Michael D. DURR

Michael D. DURR was born 12 March 1816 in South Carolina. He died in Natchitoches parish, LA on 14 June 1900 and was buried in Beulah Methodist Church Cemetery near Marthaville. He married in Monroe Co., AL on 25 Nov 1837 to Rebecca Gaston, (d/o ? GASTON & Jane ?) born 18 May 1815 in Alabama and died 2 June 1902 in Natchitoches Parish, LA with burial at Beulah Methodist Church Cemetery. Their graves are to the right on the second row as you enter the cemetery thru the main gate.

On the 1850 census Rebecca's mother Jane and daughter Martha were neighbors of Michael and Rebecca. Nearby lived her sister Jane who was married to Silas M. Crump. Rebecca's father may be the John Gaston that appears on the 1830 Monroe Co., AL census. The first record of Michael buying land in Louisiana is the land patent filed 3 Jul 1861 so he had probably been homesteading since the family arrived in Natchitoches parish. This first tract of land was 40 acres purchased for $200 from Charles N. Mitchell (SE 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Section 22, Township 10 north, Range 10 west). EARLY SETTLERS AND LATER FAMILIES OF THE BETHANY-JENNINGS CHAPEL COMMUNITY, NATCHITOCHES, LA by Thomas F. Jennings states, "This would have been about a quarter of a mile east of the Marthaville-Ajax road about the Jim Knott place." In Sept, Oct, & Dec 1869 & Jan 1870 Michael and Rebecca moved to Cass Co., TX where they purchased four tracts of land and appeared on the 1870 Davis (Cass) Co., TX census. By Apr 1873 they had returned to Natchitoches parish and Michael bought 160 acres of land in Natchitoches pr., LA from S. M. & S. D. Crump for $700 described as SE 1/ of Section 11, Township 9 north, Range 10 west. In October of the same year he purchased 240 more acres in the same area from the State of Louisiana at a tax sale. Michael and Rebecca had 10 children that we have names for and one more possible child according to the 1900 census where they stated that they had 11 children of which 3 were alive at that time.

Children:

1. James W. DURR, b. 1839 in Alabama, d. Mar 1860 in Natchitoches Pr., LA. He married 30 Aug 1859 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, L. E. SMITH. (no known children)
2. Amanda DURR, b. @1841 in LA, d. pre 1884 in Natchitoches Pr., LA. She married 11 Nov 1880 in Natchitoches Pr., LA (7/26), Thomas J. MEGASON, (s/o William MEGISON & Fener (Timor) PALMER) b. 1840 in Alabama. (no known children)
3. Frances Julia DURR, b. 17 Feb 1843 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, d. 16 Jun 1908 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, bur. Beulah Methodist Church-Natchitoches Pr., LA. She married @1865, George Washington MEGASON (s/o Benjamin F. MEGASON & Harriet PALMER), b. 27 Mar 1844 in Alabama, d. 30 July 1912 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, bur. Beulah Methodist Church-Natchitoches Pr., LA.
4. Louisa DURR, b. @1844 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, d. 1867 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, bur. Beulah Methodist Church-Natchitoches Pr., LA. She married 28 Sept 1858 in Natchitoches Pr., LA (2/9) Lewis COLTON, b. Sept 1827 in LA, d. 23 Feb 1903 in Sabine Pr., LA, bur. Sardis Cemetery-Sabine Pr., LA.
5. Newton DURR, b. @1846 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, d. pre 1870 census.
6. Melvina or Matilda DURR, b. @1848 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, d. pre 1870 census.
7. Robert DURR, b. @1850 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, d. pre 1870 census.
8. Rosaline DURR, b. @1853 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, d. pre 1870 census.
9. Thomas J. DURR, b. 18 Jul 1854 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, d. 25 Mar 1916 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, bur. Beulah Methodist Church-Natchitoches Pr., LA. He married 25 Nov 1877 in Natchitoches Pr., LA (6/46), Isabelle M. KNOTT, (d/o John O. KNOTT & Matilda Malina MASSEY), b. 9 Jun 1857 in LA, d. 5 Mar 1940 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, bur. Beulah Methodist Church-Natchitoches Pr., LA.
10. Lawrence DURR, b. 4 Jul 1858 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, d. 23 Sept 1920 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, bur. Beulah Methodist Church-Natchitoches Pr., LA. He married 20 Mar 1884 in Natchitoches Pr., LA (8/329), Sarah Elizabeth RAMSEY, (d/o Ben RAMSEY & Artie VARNON), b. 24 Sept 1861 in Georgia, d. 11 Jan 1942 in Natchitoches Pr., LA, bur. Beulah Methodist Church-Natchitoches Pr., LA.

Susan Laurent Obit
Family History
Michael D. Durr		David H. Durr
William Rufus Durr
Reunions & Homecomings
Gone But Not Forgotten
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For more information on the Durr family, contact: Susan Laurent (Susan@DoubleDurr.com).
(Last edited: 3/23/2011)

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