Thomas-Gwinnett County GaArchives Biographies.....Duren, George L. 1866 - living in 1913
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 20, 2004, 1:31 pm

Author: William Harden
p. 855-856

   GEORGE L. DUREN. Representing a family whose members have been identified by
residence and citizenship with Georgia for more than a century, George L. Duren
is one of the enterprising merchants of Meigs in Thomas county. Beginning when
the present flourishing little city was a village, he has built up a large
business, and has performed his share of the development which has been so
notable in Southwest Georgia during the last quarter century.

   This branch of the Duren family is of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and the
great-grandfather of Mr. Duren came from the north of Ireland, the seat of the
Scotch-Irish, and settled in Augusta, Georgia, where he spent the remainder of
his days and followed his trade of blacksmith. He reared two sons, Thomas and
George, but the former left Augusta and disappeared from the knowledge of the
family. Mechanical skill has been almost a family asset of the Durens. The
grandfather, George, was a skilled worker in wood and iron, and in his
generation manufactured looms, spinning wheels, churns, carts and wagons. And
his son, the father of the Meigs merchants, inherited the same genius but did
not follow it as a regular gainful occupation, though he built the first wagon
he ever owned.

   George Duren, the grandfather, was born in Augusta and when a young man drove
stages from Augusta to interior points, and later moved to Gwinett county, where
he bought land and engaged in farming and resided until his death. He was known
as a man of sterling character and was thoroughly honest in all his dealings.
The maiden name of his wife was Sneed, and they reared ten sons and one
daughter. All of the sons who were living at the time served in the Confederate
army, and few families of the south were better represented at the front than
the Durens.

   W. N. Duren, the father, was born in Gwinett county on the 27th of September,
1824, was reared in his native county, and after attaining manhood bought a farm
in the same county and also became proprietor of a grist mill on Yellow river.
Being a miller, he was exempt from military service until the last call during
the war, and was given what was really a greater responsibility, that of caring
for the families of those who had gone to the front and supplying them with
flour and meal for their daily bread. But in 1864, when Georgia became one of
the principal centers of armed invasion, he joined the state militia and went to
the defense of Atlanta. In 1865, having sold his possessions in Gwinett county,
he came to Southwest Georgia, and bought land in the eastern part of Thomas
county, where he spent the remainder of his years. He married Miss Elizabeth
Flowers, a native of Gwinett county and daughter of James and Minerva (Chandler)
Flowers. Both her parents were natives of Scotland and on coming to America
first settled in North Carolina and later in Gwinett county, where they spent
the rest of their lives, the mother being upward of seventy-six years at the
time of her death. A few years after the Duren family moved to Thomas county the
mother was left a widow with ten children to her care. She succeeded in keeping
them all together until they were grown and had homes of their own. She spent
her last days with a daughter in Thomasville, her death occurring at the age of
seventy-six. The names of her ten children were: Mary J., Charlotte A., Reno M.,
William A., Emery G., Thomas C., Pinckney F., George L., Ella M. and Buna V.

   Throughout practically all of his life George L. Duren has been a resident of
Thomas county, and since childhood has witnessed the changes made by half a
century in this part of the state. He was born in Thomas county, September 27,
1866, and when a boy attended the school in the neighborhood of his home. Up to
the age of nineteen he assisted in the work of the farm, and then with a capital
of three hundred dollars, given him by his mother, he opened a small store in
Thomasville. That was the start of his long and successful career as a merchant.
He was in business at Thomasville one year, then two years at Stone Mountain and
five years at Cairo, after which he located in Meigs and as a merchant and
public-spirited citizen has ever since been closely identified with this
community. On coming here there were several frame but only one brick building
in the village, and his own enterprise had a small frame structure for its first
home. In 1905 he erected a commodious brick store, in which he carries a stock
of general merchandise including almost everything in daily use in the house and
on the farm. In 1913 he erected a large brick store in addition, in which he
will carry a large stock of hardware, machinery, buggies and all kinds of feed
stuffs.

   Mr. Duren has been twice married. He was married in Gwinett county to Miss A.
L. Williams, a native of that county and daughter of Pittman and Sally (Howe)
Williams. Mrs. Duren died at Cairo in 1895. By the second marriage, which was
celebrated near Meigs, Miss Rosetta Vick became his wife. She was born in
Colquitt county, this state, a daughter of James and Martha J. (Carlton) Vick.
One daughter, Ola Belle, was born of the first marriage and the two children of
the present union are Schley and Ella Vernon.

   Mr. and Mrs. Duren are active members of the Missionary Baptist church. He is
a prominent Mason, being master of Meigs lodge, F. & A. M., No. 459; Pelham
chapter, R. A. M., and the Crusader Commandery K. T., No. 17, Bainbridge,
Georgia. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the World. Mr. Duren has always been one
of the influential Democrats in his locality, has been a member of the district
executive committee, and in Meigs has done his share of public service as member
of the town council.



Additional Comments:
From:

A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
BY
WILLIAM HARDEN

VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1913

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