according to Kerry Bate.
The connection
between Thomas and Samuel is pure speculation.
No record has been found which supports such a supposition. Those who
maintain that Thomas was a grandfather or father to Samuel seem to be merely
matching dates to fill in blanks. Moreover,
I believe any claim which attempts to connect the earliest American Durbin
(Thomas) with a specific Durbin family in England prior to the late 1600s is
also pure speculation; unfortunately it is rarely so described by the claimant.
That fire in
Annapolis in the early 1700s destroyed all records which we who are tracing our
family origins in this part of the country consider indispensable to good
research. In the absence of such records some writers attempt to rationalize names/families/dates
for convenience sake much to the disservice of us relative amateurs.
An implied
conclusion by those who attempt to relate all Durbins of the 1700s to a single
immigrant, such as Thomas of Nevis / Barbados / Baltimore, is that no other Durbin
immigrated to Maryland for practically that entire century. Given the
conditions in Bristol at that
time, such a conclusion begs supporting data.
We noted in the records that emigration to the colonies was common-place
due to the poverty and poor living conditions in Bristol. Also, because of
inheritance laws involving primogeniture, many industrious sons not likely to
come into an inheritance also emigrated to start a new life. Thus the
assumption that one Durbin, viz. Thomas, started the entire early Durbin line
in America is poorly founded.
Some very
interesting scenarios – each highly speculative–have been developed in an
attempt to show a father/son relationship.
That Thomas was closely related to the branch of the Baltimore Durbins
who were probably Anglican, apparently educated and well-to-do, (and some of
whom may have backed the wrong side in the Revolutionary War) can be readily
accepted. But arguments putting Samuel with that group can be maintained only
with great difficulty and rationalization.
One of our
findings in Bristol showed “a”, not necessarily “our”, Samuel leaving the area
perhaps for the Americas with a William Durbin. [See excerpt from letter to Jim
Virden, below] Shortly thereafter one encounters our Samuel and a William in
Baltimore, the latter a tobacco grower with numerous slaves.
I have found no
record of Samuel ever being a slave-owner unlike most of the well-to-do
Baltimore Durbins. I think that bears some reflection when associating Samuel
with the other Baltimore Durbins. I am
satisfied from our research that there were at least two Durbin lines in
Baltimore at that time. (A case can be made for three: Thomas, Samuel, and
William in Harford County.) They were probably related somehow back in Bristol,
England (probably somewhere in the environs of St. Thomas’ Church) where
Durbins abounded. There is much basis for finding distinctions between the
two/three lines in the early 1700s, some anecdotal, some ration-alized, and
some speculative.
To this end I
herein quote from a letter I sent to the late Jim Virden on 7 November 1977
giving a brief description of our family history search while visiting England:
“...Most vital
statistics reside in the individual parishes around England; one must know
where to look for what he wants or just go from parish to parish and see what
you can find. We believe though that the records of St. Thomas Parish on St. Thomas
Street in Bristol may contain valuable information. In fact, although it is
pure rationalization, my wife Lorraine uncovered a possible reference to Samuel
Durbin. Her scenario makes much more sense than trying to tie Samuel to the
Nevis Thomas, particularly since we have nothing to tie the Nevis Thomas to “Thomas
Derbon, an officer of the Province.”
Here’s what she
found. In a book entitled “Inhabitants of
Bristol in 1696” in St. Thomas Parish, on St. Thomas Street, is listed a
Thomas Durbin and his six children: Thomas, John, Sammuell, William, Alice and Mary.
Lorraine then
found the will of Alice filed 17 October 1726 in which Alice left effects to
“brother Thomas and wife, to their children, and to brother John and sister Mary”
the two latter being co-executors. What happened to William and “Sammuell”? Any number of things, obviously. But what
stuck in our minds is the tradition that I heard many times as a child and have
since encountered with various correspondents that “two brothers came from
Wales” and started the Durbins in America.
Also, we know
nothing of the birth of Samuel in this country, and trying to tie into Thomas
stretches things quite a bit. A separate immigration of Samuel to Maryland is
certainly very logical. Perhaps the Nevis Thomas was a relative who sent back word
of encouragement to the Bristol Durbins who were apparently low on the social and
economic ladder about that time (several were in the almshouse). Also, have you
noted the interesting similarity in place names between the Bristol area and
the Maryland area where Thomas Derbon lived? A major river separating Bristol
from Wales, a long river going up into England and Wales is the Severn River. I
believe Thomas Derbon is identified with Severn, an early province of Maryland,
alongside the Severn River which empties into Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore
and Annapolis. Coincidence? I think not.
I’m willing to wager that a little research will show that the Severn province
was populated by Welsh and Bristol (Somerset and Gloucestershire) immigrants.
Such a situation
would give greater credence to a “Sammuell” Durbin immigrating from the Bristol
area to the Baltimore, Maryland area. Again it is pure speculation, but I
believe it is much more intriguing than trying to tie our line to the Nevis
homas...”
“(Added to the
excerpt on Jan 5, 1994) About the time of the younger Samuel in Baltimore, there
was a William who is also unattached, a farmer, slave owner. He lived to the east and north of Baltimore
but close enough to be part of the “Grand Durbin Clan” of the Baltimore area. Is he the William along with Sammuell not
mentioned in the 1726 will?”
“(Addendum: Nov
30, 1996) Even though there were multiple migrations of Durbins for which we
have accounts, it would seem that most if not all came from the same root stock
around Bristol. It would also seem that their personal conditions were probably
pretty bad which, according to A. E. Smith, “Colonist
in Bondage: White Servitude and Convict Labor in America (1607-1776)” (University
of North Carolina Press, 1947), was a good inducement to emigrate to the
colonies. That is another of the reasons why I part company with Kerry Bate and
others who consider Thomas Durbin/NEVIS as the single origin of the Baltimore
area Durbins.
From what Lorraine
and I read while in Bristol (1977), conditions in that area during the 17th
Century were bad: living conditions, taxes, religious persecutions, war,
revolution, etc. The grass looked greener on the other side of the Atlantic
Ocean, and it certainly was
if one were
willing to work. The lucky ones could pay their own way over and didn’t have to
indenture themselves. Since indentureship was entered into as early as age 13
(or younger), Samuel could very well have come to the colonies at a very early age
under just such a condition and worked it off. Of course he may have been able to
pay his own way. Just speculation.
”I believe that
this excerpt of my letter to Jim Virden makes a reasonable case for not
assuming that Samuel is the son of Thomas/NEVIS/Barbados/Baltimore. The best we can do is recognize that there
were several families of Durbins in Maryland in the early 18th century, and
without documentation to the contrary they should remain unattached and
independent.
Most Durbin Family
researchers are well aware of the link between the Durbins and the Logsdons. In fact, the word “link” is inadequate to
describe the extensive intermarriage between the two families. I think the
story that Honor O’Flynn was kidnapped on the shore of Ireland and taken to
America in 1674 on the same ship as William Logsdon—an indentured servant—where
they fell in love and were married, is a great story, accurate or not.
Also the corollary
legend that she came into Baltimore or Annapolis on a ship-load of women, some
voluntary and some kidnapped, and accepted William Logsdon for her husband is
equally credible. I wouldn’t change or challenge either legend in the least.
William and Honor raised Ann who married Samuel and started our family line.
(It is generally accepted that Honor began the Catholic tradition
in the Logsdon and
Durbin lines).
The young Samuel
was a toll-road watchman near Owings Mill, a few miles west of Baltimore. William Logsdon, the former indentured
servant turned
successful tobacco grower, lived nearby with his obviously most attractive daughter
Ann. She converted Samuel to Catholicism – his early religious affiliation is
uncertain—which is confused by the fact that they were married in the Anglican Church
in Baltimore on July 4, 1723. By so doing they conformed to the civil law of
that time. Their union probably received the blessing of the Catholic Church
from a priest-in-hiding around Westminister, MD.
Freedom of
religion in Maryland had long been suppressed at that time. Samuel and Ann had
13 children, one of whom was Christopher
born 13 July 1741
in Maryland. The wills of Ann and
Samuel, of which we have copies acquired from the Hall of Records in Annapolis,
provide great information on their immediate family.
Immediately
following the American Revolution most of the Maryland area Durbins descended
from Thomas/Nevis/Barbados and Samuel/Ann, respectively, dispersed to points
west and southwest: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, (now) West
Virginia, et. al. (Legend has it that a Durbin/Logsdon was with Daniel Boone when
he explored Kentucky. That means that Dan’l must have had an exploring party in
the thousands to account for all who make such a claim).
It is amazing that
the identity of whom Christopher married is uncertain. Recently, a general
consensus been noted by this writer that her name was Margaret Brown Parkinson.
(However, I am unaware of documentation to that effect). There had been speculation that she was from
southern Pennsylvania, possibly Greene County, but that was not verified to the
best of my knowledge. Christopher fathered at least 12 children, six sons and
six daughters; oddly enough the records on the latter have yet to be found.
(Some
contend there was
a second marriage and more children).
Two of the sons
were John J. (Uncle Blind Johnny) Durbin (from whom I am descended) born in
1769 and Joseph Durbin born in 1771. They emigrated to Kentucky where some
settled around Sunfish, Edmonson County (John’s family) and the family of
Joseph eventually went north to what is now Sangamon and Christian and other
counties in Illinois.
After the
Revolutionary War several of Samuel’s children migrated through western
Maryland, West Virginia, southern Pennsylvania and into Ohio. Others remained
in the Baltimore/ Westminster area. Among them were William, Thomas and
Benjamin. The latter two are buried in the Westminster Catholic Cemetery,
together with their families and a Logsdon or two, directly behind the Public
Library. I have pictures of their grave sites.
William’s family became solid citizens of Westminster, his children and
grandchildren making their marks in the Methodist Church, in the city
government, and in the raising of civic and private buildings (more about
William’s family below).
Until very
recently, I was unaware of the association of any of the Samuel Durbin
descendants with slavery. In his
outstanding history, “Sunfish Edmonson
County Kentucky, Oasis of Catholicism”, James H. Simon gives the following
account of John J. Durbin:
“John J. Durbin
was a slave owner. He was also blind in
his later years. If he wanted to punish one of his slaves, he would direct the
slave be bound to a tree or stake and whipped by one of the other slaves. Instead of whipping the slave, the other
slave would merely
whip a nearby
tree, and the slave to be punished would cry out as if he were in reality being
punished. Apparently John J. never knew
he was being duped. There is no grave marker
in St. John Cemetery for John J. Durbin, and I have been told that he requested
that he be buried outside the Catholic cemetery with his slaves rather than
inside with his wives.……. (His son) John J. Durbin, Jr. was called “Captain”. John was Captain in the State Militia, and
the primary duty of the militia in his day was to capture runaway slaves….William
Richard, son of John J. Durbin and Patience Logsdon, …..was a store keeper, and
a magistrate for the community of Sunfish. His sympathies were with the
Confederacy during the Civil War, due to the fact that his father was a slave
owner, I’m sure. Toward the end of the War, a group of Federal troops came through
Sunfish and stopped at Richard’s store asking for supplies. Richard refused to
sell or give the needed supplies, so the soldiers took what they wanted and
destroyed the rest. Richard never
recovered from his loss.
”John J. had a
son, Robert A, (my great, great grandfather), born 1813 in Kentucky and died in
Newton, Illinois on January 2, 1892. He was married four times, left his fourth
wife, was reported by her in 1870 to the census-takers as dead, but later found
to have been quite alive in Clinton County buying up land for taxes, and being
taken care of in his elder years by members of the Rittmann family to whom he
left most of his material possessions. He cut off all his children with one
dollar apiece and most of the remaining cash dispersed to various priests to
say Masses for the repose of his soul. (This information was discovered by my
cousin, Robert Ross Durbin of St. Louis, MO, after years of diligent research).
Robert A. and his
first wife, Elizabeth Ann Hill (1817 - ) had nine children, among them a son,
Pius Anselm Durbin, born 30 Sept 1847 in Kentucky, died 9 Sep 1909 in Dahlgren,
Illinois. Pius Anselm was first married
to Elizabeth Ellen Burtle of Sangamon County, Illinois (1848 - 1879) who bore
him six children. They moved to Kansas
and took up farming. When she died in
Kansas, Pius returned to Illinois and married her sister, Teresa (1858-1938)
and returned to Kansas. Teresa
eventually bore him seven children, the first of whom was my grandfather,
William Oscar (Jan 26, 1881-Jan 4, 1950), born in Dickenson County, Kansas. The family eventually moved to Dahlgren,
Illinois about 1884. William Oscar married Margaret Gaul of Monmouth, Illinois
(June 21, 1883-Nov 25, 1961). My father,
William Pius, was born in 1906 in Dahlgren and married Ann Kutkin (1909-1997),
who immigrated from Lithuania in 1911. Dad died in 1958.
I was born in East
St. Louis, Illinois in 1929. I am at least
the third “Pius” in my line of Durbins, joining a throng with the name Pius
throughout the Durbin clan. Apparently I
was given the name in honor of my great grandfather, Pius Anselm. I have ten
children, nine sons (none a Pius), and fourteen grandchildren, eleven grandsons
and four granddaughters. My branch of
the Durbin line should be around for a while.
My two brothers, Bob, who resides in Long Beach, California and Dick,
the United States Senator from Illinois, also assure through their children the
continuation of the “Dahlgren Durbin” line.
___________________________________________________________
NOTE, for later reference, from online resource:
According to William (Bill) Durbin, Samuel as a son of this Thomas and Mary Down(e)s IS NOT VERIFIED. One reference suggests that Samuel was actually born in 1704 in Bristow, England; while another places the family origin in Ireland.
William Durbin and his wife were able to visit England and among the various research that they conducted they found a possible reference to this Samuel. In a book entitled "Inhabitants of Bristol in 1696" in St. Thomas Parish on St. Thomas St. is listed a Thomas Durbin and his six children: Thomas, John, Sammuell, William, Alice and Mary. A will of Alice was filed 17 October 1726 in which Alice left effects to "brother Thomas and wife, to their children, and to brother John and sister Mary" the two latter being co-executors. Could the Samuel mentioned be the Samuel who married Ann Logsdon. Unlike many wills of the period, Alice signed with a clear signature, not an X.
William in his notes on Samuel Durbin at the 'Durbin Link' page, "we know nothing of the birth of Samuel in this country, and trying to tie into Thomas stretches things quite a bit. A separate immigration of Samuel to Maryland is certainly very logical. Perhaps the Nevis Thomas was a relative who sent back word of encouragement to the Bristol Durbins who were apparently low on the social and economic ladder about that time (several were in the almshouse). Also, have you noted the interesting similarity in place names between the Bristol area and the Maryland area where Thomas Derbon lived? A major river separating Bristol from Wales, a long river going up into England and Wales is the Severn River. I believe Thomas Derbon is identified with Severn, an early province of Maryland, alongside the Severn River which empties into Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore and Annapolis. Coincidence? I think not. I'm willing to wager that a little research will show that the Severn province was populated by Welsh and Bristol (Somerset and Gloucestershire) immigrants".
Such a situation would give greater credence to a "Samuel" Durbin immigrating from the Bristol area to the Baltimore, Maryland area. Again it is pure speculation, but I believe it is much more intriguing than trying to tie our line to the Nevis homas..." "(Added to the excerpt on Jan 5, 1994) About the time of the younger Samuel in Baltimore there was a William who is also unattached, a farmer, slave owner. He lived to the east and north of Baltimore but close enough to be part of the "Grand Durbin Clan" of the Baltimore area. Is he the William along with Sammuell not mentioned in the 1726 will?)" "(Addendum: Nov 30, 1996) Even though there were multiple migrations of Durbins for which we have accounts, it would seem that most if not all came from the same root stock around Bristol. It would also seem that their personal conditions were probably pretty bad which, according to A. E. Smith, "Colonist in Bondage: White Servitude and Convict Labor in America (1607-1776)," University of North Carolina Press, 1947, was a good inducementto emigrate to the colonies. That is another of the reasons why I part company with Kerry Bate and others who consider Thomas Durbin/ NEVIS as the single origin of the Baltimore area Durbins. From what Lorraine and I read while in Bristol (1977), conditions in that area duringthe 17th Century were bad: living conditions, taxes, religious persecutions, war, revolution, etc. The grass looked greener on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, and it certainly was if one were willing to work. The lucky ones could pay their own way over and didn't have to indenture themselves. Since indentureship was entered into as early as age 13 (or younger), Samuel could very well have come to the colonies at a very early age under just such a condition and worked it off. Of course he may have been able to pay his own way. Just speculation.)
According to Jack Mort, Samuel Durbin is the child of Thomas and Mary Downs. Jack Mort also suggests that Thomas's children were the result of Thomas and his unknown first wife. Donna Edwards materials suggest that this Samuel was not born until 1704 in Carrol Co., MD.
Records of St. Paul's Parish by William and Martha Reamy (call number 975.26-K28 m in Family History Library) pg 5: Sarah Durbin, b 19 Sept 1725, William, b. 4 Jan 1726, Samuel, b. 29 Jan 1727, pg 29: Samuel Durbin m. Ann Logden 4 July 1725, by banns. This Samuel witnessed the will of William Holland, 16 June 1721
[Ref:Jane Baldwin Cotton, and Maryland Calendar of Wills, Vol. 6: p. 86]
Samuel in 1729, was appointed Overseer of Roads in his District (near Owings Mill, a few miles west of Baltimore) which was the Old Garrison Road near the Logsdon Property [Ref: Maryland Historical Soc. Magazine, Vol 19] He was still the road overseer in Baltimore Co., MD. as of March 1729 / 30 [Ref: Maryland Historical Magazine 16: 137].
Samuel was of age to wit the will of Willliam Holland (Maryland Calendar of Wills, Vol 6, pg 86) 16 June 1721; Samuel d. in Frederick Co., Md. in 1752; his wife Ann Logsdon, whom he married on 4 July 1723, d. in Frederick Co., MD. in 1770; in 1750 owned Cobb's Choice; had iss.: Sarah, b. 19 Sept 1725, m. (--) McKensey; William, b. 4 Jan 1726; Samuel, b. 29 Jan 1727; Thomas, b. 13 July 1732; Christopher, b. 13 July 1741, moved to Madison Co., KY.; John; Nicholas; Edward; Benjamin; Margaret, m. Edward Brown; Mary, m (--) Logsdon; Honour. Ref: Baltimore County Families, 1659-1759 by Robert Barnes
He migrated to Frederick County, MD. He is referenced as the owner of 'Cobb's Choice' in 1750. Samuel and Ann's house, built in 1741 still stands, two miles outside of Westminster, and is a shrine of the Methodist Church of America. This is a wonderful home, still standing, in good condition. There are roadside signs pointing to it's location about two miles out from Westminster, MD. The Durbins became interested in Methodism and the first American ordained bishop Francis Asbury often visited with the Durbins during three generations of that family and preached in their home. Also, the family was quite friendly with Robert Strawbridge, recognized by many as the first Methodist preacher in America. He was a near neighbor and friend. The Durbins were active in establishing Methodism in this country and Samuel's son William belonged to the First Society of Methodism. Although Ann was Catholic they were married in an Anglican Church because of opposition to the Catholic faith at that time. [Ref: Ancestors of Philip J. Dietz, Jr. and Howard Steiner.]
Samuel's will was dated 19 September 1752 in Frederick Co., MD. and proved 23 October 1752. Witnesses inlcuded: Edward Meachan, Thomas Logsdon and William Wilson. (Ref: 1.) Frederick County Probates, A-1-78 (Frederick County, MD. Courthouse, 2.) History of Western Maryland by J. Scharf. Frederick County, pg. 431, 3.) Western Maryland Genealogist in Family History Library, SLC, Vol. I pg. 57- names children of Samuel and Ann including: Ann, Margaret, Thomas and John.)
Samuel is the ancester to the largest family of Durbins descended from Thomas Durbin. [Ref: Baltimore County Families, 1659-1759 by Robert Barnes]
___________________________________________________________
NOTE, for later reference, from online resource:
According to William (Bill) Durbin, Samuel as a son of this Thomas and Mary Down(e)s IS NOT VERIFIED. One reference suggests that Samuel was actually born in 1704 in Bristow, England; while another places the family origin in Ireland.
William Durbin and his wife were able to visit England and among the various research that they conducted they found a possible reference to this Samuel. In a book entitled "Inhabitants of Bristol in 1696" in St. Thomas Parish on St. Thomas St. is listed a Thomas Durbin and his six children: Thomas, John, Sammuell, William, Alice and Mary. A will of Alice was filed 17 October 1726 in which Alice left effects to "brother Thomas and wife, to their children, and to brother John and sister Mary" the two latter being co-executors. Could the Samuel mentioned be the Samuel who married Ann Logsdon. Unlike many wills of the period, Alice signed with a clear signature, not an X.
William in his notes on Samuel Durbin at the 'Durbin Link' page, "we know nothing of the birth of Samuel in this country, and trying to tie into Thomas stretches things quite a bit. A separate immigration of Samuel to Maryland is certainly very logical. Perhaps the Nevis Thomas was a relative who sent back word of encouragement to the Bristol Durbins who were apparently low on the social and economic ladder about that time (several were in the almshouse). Also, have you noted the interesting similarity in place names between the Bristol area and the Maryland area where Thomas Derbon lived? A major river separating Bristol from Wales, a long river going up into England and Wales is the Severn River. I believe Thomas Derbon is identified with Severn, an early province of Maryland, alongside the Severn River which empties into Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore and Annapolis. Coincidence? I think not. I'm willing to wager that a little research will show that the Severn province was populated by Welsh and Bristol (Somerset and Gloucestershire) immigrants".
Such a situation would give greater credence to a "Samuel" Durbin immigrating from the Bristol area to the Baltimore, Maryland area. Again it is pure speculation, but I believe it is much more intriguing than trying to tie our line to the Nevis homas..." "(Added to the excerpt on Jan 5, 1994) About the time of the younger Samuel in Baltimore there was a William who is also unattached, a farmer, slave owner. He lived to the east and north of Baltimore but close enough to be part of the "Grand Durbin Clan" of the Baltimore area. Is he the William along with Sammuell not mentioned in the 1726 will?)" "(Addendum: Nov 30, 1996) Even though there were multiple migrations of Durbins for which we have accounts, it would seem that most if not all came from the same root stock around Bristol. It would also seem that their personal conditions were probably pretty bad which, according to A. E. Smith, "Colonist in Bondage: White Servitude and Convict Labor in America (1607-1776)," University of North Carolina Press, 1947, was a good inducementto emigrate to the colonies. That is another of the reasons why I part company with Kerry Bate and others who consider Thomas Durbin/ NEVIS as the single origin of the Baltimore area Durbins. From what Lorraine and I read while in Bristol (1977), conditions in that area duringthe 17th Century were bad: living conditions, taxes, religious persecutions, war, revolution, etc. The grass looked greener on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, and it certainly was if one were willing to work. The lucky ones could pay their own way over and didn't have to indenture themselves. Since indentureship was entered into as early as age 13 (or younger), Samuel could very well have come to the colonies at a very early age under just such a condition and worked it off. Of course he may have been able to pay his own way. Just speculation.)
According to Jack Mort, Samuel Durbin is the child of Thomas and Mary Downs. Jack Mort also suggests that Thomas's children were the result of Thomas and his unknown first wife. Donna Edwards materials suggest that this Samuel was not born until 1704 in Carrol Co., MD.
Records of St. Paul's Parish by William and Martha Reamy (call number 975.26-K28 m in Family History Library) pg 5: Sarah Durbin, b 19 Sept 1725, William, b. 4 Jan 1726, Samuel, b. 29 Jan 1727, pg 29: Samuel Durbin m. Ann Logden 4 July 1725, by banns. This Samuel witnessed the will of William Holland, 16 June 1721
[Ref:Jane Baldwin Cotton, and Maryland Calendar of Wills, Vol. 6: p. 86]
Samuel in 1729, was appointed Overseer of Roads in his District (near Owings Mill, a few miles west of Baltimore) which was the Old Garrison Road near the Logsdon Property [Ref: Maryland Historical Soc. Magazine, Vol 19] He was still the road overseer in Baltimore Co., MD. as of March 1729 / 30 [Ref: Maryland Historical Magazine 16: 137].
Samuel was of age to wit the will of Willliam Holland (Maryland Calendar of Wills, Vol 6, pg 86) 16 June 1721; Samuel d. in Frederick Co., Md. in 1752; his wife Ann Logsdon, whom he married on 4 July 1723, d. in Frederick Co., MD. in 1770; in 1750 owned Cobb's Choice; had iss.: Sarah, b. 19 Sept 1725, m. (--) McKensey; William, b. 4 Jan 1726; Samuel, b. 29 Jan 1727; Thomas, b. 13 July 1732; Christopher, b. 13 July 1741, moved to Madison Co., KY.; John; Nicholas; Edward; Benjamin; Margaret, m. Edward Brown; Mary, m (--) Logsdon; Honour. Ref: Baltimore County Families, 1659-1759 by Robert Barnes
He migrated to Frederick County, MD. He is referenced as the owner of 'Cobb's Choice' in 1750. Samuel and Ann's house, built in 1741 still stands, two miles outside of Westminster, and is a shrine of the Methodist Church of America. This is a wonderful home, still standing, in good condition. There are roadside signs pointing to it's location about two miles out from Westminster, MD. The Durbins became interested in Methodism and the first American ordained bishop Francis Asbury often visited with the Durbins during three generations of that family and preached in their home. Also, the family was quite friendly with Robert Strawbridge, recognized by many as the first Methodist preacher in America. He was a near neighbor and friend. The Durbins were active in establishing Methodism in this country and Samuel's son William belonged to the First Society of Methodism. Although Ann was Catholic they were married in an Anglican Church because of opposition to the Catholic faith at that time. [Ref: Ancestors of Philip J. Dietz, Jr. and Howard Steiner.]
Samuel's will was dated 19 September 1752 in Frederick Co., MD. and proved 23 October 1752. Witnesses inlcuded: Edward Meachan, Thomas Logsdon and William Wilson. (Ref: 1.) Frederick County Probates, A-1-78 (Frederick County, MD. Courthouse, 2.) History of Western Maryland by J. Scharf. Frederick County, pg. 431, 3.) Western Maryland Genealogist in Family History Library, SLC, Vol. I pg. 57- names children of Samuel and Ann including: Ann, Margaret, Thomas and John.)
Samuel is the ancester to the largest family of Durbins descended from Thomas Durbin. [Ref: Baltimore County Families, 1659-1759 by Robert Barnes]
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